Health Tip: Ear Infection May Not Need Antibiotic
If your child has an ear infection, it's important to take the child to a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment. The pediatrician will determine if the infection is bacterial or viral.
Here are suggestions on how to treat your child's ear infection, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:
* If the infection is bacterial, your doctor probably will prescribe an antibiotic.
* If the infection is viral, an antibiotic won't treat it, so prescribing one may be counterproductive.
* You can give your child a pain reliever, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Don't give your child aspirin, unless the doctor says so.
* Apply a warm heating pad to the ear to relieve pain.
* The doctor may prescribe ear drops.
Health Tip: Protect Injury With Elastic Bandage
An elastic bandage applied to an injured joint can help control pain and swelling, and provide support while the injury heals.
The University of Michigan Health System describes how to properly apply an elastic bandage:
* Start wrapping the bandage lower than the area that is injured.
* Continue to wrap upward around the injury.
* Fully wrap the entire area that is injured, wrapping securely. But do not wrap so tightly that the bandage causes the area to swell.
* If the area or surrounding area begins to swell, turn cold, blue or numb, loosen the bandage.
* Continue to use the bandage until the injury has healed.
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