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Home
and Family
LETTERS
Chana Siegel, a nurse, compliments us on our Useful Household
Hints which appeared for Parshas Ki Seitze, but wishes
to make some corrections:
BURNS - Never, never put "Arak or any other alcoholic
solution" on a burn. I have also heard of applying butter,
olive oil etc., which are also not a good idea. Apply cold
water, the colder the better, the sooner the better -- and we
add: the longer the better. Ice packs in a bowl of cold water
are good [just make sure patient does not turn blue]. This
does not just soothe, but can actually decrease the severity
of the burn. Alcohol irritates and dries out, and Arak also
contains other substances which are still more likely to
irritate and contaminate the wound. Anything other than COLD
WATER is for later.
BLEEDING CUTS - Do NOT apply sugar to coagulate the wound.
You are just contaminating the wound and increasing the
chance of infection. The best way to stop bleeding is to
apply direct pressure to the wound and to elevate the area.
If bleeding continues, get medical help.
In closing, a hint from the medical establishment about blood
stains. Apply hydrogen peroxide to garment, wash in cold, not
hot water. Hot water solidifies the protein in the blood;
then it never comes out.
NOTE FROM YOUR EDITOR - who cannot help sticking her 2 cents
worth every once in a while. The two above hints were not
from the author, Rifca Goldberg, but from my hearsay, and
were inserted in brackets. It has previously been noted that
editorial comments appear in brackets. [As for hydrogen
peroxide, this is an excellent antiseptic, not painful, good
to have in one's medicine chest, cheap, and excellent for
cleansing and loosening wax from ears, as it has a foaming
action.]
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