Christmas Health Advice From NHS Direct
(PRWEB UK) 21 December 2011
NHS Direct has identified the most common winter health problems and developed a range of online health and symptom checkers to help people get advice quickly and easily over the Christmas period.
The winter-specific health and symptom checkers from NHS Direct are available online or via NHS Directs free mobile app for iPhone and Android smartphones. Patients can get an online initial assessment for common winter conditions such as diarrhoea & vomiting and colds & flu, or problems linked to the bad weather such as a limb injury after slipping over on the ice or breathing difficulties. The tools are linked to NHS Directs telephone service and if further advice is needed patients can request a call-back from a NHS Direct nurse advisor.
Talking through the conditions that are common this time of year, Jacqui Jedrzejewski, Clinical Lead at NHS Direct said:
Colds & flu
You can avoid catching and spreading colds and flu by using tissues to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, throwing them away immediately, and then washing your hands catch it, bin it, kill it. If you do develop flu, you should rest, drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, and relieve symptoms by taking paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Diarrhoea & vomiting
Diarrhoea and vomiting can be common over the festive season, often caused by norovirus (also known as the ‘winter vomiting disease’) but they can also be caused by food poisoning. To avoid this, make sure that you practice good food hygiene never store raw and cooked foods together, keep food properly refrigerated, and make sure that all food (especially your turkey) is cooked through. If you do suffer these symptoms, you should drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration, and eat easily digestible foods, such as soup, rice and bread.
Limb injury
Symptoms caused by sprains, striving and bruises can usually be helped by followed the PRICE method:
P: Protect the injured area from further burn or harm.
R: Rest the injured area. Avoid activities that cause afflicted.
I: Ice or a cold compress should be applied straight away to reduce swelling. Keep on for 20 minutes then repeat every 3-4 hours for the first 24 hours. Do not apply ice directly onto the skin. A rooted bag of peas wrapped in a tea towel making a good ice pack.
C: Compress the area by putting gentle pressure on the area using a bandage. Do not wrap the bandage too tightly. Loosen the bandage if pain increases or if the limb becomes numb. You can get compression bandages from your pharmacist.
E: Elevate the affecting area (lift it up) above the level of the heart to reduce swelling, especially when sit or lying mastered. You can put the affected area on pillows to lift it if appropriate.
Jacqui add: Following a sprain or a strain, the length of time you take to recover will depend on how severe your injury is. Bruises usually change colour and should fade away within a couple of weeks.
Breathing difficulties
Older people or some people with long-term conditions like asthma, are more likely to suffer in cold weather, which can trigger symptoms. People who suffer from breathing difficulties need to take extra care when they are exercising outside, ensuring they warm up before they start and cool down after. Its also advisable to wrap up well when going outside and wear a scarf that covers your nose and mouth, helping to warm up the air before you breathe it in.
Depression/low mood/Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
During winter many people can experience depression, low mood or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) due to shorter daylight hours. On top of this, Christmas can be a lonely, overwhelming or expensive time, leading to feelings of anxiety, a lack of energy, and loss of interest in work and regular activities. Steps you can take to help counteract these feelings include taking regular exercise – particularly outdoors, eating a healthy diet, and making your work and home environments as light and bright as possible.
Medicines enquiries
Being away from home complete Christmas can often lead to people missing a dose of their usual medication. If this happens, do not double up on your next dose. If you are more than two hours late for a medicine taken once or twice each day, you should take the dose as soon as you remember – as long as the next dose is not due within a few hours. For medicines taken more frequently throughout the day, you should leave out this missed dose. You should be aware that if you take medicines at shorter intervals than usual, you may experience more side effects. You can get advice on missed doses of specific medications in the patient information leaflet that came with your medication, or by visiting http://www.nhs.uk and search for your medication.
Patients who would prefer to talk to someone, who dont have internet access or think a further discussion about their symptoms is needed, can still call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47. Telephone lines are open 24 hours a day, every day.
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