How to naturally treat an infant with "pink eye" or conjunctivitis

Use caution when applying ointments to an infant's eye.

Diagnosis

Consult an eye doctor whenever an eye issue arises, such as redness, blurred vision or pain. Infants in particular should be monitored closely by a doctor when an eye problem occurs.

Although some people panic when hearing the term “pink eye,” the condition is usually just mild conjunctival inflammation caused by a virus, such as the common cold. Like the common cold, it spreads quite easily from one individual to another, especially with children in close proximity to each other, as they are in day care or school. Within a week or so, the body fights the viral infection and the symptoms can sometimes resolve without treatment, just like cold symptoms. Consult an eye doctor to ensure that you have a proper diagnosis.

Treatment

Many newborns have not yet fully developed their lacrimal drainage system, the area by the nose where tears drain. Parents often notice mild crusting or discharge in the corner of the infant’s eye, by the nose. It can often take up to six months or longer for the child’s system to fully develop. Doctors often advise parents to simply wipe the area clean of debris with a warm washcloth. Massage is not necessarily recommended with newborns because their lacrimal system is not blocked but developing, although blockage can occur also. Treatments are available for these lacrimal issues, but most likely the doctor will simply monitor the situation, since the condition typically resolves without treatment as long as no infection is present.

Eczema describes a rash of the skin and cool compresses often alleviate the swelling and inflammation associated with eczema. Applying cool compresses to the closed eyelids, without rubbing, can reduce inflammation, swelling or irritation of the eyelids, specifically in cases of allergic reactions and viral conjunctivitis.

In cases of blocked meibomian or tear glands, which can lead to inflammation, doctors will often recommend that parents use warm compresses and massage. Meibomian glands are the oil glands along the eyelid margin near the eyelashes that excrete the tears, oils and nutrients that moisten and protect the eye's surface.

Concerns

Use caution when applying over-the-counter ointments or creams around an infant’s eyes. Your doctor can recommend a lotion that is safe for use on infants with dry or irritated skin, including the face, but you should be cautious not to get it into the eye. If an ointment is necessary on an area such as the eyelid margin, near the lashes and the eye itself, then it would be best to consult an eye doctor who can prescribe an ophthalmic ointment for the infant.

How the seasons can affect your mood

Human seasonality

The strongest evidence of human seasonality comes in the form of winter depression, or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Individuals with SAD usually suffer from depressive episodes beginning in late autumn or early winter, and start to feel better when spring or summer approaches. Living in a northern locale with harsh winters and extended darkness can affect your levels of melatonin, a hormone that impacts sleep. When daylight hours decrease, melatonin levels increase, which can cause fatigue and depression for some.

Extended darkness also disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm because decreased exposure to sunlight tells the body to be asleep when it should be waking up. Light provides you with environmental cues that influence pupil dilation, alertness, heart rate and melatonin levels. In fact, the light that enters the retina of the eye actually sets your circadian rhythm.

This response to the seasons can happen in reverse when the weather turns warm and sunny, and your body starts receiving extended exposure to light. Some individuals experience insomnia, or become more anxious, irritable and hyperactive during the spring and summer. This condition is called Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Treatment

Each person's circadian rhythm is different, depending on their genetics and environmental circumstances. Plus, with increased urbanisation, people tend to spend more time working indoors in windowless offices than they did in past eras. The resultant lack of sunlight can cause a decrease in the body's levels of vitamin D, serotonin and dopamine, which can affect brain chemistry.

Light therapy, or photo therapy, has been found to be extremely helpful for alleviating some depressive symptoms. Light treatment uses artificial lights to imitate light from the outdoors, thereby triggering changes in the brain that can help elevate serotonin and dopamine levels. You can also use dawn simulators that mimic sunrise to help you wake up without feeling groggy. Thirty minutes of daily exercise can also help balance your brain chemistry and increase your energy levels. In milder cases of SAD, the addition of extra omega-3 fatty acids to an already balanced diet has been shown to relieve some depressive symptoms.

If you notice that you experience a seasonal pattern of winter depression and feel that your symptoms are severe, seek help from a professional. Try to keep a diary of behavioural changes so that you can provide accurate information about your symptoms to your doctor. Practice a healthy lifestyle every day so that you can enjoy every season of the year.

How to drain an infected piercing bump

Causes

Any time you create a wound in the skin like a body piercing, you run the risk of developing an infection. The risk increases if the equipment used to create the opening isn't scrupulously cleaned and sterilised between uses.

Treating infection

If the bump around a body piercing produces pain, swelling, oozing or a foul odour, you may have an infection. The risk increases if the symptoms persist or if the redness spreads of redness or turns dark red or purple and you develop a fever. You need antibiotics in addition to draining by your doctor to treat an infection. Sending the fluid for evaluation for the type of bacteria it contains is very important if the infection doesn't improve. A culture and sensitivity of the fluid determines the bacteria present as well as which antibiotics can effectively treat it.

Treating inflammation

A reddened bump doesn't always mean infection. In some cases, inflammation can develop at the site from irritation from the piercing rather than infection. With inflammation, the redness is usually localised, improves with time, doesn't spread and doesn't have a foul smell. Draining an inflamed bump won't help at all, since it doesn't contain infected material. Injecting the bump with cortisone often helps reduce inflammation, although you might need more than one treatment, depending on the size of the inflamed area.

Potential complications

Trying to drain an infected site yourself could make an infection much worse, especially if you use a contaminated tool and introduce even more bacteria into the wound. A serious infection that enters the blood stream can be fatal. Let your doctor determine whether a bump that develops at the site of a body piercing needs draining. Only a medical professional should perform this procedure.

How and why does sciatica start?

Sciatica symptoms can start from one or more sources. They often arise from pinched nerves in the lower lumbar or sacral parts of the spine as a result of arthritis or a herniated disk that pushes against the nerve. Arthritis produces bony spurs that crowd the openings where the nerves exit from the spine (called foramen). In either case, the pressure on the nerve may irritate it, causing pain or tingling.

Sciatica may also result indirectly from a spasm of the piriformis muscle which intersects with the sciatic nerve deep in the mid-buttock. If your pain seems to originate in your butt, you may have piriformis syndrome. This syndrome is generally caused by a muscle imbalance that leads to overuse of your piriformis muscle. In particular, the piriformis muscle often compensates for a weak gluteus medius muscle, an upper, outer buttock muscle that helps keep your hips stabilised when you are upright. The extra stress placed on the piriformis muscle can lead to spasms, which may then put pressure on the sciatic nerve, causing pain that radiates down that leg.

If your lower back or sciatic pain is interfering with your daily functioning, or if you have noticeable weakness in one leg, you should see your health care provider. Because sciatica has multiple possible causes, each requiring different treatment, fixing it properly depends on a thorough evaluation to get the most specific underlying diagnosis.

Sciatica can often be resolved with conservative treatments such as physical therapy, stretches and oral medications for the symptoms. Any type of invasive procedure, including epidural or trigger point injections, should be considered only after you have consulted a specialist to determine the true source of the pain or weakness.

Vitamins you should or shouldn't be taking

Know what you need before popping pills

For years I thought I was just a grumpy, low-energy person. I wish I'd known sooner that I just lacked vitamin D.

— Heidi Smith, night-shift worker

We use to consume all of their nutrients by eating food. In 2008, vitamin supplement sales topped £118 million in the United Kingdom. But consuming more vitamins does not necessarily add up to improved health. How do you know what vitamins you need to take, if any, and what amount is appropriate?

Find out what you're missing

After starting a night job, Heidi Smith felt like she was always running on empty. "For years I thought I was just a grumpy, low-energy person," Smith explained. "I wish I'd known sooner that I just lacked vitamin D."

Working at night limited her exposure to the UV rays that help the body synthesise vitamin D. "Plus," she admitted, "I was eating pretty badly." When therapy and antidepressants failed to do the trick, she visited her GP, who tested her vitamin D levels and discovered a severe deficiency -- one that dietary changes alone would not rectify. Since being treated for a vitamin D deficiency, Smith has seen huge improvements in her energy level, "as though a cloud has been lifted," she said.

Most health-care practitioners agree that whole, natural foods remain the optimum source of nutrients. If your diet is poor or your body's ability to absorb vitamins is compromised, however, you may require supplements. Registered dietitian Lauren Schmitt recommends that populations at risk for not meeting their nutrient needs, such as elderly adults, pregnant women and children, consider a basic multi-vitamin supplement. Women who experience heavy menstrual bleeding, strict vegans and vegetarians, and anyone who consumes fewer than 1,600 calories daily or can't stick to a balanced diet may also require supplements.

Various medical conditions, such as chronic digestive diseases and food intolerances, also create a need for vitamin supplements. Though numerous natural health-care practitioners use blood tests that supposedly check your nutrient levels, the tests lack scientific validity. If your doctor suspects a vitamin deficiency, he will likely run standard health tests, such as checking your blood cell counts, glucose levels, electrolytes and organ function. He will also ask you questions about your diet and lifestyle. In other words, vitamin deficiencies are diagnosed based on the symptoms they present and confirmed by your doctor's assessment of your overall health and dietary habits.

Maximising Vitamin Absorption

Take fat-soluble vitamins with healthy fat. Because fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins E and K, are best absorbed when consumed with some fat, take your multivitamin supplement with a meal that contains a healthy fat source, such as olive oil, nuts or fish oil. Taking vitamins with food can also help prevent mild nausea, which is possible particularly with B vitamins.

Divide your doses. Selecting vitamins that can be divided into two smaller doses can enhance your absorption, according to Dr. Mahmet Oz, author of "You: The Owner's Manual.” To reap maximum benefits, select "mini" vitamins that require two to three capsules per day or large vitamins that can be cut into two.

Maintain freshness. If your vitamins have expired, toss them out. Keeping your vitamins in the refrigerator may help preserve their freshness and effectiveness.

Common deficiencies

Though people's specific dietary needs vary, certain nutrients are commonly lacking in the typical British diet.

Even if you consume a relatively healthy diet, you may be missing particular nutrients. The vitamin supplement most people should consider taking is vitamin D, according to Luigi Gratton, a clinical nutrition specialist. “Most folks are deficient,” Gratton explains.

Vitamin D is essential for proper calcium absorption and healthy bones. It also enhances your immune system and, for severely deficient people like Smith, your moods. If you rarely spend time outside and do not consume vitamin D-fortified dairy products, fish and other seafood regularly, discuss your need for vitamin D supplementation with your doctor.

Deficiencies of other vitamins are uncommon in people who live in the United Kingdom. If you consume a strict vegetarian or vegan diet, or suffer from the autoimmune disorder known as pernicious anemia, you may lack vitamin B12. The nutrient is found mainly in animal-derived foods and plays a major role in brain function, blood cell production and fatigue prevention. If you have a disorder that causes nutrient malabsorption, such as celiac disease or Crohn's disease, you may have difficulty absorbing all nutrients, particularly if you fail to manage your disorder appropriately.

Mega bad

Are you getting enough Vitamin D?

Consuming plentiful amounts of nutrients from food sources rarely causes problems. Excessive intake of most any vitamin supplement, however, can lead to a broad range of side effects, some of which are serious.

Vitamin supplements have been linked to nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramping, reduced cognitive abilities, interactions with medications and even death. For example, taking excessive doses of vitamin A in supplement form causes hypervitaminosis A -- a condition characterised by liver abnormalities, reduced bone density and birth defects. Excessive intake of vitamin B12, though not associated with toxic effects, can interact with medications, such as certain antibiotics and diabetes medications. Schmitt also describes taking unnecessary supplements as “not good use of your hard-earned money.”

To prevent unwanted side effects, avoid vitamin supplements that contain mega amounts -- more than 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance -- of particular nutrients and those that promise miraculous benefits. By law, the standard RDA is always listed on product packaging. Find that fine print and read it before taking any new supplement.