Your Home Health Centre

Self-care tools are the basic equipment of your home health centre.

A cold pack is a plastic envelope filled with gel that remains flexible at very cold temperatures. Buy 2 cold packs and keep them in the freezer. Use them for bumps, bruises, back sprains, turned ankles, sore joints, or any other health problem that calls for ice. A cold pack is more convenient than ice and may become the self-care tool you use the most.

You can make your own cold pack:

• Put 0.5 L (1 pt) of rubbing alcohol and 1.5 L ( 3 pt) of water in a 3.8-L (1-gal), heavy-duty, plastic freezer bag.

• Seal the bag, and then seal it in a second bag. Mark it "Cold pack: Do not eat," and place it in the freezer.

A bag of frozen vegetables will also work as a cold pack.

Humidifiers and vaporizers add moisture to the air, making it less drying to your mouth, throat, and nose. A humidifier produces a cool mist, and a vaporizer puts out hot steam.

Cool mist from a humidifier may be more comfortable to breathe than hot steam. However, humidifiers are noisy, produce particles that may be irritating to some people, and need to be cleaned and disinfected regularly. This is especially important for people who have mold allergies.

A vaporizer's hot steam does not contain any irritating particles, and you can add medications such as Vicks VapoRub to ease breathing. Steam may feel good when you have a cold, but the hot water can burn anyone who overturns or gets too close to the vaporizer.

Medicine spoons are transparent tubes with marks that indicate typical dosage amounts. A medicine spoon makes it easy to give the right dose of liquid medicine. While the spoons are convenient for anyone, they are particularly helpful for

young children. The tube shape and large lip get most of the medication into a child's mouth without spilling. Buy one at your local pharmacy.

Medicine spoon

An otoscope is a flashlight with a special attachment for looking into the ear. With training, you can use an otoscope to help you decide if an ear infection is present. Inexpensive consumer-model otoscopes are available, but they do not illuminate the ear canal and eardrum as well as the one your doctor uses does. They can also be used as high-intensity penlights.

A penlight has a small, intense light that can be easily directed. It is useful for looking into the mouth or throat or examining the skin, and it is easier to handle than a flashlight.

If you have heart disease or high blood pressure, it's a good idea to have both a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff (sphygmomanometer) to monitor your blood pressure regularly.

Purchase a flat diaphragm-model stethoscope rather than a bell-shaped one. The flat surface makes it easier for you to hear.

Blood pressure cuffs come in many models. If you have difficulty reading the gauge on a regular cuff, look for a model that uses an upright mercury column, or an electronic digital model. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a blood pressure kit and show you how to use it.

Buy a thermometer with easy-to-read markings. Digital electronic thermometers are accurate and easy to read. Temperature strips are very convenient and safe but are not as accurate as mercury or electronic thermometers and should only be used to measure axillary (armpit) temperature. They are inaccurate when used on the forehead. Thermometers that measure the temperature in the ear are fast, easy to use, and quite accurate, but they are expensive.

A normal oral temperature ranges from 36.4° to 37.4°C (97.6° to 99.4°F) and for most people is 37°C (98.6°F). Temperature varies with time of day and other factors, so don't worry about minor changes.

Whenever a person feels hot or cold to your touch, it is a good idea to take and record his or her temperature. If you have to call your doctor during an illness, knowing your exact temperature will be very helpful.

There are 3 places where a ther-mometer can be placed to take a temperature:

• In the mouth (oral)

• Under the armpit (axillary)

• In the ear (tympanic)

All temperatures in this book are oral temperatures. If you take an axillary temperature, adjust it accordingly.

Oral thermometers are recom-mended for people age 6 and older.

• Do not drink hot or cold liquids before taking your temperature.

• Clean the thermometer with soapy water or rubbing alcohol.

• Hold it firmly at the end opposite the bulb and shake the mercury down to 35°C (95°F) or lower.

• Place the bulb under your tongue and close your lips around it. Do not bite down. Breathe through your nose and don't talk.

• Wait 3 to 5 minutes.

Axillary temperatures are less accurate and are about 1 ° lower than oral temperatures.

• Shake the thermometer down below 35°C (95°F).

• Place the thermometer in the armpit and have the child cross the arm across the chest and hold the opposite upper arm.

• Wait 5 minutes.

To read a thermometer that does not have a digital readout:

• Roll the thermometer between your fingers until you can see the thin ribbon of mercury. Note that the thermometer is marked from 35° to 42°C (92° to 108°F).

• Each large mark indicates 1 ° of temperature. Each small mark indicates 0.1°C (0.2°F).

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