Foot Wellness Taking care of your feet

Transcription

1 August 2014

2 P a g e 2 Foot Wellness Taking care of your feet Planter Warts Salicylic acid and Duct tape 1. Salicylic Acid s the active ingredient in over-the-counter wart medication like Compound W. Wash foot, then soak in water for 20 minutes 2. Use a pumice stone or emery board to gently remove dead skin 3. Swab area around wart with rubbing alcohol or alcohol pad, then apply wart removal product liberally. 4. Cover wart completely with duct tape, or the tape part of a Band-Aid. Leave for 6 days. 5. On evening of sixth day, remove tape and repeat soaking and pumice stone steps. 6. Leave wart uncovered overnight, and if wart is not gone apply new tape cover for 6 more days. Another method is similar to the above, but soak your foot in apple cider vinegar instead and instead of just duct tape and wart remover, protect skin around wart with petroleum jelly, soak a cotton ball in the apple cider and secure it with tape over the wart. Replace cotton ball every day until wart is gone. Doctor remedies 1. Have your doctor use cryotherapy. They freeze your wart with liquid nitrogen, causing it to blister then slough off after a week or so. This method can be slightly painful, both in the application of the nitrogen and subsequent blistering. 2. Have your doctor prescribe you cantharidin. Do the salicylic acid method, but mix your wart remover with the cantharidin. This method also causes some blistering. 3. Imiquimod is another cream your doctor can prescribe. Imiquimod forces your body to produce HPV (Human Papilloma Virus, what a planter wart fighting protein. NOTE: This method can result in inflammation and tissue damage around wart. If it does, stop using the cream. 4. When all else fails, you could have your doctor use laser treatment or perform a minor surgery to remove the wart.

3 P a g e 3 Foot Wellness Taking care of your feet (con t) Ingrown Toenail Home Remedies Ingrown toenails are caused by your toenails growing into your skin, which is why it hurts so bad and can lead to inflammation and if not properly treated, infection. Here are something's you can do to prevent/treat ingrown toenails; A good home treatment is to soak your foot in warm, not hot water with a tablespoon or two of Epsom salt mixed in. This should help with inflammation and help the toenail grow out naturally. If the nail has already, or is about to break the skin, it is a good idea to apply some antibiotic cream, like Neosporin, to prevent an infection. To help prevent new ingrown toenails try cutting your toenails straight across and not curving the corners. If you wear shoes that are too tight, they may pinch your toes and cause the nail to grow into the skin. You can prevent this by buying shoes that aren t too tight or wear open toed sandals if the weather is nice. If the nail is very painful and you can t wait for the above treatment, try soaking your foot in water to soften the skin, then carefully try to clip the end of the toenail that is digging into the skin. If that doesn t work, see a doctor about removing the toenail. Take care of you feet 1. Look at your bare feet every day for cuts, blisters, red spots and swelling. Use a mirror to check the bottoms of your feet or ask a family member for help if you have trouble seeing. 2. Wash your feet in warm, not hot, water every day. Dry your feet well. Be sure to dry between the toes 3. Rub a thin coat of skin lotion over the tops and bottoms of your feet, but not between your toes. 4. Use a pumice stone to smooth corns and calluses. 5. Begin taking good care of your feet today. Source: requested by member/ But I love your feet only because they walked upon the earth and upon the wind and upon the waters until they found me. -Pablo Neruda

4 P a g e 4 Summer Information Sessions First Aid - Self-help session During the summer Neighbours, in partnership with St-John s Ambulance, gave a course on first-aid Self Help. Guest speaker Alys Ipperciel (St-John s Ambulance and nurse) spoke about small injuries and remedies; she also debunked some old wives tales. After a 2 hour session participants enjoyed a light lunch where they discussed their new found knowledge. First aid kits including Neighbours key chains were given as a thank you for participating and attending sessions throughout the year. Mental Health (the importance of taking a break) To promote mental Health month, le Portail (mental health organization) came up with a fabulous concept on the importance of taking a break. The information session proceeded as followed; Mental Health Coordinator presented different ways to take a break in order to take care of oneself and how to recognize yourself in different scenarios, while in the background members could enjoy a 10 minutes massage given by a professional masseuse from Ozen Studio. Source: Written by Nathalie Chevrier

5 5/30 rouyn-noranda: P a g e 5 SECOND in Quebec for TWO consecutive years Rouyn-Noranda has ranked 2 nd in Quebec for the 2 nd year in a row due to the outstanding participation of its citizens in the 0-5/30 Health and Wellness Challenge 2014 (Défi Santé 5/30 Équilibre 2014). We emphasize the important promotional work for this major national challenge performed by the interventionists of the program. They re working hard towards adopting a healthy lifestyle for the population as well as themselves. Thank you to everyone who participated in this Challenge Wall to wall Throughout the past spring the interventionists from the program multiplied their activities to promote healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle in various ways. In certain schools, several activities were held to educate students about healthy foods; 3 meetings with students to encourage regular intake of food, including lunch to help further academic success. 1 workshop about the best habits to promote healthy eating with groups of students, whose project was to create a promotional video for the younger elementary students. 1 conference about Sports Nutrition with almost 150 young girls registered to the Fill Active" program at l École d Iberville. 1 culinary workshop with the 2 nd grade students of l École D Alembert to encourage healthy eating by teaching them basic kitchen skills and the pleasure of tasting new foods. Noranda School and l École des Kékéko experimented with the Smoothie Bikes. Exercising more and making better beverage choices was the message given at both these school gatherings. All students had a chance to pedal their smoothie. From this they learned the difference between everyday drinks, drinks on occasion and drinks we make exceptions for. At the end, they received an easy to make smoothie recipe to take home.

6 P a g e 6 What is our mission? To provide young people aged 6-17 an affective emotional support to help develop their potential, their self-esteem, their social skills and a healthy lifestyle. How? Through pairing them with an adult or volunteer couple whom becomes a role model, a mentor, a friend. What are our programs? The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rouyn-Noranda offer numerous mentoring programs that meet the diverse needs of the volunteers, the children and the families. The two main programs offered in Rouyn-Noranda are: the big brother or big sister (traditional mentoring or the academic mentoring. What do our programs consist of? Both mentoring programs offer the boys and girls the chance to meet someone who serves as a model or friend that they can share their life experiences with. In addition, throughout the whole mentoring relationship (traditional or academic) a counselor works closely with you, the child and their family to provide support. What are the differences between the two programs? Duration of time with Volunteer Academic Mentoring 1 school year (less than 1 year) Traditional Mentoring 1 year minimum, or more. Time Investment 1 noon hour per week 3 to 4 hours every 2 weeks Meeting place and Activities Limited to the school (art, DIY, playing in the school yard, surfing the internet, games ) No limit (park, cinema. shopping center, arena ) When can you become a volunteer? We recruit volunteers throughout the year. August and September are the months of intensive recruitment for the academic mentoring. This must be set up in schools no later than the end of October. Currently the academic mentoring is offered in four elementary schools: Notre-Dame-de-Protection, Sacré-Cœur, Le Prélude and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

7 P a g e 7 Happy 25th Anniversary to Sharleen & Yves What a gift it is to celebrate 25 Years of Love. We ve shared each other s dreams and helped each other grow. We ve discovered brand new moments and watch miracles unfold. We ve embraced each other s differences and found each other s strengths. We ve been each other s light in times of sadness. Our lives complete each other, Our hearts now beat as one. What a gift is it to celebrate 25 Years of Love! From Neighbours Staff, Board of Directors & Heath Committee

8 P a g e 8 National Immunization Awareness Month August is National Immunization month. Immunization is the process in which someone fortifies or strengthens, their immune system. Vaccines, or getting your vaccination is an example of a way you can immunize your body against different diseases. This is why it s very important to get your vaccines (shots). National Immunization Awareness Month is to help promote the distribution of vaccines as well as provide you with information about certain vaccines and why they re recommended. The Importance of Immunization Getting your vaccine is not only good for you but good for the people around you as well. Vaccines stop you from being infectious, which means one less way for the disease to spread. If everyone got their vaccines against a certain virus, it would be theoretically impossible for that disease to spread and it would be extinct. Vaccines are not only protecting your child, but also future generations. Some people are not able to get vaccines, due to allergies or other reasons, so by getting your child vaccinated you can help protect those who can t. How does a vaccine work? A vaccine is not a cure for a particular disease. In fact, a vaccine is the disease itself. Each time you get a vaccine to prevent a disease, whether it s the H1N1 virus or just shots against the flu, you are being injected with very small amounts of the virus or agents that resemble the virus. These versions of the disease are made up of either weakened or killed forms of the virus itself. When these versions of the diseases are integrated into our body, they stimulate our immune systems. This allows our immune system to not only recognize these agents as foreign, but also allows them to destroy the agents and keep a record of it. Since your immune system will have record of the disease it allows your body to easily identify and destroy the disease if it is encountered again. When and which vaccines should I get? It is important to get basic shots when you re younger. This includes shots against the measles, the chicken pox, the whooping cough and many more. Some vaccines call for more than one dosage and it is recommended that you receive each one. As you get older, you ll need more vaccines. If you travel to different countries, having your vaccine for Hepatitis A and B is highly recommended. During your teen years your school (or your child s) may offer you the service of getting certain vaccines such as; the Tetanus vaccine, or the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. It is highly recommended that you talk to your doctor about which vaccines you should be getting for yourself, your children or even your elders. Source: Health Canada Website

9 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) P a g e 9 Fetal alcohol syndrome is the term given to the mental and physical defects that can occur when alcohol is consumed during pregnancy. Alcohol crosses the placental barrier and can stunt fetal growth or weight, create distinctive facial stigmata, damage neurons and brain structures, which can result in intellectual disability and other psychological or behavioral problems, and also cause other physical damage. FAS cause s permanent central nervous system damage and especially affects the brain. Exposure to alcohol can severely affect your baby s brain cells which can cause malformations and interruptions during development. Signs and Symptoms Growth deficiencies: being below average height and/or weight. Which can be determined at birth or later on in life. Factors taken into consideration when determining if someone is below average in height/weight are parental height, gestation period and other postnatal injuries. Facial features: FAS can cause visible craniofacial (skull and face) abnormalities. These abnormalities may be signs of brain damage but brain damage may exist without there being any disfigurations. There are 3 distinctive facial feature that are linked to FAS: -A smooth philtrum: the groove between the nose and upper lip flattens -A thin vermilion: the upper lip thins out -Small palpebral fissures: the eyes width decrease Central nervous system (CNS): damage to the CNS is the primary feature of any FAS diagnosis. CNS damage can be assessed in three areas: -Structural impairments: physical damage to the brain or brain structures. Some structural impairments are: small head size, agenesis of the corpus callosum (a rare birth defect (congenital disorder) in which there is a complete or partial absence of the corpus callosum), cerebellar hypoplasia (a rare embryonic developmental disorder in which the cerebellum is either missing entirely or is smaller than usual) or other brain structure abnormalities. -Neurological impairments: sometimes structural impairments are not observable, but neurological ones are. Neurological problems are expressed as either hard signs, such as epilepsy or other seizure disorders, or soft signs. Soft signs are broader, nonspecific neurological impairments, or symptoms, such as impaired fine motor skills, hearing loss, clumsiness, poor eye-hand coordination. -Functional impairments: problems, delays or abnormalities in observable or measurable domains related to daily functioning. Examples of where these impairments might be: learning disabilities, memory, judgement, academic achievement, cognitive skills, social skills, etc. Treatment There is no cure for FAS, only prevention. It is 100% preventable if you don t consume alcohol while pregnant. Certain aspects of the disease can be treated, through either medication or therapy or both. Source:

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12 WE RE ON THE WEB Health Committee Members N E I G H B O U R S R E G I O N A L A S S O C I A T I O N OF R O U Y N - N O R A N D A Mrs. Elsie Sullivan, Health Committee Chairperson Mrs. Janice Beaudin-Nolet Mrs. Carine Osborne Mrs. Marilyn Brethour Mrs. Nathalie Chevrier Neighbours Staff Office Location: 139 Murdoch Mailing Address: PO Box 2277 Rouyn-Noranda, Qc, J9X 5A9 Phone: neighbourshealth@cablevision.qc.ca Coming Up Walk-for-Breast Cancer Sept. 5th Registration Deadline Oct. 5th Event starting at 1:00PM Canadian Corps Night Friday, September 6th 6:OOPM