Bowel Function
By the time a child reaches three to four years of age, he can control his bowels pretty well. Once in a great while, an accident does happen, but that’s not a serious matter. It can happen to a grown-up, too. But it is rather important to develop good bowel habits when young, because habits in childhood often continue on into adulthood. And if a child develops good bowel habits, he will probably maintain them as a teenager and grown-up. Also, if he is careless about his bowels as a child, he may remain that way always.
Good bowel habits are:
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1. Try to go to the bathroom at the same time each morning. Many children go after breakfast, while others prefer to go before breakfast. Either is all right, if the bowels function properly.
2. Always leave plenty of time for taking care of the bowels. If a child is late for school, he will hurry and may not perform his duties the way he should. This will lead to poor bowel habits.
3. Don’t sit on the toilet for longer than necessary. Ten to fifteen minutes should be the limit. Some children like to read while on the toilet. When they do that, they frequently forget why they are there. It is perhaps best just to do one’s job and to get on with the day’s activities.
4. Don’t strain too hard if it is difficult to move the bowels.Straining can cause a scratch in the delicate tissues in the anal region. If you can’t do your business, let your mother know, and she will give you a medicine to make it easier for you.
5. If the bowels are too loose, it is also a good idea to let your mother know. She may give you some medicine to correct the condition. Of course, she will notify your doctor if the loose bowels continue for more than a day or two.
6. Make sure to clean yourself thoroughly before leaving the bathroom. The delicate tissues get irritated very easily if they are unclean. And some irritations in the anal area may last for quite some time and cause a great deal of unpleasant itching.
7. Be sure to wash your hands, too, before leaving the bathroom.
8. Tell your mother if it is very painful to move your bowels. Normally, the process shouldn’t be painful. Pain is most often caused by constipation, with very hard stools.
9. Tell your mother if you ever notice blood on the paper. This may mean that there is a scratch in the membranes, or it may mean that there is an inflammation of the large intestines or rectum.
The body’s system for absorbing nutrients from food and getting rid of solid waste products begins in the mouth and ends in the bowels. To keep the system in good working order, we must develop regular bowel habits.
Children who neglect their bowels and are irregular about the time each day that they go to the bathroom often become constipated. Constipation is nothing to get excited about when it happens once in a while, but if a child always finds it difficult to move his bowels, it is a matter for concern.
A child who is always constipated may not have as much energy and pep as a child who is regular. Furthermore, children who are constipated sometimes don’t have very good appetites, and they may lose valuable weight. The best treatment for constipation is to drink plenty of water and eat those foods which are most likely to lead to regular movements. These foods include fresh fruit and fruit juices like prune juice and orange and grapefruit juice, plenty of fresh vegetables like lettuce and tomatoes and celery and cabbage and string beans, and plenty of cereals and breads. Foods like whole- wheat bread and cereals contain bran, and bran helps to keep the bowels regular.
Foods that promote regular bowel function are fresh fruits and fruit juices, fresh vegetables. and whole-grain cereals and breads. Wholewheat breads and cereals contain bran, which is very helpful in keeping the bowels regular.
If a child is constipated only occasionally, he may be given a laxative or an enema to clear up the condition. However, it is not a good idea to give a child laxatives or enemas regularly. It is a much better ides for the child to develop good bowel habits. That will solve most problems of constipation it is not natural for youngsters to have loose stools all the time. (Loose stools mean diarrhea.) If they do, it may mean that their diet is poor and needs to be improved. Perhaps they are getting too few vitamins in their diet, or perhaps they are eating foods to which they are allergic. One child once had diarrhea for many weeks until it was discovered that he had unexpectedly become allergic to milk. When he stopped drinking milk, the loose stools disappeared.
In some instances, diarrhea is caused by an infection or inflammation within the small or large intestine. If this is the cause, a doctor will give medicines to control it. Any child who has loose stools for I more than a day or two should not neglect to tell his or her mother. Diarrhea can be cleared up much more quickly if it is treated early.
Appendicitis
Until recently, appendicitis was one of the most common conditions affecting young people. Except for removal of the tonsils, removal of the appendix used to be performed more often than any other operation. However, within the past fifteen to twenty years, inflammation of the appendix doesn’t take place so often. Doctors think that the widespread use of the antibiotic medicines has cut down on the power and strength of the germs that used to cause appendicitis. Still, today, in undeveloped countries where they don’t have too many antibiotic medications available, appendicitis continues to be extremely common.
Appendicitis usually starts out like an ordinary stomachache, with crampy pains all over the abdominal area. Then, instead of the cramps disappearing by themselves, the patient develops nausea and vomiting. Following this within a few hours, the pain gets worse and travels down to the lower right side of the belly.
The appendix is about as long as a grown-up’s little finger and is shaped something like a worm. It is about as thick as a lead pencil. The appendix connects with the large intestine but, so far as we know, it has no function and isn’t really needed by our bodies at all.
When the appendix becomes infected, it swells and fills with pus. A child with appendicitis not only will feel pain in the abdomen, but when a doctor examines the area with his hand, it will feel very tender. Appendicitis causes fever and an increase in the number of white blood cells in the blood. The increased number of white cells helps to fight the germs that have produced the infection.
Because appendicitis often starts out like an ordinary upset stomach, a child is sometimes given a laxative or an enema. These are not good ways of treating appendicitis, and in many cases, it makes the condition worse. And so, there is a rule that almost all mothers know: Never give a child a laxative, an enema, or even food or liquid, when he has a stomachache.
The normal appendix Is three to five inches long and pinkish gray with a glistening coat. The inflamed appendix is much thicker, is altered in color, and contains pus.
An appendectomy is considered a routine operation in which a structure of no value to the body is removed. There are no problems unless the appendix is ruptured.
There are a couple of good ways to tell appendicitis from an ordinary upset stomach. Stomachaches caused by an upset stomach usually clear up by themselves within a few hours, while the pain of appendicitis continues in the belly and often gets worse if something isn’t done to treat it. Also, a child with a stomachache caused by an upset stomach will usually develop loose stools and diarrhea, while those with appendicitis are constipated or don’t move their bowels at all.
Once a doctor has decided that a child has appendicitis, he will recommend that he go to the hospital. Occasionally, a mild attack of appendicitis can be treated at home by giving antibiotics, but most cases will require that the appendix be removed by a surgeon in a hospital. It has been discovered that a child who has had one attack of appendicitis, even if it was very mild, will eventually get another attack. Therefore, the sensible thing to do is to remove the appendix with the first attack. Then the child will never have appendicitis again!
The operation for removal of the appendix is called an appendectomy. It is not a very serious operation, unless the condition has been neglected for a day or two. In the ordinary case, the child goes to sleep in the operating room and the appendix is removed in about fifteen to twenty minutes. The cut to remove the appendix is only about two to three inches long and is located in the lower right side of the abdomen.
After the operation, the child will have some pain where the incision was made, but in most cases the pain is not severe enough to prevent him from getting out of bed the day after the operation. The appetite may be poor for a few days after the appendix has been removed but it returns to normal within about a week’s time.
On the sixth or seventh day after an appendectomy, the stitches are removed. And, if the temperature is normal, in all probability, the child will be able to go home from the hospital.
Some youngsters worry about pam from removing stitches. Actually, it is not very painful at all. It takes less than a minute to cut them, and all a
child feels is a slight sticking sensation. Rarely does it cause enough pain for a child to cry.
Children who have had their appendix removed usually stay home from school for about three weeks. This period of time is necessary for the cut to heal solidly. Of course, a child could go back to school earlier, but then he would have to be very careful not to run or play too hard with his classmates. And it isn’t always easy to do that, is it?
About two months after the appendix has been taken out, the wound has healed so solidly that children can resume all their activities, such as bicycling, tennis, swimming and diving, dancing, baseball, and all other sports.
Stomachaches
Many people think that the stomach takes up, or occupies, the whole belly area. This is not true, as one can see from the diagram. The stomach is mostly in one corner of the belly, high up on the left side underneath the ribs. In addition to the stomach, the belly, or abdomen, contains the small and the large intestines, the liver, the spleen, the pancreas, the kidneys, and several other organs. And so, when somebody says he has a “stomachache,” it might not come from the stomach at all, but from one of the other organs.
Actually, more stomachaches come from the intestines than from the stomach itself. However, in this part of the book we will talk mainly about the various causes of pain in the b whether that pain comes from some disorder in the stomach or some other organ. Here are some common causes of pain in the belly and what should be done about them:
Upset Stomach
One of the most frequent causes of a pain in the belly comes from eating too fast and not chewing thoroughly. When we do this, we swallow a lot of air with our food and drink, and this for a big gas bubble that stretches our stomachs and gives us pain. Also, if we don’t chew slowly and thoroughly, th stomach must contract and wonk harder to churn up the food into small pieces. Hard contractions of the stomach can be painful, too.
Overeating is another -cause for stomachache. If we stuff our stomach, it will have to stretch to hold all the food and will have to contract harder to chop it up into small pieces. Sometimes, these hard contractions and the stretching of the muscles of the stomach can give us an awful pain.
If we eat foods that are spoiled or infected with germs, we can get a terrific stomachache, along with nausea and vomiting. Our stomachs are pretty smart organs, and they seem to know when spoiled or poisoned foods are swallowed. It doesn’t take long for the stomach to refuse to handle this kind of food, and bingo—the stomach goes into reverse, like an automobile. Then, instead of contracting to push the food further along into the small intestines, the stomach contracts in the opposite direction so that we throw up the rotten food we have accidentally eaten.
We can easily get a stomachache if we eat when we are very upset or nervous about something. In order to do its work properly, the stomach must work slowly and steadily. And when we are very unhappy, or very angry, or very sad, the stomach may not work smoothly in churning our food. It may just let the undigested food lie where it is in the stomach, and after a time, this will give us a stomachache. Or, the stomach may contract violently, or in the wrong direction, causing us to throw up.
The abdominal cavity contains all of the intestinal tract except the esophagus. Also within its confines are the liver, spleen, pancreas, and, in the female, Fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Behind the abdominal cavity lie the kidneys and adrenal glands. The abdominal cavity is lined with a thin, smooth sheet of cells known as the peritoneum.
About one out of ten children has some sort of food allergy. This means that a particular food disagrees with him and may cause the lining of the stomach to be irritated and swollen. When this happens, the stomach will try to get rid of the food by vomiting or by hurrying up its churning so that the food is passed on to the intestines before it is ready to go there. Allergies sometimes cause stomachache because of the violent stomach contractions.
Stomachs can handle proteins and sugars more easily than they can handle fats. But some children, especially overweight ones, like to eat greasy, fried, fatty foods. Then, when they eat too much fat or fried foods, their stomachs rebel and try to get rid of the stuff. Of course, this gives a stomachache.
Once in a while, a child will get an inflammation of the lining of his stomach from a virus. When the lining of the stomach is inflamed, pain can result. In addition, the child will probably lose his appetite for a few days.
Gastroenteritis
When the stomach is upset by spoiled or infected food, even though it may have gotten rid of most of it by vomiting, a certain amount of it will pass down into the small intestines. The small intestines act the same way toward this food as the stomach did. They contract very hard and quickly in order to get rid of it. These hard and rapid contractions can cause a very severe pain in the belly. And when the small intestines pass the food on quickly toward the large intestines, the child soon develops loose stools, or diarrhea.
In most cases in which the stomach lining is inflamed by a virus infection, the lining of the small intestines is affected, too. There is a big, long name for this condition. It is called gastroenteritis. Really, all it means is that both the stomach and the intestines are affected. But there is no reason to worry; the stomachache and the diarrhea caused by gastroenteritis will last only a few days and will clear up completely.
Constipation
Constipation means that we are unable to move our bowels as often and as completely as we should. It also means that when we do move them, the stool is harder than it ought to be. Most children have a bowel movement once or twice a day, but others only have one every second or third day. And in some cases, constipation can lead to pain in the belly.
The quadrants of the abdomen are the four regions into which the abdomen may be divided for purposes of physical examination and diagnosis.
Most children who are constipated get that way because they are careless about their bowel habits. Instead of trying to move their bowels at the same time each morning after breakfast, they rush out of the house without going to the bathroom. And, it is often impossible to take the time out of the classroom to have one in school As a result, they let their movement go until the next day. However, they then discover that it is much more difficult to have a movement the next day as the stool has become very hard.Also, it may be somewhat painful to have a movement when the stool is exceptionally hard. A child who is always constipated soon finds out that he gets frequent pain in his belly, especially when the large intestines try to get rid of the stool.
Inflammation of the appendix
Appendicitis is an inflammation of a little structure attached to the beginning of the large intestine called the appendix. Appendicitis is discussed in the next chapter. We can’t help getting a stomachache once in a while, but there are certain things we can do to.avoid getting them too often:
- Eat slowly and chew thoroughly before swallowing.
- Do not overeat.
- Don’t eat too many greasy, spicy, fried, or fatty foods.
- Don’t drink too many sodas. The gas in them may give you a stomach- ache.
- Don’t eat any food that has been lying out in a hot sun for hours, especially salads that have salad dressings.
- Don’t eat too much when you are nervous or upset.
- Don’t eat strange new foods unless your parents tell you it is O.K. to do so.
- Don’t eat anything you think you might be allergic to.
- Eat very little when you have diarrhea.
- Go to the bathroom regularly each morning after breakfast to move your bowels.
Rheumatic Fever
Many years ago, rheumatic fever was one of the most common and one of the most serious diseases affecting children. A child with this condition would run a very high fever that would come and go almost every day for a period of a few weeks to a few months. In addition, there would be painful swelling with redness and tenderness of the joints, such as a knee or an ankle or an elbow or a shoulder.
Sometimes the pain in the joints would be so severe that the child could not move an arm or stand on a leg. And other organs, too, like the heart, the lungs, and the kidneys, and the nerves, would be affected by the germs that caused rheumatic fever. When the rheumatic fever germs attacked the heart, the heart muscles were frequently damaged and a heart murmur would result. When the nerves were affected, the child often developed jerky, uncontrolled movements of his arms and legs and other muscles of the body that had affected nerves going to them. When rheumatic fever hit the nerves, the condition was known as Saint Vitus’ dance, because the child might look as if he were doing some sort of peculiar dance.
Rheumatic fever is caused by a particular type of streptococcus germ. Nowadays, we have extremely powerful antibiotic medicines that can kill these germs. As a result, we don’t see many children who develop rheumatic fever after a streptococcus infection. In the days before the wonderful antibiotic drugs were discovered, a child might have an attack of tonsillitis or strep throat, or would have scarlet fever, and a few weeks later, he would develop rheumatic fever. Today, a child with tonsillitis or scarlet fever or strep throat is given antibiotic medications. The germs that would have caused the rheumatic fever are killed by these medications before they can do any serious harm, and the child never gets rheumatic fever.
If a child is unlucky enough to get rheumatic fever, he must stay quietly in bed for several weeks. During that time, he will be given large doses of antibiotics to kill the streptococcus germ. He may also be given large doses of aspirin or some similar medicine to get rid of the pain and swelling in his joints. In some cases, a medicine known as cortisone is also given to control the rheumatic fever.
If a child is obedient and stays quietly in bed and takes his various medicines without too much fuss, the chances are good that no damage will occur to his heart or lungs, or to his nerves or muscles or joints.
It is thought that some cases of rheumatic fever are influenced by infected tonsils that contain a streptococcus germ. Therefore, when a child has fully recovered from an attack of rheumatic fever, the tonsils are removed. But that is not enough to prevent another attack of the disease, because the streptococcus germ may be growing in other places in the body. To prevent another attack of rheumatic fever, children are often given antibiotic medicines every day for months, or even years, at a time.
The mitral valve lies between the atrium and ventricles on the left side of the heart. The normal mitral valve is strong and tightly closed.
The mitral valve shown here has been weakened and damaged by disease. Its muscles cannot relax or contract completely. As a resuit, it has become a leaky valve that wont function normally.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs, caused either by a bacteria or a virus. The commonest bacteria is a germ called the pneumococcus, but the disease can also be caused by other bacteria such as the streptococcus, the staphylococcus, Klebsiella, and others. One of the most common viruses to affect the lungs is the influenza virus.
Pneumonia used to be much more common and serious than it is now. Today, people don’t get pneumonia as often because they take better care of themselves when they have a cold or sore throat or grippe or bronchitis or influenza. Also, the antibiotic medications kill many of the germs that cause pneumonia, and if a patient is given antibiotics when he has bronchitis or influenza, or some other infection of the nose or air passages, he is less likely to develop a lung infection such as pneumonia.
Some types of pneumonia come on suddenly with a high fever, a chill, a cough, and a pain in the chest. In many cases, the patient has had a cold or other infection for a few days before the symptoms of the pneumonia begin. Within a few hours after the onset of pneumonia, the patient begins to breathe more rapidly and may feel short of breath. Next, he may begin to cough up mucus that is pink-colored or contains little streaks of blood. Usually, someone with pneumonia loses his appetite and may vomit if he attempts to eat too much.
When a doctor examines the chest of a patient with pneumonia, he will hear abnormal sounds through his stethoscope. And, if he X-rays the patient’s lungs, he will see an abnormal shadow in the infected part of the lung where the pneumonia is located. And, finally, when a blood count is taken, it will show an abnormally high white blood cell count.
Many different kinds of bacteria, and viruses too, can cause pneumonia. The bacteria shown in this picture are called pneumococci, and they produce a very common type of pneumonia. This type of pneumonia can be cured with antibiotic medications.
One effect of pneumonia is that the lungs - become congested with fluid, which the doctor can detect by listening o a child’s chest with stethoscope. Most cases of pneumonia can be cured by the giving of antibiotic medications
Here are some of the things that are done in treating pneumonia:
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1. Rest in bed. Often, the patient is more comfortable sitting up, rather than lying down flat.
2. Large amounts of fluids are taken, including water, fruit juices, and eve soda.
3. Antibiotic medicines are given. The particular antibiotic that is will depend upon which germ is causing the pneumonia and how sensitive the germ is to the particular antibiotic drug. Although pneumonias caused by a virus are not cured by giving antibiotics, the antibiotics are given anyway. This is done so that bacteria (which can be killed by the antibiotics) do not attack the lungs that have already been weakened by the virus infection.
4. Oxygen is sometimes given if the patient is very short of breath.
5. If coughing is severe and is interfering with rest and sleep, a cough medicine is given.
6. If the patient is constipated, as frequently happens in cases of pneumonia, a laxative or an enema is given.
Children usually get over a pneumonia caused by bacteria within a week or two. Pneumonia caused by a virus may take several weeks before it completely clears up. However, no matter what kind of pneumonia the patient has had, it will usually take several weeks or even a couple of months before all his or her strength and pep are regained. Children are sometimes anemic after pneumonia, and they may require iron and vitamin pills to help them to feel as strong and energetic as they did before the attack of pneumonia. And, of course, during the period of recovery, children should take it easy and not do strenuous exercise. Also, they should be sure to get plenty of sleep each night.
Bronchitis
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the air passages leading to the lungs. Actually, the condition should be called traronchitis because the trachea (the windpipe in the neck and upper chest) is almost always involved in the inflammation, too.
Bronchitis often comes on after a very bad cold or sinus infection. It is usually caused by a virus. Germs such as the streptococcus and the pneumonia germ can also cause bronchitis.
Most children who take good care of themselves when they have a cold don’t get bronchitis. However, if a child is anemic, or too thin, or neglects to stay in bed and do what he is told when he has a cold, he is more likely to develop bronchitis. Also, youngsters with allergies seem to get bronchitis more often. Wintry, damp weather also makes it easier for the viruses and germs to infect the bronchial tubes.
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the air passages leading to the lungs. It causes fluid to collect in the bronchial tubes and air cells, and it not treated, may result in pneumonia.
Here is how a doctor knows that a child has bronchitis:
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1. There is a great deal of coughing, often bringing up large amounts of mucus or pus.
2. The temperature goes up, sometimes as high as 102° to 103°.
3. On listening to the chest with a stethoscope, the doctor will hear squeaky sounds called rhonchi.
It is important to take special care of a boy or girl who has bronchitis because, if not treated properly, pneumonia (an infection of the lungs) may develop. This is the way most cases of bronchitis are treated:
- 1. The child should stay in bed until his temperature has been normal for at least two days.
2. A good deal of the time in bed should be spent in a sitting or semi sitting position. This makes it easier to cough up mucus and pus from the bronchial tubes.
3. The air in the bedroom should be kept warm and moist. Dry, cold air tends to irritate the bronchial tubes.
4. Cough medicines are given to help the child bring up and get rid of the mucus or pus.
5. Aspirin, or some other drug with the same effect as aspirin, is given to relive aching pains and to bring the temperature down to normal.
6. Antibiotic medicines are frequently given if the fever isn’t controlled by giving aspirin, or if the bronchitis lasts longer than a few days. By giving antibiotics,, the child is often protected against developing pneumonia.
Children with severe cases of bronchitis may take a couple of weeks, or even more, to fully recover. And if we want to do our best to prevent another attack of bronchitis, here are some things that should be investigated:
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1. If a child has a sinus infection, it should be treated. Sinus infections quite often lead to bronchitis.
2. Infected tonsils and adenoids should be removed because they may lead to an attack of bronchitis.
3. Allergies should be controlled as best as possible. As mentioned before, allergic children are more apt to get attacks of bronchitis.
4. If a child is underweight or anemic or doesn’t have enough vitamins in his diet, these situations should be corrected. Lowered resistance results from being anemic and underweight, thus making it much easier for viruses or germs to invade the bronchial tubes.
Sinus Infections
The ordinary cold, followed by an infection of a sinus, is seen in large numbers of children who live in places where the temperature changes greatly from season to season. Children who live in climates where it is nice and sunny and warm most of the time do occasionally get sinus infections, but not nearly so often as those who live where it rains and snows and is damp and cold a lot. To a certain extent, all children can protect themselves against sinus infections and other illnesses affecting the nose and throat, but those who live in wet, cold places can’t protect themselves as well as those who live where the weather is always nice.
The sinuses are empty spaces—called cavities—in the bones surrounding the nose. Their purpose is to make the bones of the skull lighter and to make the voice sound better when we speak. When the sinuses are infected, our voices often sound as if we had a clothespin clamped across our nostrils. Just pinch your nostrils shut and then speak; you’ll see how your voice would sound if you had a sinus infection.
There are 4 pairs of nasal sinuses, as shown in the diagram above. These sinuses are air spaces within the skull. Their main purpose is to lighten the weight of the skull and to give resonance to the voice. They are also a frequent site of infection.
There are eight sinuses in the head, and each one of them has an opening that connects with the inside of the nose. Each sinus is lined with a membrane much like the membrane that line the inside of the nose. These membranes normally secrete a little watery mucus that keeps the sinuses and the inside of the nose from becoming too dry.
When someone has a cold, the membranes of the nose become inflamed and swollen. Most such colds are caused by viruses rather than by bacteria (germs). If the cold is taken good care of, in all probability the infection will not spread into the sinuses. But if the patient is careless and gets overheated or overtired, or dives and swims a lot under water, the membranes of the sinuses may get inflamed, too. And although most colds are caused by viruses, in neglected cases germs such as streptococci and staphylococci may take hold and cause an infection within the nearby sinuses.
A child can get a sinus infection without first having a cold. One of the commonest ways to get a sinus infection is to dive and swim underwater in a pool or lake where the water is not to clean. Then the contaminated water gets into the sinuses and creates Infections. Also, youngsters with allergies such as hay fever seem to get sinus infections more often than those who have no allergies.
Here are the ways we know there is trouble in one or more of our sinuses:
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1. A cold may last much longer than usual and the nose stays stuffed for two or more weeks after the start of the cold.
2. A child may develop headaches with his cold. These headaches are worse when the head is down and the child bends over.
3. The voice sounds flat and nasal.
4. Mucus keeps draining out of the nose and down the back of the throat. This often causes a great deal of coughing, especially when the child is lying down.
5. There is pain when pressing over the sinuses at the sides of the nose or on the bones over the eyes.
6. If the infection is severe, the patient will have fever and will feel generally sick.
7. In many cases, X rays of the sinuses will show that they are infected.
Here are some things the doctor may prescribe in order to cure a sinus infection:
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1. Rest in bed for a few days until the temperature is normal and the child feels better.
2. Apply warm compresses to the face, using a washcloth or towel. This may relieve some of the pain and might help to drain out some of the pus that has collected in the sinuses.
3. Breathing in steam, either from a faucet, a steam kettle, or a steam inhaler, often helps to get the mucus and pus to drain out of the sinuses more easily.
4. Special nasal sprays or nose drops are sometimes given to shrink the inflammation of the membranes and thus allow the mucus and pus to drain better.
5. Antibiotic medicines are given to kill the germs that have gotten into the sinuses.
Most sinus infections will clear up within a couple of weeks, but there is a tendency for them to come back again if people aren’t especially careful when they get their next cold. To prevent this from happening, when the next cold rolls around, here are some things I to do:
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1. The cold should be treated by rest in bed until everyone is absolutely sure that there is no temperature for at least two days.
2. If there is any fever, antibiotic medicines might be given. This will not cure the cold, but it may prevent a sinus infection from developing.
3. Drafts and cold air should be avoided.
4. No one should ever blow his nose too hard, even if it means that some of the mucus stays up in the nose. Hard nose-blowing may force some of the infected mucus to go from the nose into the sinuses.
5. If the child has allergies, these should be treated by a specialist who knows how to control them, thus lessening the chances of a sinus infection
One of the commonest ways to get a sinus infection is to dive and swim underwater in a pool or lake where the water is not too clean. When contaminated water is driven up into the sinuses, it can create a sinus infection.
Catching Cold
Everyone hates to get a cold. Who wants to have his nose run or to cough or to feel stuffed up, anyway? And then, too, most colds are accompanied by a sore throat, a fever, and eyes that are red and teary. Sometimes, when a child has a cold, he develops aches and pains in his muscles in various places in the body. And, of course, we know that a bad cold means not going to school, no playing outdoors, no movies, no going to parties. Most times, a bad cold means lying around the house or being in bed for a few days. That’s not much fun. And, finally, what fun is it to take medicines even if they do get you to feel better?
It is strange animals seem to know better how to take care of themselves than we do. And even if our animal friends did catch cold, we wouldn’t catch it from them because their germs and viruses don’t often infect human beings. And our germs and viruses that cause colds don’t seem to affect them, either. But you just sneeze without covering your nose, or cough without covering your mouth, and you can give a cold to anyone who is in the same room with you.
Every once in a while, no matter how careful we are, we do get a cold. But if we follow certain good rules, we won’t get colds very often. Here’s what all of us, grown-ups as well as children,should do:
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1. Don’t kiss or hug anyone, big or small, who has a cold. Colds are so contagious that one hug or kiss may cause you to catch it.
2. Stay as far away as you can from someone who is sneezing or coughing because he has a cold. Actually, people who have colds should stay in their own rooms as much as possible.
3. If you can help it, never walk around with wet or damp feet. Put on your rubbers or boots before going out in the rain or snow. And if you accidentally get caught in the rain or snow without your rubbers or boots, head for home where you can dry out. Remember, you can miss a lot of fun and good times by catching a cold unnecessarily.
4. Another thing that seems to bring on a cold is getting chilled, especially after being overheated from playing. Don’t forget that clothing gets damp and wet from perspiration. And many children, instead of going home to change into dry clothing, hang around in wet clothes and get chilled. Cooling off too quickly after being overheated, especially in cold weather, may lead to a cold.
5. Getting part of the body in a cold draft seems to bring on colds in some people. It is odd, but exposing the entire body to wind and cold, as we often
do on wintry days when we go outdoors, does not seem to cause a cold nearly as often as when only part of our body is exposed to cold or wind.
6. Of course, a child who doesn’t dress warmly enough when he goes out in chilly or cold weather takes a great chance of getting a cold. Mothers and fathers are pretty smart when it comes to knowing what their children should wear, and it is a good idea to take their advice when they tell you how to dress. All too often, when youngsters refuse to put on a sweater or coat in cold weather, they punish themselves by getting colds.
7. Many doctors believe that people catch more colds when they neglect to eat the right foods. For example, we should always eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. This will supply us with most of the vitamins we need. Those who have a vitamin deficiency seem to catch colds very frequently.
A good way to avoid catching cold is to never walk around with wet or damp feet and clothing. Always wear proper clothes when you have to go out in the rain or snow. And if you do get caught out in the rain without protection, head for home, where you can dry out.
If we are unlucky enough to catch a cold, we certainly don’t want to give it to other members of our family, or to our playmates. Here are some good ways not to spread colds:
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1. Always cover your mouth with your hand when coughing. This will help to stop the spread of the cold viruses.
2. When sneezing, always sneeze into a tissue or handkerchief. A tissue is better than a handkerchief because it can be thrown away.
3. If a sneeze comes on very suddenly and there is no time to get a tissue or handkerchief, sneeze into your hands and cover your nose.
4. Don’t kiss or hug anyone until your cold is all better.
5. Don’t play in the same room with anyone while you are still sneezing or coughing from a cold. Your mom or dad will know when you have recovered sufficiently to play with others.
6. Go to parties or play groups or to school only after your cold is better. This may take as long as four or five days if it is a bad cold.