Which vaccines are Mandatory and Optional for your Child?

We all know prevention is better than cure. That’s why it is recommended to have vaccination of your child to prevent deadly diseases to occur. Some vaccines are mandatory and some are optional but it doesn’t mean that we will dismiss them.

Here is a list of some mandatory and optional vaccines for infants in India are:

Mandatory vaccines include:

1. BCG (Bacillus Calmette Guerin) for Tuberculosis

2. PV (Oral Polio Vaccine) for Polio

3. Hepatitis B for Hepatitis B virus causing liver infections in the child

4. DPT for Diphtheria, Pertussis (Whooping Cough) and Tetanus

5. Rotavirus for Rotavirus infection which causes severe diarrhea and vomiting

6. MMR for Measles, Mumps and Rubella

7. TCV for Typhoid

8. Hepatitis A

These vaccines are given in several doses to prevent the diseases to occur. Every pediatrician gives an immunization schedule indicating which vaccines are compulsory, when they should be given and which vaccines are optional. The schedule eventually aims to eradicate these diseases completely.

Some of the optional vaccines are for the following diseases:

Pneumococcus

Chickenpox

Meningococcal meningitis

Influenza

Always consult your child's doctor before taking any decision.

 

Sunscreens: Why and How to use?

For a complete sun protection strategy, sunscreens play an important role. Sunscreens protect you and your family from sunburn, skin cancer, early skin aging and other risks of overexposure to the sun. However, applying sunscreen is not enough to save you from intense sun rays. It is recommended to follow some other tips like

Avoid going in sun during the time 11 AM to 3 PM when sun rays are at peak.

Wear long-sleeved shirts, pants clothes that cover skin exposed to the sun.

Use sunscreens with SPF 15 or higher.

Reapply sunscreen at least every two hours, and more often if you're sweating or jumping in and out of the water.

There is a procedure to apply sunscreen: Apply sunscreen 30minutes before going outside. This will help in better absorption of sunscreen into the skin. To cover the entire body and face use enough of sunscreen.

Everyone can use sunscreen except infants.

What does SPF stand in sunscreen?

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. This tells you how long the sun’s UVB rays would take to redden your skin if you apply the sunscreen exactly as directed compared with the amount of time without sunscreen. So, if you use an SPF 30 product properly, it would take you 30 times longer to burn than if you used no sunscreen.

The best practice is to apply 30 minutes before venturing outside to allow the sunscreen to bind to your skin. Reapply every two hours of exposure and immediately after swimming or excessive sweating.

Even when it’s cloudy, up to 80 percent of the sun’s UV radiation reaches the earth. Going unprotected on an overcast day can lead to skin damage.

Tips to stay healthy while taking immunosuppressant medications

The medicines that heal patients sometimes also increases their chance of becoming sick. Some of the medicines that weaken the immune system can increase the risk of infection. An immunosuppressant is those medicines that weaken the immune system of a person. There are some simple tips that help to stay healthy while using immunosuppressant medications.

STAY AWAY FROM SICK & INFECTIOUS PEOPLE

When you are on medicines weakening the immune system, keep yourself away from the ill people. These people should avoid places which are prone to germs like shopping centers and schools.

Maintain Hygiene

Always maintain a good hygiene regime. Wash hands with anti-bacterial soap after using the restroom, feeding pets, shopping and touching any infectious or ill person. Thoroughly wash your hands before and after taking care of the clean sores, cuts and other open wounds to reduce the risk of infection.

Keep Healthy diet

Always eat washed fruits and vegetables. Avoid eating raw eggs, unpasteurized milk, raw milk cheeses, raw meat, and raw unwashed fruits and vegetables.

Take care of yourself

Taking care of your overall well-being is important to maintaining good health. Drink plenty of water every day and eat a balanced, nutritious diet. Get a good night’s sleep by turning off electronic devices and avoiding alcohol before bed. Reduce stress in your life.

Tips that will Make It Easier to take Your Medicine

For some people, medicines are hard to swallow or take and for some, it is even harder to remember the schedule of taking the medicines. It is very important to remember the right process of taking the medicines and proper time to take them as skipping a dose can be a challenge.

There are some tips that will help you to remember the medication on time and the right procedure to take them.

1. Always understand your prescribed medicines profile clearly from the pharmacist. It will help you to know which pills to take, when to take them and what to do if you miss a dose.

2. If you take multiple medicines in a day, consult your doctor or pharmacist regarding which medicines you can take in combination and if can’t be taken in combination then at what intervals they might be taken.

3. Most of the medicines are taken with water. It is recommended to drink sufficient water before and after taking the medicine to make the swallowing easier.

4. Do not try to crush or alter your pills without first checking with your pharmacist. Cutting, crushing or chewing your medication may change the way it reacts with your body.

5. Always ask your doctor and pharmacist before taking the medicines in any other medium. Some medicines are strictly designed to be taken with milk or water. Don’t alter the medium on your own.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information.

Some safety tips while handling OTC medicines

OTC drugs or non-prescription medicines are those medicines that you can buy without a prescription. These include medications for fever, colds, headaches, cough, and etc. It is very easy to buy OTC medicine for these problems but there are some precautions that one should take care while using non-prescribed or Over the counter medicines.

Some safety tips while using OTC drugs:

1. Always read the direction label and don’t take an excess of any medicine or beyond the as directed.

2.Give OTC medicines to kids according to their age and weight. Do not attempt to guess the dose of a child from the amount that an adult can take, such as cutting a tablet in half.

3. Always check the expiry date on OTC medicines before taking them. Dispose off the unused medicines in a proper way.

4. Always store the medicines in a cool, dry place. They must be kept away from direct sunlight and heat.

5. Keep the OTC medicines out of the reach from children and Pets.

6. Try to take your all prescribed or non-prescribed medicines from one pharmacy. As it will make easy for a pharmacist to look and see which OTC medications are safe for you to use.

Thus, these are some of the steps one should take while handling OTC medicines.  

Allergy: Signs, Symptoms and cure

Some people are very sensitive to certain things like such as pollen, mold, dust, metal, latex, to certain foods such as eggs, peanuts, nuts, milk, soy, wheat and medicines. Any person comes in contact with one of the above substance; their body show reaction is termed as Allergy. Allergy symptoms can be mild to worse depending upon the intensity of contact with the allergic substance.

It is believed that allergy can’t be cured permanently; the best precaution is to avoid the encounter with allergic substance.

Some common signs and symptoms of allergy can be :

Rashes on the skin

Trouble in Breathing

Itchy Nose

Headache, Nausea, vomiting

Diarrhea

Itchy, red, swollen, burning or watery eyes 

Patches and redness on skin

Always visit for skin medicine specialist doctor for the treatment. He will guide you on your allergic symptoms and suggest over the counter or prescription medicines to treat your signs.

How to dispose off unused medicines

Do you have a cupboard full of unused medicines? Are you worried about how to dispose off these expired drugs and medicines? Here are some steps in which you will get to learn how to properly dispose of old, unused, unwanted, or expired medicine.

1. Keep a regular check on the medicines that you have at home. Collect all the unused, unwanted or expiry medicines of your home before the expiry date and drop off at the medical store near you.

2. If the medicos shop owner, refuse to take back the medicines, then you will go for the flushing the medicines down the toilet depending on the drug. Check the label or the patient information leaflet with your medicine before flushing.

3. Other medicines, those can’t be thrown or flush out can be disposed off in the household trash. While disposing off in household trash, follow some simple steps like Remove the drugs from their original containers and mix them with something undesirable, such as used coffee grounds, dirt.

Some people wonder if it’s okay to flush certain medicines when a take-back option is not readily available. There are concerns about the small levels of drugs that may be found in surface water, such as rivers and lakes, and in drinking water supplies.

For more information on what to do when you no longer need your medicines, always consult the pharmacist or medicos shop owner and doctor.