Tag Archives: preventative health

Name Your Poison – I’ll Pass, Thanks!

Posted on by
FacebookPinterestLinkedInStumbleUponDeliciousTumblrShare

SIMPLYkc Magazine November 2012 issue
by Stacey Hatton

What produces more fear than scanning a full cart of groceries, then remembering you left your wallet at home? Having to make a call to Poison Control! The adrenaline surges, your heart pounds, and your mouth becomes dryer than a Sahara mirage as your “Parent of the Year” crown is stripped away as you push speed dial…

Who is at Risk?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Each year, approximately 2.4 million people – more than half under age 6 – swallow or have contact with a poisonous substance.”

The Kansas City metro’s Poison Control is run by the University of Kansas Hospital. They receive approximately 30,000 calls/year, and have been taking these calls since 1982. Dr. Tama Sawyer, Director of the Poison Control Center at the University of Kansas Hospital says, “Poisoning has overtaken motor vehicle accidents as the number one cause of deaths in the U.S. last year. The numbers keep increasing. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, old or young; it can happen to anyone.”

The center’s busiest hours are near the end of the day. “The biggest time for calls to our center is at 4:00pm. When moms are getting dinner ready and ask the older kids to watch out for the toddlers,” Sawyer says.

She also warns that when kids travel to their grandparents’ houses for babysitting or family get-togethers, “Daily pill reminders are great for grandparents, but NOT for kids.” These containers are usually kept easily visible for the grandparent so they won’t forget to take their medications – which are terribly dangerous for children –it is like opening up a toxic candy store for young kids with all the small pretty colored pills.

Common Calls to Poison Control
The American Association of Poison Control Centers say the majority of these calls occur when someone is home with the child, but just not paying attention. Make sure to lock up these items, or keep them out of reach:
• Medicines (vitamins, herbals, pain medications, diaper rash creams)
• Foreign objects (silica gel packages, glow products, batteries)
• Cleaning products (laundry detergent, floor cleaners, furniture polish)
• Cosmetics (makeup, perfume, nail polish, nail polish remover)
• Personal care products (deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap)
• Garage items (antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, pesticides, gasoline, kerosene and lamp oil)

Treatment
The AAP states if a child is “unconscious, not breathing, or having convulsions or seizures due to poison contact or ingestion, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.”

If your child has contact with a poison, and the child has either no symptoms or mild symptoms, first aid should be performed first and THEN poison control should be called immediately at 1-800-222-1222.

If your child has…
Swallowed poison: Take leftover poison away from child and have her spit out any remainder from her mouth. Do NOT have her vomit!! Do NOT use syrup of ipecac.
Poison on the skin: Remove child’s clothing and rinse his skin directly with lukewarm water for at least 15 minutes.
Poison in the eye: Wash child’s eye by holding the eyelid open and pouring a continuous flow of body temperature water into the inner corner for 15 minutes.
Poison fumes: Take child into fresh air immediately. If the child isn’t breathing, start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and continue until the child breathes on his own, or until someone can take over. (Source: American Academy of Pediatrics)

What is the benefit of calling the poison center?
Poison centers are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year staffed with poison experts. The conversations are FREE and CONFIDENTIAL. Since many poison exposures, may not require medical attention and can be dealt with in your own home, it is best to find this out over the phone without having an ambulance or emergency room bill to pay for the same answer. Remember to act swiftly and always have the number readily available!
<
Want to follow my blog? Scroll to the top right side of the page to “FOLLOW BY EMAIL” add your email address, then click on “SUBSCRIBE.”
© 2012, Stacey Hatton. All rights reserved.

Any other good tips for protecting our kids? Or stories of what NOT to do?

FacebookPinterestLinkedInStumbleUponDeliciousTumblrShare

Hidden Sodium in our Children’s Diets

Posted on by
FacebookPinterestLinkedInStumbleUponDeliciousTumblrShare

KC Parent Magazine – July 2012 issue

by Stacey Hatton
Have you ever enjoyed a night at your favorite Mexican or Chinese restaurant and consumed a few baskets of chips and salsa or some Kung Pao chicken and crab Rangoon, then wondered the next morning how on earth you gained 4 pounds overnight? Salt and monosodium glutamate (MSG), a popular food additive/taste enhancer, are both loaded with sodium, so blame it on them!

What Does Sodium Do?

Sodium is like a magnet to water in our bodies. It draws the fluid into the bloodstream, which is helpful because 60 percent of the human body consists of water. However, if too much sodium is consumed, the body fluid becomes imbalanced, which in some children and adults may contribute to high blood pressure.

The reverse of sodium is potassium, and the two work directly together. These minerals need to be proportionately balanced to keep the “machine” running effectively. So if the fuel parents allow into kids’ mouths is laden with salt and they are not getting enough potassium-rich foods to counteract this, the body can get unbalanced, adding stress to the cardiovascular system. This is not true for all children, but a combination of this with genetics, weight and a high resting heart rate can predict future problems.

According to the American Heart Association, “97 percent of children and adolescents eat too much salt, putting them at greater risk for cardiovascular diseases as they get older.”

Making a Change

  • The average daily sodium requirement ranges from 1,200 mg for 4- to 8-year-old children to 1,500 mg for 9- to 18-year-olds.
  • Try to cook more at home.
  • When available, choose fresh vegetables and fruits.
  • Limit the amount of processed foods you eat.
  • Avoid adding salt when cooking and/or eating.
  • Learn to cook with spices, herbs or fruit to enhance the taste of your food.

Low Sodium Foods     mg
Fresh/frozen vegetables, without salt, 1/2 cup  1-70
Canned vegetables, 1/2 cup     140-460
Processed cheeses, 1 oz.     300
Fresh meat, fish, poultry, 3 oz.    30-90
Tuna canned, water pack, 3 oz.    230-350
Ham, lean, roasted, 3 oz.     1,020

Potassium Rich Foods    mg
Banana, 1 medium      420
Apricots, 1/4 cup      380
Cantaloupe chunks, 1/2 cup     214
Potato, 1 medium      926
Sweet Potato, 1 medium     540
Cooked soybeans, 1/2 cup     440
Milk, 1 cup       380
(Source: National Institutes of Health, 2010)

1/4 teaspoon salt = 600 mg sodium
1/2 teaspoon salt = 1,200 mg sodium
3/4 teaspoon salt =1,800 mg sodium
1 teaspoon salt = 2,300 mg sodium
1 teaspoon baking soda 1,000 mg sodium

Stacey Hatton is a pediatric RN and a salty freelance writer.

 

FacebookPinterestLinkedInStumbleUponDeliciousTumblrShare

Pain Patches can be FATAL for children

Posted on by
FacebookPinterestLinkedInStumbleUponDeliciousTumblrShare

The FDA has released this press information which is pretty scary for  families who have Fentanyl (pain) patches in your home.  (Especially if you have an elderly person living with you or someone with chronic pain- the chance of these laying around is high and can be FATAL for your children! Lock these up and keep an eye on the elderly in your home.) ~ Nurse Mommy


Fentanyl Patch Can Be Deadly to Children

Read the Consumer Update to learn more about how to prevent accidental exposure to Fentanyl:

http://go.usa.gov/yTw

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm300803.htm

Young children have died or become seriously ill from exposure to a skin patch containing a powerful painkiller, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing an alert to warn patients, caregivers and health care professionals about the dangers of improperly using and disposing of the fentanyl patch.

The fentanyl transdermal system—the patch marketed under the brand name Duragesic and in several generic forms—contains fentanyl, a potent narcotic that is intended to treat patients in constant pain by releasing the medication over the course of three days. An overdose of fentanyl—caused when the child either swallows the patch or applies it to his or her own skin—can cause death by slowing breathing and increasing the levels of carbon dioxide in the blood.

(Source: FDA, April 19, 2012)


FacebookPinterestLinkedInStumbleUponDeliciousTumblrShare