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Common Ailments
Some conditions can be easily treated at home and do not require an appointment. You can also ask your local pharmacist for advice.
However, if the following suggestions do not work, or you are worried in any way, or children, the elderly or those with other diseases are affected then contact the surgery.
Colds are due to viruses and do not respond to antibiotics. Symptoms often subside within a few days and general advice would be to rest and take regular paracetamol or aspirin.
Influenza is caused by a virus and antibiotics are not effective against viruses. Symptoms include fever, aches and coughing. Treatment with rest, regular paracetamol and drinking plenty of fluids are usually all
that is required. Symptoms will usually subside within 4-5 days. Elderly patients, those with diabetes and those with chronic chest diseases should consider yearly flu vaccination.
Burns should be held under cold running water for as long as the pain persists. This may be up to 15 minutes. The area should then be covered with a dry gauze bandage and kept clean. Medical attention should be sought for burns larger than 8cm (4 inches).
First clean then wound thoroughly. To stop the bleeding, apply pressure to the wound with a clean gauze swab for 5 minutes. Cover with a clean dry dressing.
Diarrhoea and vomiting leads to the loss of fluids from the body. It is important to drink plenty of fluids. In adults and children kaolin mixture will help reduce the diarrhoea. Other remedies are available from the pharmacist.
Backache is a common problem and is usually due to muscular strains. It usually subsides with rest and regular paracetamol. Most back arise from trying to lift too heavy an object or poor lifting technique. To avoid back strain get help when trying to lift heavy objects. X-rays are usually unhelpful for backache.
Nose bleeds are not usually serious and are usually due to minor injuries that cause fragile blood vessels in the nose to bleeds. The bleeding can usually be stopped by first blowing the nose clear and then pinching the fleshy part of the nose for approximately 10 minutes. If the bleeding continues then you may need to consult the hospital casualty department.
Generally these do not cause anything other than mild discomfort and can be treated with specific creams. Also antihistamines may be effective and can be obtained directly from the pharmacist.
Sunburn is due to excessive exposure to the sun?s ultraviolet light (UVA and UVB light). Sunburn causes damage to the skin, accelerating ageing and predisposes to skin cancer. Sunburn should be prevented through the application of high factor sun creams (factor 35), wearing hats and tee-shirts. Children may require even higher factor sun creams (factor 50) and young children (less than one year old) should not be exposed to intense sunlight. Sunburn should be treated like any other burn. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration and the application of aftersun creams may also help.
These are often due to viruses and do not respond to antibiotics. They usually improve after a few days and should be treated with regular paracetamol. Salt water gargles, aspirin gargles and throat lozenges can also help to relieve the discomfort. Your pharmacist can provide you with suitable treatments.
This is again due to an infectious virus. Symptoms often begin with a fever and general lethargy. The rash develops as small reddish spots that are often itchy and soon develop into small blisters. The symptoms can be treated with regular paracetamol and the rash can be treated with calamine lotion. The itching can be treated with antihistamines.
This infectious virus causes painful swelling of the glands in front of the ears and is associated with fever. Complications can follow this condition and are preventable by vaccination. Symptoms should be treated with regular paracetamol.
This is due to an infectious virus. The symptoms are of fever, sore throat and a rash, consisting of small, pink patches that cover the body and limbs. It is usually a mild illness but it can be harmful to the unborn child. All women are checked for their immunity to German measles during pregnancy.
Measles, Mumps and Rubella can make children very unwell and so the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine is strongly recommended to prevent these diseases. It is usually given at 9 months of age. Consult your doctors surgery if you want any more advice on this vaccination.
This is due to an infectious virus. Symptoms consist of a fever, sore throat, cough and sore eyes that often develop two days before the rash appears. A red blotchy rash may be found on the face and body.
Symptoms can be treated with regular paracetamol and patients should be advised to drink plenty of fluids. The cough can be improved with cough linctus.
Emergency contraception (the morning-after pill) is available from either your general practitioner or can be obtained directly from the pharmacist. It is effective only if taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex (within 72 hours).
You should consult your doctor or health visitor for advice on contraception.