Easy to Use Dressings
Introduction
When Winter published his seminal paper in the early 60s on the effect of occlusion upon the rate of epithelialization of superficial wounds in the young domestic pig, he began a new chapter in our understanding of the mechanisms by which wounds heal, and the influence that dressings such as duoderm and tegaderm can have upon this process. Based upon the results of this and later work, he identified a number of criteria that he believed characterized a good surgical dressing.
There are significant practical advantages in separating the functions of the primary wound contact layer from those of the secondary absorbent layer. This provides the clinician with a degree of flexibility when selecting or constructing a dressing system for a particular wound at a given stage in the healing cycle. The important contribution made by the secondary dressing is often overlooked during this selection process. However, it can be vital in determining the success or otherwise of a particular treatment, especially when using products such as hydrogels or alginate sheets with duoderm and tegaderm.
This review considers the key aspects of dressing performance as described by Winter, which relate to damage to the healing wound and surrounding skin. Once adherence has occurred, dressing removal can be very painful and may cause damage to the fragile, newly-formed epithelium leading to extended healing times and an increased risk of scar tissue formation.
Recognizing the limitations of paraffin gauze, some manufacturers have developed new types of wound contact materials that may be used as ‘stand-alone’ dressings or as facing layers for absorbent dressing pads such duoderm and tegaderm. These include perforated or vacuum-ruptured plastic films, foams, finely woven nylon mesh, heat-calendared non-woven fabrics made from hydrophobic fibers, silicone-coated knitted fabrics (e.g. NA ULTRA), and even a non-woven material coated with metallic aluminum. Such dressings have been described by their manufacturers and others as ‘non-adherent’ or more accurately ‘low-adherent’. The structure and use of many of these low-adherent materials has been reviewed previously.
Conclusion
It is proposed that a new term ‘non-traumatic dressings’ be adopted to describe products that do not cause trauma either to newly formed tissue or to the peri-wound skin upon removal. This term can be applied both to adhesive and non-adhesive dressings. It should be the responsibility of the manufacturers of such dressings to demonstrate by means of clinical studies that their products comply with this requirement before they are described in this way. The results of the current literature review clearly suggest that dressings coated with soft silicone appear to meet this requirement and could therefore reasonably be included in this group.
What Cause Depression?
There are many things that cause sadness, but we can pick some major causes why many are so depressed today. These 9 factors below are known to be the answers to the question, what cause depression?
1) It might be your current life situation. Is your situation going bad physically, financially or emotionally?
People suffering with physical diseases are prone to be depressed especially if the pain is severe and long. Physical insecurities can also include old age. This can be depressing even to those at early 60′s.
Some too who are struggling financially can easily be depressed. Unemployment can cause a lot of anxieties and distresses that can rob our peace of mind. Family relationship breakdown had caused many to feel that life is useless and worthless. If either of these is your current life condition would I say it’s normal for you to get depressed. This situation is generally overcome by most persons in a relatively short period of time. But they trigger real depression to some.
2) Are you suffering from metabolic problems? Low blood sugar? Anaemia, mononucleosis, diabetes, cancer or other illness that might contribute to weakness and discouragement? Yes sometimes even we are at the most favorable circumstance, physical body’s irregularities can damage our normal circulation and can cause unwanted moods. A woman at her menopausal stage suffers from mood swings or someone who has very poor metabolism suffers from quick irritation. These are just some of the body problems that contribute to the cause of depression.
3) Hurtful past experience is one of the major causes of depression. Children with unloving home or who suffered from child abuse often known to be depressed as early as in their teenage life. Sometimes we just think our teenagers became bad when they take drugs, engage in immorality and drunkenness, but it is all because they are depressed and wanted to destroy their lives. Parents must then be sensitive for the reasons that their children are turning to such vices.
4) Divorce and separation are highly known when it comes to major cause of depression. Because of too much emotional anxieties and feelings of regret, the broken-hearted person slowly develops this negative views and to the point of depression.
5) Another cause of depression has something to do with the weather. Especially in places that winter stays for 6 months or more. Gloomy days mean gloomy heart for them. But usually this kind of depression relates to some sad events happened in their past. The gloominess of the weather triggers the memories and brings back the pain of the past. People who suffers from SAD or sad affected depression often feel depress when the month or the season that they experienced emotional trauma is here again.
6) Bad motives too can also be a source of discouragement. Sometimes when our pride is hurt because we lack humility, it can rob our joy and make us feel negative with ourselves. If someone wants to be the first in everything, the attitude me, myself and I can be dangerous and damaging to us. This can also lead to frustration because we are not what we expected. We then will hate ourselves and develop self-pity for nothing. Modesty is the key to avoiding such kind of attitude. If we are modest, we will realize our limitations and accept that not everything we do will be successful. Failures are normal and there’s no reason to feel bad about ourselves. Our good relationship matters if we are to maintain joy in our life.
7) Another main reason what cause depression today is what is common in the news around the world. To mention just a few of the disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes and so and so forth had caused a lot of tears and fears around the globe. By losing their love ones, their properties and everything that they had accumulated for years are strong reasons for being depressed.
Some said that one cause of depression is being alone. No man is an island. People need people. We need friends to cheer us up when we are blue. Sadness and emptiness surrounds us when we feel locked behind close doors. We need good friends to whom we can talk to.
9) Poor diet can be another cause of depression but sometimes poor people who lacks food nutrition because of their limitation can be happier than the rich. But certainly poor diet can have a big impact on our physical body. It can certainly trigger or worsen depression if you eat junk and unhealthy foods or skip your meals. All these things can be a factor of what cause depression today.
Well, the above are some points that will answer the question, what cause depression? It will add to the causes you already know about your depression. Really depression is being suffered by many people around the globe. But just like any other illnesses there are some ways or remedies we can do. Like other diseases that are treated, minimize or relieved. Depression and its symptoms can be of the same idea. The only difference is that depression has a lot to do with the mind. Therefore let us find out how to deal with it and help ourselves fight against the damaging effect of depression.
Major Depression – Natural Cures Work Much Better Than Drugs
Major depression will put its heavy hand on one quarter of the U.S. population at some point in their lives. There is a reason for this, and it is not genetic nor is it a Prozac deficiency.
To put it plainly, it is the result of the crazy way Americans, in particular, eat and live. After decades of trying to solve the growing epidemic of depression by years of psychiatric counseling, electro-shock therapy, and many different drugs, one bright doctor of psychology has recognized the “elephant in the room” that is causing the disturbance.
This university professor with a clinical practice is the one who has pointed out for us that “our bodies were never designed for the sleep-deprived, poorly nourished, frenzied pace of twenty-first century life”. He learned this from observing the absence of depression among aboriginal groups like the Kaluli of Papua New Guinea.
He has placed his proven prescription for treating depression in a clearly written, insightful book.
I have noticed the same factors that cause depression reappearing time and again as causes for the many lifestyle diseases that have killed off my immediate family and many contemporaries. And yet, most medical research seems far more fascinated in looking for ways to change the human genome, our internal chemistry, and our behavior to suit the demands of our impossibly frantic, malnourished lifestyle.
Undaunted by the fact of only a twenty-three percent cure rate for depression after taking any of the commonly prescribed drugs for the purpose, the pharmaceutical industry studiously ignores insights like those of those of this doctor. Could it be that there isn’t the massive profit in correcting our toxic diet and lifestyle, compared to selling us a monthly drug regimen for life?
It doesn’t seem to matter to the pharmaceutical industry or the FDA that every company drug study of antidepressants from 1987 through 1999 showed that “in 56% of these studies, depressed patients taking an antidepressant drug fared no better than those who took a placebo”.
In Many Cases, The Side-Effects Can Be Worse Than The Disease
I have occasionally suffered brief periods of depression, but I have always chosen to steer away from the prescription drugs that are offered. (I saw, first-hand, what they did to my mother.) It has been difficult, but instructive, to find my own way out of infrequent and unpredictable bouts with this disorder.
Finding this doctor’s book and its revelation that our diet and sedentary lifestyle are at the root of our problem is a welcome discovery that confirms and greatly adds to what I have learned on my own.
It is ironic how tenaciously most Americans cling to their flawed diet and lifestyle rather than do what they will freely admit they should do. It’s just not convenient, they may say.
That’s true, but neither is it convenient to have a heart attack on the way to work. I have found it easier to do what is necessary to correct the root causes of our problems so we can move on with our lives.
Waking up with a major depressive disorder weighing on your soul is also inconvenient, but the good news is that it is not that hard to make a few simple changes in the way we eat and live to remedy this, without the expense and side-effects of pharmaceutical drugs.
A Pneumatic Compression Device Can Relieve the Symptoms of Lymphedema
Lymphedema sufferers can find relief with a pneumatic compression device. There are approximately three million people in the United States that suffer from Lymphedema. These devices or compression pumps are used to remove the excess fluid from the limbs, thereby relieving pain and pressure and allowing the person a normal life. Often, because of the swelling caused by this condition, there are a number of tasks normally taken for granted that suddenly become too difficult for someone suffering from Lymphedema. They can be as simple as changing their clothes or taking a shower, going to the grocery store or even walking within their home. The swelling is often so severe that the affected limb will become several times larger than normal.
When a pneumatic compression device or Lymphedema pump is used, typically on the arms or legs, they help the buildup of fluid to be moved away from the area and back to the Lymphatic system. This is the natural way for the body to rid itself of this fluid; however, for those who suffer from Lymphedema, the lymph glands become blocked and the fluid cannot drain. In addition, there are many people who have circulatory problems that may benefit from the use of these pumps.
The cause of Lymphedema is not always known although sometimes it is due to surgery for certain types of cancer. A pneumatic compression device is often used by those who have had surgery or radiation treatment for breast cancer, prostate, uterine and bladder cancer. These are the most common forms of cancer for which treatment resulted in the development of Lymphedema. The pump has a sleeve that is attached and when it is placed on the swollen limb and inflated and deflated, this action helps the fluid to disperse and return to the Lymphatic system.
This treatment may be necessary several times a week and with this handy pump, they may be done within the comfort of your own home. Before the availability of a pneumatic compression device, people with this condition had to go to a specialist regularly for treatment.
The importance of ridding the body of this swelling cannot be stressed enough. Without the proper treatment there are a number of problems that can develop due to the buildup of fluid. The area may develop sores or ulcers that do not heal, resulting in gangrene. This will necessitate amputation of the limb. The swelling also prevents immune cells from being able to get to the part of the body that is swollen and this is where they are needed the most. Incorporated channels in the sleeve of the pneumatic compression device are responsible for moving fluid away from the swollen area. When the pump is used, these channels are inflated and deflated effectively pushing the fluid away from the area.
The benefits are many including a quiet operation that is easily used while enjoying music or the television. Additionally, the cost is typically covered by insurance companies with a statement from a physician affirming that the device is medically necessary.
Avoiding Germs This Winter
It’s not just some old wives’ tale: the cold weather does make us more prone to colds and flu. Although the cold temperature does not cause these diseases (yes, we know, it’s viruses that do), the fact that people tend to congregate indoors more in winter makes it easier for us to catch other people’s viruses.
Also, a study published in the Oxford Journal of Family Practice showed that the closing of blood vessels near the surface of the skin, which happens when our bodies get chilled, makes us more vulnerable to viruses by depriving our nasal cavity of protective mucous.
But this does not mean colds and flu are unavoidable during the winter season. There are things you can do to keep healthy.
1. Keep warm.If chilling makes us more vulnerable to the cold and flu viruses, help your body protect you by keeping it warm: Wear a hat. Keep your feet dry. Put on the right coat or jacket as protection from the weather.
2. Strengthen your immune system.Why is it that two individuals could be exposed to exactly the same germs but only one of them gets sick? The answer is immunity. This can be from previous exposure to the germs, or it can be from beefing up the immune system by eating and sleeping right.
So get the sleep that you need. If you can’t get all your required eight hours at night, take power naps during lunch breaks and coffee breaks or during your commute. Also, boost the level of vitamin C in your body by eating your fruits and vegetables – the recommended dose is five servings per day. Make sure too that you keep well hydrated. The body needs water to rid itself of wastes, so a well-hydrated body is a healthier body – one that is better able to fight disease.
3. Keep your hands clean.The world is full of germs, and one of the most common ways they enter our body is through our eyes, nose, and mouth. Now in civilized society, it is not common for people to sneeze in others’ faces. But if somebody sneezes on his hand then touches your office doorknob or your phone or your keyboard, they are spreading germs to those things. If you touch these things then touch your face, you are delivering germs to your eyes, nose, and mouth, allowing them easy entrance to your body.
To prevent this scenario, it is wise to have disinfectant wipes with you at all times. Use them to wipe anything in your surrounding that you feel may have been contaminated before you touch them yourself. Keep your hands clean, too, by washing them often for at least 20 seconds each time. This is the most effective way of disinfecting your hands, though if you really can’t wash, alcohol is an acceptable substitute. Finally, avoid touching your face.
Now what if it’s too late and you already have caught the bug? In addition to seeing your doctor, you can also chug up some chicken soup, which, according to recent studies, is really effective in easing cold symptoms. For clogged nose, you can try saline nasal washes; they are a safe and effective way to clear out stuffy mucus. For scratchy throats, try herbal teas with lemon and honey, which has been demonstrated to relieve cough symptoms better than the cough-suppressing drug dextromethorphan.
All these methods have been promoted by grandma for years, and recently, they have also received researchers’ thumbs ups. So why not listen to your elders this time and feel better, healthier, and more virtuous too!