Snippets

A corneal abrasion occurs when the eye's cornea -- which protects the eye and helps focus light -- is scratched.

The American Academy of Family Physicians suggests how to avoid a corneal abrasion when there's something in your eye:

• Don't rub the eye to remove a foreign object.
• Rinse the eye with water or optical saline solution to try to flush out the object.
• Blink frequently.
• Gently pull your upper eyelid over the lower eyelid.
• If the object is on the white of your eye, use a clean cotton tissue or swab to carefully lift it off.
• Call the doctor if you can't remove the object.

Don’t worry about baby’s murmur

Some babies are born with a heart murmur, which is a noise that blood makes as it flows through the heart. Most often, heart murmurs are considered harmless, says the American Academy of Family Physicians.

A murmur is sometimes called innocent, and is only noticeable because a child's heart is close to the wall of the chest, the academy explains. As a child grows, a murmur may become more difficult to hear, and it probably will disappear eventually. The majority of children with a murmur don't need to restrict activities or take any medication.

But any murmur should be evaluated by a doctor, since it sometimes indicates a serious problem, such as a hole in the heart, a leak or narrowing of a valve in the heart.

Doctors can perform tests to determine if a murmur indicates a problem or if it is harmless, the academy says.

Help prevent travellers' diarrhoea

Travellers' diarrhoea is a frequent menace for international travellers. The culprit may be bacteria, a virus or a parasite.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these suggestions to help reduce your risk of travellers' diarrhoea:

• Don't eat or drink anything from a street vendor.
• Don't obtain food or drink from any facility that appears unclean.
• Don't eat any meat or seafood that is raw or appears undercooked.
• Don't eat any raw vegetables or fruit (i.e. oranges, bananas) unless you peel them yourself.
• Avoid tap water and ice.
• Avoid drinking or eating unpasteurized dairy products.

When hip pain signals Bursitis

Hip bursitis is a painful condition that occurs when the bursa, a soft sac that cushions the hip joint, becomes inflamed.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says signs of hip bursitis may include:

• Pain that occurs right at the point of the hip.
• Pain that radiates from the hip to the thigh.
• Pain that starts as severe and sharp, and becomes more aching and widespread.
• Pain that gets worse at night or when you lie on the bad hip.
• Pain that gets worse when standing after sitting for a long period.
• Pain that gets worse after prolonged periods of climbing stairs, squatting or walking.

How to ease hammertoe pain

A hammertoe is an abnormal bending of a toe at the joint, which often causes pain when footwear touches the top of the bent toe. Women are affected more often than men.

The American Podiatric Medical Association suggests how to help alleviate the pain of a hammertoe:

• Protect the toe with a non-medicated pad designed for hammertoes.
• Choose shoes that offer plenty of room in the toe area.
• Place an ice pack over the area that's painful or swollen.
• Wear shoes with a heel no higher than two inches.
• Wear shoes that fit loosely and aren't too narrow.

(Healthday News)