St. Francis Hospital | Life & Health | Fall 2018

>> health NEWS The do’s and don’ts of antibiotics Overusing antibiotics—or using them the wrong way—helps create drug-resistant superbugs. Here’s how to use them safely. Small and shiny, button batteries pose a serious danger to curious babies and young children. If swallowed, they can cause a chemical reaction that could severely burn the esophagus in only two hours. A child who swallows a button battery may not seem hurt at first. That’s because kids can still breathe and act normally after ingesting one. Al- ways follow these precautions for button batteries: ●   ● Lock away loose and spare batteries. ●   ● Keep any product that uses button batteries (such as remote controls, singing greeting cards and hearing aids) out of children’s reach. ●   ● Keep the battery compartments of all electronic items taped shut. ●   ● If you suspect your child has swallowed a bat- tery, go to the emergency department right away. Don’t induce vomiting or have your child eat or drink anything. ●   ● Share these tips with caregivers, friends, family and sitters. Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics; Safe Kids Worldwide Parents: Beware of button batteries A lot of things change when you become a parent. And if you smoke, one thing that may be different now is your reason for quitting: your children. Quitting tobacco can help protect your kids’ health as well as yours. For starters, it can help your children: Breathe better air. Secondhand tobacco smoke contains thousands of toxic chemicals (one is arse- nic used in pesticides), including dozens that cause cancer. In addition, babies and children exposed to secondhand smoke have an increased risk of many other health problems, including: ●   ● Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). ●   ● More lung infections, ear infections and illnesses. ●   ● Coughing and breathing problems. Be a former smoker: Quit for your kids ●   ● Increased asthma attacks in kids who already have asthma. Exposure to secondhand smoke may also trigger the lung disease in kids who didn’t have it before. And smoking during pregnancy can cause babies to have birth defects, a low birth weight or to be born prematurely. Grow up to be nonsmokers. Your kids look up to you and may try to emulate you, including when it comes to choices you make about smoking. And it’s not too late to set a good example. Quitting is the best way to do that. For tips to help you quit for good, check out smokefree.gov . Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics; American Cancer Society; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sources: American Academy of Family Physicians; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Institutes of Health Don’t: ●   ● Pressure your doctor to prescribe antibiotics. ●   ● Save antibiotics for the next time you’re sick. ●   ● Take antibiotics prescribed for someone else or share yours with other people. Do: ●   ● Take them exactly as prescribed. ●   ● Take the full course, even if you no longer feel sick, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. ●   ● Take antibiotics only when necessary. They won’t work against viral infections, such as colds, flu or runny noses— even if mucus is thick, yellow or green. And they won’t help most cases of bronchitis, many sinus infections and some ear infections. Life and HEALTH Fall 2018 3