M any animals in the wild go to great lengths to groom and groom themselves. Their innate propensity to maintain cleanliness keeps them healthy. Spending time and energy keeping yourself clean increases your resilience to illness. People under stress pay less attention to cleanliness since they must focus all their energy on everyday survival chores.
The likelihood that your family or group may be exposed to unhygienic conditions will be somewhat under your control as the medic. Indeed, one of the key elements that will define your effectiveness as a caretaker is how diligent you are in this area. More than any medical intervention, strict adherence to good sanitation and hygiene standards will keep your family healthy.
Even with the best intentions, keeping clean is tough to maintain when there is no access to basic cleaning supplies like soap or laundry detergent. Therefore, it is in your best advantage to accumulate these products in large quantities.
Many areas, including dentistry and foot care, have cleanliness difficulties. We are more prone to issues like infections or infestations as we become dirtier and wetter. As described in this section, we can prevent many medical problems by paying close attention to hygiene.
LICE AND TICKS
The "pediculosis" condition, often known as a louse infestation, is a typical health issue caused by poor hygiene. There are numerous species of wingless insects known as lice. There are three types of humans: head, body, and pubic. Some infections are spread by lice, with serious repercussions for entire families. Sometimes the scratching that lice cause results in skin cracks that let other illnesses grow.
Although it is believed that gorilla and chimpanzee lice gave rise to human lice, these parasites are often species-specific. This implies that, unlike with fleas, you cannot contract lice from your dog. You can only obtain them from other people.
Lice spreads quickly in crowded, unhygienic settings or where direct human contact is unavoidable. For instance, these circumstances exist in many schools where kids mostly interact with one another throughout the school day (head lice). Sharing personal goods can also result in a louse infestation; numerous people use combs, clothing, pillows, and towels are typical lice carriers.
A little sesame seed in size, adult head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) are greyish-white in color. Head lice infestation can result in scratching and, in rare cases, a rash. However, this particular lice species is not a disease spreader. Even in industrialized nations, head lice are a fairly widespread problem; in the United States, there are 6–12 million occurrences a year, usually affecting young children.
Kids occasionally don't even realize they have them due to their underdeveloped immune systems, whereas adults typically remain scratchy and itchy unless treated.
The presence of the louse or its "nits" is used to make the diagnosis (eggs). Nits resemble tiny dandruff particles that are affixed to hairs. Finding adult lice and nits can be accomplished by combing the hair with a comb with fine teeth. Before treatment, lice are checked using specialized combs designed to eliminate as many as feasible. In contrast to plastic nit combs available at pharmacies, metal nit combs are more popular.
About a quarter inch from the scalp, you will discover that the nits are securely connected to the hair shaft. Typically, oval-shaped nits will be yellow or white. Applying olive oil to the comb may make nits simpler to get rid of.
Compared to head lice, body lice (Pediculus humanus corporis) are recent arrivals; they likely only became a problem when people started wearing clothing. The idea of washing garments came much later; therefore, regular touch with filthy clothing frequently resulted in infestations.
This might be a problem for the homeless today, but it will probably become an epidemic when regular bathing and washing clothes become difficult. Body lice are slightly bigger than head lice, and they also vary in that they only feed on the body when necessary and instead live on clothing. They are more resilient than their cousins and can survive for about 30 days without contact with people.
In this situation, the best course of action is to remove the diseased clothes and, ideally, destroy them. Sometimes there is no need for medicine because the lice have already left the clothing (but don't bet on it). Unlike head lice, which are linked to diseases including typhus, trench fever, and epidemic relapsing fever, body lice are linked to infectious conditions. Areas of the skin exposed to body lice repeatedly may become strongly pigmented and stiff.
Lobster louse
Lice or mite infections in the pubic area are both possible causes. The "crabs," also known as pubic lice (Pthirus pubis), often begin in the pubic area but can eventually spread to any area where there is hair, including the eyelashes. Sexual intercourse is the most prevalent way that they are spread. The major symptom is intense itching, which can affect the eyelashes or even the hair in the axilla (armpit).
Pubic lice do not truly transmit other diseases, even though they are occasionally diagnosed in patients as sexually transmitted diseases since they are typically passed from one person to another through sexual activity. The fact that pubic lice are one of the few "sexually transmitted diseases"TM that cannot be prevented by using a condom should be recognized.
Scabies is not caused by lice but rather by small, eight-legged creatures known as mites (Sarcoptes scabiei). The mites penetrate the skin, causing tiny, swollen, crimson lumps to appear. There is noticeable itching, which is worse at night. Even skin folds with few hairs, such as those found on the wrists, elbows, or spaces between the fingers and toes, are susceptible to scabies.
Medications referred to as "pediculicides" are used to eradicate certain kinds of infestation, and they include the following:
• RID shampoo; NixTM lotion (1 percent permethrin); (pyrethrin)
• The shampoo Kwell (lindane)
• Malathion in isopropanol at 5%
Both lice and their eggs will be killed using Nix lotion (permethrin). The lice will be killed by RID shampoo, but not the eggs. Seven days later, make sure to repeat the shampoo procedure. With the lotion, too, this might not be a bad plan. Request a prescription for Kwell shampoo from your doctor to keep on hand. For resistant patients, it is a considerably stronger treatment. Avoid administering this medication to children as it may have negative neurological adverse effects. Utilize these items as follows:
There have been all-natural treatments for lice for countless years. The chemical pyrethrin derived from the chrysanthemum flower is used in even over-the-counter drugs like RID shampoo. Another popular anti-lice product is ClearLiceTM, a natural remedy that, among other things, contains peppermint and is regarded by many as preferable to conventional treatments.
Combining tea tree and neem (a tree in the mahogany family) oils is another effective lice treatment. Apply a mixture of salt, vinegar, tea tree oil, and neem oil every day for 21 days, but only for external usage. As an alternative, applying witch hazel and tea tree oil after showering every day for 21 days has succeeded in getting rid of hair lice.
Witch hazel and tea tree oil and a triple mixture of tea tree, lavender, and neem oil applied to the pubic region for 21 days may also be useful in curing scabies. Some people recommend taking daily baths using 1/2 cup of borax and 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide for 21 days.
Ticks
Unlike lice, ticks are not as directly linked to bad hygiene. They are essentially arachnids like scorpions and spiders, although they are frequently mistaken for insects. Rocky Mountain spotted fever viruses are carried by American dog ticks, while the deer tick (commonly known as the black-legged tick) contains the tiny parasite that causes Lyme disease. Because some tick-borne illnesses have symptoms similar to influenza, doctors frequently overlook them. Other tick-borne illnesses might not have the characteristic "bulls-eye" rash that Lyme disease occasionally does.
The larval or juvenile stages of the deer tick are primarily responsible for Lyme disease. These are occasionally difficult to see because they are only a little larger than a pinhead. Every larval stage only eats once, very slowly, usually over several days. Summertime is when tick larvae are most active. Despite being most prevalent in the country's northeastern part, they appear to be moving further west every year.
Ticks don't fly like flies, jump like fleas, fly like flies, or fall from trees like your typical spider. The larvae like to reside in leaf litter, and as you go by, they cling to your lower thigh. The term "deer tick" comes from adults living in shrubs alongside game routes. You could discover them in woodpiles in populated regions (especially in the shade).
Many people don't consider using protective measures when they are outside to avoid coming into contact with ticks and other potentially dangerous animals or plants like poison ivy. Anybody spending the day outside should use caution:
• Cover any skin that is exposed below the knee.
• Put on sturdy socks (tuck your pants into them).
• Put on tall boots.
• Apply bug repellent.
Avoiding bites will increase if you use an effective bug repellant. You can apply citronella to your skin by rubbing the leaves, which are linked to plants like lemon grass and can be found naturally in some regions. Also effective is eucalyptus or soybean oil. If your environment is acceptable, consider putting these in your medicinal garden.
It's crucial to be aware that the time a tick feeds on a person increases the likelihood that a person will develop Lyme disease or another sickness carried by ticks. The good news is that most diseases do not spread during the first 24 hours. It is beneficial to get rid of that tick as soon as possible because the risk of infection increases after 48 hours. Ticks may not attach to a person's skin for several hours, so taking a shower or bath after being in the woods may just wash them off. Here is where maintaining proper hygiene pays off.
Take your best pair of tweezers and try to grab the tick as near to the skin as you can to remove it. You'll have the highest chance of successfully removing the tick if you pull it straight up. The mouthparts can sometimes stay in the skin after being removed at an angle, which could lead to an infection where they were a bit. Fortunately, it won't make you more likely to contract Lyme disease.
After that, sanitize the region with "triple antibiotic" ointment or Betadine. Tweezers are the most effective tool for removing ticks, even if alternative techniques like burying it in petroleum jelly or setting it on fire are frequently used.
Fortunately, only 20% of deer ticks are parasite carriers of Lyme or another disease. In nearly half of cases, a bull's-eye-shaped rash develops. Anyone experiencing a rash combined with flu-like symptoms who cannot be treated with medication will require additional care.
Early stages can be treated with oral antibiotics. The recommended treatments for the sickness are doxycycline (100 mg twice a day for 14 days) or amoxicillin (500 mg three times daily for 14 days). These are available in certain veterinary drugs without a prescription (discussed later in this book). Don't be shocked if your patient continues to feel tired and has achy muscles after treatment .