Friday Fun Facts, 1st edition

What? So I’m a little, no a lot late.

I’m going to start with a bit of OTC (over-the-counter) fun facts.

• Let’s just skip the law stuff, eh. I will say that dietary supplements, i.e. vitamins, herbs, etc, are not regulated by the FDA. The manufacturers only have to prove safety, not efficacy. An herbal medication can claim to do anything but not have to actually prove that it does.
• Fever: higher temps are associated with bacterial infections (as opposed to viral). Tympanic (ear) thermometers are not the most accurate way to measure temperature. You can imagine where the ‘best’ place to take a temp is. Dehydration is the main concern with fever, especially in young children. Onset of Ibuprofen (~30 min) is faster than the onset of Tylenol (~1 hr). Can alternate doses of APAP and IBU for fever but there is a lack of evidence to support efficacy.
• Smoking Cessation: Did you know that Kentucky has the most smokers?!  Clove cigs are bad, bad, bad. They contain 2x the tar and nicotine as regular cigs. Nicotine reaches the brain in 7-10 seconds! There is NO safe level of exposure in humans. Nicotine stimulates the reward center in the brain. Withdrawl symptoms peak 48 afters after quitting. All withdrawl symptoms go away within 1 month. I won’t go into the therapies to quit.
• I think I’ll skip hemorrhoids and jump right into pin worms. If you suspect your child has them, just go into their room at night, take a flashlight and look at their, how do you say this nicely,  anus. Why? That’s when the females come out, COME OUT, and lay eggs.

Ha! I’ll think I’ll end on that note tonight.

Stay tuned (’til who knows when) for the 2nd edition in which Cough, Cold, and Allergy as well as headaches.

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