Essentials South Africa – August 2019

your heaLTh | Q&A

feature

Dr Philippa Kaye

p hotography

Adobe Stock; iStock

prices checked at time of going to print

Ask the Doctor

ANSWERS TO ALL YOUR

PRESSING MEDICAL qUESTIONS

Q

i do a lot of gardening

and last week i cut my

hand while outside. i

cleaned it thoroughly, but my

husband thinks that i need a

tetanus booster. do i really

need to go and get this done?

a

An injury is considered

to be tetanus-prone if it's

a burn or wound which is

deep or where lots of tissue has

been lost, if it’s contaminated

with dirt, soil or a foreign object,

or if it’s an animal bite. As with

any wound, you need to clean

it! If you've had a full course

of tetanus vaccines as a child,

then your doctor may give you

a tetanus booster vaccination

to ensure you are protected (the

protection is likely to be 10 years).

If you aren’t sure, talk to the GP.

my dad’s falls are

really worrying

Q

my father is in his

seventies and keeps

falling over. i’m worried

he's going to hurt himself, or not

be able to get up. what can i do?

a

Take your father to the

doctor as there are lots of

causes of falls which need

to be considered. He may

well be referred to a specialist

for investigations, but also for

physiotherapy and exercise

classes. He will be taught how

to stand and sit in a chair safely.

Recent research showed that

exercise classes, such as tai chi,

which involve improving balance,

can decrease falls by a fifth. So, do

see if there are any local classes.

i need to improve my immunity!

Q

i’m so frustrated as i seem to go from one bug

to the next. This year, I’ve had lots of colds

and sore throats and it’s starting to really

wear me down. i understand that i am not supposed

to have antibiotics for them, but what actually helps?

a

you're correct – antibiotics are useless against

most common colds, sore throats and coughs,

as they are caused by viruses not bacteria. And

antibiotics don’t work against viruses! But don’t despair,

as there are some things that do work. Firstly, take

paracetamol for a fever and any aches and pains. Make

sure you are drinking plenty of fluids, too. Drinking

lemon and honey will soothe a sore throat, while salt

water is also a useful remedy to fight bugs and shorten

a cold. Try adding 3g of sea salt to 100ml of boiling

water. Wait for it to cool and then hold one nostril

closed and inhale the water – do this three times on

each nostril and use the remaining salt water to gargle,

also doing this three times. In a study, this appeared

to shorten the length of symptoms by two days!

my hospital stay will

keep me awake at night

Q

i am booked in for a knee

replacement next week

and i’m dreading it. it isn’t

the thought of the operation or the

pain, but the lack of sleep. I find

hospitals so noisy and disruptive;

i just want to go home.

a

you're right, hospitals are

busy, noisy places and it

can affect your ability to

sleep, and even when you do go

to sleep you may be woken to have

your observations taken. In fact,

recent figures showed that four

in 10 patients are so disturbed by

noise levels that they actually ask to

be discharged early. Be prepared for

your stay – pack earplugs to try and

muffle some of the noise and slip in

an eye mask to counteract the light.

If you are in pain, ask for pain relief

as pain can also disrupt sleep. Good

luck with your operation.

do i reaLLy need a

tetanus inJeCtion?

sLeeP heLP