Knowing your blood type is vital if you
require a transfusion in an emergency, and in pregnancy.
If you’re had a blood test, your doctor
will tell you your blood type. Otherwise, if you go to a Blood Bank to donate
blood you’ll get a donor card which shows your blood type.
Your
blood is worth bottling!
“One in three people will need blood in
their lifetime, but only one in 30 donate,” says Kathy Bowlen of the Red Cross
Blood Service
·
Most healthy people between 16 and 70 can give
blood. Exceptions include people who lived in the UK for a total of more than
six months between 1980 – 1996 or if you’ve had a tattoo in the previous six
months.
·
Giving blood and plasma is painless except for a
pinprick. Blood donations take about one hour of your time, and plasma about 90
minutes.
·
When you give blood, you haemoglobin levels and
blood pressure are checked and you’re screened for HIV and hepatitis.
Healthy family fun
Regular family time with parents and
children has many health benefits, such as reduced risk of weight gain and
substance abuse, and higher grades. Try these tips to get more family time.
·
Cook your favorite healthy recipe together. Try
to use a herb or tomato your kids have grown.
·
Keep footballs, skipping ropes, dog leashes and
Frisbees at the door for easy access to instant fitness activities
·
Make a family video. Let the kids choose the
theme, write the script and do the auditions.
·
Leave the telly off and play charades or a board
game. Kids love it when they beat adults!
Healthy
family fun
’Apply Days, Mum!
We love this great total baby app, $5.49 at
iTunes. Track your baby’s feeds, baths and how much they’ve grown.
Symptom sorting – Child coughs
Are you trying to figure out your child’s
cough? Professor Robert Booy, paediatrician from The Children’s Hospital at
West mead, has the answers.
·
Asthma: Dry and
repetitive, often with breathlessness and wheezing, it may get worse at night.
It’s treated with Ventolin and or preventer meds.
·
Whooping cough: A
highly contagious and moist cough (10 to 15 repetitions) followed by a whooping
sound or sucking-in of air. Antibiotics only help to stop transmission to
others, not symptoms.
·
Bronghitis cough:
Can be caused by bacteria or virus. It requires antibiotics only if bacterial
·
Croup: Croup is
common in under-fives and is characterized by a seal-sounding cough (barking
cough). It’s generally not serious but sometimes needs steroids in hospital. No
antibiotics are required.
Top tip:
Never ignore a child’s persistent cough. See your doctor
