A weekly round-up of news affecting your health
REMOVE, COOL, COVER
Australians are at an increased risk of suffering minor burns at home during winter, so June's a good time to brush up on first aid knowledge.
Don't reach for the ice, butter, cucumber or toothpaste.
Instead, remember to Remove, Cool, Cover, says the founder of the Julian Burton Burns Trust at the start of the inaugural National Burns Awareness Month,
"Remove yourself from danger and remove any clothing or jewellery around the affected burn area," Mr Burton said, who suffered life-threatening burn injuries in the 2002 Bali Bombings.
"Cool the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes and then cover with a hydrogel, such as Burnaid gel, to help relieve the pain and then cover with a clean dressing."
If no running water is available, immerse the burn in water or wet towels.
Almost 90 per cent of minor burns occur in the home, with more than half due to hot surfaces particularly metal in the oven.
IF IN DOUBT, SIT THEM OUT
New advice that children with a suspected concussion should be kept off the sporting field for at least two weeks has been welcomed by St John Ambulance Australia.
Chief executive Robert Hunt is also calling for first aid to be mandatory in the Australian curriculum for primary school students.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) released a joint recommendation on concussions in sport highlighting the need for precautions to be taken, particularly when it comes to children.
"Concussion is potentially dangerous for any person, and the risk is exacerbated for people under the age of 18 years, whose brains are still developing," said Mr Hunt.
"While the majority of concussions do not need emergency medical intervention, there is always the possibility of serious brain injury."
No head injury should be disregarded or taken lightly.
POT IS BAD NEWS FOR GUMS
New Zealanders who smoked marijuana for up to 20 years have more gum disease than non-users, according to a new study.
But they otherwise didn't show worse physical health than non-smokers.
The findings, published in JAMA Psychiatry, related to a long-term study of almost 1000 Kiwis from birth to age 38.
Tobacco users in the study were found to have gum disease as well as reduced lung function, systemic inflammation and indicators of poorer metabolic health.
"We can see the physical health effects of tobacco smoking in this study, but we don't see similar effects for cannabis smoking," said researcher Assistant Professor Madeline Meier from Arizona State University.
Despite the findings showing no difference from non-users on any of the physical health measures apart from gum disease, she said people shouldn't think "Hey, marijuana can't hurt me".
"Other studies on this same sample of New Zealanders have shown that marijuana use is associated with increased risk of psychotic illness, IQ decline and downward socioeconomic mobility."
KNOW YOUR KIDS' WEIGHT
Most parents of overweight children underestimate their child's weight, says a new study.
The Netherlands research, presented at the European Obesity Summit in Sweden, found that for children who are overweight or obese, 82 per cent of parents underestimated their weight.
Parents from families with more than 50 per cent overweight members, including parents and siblings, underestimated their overweight and obese children more.
Being overweight in childhood is a risk factor for diseases in adulthood, say the researchers.
They stressed that to prevent and treat children who are overweight, it is important that parents recognise the weight status of their children.
Share
