The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 70, No. 4 - January 28, 2021
Cookies Bring So Many Smiles Across the Hospital
Showing their support to our Healthcare Heroes, Cookies for Caregivers Los Angeles baked up a storm of love and appreciation for the brave. It really makes a difference to know that the community supports our healthcare team, especially during this time. Photo courtesy
Centinela Hospital Medical Center.
6 Top Medicine Safety Reminders For Your Home
(BPT) - With families spending more time
than ever working, playing and studying
at home, it’s a good time to review best
safety practices when it comes to using and
storing medicines. This is especially true
during the cold and flu season - while the
nation is also in the midst of the COVID-19
pandemic - when many families may have
more over-the-counter (OTC) medicines in
the home than usual.
It’s smart to keep your family safe from
harm with these helpful easy-to-follow steps.
1. Read and follow Drug Facts labels. Don’t
take more than the recommended amount of
medications, as dosage directions are created
specifically to keep you and your family safe.
2. Don’t combine medications. Some medicines
may duplicate active ingredients you’re
already taking. For example, cold medicines
may also contain pain relievers and/or fever
reducers, so if you’re already taking a pain
reliever, adding a cold medicine could mean
doubling your intake of an active ingredient,
which could be harmful. Double check
medication labels for the active ingredients
and only take one at a time. When in doubt,
contact your healthcare professional for advice.
3. Store medications up, away and out of
sight from the reach of children. Make sure
to buy only child-resistant containers, but
remember - “child-resistant” does not mean
“childproof.” Keeping them out of reach is
also crucial for safety. Put them up and away,
out of sight and out of reach, after every use.
4. Store other items safely. Any potentially
toxic substances your kids could get
into should also be kept well out of reach,
including, but not limited to: hand sanitizer,
vitamins, diaper rash cream and eye drops.
5. Keep medications in a cool, dry place.
The bathroom medicine cabinet is actually
not ideal for storing medicines, as heat and
humidity can affect them.
6. Consult your healthcare professional if
you or a family member feels ill. You can get
advice on what kinds of OTC medicines (if
any) are appropriate for the symptoms you
or your family member are experiencing, and
specific dosage recommendations.
If someone has a fever
It can be upsetting when someone has a
fever, especially your child. A fever is actually
the body’s natural defense against bacterial
or viral infections. A person’s normal body
temperature is approximately 98.6 degrees
F, but it may fluctuate depending on different
factors.
If you or a family member has an elevated
temperature, it may signal the presence of a
bacterial or viral infection. A fever is also
one of the common symptoms of COVID-19,
amongst many other conditions. If you are
concerned about a fever, it’s best to contact
your healthcare professional.
Your healthcare professional may recommend
an OTC pain reliever/fever reducer to
help you feel better, no matter what the cause.
Common OTC pain relievers that can reduce
fever and achiness include acetaminophen (the
active ingredient in Tylenol) and nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like
ibuprofen (the active ingredient in Advil or
Motrin IB). These medications are safe and
effective when used as directed. Always read
Drug Facts labels carefully and follow their
directions for dosage and timing.
For a fever, it also helps to:
• Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration
and help lower body temperature
• Rest as much as possible, so your body
can help fight off the infection
• Eat light foods that are easy to digest, like
crackers and soup
• Use a cool compress or damp washcloth on
your forehead to help lower your temperature
A body temperature at or above 104 degrees
F requires immediate care, so contact your
healthcare professional right away, or call an
urgent care or emergency provider if your
regular healthcare professional is unavailable.
Be prepared for an emergency
Make sure you and any caregivers (including
older children or babysitters) know how
to contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222
for free, confidential, expert medical and
safety advice, 24/7. Program the number into
phones and post it visibly at home.
To learn more about medicine safety, visit
GetReliefResponsibly.com/covid-19-medicine
safety. •
Seniors
Huber’s Hiccups from page 3
even better news that God, out of love, has
done something about our sinful, human
condition. The good news is that, while “the
wages of sin is death, …the gracious gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Romans 6:23).
Blame Game
During these hectic times, it’s so easy to
blame our governor for the lack of vaccines,
our president, our past president, congress, our
city leaders, our neighbors who don’t ware
masks, big tech, our social media friends, the
football coach who made the wrong decision,
the football ref who blew several calls, our
spouses for “anything and everything even
when we know it was our fault”, our kids
for never going to “in person” school, and
maybe even our dogs. Of course we are never
the cause of any of our misfortune. We can’t
see the log in our eye but can see clearly the
speck in our neighbor’s eye. Everyone has his
or her faults. Why not accept one another?
Can we look past our spouse’s shortcomings
and admit maybe, just maybe, we aren’t
perfect. My dear, loyal readers, life is short.
Let’s have a cold one and accept others for
whom they are, showing them respect and
loving them as God loves us.
– If we see eye to eye on this, shoot me
an email: norbhuber@gmail.com