Physicians to answer questions about cancer
State residents with questions about breast and lung cancer canhave them answered during two interactive video seminars throughoutWest Virginia next month.
The seminars will be offered at the Betty Puskar Breast CareCenter in Morgantown and can be seen on Mountaineer DoctorTelevisionin Charleston, Elkins and Buckhannon. Participants at all sites canask questions.Dr. Eric Westin, medical director of WVU's Mary Babb RandolphCancer Center, will speak on breast cancer March 3 from 6 to 7:30p.m.Three physicians with the cancer center will speak on lung cancerMarch 10 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Both sessions can be seen in Room 2015of the Byrd Health Sciences Center in Charleston.The seminars are free, but participants must register in advance.To register or to get information about the seminars, call LauraHilling at (304) 293-3196.Learn to treat injuries while away from homeIf you sprain your ankle at home, it's usually no big deal. Justdo the RICE thing - rest, ice, compression and elevation - andyou'llprobably be OK, according to doctors.But if you injure yourself during a road or camping trip, youcould find yourself in trouble. Any injury - even a seemingly minorcut, scrape or burn - can turn into a major bummer.So, here are some suggestions from first-aid experts on ways totreat the most common injuries when you're away from home.- Sprains. Apply an instant ice pack, a product that turns coldwhen you squeeze its contents together. During winter, you can makeyour own ice pack by filling a plastic bag with snow.- Diarrhea. A packet of Immodium can save you many a dash intothe woods. Better yet, prevent digestive upsets by exercising goodhygiene and purifying drinking water.- Lacerations. To stop bleeding, apply direct pressure with aclean, absorbent material or your bare hands. After that, apply awide, elastic pressure bandage.- Minor cuts, scratches. To disinfect them, use an alcohol swab,baby wipe or antibiotic soap or lotion. In a pinch, wash the woundby filling a plastic bag with filtered water and poking a hole inthebottom. To seal a cut, fill it with a bead of Super Glue.A well-stocked first-aid kit a mustAssembling a first-aid kit is one of those annoying tasks thatmost people would rather blow off.Who wants to ponder one of life's most unpleasant realities -injury - when there are restaurants to visit, compact discs to buyand vacations to enjoy?Still, a well-stocked first-aid kit is one of life's essentials.Whether you're at home, on the road or in the wilderness, there arecertain items you cannot afford to be without.Gauze bandages, for instance.If you suffer a deep cut and have nothing better to staunch thebleeding than an old Kleenex, you could end up pondering another oflife's most unpleasant realities: death.'Too many people are lax about this,' says Todd Rowader, directorof Colorado Springs Memorial Hospital's HealthLink, which offerscourses in first aid. 'I've come across too many people who were notprepared for an emergency or the elements and they've sufferedbecause of it.'Being prepared is especially important during the winter, whennear-balmy weather suddenly can change into a raging blizzard.'You never know when you're going to get stuck in your car,'Rowader says.For $18-$25, you can buy a prepackaged first-aid kit containingsuch basics as bandages, antibiotic ointment and over-the-counterpainkillers. But some first-aid experts prefer to assemble their ownkits.'Some of the stuff you get in commercial kits is nice to have, butit's not really necessary,' says Jeff Force, an emergency-medicineinstructor for Centura Health Penrose-St. Francis Health Services.Compiled from staff, wire reports
