medical self care

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POISON PREVENTION AND TREATMENT AT HOME

In 1976, Tom Ferguson—then a fourth-year medical student at Yale—launched a magazine called Medical Self-Care... which—he hoped—would serve as "a Whole Earth Catalog of the best medical books, tools, and resources".

Tom spoke of his plans for the publication—and of his conviction that self-care could raise the general level of health in this country and lower our inflated levels of medical spending—in the Plowboy Interview in MOTHER NO. 51 ... and left no doubt that he would work toward making those "dreams" come true.

Well, Tom Ferguson is Doctor Ferguson now, and the medical self-care "movement"—as well as Tom's magazine—has flourished. People are beginning to assume more responsibility for their own well-being and are eager for information that will help them take better care of their bodies.

So—in an effort to provide just such very necessary data—THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS offers as a regular feature a piece by Tom Ferguson, M.D., entitled (what else?) "Medical Self. Care".

A substantial proportion of all accidents involving children also involve poisons. But—according to the National Poison Control Network—85% of all poisonings can be effectively treated at home ... if the adults who are present just remain calm and understand a few simple procedures.

First, it must be noted that by "poisons" I really mean suspected poisons . Adults often jump to the conclusion that children have been poisoned if the youngsters are seen eating anything other than recognizable food. The typical response—in such a case—is to rush the child to an emergency room, where health workers will usually induce vomiting. However, the suspect substance sometimes turns out to be harmless ... and the fee for treatment becomes part of the estimated $30 million spent each year on unnecessary emergency room visits. On the other hand, though, adults sometimes don't become concerned when tots chew on painted toys, houseplants, or newspapers. Yet some seemingly harmless items can do serious damage!