Halton Hills Newspapers

Georgetown Herald (Georgetown, ON), November 15, 1989, p. 30

The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Page 30 THE HERALD Wednesday November 15 1989 How to identify tampering Cortisone cream treats skin allergy POLLYS POINTERS By Polly Fisher DEAR READERS News stories about overthecounter medications that bave been tampered with result ing in accidental poisoning of unsus pecting consumers are always scary chances that any one package you buy bas been tampered with are ex tremely small but it is still wise check all packaging carefully Here are the things to check when buying medications Obviously many of these also apply to food packages If any of these signs are present return the package to your retailer Packages Are there bits of paper or glue on the rim of tbe container indicating that it once had a bottle seal Are there breaks cracks or holes the outer wrapping or in tbe protec tive cover or seal Does the outer covering appear to have been disturbed unwrapped or replaced Does a plastic or other shrink band around the top of a bottle appear distorted or stretched as though it had been rolled down and then put back into place Is seal missing Has the band been slit and retaped Is the an unsealed contain er loose Liquids Are there particles in the bottom of the bottle or floating in the solution Is the liquid cloudy although it normally is clear Does ft bave a strange or different odor for example like bleach acid gasoline or another pungent sharp smell Is there any sign of a broken or removed seal Tablets Has their appearance changed For example is the color different Do they have unusual spots Do the tablets have a strange or different odor or taste Do the tablets differ in size or thickness If imprinted is the imprint miss ing from some tablets or is it different in some Capsules Are they cracked or dented Do they have their normal shiny appearance or are some dull and show signs that they been handled If sealed is the seal intact If imprinted is the imprint miss ing from some Are any of a different size or color Do the capsule contents appear to be of differing amounts Are the capsules of different lengths Do they an unexpected or unusual odor Tubes and jars ointments creams pastes etc Check the bottom as well as the top of a lube especially if it is a metal tube crimped up from the bot tom like a toothpaste tube Are there any breaks or holes Are ointments or creams gritty Have they separated Naturally you cannot be suspicious of every product you buy I dont want you to see dragons lurking around every corner But a common- sense awareness of the signs of tam pering will let you judge at a glance if a package or medication has been tampered with noting any irregular ity should lead you a closer inspec tion of the item Again if any package shows signs of having been tampered with in any way return it to your re tailer POLLY Foster parenting is rewarding Continued from Page 13 training session put on by the CAS They met other foster parents took part in role playing in which they had the opportunity to put themselves in the place of a foster child and were also told of the horror stories The training session was very good The CAS didnt try to paint a rosy picture said Mr For the most part the toninis havent experienced any real trouble as foster parents The only trouble they did en counter was from one of their foster children who was the same age as their twin daughter It was awkward because the three saw each other hours a day something that would be hard for anybody Ms Antonini said And especially since at that age when kids are competitive and tend to hang out in cliques Mr Antonini added For this reason the Antoninis have decided to be foster parents for children younger than their own They wouldnt have teenagers because they have no experiences with them they said Ms Antonini said when there have been problems their CAS social worker has always been ready to help He has come to our house on several occasions to talk to us as a group about how problems can be solved It has been really helpful she said The key to success says Mr is to tackle problems immediately If you let them build up theyll get out of hand THEl Arthritis News rllirilis HI J DR GOTT By Peter Gott MD DEAR DR GOTT In September a tube of Diprosone cream 005 percent cost My prescription was renewed this week for This is the best medication Ive found for sealing cuts so I shouldnt com plain But it gives an example of the horrendous increase in drug costs Is there a at a more reasonable cost DEAR READER Cortisone reams of which Diprosone is a par ticularly good brand are available in less expensive nonprescription ge neric forms Ask your pharmacist to recommend one You should never use cortisone creams to treat cuts The medicine re tards healing and encourages infec tion Cortisone is appropriately used for allergic skin reactions such as contact dermatitis or for skin disor ders such as eczema Its best to treat cuts scrapes and abrasions with gentle washing Then leave the area uncov ered to permit rapid healing Use a sterile dressing only if there is bleed ing or if there is risk the lesion may become dirty or continually injured DEAR DR GOTT Can you tell me where I can obtain a list of glutenfree foods Im at a loss at what to serve my new daughterinlaw who has a wheat- flour allergy DEAR READER Read labels Those foods made with wheat flour which normally contains gluten are best avoided Many specialty shops and supermarkets carry glutenfree foods the store manager can direct you to the appropriate display Also you may be able to find cookbooks for glutensensitive patients these publi cations give helpful tips on how to prepare nutritious glutenfree meals Check with your local library or bookstore In general glutensensitive pa tients can safely eat other starches such as potatoes rice and com Rice flour is a palatable substitute for wheat flour DEAR DR GOTT My dermatolo gist tells me I should have a mole re moved from my leg Its about inch in diameter and Ive had it all my life Should I mess with it if its not giving me any problems DEAR READER As a general rule people do not have to part with moles that have been present since child hood unless the moles darken bleed or change in configuration However your case I believe you should fol low your dermatologists advice be cause as a specialist he or she knows which skin lesions look benign and which are questionable For example moles called dysplastic may ap pear harmless to the untrained eye yet they could herald the develop ment of a future malignancy Removal of a small mole from your leg is a simple office procedure that is relatively painless and free of compli cations If your dermatologist urges removal do it the peace of mind is well worth the expense and slight inconvenience DID YOU KNOW The Halton Hills Herald is distributed to over 14000 homes in Georgetown Acton and surrounding areas When it comes to Halton Hills weve got it covered Our weekly service checks ensure that your newspaper is delivered properly and on time THE HERALD Home Newspaper of Halton Hills Established 1866 HOURS Monday to Friday 830500 pm flFAM Monday 300 tor Wed Publication to Wednesday Retail 8772201 Classllled 8778822

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