Had a family come in to the ER last night. Their little boy (~3yo) got ahold of the pot of boiling water on the stove. Clear 2nd degree burns to (I'd say) at least 30% of the inside of his arm. Little guy had dark skin, but the burn basically sloughed down to reveal bright pink flesh.
The family put sugar (!) on the burn at home. When they brought him in, the RN had to clean the wound and basically the sugar just debrided the fresh burn even more. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out the logic behind putting sugar on a burn I even Googled it and the only thing I can tell is people sometimes put it on a burned tongue. Then I was thinking that sugar on a burn probably makes an awesome growth medium for bacteria. I told the family very firmly that they must leave the dressing intact until the burn unit followed up with them - all I could imagine was them taking the dressing off and putting some other mystery substance on it. Then they refused 1/2 the kid's pain meds, but I digress.
Have you guys heard of this, or other wonky "home remedies" that you've seen come through the doors?
When ds was a baby, he got what we thought was pinkeye (it was really a clogged tear duct but I didn't know it at the time). Apparently in rural Latin America (where my husband is from), a squirt of breastmilk in the affected eye is used to clear that up. It was quite the sight, me trying to aim at my baby's eye that wasn't really keen on being messed with.
breast milk is full of antibodies that are catered to your baby. my pediatrician recommended this, works like a charm!
did you know that when a mother nuzzles her baby, she ingests the bacteria present on the baby's skin, makes antibodies against those microbes that are then excreted in her breastmilk, thus protecting the baby form the microbes that are making their way into it's body? the human body is amazing.
I had a patient a few years ago who was a school bus driver. His A1C was 19.0. I asked him what he was doing about his diabetes and he replied " I treat it with cinnamon".
and this guy was talking to you ? I have tried the cinnamon myself BUT the bad thing is its a blood thiner as well and and as soon as you eat it it turns your blood to water !
breast milk is full of antibodies that are catered to your baby. my pediatrician recommended this, works like a charm!
did you know that when a mother nuzzles her baby, she ingests the bacteria present on the baby's skin, makes antibodies against those microbes that are then excreted in her breastmilk, thus protecting the baby form the microbes that are making their way into it's body? the human body is amazing.
Oh, I know about the antibodies....I'm very pro-breastfeeding and am a mother/baby nurse. :) It just was funny trying to get my aim right. If I had to go back and do it over I'd probably hand express some and draw it up into a syringe. Would be a bit easier that way, but in my sleep-deprived new-mommy state it never occurred to me. Woot for breastmilk!
Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.
My mother-in-law was a believer in kerosene's properties for helping with chest colds--she'd make a kerosene compress for her chest. She also made a hot toddy using kerosene, honey, lemon juice. Swore by it....not much different that Creomulsion cough syrup (made from a derivatie of creosote, I think). Anyway, sure am glad no one in her family smoked :)
I will always use lavender oil on burns. Growing up my grandma who is 90 had this 'burn salve' she brought from england when she emmigrated over 60 years ago and we would always use that. I once placed my hand on a burner that had been used to boil water and instantly had bubbled blisters in the shape of rings on my palm. The burn salve was applied and I was taken to the doctor who told us not to put anything on it but he couldn't remove the salve and just applied a dry dressing over it. Went back a couple days later and everything healed without scars. So although I don't know what was in it it must have worked.
I was just talking to one of our older nurses who said they used to use maalox mixed with sugar or honey on wounds. She said that this really worked. Of course, raw honey is being found to work very well on wounds. I think I almost have my boss convinced we ought to buy a jar, since it is much cheaper than manufactured honey dressings. The sugar actually inhibits bacterial growth and draws out infection.
Also, we use vick's vaporub on our pt's with gross crusty nails. Vaporub every day, and in a few weeks the old gross nails pop off, and nice new pretty nails are underneath.
I used to work as a telephone triage nurse for a group of pediatricians and i couldn't believe some of the things I heard. One mom called me to find out to get her toddler to stop vomiting--cuz she had already tried giving him pizza crusts and mangos and THAT didn't work. Oy~ Or the mom who called because her 5mo old baby was "burning up" and she had tied a half an onion to his wrist, but it wasn't working! And of course, i heard all the usual--giving Red Rock Gingerale to make "chicken pops" pop out.
Years ago I saw a little boy in the ER, about 2 yrs old. He had asthma so we gave him a neb treatment and sent him & grandma home with Albuteral and the neb equipment. Sure enough, 4wks later we saw him again, lungs all locked down with asthma. I asked his grandma if they were using the breathing treatments when his coughing got bad. Oh, no! she said. That stuff is poison. I just make him smell a goat every day.
I even Googled it and the only thing I can tell is people sometimes put it on a burned tongue. Then I was thinking that sugar on a burn probably makes an awesome growth medium for bacteria. I told the family very firmly that they must leave the dressing intact until the burn unit followed up with them - all I could imagine was them taking the dressing off and putting some other mystery substance on it. Then they refused 1/2 the kid's pain meds, but I digress.
fromtheseaRN, BSN, RN
464 Posts
breast milk is full of antibodies that are catered to your baby. my pediatrician recommended this, works like a charm!
did you know that when a mother nuzzles her baby, she ingests the bacteria present on the baby's skin, makes antibodies against those microbes that are then excreted in her breastmilk, thus protecting the baby form the microbes that are making their way into it's body? the human body is amazing.