Bk 1 Ch.4 Notes

P.24
If you were these children, what would you do?
1. Receive the first aid/ Go to the medical office
2. Consult a doctor

Which advice should you take? Why?
It is best to see a doctor or Chinese medicine practitioner and take the medicine prescribed by them. Taking medicine from previous visits to the doctor or over-the-counter medicine might prolong or worsen the illness.


P.25
What kind of information can be found on a medicine label?
Name of patient, date of prescription, name of doctor, name of medicine, dosage, method of use, special instruction, any possible side effect

Things to pay attention to before and after taking the medicine:
Take the medicine before or after meal/ shake the liquid medicine well before use/  some pills may cause drowsiness so the patient should limit her activity (e.g. do not drive)

Is it safe to take these medicines? What should we do about them?
No, we should discard them.

P.26
What advice would you give these children?
1. Take the medicine with warm water. Taking medicine with soft drink may affect its potency.
2. Be sure to take the medicine at the right time. Missing doses will lessen the potency of the medicine and thus prolong the illness.
3. Do not take other people's medicine. Even if the symptoms appear similar, taking someone else's medicine may undermine one's health.
4. Continue to take the medicine as instructed. Not finishing the full course of medicine may result in the recurrence of the disease.
5. Take the recommended dose. Medicine overdose may lead to poisoning or even death.

Drug abuse can result in drug addiction. What are the harmful effects of drug abuse?
Abusing cough medicine may result in memory loss, reduced breathing rate, brain damage, intoxication and drug induced mental disorders, tooth decay, etc. Many drug abusers underestimate the addictiveness of cough medicine and gradually increase the dosages and thus the risks.

P.27
What should we do if we have adverse side effects after taking the medicine?
1. Tell our parents immediately and take the medicine to see the doctor.
2. Do not overlook any unpleasant side effects of medicine because they may be caused by medicine allergies or dispensing errors.

How do we nurse ourselves back to health when we are ill?
See a doctor, take the medicine  as instructed, keep good airflow indoors, rest more, drink plenty of water and eat healthily.