The prevention of bee stings can be achieved by teaching the child to:
a. Avoid food that is discarded in outside garbage cans.
b. Avoid gardens (because flowers attract bees and vines conceal their nests).
c. Avoid clothes with bright, flowery prints, for they, too, attract bees.
d. Wear shoes when outdoors.
e. Take vitamin Bl during the summer (it gives an odor to the body which bees avoid).
Children who are known to be allergic to bees should be desensitized with a mixture of bee, wasp, hornet, and yellow jacket antigens
Other insects such as the ant, mosquito, bedbug, flea, spider, tick, mite, and scorpion may cause allergic reactions. They can be avoided with house screens, or discouraged with repellents. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D.C., is ready to give advice on the eradication of any one of these insects.
The eradication of bee hives from an area has to be done by a professional exterminator who should inspect the premises at weekly intervals during the spring and summer to detect budding hives. Wasps build hives in almost any protected place, and their nests can be destroyed by hosing them or knocking them down with a stick or broom handle. Spraying tie area with an insecticide discourages them from rebuilding in the same place. Yellow jackets build hives in the ground and emerge through a small hole which should be marked, it dust (after all the insects have returned for tie night), gasoline, which need not be lighted, should be poured down the hole. Hornets build nests in the branches of tall shrubs or trees.
Allergic children going to camp should carry an emergency kit containing 10 mg. Isuprel tablets, an adrenalin aerosol (for inhalation), a tourniquet, a pair of tweezers (for the removal of the stinger and venom sac), and an antiseptic towel.
The child should be taught to immediately remove the bee stinger and its sac with the tweezers (particularly in a sting by a honey bee, instant removal of the stinger and sac may help prevent the poison from being absorbed into the blood); to suck one tablet of Isuprel under the tongue; to use the adrenalin inhaler if there is difficulty in breathing; to apply a tourniquet on the arm above the sting site; to clean the sting site with an antiseptic towel; to apply a cold pack to the sting area; to take an antihistamine by mouth; and to contact the nearest doctor or hospital as soon as possible.
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One important dietary component, that can have a powerful effect on both mind and body, is caffeine. This drug is found in coffee and tea, and, in lesser amounts, in chocolate, Coca-cola, Pepsi-cola and other cola drinks. Some experts advise a maximum dose of 350-500 mg per day, but according to others, a dose of 250 mg a day is potentially toxic. Two to six cups of coffee (depending on its strength), three to seven cups of tea, or seven cans of cola supply this amount. Children are more susceptible to caffeine than adults and should probably not drink more than one or two colas a day. Some individuals are far more sensitive than others and should not consume caffeine at all.
Taking excess caffeine can produce anxiety, mood swings, tremors, insomnia, abnormal heart rhythms (palpitations), sweating and weight loss. Hyperventilation sometimes accompanies these symptoms, producing breathlessness, chest pains, tingling in the toes and fingers, dizziness and fainting. Some patients who drink too much caffeine show none of these symptoms, but vomit violently instead – this is particularly common with tea drinkers. Abdominal pain and diarrhoea can also be produced by too much caffeine, and in children it can produce hyperactive behaviour.
Those who drink large amounts of coffee during work hours may suffer from caffeine withdrawal at weekends, or if they miss their morning cup of coffee. They may be irritable, lethargic, depressed, drowsy or nervous. Nausea, sneezing and a runny or congested nose are other possible symptoms, and a headache may follow. Some cases of ‘weekend migraine’ may be due to caffeine withdrawal.
Another symptom that has been attributed to excess caffeine is the restless legs syndrome. Extreme discomfort in the legs, and sometimes the arms, leads sufferers to constantly move their legs around in bed, resulting in insomnia for themselves and anyone unfortunate enough to have to share a bed with them. Although not all doctors would agree that restless legs are attributable to caffeine, anyone suffering this condition should try avoiding caffeine for a while to see if it makes any difference. The amount of caffeine should be reduced gradually, over a period of two to three weeks, to minimize withdrawal reactions. Remember that some painkillers contain caffeine (eg Ana-din) and cut these out as well.
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