Soothing those stings

With extra time on our hands, many of us are taking advantage of this period to pursue things we’ve always thought of doing, but from the safety of our homes. The year 2020 turned a lot of people into plantitos and plantitas. It also allowed many aspiring pet parents to finally welcome that adorable puppy or kitten into their homes.

Being doting halamoms or pawrents, however, may come with minor mishaps. It pays to be prepared with easy home remedies for those stings or nips which may come from bugs that lurk around our pets or plants.

Watch out for bees while
you garden

Bee stings

Unless you’re allergic to bees, honeybee stings can easily be dealt with. When stung, carefully remove the stinger as soon as possible with the edge of your fingernail. Wash the sting with soap and water. Apply ice to the sting site to reduce venom absorption and to help the swelling to go down fast.

Beware of fire ants

Fire ant stings

Nobody wants to mess with fire ants. And they make sure you know that. Just thinking about the piercing, burning sensation of their stings makes the skin crawl.

Treat your fire ant stings by washing the affected area with soap and water. Cover it with a bandage if you must. Apply ice to help reduce the pain. You may apply topical treatments such as over-the-counter steroid cream and antihistamines to stop the itch.

Fleabites

Fleabites

Wondering about those tiny, red bumps on your leg which are amusingly arranged in a cluster? Those are fleabites. And though they are usually harmless to humans, they can still be super annoying. Ease the itching with an over-the-counter topical ointment or cream for itches. Fleabites itch like crazy, but do everything in your power to not scratch them.

Medicard’s MACE App

MACE App

Stings and insect bites usually last up to a week. There are, however, some people who develop dangerous, life-threatening allergic reactions to these. If you’re feeling nervous about a sting that won’t heal, best to consult a doctor. Medicard Philippines offers its Medicard Access Express (MACE) App so you can easily contact a medical professional anytime. The free app allows you to seek advice from Medicard’s trusted team of doctors right in the comfort of your home, or schedule a checkup in a clinic or hospital nearest you.

Sources: Healthline.com, Webmd.com, Pexels