If someone has accidentally or deliberately taken too much of a medication or an illicit drug, get expert advice immediately. Phone a poison control center, physician, or hospital emergency room, give what facts you can (kind and amount of drug, approximate time of taking, age and condition of patient), and follow instructions to the letter. Save the container with any remaining contents. Until medical help arrives, apply these emergency measures. Overdose by swallowing If the victim is not breathing or has no pulse and has swallowed a drug, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

An ear ache is usually the sign of infection. If anyone has severe ear pain or sudden loss of hearing, get prompt medical care; delay can lead to permanent ear damage.

Pain in the outer ear may result from boils in the ear canal or from “swimmer’s ear.” The latter infection is frequent in summer; treat it with Burow’s solution or an equivalent applied four times daily. Take aspirin or another analgesic to relieve pain. See your doctor if the pain worsens or persists more than 2 days. To prevent swimmer’s ear, wear a bathing cap or Earp lugs when swimming.

Middle-ear infection, common in childhood and often following a respiratory illness, is mainly characterized by partial hearing loss and a feeling of stuffiness in the affected ear. There is no home remedy; immediate medical care is required.

Eczema is a skin condition with a variety of causes. One type is called atopic dermatitis; it often runs in families with a history of hay fever or asthma. In the very young it may occur as an allergy to certain foods. Usually in any eczema, the skin is inflamed, itching, and scaly-often in patches. In a child the eczema typically appears in front of the elbows and behind the knees; in an adult, on the hands.

Another type, irritant contact dermatitis, is caused by frequent contact with irritating substances. These can be solvents, soaps, detergents, chemicals. Wear rubber gloves when washing dishes or using household cleaners. Wash your hands and bathe with a nonallergenic soap. For either of the above types, a nonprescription hydrocortisone cream, applied four times daily, may relieve symptoms.

Any physical exertion is exercise. At any age everyone benefits from exercise, yet it need not be strenuous. Exercise should be done slowly, at a pace that is comfortable for you. The benefits accrue from repeating the routine at least three to five times a week for a period of 20 to 30 minutes each time.

The stretch-and-flex exercises that follow will improve flexibility. To get their benefit, stretch until you feel mild tension; then hold at that point. Push-ups, sit-ups, and leg raises are for increasing muscle strength.

Head rolls. Turn head to left, back to center, then to right, center. With chin on chest, slowly turn head left, back to center, then right, center.

Shoulder shrugs

A slight tweezing can improve eyebrow shape, as long as you retain their natural look. Keep the eyebrows in proportion to your face by tweezing stray hairs that grow between your brows and below them and that extend too far beyond the outer comer of the eye. Do not tweeze the brow top; this will destroy the natural line.

Just before tweezing, press a warm, wet washcloth over your brow. Heat will make the hair roots a little easier to extract. Pluck hairs one at a time, pulling in the direction that the hairs grow. Refresh the area afterward with a cotton pad soaked in astringent.

Brush your brows daily, using an eyebrow brush or an old, soft toothbrush. A touch of petroleum jelly will add gloss and keep them in shape.

Cup a hand over an injured eye, try not to blink, and let your tears flow freely. Tears form a protective film, whereas rubbing may cause a foreign object to cut the eye or a liquid irritant to spread further.

If a foreign object can’t be removed, or if the eye still hurts after the object is out, the eyeball may have been cut. Close the eye, and cover it with a pad of cotton wool, gauze, or a folded handkerchief extending from the forehead to the cheek. Tape the pad in place to keep eye movement to a minimum until you get to a doctor.

A blow that causes a black eye can also injure the eye itself, causing internal bleeding leading to infection. Cover the eye with a cold compress, then have a doctor examine it.