Bed Sores: Causes, Prevention and Remedies

Bed Sores

Bed sores are a very common problem faced by many elderly or senior citizens of the world.  However, bedsores are not restricted to the elderly alone and can affect people who are bedridden, in a coma or immobile due to any reason.

Lying in bed or sitting in a wheelchair for a continuous period of time cuts off the blood supply to the skin causing a severe bed sore. Daily pressure on the same part of the skin for minimal time period is good enough to start off this aggravating sore.

Bed sores are very common in people who are hospitalized, in nursing homes or being treated at home. In the initial stages the bed sore is red in color with terrible pain and finally turns purple. If it is not treated properly the sore breaks open to cause infection.

Further complications can take place when bedsores start infecting the bone and other muscle areas. Common areas of infection are hip, spine, lower back, elbows, heels, buttocks and shoulder blades.
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Bedsores can be reversible but for early detection can be essential.  When you detect any initial signs of bedsores, begin treating them right away.

Common reasons for bed sores

Lack of Movement: People who have been bedridden for a prolonged period of time, particularly in unsanitary conditions or with wet or wrinkled bedspreads, are the most likely to develop bed sores. Being in a same position without any movement is the main reasons for bed sores.

• Shearing and Friction: If a bedridden person is pulled or dragged from his or her bed it causes friction and stretches the skin muscles. Blood circulation of the skin gets marred which causes the damage.
  
  Moisture: Skin is very sensitive at this stage. Perspiration, bed-wetting or feces leads to furthermore chances of bed sores. 
  
  Lack of Nutrition: A good diet can help fight against bedsores, whereas a lack of proteins, vitamins and other required nutrients in the body leads to higher susceptibility to bedsores.
  
  Age: The thin skin and decreased body functions of the elderly makes them more susceptible to bedsores and makes bedsores harder to remedy.
  
  Lack of Sensation: An injury which leaves a person without sensation prevents the determination of the degree of the problem and the sense of pressure or chafing to the skin.
  
  Other conditions, including anemia, atrophy (muscle loss or weakness from lack of use), various infections, atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries), diabetes or other health ailments in which the skin becomes more susceptible to infection, decreased sensation or lack of feeling, cardiac problems, incontinence (inability to handle bladder or bowel movements), obesity, poor blood circulation and rectal or anal diseases.

Preventive Measures

• The best way to avoid bed treatments is to avoid bedsores in the first place.
  
  Whenever you have someone on the bed, keep changing their position, keep their bedding hygienic and avoid the bedding becoming wet or damp.

• Examine a bedridden person daily for evidence of bedsores.

• To enhance circulation, provide skin massages if possible.
  
  Always keep the skin dry because moisture is a huge contributor for bed sores.
  
  A rich and healthy diet of vitamins like A, B, C, E and zinc will help guard against bed sores.
  
  Avoid meat and include fiber in your diet.

Helpful Remedies

• One of the best home remedies for bedsores is to mix together powdered comfrey leaves with slippery elm in equal quantity to form a paste. Put this paste on a piece of cloth and cover the affected area overnight.
  
  Another effective bedsores treatment is to apply zinc oxide ointment, aloe vera, wheat germ oil or comfrey (or both) to the affected area.
  
  Wash bed sores two to four times a day or more with a mixture of witch hazel, colloidal silver, and myrrh/turmeric root/goldenseal. This is one of successful bedsores remedy.
  
  Note: Adding colloidal silver and tea tree oil to any of the above remedies will make them all the more effective.
  
  Disinfect the area with sprinkling goldenseal or echinacea powder and then covering with cotton.
  
  Use pure cane sugar and/or honey. First, clean and disinfect the wound first, then fill with sugar, and cover the wound completely with gauze and tape to hold the sugar in and keep anything else out. Sugar feeds the tissue and bacteria cannot grow in the presence of sugar. The wound must be disinfected every day and sugar replaced in the cavity. In the event the bedsore is small or minor then honey may be used to cover the bed sore with a cloth bandage on top. If a bed sore is deep, then the regular cane sugar or a combination of sugar and honey should be used.
  
  Apply vitamin E oil all over the body to help heal bed sores and prevent bed sores from forming.