Q: While you clean your wounds, inspect them for signs of an infection. Symptoms include redness, swelling, pus coming from the wounds, and a hot sensation around the wounds. You may also have a fever.Call your doctor right away if you spot any signs of an infection. Staying mobile is an important part of recovery. While a full recovery can take 4-6 months, get back to your daily life as soon as possible. Start with small tasks like walking around your home, cooking, and cleaning. Then begin leaving your home and doing some shopping or going for a light walk in the neighborhood. Don't climb on anything until you're fully healed. Speak with your doctor if any activities cause you a lot of pain. If you're still on painkillers, avoid operating cars or other motor vehicles until you're no longer taking them. Make sure you're able to press down both pedals before driving.
A: Contact your doctor if you see signs of an infection. Begin resuming your daily activities after 2 weeks if you can.

Q: Hair relaxers work by treating your hair with an alkaline agent that breaks down the hair follicle to straighten it. This treatment is effective and permanent. The downside is that it can also be pricey, and the chemicals can cause long-term damage to your hair and even your skin. Do research to make sure you go to a good salon to get your hair relaxed. Strong chemicals in the wrong hands can wreak havoc on your hair. Don't get a straightening treatment done on freshly washed hair. Go several days without washing first so your hair has some natural protection from the chemicals. You can also get a texturizing treatment, which is similar to a relaxing treatment but with less severe chemicals and a softer, wavier effect. Keratin treatments last about 6 weeks, after which they wash out. They leave the hair looking straight and sleek, but some treatments contain formaldehyde. If you're worried about using chemicals on your hair and skin, skip this one. In recent years this technique has become more popular. It's a sulfer-based treatment that is said to be less harsh on the hair, with permanent effects. If you're interested in this treatment, be sure to go to an experienced beautician.
A: Get a hair relaxing treatment. Try a keratin treatment. Consider Japanese hair straightening.

Q: Add a teaspoon of sugar or a pinch of salt mixed with baking soda. Crush a multivitamin tablet and add it to the water. Use aspirin. Keep the cut flowers cool and put aspirin in their water. Crush the aspirin in the water before adding the flowers.
A: Try one of the following reader suggestions:

Q: Magnesium helps your body take in the calcium. In addition, it also contributes to building healthy bones. Make sure you are getting enough magnesium in your daily diet to help absorb the calcium supplements you're taking. To increase your magnesium, eat whole grains, vegetables such as summer squash, green beans, broccoli, cucumbers, and spinach, and nuts and seeds. Adult women under 30 need 310 milligrams a day, while women over 30 need 320 milligrams. Men need 400 milligrams before 30 and 420 milligrams after 30. An ounce of almonds has 80 milligrams of magnesium. If your supplement needs are greater than 500 milligrams per day after accounting for the calcium consumed in your diet, split up your supplement. Your body is only able to process up to 500 milligram at a time. Taking more calcium than you need can be dangerous. It increases your chance of having kidney stones and may also contribute to problems with your heart. Preteens and teenagers (ages 9 to 18) need 1,300mg of calcium per day. Vitamin D also contributes to absorbing calcium into your system. Because of this relationship, most milk has added vitamin D to help you take in the calcium. Many dairy products, such as butter, cheese, and milk have vitamin D. Fortified cereals and fish are also good sources of this vitamin. For adults under 70 years of age, 600 international units of vitamin D per day is sufficient. Adults over 70 should consume 800 international units. To get your recommended intake, 3 ounces of swordfish has 566 international units, while a cup of milk has 115 to 124 international units per serving. This type of calcium, which is readily available, is best taken with food. It needs stomach acid to be absorbed properly, and the food activates your stomach acid. Other types of calcium, such as calcium citrate, does not need to be taken with food. This type of calcium is usually more expensive than calcium carbonate. This type is especially good for people who have stomach issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome. The same is true of your multivitamin if your multivitamin contains iron. Your body processes iron and calcium in much the same way, so taking them at the same time interferes with the body's ability to absorb both. The same rule applies to food and beverages consumed with both supplements. Calcium supplements should not be taken with foods high in iron, such as liver or spinach. Iron supplements should not be taken with calcium-rich products like a glass of milk. These acids can bind with calcium and keep it from being absorbed. Many foods high in magnesium are also high in these acids. Therefore, while it's important to eat these foods to get the magnesium you need, you should avoid taking your supplement along with these foods. For instance, spinach, many nuts and seeds, rhubarb, sweet potatoes, beans, and collard greens are all high in phytic and oxalic acids. Whole grains and wheat are also high in these acids, but don't seem to affect calcium absorption as much as other foods in this category. Alcohol can decrease your body's absorption of calcium. On average, don't drink more than one drink a day if you're a woman and two drinks a day if you're a man. "One drink" is the equivalent of 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of liquor.
A:
Increase your magnesium intake. Take multiple smaller doses of calcium. Eat enough vitamin D, or take a supplement that adds it. Take calcium carbonate with food. Separate your iron and calcium supplements by at least 2 hours. Avoid eating foods high in phytic and oxalic acids with your supplement. Don't drink excessively.