When does your Cut, Blister, Burn or Puncture become a dangerous wound?

What is a wound?
Any break in your body's protective covering—your skin—is a wound.

• cut splinter blister incision
• puncture scratch pressure sore scrape
• bruise ulcer burn

And if, after eight weeks, it hasn't healed or it's gotten worse, your wound needs help.

What's the danger?
For people with totally livable conditions such as heart murmurs, mitral valve prolapse or diabetes, a wound can be a life-threatening occurrence because that skin break is an open door to bacteria. Bacteria causes infections. Infections can spread.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Pure 100% oxygen, at high pressure, is pumped into a clear chamber where you lie down and breathe. (You could also watch TV, listen to music or nap.) That's it. And this oxygen therapy promotes the formation of new, small blood vessels and helps wounds heal.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is also used for:

• radiation tissue damage—including osteoradionecrosis
• preparation for tooth extraction or surgery in areas previously treated with radiation therapy
• osteomyelitis
• carbon monoxide poisoning
• air or gas embolism from diving, indwelling catheters or laparoscopy
• decompression sickness
• clostridial myonecrosis (gas gangrene)
• necrotizing soft disuse infections (subcutaneous tissue, muscle, fascia)
• compromised skin grafts and flaps after surgery
• crush injury, compartment syndrome and other acute traumatic ischemias
• exceptional blood loss (anemia)
• intracranial abscess

Sleep
Your body does most of its healing while you sleep. The average adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you get a short night, your body doesn't register a positive impact catching up the next night.

Nutrition
Your body is its own best healer. You may want to bump up its resources while it tries to heal. Ask a nutritionist about the benefits of vitamins C, B and E; calcium and zinc; and the importance of a diet high in protein. Amino acids in protein help build muscles, skin, hormones and your immune system. But you can't get enough from the foods you eat when dealing with stubborn wounds. And meat and dairy have too much fat. So talk with your physician about soy protein.

It can be a good alternative.
While antibiotics may be necessary to fight an infection, they can also rob your colon of good bacteria that cleans your system. It's worth investigating the benefits of eating yogurt, or taking acidophilus or a probiotic during your course of antibiotic treatment.

Speak with a nutritionist about which foods to combine in the same meal to give your body the most vitamin C, B and E; and calcium and zinc. Also, what supplemental vitamins, herbs or teas might help out; Antioxidants can be found in lots of delicious foods such as blueberries.

Step Safely
Most slow-healing wounds occur in lower extremities, so it's important to practice daily foot care, especially if you're diabetic.

• Check your feet daily for abrasions or athletes foot.
• Wear custom-fitted shoes with socks. Shoes that are too big or too small can cause friction and create blisters.
• Trim your toenails; maintain proper foot hygiene.
• Never walk barefoot, especially outside.
• If a cut or sore does occur, wash it with soap and water before applying a topical antibacterial medication like Neosporin®. Protect your wound with the right size bandage and keep it dry.