INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Cleaning and dressing the wound is an important first step, but this should be done by a trained healthcare professional. They will clean any debris or dead tissue from your wound and apply a clean non-stick bandage. It’s very important to visit your healthcare provider or a vascular specialist right away for treatment if you notice you have an ulcer on your leg. The first sign of a venous ulcer is skin that turns dark red or purple over the area where the blood is leaking out of the vein. The skin may also become itchy, thick and dry. Leg ulcers should heal in about 3-4 months with proper care. In the meantime, your dressing should be cleaned once a week. Often, this requires professional care. Some people can learn to do this at home with proper training, so ask your healthcare provider to show you exactly how to change and reapply your dressing, and whether that's something you can attempt on your own. If you do not feel comfortable changing your own dressing, that’s okay! Ask your doctor if you qualify for a home-care nurse to come by and help you once a week. You can also visit a wound care clinic weekly. Your doctor or nurse will give you a compression device to wear over your dressing. This improves circulation to your leg, and is probably the most important step in healing your ulcer. Wear this exactly as your healthcare provider directs you to, and do not remove it without permission – it should only be applied and removed by a healthcare provider. Usually, you will wear your bandage continually until your wound heals, and your nurse will help you change it once a week when you change your dressing.  The compression bandage may feel painful at first. This will improve in about 10-12 days. Ask your doctor for a pain medicine like paracetamol, or ask how best to manage the discomfort. Call your nurse if you have any problems with your compression bandage. Don’t try to take it off yourself. There are several different kinds of compression bandages, and none are proven to be better than the others. It’s normal for your bandage to feel tight at night – getting up and taking a short walk may help. However, contact your nurse or doctor right away if you experience any of the following problems:  Severe pain in the front of your ankle Severe pain on the bottom of your foot Swelling in your toes that turns your toes blue Some people benefit from taking the medicine pentoxifylline (Trental) three times a day in addition to using a compression bandage. This medicine improves blood flow in your veins and arteries. Pentoxifylline can make you feel dizzy or sleepy, so know how it affects you before driving. Talk to your doctor about your other medications and health conditions to find out if this medication is right for you. Tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, take any blood thinners, are pregnant or want to get pregnant, have an upcoming surgery, or are allergic to caffeine. Talk to your doctor about whether taking aspirin may help your condition. You may take 300mg of aspirin daily, which is safe for most people. This may speed up your healing time if you also use your compression bandage. Most ulcers heal with proper treatment. However, if your treated ulcer does not heal after six months, you may need a surgical procedure. Discuss these options with your doctor:  Surgical “debridement” is scraping away dead tissue in the ulcer, which can help promote healing. Skin grafting can improve healing of really large ulcers, and involves covering the ulcer with skin from your own body, from someone else, or with artificial skin. This won’t help if you have a lot of swelling, though. Other surgeries are on the veins themselves, to improve blood flow. Leg ulcers can sometimes become infected by bacteria. If you notice any signs of infection, see your primary doctor or a vascular specialist immediately for treatment and assistance. Signs of an infection include:  Worsening pain Green or unpleasant, possibly foul-smelling discharge from the ulcer site Red, swollen skin around the ulcer High body temperature

SUMMARY: Visit your doctor or a wound clinic. Learn how to change your dressing. Wear a compression bandage. Call for help with your compression bandage if you experience severe pain or swelling. Ask your doctor about taking pentoxifylline. Discuss aspirin therapy with your doctor. Consider surgery if your ulcer doesn’t heal in six months. Identify and address complications.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: In all the studies that were done on foods, scientists were able to determine a specific list of foods that are low in phthalates.  These are foods you should focus on in your diet to help you reduce your exposure to this chemical.  Dairy products like low-fat milk and yogurt have low levels of phthalates as do eggs. Avoid high fat foods such as creams, whole milk, and fatty meats as much as possible. Among the grain group, pasta, rice and noodles consistently ranked lower in phthalates. In conventional fruits and vegetables, phthalates levels were very low; however, this is not true for conventional canned fruits, vegetables and pickles. Avoid canned or processed foods. Bottled water and other canned/bottled beverages were found to have low levels of phthalates. Although these foods are found to have low levels of phthalates, they are not completely free of them. In addition to focusing more on foods that are lower in phthalate levels, it's best to be aware of the foods that have high levels.  Stay away from these foods to reduce your overall exposure:  Studies have shown that phthalates were detectable at high levels in beef, poultry and pork.  Specifically in poultry, levels were high in the skin.  A few studies showed the phthalate level was lower in frozen meat and poultry.  High levels of phthalates were detected in fats like butter, margarine, cooking oils and animal fats (like lard). Dairy items like heavy cream, ice cream and cheese had high to very high levels of phthalates. Studies have also shown that phthalates are particularly high in some packaged foods.  Try to avoid these foods, especially for children, as you may be surprised at the concentration levels of phthalates.  Studies have shown that children get exposed to the highest concentration of phthalates from common packaged goods.  Since these chemicals have serious effects on infants and children, its important to avoid these foods. Scientist believe that part of the reason packaged foods in particular are so high in phthalates is that these chemicals are already present in the food in addition to the packaging. The phthalates can be transferred from the packaging to the food itself. Try to avoid packaged and processed foods (like cereals, crackers, and even infant formula).  Make your own versions of you and your child's favorite items from scratch at home. Since studies have shown that phthalates are unfortunately found in many foods, the best way to avoid this chemical may be by purchasing and eating 100% organic items.  100% organic foods are strictly monitored by the USDA. The farmers and manufactures have to follow a very specific set of guidelines to make sure foods are not exposed to a variety of different pesticides or chemicals — including phthalates.  Since many synthetic pesticides that are sprayed onto fruits and vegetables contain phthalates, make sure to look for produce that's labeled 100% organic. Also consider purchasing 100% organic dairy and meat products.  Phthalates seem to be attracted to fat and are found in high quantities in dairy products and meat products; however, DEHP, a toxic phthalate, has been found in certified organic dairy products. This may be because, even on small farms, milk is collected from cow's udders using plastic tubing.

SUMMARY:
Choose foods that are naturally low in phthalates. Avoid foods known to be very high in phthalates. Avoid packaged foods. Choose 100% organic foods.