Wrapping your wrist provides compression. Compression aids in minimizing swelling, helps to reduce pain, and provides stability to restrict movement, allowing your injury to heal more effectively.  Use an elastic bandage wrap to compress and support your wrist. Start your wrap at a point farthest from your heart.  This is done to prevent swelling of the lower part of the extremity that can be caused by the wrapping process. Compression can help enable lymphatic and venous return to the heart. Begin the first wrap around your fingers just below the knuckles, and covering your palm.  Passing between your thumb and index finger, move the next few wraps around your wrist area, and continue to wrap your way towards the elbow.   Wrapping the area from the hand to the elbow is recommended to provide the greatest stability, promote healing, and avoid additional injury to your wrist.  Each wrap should cover 50% of the previous wrap. Once you have reached the elbow, continue to wrap moving back towards the hand area. This may require using more than one elastic bandage. Include at least one more figure 8 pass, wrapping through the space between your thumb and index finger. Using the clips provided, or self-attaching ends, secure the end to a stable section of the wrap along the forearm area. Check for warmth in the fingers to be sure the wrap is not too tight. Be sure the fingers can be wiggled, there are no areas of numbness, and that the wrap does not feel too tight. The wrap should be snug but not tight enough to cut off blood flow. Take the wrap off when it is time to ice the area. Do not sleep with the wrap on. For some injuries, your doctor may recommend some method of support for your wrist during the night. Follow the instructions provided by your doctor. It may take as long as four to six weeks for your injury to heal.  Keeping the wrist wrapped during this time can allow you to gradually resume your activities, provide support for your injury, and prevent further injury.  The risk of swelling is reduced 72 hours following the injury. A different method for wrapping your wrist may provide greater stability for the injured area and allow you to resume minor activity when you are ready.  Start your wrap by securing the elastic bandage wrap at an area just above the injury, meaning on the elbow side of the injured part of the wrist. Wrap the bandage around your forearm at this location two to three times.  The next wrap should move across the injured area, and include several wraps around your forearm just below the injury, closer to your hand. This method provides added stability for the injured part of your wrist, which is now located between the two sections of the wrapped elastic bandage.  Make at least two figure 8 passes between your thumb and index finger, securing each one with an additional wrap around your wrist area.  Continue to wrap your wrist moving toward your elbow, covering 50% of the previous section with each wrap around your forearm.  Reverse direction and wrap back in the direction of your hand. Secure the ends of the elastic bandage with the clips provided, or by using the self-closure tab. An injury to the wrist is best maintained if the wrap is extended from the finger or palm area to the elbow. This may require more than one elastic bandage wrap to properly wrap your injured wrist.
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One-sentence summary -- Wrap your wrist. Start wrapping from your hand area. Reverse direction. Secure the elastic bandage. Remove the wrap. Continue to wrap your wrist beyond the first 72 hours. Use a different wrapping technique as you resume activity.


Yogurt and cottage cheese contain high amounts of probiotics that can help increase the good bacteria in your gut. Purchase yogurt products that have the label “active cultures” on it. For the best results, choose natural, plain yogurt instead of flavored yogurt.  Flavored yogurt tends to be high in sugar, which can decrease the amount of good bacteria in your gut. Instead, sweeten your yogurt with fruit like bananas, blueberries, strawberries, and peaches. You can even make your own yogurt. Pickled foods are the non-dairy version of fermented food. Like yogurt, pickled foods contain high amounts of probiotics. Add pickled foods to 1 to 2 meals per day to help increase the good bacteria in your gut.  Add foods like pickled cucumbers, garlic, radish, beets, and corn relish to your meals. Sauerkraut, kimchi, natto, tempeh, fermented tofu, and miso are also fermented foods. Another great way to increase the amount of good bacteria in your gut is to take a probiotic supplement. Take the supplement per the instructions on the bottle. Contact your healthcare provider if you are taking other medications, or if you are unsure how often you should take the supplement.  You can purchase probiotic supplements online or from your local health food store. If you have an immune disorder, speak to your healthcare provider before adding probiotics to your diet. Drinks like kefir, whey, kombucha, and apple cider vinegar are all high in probiotics. If you are also eating foods that are high in probiotics, only consume 1 probiotic drink per week. If not, then it is ok to consume more than 1 probiotic drink per week. Though most people can’t “overdose” on probiotics or have too many, cut back if you develop bloating or diarrhea.
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One-sentence summary -- Add yogurt and cottage cheese to your diet. Eat non-dairy fermented foods if you are lactose intolerant. Take a probiotic supplement if you do not like pickled foods. Consume drinks high in probiotics.


Use warm water to rinse out all traces of soap. If any shampoo remains in your dog's coat while you blow dry it, the soap can cause dryness and skin irritation.  Make sure that the water is warm, not hot. Since poodle hair is so dense, it can take a long time for water to thoroughly saturate it. It is crucial that you do not rush the process and patiently make sure that all traces of shampoo are out of the coat before proceeding further. Avoid spraying the poodle's eyes with water and do not let any of the suds get into the dog's eyes, either. You may wish to protect the poodle's eyes by applying a thin coat of petroleum jelly or mineral oil around the outer perimeter of the eye. You may have to “knead” the poodle's coat as you rinse it to make sure that all traces of shampoo are scrubbed out. After washing your poodle with water and dog shampoo, consider applying a dog conditioner to the coat. The conditioner will improve the health of your dog's coat and will make the blow drying process easier.  Follow the instructions on the dog conditioner regarding proper application. Some conditioners should be left in, while others will need to be rinsed out. You could also opt for a detangler spray instead of a conditioner. Detangler will not offer the same overall health benefits for the poodle's coat, but it will still make combing and drying the coat easier. Gently brush your dog's wet coat with a slicker brush to remove any knots that developed during bath time.  A slicker brush is a special type of brush that has thin metal wire tines poking up from a foam or rubber base. The design of the brush makes it easier to remove tangles and dead clumps of loose hair. Note that you could also use a large plastic comb during this stage. The comb will help you remove large knots but may not remove as many fine tangles as a slicker brush would.
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One-sentence summary --
Rinse thoroughly. Consider applying a conditioner. Comb out any knots.