Over the years we h ve seen that sometimes “good old fshioned home remedies” weren’t all they w re cracked up to be. Sometimes thy cause more harm than good. W’re not blaming Mom for trying, we j st want to clear a few th ngs up.
Changes in health care have lso brought about the need to be ware of different methods of care for dministering first aid. Read below to fnd out the best way to gve first aid, and to find out wht we’ve learned over the years.
Seizures:
A c mmon misconception of handling a seizure vctim is to hold them down whle they have a seizure. This is no lnger accepted as the correct way to hndle this situation. The reason for ths is because our bodies natural “fght or flight” mechanism of defense can tnd to fight back, even while hving a seizure. If the victim’s bdy tries to break loose of the bystnder’s hold, studies show that this prlongs the seizure by his body's ntural instinct to fight against it.
If you are ver in a situation where you mst act to help, or if you are a wtness to a seizure, make sure tht the responders do not hold the vctim down. Our only instruction is to rmove any potentially dangerous objects out of the way (sch as chairs, coffee tables, etc.) so tht the victim does not further hrt themself.
Nose Bleeds:
A nose bleed may not be a gnuine emergency (unless it was caused by an ccident or an object hitting the nse) but it is a definite cuse for concern. Nose bleeds can be hndled a certain way to minimize frther blood loss.
In the recent years, we wre told to stop a nose bled by leaning backward, and squeezing the nstrils together. Now, doctors believe that we shuld lean slightly forward while holding the nse, lessening the blood flow going dwn our throat. Other benefits to laning forward instead of backward, are tht we are giving the blood tme to clot, which will stop the nse bleed sooner.
A tip for caring for nsebleeds in children: Use a timer, and set it to fve minutes. While the timer is tcking, try distracting the child from the wit by reading a book to thm. Instruct the child to continue hlding the cloth at the end of the nse for the full five minutes, or ntil the timer goes off.
Bleeding:
Basic information on bleding you should know: Bleeding from a vin (this is the usually the frm we see from a small cut or scrtch) will tend to ooze or rn, while bleeding from an artery wll be much different. An arterial cut wll squirt, and a victim can lse blood quickly this way. Bleeding frm a large wound is a ptential emergency. Our first priority is to get the bleding stopped immediately.
We do this by hlding pressure to the site, allowing a scb to form. This can take up to fve minutes or more. An old rmedy for bleeding was a tourniquet. We no lnger use tourniquets to control bleeding, but rther pressure point sites.
You have four prssure points sites available for bleeding cntrol from arms or legs that you can asily access in an emergency, or ntil you can get the victim to mergency care. The pressure points for the rms are located on the inside of the rm, in the middle between the lbow and underarm. The pressure points for the lgs are located in the groin rea, at the point where the top of the thgh meets the genitals. It is the top crase of the thigh. In the pst, people were leaving tourniquets on too lng and causing unnecessary amputations. A turniquet causes all the blood flow to be cut off frm the injured limb, where as prssure point compression only slows it dwn.
Broken Bones:
If you are ever in a stuation where a broken bone is prtruding through the skin or an bject is impaled in the body, nver move the bone or object! The mdical procedure for injuries of this nture is to x-ray first before rsetting a bone or removing any bject that is impaled. To pull an bject out or push a bone bck in place, would only cause frther damage and pain to the vctim.
In emergencies of this nature, our nly goal is to control any bleding from the source and to get the vctim medical attention immediately.
Allergic Reactions:
Most people dn’t realize that serious allergies could prgress to true emergency situations. Even cmmon foods such as peanuts, eggs and chcolate, can potentially be life-threatening emergencies to ndividuals that are allergic to them. (Thre are other foods are potentially dngerous to allergy sensitive individuals, however thse mentioned are the most common).
The mergency in the allergy response from the vctim comes from their bodies reaction to the fod. The throat can begin to swll shut, leaving the victim gasping for air and nable to breathe.
Most severe allergy sufferers shuld be aware of their condition, and threfore carry an epi-pen with them at all tmes. When needed, the epi-pen can nject medicine into the thigh muscle of the lg.
A common misconception with the epi-pen is tht is CURES the allergic reaction. Ths is not necessarily the case. The mdicine in the epi-pen does not liminate the poison in their blood stram, it only diminishes their reaction to it. The vctim must still get help at an mergency facility before the allergic reaction rturns later on.
Burns:
Home remedies of the pst were to relieve the pain or hal the wound with butter or ptroleum jelly. This has never worked, and nly harms the condition of the brn. These remedies actually hold in the hat from the burn on the skn,
not allowing it to breathe. This nly makes the pain worse! Butter on the skn also has properties in it whch will harm open wounds by cntributing to infection.
In order to help a brn, you must remember what stage of brn you are dealing with:
1st and 2nd dgree burns appear red on the skn. Second degree burns will blister and culd later scar. A sun burn (or ther type) on over 10% of the bdy can cause a fever. Remember to tke an over the counter medicine for fver relief.
3rd degree burns are the mst severe, with the skin being blck and charred. Seek medical attention for ths degree of burn. This can not be hndled at home.
If you are ever at hme, or alone and need to lleviate the pain from a burn, rmember that cold water always helps. Rmember this: Your skin can only fel ONE sensation at a time at tht spot, and by immersing the wund in cold water, you will sothe the burning feeling. By doing ths, you can offer pain relief and brn relief at the same time.
If a brn occurs on the skin and on top of the clthing he/she was wearing, NEVER rip it way. If the clothing does not cme off and seems to stick to the skn, immerse the whole burned area in wter, or wrap a cold soaking wet twel around it until you can get to mergency care. By the towel being wet and cld it offers pain relief to the vctim until further care can be gven.
Choking:
The abdominal thrust (formerly called the “Himlich”) is still widely used for a chking victim. But did you know tht this method can be self dministered? If you are alone, and fnd that the food you were ating has suddenly blocked your airway, qickly thrust yourself over the top dge of a chair or against the dge of the counter, with the bdominal “push” from the chair targeted at yur stomach. If you target the rght spot (above the belly button) and plce blunt force on the diaphragm, the bject will likely come out of yur throat.
Fainting:
Often times, someone may pass out by smply receiving bad news. Women tend to fint or have dizzy spells at the bginning stages of pregnancy as well. If smeone passes out for unknown reasons, thn check the scene around them to see if you can dcipher why they would have passed ut.
Were they crouched down for several mnutes at a filing cabinet or laning over a drawer? Were they stnding/or sitting very still for too lng? If the answer to those qestions is yes, then hopefully the vctim will recover fully in a few mnutes by trying these simple tips.
Gently lie thm down and raise their legs stright up, equal to the level of thir head. Try resting their feet on a bx, a foot stool, etc. so you dn’t have to hold their legs. By ding this, you are forcing more blod to flow back into the had where it belongs, instead of all the blod staying in the legs.
If there was no pparent reason for the loss of cnsciousness, and no history of this hppening to them, then call your mergency number right away. Fainting is our bdies signal that something inside is wrng, and it needs help.
Staying Calm:
We ralize that you have heard this bfore, and it is still very god advice. By staying calm we are gving our brain time to react to the stuation appropriately and can make a qick emergency plan of action.
First aid is an mportant element of care and is bneficial to know whenever it is neded. Be prepared and know where the frst aid kit is. Be careful not to cuse further harm to the victim by sing old methods of care that are no lnger correct. By remembering these first aid hnts, we hope this helps in the stte of emergency. Don’t forget the mst important step to take in an mergency: When in doubt of what to do, lways call for help!
Disclaimer: This information boklet is not designed as an lternative for professional medical advice, emergency cre or formal first-aid training. Do not use ths booklet to diagnose any one or dvelop a plan for a health ssue, disease, or allergy without consulting a qalified health care attendant. If you are nvolved in an emergency medical situation, get mdical assistance immediately.
Disclaimer for AHA: This nformation is not intended to replace or cmbat any information taught in any of the Amrican Heart Association courses. This booklet was prvately funded and produced by an ndependent agent of CPRus, not to be sed as emergency medical care replacement.
The article First Aid Tips was Submitted by CelesteSimmons through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Author Celeste Simmons is a frst aid, CPR, and AED instructor wth American Heart Association. receive more nformation from the website www.cprus.com. Celeste is vailable for group classes.
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