May 27th, 2008
First Aid
There are some very basic types of first aid that a person should know how to administer. Someone in your care or that is around you may end up needing it. Sometimes the situation will be very minor such as a cut. You can get the bleeding to stop for them. Other times it may be a larger situation and your efforts will only be to offer temporary help until the person can be reached by medical professionals.
Even if you don’t have any medical training you should know how to offer basic first aid. If you have children or you care for children this is essential as they tend to get themselves into some predicaments as they are curious explorers. You need to make sure your efforts relating to first aid are going to help the individual rather than causing further injuries to them. Your early first aid efforts should be done to help ensure they fully recover from the incident.
It is a good idea to always carry a first aid kit with you since you never know when you may need the supplies. The truck of all your vehicles should have one so you can help at the scene of an accident. If you go camping or hiking you will want to have items with you in a first aid kit as well.
What you have in the first aid kit will likely depend on what your needs are. For example you may want to have something for bug bites and snack bites in an outdoor first aid kit. Yet you won’t need to keep such items in the ones you carry in your vehicles. Some common items you will want to have in a first aid kit include band aids, an ace bandage, ointment for cleaning wounds, tweezers, and scissors.
It is a good idea to take a basic first aid course. This can help you to stay calm in the event of such an accident. It can also help to ensure you are able to help those that need it. These courses are offered in many different locations and most of them are free of charge. You can also take a first aid course online that will fit into any schedule.
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May 17th, 2008
Self CPR
CPR is something that we generally associate with another person performing on the one in need. Yet the medical field has also provided us with some information relating to what is known as self CPR. These are tactics you can do on your own when you may be in trouble. If no one else is around to help you, do your best to call for emergency help and then start the procedures. Knowing what they are just may be able to save your life during such a crisis.
One of the hardest things about self CPR though is to remain calm enough to be able to follow the steps. If you practice them routinely though you will find you are more than able to do it. Talk yourself through the process enough that it will be second nature. Too many people don’t want to think about needing such help but there is always the chance it can happen.
One of the most common ways to administer self CPR is when you feel the symptoms and warning signs of a heart attack. Many medical professionals have stated that coughing intentionally can help prevent you from going unconscious. Yet this isn’t something that the American Heart Association supports or encourages. This is because it isn’t going to help the person for more than a few additional seconds. They need to use that time to get emergency help to them.
A person can work hard when they are choking though to dislodge the object. This is often referred to as a form of self CPR. Yet since the person isn’t being given breaths from someone else it doesn’t really fit the description. Even if you have to stick your finger down your throat though you are better off than just allowing yourself to quite breathing and to pass out.
For those that live alone or often travel alone, self CPR can be a great way to protect yourself. Strange things can happen that we don’t anticipate and that can be very difficult to deal with. Yet if you need CPR you won’t have much time. This is a good way to protect yourself even though the odds are against you ever having to actually use it.
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