The Natural First Aid Handbook: Household Remedies, Herbal Treatments, and Basic Emergency Preparedness Everyone Should Know - Softcover

Mars, Brigitte

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1612128572 ISBN 13: 9781612128573

Verlag: Storey Publishing, LLC, 2017

Inhaltsangabe

This A-to-Z guide to the most common emergency situations, ailments, and injuries focuses on how to use household, herbal, and homeopathic remedies safely and effectively in combination with basic emergency-response procedures and protocols.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Brigitte Mars is a medical herbalist and the author of ten books on herbal medicine, including Dandelion Medicine and Natural First Aid. A founding member of the American Herbalists Guild, she has been teaching herbal health and wellness programs for more than 50 years.

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Take Care, Naturally

Stock your first aid kit with firsthand knowledge! Learn time-tested home remedies, important lifesaving techniques, and commonsense tips to treat everyday ailments and accidents.

This quick-reference guide teaches you basic first aid for common conditions, plus the most effective herbal and homeopathic treatments, some wilderness preparedness guidelines, and how to determine when to seek professional medical help.

Aus dem Klappentext

Take Care, Naturally

Stock your first aid kit with firsthand knowledge! Learn time-tested home remedies, important lifesaving techniques, and commonsense tips to treat everyday ailments and accidents.

This quick-reference guide teaches you basic first aid for common conditions, plus the most effective herbal and homeopathic treatments, some wilderness preparedness guidelines, and how to determine when to seek professional medical help.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

The Natural First Aid Handbook

Household Remedies, Herbal Treatments, and Basic Emergency Preparedness Everyone Should Know

By Brigitte Mars, Deborah Balmuth, Sarah Guare, Steve Sanford

Storey Publishing

Copyright © 2017 Brigitte Mars
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-61212-857-3

Contents

Acknowledgments, 
Introduction, 
01. First-Aid Techniques Everyone Should Know, 
02. An A-Z Guide to Ailments and Injuries, 
03. Surviving Nature's Challenges, 
04. Stocking A First-Aid Kit, 
05. How to Make and Use Herbal Medicines, 
Index, 
Take Good Care, Naturally, with More Books from Storey, 
Copyright, 
Share Your Experience!, 

CHAPTER 1

First-Aid Techniques Everyone Should Know

A Step-by-Step Illustrated Guide

While learning first aid might seem a daunting task, there is really only a handful of simple techniques that everyone should be familiar with. These techniques form the basis of almost all first-aid treatments and will prove invaluable if you're someday faced with an emergency situation. Although a book is a good place to start, it's always best to get instruction from a qualified health-care provider before trying any of these techniques. In addition, always remember the most important rule of medicine: First, do no harm.

It is strongly recommended that you contact your local chapter of the American Heart Association (AHA) to find out more about training and certification in CPR in your area. The following CPR information is meant as a guide only.

CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR)

CPR is performed when someone's breathing or pulse (or both) stops. When both stop, sudden death has occurred. Sudden death has many possible causes — poisoning, drowning, choking, suffocation, electrocution, smoke inhalation — but the most common is heart attack.

Everyone should know the signs of heart attack and the actions for survival. Everyone should also have a plan for emergency action.

Warning Signs

The warning signs of a heart attack are:

* Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes.

* Pain in the shoulders, neck, arms, back, jaw, or stomach.

* Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

* Lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea, or vomiting.

Not all these signs occur in every heart attack. Additional symptoms are listed on here. If some start to occur, don't wait. Get help fast.

If you feel you might be having a heart attack, recognize the warning signs. Stop whatever you're doing and sit or lie down. Stay calm and relaxed. If the symptoms last more than a few minutes, call the local emergency number (usually it is 911 in the United States and Canada). If that's not possible, ask for help getting to the nearest hospital emergency room with emergency cardiac care. Do not attempt to drive yourself to the hospital.

!

Never practice CPR on a healthy person — it can be harmful!

The Basics of CPR

CPR is a procedure that's as simple as assessing the situation, determining if the victim is breathing or has a pulse, giving chest compressions, opening the airway, and giving rescue breaths if necessary. (A helpful acronym to remember this is C-A-B: compressions, airway, breathing.) If you see a person collapse or come upon someone who is already lying unconscious, take immediate action.

Since incorrect chest compressions can cause internal injuries, CPR should be performed only by someone who has taken a professional course. CPR requires training, practice, and skill. This information is presented for the purpose of review for one who is trained. Keep in mind that anyone who performs CPR should pull on a pair of gloves if they're available. Using a CPR mask or face shield is also strongly recommended, to help prevent the spread of any possible contagions.

ASSESSMENT AND ACTIVATION

First verify that the scene is safe for you to perform CPR. Pinch the victim's shoulder and shout, "Are you OK?" If the victim does not respond, shout for help. Call your emergency medical service (911 or local number).

If an automatic emergency defibrillator (AED) and emergency equipment are available, either get it yourself if you are alone or send someone else to retrieve it, then begin CPR. Most AEDs will have an automated prompt to instruct you on the correct procedure and on continuing to give chest compressions while the device charges.

ASSESSING FOR BREATHING AND PULSE

To begin CPR as quickly as possible, check breathing at the same time you check the pulse. This should take at most 10 seconds.

Breathing. To check for breathing, scan the victim's chest for a maximum of 10 seconds, looking for the chest to rise and fall. If the victim is breathing, stay with them until additional help arrives. If the victim is not breathing or is only gasping, begin chest compressions.

SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION IF:

* The victim is not breathing.

* Breathing is noisy.

* Froth appears around the lips or nose.

* A bluish color appears around the lips and ears.

Pulse. Check the person's carotid artery pulse to see if the heart is still beating. Do so by first locating the person's Adam's apple (voice box) using two or three fingers. Slide these two or three fingers down the groove beside the Adam's apple and feel for the pulse (see illustration below).

Feel for a pulse, ideally in the victim's neck, for at least 5 seconds. If you cannot find a pulse within 10 seconds, begin administering chest compressions. If the victim is breathing normally and has a pulse, continue to monitor the victim. If the victim has a pulse but is not breathing adequately, provide rescue breathing.

CHEST COMPRESSIONS

The foundation of CPR is chest compressions. External chest compressions provide artificial circulation. When you apply rhythmic pressure on the lower half of the victim's breastbone, you force the heart to pump blood.

First position yourself at the victim's side. If the victim is lying facedown, carefully roll him or her as a unit, moving the whole body at once, while keeping the neck stable. If it's possible that the victim may have a neck or spinal injury, extreme caution is needed, and the victim should only be moved by someone with appropriate training.

Place the heel of one hand in the center of the victim's chest, at the bottom half of his or her sternum or in between the nipples. Place your other hand on top of your bottom hand. Keep your arms and elbows straight and lean forward to use your upper body weight to begin chest compressions.

Press straight down at least 2 inches (5 cm) and not more than 2.4 inches (6 cm) with each compression. Give chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute (the beat of the classic disco song "Stayin' Alive").

At the end of each compression, completely relax the pressure on the sternum. Don't remove your hands from the victim's sternum, but do let the chest rise to its normal position between compressions. Relaxation and compression should take equal amounts of time.

Maintain chest compressions with minimal interruptions. If rescue breathing is necessary (helpful mostly for drowning victims), the best rate is 30 chest compressions followed by 2 breaths, and repeat.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE CPR TRAINING

Even if you have no CPR...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Storey Publishing, LLC
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2017
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1612128572
• ISBN 13: 9781612128573
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Auflage: 2
• Anzahl der Seiten: 192
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: WordUnited GmbH; distribution@wordunited.com; ; Theodorstrasse 105; DUSSELDORF; 40472; Deutschland