Archive for May, 2009

First Aid for Poisoning - Part 2

Universal antidote. Another method of treating many poisonings is to give the universal antidote. This substance counteracts poisons by inducing vomiting and by slowing absorption of the poison by the system. The antidote can be made by combin­ing two parts burned toast, one part strong tea, and one part milk of magnesia. If prepared beforehand, it may be administered immediately with the water or milk. Most drugstores now carry it, and it is a valuable addition to any first-aid kit.

Strong acids and alkalis. The most common victims of poisoning are children too young to read. Sometimes they swallow cleaning preparations such as toilet bowl cleaner (a strong acid), or lye or ammonia (strong alkalis).

In the case of a strong acid, give plenty of milk or egg whites to dilute the acid and protect the lining of the stomach. Do not induce vomit­ing. Call a doctor or an ambulance immediately.

In the case of strong alkalis, give plenty of water and some vinegar, with egg whites or milk. Do not try to induce vomiting. As in all poisonings, call a doctor or an ambulance as soon as possible.

Try This
Dissolve a teaspoonful of ammonia in a half cup of water. Test the solution with both red and blue litmus paper. Which paper changes color? If the solution is an acid, the blue litmus paper will turn pink. If the solution is an alkali, the red litmus paper will turn blue. Make the same test on some household chemicals such as toilet cleaning powders, chlorine bleach, and aspirin dissolved in water.

Gasoline and petroleum products. These substances are dangerous because they can cause pneumonia or death if their fumes are inhaled. If you suspect a person has been poisoned from swallowing kerosene, gasoline, oil, or some other petroleum product, lay him down and keep him warm. Do not try to induce vomiting since damage to the lungs may result from the victim’s inhaling the fumes of the poison. Call a doctor or an ambu­lance right away. Make it clear that the poison is a petroleum product.

Poisoning by gas. Asphyxiation may occur if a person has been exposed to high concentrations of certain gases such as carbon monoxide. Leaky heaters and stoves and gasoline engines are the major culprits in this kind of poisoning. Once a victim has been safely rescued from the contaminated area, give him artificial respiration and call a doctor and the fire department rescue unit. Give artificial respiration even if the person is breathing a little by himself. Keep the person lying down and quiet until he is under medical care.

First Aid for Poisoning - Part 1

Poisons in the home. Poisons account for thousands of accidental deaths each year. Most of the victims are children who have swallowed substances that were never intended for their consumption. Household prepa­rations such as ammonia and cleaning fluids account for many poisonings. But pesticides and overdoses of medicines such as aspirin account for the largest proportion.

Preventing poisonings. There are a number of things you should do to "poisonproof" your home. First, obtain your parents’ cooperation and aid in your attempt to reduce the hazards of poisonings. Second, place everything poisonous in cabinets and on shelves that cannot be reached by young children. Third, throw away all unlabeled medicines, out-of-date prescriptions, old bottles of iodine and other antiseptics, and old cough medicines. Finally, label all medicines and place them in a locked cabinet.

Detecting poisonings. If you saw an unconscious person being pulled out of the water by two lifeguards, you would assume that the person had had a drowning accident. It would be easy to decide on the proper first-aid treatment.

If the unconscious person were a little girl in your back yard, you would not be so sure of the cause. You might think she had fainted, had fallen from a tree, had been shocked, or had been poisoned. In this case, the only first aid you could give would be to send for a doctor. You would not be sure what had happened to her.

If the accident victim were conscious, or some sign of a poisoning were present, you would be able to do more. In this case you could proceed with the five first-aid measures that follow.

Treating poisonings. When you ar­rive on the scene and a victim is still conscious, there are several things you can do.

1. Give the person as many glasses of water or milk as he can drink, even if it promotes vomiting. This step should be taken immediately. The water will dilute the poison and reduce its action. The water may produce vomiting, which is a helpful reaction.

2. Find out what poison he has taken and the antidote that will counteract the poison. The antidote is often listed on the con­tainer. Give the antidote if it is readily available.

3. Call a doctor and give him as much information as possible.

4. Induce vomiting right away un­less the poison is a corrosive acid, an alkali, or a petroleum product. This can be done by giving milk of magnesia or a solution of baking soda.

5. Keep the person lying down and warm.

These first-aid measures will be of great value if performed soon after the poisoning has occurred. The water or milk helps slow the absorption of the poison and dilutes it. The vomiting gets rid of at least part of the poison in the stomach. Getting rid of the poison is extremely important.

Many times the victim of a poisoning can tell you what poison he has swallowed. In other cases, a telltale container or an acid or alkali burn on the victim’s mouth may indicate that he was poisoned.

When you have evidence of a poison­ing, you can proceed to administer first aid without delay. Any delay increases the chance of injury.

First Aid for Asphyxiation - Part 2

Back-pressure arm-lift method. (Holger-Nielsen method) Another method of artificial respiration is the back-pressure arm-lift method. When using this method, lay the victim on his stomach. Than bend his elbows and place one of his hands on the other so that both are lying under his head. Turn the victim’s head to one side and quickly wipe out any foreign matter that might be in his mouth. Make sure that his throat is clear.

Rescuer’s position. Kneel on one or both knees at the victim’s head, facing him. Open your hands and spread them across the victim’s back so that your thumbs are almost touching and the palms are just below an imaginary line connecting the armpits.

Compression. Rock forward slowly, so that the weight of your upper body presses on your hands. Increase the pressure until your arms are vertical. The pressure of your weight forees the air out of the victim’s lungs.

Expansion. Release the pressure on the victim’s back. Then slide your hands to his arms, just above the elbows. Grasp the upper arms and rock backward slowly, forcing the victim’s arms up and out. Continue until you feel the strain in his shoulders; then lower his arms.

This procedure forces air into a victim’s lungs by expanding his chest and arching his back. The steps in this method are repeated twelve times a minute for an adult victim and twenty times a minute for a child.

Think for Yourself
Can you think of a situation in which the back-pressure arm-lift method would be harmful to a patient?

Alternating rescuers. Because either method of artificial respiration may take a long time to help the victim to breathe by himself once again, one person may not be able to maintain the resuscitation by himself. In that case, it may be necessary to alternate rescuers. The move should be completely planned. It should be executed only when the two rescuers are certain they can complete the shift without missing any breaths.

If you have a chance to enroll in a Junior Red Cross course or one like it, you can learn about and practice many
methods of artificial respiration.

Try This
From your local fire department find out what equipment is used for victims of asphyxiation. It may also be possible to arrange for a demonstration of these kinds of equipment.

First Aid for Asphyxiation - Part 1

Accidental asphyxiation. Stoppage of breathing occurs most often in drownings. However, it may occur in carbon monoxide poisoning and other accidents. When a person stops breathing, serious injury and death can follow in a few minutes. Therefore, asphyxiation, or stoppage of breathing, must be given immediate first aid.

The best way to eliminate the danger of asphyxiation by drowning is to follow the water-safety rules you will find in this book. Care of automobile exhaust systems will eliminate the danger of asphyxiation by carbon monoxide poisoning. Proper handling and storage of old refrigerators are other good ways to reduce the danger of accidental asphyxiation.

When breathing has stopped. Always begin artificial respiration immediately upon discovery of an asphyxiated person. Do not believe bystanders who claim that there is no hope, or that the "victim has been out for an hour." The excitement of an accident often wrecks people’s sense of time and judgment. One minute may seem like twenty during the excitement of an accident.

When you begin first aid for stoppage of breathing, you should use the mouth-to-mouth method of rescue breathing. This is the easiest and most effective way to force air into a victim’s lungs. According to the Red Cross, it is the best of the methods of resuscitation, or revival.

Mouth-to-mouth breathing. If you need to administer rescue breathing to a person, proceed with the following steps.

1. Lay the victim on his back. Turn his head to one side and quickly wipe out any foreign matter that is present in his mouth. Check to see that his throat is clear.

2. Kneel beside him and tilt his head as far back as possible so that his chin is pointing up. Pull or push his jaw into a jutting-out position. Hold the jaw in this position while proceeding with the mouth-to-mouth breathing. These procedures will keep the victim’s tongue from obstructing the flow of air into his lungs.

3. Open your mouth wide. Place it over the victim’s mouth so that a leakproof seal is formed. At the same time, close his nostrils. Blow sharply into the victim’s mouth.

4. If you see the victim’s chest rise, proceed. Otherwise, check his tongue and head position. If you still fail to get air to the victim’s lungs, turn him to one side and deliver several sharp slaps to the middle of his back in an attempt to dislodge the obstruction.

5. Once the airway is clear, blow vigorously into his mouth once every five seconds (twelve times a minute). After each time you blow into the victim’s mouth, remove your mouth and listen for the return rush of air. This indicates air exchange. Then re­peat the process.

For a young child, blow gently; for  a baby, in puffs. Children should receive twenty breaths a minute instead
of the adult twelve.

6. Continue rescue breathing until the patient begins breathing for himself or he has been declared dead by a doctor.

If you do not wish to come into such close contact with a victim, you may wish to spread a handkerchief over his mouth. This will not obstruct the passage of air to any great degree.

You may be able to use an airway. This is a tube made especially for mouth-to-mouth breathing. It is designed to eliminate mouth-to-mouth contact and to keep the victim’s throat clear during rescue breathing. An air­way can be obtained at most drug stores.

If you cannot or will not use mouth-to-mouth breathing, you can use another method. Other methods of resuscitation are effective, but none is as easy for the rescuer nor as effect­ive as the mouth-to-mouth method.

Think for Yourself
Why should you not discontinue rescue breathing if a bystander says, "He’s dead now. Nothing will save him"?

First Aid for Bleeding

Preventing wounds. Flesh wounds are the most common injuries requir­ing first aid. They would be less com­mon if people would take some measures to eliminate dangerous situ­ations. Some things you can do to eliminate dangerous wounds are:

1. Wear a safety belt while riding in a car.

2.Keep firearms under lock and key.

3. Store knives, razor blades, scissors, and other sharp objects out of the reach of children.

4. Caution youngsters who run with pointed objects in their hands that this is a dangerous practice. Make them walk. Show them how to carry the object with its point down.

5. Be very careful while using knives or dangerous tools such as saws, rotary mowers, or power tools.

Tetanus. Any wound, whether it is a tiny nick from a thorn or a gaping wound from a fall, may cause tetanus, or lockjaw. The danger of contracting this disease is especially great if the wound is deep and ragged, or is contaminated by soil or other foreign matter.

You should clean the wound with boiled water (at body temperature). Then you should help the patient to a doctor. The doctor may or may not
give the victim an anti-tetanus shot, depending on the circumstances.

Severe injury. Sometimes a wound involves serious bleeding that must be stopped at once, as you will remember from Rule Two. Since the body can lose a quart of blood or more in a minute, it is necessary to stop the flow of blood as soon as possible. In a case of this sort you must act quickly and without hesitation. The best first aid is the compress.

Compress pressure. When used to stop heavy bleeding, the compress is a large pad of folded cloth or cotton. The more sterile, or germ free, the cloth, the better.

When stopping bleeding, quickly fold a cloth into a compress. Press it firmly over the wound and hold it firmly in place with a bandage or strip of cloth you have cut from material at hand. If blood seeps around the edge of the compress, place additional pads of cloth on top of the original piece. Re­moving the first compress would be likely to start bleeding once again. If this method of stopping bleeding does not work, use the pressure points to help stem the flow of blood.

Pressure points. There are several points on the body where finger pressure can be applied to arteries to help stem the flow of blood. By press­ing the artery against a bone, the first-aider can reduce the flow of blood from the heart to the affected part. You should use the pressure point located between the wound and the heart.

The pressure points are located on the inner parts of the upper arms, the inner parts of the upper thighs, and on the neck, temples, and shoulders. Study the illustration to find the exact locations of these pressure points.

Using a tourniquet. If severe bleeding cannot be stopped by the use of any other method, a tourniquet, should be used. It is a piece of cloth or other material that is wrapped around an arm or leg and twisted to stop the flow of blood.

To apply it, place a two-inch band­age near the wound on the side toward the heart. Wrap it around the limb twice. Tie the ends in a square knot. Leave a loop in the knot so you can insert a strong stick. Insert and twist the stick until the blood stops flowing from the wound.

A strip of folded cloth, a belt, or a necktie may be used in place of a two-inch bandage. Do not use rope, string, a thin strip of cloth, or wire. These materials will cut into the flesh and cause the victim severe pain. Once the tourniquet is in place, get the victim to a doctor as quickly as possible. Any loosening of the tourniquet before a doctor sees the patient may cause a renewal of bleeding and danger to the patient.

Think for Yourself
If you were giving first aid to a person who had a deep cut on the back of his head, where would you apply pressure? Would you use a tourniquet?

General Principles of First Aid

Rules of first aid. Whenever you are called upon to perform first aid, you should keep in mind all of the follow­ing principles.

1. First aid is emergency treatment which is given before medical treat­ment can be obtained. It is not medical treatment; therefore the first-aider should always call a doctor as soon as possible. It is the time between the accident and the doctor’s arrival that most concerns the first-aider.

2. Critical emergencies demand im­mediate attention. In these cases immediate first aid is the difference between life and death. Always check for severe bleeding, stoppage of breathing, and poisoning. Treat each of these conditions immediately. Do not call a doctor first. If there is an­other person present, send him for the doctor.

3. Keep the victim lying down, warm, and comfortable. Move him only to avoid danger, and do that gently. Remember that broken bones and in­ternal injuries may have occurred.

4. Check for all injuries. Do not give first aid for a cut toe and neglect a broken leg.

5. Never give liquids to an unconscious person or to one you suspect has internal injuries.

6. Encourage the victim. Do not talk to him about his injuries or allow him to examine them. Try to keep his spirits high.

These are the most important rules of first aid. There are other rules, but you will discover them as you are studying each of the first-aid tech­niques described in this chapter.

The importance of first aid. You may wonder why you are studying first aid when many adults are certainly well prepared to give it. The answer is simple. You may be the only person available to give first aid.

You are now spending more and more of your free time away from home. You may take long hikes in the woods. You may go swimming or ice-skating with groups of your friends. You may spend part of your time baby-sitting. Certainly, there are many times when you might be re­quired to give first aid to yourself or a friend.

In any accident that occurs far from adequate adult medical help, you would have to provide all the first-aid treatment. Then you would need all the knowledge of first aid you could obtain.

Your knowledge of first aid will not, of course, make you a doctor. You can use your knowledge only to help an accident victim who has no other medical help. If adults are nearby at the time of an accident, they may be able to offer good first aid. In a situation where there are adults who know first aid, you may not be needed. You may still be able to offer advice on the newest and most effective first-aid techniques, however.

Your knowledge of new and effective first-aid methods can be of great value to you when you are far from medical help. It can also make you a more valuable and responsible babysitter and family member.

Safety and First Aid

Did you know that you are safer in a jet plane than you are in your own home? Did you know that there are more people seriously injured in home accidents than in industrial and auto­mobile accidents? These facts are not startling when you consider the num­ber of opportunities for falls, poison­ings, and burns in the average home.

The fast automobiles, pesticides, electric and gas appliances, and out­door living that are so much a part of our daily lives create many dangerous situations that did not exist twenty years ago. Because you are living in an age of fast cars, mechanical gadgets, and new chemicals, your knowledge of safety and first aid is very valuable.

The accident rate in homes has been declining in recent years. Experts agree that knowledge of safety and first-aid practices can produce an even greater decline. This knowledge can help you to eliminate the causes for accidents in your home and can help you to provide first aid for anyone who may be an accident victim.

Can You Find Out?

From your doctor, local hospital, or Red Cross unit, find out what facilities your community offers for the treatment of accident victims. Whom would you call in case of poisoning? How would you contact an ambulance unit? Is there an emergency rescue team in your com­munity? Make a list of the names, phone numbers, and locations of the people and organizations available for emergency treatment of accident victims of all kinds.

PSYCHIATRISTS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND PSYCHOMETRISTS

Problem. If you wanted to learn about your own mental abilities and interests, whom would you see? Would you go to a psychometrist, a psychiatrist or a psychologist ?

Background. Actually, you could go to any of these men. If he couldn’t help you, he would probably refer you to one of the others who specialized in solving your kind of problems.

Some of these names may seem strange to you. You probably realize that the psych in each of them refers to the mind and its workings. Psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychometrists all work with the human mind and study its behavior.

It has been only eighty years since mankind began thinking of the mind in a scientific way. Before 1870 people were somewhat superstitious in the way they viewed the workings of the mind. This way of thinking began to disappear when Sigmund Freud, an Austrian doc­tor, began studying the mind. He said that the unconscious part of the mind is extremely important in determining our actions. He developed a complicated theory to explain why we act in the ways we do. Because he was a doctor, he used these theories in the treatment of his mentally ill patients.

Freud’s theories formed the beginning of modern psychiatry. Psychiatrists no longer accept all of Freud’s theories, but they accept some of them.

Explanation. The study of the mind was not the concern of the medical men only. A few years after Freud’s work, two men, John Watson and E. L. Thorndike, became interested in making the study of the mind more scientific. They believed that the best way to understand the mind of man was to study his be­havior. Understandably, the school of thought they founded is called behaviorism.

Once psychologists began studying behavior, they found that they could predict certain kinds of behavior and abilities. They devised tests to predict intelligence, personality traits, career aptitudes, and other areas of human per­formance.

Men called psychometrists specialized in giving and interpreting these tests. These tests are used to predict academic performance and many other aspects of behavior. Often clinical psychologists and psychiatrists use the tests to help diagnose the illnesses of their patients.

As you know, psychology is still a young science. In the short time since Freud, Watson, and Thorndike laid the foundations for this new science, men have found a new window into the hu­man mind.

Further research. You may want to obtain more information about these subjects. You can consult the World Book. Look up the materials under the entries for psychiatry, psychology, and psychoanalysis.

Personality & Family - Activity for Health and Fitness

Is your body as healthy as you would like it to be? You can help keep it healthy by eating a variety of foods, getting the rest you need, and by exercising regularly. Here are a few good exercises that will help strengthen your body. After you have learned them try to practice them daily. You will be able to review them from time to time in other Activity for Health and Fitness pages.

Tortoise and Hare. This exercise will assist you in developing a more agile body.

Position. Stand at attention.

Action. Jog slowly in place. On the command, "Hare," double your pace, lifting your knees high and pumping your arms vigorously. On the com­mand, "Tortoise," slow the tempo to the original slow jog. Alternate be­tween the tortoise and the hare for one minute. Practice daily and slowly in­crease your time to two minutes.

Bouncing Ball. This exercise will challenge your coordination and strength. It is an excellent conditioner for many sports.

Position. Assume the pushup position by lying face down and extending your arms straight out with your hands directly beneath your shoulders. Keep your body straight and rigid, and support your weight on your hands and toes.

Action. Bounce up and down by a series of short upward springs with your arms and legs. Try to clap your hands while your body is in the air. Repeat this exercise five times.

Leg Extension. The purpose of this exercise is to strengthen your abdomi­nal and trunk muscles.

Position. Sit on the floor with your legs extended and your feet together. Keep your body erect and place your hands on your hips.

Action. On the count of one, raise and flex your knees with a quick vigor­ous motion. Slide your toes back along the floor as far as you can. On the count of two, extend your legs back to the starting position. Repeat this ex­ercise five times.

The Coordinator. This exercise is a difficult one. It will develop your coordination and body control.

Position. Stand at attention.

Action. On the count of one, hop on your left foot, swinging your right foot forward and touching your toe to the floor in front of your left foot. At the same time, bring both arms forward and upward to your shoulder level.

At the count of two, swing your arms to the sides at shoulder level, and hop once again. At the same time swing your right foot out to the right
side and touch your toe to the floor.

On the count of three, hop again on your left foot and return your foot and arms to the position taken on the first count.

On the count of four, return your foot and arms to the starting position. Repeat the exercise by hopping on the right foot. Alternate feet and increase the tempo. Repeat the exercise ten times.

Living by Your Values

Learning values. During your life­time your parents and teachers have been teaching you the values of our society. Sometimes you have not been aware that you were learning new values, but you have been learning them every minute. You have learned from watching others, hearing others, and observing your own actions. You have learned that some things are con­sidered right; others, wrong.

One interesting test of your values is to think of yourself as an invisible person. How would your actions change if you knew that no one could see you?

Try This
Test your own system of values by completing the sentence: I believe that the three most important things in life are ….

Your conscience. You have the power to weigh the worthiness of everything you do or say. All your life your mind has been at work filing away mental impressions of the way you have acted and the ways those you respect have acted. Out of all these impressions and memories, your con­science has been formed. Your con­science judges you for every action you make.

The society in which we live has cer­tain standards of behavior by which we guide our lives. Our consciences and the consciences of our parents and loved ones have picked up these stand­ards. Your conscience reminds you to study for a test, even though you may be tempted to do the opposite. In later years your conscience will help you to accept greater responsibilities and will become a more vital part of your per­sonality.

Guilty feelings. You may find that occasionally your conscience conflicts with something you want to do. If you do not follow your conscience, you will probably feel guilty or ashamed. Ev­eryone occasionally makes mistakes. It is important for you to know how to make up for them.

Perhaps the hardest part of making up for a mistake is admitting to your­self that you were wrong. If you quar­reled with your sister or brother over some small matter, you probably do not want to admit to yourself that you were partly to blame. Once you have admitted your mistake to yourself, however, it is much easier to make a sincere apology or to make up for the wrongdoing. Certainly you can see that you will command greater respect if you follow your conscience and also try to make up for whatever short­comings you can.

Values in your personality. You may have been able to conclude from the information in the last few pages that a person’s values can shape his personality. For example, a person who believes in the value of a good education is likely to be curious, interested in many subjects, and active in school affairs. His values have had a great effect on his personality.

You can see that a lack of strong values can affect personality, too. A person who does not value honesty would have a less than admirable set of traits in his personality. In the eyes of others, your values may well be the mark of your personality.

As you think about values and per­sonality, you will realize that they relate to both mental health and family relationships. Because of these relationships, you are likely to improve your family relationships as you im­prove your mental health and personality. An improvement in one area is likely to affect other areas as well.