LifeStyle First Aid

Introduction Venomous Snakes Poisoning by Marine Life Poisoning by Insects and Spiders Poisnoing (overview) Ingested poison Drowning Altitude Sickness Survive a Sucking Chest Wound

Introduction
Learning more about first aid and the recommended first aid methods is strongly recommended for everyone. Regardless of age and physical stamina, there is always something that you can do. Many people refrain from reading more about first aid and participating in firs aid training since they feel that their age, stamina, poor eye sight etcetera means that they would be useless in an emergency situation. This perception is however completely erroneous.

If you have an underlying medical condition, you may not be able to swim out and rescue a drowning person in a roughed sea, but you may still be able to perform first aid when someone else has pulled the victim up from the water, or guide and calm other rescuers. Even young teenagers should receive basic first aid training, and it is a good idea to devote a few hours every now and then throughout the rest of your life to basic training that will update your skills from earlier courses. You never know when you will need them.
During a first aid course, you will not only learn basic, hands-on procedures, you will also develop a better mental capability and learn how to stay focused during stress. One of the most important skills that you will build up during first aid training is the ability to take the whole situation into account. Untrained persons that find them selves in the middle of an emergency situation tend to focus on the wrong things. It is for instance quite common for them to help out the loudest victim first, while they should instead be focusing their attention on the unconscious victim next to him. You will also be thought how to prevent further injury, e.g. by warning other drivers about a car accident further down the road.

* Helping others
If you learn more about first aid, you will be more prepared to help others in case of emergency. You will also feel calmer in such a situation and will be less likely to panic or do irrational things. Regardless of whether you save the life of a family member or are able to help out a complete stranger, you will be glad that you learned more about first aid before you were forced to use it.

* Helping yourself
If you learn more about first aid, you will also be able give yourself better care in case of emergency. It is naturally impossible to give yourself mouth-to-mouth, but there are many cases were basic first aid training has proven invaluable after injury or sudden illness. If you are able to stop your bleedings, counteract venom, etcetera. Even if you are unable to carry out the first aid procedures yourself, you might still be able to guide someone else.


* Helping in catastrophic situations
In our modern life, we often take for granted that paramedics will quickly enter the scene if we ever suffer from sudden illness or injury, and we relay heavily on the availability of hospitals, doctors and nurses. As we have seen numerous times during the last few years, our society is however more vulnerable than we like to think and even a person that do not actively seek out remote wilderness can suddenly


find himself in catastrophic situation where people are forced to care for themselves without the aid of health professionals. This is one of the reasons why everyone should learn more about first aid and how to provide basic care for ill and injured persons.