There are surprisingly large numbers of poisonous plants. The best rule is to each your children never to such or eat anything unless given to them by their parents or by other adults whom they know. Most of the poisonous plants listed below are unpleasant to eat and so are difficult to consume in large enough quantities to be harmful but even so — play safe with children.
Continue reading First-Aid: Poisonous Plants and Safety Measures
Breast abscess
Nearly ten per cent of breast feeding mothers suffer from a breast abscess in the weeks following childbirth. These abscesses are almost entirely preventable in the first place and arise only because the modem’ mothers feed their babies in such a strange way. Because they breast feed by the clock (if indeed they breast feed at all), the breasts become engorged (swollen) and the pressure within the breasts can block a milk duct. The blocked duct shows as a red, hot, tender lump in the breast and this often makes the woman feel shivery or ‘flu-like’.
Continue reading First-Aid: Self-Help for Treating Breast Abscess, Breast Lump and Bronchitis
Alcoholism
This is a complex disease that is almost impossible to treat at home. If a member of your family is an alcoholic you will need help in order to lead a normal family life. Because alcoholism is a ‘family disease’, it has insidious effects which can be damaging to any or all of the family.
Continue reading First-Aid: Self-Help for Treating Alcoholism, Angina, Arthritis and Blisters
This section is not meant to be a medical encyclopaedia, nor a way of making the reader into a professor of medicine overnight! The subjects covered are basically those which, whilst not life-threatening, can be distressing, painful or simply worrying until you can get medical help. If you suffer from longstanding arthritis or bad breath, the chances are that you will have to come to terms with it, find a satisfactory treatment or at least be prepared to seek non urgent’ medical advice.
How to tell
1. Person unconscious.
2. Person looks pale or blue-grey.
3. The pupils of the eyes (the back part in the centre) are very large.
4. No puise over the carotid artery (left in the groove at the side of the Adam’s apple).
Continue reading First-Aid: What to Do When There is No Heart Beat or Pulse
Colds
There is no cure for the common cold, but the symptoms of headache, runny nose, fever aches, pains and weakness are worth treating. The best treatment for a cold is still bed rest. A day in bed does more good than anything else. Take aspirin in the recommended dose for a headache or fever; drink plenty of fluids; and take 1g of Vitamin C twice a day (it may do some good and will do no harm). If you are going to use nasal decongestants to help you breathe more easily, follow the instructions carefully — never overdo them.
What is it ?
Sudden damage to the heart’s muscle which renders it less able to carry out its function as a pump. Some heart attacks are so severe that they stop the heart altogether; others render the person severely ill for a time, but allow him to recover later; and others are so minor that they may cause only slight discomfort in the chest.
Emotional Shock — feeling faint or weak, even to the point of fainting. Brought about by unpleasant sights, emotional trauma, etc. This comes on quickly. True shock — a condition with many causes that affects body functions severely. It may end in death.
Continue reading First-Aid: What to Do When One Has Had an Emotional Shock?
Burn is defined as tissue damage caused by dry heat of open flame, hot object, molten metal or electricity.
When fire takes place, get out fast, because smoke from plastic or foam can kill in less than two minutes.
The Fire Brigade should be called for any fire, however small.