Health

Choking occurs when a foreign object becomes lodged in the throat or windpipe, blocking the flow of air. In adults, a piece of food often is the culprit. Young children often swallow small objects. Because choking cuts off oxygen to the brain, administer first aid as quickly as possible.
The universal sign for choking is hands clutched to the throat. If the person doesn't give the signal, look for these indications:
· Inability to talk
· Difficulty breathing or noisy breathing
· Inability to cough forcefully
· Skin, lips and nails turning blue or dusky
· Loss of consciousness
If choking is occurring, the Red Cross recommends a "five-and-five" approach to delivering first aid:
· First, deliver five back blows between the person's shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
· Next, perform five abdominal thrusts (also known as the Heimlich maneuver).
· Alternate between five back blows and five abdominal thrusts until the blockage is dislodged.
To perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) on someone else:
· Stand behind the person. Wrap your arms around the waist. Tip the person forward slightly.
· Make a fist with one hand. Position it slightly above the person's navel.
· Grasp the fist with the other hand. Press hard into the abdomen with a quick, upward thrust — as if trying to lift the person up.
· Perform a total of five abdominal thrusts, if needed. If the blockage still isn't dislodged, repeat the five-and-five cycle.
If you're the only rescuer, perform back blows and abdominal thrusts before calling 911 or your local emergency number for help. If another person is available, have that person call for help while you perform first aid.
If the person becomes unconscious, perform standard CPR with chest compressions.
If you're alone and choking, you'll be unable to effectively deliver back blows to yourself. However, you can still perform abdominal thrusts to dislodge the item.
To perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) on yourself:
· Place a fist slightly above your navel.
· Grasp your fist with the other hand and bend over a hard surface — a countertop or chair will do.
· Shove your fist inward and upward.
Clearing the airway of an obese person:
· Position your hands a little bit higher than with a normal Heimlich maneuver, at the base of the breastbone, just above the joining of the lowest ribs.
· Proceed as with the Heimlich maneuver, pressing hard into the chest, with a quick thrust.
· Repeat until the food or other blockage is dislodged or the person becomes unconscious.
Clearing the airway of an unconscious person:
· Lower the person on his or her back onto the floor.
· Clear the airway. If there's a visible blockage at the back of the throat or high in the throat, reach a finger into the mouth and sweep out the cause of the blockage. Be careful not to push the food or object deeper into the airway, which can happen easily in young children.
· Begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if the object remains lodged and the person doesn't respond after you take the above measures. The chest compressions used in CPR may dislodge the object. Remember to recheck the mouth periodically.

Ok chat friends, its been a few days since i blogged but have been working on the next few chapters of this series,, here goes,,

Causes of chest pain can vary from minor problems, such as indigestion or stress, to serious medical emergencies, such as a heart attack or pulmonary embolism. The specific cause of chest pain is often difficult to interpret.
Finding the cause of your chest pain can be challenging, especially if you've never had symptoms in the past. Even doctors may have a difficult time deciding if chest pain is a sign of a heart attack or something less serious, such as indigestion. If you have unexplained chest pain lasting more than a few minutes, you should seek emergency medical assistance rather than trying to diagnose the cause yourself.
As with other sudden, unexplained pains, chest pain may be a signal for you to get medical help. Use the following information to help you determine whether your chest pain is a medical emergency.
Heart attack
A heart attack occurs when an artery that supplies oxygen to your heart muscle becomes blocked. A heart attack may cause chest pain that lasts 15 minutes or longer. But a heart attack can also be silent and produce no signs or symptoms.
Many people who experience a heart attack have warning symptoms hours, days or weeks in advance. The earliest warning sign of an attack may be ongoing episodes of chest pain that start when you're physically active, but are relieved by rest.
Someone having a heart attack may experience any or all of the following:
· Uncomfortable pressure, fullness or squeezing pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes
· Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms
· Lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath
If you or someone else may be having a heart attack:
· Call your emergency medical assistance. Don't "tough out" the symptoms of a heart attack for more than five minutes. If you don't have access to emergency medical services, have someone, such as a neighbor or friend, drive you to the nearest hospital. Drive yourself only as a last resort, if there are absolutely no other options. Driving yourself puts you and others at risk if your condition suddenly worsens.
· Chew a regular-strength aspirin. Aspirin reduces blood clotting, which can help blood flow through a narrowed artery that's caused a heart attack. However, don't take aspirin if you are allergic to aspirin, have bleeding problems or take another blood-thinning medication, or if your doctor previously told you not to do so.
· Take nitroglycerin, if prescribed. If you think you're having a heart attack and your doctor has previously prescribed nitroglycerin for you, take it as directed. Don't take anyone else's nitroglycerin.
· Begin CPR on the person having a heart attack, if directed. If the person suspected of having a heart attack is unconscious, a first responder or another emergency medical specialist may advise you to begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Even if you're not trained, a dispatcher can instruct you in CPR until help arrives. If help from a first responder or emergency medical specialist is unavailable, begin CPR. If you don't know CPR, begin pushing hard and fast on the person's chest — 100 compressions per minute.
Angina
Angina is a type of chest pain or discomfort caused by reduced blood flow to your heart muscle. Angina may be stable or unstable:
· Stable angina — persistent, recurring chest pain that usually occurs with exertion
· Unstable angina — sudden, new chest pain, or a change in the pattern of previously stable angina, that may signal an impending heart attack
Angina is relatively common, but can be hard to distinguish from other types of chest pain, such as the pain or discomfort of indigestion.
Angina signs and symptoms include:
· Chest pain or discomfort
· Pain in your arms, neck, jaw, shoulder or back accompanying chest pain
· Nausea
· Fatigue
· Shortness of breath
· Anxiety
· Sweating
· Dizziness
The severity, duration and type of angina can vary. If you have new or changing chest pain, these new or different symptoms may signal a more dangerous form of angina (unstable angina) or a heart attack. If your angina gets worse or changes, becoming unstable, seek medical attention immediately.
Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism occurs when a clot — usually from the veins of your leg or pelvis — lodges in an artery of your lung. The lung tissue served by the artery doesn't get enough blood flow, causing tissue death. This makes it more difficult for your lungs to provide oxygen to the rest of your body.
Signs and symptoms of pulmonary embolism include:
· Sudden, sharp chest pain that begins or worsens with a deep breath or a cough, often accompanied by shortness of breath
· Sudden, unexplained shortness of breath, even without pain
· Cough that may produce blood-streaked sputum
· Rapid heartbeat
· Fainting
· Anxiety
· Sweating
Pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening. As with a suspected heart attack, call 911 or emergency medical assistance immediately.
Aortic dissection
An aortic dissection is a serious condition in which a tear develops in the inner layer of the aorta, the large blood vessel branching off the heart. Blood surges through this tear into the middle layer of the aorta, causing the inner and middle layers to separate (dissect). If the blood-filled channel ruptures through the outside aortic wall, aortic dissection is usually fatal.
If you think aortic dissection is the cause of your chest pain, seek emergency medical assistance immediately.
Pneumonia with pleurisy
Frequent signs and symptoms of pneumonia are chest pain accompanied by chills, fever and a cough that may produce bloody or foul-smelling sputum. When pneumonia occurs with an inflammation of the membranes that surround the lung (pleura), you may have considerable chest discomfort when inhaling or coughing. This condition is called pleurisy.
One sign of pleurisy is that the pain is usually relieved temporarily by holding your breath or putting pressure on the painful area of your chest. This isn't true of a heart attack. If you've recently been diagnosed with pneumonia and then start having symptoms of pleurisy, contact your doctor or seek immediate medical attention to determine the cause of your chest pain. Pleurisy alone isn't a medical emergency, but you shouldn't try to make the diagnosis yourself.
Chest wall pain
One of the most common varieties of harmless chest pain is chest wall pain. One kind of chest wall pain is costochondritis. It causes pain and tenderness in and around the cartilage that connects your ribs to your breastbone (sternum).
In costochondritis, pressing on a few points along the edge of your sternum often results in considerable tenderness in those small areas. If the pressure of a finger causes similar chest pain, it's unlikely that a serious condition, such as a heart attack, is the cause of your chest pain.
Other causes of chest pain include:
· Strained chest muscles from overuse or excessive coughing
· Chest muscle bruising from minor injury
· Short-term, sudden anxiety with rapid breathing
· Peptic ulcer disease
· Pain from the digestive tract, such as esophageal reflux, peptic ulcer pain or gallbladder pain that may feel similar to heart attack symptoms

BURNS
(nothing to do with the scottish writer)

First-degree burn
The least serious burns are those in which only the outer layer of skin is burned, but not all the way through. The skin is usually red, with swelling, and pain sometimes is present. Treat a first-degree burn as a minor burn unless it involves substantial portions of the hands, feet, face, groin or buttocks, or a major joint, which requires emergency medical attention.
Second-degree burn
When the first layer of skin has been burned through and the second layer of skin (dermis) also is burned, the injury is called a second-degree burn. Blisters develop and the skin takes on an intensely reddened, splotchy appearance. Second-degree burns produce severe pain and swelling.
If the second-degree burn is no larger than 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) in diameter, treat it as a minor burn. If the burned area is larger or if the burn is on the hands, feet, face, groin or buttocks, or over a major joint, treat it as a major burn and get medical help immediately.
For minor burns, including first-degree burns and second-degree burns limited to an area no larger than 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) in diameter, take the following action:
· Cool the burn. Hold the burned area under cool (not cold) running water for 10 or 15 minutes or until the pain subsides. If this is impractical, immerse the burn in cool water or cool it with cold compresses. Cooling the burn reduces swelling by conducting heat away from the skin. Don't put ice on the burn.
· Cover the burn with a sterile gauze bandage. Don't use fluffy cotton, or other material that may get lint in the wound. Wrap the gauze loosely to avoid putting pressure on burned skin. Bandaging keeps air off the burn, reduces pain and protects blistered skin.
· Take an over-the-counter pain reliever. These include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Aleve) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). Use caution when giving aspirin to children or teenagers. Though aspirin is approved for use in children older than age 2, children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should never take aspirin. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns.
Minor burns usually heal without further treatment. They may heal with pigment changes, meaning the healed area may be a different color from the surrounding skin. Watch for signs of infection, such as increased pain, redness, fever, swelling or oozing. If infection develops, seek medical help. Avoid re-injuring or tanning if the burns are less than a year old — doing so may cause more extensive pigmentation changes. Use sunscreen on the area for at least a year.
Caution
· Don't use ice. Putting ice directly on a burn can cause a burn victim's body to become too cold and cause further damage to the wound.
· Don't apply butter or ointments to the burn. This could cause infection.
· Don't break blisters. Broken blisters are more vulnerable to infection.
Third-degree burn
The most serious burns involve all layers of the skin and cause permanent tissue damage. Fat, muscle and even bone may be affected. Areas may be charred black or appear dry and white. Difficulty inhaling and exhaling, carbon monoxide poisoning, or other toxic effects may occur if smoke inhalation accompanies the burn.
For major burns, call 911 or emergency medical help. Until an emergency unit arrives, follow these steps:
1. Don't remove burned clothing. However, do make sure the victim is no longer in contact with smoldering materials or exposed to smoke or heat.
2. Don't immerse large severe burns in cold water. Doing so could cause a drop in body temperature (hypothermia) and deterioration of blood pressure and circulation (shock).
3. Check for signs of circulation (breathing, coughing or movement). If there is no breathing or other sign of circulation, begin CPR.
4. Elevate the burned body part or parts. Raise above heart level, when possible.
5. Cover the area of the burn. Use a cool, moist, sterile bandage; clean, moist cloth; or moist towels.
Get a tetanus shot. Burns are susceptible to tetanus. Doctors recommend you get a tetanus shot every 10 years. If your last shot was more than five years ago, your doctor may recommend a tetanus shot booster.

BRUISES

A bruise forms when a blow breaks blood vessels near your skin's surface, allowing a small amount of blood to leak into the tissues under your skin. The trapped blood appears as a black-and-blue mark.
If your skin isn't broken, you don't need a bandage, but you enhance bruise healing with these simple techniques:
· Elevate the injured area.
· Apply ice or a cold pack several times a day for a day or two after the injury.
· Rest the bruised area, if possible.
· Consider acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) for pain relief, or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) for pain relief and to reduce swelling.
See your doctor if:
· You have unusually large or painful bruises — particularly if your bruises seem to develop for no known reasons.
· You bruise easily and you're experiencing abnormal bleeding elsewhere, such as from your nose or gums, or you notice blood in your eyes, stool or urine.
· You have no history of bruising, but suddenly experience bruises.
These signs and symptoms may indicate a more serious problem, such as a blood-clotting problem or blood-related disease. Bruises accompanied by persistent pain or headache also may indicate a more serious underlying illness and require medical attention.
So don't underestimate bruises, chat friends, be careful. If you do whack your worst enemy in the face with the butt of a carabiner, then tell him to go to the doctor, just in case, show empathy with him.