Body Fitness Health

Thursday, September 13, 2012

[AlternativeAnswers] Emergency Medicine: Recognize the Signs of Stroke

Good Morning!

Emergency Medicine: Recognize the Signs of Stroke

Stroke is often referred to as a brain attack. It is considered the
No. 1 cause of adult disability and the No. 3 cause of death in the
United States. It striking more than 500,000 people every year. A
stroke can happen at any age.

It is important to recognize stroke symptoms and act quickly. The
effects of a stroke may include paralysis, poor memory and loss of
speech.

Common stroke symptoms seen in both men and women:

-Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg (often on one side
of the body)
-Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
-Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
-Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
-Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Women may report unique stroke symptoms:

-Sudden face and limb pain
-Sudden hiccups
-Sudden nausea
-Sudden general weakness
-Sudden chest pain
-Sudden shortness of breath
-Sudden palpitations

The acronym F.A.S.T. is a good way to recommend the signs of a stroke.

FAST stands for:

• Face: This tells you that if a person's face is drooping around the
eye or mouth, this could be a sign of a stroke. If a person's face
appears to be drooping and they are experiencing numbness, they could
be having a stroke. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the
face droop?

• Arm: This means you should check for arm weakness. A quick test is
the inability to raise both arms over head. Ask the person to raise
both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

• Speech: Check for speech impairment, such as slurred speech or
difficulty repeating simple phrases. Ask the person to repeat a
simple sentence. Are the words slurred? Can they repeat the sentence
correctly?

• Test: This is a reminder that if you do suspect a stroke, use the
FAST method and seek medical attention. If the person shows any of
these symptoms, time is important.

Spotting a stroke in a timely manner could allow clot-busting
medications to be administered and other treatments to begin. If
symptoms are spotted within three hours of onset, these people might
be eligible for clot-busting medication.

One of the problems with stroke symptoms is that many people ignore
them. For some, it's too late when they get to the hospital to do
effective treatment options. People often think their symptoms are a
big deal.

The first few minutes of a stroke are critical. Call 911, and seek
attention right away.

Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac
http://www.peacefulmind.com/ailments.htm
Therapies for healing
mind, body, spirit

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[AlternativeAnswers] Emergency Medicine: Choking: The Heimlich Maneuver

Good Morning!

Emergency Medicine: Choking: The Heimlich Maneuver

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

The Heimlich maneuver is an emergency technique for preventing suffocation when
a person's airway (windpipe) becomes blocked by a piece of food or other object.

It can be used safely on both adults and children, but most experts do not
recommend it for infants less than 1 year old. You can also perform the maneuver
on yourself.

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.

Second, perform FIVE abdominal thrusts (also known as the Heimlich Maneuver).

Third, alternate between FIVE back blows and five abdominal thrusts until the
blockage is dislodged.

The Heimlich Maneuver

To perform the Heimlich Maneuver on someone else:

1. Stand behind the person. Wrap your arms around the waist. Tip the person
forward slightly.

2. Make a fist with one hand. Position it slightly above the person's navel.

3. 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.

4. Perform a total of five abdominal thrusts, if needed. If the blockage still
isn't dislodged, repeat the "five-and-five" cycle.

To perform the Heimlich Maneuver on yourself:

1. Place a fist slightly above your navel.

2. Grasp your fist with the other hand and bend over a hard surface ? a
countertop or chair will do.

3. Shove your fist inward and upward.

4. If you do not have the strength or the object is not coming out, find the
corner of a table or chair and push your body upward and inward.

Andrew Pacholyk, MS. L.Ac
http://www.peacefulmind.com
Therapies for healing
mind, body, spirit

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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

[AlternativeAnswers] Emergency Medicine: Seizures

Good Morning!

Emergency Medicine: Seizures

A seizure is a temporary abnormal electrical activity that occurs in a group of
brain cells. Often, a recurring, unprovoked seizure is called epilepsy, but some
seizures may occur in people who do not have epilepsy. A seizure can manifest as
a temporary alteration in mental state, tonic (contraction of short muscle
groups), clonic (involuntary contractions due to sudden stretching of larger
muscle groups), movements, convulsions, and various other psychic symptoms.

Emergency medicine (action) for a seizure depends on the type of seizure.
General seizures may cause the person to fall, which may result in an injury.

A tonic-clonic seizure results in violent movements that cannot and should not
be suppressed. The person should never be restrained, or should there be any
attempt to put something in the mouth.

Potentially sharp or dangerous objects should also be moved from the area, so
that the individual is not hurt.

After the seizure if the person is not fully conscious and alert, they should be
placed in the recovery position. The recovery position or semi-prone position is
a first aid technique recommended for assisting people who are unconscious, or
nearly so, but are still breathing. (See: Recovery Position, below)

It is not always necessary to call an ambulance if the person is known to have
epilepsy or if the seizure is shorter than five minutes and is typical for them,
if it is not immediately followed by another seizure, and if the person is
uninjured. (When in doubt, always call 911).

A seizure longer than five minutes is a medical emergency.

A sudden fall can lead to broken bones and other injuries.
______________________________________________________

Recovery Position

Before using the Recovery Position, perform the preliminary first aid steps. The
initial assessment should be done quickly, in a minute or less.

First assess whether the scene is safe for the rescuer. If not, leave. Assess
whether the victim is Alert, Breathing and has Circulation (ABCs). If the victim
is alert and an adult, obtain consent before performing first aid. For children,
attempt to obtain consent from a parent, guardian, or other responsible
caregiver. If the victim is not alert, and is not breathing, check for a pulse.
If there is no pulse, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. If there is
circulation, perform Rescue breathing.

Next, call 911

Rescue Breathing can include:

Mouth to mouth - This involves the rescuer making a seal between their mouth and
the patient's mouth and 'blowing', in order to pass air in to the patient's body

Mouth to nose - In some instances, the rescuer may need or wish to form a seal
with the patient's nose. Typical reasons for this include maxillofacial
injuries, performing the procedure in water or the remains of vomit in the mouth

Mouth to mouth and nose - Used on infants (usually up to around 1 year old), as
this forms the most effective seal

Mouth to mask ï¿½ Most organizations recommend the use of some sort of barrier
between rescuer and patient to reduce cross infection risk. One popular type is
the 'pocket mask'. This may be able to provide higher tidal volumes than a Bag
Valve Mask

-If no spinal or neck injury is indicated

The correct position is called the "lateral recovery position. Start with the
victim lying on the back and with the legs straight out. Kneel on one side of
the victim, facing the victim. Move the arm closest to you so it is
perpendicular to the body, with the elbow flexed (perpendicular). Move the
farthest arm across the body so that the hand is resting across the torso.

Bend the leg farthest from you so the knee is elevated. Reach inside the knee to
pull the thigh toward you. Use the other arm to pull the shoulder that is
farthest from you. Roll the body toward you. Leave the upper leg in a flexed
position to stabilize the body.

-If spinal or neck injuries are possible

When the injury is apparently the result of an accidental fall, collision or
other trauma, the risk of spinal or neck injuries should be assumed. Movement of
spinal-injured victims should be minimized. Such victims should only be moved to
a recovery position when it is necessary to drain vomit from the airway.

In such case, the correct position is called the "HAINES modified recovery
position." HAINES is an acronym of High Arm IN Endangered Spine. In this
modification, one of the patient's arms is raised above the head (in full
abduction) to support the head and neck

First Responder Notes

If an individual has suffered a fall or injuries that suggest damage to the
spine, your priority is to keep the airway open. If breathing, then leave them
in the position you found them.

If breathing has stopped, regardless of possible injury to the person, perform
your standard checks:

DR & ABC (Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation).

Then move them into the recovery position to open the airway. If they do not
start breathing, begin CPR. If they begin to breathe, keep them in that
position.

First Responder Priorities.

1 Breathing, everything else comes second.

2 Get Help, you are the stop gap that keeps them alive until they get to the
Hospital.

Andrew Pacholyk, MS. L.Ac
http://www.peacefulmind.com
Therapies for healing
mind, body, spirit