About.com First Aid

Cold, Flu or Swine Flu: Which Is It?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:46:59 +0000

Have a runny nose? How about a cough? Are you concerned you might have swine flu?

A dry cough indicates it might be the seasonal flu, but a dry cough that develops into a wet cough could mean swine flu. A sore throat is typical of a cold and not the seasonal flu, but the swine flu often comes with a severe sore throat.

It sounds complicated, doesn't it?

Kristina Duda, About.com's Guide to Cold & Flu, has created a wonderful table to help you figure out whether you're suffering from the cold, the seasonal flu or the dreaded H1N1.

Cold, Flu or H1N1?

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Cold, Flu or Swine Flu: Which Is It? originally appeared on About.com First Aid on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 18:46:59.

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Ice Ice Baby

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:37:47 +0000

My daughter twisted her ankle at dance. She's the toughest kid we have and from the crying, Mom could tell she was hurting pretty bad.

One of the dance instructors iced the ankle. Indeed, that's the way to handle a twisted ankle. The cold helps reduce the swelling, especially when combined with elevation and compression.

The ice pack used was one of those reusable blue things for keeping soda cold in the cooler. You freeze it and toss it in the ice chest on your way out the door.

My daughter's instructor wrapped the blue thing in a paper towel and put it on her ankle. There's not a lot of material in a paper towel, so that's not really any different than putting the ice directly on the skin.

When my wife looked underneath the "ice" she found a blister about the size of a quarter.

It has taken my daughter longer to recover from the frostbite than from the twisted ankle -- talk about a teaching moment.

My daughter assures me she'll never put ice -- or allow anyone else to put ice -- directly on the skin again.

Frostbite from Icing an Injury

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Ice Ice Baby originally appeared on About.com First Aid on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 15:37:47.

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Zoll: Teaching CPR from Your iPhone?

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:31:33 +0000

Zoll -- maker of defibrillators, among other things -- has released an iPhone app to teach folks how to do CPR.

Learning CPR from your iPhone? Hmmmm. I don't know if I buy that.

Since I don't have an iPhone, I can't buy it anyway. But some of you can. If you do, I want to hear about it.

Email me. Write a little review. Add to the comments at the bottom of this post. Put it on the first aid forum. I want to know what you think about learning CPR from an iPhone. Is it enough to teach all by itself, or do you still need a person to help you learn?

Go shopping at the app store and let me know.

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Zoll: Teaching CPR from Your iPhone? originally appeared on About.com First Aid on Saturday, November 14th, 2009 at 13:31:33.

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Waiting in the ER: Crowds or Discrimination?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:50:49 +0000

It's not just me -- it takes longer to be seen in the ER.

New research showed how the wait times for being seen in the emergency department have increased since 1997. We've been blaming the number of uninsured patients going to the ER because they don't have any other option, but the waits are affecting all types of insured patients (those with and those without).

One of the interesting factors the researchers blamed for increasing wait times was simply called "physician bias." It's a reminder that docs are people, too and they have the same biases we all have.

Have you felt the bias of a physician? Do you think you've been discriminated against in the ER? Read as others share their stories of healthcare discrimination and share your own.

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Waiting in the ER: Crowds or Discrimination? originally appeared on About.com First Aid on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 21:50:49.

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Felony Cough

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:57 +0000

Thanks to H1N1 coughing is nearly a felony -- especially if you don't cover your mouth.

Luckily, not every cough is a sign of the swine flu. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do for a cough. It's probably one of the most complicated responses in the human body.

The next time you have a cough that doesn't seem to go away, try a home remedy. Honey has had some luck as a cough suppresant. Some medicines help a little.

If the cough is from an allergic reaction, treating the allergy might help.

Since almost everything you try has such a small chance of working, be sure to carry tissues with you when you have a cough. Always cover your cough and toss the tissue in the trash. If you don't have tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow rather than your hand -- you're less likely to pass your germs on to others that way.

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Felony Cough originally appeared on About.com First Aid on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 00:00:57.

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Sleep Soundly for an Extra Hour? You Just Need New Batteries

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:46:44 +0000

Time to change the clocks back.

This Sunday at two o'clock in the morning is when Daylight Saving Time goes away and standard time comes back.

Woo-hoo! Bring on the extra hour of sleep!

Clocks aren't the only thing that should change. The US Fire Administration wants to remind you to change the batteries in your smoke alarm when you change the time.

Don't have a smoke alarm? It's time to get one!

According to the USFA, almost two thirds of deadly home fires from 2003-2006 didn't have working smoke alarms. Either the homes didn't have smoke alarms at all, or the smoke alarms didn't make any noise.

The trick to making your smoke alarm work: good batteries.

You should change your batteries at least once a year, twice a year is better. That's why the USFA recommends changing batteries when the time changes -- it's a great way to remember.

You should also change the batteries if your smoke alarm starts to chirp for no reason.

Have fun sleeping in Sunday morning, and don't forget to be safe.

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Sleep Soundly for an Extra Hour? You Just Need New Batteries originally appeared on About.com First Aid on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 17:46:44.

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Mom Always Knew Best -- Just Ask the CDC

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:23:29 +0000

Flu season is going to be rough this year.

I watch Google.org's Flu Trends website rather than the CDC only because it tends to be a bit ahead of the curve reporting trends in flu cases (and it has an easy to use interface).

Wow. There's an early spike this year.

I don't know how much the media hype of H1N1 is affecting Google's numbers, but I'm still a little concerned about the impact this will have on emergency services as we get deeper into the traditional flu season.

Apparently, the White House is concerned, too. President Obama declared an emergency, which should give hospitals additional options for treating tons of flu cases.

The flu season is the busy time for emergency departments and ambulances around the country. The flu leads to shortness of breath and coughing. It makes folks tired, dizzy and confused. It gives you body aches and fever.

It sends you to the ER.

Now, thanks to H1N1, we're dealing with the flu at numbers near a typical peak season before the season should have even started.

The CDC has these tips to protect yourself, which look strangely similar to the things Mom always told you:

Get vaccinated.
Cover your cough with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Wash your hands often with soap and water.
Keep your hands out of your face -- touching your eyes, nose and mouth spreads germs.
Stay home if you're sick.

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Mom Always Knew Best -- Just Ask the CDC originally appeared on About.com First Aid on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 11:23:29.

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A Spider with a Taste for the Salad Bar

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:03:49 +0000

Spiders get blamed for all kinds of bites because whether they are the culprits or not; everyone knows they will bite you because they like to eat meat.

Not all spiders.

A researcher in Costa Rica found a veggie-loving spider living on an acacia tree. It's a hairy, ugly little critter. I don't know if it bites for protection, but it certainly won't bite you because it's hungry.

I guess that's good news.

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A Spider with a Taste for the Salad Bar originally appeared on About.com First Aid on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 01:03:49.

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So You Think You Can Dance...on a Broken Ankle?

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:32:27 +0000

My girls are dancers. After shuttling them back and forth to dance class today, I sat down to an episode of So You Think You Can Dance (aren't you jealous of my life?).

In tonight's episode, a couple of dancers injured their ankles. One is simply a sprain, but the other is significantly deformed. It's either a break or a dislocation. Whichever it is, it will most likely be the end of that dancer's career on this show -- at least this season.

The show has medical staff to handle injured dancers, but what would you do? Broken ankles are not life-threatening. They are very painful, however. A few splints can help you deal with the pain until you get to the doctor.

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So You Think You Can Dance...on a Broken Ankle? originally appeared on About.com First Aid on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 23:32:27.

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What About First Aid for Your Pets?

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:41:06 +0000

If you truly like your dog or your cat (or your ferret) then you might want to have a first aid kit just for them. Much of what you keep in your own first aid kit will do double-duty for Fido or Tabby.

For a family with a pet, the best plan is to put pet-specific items in your family first aid kit. Junior might not need a muzzle (some kids could use one, I'm sure), but it would definitely come in handy when you have to dig out the remnants of your rottweiler's torn toenail.

Throw a few items that would come in handy for your pet into a bag and keep it either next to or in your regular first aid kit. That way, you'll be prepared for any emergency, human or not.

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What About First Aid for Your Pets? originally appeared on About.com First Aid on Friday, October 9th, 2009 at 01:41:06.

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