First Aid

How well do we know about first aid? What is it? How does it help? So on and so forth. Numerous such questions came to my mind when I saw this ad on TV about a series that Irrfan Khan (of Paan Singh Tomar fame) is publicizing. It is called 'Be Emergency Ready' . Based on the commercials it seems to be talking about dire emergencies.
I am sure there are skilled personnel like ambulance staff to perform first-aid. But I am sure we as passers by or friends or family too can help in certain situations. But what to do or how to do it is not yet clear. I worry that a lot of us especially in India don t even realize the importance of knowing first aid... No?

First aid is really important and most important is how to deal with trauma and accidents as life has become very fast. If we know primary things of first aid we can take care of ourselves and our near and dear ones in case of any emergency.

Very commonly occurring hiccups for example, Do we know about them? Lets see...

What causes hiccups?

Too full stomach can cause hiccups. A stomach can get too full not only by eating food quickly, but also by:

• Drinking too much alcohol.
• Swallowing too much air.
• Smoking.
• A sudden change in stomach temperature, such as drinking a hot beverage and then a cold beverage.
• Emotional stress or excitement.

How are hiccups treated?

Hiccups go away on their own within a few minutes to a few hours and do not require any treatment.

Many home remedies that are used to treat hiccups involve increasing the level of carbon dioxide in the blood. Some of these remedies include:

• Holding your breath and counting slowly to 10.
• Breathing repeatedly into a paper bag for a limited period of time.
• Quickly drinking a glass of cold water.
• Eating a teaspoon of sugar or honey.
• Startling someone or giving them a scare.

A sudden emotional response to surprising or drastic news has worked for some people. As extreme emotions can cause hiccups in the first place, it is believed the same tactic can be used to get rid of them.A sudden fright could work by disrupting the hiccup cycle. If someone is surprised suddenly enough, they may gasp, taking in a large breath of air quickly enough to stop the hiccups. But this method is subjective to what works on whom...

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Hi Brad, you are right First aid does play a vital role everywhere. The problem however is, not many understand this. Here's why I think one should go take a first aid course (some NGOs do that voluntarily) or if not a course, then atleast always keep a first aid manual handy:

Yes thats right Every person should have the knowledge of first aid... but how many of us really do?

Everyone should have the knowledge of first aid. We never know when there would be an emergency, we should be prepared for every situation. The recent incident at Uttarakhand where many people got into unexpected trouble. I am not sure what content is going to be aired through Irfan's show but it would be good if some first aid related tips are shared so that people learn something from it.