The Natural First Aid Handbook
Page 4
1.Cleanse. Wash the area gently with soap and water.
2.Disinfect. If the blister is accidentally broken, apply a few drops of lavender oil or echinacea tincture to the area.
3.Bandage. Cover with a breathable adhesive dressing.
Follow-Up Care for Blisters
For both broken and unbroken blisters, apply lavender essential oil 3 times daily until the blister disappears.
Breathing Difficulties
(See also Asthma Attacks )
Seek immediate medical attention if:
The individual is not breathing
The individual’s breathing is noisy
A froth appears around the lips or nose
A bluish color appears around the lips and ears
While you wait for medical attention:
1.Evaluate the need for CPR or abdominal thrusts to clear the airway.
2.If the individual is having trouble coughing or breathing, ask if he is choking: If he can cough or speak, let him try to expel the blockage on his own.
If he can’t cough but is breathing, his airway is only partially obstructed. Arrange for immediate transport to an emergency medical facility to remove the blockage.
If he cannot speak, cough, or breathe, his airway is obstructed. Get someone to call for medical help while you perform lifesaving abdominal thrusts.
Broken Bones
See Fractures
Bruises
Bruises are a discoloration on the surface of the skin. We recognize them as black-and-blue marks. They occur when the skin is struck with such force that blood vessels break and leak, and blood fills the damaged tissues below the surface of the skin, yet the skin is unbroken.
At-Home First Aid for Bruises
A large, deeply discolored area may indicate underlying injuries and should be examined by a health-care professional. Keep in mind that some injuries may not be immediately apparent. If pain from a bruise gets worse rather than better during the 24 hours following the injury, see a doctor. In the meantime, here’s how you can help the bruise heal:
Household Remedies
Cold packs. Ice packs or towels soaked in cold water can be used to reduce swelling. Apply for 20 minutes, then remove for 20 minutes, and repeat as necessary.
Elevation. Elevate the bruised limb to minimize swelling.
Poultices. The inner skin of a fresh ripe banana, grated raw potato, grated onion, cabbage leaf, green clay mixed with apple cider vinegar, parsley, grated ginger, tofu, and wheatgrass all make good poultices for bruises.
Herbal Remedies
Comfrey. A poultice made from comfrey will help relieve the pain and swelling.
Lavender. The essential oil (no more than 5 drops) can be applied directly to the bruise to encourage healing.
Homeopathic Remedies
One of the most common remedies for bruising is arnica — rub gently on unbroken skin to soothe deep bruises. Other homeopathic remedies to take internally (4 pellets dissolved under the tongue 4 times daily) include:
Ruta graveolens to help relieve pain from a bruised bone; most often used when it is the elbow, kneecap, or shin that has been bruised
Hypericum for bruises to sensitive areas such as fingertips, lips, nose, or eyes
Bellis for bruising with swelling that is worse with pressure and better with active motion or rest
Ledum for bruising with extreme tenderness, when the tenderness is made better with cold and rest, worse with warmth and motion
Rhus tox when there is swelling and inflammation around soft tissue and the joint feels better after having moved a bit
Follow-Up Care for Bruises
If swelling and inflammation have subsided 24 hours after the bruise appears, begin to apply heat to stimulate healing blood flow to the area.
Prevention of Bruises
If you bruise easily, take a 1,000-mg supplement of vitamin C with bioflavonoids and rutin daily to help strengthen the capillaries. Also include plenty of leafy green vegetables and soybeans in your diet. Both are rich sources of vitamin K, a nutrient known to improve your blood’s ability to clot.
Bruising easily can also indicate a nutritional deficiency or weakness in the spleen and kidneys. Or it can be the side effect of certain medications or frequent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen. If you seem to get a lot of bruises for no apparent reason, check with your doctor.
Bug Bites
(See also Spider Bites or Stings [Bee, Hornet, and Wasp] )
Bug bites can make forays into nature perilous if they cause itching, stinging, swelling, redness, and irritation.
At-Home First Aid for Bug Bites
Here’s what to do for insect bites:
Ants and bees. Treat ant bites topically with apple cider vinegar, green clay moistened with vinegar or water, cucumber juice, or a plantain leaf poultice. You can also try applying mud, lavender or tea tree essential oil, or a paste of baking soda and apple cider vinegar to help neutralize the formic acid in the bite.
Caterpillars and centipedes. When brushing off hairy caterpillars, do so from tail to head, or irritating hairs may remain in your skin. Apply lavender essential oil to their bites. Echinacea tincture can be used topically and internally (1 dropperful 3 or 4 times daily).
Mosquitoes. Apply mud, witch hazel, lemon juice, moistened vitamin C powder, apple cider vinegar, peppermint, a plantain leaf poultice, or lavender or tea tree essential oils to the bite.
Ticks. Brush them off clothing or flick them off skin. If they are attached, it’s imperative that the ticks be removed without leaving their heads embedded in the skin. Do not traumatize the tick or squeeze its body in the center. Either use a tick scooper — a plastic device available from your vet — or sterile tweezers to grab the tick as close to the head as possible. Pull the tick straight out and use the tweezers to remove any part left in the wound. Afterward, wash the area and your hands well with antiseptic soap and water, dry, then apply a few drops of infection-fighting echinacea tincture or lavender or tea tree essential oil.
To remove a tick, grab it near the head and pull it straight out.
Ticks and Disease
Ticks have been a cause for special concern in the past few years because of their ability to transmit Lyme disease. The longer an infected tick remains attached, the greater the chance for infection. Symptoms of Lyme disease, which can take from 2 days to 2 weeks to manifest, include arthritis-like symptoms such as achy joints, chills, rashes, facial palsy, headaches, swollen glands, fatigue, numbness, irregular heart rhythms, and a bite mark that resembles a bull’s-eye. The longer Lyme disease remains undiagnosed, the more difficult it is to treat.
In addition, a tick pathogen, Rickettsia rickettsii, is known to cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which may appear 1 week after a tick bite, include intense headache, itching, a rash on the ankles and wrists, and fever.
As a precaution, if you are bitten by a tick, take 1 dropperful of echinacea or red root tincture 3 times daily for a few days to give the immune system a boost. You might also want to drink calendula and cleavers teas. Calendula is antiseptic and helps treat infections deep in the body, while cleavers reduces fever.
If despite your precautions, you suspect you have contracted Lyme disease or spotted fever, visit a health-care professional.
Follow-Up Care for Bug Bites
If you have lots of itchy bites, any one of the following ingredients added to a warm bath may provide some relief:
1 cup (240 ml) apple cider vinegar
1 pound (454 g) baking soda (use half as much for children)
1 gallon (3.8 l) infused tea of peppermint, white oak bark, or cleavers
1⁄2 cup (120 ml) sea salt
1 cup (240 ml) cornstarch
Prevention of Bug Bites
Mosquitoes and other insects are repelled by many natural substances. They include:
Homeopathic staphysagria. Taking 4 pellets dissolved un
der the tongue 4 times daily a few days prior to an outing may discourage mosquitoes from biting you.
Essential oils. A drop or two of cedarwood, citronella, lavender, or tea tree essential oils can be applied topically to pulse points such as the inside of the wrists, behind the knees, and behind the ears every hour or so to repel buzzing bombers. If you don’t have essential oils, you may rub aromatic plants such as artemisia, lavender, or rosemary on your body. See Herbal Insect Repellent should you wish to make your own insect repellent blend.
Garlic. Taking a 500-mg garlic capsule 3 or 4 times a day will make you an unappetizing target for anything that bites.
Diet. Avoid large amounts of sugars, alcohol, and tropical fruits and juices when you know you’re going to be outdoors. Some people feel that these items attract bugs.
Aromatherapy. Place a few drops of citronella, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, rosemary, or tea tree essential oil in a diffuser to discourage flying insects. You can also mix a glass of water with about 30 drops of the oil to use as a room spray.
Tomato leaves. Hang a bouquet of dried tomato plant leaves in the room to repel mosquitoes.
Herbal Insect Repellent
Instead of soaking your body with a potentially dangerous chemical, try this natural insect repellent that encourages insects to choose another target. You can make up a bottle before mosquito season and keep it handy in the refrigerator all summer long.
1⁄4 cup (60 ml) almond or sunflower oil
5 drops each of eucalyptus essential oil, lavender essential oil, tea tree essential oil, citronella essential oil, and rosemary essential oil
Burns
First-degree burns leave a painful red mark without blisters and often occur from brief contact with a hot object. Mild sunburn is a first-degree burn. Only the first layer of skin is affected.
Second-degree burns develop blisters and swelling. They are more painful, are deeper, and may appear wet. There may be raw, red blisters. They may be caused by boiling water or contact with a very hot object, such as a woodstove. A severe sunburn could be classified as a second-degree burn. They are more likely to cause scarring than are first-degree burns.
Third-degree burns may look white and charred. They may be caused by electrical shock or prolonged contact with a hot object. Since skin and nerve endings are often destroyed, the pain may actually be less than with a first- or second-degree burn, but there is a greater likelihood of infection. Third-degree burns are frequently surrounded by lesser-degree burns that will probably be painful.
Seek immediate medical attention if:
A large area of skin is burned (more than 10 percent in a child or 15 percent in an adult)
The burned area develops blisters or swelling
The burn has resulted from severe electrical shock
The burned area is on the face
The eyes are burned
While you wait for medical attention:
1.If the eyes have been burned by fire, flush with cold water.
2.If the eyes have been burned by chemicals, flush with cool water for a full 5 minutes, then refer to Eyes — Heat and Chemical Burns.
3.If the face is burned, keep the injured person sitting or propped up and observe carefully for breathing difficulty.
4.If a large area is burned, do not apply cold water or ice, as this can cause further shock. Instead, help the burned individual lie down on a sheet or rug, then cover the burned area with a clean sheet or other material that is not fluffy.
5.In the case of white, charred burns (third-degree burns), do not apply water or even remove clothing. Wrap the area in a cold, wet cloth, and take 4 pellets dissolved under the tongue of homeopathic cantharis.
6.Provide electrolytes (available at most health food stores; see also recipe).
7.Treat for shock.
At-Home First Aid for Burns
At-home first aid is appropriate only for first-degree burns. Remove rings or tight clothing near the burn since they may be difficult to remove if swelling occurs.
Cool the burn to prevent further damage to the skin. Fill a basin of cold, not freezing, water and submerge the burned area in it for as long as it takes for the pain to subside. Should water be scarce, rinse with milk or beer or apply clean, wet compresses. Never apply anything to a burn before cooling it in water (or milk or beer) as you can actually seal in the heat, which will cause more damage.
After cooling the burn, there are several simple treatments to soothe and help heal the burned area.
Household and Herbal Remedies
Essential oils. After cooling the burn, either lavender or tea tree essential oil can be applied, undiluted, to the burned area to relieve pain, promote healing, and prevent infection.
Aloe. Keep a jar of aloe vera gel on hand in the refrigerator; aloe is the perfect remedy for relieving pain, preventing infection, and promoting healing. Or you can simply pull off and split the lower leaves of an aloe plant and apply the sticky inner gel.
Poultices. Poultices made of comfrey, grated carrot, tofu, raw potato, or plantain can help cool inflammation and promote healing.
Tea bags. Cooled black tea bags can be used the same way as poultices — plus they have the advantage of being quicker and easier to make.
St.-John’s-wort. An oil, lotion, or salve made with St.-John’s-wort can be applied regularly to the burned area to encourage healing.
Quick kitchen remedies. Spread raw honey or yogurt over the burn to cool inflammation and promote healing.
Homeopathic Remedies
For immediate shock, administer 2 drops of Rescue Remedy under the tongue or mixed in 1 cup (240 ml) of water. Then give 4 pellets dissolved under the tongue of the appropriate remedy for the situation.
Urtica urens can be given when an agonizing pain that feels like stinging occurs.
Hypericum can be used internally to help repair nerves damaged by burns.
Arsenicum album can be used for burned skin that is scaly, red, swollen, and sensitive to touch.
Chinese Medicine
A Chinese patent formula for burns is Jing Wan Hong (also known as Ching Wan Hung), which can be topically applied after the burn has cooled. Just smear onto clean gauze and bandage or tape in place over the burn. Change and reapply the bandage daily as necessary. Note: This remedy can discolor clothing, so wrap it well.
Follow-Up Care for First-Degree Burns
Burns that increase in pain more than 2 days after the incident, discharge pus, or cause problems with joint movement should be seen by a health-care professional. If a fever develops, the burn should also be checked whether or not any other symptoms occur.
Fluids. Drink plenty of fluids, especially water and fresh juices, to prevent dehydration. Cucumber juice is especially cooling.
Elevation. To help alleviate pain and swelling, keep the burned area elevated.
Cold pack. An insulated, dry cold pack can help relieve pain.
Herbs. To help the body heal, make a tea using 2 parts comfrey leaf, 1 part red clover blossoms, 1 part nettles, 1 part skullcap, and 1 part marshmallow root. Drink 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) every 2 hours for up to 3 weeks.
Protection. Shield any burned areas from the sun. Avoid applying anything with cotton balls, which have irritating fibers that can stick to the burn.
Swallow one 500-mg capsule each of comfrey root (to promote cell regeneration) and echinacea (to prevent blood poisoning or infection) every 2 hours for 3 to 4 days. Comfrey root should be taken internally for no longer than 2 weeks.
Nutritional support. Eat high-protein foods such as spirulina, chlorella, and blue-green algae, as they contain protein to rebuild damaged tissues. Traditional Chinese medicine encourages eating crab and mung bean soup to help heal by reducing heat in the body.
Supplements. Burn victims are prone to candida, so use an acidophilus supplement to minimize fungal growth. Take antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc to promote healing and minimize scarring.
In addition to the guidelines for follow-up care of first-degree burns, there are techniques useful for treating more serious second- and third-degree burns. Avoid breaking blisters or removing tissue. Soak burned areas in salt water to promote healing.
A classic formula for the treatment of second- and third-degree burns is to blend 1/2 cup (120 ml) wheat germ oil with 1/2 cup raw honey and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) lobelia powder. Store the mixture in a clean glass jar in a cool place. When needed, add enough chopped or blended comfrey leaves to make a paste. Gently apply with a sterilized paintbrush. (To sterilize the brush, immerse it in boiling water for 1 minute.) Don’t clean the paste off the burn, but paint on additional layers 2 or 3 times daily to regenerate new skin.
Chemical Contamination
(See also Eyes — Heat and Chemical Burns )
Seek immediate medical attention for all chemical contamination.
While you wait for medical attention:
1.If the chemical was a dry agent, protect your hands with rubber gloves, then brush as much of the chemical as possible away from the victim. Use a soft brush or duster. Remove contaminated clothing and rinse the person with cool water. Be sure to position the person so that the poison is not washed onto another part of the body.