Stingray Stings
A stingray has venomous spines in its tail that can puncture the skin and in some cases cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. One flick next to your leg while you’re wading along the Florida coast, and you’ll find out just how painful they can be.
Seek immediate medical attention if the individual has:
Trouble breathing or swallowing
Itchiness
Nausea or vomiting
Rapid pulse
Dizziness
Loss of consciousness
At-Home First Aid for Stingray Stings
Here’s what to do if a stingray leaves one of its spines in your leg:
1.Carefully remove the barb if it is still embedded.
2.Soak the affected area for 20 minutes in a saltwater or hot-water bath to help break down the neurotoxin the barbs release.
3.Neutralize the sting. After soaking, make a paste of baking soda and water or baking soda and apple cider vinegar, and apply to the stung area. Papain powder derived from the unripe papaya — the main ingredient in meat tenderizer — can also be mixed into a paste and applied to break down the venom.
Follow-Up Care for Stingray Stings
To help prevent infection and stimulate healing, use tincture of echinacea internally, 1 dropperful 3 times daily for 1 to 2 days.
Prevention of Stingray Stings
To avoid running into a stingray, give it fair warning that you’re around. Stingrays bury themselves under the sand in shallow areas of coastal waters, so make sure you shuffle your feet when walking in the shallows.
Stings (Bee, Hornet, and Wasp)
Stings can be fatal. If you or someone with you experiences any of the signs of an allergic reaction listed below, seek immediate medical attention!
Seek immediate medical attention if:
The individual’s tongue swells
The individual is wheezing or has difficulty breathing
You observe skin flushing or a sudden-onset rash
The individual develops a severe cough
The individual complains of blurred vision
The individual vomits or complains of nausea
While you wait for medical attention:
1.Remove the stinger. Being careful not to squeeze the venom sac at the base of the stinger, gently pull out the stinger by dragging the edge of a fingernail or a credit card across the imbedded stinger in the direction opposite from its entry. If this is ineffective, use tweezers. Remove the stinger as quickly as possible, as the venom sac can release poisons for 2 or 3 minutes.
2.If the individual is allergic, inject epinephrine, if available. If (and only if) the individual is allergic, check to see if she is carrying an automatic syringe (such as an EpiPen) that injects epinephrine. Many people who know they are allergic to bee stings carry them. The epinephrine will help dilate the airway and prevent anaphylactic shock.
At-Home First Aid for Stings (Bee, Hornet, and Wasp)
Remove the stinger, clean the wound, and then stop pain and swelling:
1.Extraction. Remove the stinger as directed in step 1 on page 115.
2.Cleansing. Wash the area with soap and water.
3.Find relief. Try any of the remedies listed below.
Garden Remedies
Some of the simplest topical remedies that relieve pain and swelling can be found right at your feet. They include mud, green clay, and freshly chewed plantain leaf.
Kitchen Remedies
Other remedies to reduce pain and swelling are found in your kitchen. Try:
Meat tenderizer (papain powder). Mix with water into a paste, and paint over the wound with your fingers.
Baking soda. Mix with vinegar into a thick paste, and plop it on the wound.
Onion. Cut fresh slices, and lay over the wound.
Cold milk. Dip a clean cloth in milk, wring out, fold, and apply.
Herbs
A dropperful of echinacea tincture taken 3 times daily can help reduce swelling. Two drops of lavender essential oil or a moistened tobacco leaf are also effective when applied topically to neutralize the venom.
Homeopathic Remedies
All homeopathic remedies should be taken internally by dissolving 4 pellets under the tongue.
Apis is ideal for stings that cause redness, hot and rapid swellings, and pain that is worsened by heat.
Vespa is for stings from wasps.
Follow-Up Care for Stings (Bee, Hornet, and Wasp)
One thousand to 5,000 mg of vitamin C and 100 mg of pantothenic acid up to 5 times during the day for the first day help provide a natural antihistamine effect, thus reducing swelling. Other supplements to consider:
Bromelain, an enzyme derived from pineapple, will help relieve swelling. Take one 500-mg capsule 3 times daily for 1 to 2 days.
Quercetin is a flavonoid with anti-inflammatory properties. Take one 500-mg dose every 4 hours for 1 to 2 days.
Prevention of Stings (Bee, Hornet, and Wasp)
If you’re allergic to bee stings, carry an emergency epinephrine “pen” (EpiPen) at all times. Discuss with your health-care provider if you think you need one.
If you’re attacked by an angry swarm of bees, hornets, or wasps, run into thick bushes or jump into a body of water — if, that is, you can swim!
Stomach Pain
(See also Food Poisoning )
Seek immediate medical attention if you or someone with you is experiencing symptoms of appendicitis:
Spasms in abdomen — pain is usually felt at the navel but also in the lower right side of the abdomen
The stomach is tender to the touch, movement worsens pain, and sleep may be difficult
Vomiting
Breath may smell foul
Temperature is around 102°F (39°C)
!
Never apply heat to stomachaches of unknown origin. Heat can cause the appendix to rupture in cases of appendicitis.
While you wait for medical attention:
1.Do not allow the victim to eat.
2.To alleviate pain and inhibit toxicity, try one or more of the following, if the ingredients are available: Give 1 dropperful of echinacea tincture every 2 hours.
Dip half of a toothpick in ume concentrate; dissolve the concentrate in a cup of chamomile tea and drink.
Apply a cool castor oil compress over the inflamed area.
3.Rinse the mouth with sips of water, but if you suspect appendicitis, avoid drinking.
4.Keep the patient quiet in a semi-sitting position.
At-Home First Aid for Stomach Pain
If you’re sure the individual does not need medical assistance, in addition to the remedies outlined above, a few simple teas can often ease the pain. Try agrimony, slippery elm, chamomile, peppermint, or ginger.
Stroke
Seek immediate medical attention if you or someone else experiences any symptoms of stroke, including:
Sudden headache
Paralysis or numbness on either or both sides
Difficulty swallowing, breathing, or speaking
Difficulty seeing
Dizziness or loss of balance
Loss of bladder or bowel control
Confusion
Loss of consciousness
While you wait for medical attention:
1.If the person is unconscious, place him in the recovery position.
2.If the person is conscious, help him lie down. The head should be slightly higher than the feet.
3.Loosen clothing around the neck, chest, and waist.
4.Keep the victim cool to minimize damage. Try fanning him and applying cold compresses to the wrists, neck, and pelvic area.
5.Do not give food or drink.
6.Monitor breathing. Be prepared to administer CPR if necessary.
Follow-Up Care for Stroke
Treatment can include cerebral tonics such as the herbs ginkgo or gotu kola (one to two 500-mg capsules or 1 dropperful of tincture 3 times a day), the antioxidant lipoic aci
d (one 1,000-mg capsule), and the essential fatty acid DHA (according to label specifications) as part of a daily nutritional protocol.
Sunburn
(See also Burns or Heatstroke )
At-Home First Aid for Sunburn
Here’s how to soothe the burn:
Household Remedies
Rehydration. Drink plenty of water to rehydrate the skin.
Soaks. Soak in a tepid bath. Add 1 cup (240 ml) of apple cider vinegar, 1 cup of black or green tea, or 7 drops of peppermint or lavender essential oil. Or add 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) of baking soda and a small handful of sea salt.
Yogurt. Blend yogurt and cucumber, and apply to the skin. Leave on for 20 to 30 minutes, and then rinse off.
Milk compress. Soak a clean cloth in cold milk. Squeeze out excess liquid, and apply to the burned area.
Herbal Remedies
Aloe juice. Add a few drops of lavender essential oil to aloe vera juice, and smooth over your skin.
Peppermint. Drink peppermint tea to cool you from the inside.
Chamomile poultices. For sunburned eyes, apply damp, cooled, chamomile tea bags as a poultice.
St.-John’s-wort. Apply an oil or cream made with St.-John’s-wort. Caution: Do not expose skin to further sun, as St.-John’s-wort can increase sun sensitivity.
Homeopathic Remedies
Depending on the situation, try 4 pellets dissolved under the tongue 4 times daily of the appropriate remedy:
Cantharis for burns with blisters relieved by cold compresses (do not break blisters); also helps minor sunburn
Urtica urens for minor sunburn
Toothache
A toothache can be due to injury or infection. Pain may be sharp, throbbing, or continuous.
At-Home First Aid for Toothache
Every toothache needs to be checked by a dentist. Until you can see one, however, try the following remedies to quell the pain.
Household Remedies
Salt water. Add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of salt to 1 cup (240 ml) of water (hot or cold), and swish it around in your mouth. Repeat every couple of hours.
Garlic. Place a piece of garlic on the tooth for about an hour.
Ice. Put small pieces of ice in your mouth.
Herbal Remedies
Essential oils. Apply 2 drops of clove or tea tree essential oil on the tooth and surrounding gum area. For children and for those who prefer a milder solution, dilute the clove oil with equal parts vegetable oil or vodka.
Poultice. Apply a plantain poultice.
Pine resin. Apply resin from a pine tree.
Ginger compress. Apply it to the cheek area over the afflicted tooth.
Herbal footbath. A hot ginger or mustard tea footbath will help draw pain away from the head. Soak your feet for 3 minutes in hot tea, and then plunge them into icy cold water for 1 minute. Alternate back and forth for about 15 minutes, always beginning with the hot and ending with the cold.
Valerian. Take two 500-mg valerian capsules up to 3 times daily.
Homeopathic Remedies
Dissolve 4 pellets of the appropriate remedy under the tongue 4 times daily:
Belladonna can help reduce the swelling and pain of a rapid-onset infection in the early stages.
Hepar sulph helps to drain pus from an infected abscess.
Chamomilla is for severe toothaches in which the person is sensitive to heat and feels worse at night. People who need this may have a low pain threshold. Pain sometimes radiates toward the ear.
Coffea is for intense stinging pain that is worse from chewing and warm drinks.
Magnesia phosphorica is for intense piercing pain shooting along the tooth’s nerve. The pain improves when cold water is in the mouth.
Staphysagria should be used when major decay is causing the pain.
Chinese Medicine
Acupressure. Apply pressure using a rapid, circular massage to the tips of your index fingers on each side of the fingernail.
Unconsciousness
(See also Fainting, Head Injury, or Shock )
Seek immediate medical attention for all cases of unconsciousness.
While you wait for medical attention:
1.Check for breathing. If the individual is not breathing, begin CPR.
2.If the victim is breathing, check to see if she is responsive. Ask: “Are you okay?” Gently tap or shake. Do not harshly shake or slap the person, as this could aggravate spinal or neck injuries.
3.Treat for bleeding if necessary.
4.If you are absolutely certain there is no spinal injury, place the personin the recovery position.
5.Rub the individual’s ear to stimulate acupressure points. Call to her.
6.Do not give an unconscious person anything to eat or drink, as it could cause choking.
7.Crush some aromatic herbs, and wave them in front of the individual’s nose. Lavender or peppermint essential oil is also effective.
8.In a firm voice, command the individual to breathe and awaken.
9.Prevent shock by keeping the individual warm.
Vomiting
Seek immediate medical attention if vomiting:
Causes uncontrollable dehydration
Lasts for more than 24 hours
Is excessively violent
Smells like feces
Is dark green or brown
While you wait for medical attention:
Follow any of the suggestions outlined below under At-Home First Aid for Vomiting.
At-Home First Aid for Vomiting
If the person does not need medical attention, try any one of these remedies:
Household Remedies
Lemon. Have the person suck on a piece of lemon.
Ume. Offer some ume concentrate in a bit of water, or 1 teaspoon (5 ml) umeboshi plum paste in 1 cup (240 ml) of water.
Ginger ale. Encourage the person to sip some real ginger ale made from the herb.
Compress. An apple cider vinegar compress can be applied to the abdomen to curb vomiting.
Herbal Remedies
Drink peppermint or ginger tea.
Homeopathic and Other Remedies
Four pellets of nux vomica dissolved under the tongue can help relieve emergency digestive ailments.
Massage. Rub the stomach gently in a counterclockwise direction.
Acupressure. Press on the acupressure point for nausea. It is located in the middle of the inner forearm, two-and-one-half finger widths above the crease of the wrist.
Wounds
See Abdominal Injuries or Bleeding
03
Surviving Nature’s Challenges
Tips and Techniques for Emergencies
Accidents considered minor mishaps at home can easily evolve into dangerous situations when they occur away from phones, cars, and clean running water. Such is often the case after natural disasters or when you’re traveling in the wilderness. Preparation is your most important ally. In the event of a natural disaster, loss of power, or encounter with a wild animal, you will want to initiate concrete action, not fumble through a book looking for answers or search aimlessly for supplies. If you’ve read through the information and prepared yourself, both with supplies and knowledge, you’ll be well equipped to handle the situation.
Avalanche
Signs of an avalanche can include cracking ice sounds, snowballs that roll downhill, and white clouds and dust uphill. If you see any of these signs, head sideways rather than downhill. If you are on skis and at the avalanche edge, try to ski out. If it’s too late to ski out, get rid of encumbrances such as backpacks or skis. As the avalanche overcomes you, take in a big breath, close your mouth, and cover your nose to prevent snow from entering the lungs and throat and causing suffocation.
Hang on to the downhill side of any fixed object such as a rock pinnacle, as the avalanche may keep flowing past you. If you get swept downhill, swim against the tide toward the nearest edge. Use either the backstroke, breaststroke, or dog paddle. If necessary, use your arms to fend off
slabs of snow and rocks, but keep trying to get to the surface by swimming.
Once the slide has stopped, use every effort to break out of the snow immediately as it will set up hard within minutes. Wrap both arms over and around your head to create breathing space. When you’ve stopped moving, quickly make as large a cavity around you as possible to allow for air space before snow freezes, which happens quickly. Then try to dig yourself out. Should you end up buried, determine which way is up by collecting some saliva in your mouth and dribbling it off your lips. If the spit moves toward your nose, you’ll know that you are upside down. If breathing is difficult, conserve oxygen by minimizing movement and breathing slowly. Survival is possible under the snow for some time.
The Natural First Aid Handbook Page 9