People need hygiene, dentist checkup, medical exam, medical supplies, immunization, first aid, and safety {health}.
Dentists {dentistry}| clean teeth, check jaw, check gums, and check teeth every six months and take x-rays once a year. Good dentists know dental history, minimize pain, communicate results, itemize bills, see one patient at a time, require as few visits as possible, and emphasize dental hygiene. Most people need a comprehensive prepaid dental-care plan covering routine, emergency, and major dental problems, including children's orthodontics.
Most people need a regular family doctor {doctor}. A group practice or HMO can monitor doctor work and provide backup services. Most people need a comprehensive prepaid medical-care plan covering routine, emergency, and major medical problems, including vision, such as Kaiser Foundation and other health maintenance organizations (HMO) or Blue Cross and Blue Shield and other major-medical insurance companies.
Be ready for emergencies {emergency}. Place the following telephone numbers near telephone: doctor, poison-control center, pharmacist, police, fire department, and 24-hour ambulance service.
For personal cleanliness {hygiene}, use soft rounded-bristle toothbrush, fluoride toothpaste, hairbrush or comb, soap, and towels.
People need vaccinations {immunization}|, at specific ages.
baby
Combined vaccination for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) is at 2 months, 3 1/2 months, 5 months, 15 months, and 3 years. Vaccination for polio is at 2 months, 3 1/2 months, 5 months, 15 months, and 6 years. Vaccination for measles, mumps, and rubella is at one year.
child
Combined vaccination for tetanus and diphtheria (TD) is at 6 years, 12 years, and then every 10 years. By age 6, people need vaccinations against chickenpox, diphtheria, flu or Streptococcus pneumoniae {pneumococcus}, hepatitis A and B, measles, meningitis or Hemophilus influenzae b (Hib), mumps, pneumonia (PCV), polio, rotovirus, rubella, tetanus, and whooping cough.
adult
Vaccination for mumps is at 12 years. By age 18, women need vaccinations against cervical cancer {human papillomavirus}. By age 18, people need vaccinations against meningitis {meningococcus}.
other
People can have vaccinations against plague, rabies, and anthrax. Travelers can have vaccination against cholera. Smallpox no longer requires vaccination.
Swedish massage {massage}| rubs toward heart, using long pushes. Shiatsu uses finger pressure.
Have the following medical things {medical supplies}.
drugs
Aspirin or acetaminophen is for aches and fever. Sodium bicarbonate is for stomachache. Nose drops are for nasal congestion. Milk of magnesia is a laxative. Kaopectate is for diarrhea. Calamine lotion is for itching. Rubbing alcohol 70% is skin antiseptic for cleaning.
bandages
Plain or plastic-coated gauze bandages, with no medication, are for cuts. Elastic bandages are for joint support and sprains.
packs
Ice pack is for joint and muscle pain and for bleeding. Hot water bottle or heating pad is for muscle aches.
devices
Rectal thermometer or oral thermometer tests for fever. Vaporizer is for nose and sinus congestion. Tweezers with fine points are for splinter removal. Adhesive tape is for bandaging. Big scissors are for bandaging and opening.
manual
First-aid manual is for emergency procedures.
Other teeth can anchor artificial teeth {bridgework} {bridge, teeth}.
String {floss} can scrape teeth and gums between teeth.
Artificial tooth can insert into bone {implant}.
Maintaining calm control, first check for stopped breathing and then for bleeding {first aid}|. Keep person lying down. Keep person warm. Call doctor as soon as possible. Do not move person. To move person out of danger, slide person onto cloth and pull cloth headfirst.
Kits {first-aid kit}| can have bandages, elastic wrap, scissors, tweezers, ice pack, heat pad, thermometer, enema, vaporizer, and first aid manual. Telephone list has numbers for doctor, dentist, pharmacist, police, fire, and poison control center. Pharmaceuticals are aspirin or acetaminophen, milk of magnesia, kaopectate, calamine lotion, rubbing alcohol, and nose drops.
Wash animal or insect bites {animal bite} with water. Relieve itching with Epsom salts, calamine lotion, or baking soda solution. For allergic reactions, keep person still, use fingers or bandage to stop blood flow above sting, and loosen hold every 10 minutes, for one minute. Remove stingers by scraping skin with fingernail, away from bite.
If breathing stops {breathing problem}, put person on his or her back. Remove gum, false teeth, or other objects from mouth and throat. Loosen collar, shirt, and belt. Tilt head back, pull jaw up, and pinch nostrils shut. Put thumb in mouth to hold teeth apart.
Put mouth on person's mouth and blow in {artificial respiration}|. Remove mouth to see if air comes back out. Take breath and then put mouth on person's mouth and blow again. For adults, blow twelve times per minute. For children, blow twenty times per minute. If breathing does not start within five minutes, turn person on side and hit back between shoulder blades several times with heel of hand. Blow again for five minutes and then hit back again, if needed. Continue this procedure until doctor arrives or person begins breathing. Do not stop, because people can live with blown air. Treat for shock after person begins breathing.
Burns {burn} can only redden skin {first-degree burn}. Burns can make blisters {second-degree burn}. Burns can affect skin below epidermis {third-degree burn}.
treatment
Wash minor burns in cool water and put on gauze soaked in 2-tablespoons-in-1-quart baking soda solution or in cool water. For severe burns, cover burn with layers of dry cloth to keep air out. If severely burned person is conscious and does not have nausea, feed solution of 0.5 teaspoon salt and 0.5 teaspoon baking soda in liter of water, every 15 minutes. For severe burns, do not open blisters, do not pull off clothing, and do not put liquids or cotton balls on burns.
If an object in throat blocks breathing {choking}, make person cough. If choking persists, make person lie down on stomach with head below throat, then make fist and strike between shoulder blades. If choking persists, use Heimlich maneuver.
For heat cramps or muscle cramps {cramp}, give salt tablets or salt-water solution. Relieve pain by applying warm wet towels and firm pressure.
Locate voltage source {electric shock}. Using electrical-insulator material, remove contact between source and victim. Treat as for shock after injury.
If a chemical is in eye {eye problem}, flood eye with water immediately and continue rinsing for 30 minutes. If pain persists, rinse longer. If something gets in eye, pull upper eyelid out and then down, over lower eyelid, until tears wash object away. If object is in lower eyelid, pull lower eyelid back and down, and touch particle out with water, cotton swab, or wet cloth tip. If necessary, rinse open eye with lukewarm water.
If low blood flow or low blood pressure in head {fainting}| causes unconscious, lie person on back and raise feet. To prevent fainting, immediately lie down, or sit down and put head between knees, for three minutes to recover fully.
Check for broken bones {fracture} after checking for stopped breathing and bleeding.
types
Fractures can break through skin {compound fracture} {open fracture} or not {closed fracture} {simple fracture}. Bone can have several breaks {comminated fracture}.
symptoms
Swelling, deformity, pain, or tenderness indicate fracture. Skull fractures can have dizziness, unconsciousness, limb paralysis, and/or bleeding from nose, ears, or mouth. Neck or spine fractures can have unconsciousness, little hand or feet sensation, and/or sharp back or neck pain. Hip or thigh fractures can have turned-in foot and/or inability to lift leg. Pelvic fractures can have pain in pelvic area and blood in urine. Rib fractures can have pain in chest.
treatment
Keep person lying down. Loosen collar. Prevent body, head, and back movement. Hold jaw fracture shut with bandage under chin and over head. For collarbone fracture, use arm sling and bandage around chest and upper arm. For rib fracture, use chest bandage around chest. For limb fracture, use thin board, stick, or newspaper {splint} and cloth around limb and splint. For lower leg fracture, elevate leg. For upper arm fracture, use cloth {sling} wrapped from over elbow to wrist and tied around neck. Bandages should not stop blood flow.
If people inhale poison {fumes}, take person to fresh air and then keep person still and warm.
If choking persists, put arms around person from behind and push upward into diaphragm, just above navel and below rib cage, with both fists {Heimlich maneuver}|.
If nose bleeds {nosebleed}, sit down with head leaning back, or lie down with head and shoulders raised. Use fingers to compress nose, typically for 10 minutes. If bleeding continues, put gauze in nostrils and compress for five minutes. Children often have minor nosebleeds. High altitude can cause nosebleed.
The most common over-reaction to high heat {overheating}| is headache, fatigue, and nausea. Worse cases {heat exhaustion, first aid} have heavy perspiration and pale cold skin. Lie person down in a cool place and give one-teaspoon salt in a glass of water, every 30 minutes. The worst condition {heat stroke} {sunstroke} has high body temperature, dizziness, dry skin, headache, rapid pulse, and nausea. Put person in a cool place, remove clothes, sponge with water, or put person in a cold-water tub. If person is conscious, give one-teaspoon salt in a glass of water, every 30 minutes.
If people swallow poisons {poisoning, first aid}, follow directions on container. If person is unconscious and/or has swallowed acid, alkali, kerosene, gasoline, lighter fluid, iodine, or strychnine, give milk as antidote immediately and do not cause vomiting. If you do not know the poison, induce vomiting. Touch throat back with finger, or swallow glass of warm water containing two tablespoons salt. After vomiting, give one or two glasses of milk. Then give universal antidote.
Serious-injury victims can feel weak, have cold skin, be thirsty, be unconscious or faint, have rapid weak pulse, have irregular and shallow breathing, and/or perspire on forehead, palms, and armpits {shock after injury}|. Face is pale, skin is cold, and peripheral pulse is feeble.
causes
Shock can result from blood loss {hypovolemic shock} or heart failure {cardiogenic shock}. High infection level {sepsis, shock} can cause inflammation {septic shock}. Bleeding or internal bleeding {hemorrhaging}, possibly starting after an accident, can cause shock. Sudden vein and artery enlargement after accidents can cause shock.
Capillary permeability increases and blood volume decreases in response to injury. After accident or surgery, blood shunts from skin to organs more essential for survival.
purpose
Shock reduces activity and responsiveness and protects organism from further stimulation.
treatment
People not in shock after injury are likely to go into shock. After injuries, treat shock. Keep person lying down. Raise feet, except for head injury or chest injury. Keep person warm, with one cover under and one cover over, but do not use a heating pad. Loosen clothing. Offer drink of warm water, unless person is unconscious or nauseous.
Non-poisonous snakebites {snakebite} are puncture wounds. Poisonous snakebites have two fang marks. Keep person still. Tie cloth above bite tightly. Lower that body part. Put that part in cold water or ice. If hospital is more than one hour away, cut skin 0.5 inch deep at fang marks and wash out, or suck out and spit out, poison until doctor comes. Swelling and pain indicate poison is still in wound.
Ankle, wrist, or finger sprains {sprain} can cause swelling, pain, tenderness, and/or skin discoloration. Elevate joint. Put on cold wet cloths. Hold still. Use a bandage in case of fracture.
If people fall unconscious {unconsciousness, first aid}, check mouth and throat. Remove gum, false teeth, or other objects. Pull tongue straight if it has curved back. Loosen collar and belt. Do not give fluids.
After vomiting, give a glass of milk. Then give one part tea, one part milk of magnesia, and two parts toast {universal antidote}|.
After checking for stopped breathing, check for bleeding {wound}.
types
Bleeding from arteries is bright red and spurting. Bleeding from veins is darker and constant.
stopping
Stop bleeding using hand or clean cloth to put direct pressure on wound. It requires several minutes. Do not remove cloth, even after bleeding stops. Raise wound above rest of body to slow bleeding.
If bleeding does not slow, press inside upper arm with thumb or press front inner thigh near groin with heel of hand to shut off artery there. If bleeding still does not slow, apply tourniquet bandage: loosen hold every 10 minutes, for one minute.
cleaning
Clean wounds with water. For puncture wounds, encourage bleeding. For scrapes {abrasion, wound}, cuts {incision}, or deep cuts {laceration}, apply hydrogen peroxide solution, if possible, before cleaning wound. Bandage wounds, with no ointment. If no adhesive sterile bandage is available, split cloth ends and tie them.
People can be careful and prepared {safety}.
automobile
Park in lighted public areas. Have escort to car. Check back seat. Lock when leaving and while inside. Roll up windows. Do not stop for hitchhikers. Always tell someone else itinerary and locations. Keep car in working order. Never leave packages visible.
home
Use dead bolt locks at all entrances. Undress away from windows. Use peephole in doors to outside. Ask for identification from visitors. Use initials, not name, on mailbox, door, and telephone book. Use light timers. Do not talk to unknown people on telephones. Use screws to prevent door lifting and blocks to prevent door sliding. Lock garage-door left and right sides. Light house exteriors. Keep inside light on at night. Use double-hung windows, with inserted pin to prevent opening. Keep entrances open to public view. Never leave notes about leaving or returning. Do not hide keys. Engrave valuables. Have alarm systems for fire, fumes, and intruders. Have mail and newspapers picked up while on vacation. Keep shrubbery trimmed.
street
Avoid dark areas. Avoid high-crime areas. Do not enter suspicious places. Wait only in public and lighted areas. Never hitchhike. Be cautious of strangers. Carry purse under arm not over shoulder. Never display valuables. Go to a store or house if anyone bothers you. Scream. Do not confront criminals.
neighborhood
Know normal neighborhood routine and observe neighborhood for unusual activity. Report suspicious activity to police with address, suspect description, action, and vehicle license number.
products
USA Consumer Product Safety Commission sets standards for, or bans, some consumer products. USA District Courts try rule violations that result in injury.
Use locks with a sliding metal piece {dead bolt lock}| at all entrances.
Hit attacker {self-defense against attack} in eyes or ears, on windpipe, on fingertips, in stomach center, on hand back, in groin, on shin, in knee, on foot top, or in ribs.
Outline of Knowledge Database Home Page
Description of Outline of Knowledge Database
Date Modified: 2022.0225