Category: Healthy Living

Medical emergencies can happen anytime, so you should know how to recognize them and offer appropriate care before professional medical help arrives. Read on for four common medical emergencies and how to deal with them.

1. Cardiovascular emergencies

Cardiovascular emergencies, including chest pains and heart attacks, may not be the most common medical emergencies but are life-threatening. A cardiovascular emergency occurs when blood supply to the heart is interrupted due to blood clots. Seniors and adults are more vulnerable to cardiovascular emergencies, but they can also occur in teenagers and kids less frequently. Some common signs of a cardiovascular emergency include:

• Fainting
• Sweating 
• Discomfort or pain in the chest
• Shortness of breath
• Pain in the shoulders or neck

Treating a cardiovascular emergency within the first hour can increase the chances of survival. To treat a heart attack before professional medical help arrives, you should;

• Give the victim an aspirin to reduce risks of clot formation
• Have the victim sit in a comfortable position
• Eliminate any tight clothing around the chest
• Administer Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for unconscious patients

Consider enrolling yourself for Basic Life Support (BLS) courses in a reputable medical school like Newcastle Training to boost your usefulness during a cardiovascular emergency.

2. Bleeding or major cuts

Wounds and cuts are common occurrences in workplaces, schools, or homes. Bleeding can arise from these cuts and injuries, which can cause alarm. While you can treat some injuries with simple first-aid treatment and medicines, severe bruising and deep cuts require medical attention. Other signs that you need immediate medical help include;

• Uncontrollable bleeding even after administering first aid
• Visible bones or underlying tissue
• A stuck object within the cut or wound

Below are steps  to follow in case of a major cut or bleeding before you get to the hospital;

• Place the victim in an ideal position while elevating the bleeding part, except for cases of fractured limbs.  Avoid disturbing any formed clots.
• Where possible, expose the wound by removing clothing
• Remove visible foreign bodies that you can easily pick, then use a clean dressing to wipe off the wound
• Apply pressure to stop the bleeding
• Immobilize the affected area
  

3. Choking

Choking results from blocked windpipe, and it leads to shortness of breath. If you or someone close to you is choking, consider bending the shoulders and head forward to dislodge the object trapped on the respiratory tract. Do not hit the choking victim on the back, as this causes the trapped thing to move back into the windpipe. Instead, trigger vomiting to allow the choking victim to vomit the substance causing the blockage.

4. Fits or seizures

Seizures or fits are common medical emergencies, especially for patients diagnosed with epilepsy. Seizures cause victims to experience uncontrollable and involuntary shaking, jerking, and twitching of the whole body or a specific part. A different form of seizure involves the inability to move or move minimal parts of the body and the eyes looking into space.

If someone close to you experiences a seizure, avoid putting anything in their mouth or restraining them. Instead, loosen the clothing around their necks, clear the area around them and stay with them until the seizure stops, then seek immediate medical attention.

Endnote

Knowing how to handle a medical emergency can improve your loved one’s survival chances. Familiarize yourself with the above common emergencies and how to manage them to become more valuable during a medical crisis.

Getting rid of your favorite old glasses can be an overwhelming task for most people who wear prescription glasses. Many people today go for prescription glasses with frames that fit their sense of style and match their outfits besides enhancing one’s vision. It is, however, common for glasses to get old or no longer serve the purpose, and here are seven signs you need to know it’s time to change your glasses.

Your lenses are damaged

It is common for one’s lenses to go through wear and tear. When this happens, you need to order fast delivery glasses that can reach you within 24 hours. Scratches and dents can significantly affect the quality of your vision and must be addressed as soon as possible. 

Your prescription glasses may have photochromatic treatment or anti-reflective coating, which may easily damage if you don’t follow your doctor’s lens cleaning manual. Scuffs, dings, and scratches may substantially impair your which could lead to further straining.

You are squinting 

It is common for most people to look at things with one or both eyes partly closed in an attempt to see clearly or because of excessive sunlight. This can, however, be extreme if one squints all the time, even in front of a computer monitor or smartphone. 

If your prescription glasses are normally fine and you don’t squint on the regular, it should be a sign that it’s time you go for a new pair of glasses. Visit your optician to get a new pair to enhance your vision and overcome the problem of squint. 

Regular headaches

Your eyes might be playing their role more than they are required to and you may begin to feel a murky ache near your eyes while at work or using your computer. Many factors cause headaches and some of the reasons could be related to your vision. 

Your prescription glasses may be just fine, but when they get old, they can stretch and cause your eyes to strain hence the frequent headaches you are having. While headaches can be treated with tablets, a new pair of glasses might just be the ultimate solution to your regular headaches. 

Blurred vision  

Experiencing blurry vision close or far from objects can be overwhelming and a pair of new glasses may be the solution. Myopia and hyperopia are common and this could be changed with the quality of your prescription glasses. 

You might be short or long sighted and your old glasses may no longer be helpful. If you are unsure of the kind of lenses you need, your doctor will prescribe you what best fits your condition to solve your blurry predicament. Even driving at night may suddenly seem strenuous and updating stronger prescription glasses will help enhance your night vision and safety on the road.  

Having double vision

Continuous double vision can have serious implications on the health of your sight. Thus a prompt visit to your doctor should be immediately considered. There are many causes of seeing double and your prescription glasses lose quality with time and can enhance double vision. 

Depending on the nature of your eye exam, you might want to update or change your prescription as the doctor recommends. Your doctor could also suggest that you have crossed eyes and a new pair of glasses will be the ultimate solution. The new pair of prescription glasses have an enhanced prismatic power that will help correct alignment issues causing double vision. 

Changes in style and fashion

Today’s glasses serve more than just enhance one’s vision because the industry has evolved and made eyeglasses fashionable, trendy and stylish. Frames get old or outdated, or some vintage styles may have a comeback and you don’t want to be left behind. The current market trends demand that glasses match with fashion and technology. New tech helps keep you apt with current trends used by doctors to make prescription glasses cool.

Replacing your old glasses with new ones is also therapeutic because a new pair breathes a fresh look into your style. There is absolutely nothing wrong with changing your prescription glasses because of the new trend. Treating yourself with glasses that match your sense of style is a form of self-love. 

It’s time to visit your optometrist

The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends that one needs to get new prescription glasses every two years. You may have lost track of time since the last time you visited your eye doctor because your eyes just seem fine. 

Many people also lack time, motivation, or this knowledge and may forget to see an optometrist. You should set your calendar reminder every six months to ensure you don’t take too long to update your prescription glasses. Prescription also changes over time and the only way to keep up and maintain good vision is having regular eye exams.

My husband and I just got back from a few days in our favorite spot. Las Vegas is back and we chose a pretty laid back time to go. There were lots of people, but not too crowded. They still require masks indoors, so we were carrying ours around. We have traveled a bit in this pandemic whether it be in the RV or local getaways and I created a new habit while traveling when it comes to masks. I always buy bulk and take disposable masks. This is because we are going several days of not being home where I can keep masks washed. Taking ourselves and teenager away for a few days in the same mask all day long and unwashed is so unhealthy and gross.

Also, when we travel in spring through fall the weather is still warm so it is important that the disposable masks I choose are both effective and comfortable with room to breathe underneath. I grabbed the box of DemeTECH face masks I was sent for this Vegas run and we loved these masks for comfort and the colors are fun also so I can color coordinate.

The DemeTECH Disposable Face Mask has 3 protectives layers to filter over 95% of particulates. The high-density polypropylene outer layer provides strong resistance against liquids while the inner layer makes it comfortable enough for use all day long. The bands are adjustable and the nose gap seals. I find that after I seal the gap around my nose I have enough space to breath inside the mask which makes wearing it much more bearable.

Because these are considered a surgical mask (rather than cloth or fabric), they provide better protection from the COVID-19 virus. DemeTECH provides some great tips on buying the proper masks for you and your children. See the tips here.

Whether traveling or sending the kids off to school, they need to stay protected as well. Make sure kids are wearing the right mask, one that is made especially for their size, like these kid’s masks from DemeTech. For adults, these level 3 masks come in fun colors and are much more comfortable than cloth masks.

If you need heavier protection in huge crowds or high risk areas, you will want a respirator mask and demeTECH has those available for purchase as well. These masks are tested to meet the highest quality specifications designated by NIOSH for N95 Respirators. Their masks are made in the USA and available at the demeTECH website.