12 Life Hacks That Can Help You Survive in Any Emergency Situation


When an emergency strikes, well-known recommendations or advice from your friends or your family may be the first thing that comes to your mind. Yet at times, the advice we believe to be true may lead to grave consequences.
However, sometimes even the most well-known and popular recommendations turn out to be wrong and harmful. 
Here are the most common myths about first aid and what you should do in emergency situations- 

1. DEALING WITH A FOREIGN OBJECT IN THE EYE 

First things first if there's something in your eye like a piece of glass, don't do anything yourself. Have someone drive you to the hospital. If the object is just an eyelash, then don't forget to wash your hands before you do anything. Try to locate the eyelash by looking in a mirror. Blink to make your tears wash the eyelash out. Once the object is in the corner of your eye, take a wet piece of cloth and use it to remove the eyelash.

2. APPLYING OINTMENTS TO A WOUND 

Ointments contain unwanted moisture which is a great environment for bacteria to reproduce more quickly. The best thing you can do is clean the wound in cold water with soap and put a dry bandage on it. You will see that the wound will heal more quickly.

3. RUBBING A PERSON WITH A FEVER WITH ALCOHOL OR VINEGAR 

Vinegar and alcohol are absorbed into the blood. So it's kind of a way to get drunk or to make a wacky salad dressing. Alcohol rubbing may create intoxication while vinegar will significantly raise acidity which is especially dangerous for children. So don't believe these outdated pieces of advice. 
Drink a lot of water, tea, and other non-alcoholic fluids. Cool the air in the room to a temperature of 16 to 18 degrees Celsius. Under these conditions, a patient will get over the fever by themselves if they don't they should see a doctor.

4. LIFTING UP AN UNCONSCIOUS PERSON 

If someone faints and you have to lift them up, sprinkle some cold water on them, right? Well, that's what most people think.
However, lifting a fainted person up will only aggravate the spasm. What you should do is lift their legs up, unbutton any tight pieces of clothing, and don't let them stand upright after they come around. 
After they regained consciousness, don't let them drink coffee or energy drinks that many people love. Caffeine will only lead to dehydration.

5. TREATING BURNS WITH BUTTER OR SOUR CREAM 

Many people believe that this method is effective only because it relieves pain. But why do butter and sour cream make you feel better? The thing is, we keep them in the fridge, so when we put them on a burn they're cold. The danger is although that butter and sour cream dry your skin and disrupt thermal exchange. This results in heat having nowhere to go but deeper into the skin causing even more damage. 
What you should do is hold your hand in the cool water for 15 minutes. This will help with the pain.
Do you know why blisters appear on the burnt spot?
In our bodies, everything happens for a reason. Blisters protect the wound from infection.

6. SETTING A BONE ON YOUR OWN 

Are you a professional trauma surgeon? If not you should never set a dislocated joint on your own. No matter how cool or brutal it looks in the movies, it may result in additional injuries and the resulting litigation. The best course of action would be to immobilize the injured limb and go to the hospital as soon as possible. 
Bandage the limb in a comfortable position in mobilizing, not only the place of possible fracture but also the two closest joints as well.

7. APPLYING WARMTH TO A SPRAIN 

When your muscles are strained, a warm cloth won't help. On the contrary, heat will strengthen the blood flow leading to more severe swelling. In the first days after the injury, apply cold. It will lessen the inflammation and kill the pain. Try to use the sprained limb for as little as possible for at least the first 48 hours.

8. MAKING YOURSELF VOMIT IN CASE OF POISONING 

The standard recommendation for poisoning is to make yourself vomit. It might sound reasonable but actually, it's strictly prohibited. First of all, the poison can get into the lungs and damage them. The second problem is that if someone was poisoned with some chemicals, vomiting doubles the chance of burning your throat. Finally, it might be very difficult to stop vomiting once it starts. So this can lead to dehydration and even more severe consequences. 
In this situation, the only smart thing you can do is call the ambulance as fast as possible.

9. RESCUING A DROWNING PERSON 

There's only one obstacle on your way to rescue a drowning person, not being able to swim. If you can swim nothing can stop you from saving that person's life. Remember to approach them from behind so they don't see you coming otherwise the person may hinder you or drag you down in their panic. After you've approached the person, grab them under the armpits or by the chin and move to the shore, keeping their head at your belly.

10. PULLING OUT OBJECTS FROM WOUNDS 

Now you can pull a splinter from a finger or a small glass shard from your hand but you must never try to pull out objects from serious wounds. Even doctors keep them in place until the patient is in surgery.
The thing is while the object is inside the wound it doesn't let the bleeding start. So until you are under professional supervision don't do anything. Don't even touch the object. The only thing you can do is put some alcohol on the wound but you must be ready for the wound to hurt very much. No matter how scary a knife in a leg looks like, don't try to be a hero and just go to the hospital.

11. APPLYING ICE TO A BRUISE 

There is nothing actually wrong with treating a bruise with ice but most people do it wrong. You shouldn't apply ice directly to the skin if you don't want to get a cold burn. Instead, put a cloth between your skin and a pack of ice. However, even using a cloth doesn't mean there is no risk of being burnt. That's why you should put ice for a maximum of 20 minutes at a time and then take a 90-minute break. 
If for some reason you don't have a cloth you can use, don't use ice at all. Believe me; you'd prefer to have a bruise rather than a cold burn. Another thing you should know is that there is no point in using ice 48 hours after the injury.

12. USING STITCHES TO CLOSE CUTS 

It's not wrong to use stitches. In most cases, it's the only way to close a wound but putting stitches is a long and painful procedure that requires removing the stitches after the wound heals. 
So in some cases, a less brutal thing might work, Skin Glue. Skin glue is very quick and virtually painless. Wash the wound with cold water before using glue. Then stop the bleeding by pressing the wound. Close the edges of the wound and put skin glue along with it. However, if you see that the wound is too big, don't take the risk and go to the hospital for professional help.

Share this with your friends so they won't feel confused about what to do when somebody needs help!!

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