Table of Contents
Introduction 10
Step-By-Step First Aid 12
How to use the first-aid chapters 14
Chapter 1 Action at an Emergency 15
What is first aid? 16
Making your assessment 18
Examining the casualty 20
Removing clothing and helmets 22
Moving and handling safely 1 24
Moving and handling safely 2 26
Skills checklist 28
Chapter 2 Life-saving Priorities 29
Understanding resuscitation 30
Responsiveness and the airway 32
Rescue breathing 34
Cardiac compressions 36
Full resuscitation sequence 38
The recovery position 40
Coping with choking 1 42
Coping with choking 2 44
Skills checklist 46
Chapter 3 Children's Life Support 47
Basic life support 48
Resuscitating a baby or child 50
The recovery position 52
Chocking in babies and children 54
Skills checklist 56
Chapter 4 Lungs and Breathing 57
Understanding the respiratory system 58
Dealing with breathing difficulties 60
Tackling fume inhalation 62
Drowning: what to do 64
Hanging and strangling: what to do 66
Skills checklist 68
Chapter 5 Heart and Circulation 69
Understanding the cardiovascular system 70
Dealing with shock 72
Managing anaphylactic shock 74
Coping with a heart attack 76
Dealing with an abnormal heart rate 78
Skills checklist 80
Chapter 6 Brain and Nervous System 81
Understanding the nervous system 82
Dealing with head injury 84
Coping with epilepsy 86
Recognizing a stroke 88
Coping with headache 90
Managing dizziness and fainting 92
Skills checklist 94
Chapter 7 Other Medical Emergencies 95
Coping with antenatal emergencies 96
Helping with emergency childbirth 98
Managing diabetic conditions 100
Dealing with nausea and vomiting 102
Tackling diarrhoea, fever and cramp 103
Dealing with abdominal pain 104
Coping with allergy 106
Dealing with bites and stings 108
Managing heat and cold disorders 110
Skills checklist 112
Chapter 8 Childhood Problems 113
Recognizing childhood illness 114
Dealing with problems in babies 116
Coping with fever 118
Dealing with vomiting and diarrhoea 119
Managing abdominal pain 120
Coughs and breathing difficulty 122
Tackling headaches 124
Managing other problems 126
Skills checklist 128
Chapter 9 Wounds and Bleeding 129
Types of wound 130
Wounds and wound healing 132
Tackling embedded objects 134
Treating infected wounds 136
Dealing with major wounds 138
Coping with severed body parts 140
Managing crush injuries 141
Controlling severe bleeding 142
Recognizing internal bleeding 144
Bleeding from orifices 146
Miscellaneous foreign bodies 148
Skills checklist 150
Chapter 10 Bone and Muscle Injuries 151
Understanding the skeleton 152
Dealing with broken bones 154
Tackling skull and facial fractures 156
Managing spinal injuries 158
Coping with neck injuries 160
Tackling upper limb fractures 162
Managing rib fractures 164
Coping with pelvic and upper-leg injuries 166
Handling knee and lower-leg injuries 168
Coping with dislocations 170
Managing sprains and strains 172
Controlling back pain 174
Skills checklist 176
Chapter 11 Burns and Scalds 177
Understanding and assessing burns 1 178
Understanding and assessing burns 2 180
Managing burns 182
Chemical, electrical and inhalation burns 184
Coping with facial burns 186
Tacking sunburn 187
Skills checklist 188
Chapter 12 Action on Poisoning 189
Understanding poisoning 190
Managing drug poisoning 192
Tackling alcohol and illicit drug poisoning 194
Dealing with food and plant poisoning 196
Managing poisoning in children 198
Skills checklist 200
Chapter 13 First-Aid Kit 201
Assembling a first-aid kit 202
Applying dressings and bandages 204
Applying bandages 1 206
Applying bandages 2 207
Fixing slings 210
Skills checklist 212
Chapter 14 Complementary Therapies 213
Understanding complementary therapies 214
Complementary first-aid kit 216
Using complementary therapies 1 218
Using complementary therapies 2 220
Skills checklist 222
Chapter 15 Keeping Safe 223
Keeping yourself safe 224
Safety on the road 226
Safety in the home 228
Safety in the kitches 230
Safety in the bathroom 232
Safety in the garden 234
Dealing with fire 236
Avoiding electrical accidents 237
Safe home for infants 238
Avoiding cot death 239
Skills checklist 240
Chapter 16 Outdoor Safety 241
Safety in sport 242
Safety in land sports 244
Safety in water sports 246
Safety in snow sports 248
Travelling safely 250
Skills checklist 252
General Rules for dealing with medical emergencies 253
Family Health Guide 254
How to use the family health chapters 256
Chapter 1 Healthy Living 257
A healthy lifestyle 258
Learn to manage stress 260
Eat healthily 262
Weight control 264
Exercise for life 266
Smoking and your health 268
Sensible drinking 270
Routine health checks 272
Travel health and safety 274
Chapter 2 The Heart and Circulations 275
The cardiovascular system 276
High blood pressure 278
Atherosclerosis 280
Heart disease 282
Angina 284
Heart attack 286
Heart failure 287
Thrombosis and embolism 288
Raynaud's disease and phenomenon 289
Varicose veins 290
Chapter 3 The Digestive System 291
The process of digestion 292
Digestive disorders 294
Obesity; Oesophagitis; Cancer of the oesophagus 296
Peptic ulcers 298
Stomach cancer; Pancreatitis; Cancer of the pancreas 300
Disorders of the liver 302
Coeliac disease; Appendicitis; Irritable bowel syndrome; Diverticular disease 304
Colorectal cancer 306
Crohn's disease; Ulcerative colitis 308
Anorectal disorders 310
Chapter 4 The Hormone System 311
The endocrine glands 312
Diabetes 314
Diseases of the thyroid gland 316
Adrenal gland disorders 318
Pituitary gland disorders 320
Chapter 5 The Nervous System 321
The brain and nerve network 322
Headaches and migraine 324
Fatigue; Head injury 326
Stroke 328
Epilepsy; Brain tumours 330
Meningitis; Viral encephalitis 332
Prolapsed disc and sciatica; Spinal injuries 334
Multiple Sclerosis (MS); Motor neurone disease; Other neurological problems 336
Dementia 338
Parkinson's disease 340
Anxiety 342
Phobias; Post-traumatic stress disorder, Obsessive-compulsive disorder 344
Depression 346
Bipolar affective disorder, Schizophrenia 348
Addictive behaviours; Eating disorders 350
Chapter 6 The Muscles and Skeleton 353
The musculoskeletal system 354
Osteoporosis: Osteomalacia and rickets 356
Bone cancer, Bone metastases; Arthritis 358
Osteoarthiritis 360
Rheumatoid arthritis; Gout 362
Ankylosing spondylitis; Backache 364
Frozen shoulder, Bunions; Repetitive strain injury; Fibromyalgia 366
Fractures 368
Knee injuries and disorders; Sprains 370
Tendon and muscle injuries 372
Chapter 7 The Respiratory System 373
The breathing process 374
Colds and flu 376
Asthma 378
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Acute bronchitis 380
Pneumonia; Pleurisy; Pneumothorax 382
Lung cancer 384
Chapter 8 The Urinary System 385
The urinary organs 386
Kidney stones 388
Kidney failure 389
Urinary tract infections 390
Urinary incontinence 392
Chapter 9 The Reproductive System 393
The reproductive organs 394
Pregnency and health 396
Irregular and painful menstrual periods; Premenstrual syndrome (PMS); Menopausal complaints 398
Breast pain and lumpiness; Fibroadenome; Breast cysts; Breast cancer 400
Fibroids; Endometriosis; Uterine cancer 402
Ovarian cysts; Polycystic ovary syndrome; Ovarian cancer 404
Cervical dysplasia; Cancer of the cervix; Female genital infections 406
Enlarged prostate gland; Prostate cancer 408
Testicular problems; Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) 410
Impotence 412
Chapter 10 The Ears, Nose and Throat 413
The function of ears, nose and throat 414
Earache; Noises in the ear (tinnitus); Hearing loss and deafness 416
Vertigo 418
Nosebleeds 419
Hayfever and perennial rhinitis 420
Sinusitis 421
Snorting; Obstructive sleep apnonea 422
Snore throat and tonsilitis 423
Hoarseness of the voice 424
Chapter 11 The Eyes 425
How the eyes function 426
Conjunctivitis 428
Styes 429
Blepharitis 429
Short sight (myopia) 430
Long sight (hypermetropia) 431
Cataracts 432
Glaucoma 433
Macular degeneration 434
Chapter 12 The Skin 435
The functions of the skin 436
Eczema (dermatitis) 438
Psoriasis 439
Urticaria 440
Teenage acne (acne vulgaris) 441
Skin cancers 442
Fungal skin infections 444
Bacterial skin infections 444
Viral skin infections 445
Leg ulcers 446
Chapter 13 Blood and the Immune System 447
The roles of blood and lymph 448
Anaemia 450
Haemolytic anaemia 450
Macrocytic anaemia 451
Microcytic anaemia 451
Sickle cell anaemia 452
Thalassaemias 453
Haemophilia 453
Acute leukaemias 454
Chronic leukaemias 455
Myeloma 456
Bone marrow disorders 457
Lymphomas 458
Autoimmune diseases 459
Chapter 14 Infections Diseases 461
Causes of infections disease 462
Bacterial infections 464
Viral infections 466
HIV and AIDS 468
Malaria 470
Chapter 15 Children's Health 471
Protection against infection 472
Colds and sore throats; Earache in children 474
Bronchiolitis; Pneumonia 475
Diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation 476
Migraines in children 478
Febrile convulsions; Balanitis 479
Nappy rash; Eczema in children 480
Urinary tract infection in children 481
Cystic fibrosis; Heart problems 482
Congenital hip dysplasia; Perthes' disease 483
Sudden infant death syndrome 484
Chapter 16 Caring for the Terminally Ill 485
Coping with terminal illness 486
The grieving process 490
Chapter 17 Complementary Therapies 491
Therapies and their uses 492
Acupuncture 493
Aromatherapy 493
Herbalism 494
Homeopathy 494
Osteopathy and chiropractic 494
Reflexology; Shiatsu 495
Glossary 496
Useful addresses 500
Index 504
Acknowledgements 511
