First Aid For Bee Stings

Bee stings are very deadly for some people. They are uncomfortable for those who aren't allergic to them. So it doesn't get too uncomfortable and does more damage if you or someone with you is stung by a bee, then you need to be knowledgeable for first aid for bee stings. Let us go through a few things so you know what to do when this happens.

If you know that the person is allergic to bee stings, then they should have an epipen on them. If they do, then you need to use this pen on them so that they don't go into shock. If they go into shock they could quit breathing and die. You might find that they have already quit breathing. So, in order to help them, you need to do CPR. When you do this, you also need to call 911 to get paramedics there as they will have an epipen. This is if they are allergic to bee stings.

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When it comes to first aid for bee stings when a person isn't allergic to bees, then you aren't in that much of a jam. You aren't in that much of a rush. Here are a few things you can do for those who aren't allergic. The first thing that you want to do is to remove the stinger. The way that you do this is that you scrape this horizontally. What you want to do is make sure that you don't use your fingers as you could cause the venom to get out and enter the blood stream.

Then, you'll want to put a cool compress on the area where the person was stung. The reason for this is that when people get stung, they normally swell up. This will reduce the swelling. Next, you might find that the person will also itch a bit on the infected area. What you can do for this is to get cream that is made for bug bites. This will take care of that itching that you will feel. It can get pretty irritating if you don't do this. So, put the person at ease. Something like Benadryl or like that can help with this. It is made just for that purpose. Here's another thing you can do if you don't have anything like this. You can do this by making a paste made out of baking soda and water. Then, you just apply this to the infected area. It's helpful to get the medication though, as it lasts longer and is a bit stronger. This will be helpful to keep them not so agitated.

These are the basics when it comes to first aid for bee stings. With summer fast approaching, the bees are going to be out, therefore, you need to know what to do for a person if they just happen to get stung. It's something useful to know. You can even do this for yourself if you happen to get stung.

First Aid For Bee Stings

Arm Slings - How to Apply Them

Slings are generally used to support an injured arm of someone that is sitting or able to walk. Slings can also be used as a treatment for broken ribs. Arm slings are usually made with a triangular bandage and most first aid kits should have one, and always be replaced once used. There are several different types of slings used. The first is the arm sling - This is used to provide support to the lower half of the arm in either of the two following positions, horizontal or having the arm slightly raised from this. The second is the elevation sling - which provides support to the upper half of the arm by having the hand in a well raised position. This can be used to help with fractures, to help reduce swelling, to help control bleeding, and for complicated rib fractures.

How to apply an arm sling

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o Support the injured forearm
o Place the triangular bandage between the body and the arm
o Pass one end of the bandage through at the injured elbow, and pull to the opposite shoulder
o Spread the bandage out so that the bottom of the bandage is in line with her little finger
o Bring the lower end of the bandage up and over her arm towards the shoulder so that the ends meet
o Tie the two ends together and tuck both of the ends under the knot to help pad it and provide comfort
o Fold the point forward at her elbow and secure it with a safety pin or twist the end until the elbow is securely in place then tuck it into the sling
o Continue to make checks to the arm to make sure it is not to tight but providing enough support

How to apply an elevated sling

o Support the injured arm
o Have the casualty bring his arm up toward his opposite shoulder in the diagonal position
o Place one end of the triangular bandage over the shoulder of the uninjured arm, making sure that the point of the bandage is on the injured side of the arm
o Fold the base of the bandage under the injured arm and behind his elbow
o Bring the two ends of the bandage together and tie at the uninjured shoulder folding the ends under the knot to provide a pad making it more comfortable
o Twist the excess material at the elbow to provide a snug fit and tuck this into the sling
o Continue to make checks to the arm to make sure it is not to tight but providing enough support

In the case of an emergency where no first aid kit or triangular bandage is available items such as a tie, belt, thick twine or rope, or any material can be used to support the arm. If none of these are available an item of clothing can be used.

Arm Slings - How to Apply Them

Headache Relief Oil - Aromatherapy First Aid Kit

Whether you use aromatherapy as a stand alone or as a complementary first aid treatment there are several aromatic oils I'd like to recommend you have in your aromatic first aid kit.

My recommendations include important details for you to consider when purchasing an oil, such as its Latin Name, Country of Origin, Method of Extraction and Part of the Plant Used. I also list the best oils to consider when creating a synergistic blend.

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PEPPERMINT ( Mentha piperita ) - Certified Organic, Steam Distilled Leaf, England and USA have wonderful distillations.

Peppermint is a fluid, colorless oil with a fresh, distinctly penetrating scent.

Keywords: COOL & REFRESHING - Peppermint acts as a regulator and has a relaxing or invigorating effect depending on the circumstance for which you are using it.

A good blood cleanser it is both antiseptic and antibacterial!

Peppermint is well known for relieving migraine type headache, as well as headache resulting from weak or poor digestive forces, congestion or sluggish circulation.

It is also known to relieve nausea from motion sickness.

As well as being helpful for treating acne, swollen gums, mouth thrush, or ulcers and toothache.

Soak your tired feet in a foot bath with a drop or two of Peppermint (disperse oil in water by blending first with a teaspoon of honey or jojoba oil before adding to your foot bath) to relieve tired, swollen ankles and feet.

Peppermint relieves congested sinus cavities, aids concentration and is good for memory retention, restorative for mental fatigue, use alone or in a blend when studying for an exam.

Known to clears brain fog when fatigued Peppermint is great for keeping alert!

An analgesic or pain reliever use Peppermint for relieving tummy aches, or sore, achy muscles and joints.

May be used to ease a variety of skin irritations, including Poison Oak and Poison Ivy. Add a drop or two to your favorite anti-itch lotion or ointment when treating insect bites and stings.

Use as a food flavoring in recipes that call for mint, or add a drop to your favorite cooling summer drink and enjoy a refreshing break in your day!

Try a synergistic blend of Peppermint with any of the following aromatic oils: Basil, Black Pepper, Ginger, Orange, Marjoram and Rosemary.

CAUTION: Although excellent for nausea, peppermint should be avoided during pregnancy due to its stimulating properties. Peppermint cools by constricting your blood capillaries therefore please use in extremely weak dilutions. Peppermint Oil may aggravate GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease), a type of heart burn.

Please join me for my next article in this series to learn about the next essential oil I recommend you have in your Aromatherapy Essential Oil Kit - Anti-fungal and Anti-bacterial Oil.

Properly administered essential oils are a natural, safe and effective way to enhance your health and well-being and can produce satisfying results where other methods have failed.

Aromatherapy is a gentle and noninvasive complementary and alternative health care system used for balancing and synchronizing your body, mind, spirit and emotions to enhance your health. Please consult with your physician regarding your health concerns.

KG has utilized essential oils in her energy medicine practice for more than 30 years. During that time she has facilitated healing for thousands of people suffering from personal trauma, illness and injury. Through her unique AromaTest(TM) system KG formulates essential oil blends that heal.

Please note: There are many cheap, synthetic copies of aromatic oils, but these are not recommended for therapeutic use. For best results purchase the highest quality oils you can possibly find. Use organic, or ethically wild crafted oils whenever possible.

Headache Relief Oil - Aromatherapy First Aid Kit

Texas Labor Law Posters 2011

In the State of Texas, when you employ non-relative employees, you are required to post several Workplace Posters by both State (Texas Workforce Commission) and Federal (U.S. Department of Labor) Law. They are not "optional," and by not posting them, your business could be at risk of receiving fines upwards of ,000 or more.

In general, there are 11 total posters required for Texas Employers (5 State and 6 Federal).

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Texas Posters:

Texas Payday Notice - last revised 07/2009

Texas Child Labor Laws - last revised 11/2007

Texas Equal Employment Opportunity - last revised 10/2009

Texas Ombudsman Program - last revised 03/2010

Texas Workers' Compensation (Offered) - last revised 10/2006

Texas Workers' Compensation (Not Offered) - last revised 02/2006

Federal Posters:

Equal Employment Opportunity (includes the new GINA laws) - last revised 11/2009

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) - last revised 01/2009

Employee Polygraph Protection Act Notice - last revised 06/2003

FSLA Contains Wage Laws and the Federal Minimum Wage, .25 - last revised 07/2009

OSHA 3167 - last revised 11/2008

USERRA Uniformed Services Employment & Reemployment Rights Act - last revised 10/2008

These are the "basic" Texas Labor Law Posters for Texas Employers. Depending on your industry, you may have additional posting requirements.

If you are in the Healthcare Industry, you may need the following Workplace Posters:

Bloodborne Pathogens

CPR

Drug Free Workplace

First Aid

Hand Wash

HIPAA

OSHA Log 300

Sexual Harassment

OSHA Multi-Safety which includes: Lifting safety, No Smoking, OSHA Fact Sheet, Emergency Numbers, and Choking Posters

Report Injuries

Slips and Falls

Workplace Ergonomics

If you are in the Agricultural Industry, you may need the following Workplace Posters:

CPR

Drug Free Workplace

Eye Protection

First Aid

Heat Stress

Migrant Work

OSHA Multi-Safety which includes: Lifting safety, No Smoking, OSHA Fact Sheet, Emergency Numbers, and Choking Posters

National Forklift

OSHA Log 300

If you are in the Construction Industry, you may need the following Workplace Posters:

Code of Safety Practices

Construction Equipment Protection

Danger Construction

Drug Free Workplace

First Aid

Hard Hat Area

Heat Stress

OSHA Multi-Safety which includes: Lifting safety, No Smoking, OSHA Fact Sheet, Emergency Numbers, and Choking Posters

National Forklift

OSHA Log 300 Packet

Report Injuries

Slips and Falls

Suspended Loads

Watch Your Step

If you are in the Manufacturing Industry, you may need the following Workplace Posters:

Code of Safety Practices

CPR

Drug Free Workplace

Eye Protection

First Aid

National Forklift

MSDS Safety Sheet

OSHA Multi-Safety which includes: Lifting safety, No Smoking, OSHA Fact Sheet, Emergency Numbers, and Choking Posters

Report Injuries

Sexual Harassment

Slips and Falls

Violence Free Workplace

Whistleblower

If you are in the Restaurant Industry, you may need the following Workplace Posters:

Avoiding Burns

Calibrating Thermometers

CPR

Dishwashing

Drug Free Workplace

First Aid

Fryer Safety

HACCPs

Hand Washing

Knife Handling

OSHA Multi-Safety which includes: Lifting safety, No Smoking, OSHA Fact Sheet, Emergency Numbers, and Choking Posters

OSHA 300 Packet

Report Injuries

Preventing Slips and Falls

Texas Labor Law Posters 2011

The Basics of Hearing Aid Repair

A regular part of owning hearing aids is repair and maintenance, especially in the first year of use. But, proper handling of your new hearing aids can save you the trouble and money.

Why Do Hearing Aids Need Repairs?

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One of the biggest reasons why hearing aids need to be repaired is simply earwax and moisture. This accounts for 3/4 of all hearing aid repairs, and you can prevent it. Earwax builds up on hearing aids, especially smaller models. This is why it is particularly important to clean and take care of your hearing aids properly.

Clean your hearing aids with a warm cloth or tissue. Never let water come into contact with them, because they contain sensitive electronic parts.

Aside from getting dirty, hearing aids most often need to be repaired because of the electronics. Receivers often need to be replaced. Over a long period of time, electronics wear out, and your hearing aids may need new wiring.

The best way to save money on costly repairs is to handle your hearing aids properly, and make sure you are keeping earwax and other dirt out of them.

How Often Do I Need To Get Repairs?

Usually, smaller hearing aids need more repair and maintenance than larger ones. This means that CIC, or completely-in-the-canal hearing aids are the most often in need of repair. It's not because they are fragile and break easily, but because they require more regular maintenance than other types of hearing aids. They are also most sensitive to wax buildup.

All hearing aids need regular repairs or maintenance. With in-the-ear hearing aids, you may have to have something on it repaired every year or 15 months. In-the-canal hearing aids will need to be repaired more frequently, from 9 months to a year. And, completely-in-the-canal hearing aids will probably have to be worked on every 7 to 9 months.

Where Should I Take Them?

It is usually recommended that you take your hearing aids to an audiologist for repair, rather than sending them to the supplier.

How Much Will It Cost?

It varies quite a bit. Older hearing aids cost more to fix than newer ones, because the parts may be hard to find. Also, you will have to pay more if you have to send it to the manufacturer for repairs, rather than having it done in-house.

You should expect to pay at least 0 for circuit changes, although it could be much more.
Warrantees And Guarantees

When buying a hearing aid, make sure that your dealer carries a good warrantee. Warrantees differ by manufacturer, but you should be able to find one that covers repairs for an extended period of time. All warrantees will cover repairs in case of shoddy workmanship or faulty parts.

There should at least be a one-year full coverage warranty. When you first start wearing hearing aids, there will be some routine check-ups and maintenance, and they should be covered by your supplier.

Hearing aid repairs are covered under some insurance plans, but are not usually covered. If you wear hearing aids, you should definitely look for insurance that will pay for your maintenance and repairs.

The most common causes for hearing aid repairs, moisture and earwax buildup, are entirely preventable. Make sure to clean them with each use, and you can save money!

The Basics of Hearing Aid Repair

College Financial Aid Opportunities

If you have decided to go to college or career school, one big concern you may have is the cost of education. It can be challenging to think about paying for tuition and expenses while holding down your regular job and paying your everyday bills.

Relax! Most accredited career schools and colleges offer financial assistance programs for students who qualify. These may be federal programs, state programs, or sometimes even programs offered by the schools themselves. Types of financial assistance fall into two categories:

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Loans (money that you have to repay);

Grants and scholarships (money that you don't have to repay).

Generally, grants and loans are determined by your income level, while scholarships are often awarded competitively or to individuals with certain qualifications. It may seem complicated. Don't worry! Many schools have highly qualified financial assistance staff members who are glad to help you. If you are starting your college search, here's what you'll need to do:

1. Log onto a reputable college search website. Choose the colleges or technical schools that match your requirements. You can search for colleges in a certain geographical area (like Los Angeles or Wisconsin), colleges that offer programs in academic areas (such as business or liberal arts or culinary), or you can search for degree levels (certificate, bachelor's degree, master's degree). You can also search for online programs; many colleges offer the same financial aid opportunities for online students as for those who attend a traditional campus.

2. Contact the admissions department of the schools you're interested in. Ask them about financial assistance. Don't be shy-they want to help you! Most people who go to college apply for financial assistance. It's a perfectly normal thing to do.

3. The most common forms of student financial aid are federal loans. You have to pay them back. Low-interest loans may also be available from private sources. But be careful! If you take out a loan to pay for college, make sure you read the contract very carefully and you know what it will cost you in interest and fees.

4. If the school is approved for federal loan programs, the financial assistance officer will ask you to go online and fill out a standard form called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can check it out for yourself at www.fafsa.ed.gov. This is the form that nearly every federally approved school uses.

5. Once you've filled out the FAFSA application, in a few days you'll receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). Your SAR will summarize the financial information you reported on your FAFSA. You should check the SAR carefully to make sure it is accurate. In the upper right corner, look for your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Your school will use your EFC to help determine the financial aid for which you may be eligible.

6. Your financial assistance officer at the school may also help you identify other sources of financial aid. There may be scholarship or grant opportunities, offered either by the school or by your community. If the school offers institutional aid in the form of scholarships or grants, you will be asked to fill out the CSS Profile. It is similar to the FAFSA and involves an online form that asks you about your family finances. The information used by the CSS Profile is used by colleges to determine how much institutional financial aid they will offer you. The amounts can range from nothing to one hundred percent of your tuition. In fact, Harvard University recently announced that families with incomes less than ,000 a year will not be expected to contribute anything for their child's undergraduate college costs. The University will award the student a grant (which does not have to be repaid) equal to the cost of attending Harvard. Of course, to get awarded a Harvard grant, you have to be accepted into the University. For the class of 2013 the undergraduate acceptance rate was seven percent.

You'll see that scholarships can come from many sources. An automotive trade school may have a scholarship provided by an automobile manufacturer. A business college may have a scholarship provided by a successful alumnus, or a generous donor. Your own community may have scholarship programs sponsored by churches or civic organizations such as the Rotary Club. The key is to keep digging, and to use the resources provided by your career college.

You should go online yourself and search for scholarships, but be careful to avoid scammers who ask for a fee. There's plenty of free information out there and you should never have to pay a fee!

Your very last resort when paying for college should be your credit card. If you use your credit card, you are in effect taking out a short-term high-interest loan. Most student loans are low-interest (two or three percent) while your Visa or Mastercard may charge you as much as twenty-five percent. There is no way you'll be able to pay off the balance without incurring huge interest charges. Don't do it. Find some other way to pay for college or postpone your plans until you can afford to not use your credit card.

How do you get started?

The best way to research your options is to go online to a free college directory website like the one below. You can enter the search terms that are appropriate for you (such as "medical assisting, Miami, Florida," or "online business degrees"). You'll be presented with free information about the programs that meet your criteria. Compare features such as financial aid, career services, and flexible schedules. Narrow down your choices and make your application. In less time than you think you could be training for a rewarding new career.

College Financial Aid Opportunities

Integrative Medicine and Functional Medicine Are More Than Band-Aid Health Solutions

Integrative medicine is the combination of conventional medicine and alternative medicine modes of health care such as herbal medicine, nutrition, acupuncture, massage, yoga or stress reduction. It is a holistic medicine model that recognizes that the whole person is important in health and wellness. Functional medicine takes into consideration why an illness has developed in the first place, so that it can be addressed.

While complementary medicine has been around for a while, some people question the validity of alternative treatments. Integrative medicine tries to combine the most scientifically proven of complementary methods along with conventional medicine.

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Both patients and providers often find this "best of both worlds" approach to be more fulfilling.

Functional medicine is also holistic, but is a way of looking at medicine that is based upon finding and addressing the root causes of illness. For instance, a functional medicine practitioner would look at environmental toxin inputs, nutrition and microbial imbalances, how the detoxification system is working, the nervous and endocrine systems, intestinal system function, and the impact of stress. They would look at the genetic and biochemical systems involved in a particular problem and how those systems vary between individuals.

In other words, functional medicine looks at how all systems are inter-related and how they influence illness and health. Rather than focus solely on multiple separate disease entities, functional medicine recognizes disturbances of a web-like interconnected system and aspires to restore health and balance to the foundation of that system.

Practitioners might use any appropriate combination of conventional medicine, nutritional interventions, acupuncture, stress reduction techniques or other sound methods to restore wellness to the system. And, rather than stopping there, these same principle would be used to institute ongoing preventive habits.

Let's look at an example. Let's say someone has chronic irritable bowel symptoms. It would be easy in the conventional model to consider that an isolated intestinal system problem. Those symptoms might generate an intestinal system work up. Now, irritable bowel syndrome is a particular problem that has also come to be considered as having a psychological component. So, there is an example of conventional medicine bringing in the possible role of stress, just as a holistic or integrative medicine doctor would.

But wait. Now, scientific studies are coming up with evidence that in irritable bowel syndrome, some people have bacterial overgrowth in the small bowel that might benefit from treatment, the immune system might be involved and respond to probiotics, and the nervous system might be calmed by acupuncture. Maybe some yoga or meditation would improve the contribution by stress.

By expanding the way the problem is viewed, looking for where the root of the problem might be, and drawing upon many different methods of care, a more holistic, functional and integrated plan of care can be offered.

With more of the U.S. population suffering chronic health problems and demanding more holistic health care, we can expect to see approaches like integrative and functional medicine becoming part of the solution.

Integrative Medicine and Functional Medicine Are More Than Band-Aid Health Solutions