Accidents happen and knowing how to respond to the resulting cuts and bruises is an important step to preventing infection and further illness. First aid skills including CPR and basic wound care are skills that everyone should have.

In this section of tips you'll find the information you need to care for simple cuts, blisters, and sunburns. There are also tips for handling heat exhaustion and how to treat a choking child.

Tips, Tricks, and Answers

The following articles are available for the 'First Aid' topic. Click the article''s title (shown in bold) to see the associated article.

   Caring for a Blister
Blisters are the skin's defense mechanism to protect its deeper layers from bacteria. While preventing a blister is almost always easier than curing one, you can follow a few simple guidelines at home to care for a blister.

   Caring for Simple Cuts
There are a just few mandatory rules to follow when caring for simple cuts. And although most people know first aid for minor cuts, there are times when visiting a health care professional are warranted.

   Treating a Choking Child
A choking child is a terrifying event. Not only is the child scared witless, but often the caregiver is as well. By following these simple steps, you can now handle this horrifying event with a calm and confident manner.

   Treating Dehydration
Many people think that dehydration occurs only when you are thirsty and only if the weather is hot. Those misconceptions lead to many cases of severe dehydration. Dehydration has many causes. While preventing dehydration is the best cure, there are some things that you can do to treat mild cases.

   Treating Heat Exhaustion
Although not as severe as heat stroke, heat exhaustion does require emergency first-aid to prevent the victim from progressing to heat stroke. Recognizing the symptoms of heat exhaustion and taking first steps to cool the body temperature will prevent the condition from progressing to the next, perhaps fatal, stage.

   Treating Sunburns
Sunburn can be serious and there is no quick remedy to undo the damage. You can reduce the worst sunburn symptoms and skin damage by keeping the sunburn cool and moist with cold compresses or a cool bath. Over the counter pain relievers can help with associated fevers and headaches.