Applying turmeric or coffee powder on a deep cut on the hand will make it difficult for doctors to clean and stitch the wound. Stopping blood circulation by tying up a limb on which a person is bitten by a snake, trying to suck out the poison or trying to squeeze out the blood by making cuts do not help. Even washing the snake bite does not help.
The opposite is, however, needed for dog bites. The wound should be immediately washed off the dogs’ saliva with water and soap if available.
These were some of the tips given to women industrial workers of Keerthana Garments by Basic Life Support (BLS) trainer Dr. Pernenkil Srinivas Rao and paediatrician Majethy Madhavi at a programme organised by the International Women’s Network (IWN) here on Friday.
Dr. Madhavi said that while there was a lot one could do to save lives, reduce pain and help recovery there were few things that should not be done at any cost. People who faint or become semi-conscious after having fits are often forced to drink something or the other. A person who is conscious swallows the liquid, but an unconscious person cannot do so and the liquid goes into the lungs causing damage and sometimes even death.
The kitchen turmeric power is not suitable to stop bleeding. Once exposed to air, the blood clots and bleeding stops on its own, she explained.
On treating fits
Dr. Srinivas Rao said there was no need to give metal objects to persons having fits, but the important thing was to put the person in the “recovery position” after the fits. In this position, the person should be made to lie down on his left side with the left hand stretched out supporting his head and the right hand folded at the elbow. While the left leg should be straight the right leg should be bent at the knee. The person should be facing down a little so that the tongue did not fall back and block the wind pipe, he explained.
IWN Andhra Pradesh chairperson Dr. Nagalaskhmi Vepakomma said that the network was a forum for women to come together and resolve their problems at work which were common the world over.
