| How to Treat a Snake Bite Posted: Snakes are carnivorous reptiles that live in dark holes and crevices around the world. While most snakes are not venomous, a minority carry venom in their fangs that can cause painful injury or even death to humans. Steps Non-Venomous Snakebites Although not likely to be life-threatening, bites from non-venomous snakes can still be painful and lead to infection. - Clean the wound carefully. Wash with clean water. Use an alcohol-soaked pad if one is available.
- Treat the wound with an antibiotic ointment. Apply a thin coating of antibiotic ointment.
- Bandage the wound. This will protect it and help to discourage infection. Pay attention to the wound as it heals for redness or streaking or other signs of infection.
Venomous Snakebites These steps for treating venomous snakebites assume that you have no special equipment such as a snakebite kit and do not have immediate access to medical services.[1] - Get the victim away from the snake. Your first priority is to make sure that neither you nor the victim receive any additional snakebites.
- Remove clothing or constricting items. Bites from venomous snakes can cause rapid and severe swelling. Remove clothing or jewelry from the area.
- Minimize activity. Higher levels of activity will increase blood flow and increase the spread of poison through the body.
- Do not cut the bite site or use your mouth to suck out the poison. These are likely to be ineffective and can increase the likelihood of infection.
- Clean the bite site with soap and water. Cover the wound with a dressing.
- Wrap the bite site with a tight elastic bandage. You can use something like an Ace bandage for this, or can fashion one from a stretchy shirt or other article of clothing.
- The intent of this step is to slow capillary and venous blood flow (flow back to the heart), but permit arterial blood flow (away from the heart).
- Check for a pulse below the overwrap. It should be present.
- Splint the bitten limb to prevent motion. Keep a the splinted extremity below the level of the heart.
- Keep the victim calm and protected from the environment. Let the victim rest until you can get him medical attention. If the victim is conscious, make him drink fluids.
Video Tips - Most snakes are not poisonous.
- Your best option is to avoid a snakebite. Take care in places where snakes are common.
Warnings - Do not attempt to cut open the wound and suck out venom, either with your mouth or a snakebite kit. This has not been shown to remove a significant amount of toxins and may lead to greater damage to skin in the area.[2][3]
- Even non-venomous snake bites may lead to infections.
Things You'll Need - Antibiotic ointment
- Wound dressing
- Elastic bandage
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| 10 Ways to Skip Drowsiness After Lunch Posted: After a delicious lunch, the afternoon's work still awaits. Yet, a meal can take up to four hours to digest, [1] and in some countries, the siesta is a recognition that sleeping off a big meal is the body's first desired reaction. While few of us can avail ourselves of such a luxury in a busy world with the workday only halfway through, there are ways to maintain your energy level. To beat a case of the afternoon slump (or afternoon apathy syndrome as this post-lunch dip is sometimes called),[2] it's important to pay attention to what you're eating at lunch, as well as making sure that you're giving yourself adequate care overall. Sustaining afternoon energy is really a combination of factors from good food to adequate sleep and in this article, you will find several practical means for overcoming drowsiness after lunch and finding more energy from now on. Steps Not the way to impress your boss! - The food you have eaten is diverting your blood for the digestion process. While natural, depending on what you eat, this process can increase your energy levels, or it can cause sluggishness. The steps following will explain in detail which foods to prefer for lunch and what to avoid. In particular, sugary foods increase the blood sugar levels more than normal, causing your pancreas to release insulin. In turn, the insulin triggers tryptophan, which gets converted into serotonin in your brain, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel sleepy.[3]
- You haven't had enough sleep. Lack of adequate sleep impacts both your digestive system's effectiveness and your energy levels.
- You are unfit, or you have an illness. If you aren't physically fit, if you're avoiding exercise, or if you have a medical condition or illness, your afternoon energy levels may be impacted negatively. Sometimes this can be remedied by getting fit, but you will need to speak with your doctor about any underlying issues.
- Eat a good breakfast. Never skip this meal; it sets the energy standard for the rest of the day. Make healthy food choices such as wholegrain bread and cereals, fruits, and yogurt, to provide you with sustained energy for the morning. Eating breakfast helps you to feel less tempted to resort to unhealthy food choices at lunchtime and increases your physical and mental well-being throughout the day; indeed, a Cardiff University study showed that regular consumption of breakfast cereals can reduce the stress hormone cortisol, providing another good reason to start the day with healthy food.[4]
- Watch what you eat. The contents of your lunch will have a large impact on your afternoon's energy levels. The following suggestions may help you to reduce post-lunch slumping:
- Avoid fast food. Most fast food is junk food, packed full of fats, sugars, salts, preservatives, and flavor enhancers.[5] It tastes great on the spot and it feels like an energy boost but it has filled you with calories that lack nutrients, and is a very unhealthy fuel for your body. Fast food will spend the rest of the afternoon letting you down with a thump and there is no coming up again.
- Avoid sugar and flour. As delicious as buns, croissants, muffins, and cakes are, as well as the pasta meal, these are all energy slump-inducers in disguise. Gabe Mirkin, MD, recommends avoiding pastries, pasta, and baked goods if you want to stay awake, as their high flour and sugar content will bring on drowsiness.[6] Preferring unprocessed over processed or refined foods is a guaranteed healthier way to feeling better after lunch.
- Eat low-carb, high-protein food for lunch. You will feel more awake. Post-lunch drowsiness from a body flooded with insulin to process that carb-rich lunch you just ate can be eased by eating carefully. Kristie Leong, MD, recommends avoiding potatoes, white rice, pasta, and any sugary foods (such as candy and desserts) because these cause a rapid rise in your insulin levels, which also increases the serotonin levels in your brain.[7] Since serotonin is associated with sleep, it stands to reason that you'll soon be feeling drowsy. Instead favor the following food types:
- Low-carb vegetable choices include: Sprouts, green beans, lettuce, mustard greens, radicchio, bok choy, sea vegetables, cabbage, mushrooms, radishes, celery, avocado, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, summer squash, zucchini, bamboo shoots, onions, tomatoes, artichokes, carrots, water chestnuts, pumpkin, etc.[8]
- Low-fat choices include: Beans, nuts, soy, and whole grains.[9]
- Eat healthy mid-afternoon snacks. Good snacks to reach for mid-afternoon are snacks that won't deplete your energy but will boost it. That means avoiding the temptation to fuel yourself on a chocolate bar and choosing instead a piece of fruit, or a wholegrain cracker.
- Eat less. A large meal takes more effort to digest. As a result, your blood is diverted to digest the meal properly, resulting in less oxygen and nutrition reaching your brain during the digestion process.[10]
Keep the wine for weekend lunch Time to change drinks when it gets to this! - Exercise. After eating, it is a good idea to get out and do some light exercise. Take a walk for a few blocks, do some basic stretches, use the stairs instead of the elevator, or do a few jumping jacks in the restroom — whatever you can think of that fits with your schedule and location. Light exercise after eating will help get your blood flowing and will help to ward off fatigue.
- Sleep adequately. Sleep is vital for good functioning. If you're not getting enough sleep at night, it makes sense that you'll start running out of energy by mid-afternoon. Be sure to get enough sleep. Avoid eating food that gives you indigestion through the night, and if you suffer from the need to get up and go to the bathroom during the night, ease up on drinking liquids close to bedtime.
- See your doctor. If you're suffering from excessive drowsiness after eating lunch, even if you're taking the measures suggested above, it's important to see your doctor for a full checkup. There are medical conditions that can cause drowsiness, including iron or other nutrient deficiency, insulin resistance or diabetes[11], hypoglycemia, or other medical problems. Diagnosis and treatment is something only your doctor can do.
- Notice what habits make you sleepy in a "food/mood diary". Write down when you feel drowsy, what you ate, whether you had exercised or not, how well you slept the night before, and any other factors that might be involved. Do this over a week, and at the end of the week, analyze the data you have recorded. Look for patterns so that you can learn to avoid any habits that cause drowsiness problems for you.
Video Tips - It is important to give yourself a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere in which to eat lunch. Try to leave the office or workroom and get some fresh air and new sights. This is about nourishing your spirit as much as your stomach, and will help improve your afternoon enthusiasm and productivity.
- Even if you only have ten minutes to eat something, make sure that it is nutritious. If you are asked to a restaurant, choose the lighter food.[12]
- Though this may not be feasible with your work schedule, you can plan to have a short 15 minute nap after lunch and it will help prevent you from feeling drowsy for the rest of the day, and can improve your productivity.[13]
- While sports drinks can give you an initial boost, don't rely on them for a regular source of energy. Not only are some high in caffeine and sugar, neither of which are healthy in large doses, but relying on them is not a substitute for good nutrition.
- Turkey contains tryptophan, which can make you sleepy. However, you would have to eat a huge amount of it to make you very sleepy. (So many people are tired after the Thanksgiving meal because of the volume of food.) A turkey sandwich should be okay.
- Ask your children and teens about their energy levels after lunch. If they (or their teachers) are reporting energy slumps after lunch, it is probably time to reassess what's going into their lunchbox or to look at the meals they are purchasing. Good nutrition for children is of the utmost importance. Have a look at Pack Vegetarian School Lunches and Pack a Lunch Box.
Warnings - Consult a doctor before making any major decisions about your diet or health.
Things You'll Need - Food/mood diary
- List of healthy food choices
- List of healthy food eateries if you don't want to make your own lunches
- Water
- Decaffeinated or non-caffeinated drink choices
- Exercise plan
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| 8 Tips for Escaping from Killer Bees Posted: There is no need to panic. There are a lot of bee colonies out there, but a person is about 1000 times more likely to be killed by a drunk driver than by bees.[1] Africanized honey bees ( Apis mellifera scutellata) originated from African bees brought to Brazil in the 1950s, hybridized in an attempt to produce a bee better suited to tropical climates. [2] They have gradually made their way up from Brazil, officially reaching the USA on October 19, 1990 when a swarm was documented. [3] Hollywood hype came up with the "killer bee" term, owing to the ferocity of the bees when riled. While Africanized honey bees are very defensive and easily provoked,[4] they are generally not a threat to humans provided they are not riled. However, if you are attacked by Africanized honey bees, you can take the following steps to get away from them and protect yourself and others. Steps - Be aware of the triggers that encourage Africanized honey bees to attack, so that you can avoid provoking an attack. Some of the things that can encourage attacking by Africanized honey bees include hive disturbance, causing the bees to think that the hive is under threat, and a range of sensory threats such as loud noise, strong odor or artificial fragrance, shiny objects (including jewelry) and dark clothes.[5] If you do spot a hive in your yard, camping ground, or when out for a walk, take care and consider the following precautions:
- Avoid making loud noise when you discover a hive. Don't shout, don't use machinery near the hive (such as chainsaws and lawnmowers), and keep barking dogs away.
- Don't poke a hive. Never disturb a hive, no matter how curious or foolhardy you're feeling. It's the bees' home and they'll do what they need to defend it. Leave it well alone and call for professional hive removal help.
- Don't wear strong perfume, shiny jewelry or dark clothing when in an area known for having Africanized bees.
- If bees start attacking, don't freeze. Run away quickly. Do not stop to help other people unless they are small children or they are disabled. Call out to encourage everyone in the vicinity to run to shelter. Run in a straight line - most healthy people are capable of outrunning Africanized bees as they are slow fliers.[6]
- If you see someone being attacked by bees, encourage them to run away or seek shelter. Do not attempt to rescue them yourself. Call 911 to report a serious stinging attack. The emergency response personnel in your area probably have been trained to handle bee attacks.
- Protect your face as you run. Use your shirt pulled over your face or your arms but do not let this slow your running. Protect your eyes and sensitive head areas. If you are holding an infant then keep their face tucked directly into your body so that the bees cannot get at their face.
- Do not swat at the bees or flail your arms. Bees are attracted to movement and crushed bees emit a smell of bananas that will attract more bees.
- Run into the wind. This makes it harder for the bees to keep pace with you.[7]
- Avoid getting into water. Killer bees will wait until you come up for air.[8]
- Run to a building shelter. Do not stop running until you reach shelter. While some bees will follow you indoors, you should be able to shut most bees outside. Those that have followed you in will be disoriented by the lights in a well-lit room and will fly to the windows.
- Use any cover on hand if you cannot find shelter. Use blankets, sleeping bags, clothes, get into a tent or a bivouac, anything that can cover you up and provide shelter. Running through bushes or high weeds might also help provide some cover. If your car is close, it can serve as suitable shelter.
Call in the professionals - Remove all the stingers. When a honey bee stings, it leaves the stinger in your skin. While this kills the honey bee by tearing apart its abdomen, the venom continues to enter into the wound for a short time.
- Do not pull stingers out with tweezers or your fingers. This will only squeeze more venom into the wound. Instead, scrape the stinger out sideways using your fingernail, the edge of a credit card, a dull knife blade or other straight-edged object.
- If you have been stung more than 15 times, or you're feeling ill, or if you have any reason to believe you may be allergic to bee stings, seek medical attention immediately. The average person can safely tolerate 7-10 stings per pound of body weight; this means that although 500 stings can kill a child, the average adult could withstand more than 1100 stings.[9] A person allergic to bee stings, however, is at great risk of anaphylactic shock from even a single sting, so seek immediate medical advice.
- Call the police. Tell them what has happened so that they can arrange for professional beekeepers to come and contain the swarm.
Video Tips - Bees "swarm" most often in the spring and fall. This is because the colony becomes too crowded in its current hive and half of them will leave to establish a new hive. They may move in large masses—called swarms—until they find a suitable spot. Once the colony is built and the bees begin raising their young, they will protect their hive by stinging.
- Keep your house area bee-free. Avoid colonies by filling in holes or cracks in exterior walls, filling in tree cavities, and putting screens on the tops of rainspouts and over water meter boxes in the ground. Cover the chimney when not in use. See How to Get Rid of Killer Bees for more advice.
- If you have a hive in your yard, fence it off temporarily so that your pets and any other animals cannot gain access to the hive and accidentally disturb it.
- Common names: Africanized honeybee, African honey bee, killer bee.
Warnings - While any colony of bees will defend its hive, Africanized bees do so with gusto. These bees can kill, and they present a danger even to those who are not allergic to bee stings. In several isolated instances, people and animals have been stung to death. Regular honeybees will chase you about fifty yards (45.7 meters). Africanized honeybees may pursue you three times that distance.
- Most often, death from stings occurs when people are not able to get away from the bees quickly. Animal losses have occurred for the same reasons—pets and livestock were tied up or penned when they encountered the bees and could not escape.
- Do not bother bee colonies: if you see that bees are building—or have already built—a colony around your home, do not disturb them or attempt to remove them yourself. Call a pest control center to find out who can remove the bees quickly. While waiting for them, stay well away from the bee hive or swarm; if you can't leave your house, call the police for assistance.
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