Tooth loss can arise out of an injury or trauma and occurs in both children and adults. The most common symptoms for tooth loss are bleeding, pain and weakness. Sometimes, tooth loss is also associated with thumb sucking, genetic factors, poor oral hygiene and breathing from the mouth.

First Aid for Tooth Loss
Whilst it is recommended to see a dentist for a fallen tooth, you can also replace it by the following method:

• Hold from the top and not the root
• Do not even touch the root
• Wash the tooth but not in running water
• Try replacing the tooth in its original place or socket
• If it you are not able to replace it in the socket, place it in your saliva or whole milk
• You can also place the tooth in a solution containing one-fourth teaspoon of salt in a quarter glass of water
• Seek a dentist’s help

Tooth loss can be prevented say experts but maintaining good oral hygiene is very important – floss, brush and treat gum infections at the earliest.

Motion sickness as the term suggests is sickness caused during motion. Hence, all modes of transport such as a plane, car, train or bus can make someone dizzy, sick and cold sweating may also start. Motion sickness starts abruptly and lasts till the vehicle comes to a halt. Some say that frequent travelling can help one get rid of motion sickness.

First Aid for Motion Sickness
Motion sickness makes a person very uneasy with tendencies to vomit. First aid tips for a person affected with the same are listed below:

• Always take the front seats whether on a ship, plane or automobile. Take the window seat for a train.
• Focus on a distant object to avoid the dizziness
• Do not read
• Avoid smoking or sitting next to smokers
• Do not overeat before or while travelling
• Refrain from eating spicy foods before or while travelling
• An over the counter antihistamine can be taken 30 minutes to one hour before travel to induce sleep and drowsiness
• Eat dry crackers or carbonated drinks to ease your stomach if you begin to feel sick during travel

Motion sickness is not a disease but one can be discomforted to a great extent for the time he or she travels. Stop for fresh air and food in between to feel better.

A black is generally caused by an injury to the head, face or blow to the nose and eyes. Sometimes it may appear due to facial surgery, allergies or bites. The tissues around the eye get affected leading to pain, swelling and discoloration and hence the term ‘black eye’. Experts suggest that a black eye is normally not a serious problem and heals within a few days. However, sometimes it does detect a serious injury.

First Aid and Safety Tips for Black Eye
Some first aid and safety tips to treat a black eye include the following:

• Dab ice over the black eye or eyes for 20 minutes in every hour for two days
• If there are no results, apply warm compression once in two hours
• Avoid applying ice directly (wrap with cloth or a bag would do)
• Continue cold compression till relief is sought
• Your doctor may prescribe a suitable pain killer for severe discomfort and pain
• Avoid aspirin (can cause bleeding)
• Keep away from stressful situations
• Get medical help immediately

A specialist needs to diagnose the severity of the black eye and/or injury caused to arrive at the right solution and treatment. Seek medical help at once for a black eye.

There maybe many reasons for a swelling – surgery, trauma, tooth extraction, etc. Ice is a popular treatment for swelling as it reduces the blood flow to the area affected. Mild swelling can be treated at home but for severe swelling, diagnosis and treatment becomes essential.

First Aid for Swelling
Some basic first aid tips for the swelling retreat are:

• Place an ice bag on top of the swelling to reduce blood flow to the spot
• Wrap the ice pack in a clean cloth to avoid direct contact of the ice with the skin
• Do not let the area of swelling freeze
• Apply the ice pack for 15-20 minutes to the swollen area and then take a break for about 45 minutes after which you apply it again for another 15-20 minutes (repeat this treatment for 3-4 hours)
• If ice packs are not available immediately apply frozen peas, vegetables from your refrigerator

The moment ice packs are applied to the area of inflammation; it will feel cold at first and will be followed by a burning sensation. Do not freeze the area or give it a frostbite situation. Keep removing the ice pack on and off to check for blood circulation.

Leg cramps at night is a common problem. Though experts cannot tell the actual reason for leg cramps, it is believed that overuse of muscles or exercises, dehydration, lack of minerals such as calcium, potassium, etc can all cause leg cramps at night. Leg cramps is described as sudden spasms or tightening of the calf muscles when one is about to sleep or when one wakes up. Generally regarded as not serious, leg cramps also known as the Charley Horses lasts for a few seconds to few minutes.

How to manage a leg cramp?
Leg cramps can be managed at home with the help of the following tips:

• Walk or shake your leg
• Stretch your calf muscles gradually while sitting or standing
• Hot shower or warm bath also helps alleviate leg cramps
• Apply an ice pack over the calf spasm to get relief

Leg cramps disappear within minutes after any of the above is tried. Some precautionary measures for a night without leg cramps – drink plenty of water, improve your diet with minerals, engage in moderate stretching exercises and avoid caffeinated drinks. For persistent leg cramps during the day and night, drink apple cider vinegar mixed with one teaspoon of honey and a tablespoon of calcium lactate in half a glass of water for effective results.

A thumping headache, sweating, thirst and a nasty stomachache is what Hangovers are all about. Before understanding how a hangover should be managed, it is more important to understand what alcohol can do to your body. Firstly, alcohol is diuretic which means it dries your body through urination and thus the obvious outcome is dehydration. Secondly, the headache is caused by the rapidly falling blood-alcohol level and dehydration. And lastly, the nasty stomachache is due to the impurities in alcohol that is usually higher in malt liquors and sweeter drinks. One of the most common advises is to drink plenty of water in between drinking and before sleeping to dilute the impurities and prevent dehydration.

First Aid for Hangover
Traditional hangover cures include:

• Drink plenty of water for rehydration
• Take some pain relief medicine such as aspirin but beware of any kind of stomach irritation
• Take sugar to fight lowering blood sugar levels in the body
• Ask your pharmacist for an indigestion remedy
• Vitamin C
• Sleep or rest for at least an hour
• Take 2-4 cups of coffee
• Burnt toast for breakfast helps
• Hot or cold shower
• Strawberries
• A glass of milk

Eat fatty foods before drinking as they form a lining around the intestines and makes alcohol absorption by the body slower. Look out for symptoms such as vomiting and passing out while drinking. While the first can be countered with water, call emergency services if someone passes out (people tend to choke on their own vomit or go into a shock) while drinking.

Sunburn is described as small-scale or large-scale skin damage caused due to the harmful ultraviolet rays. Most sunburn cases are characterized by redness and pain on the skin surface and can be treated at home. However, severe sunburns cause pain, redness, swelling and blisters that clearly indicate that the underlying layers of the skin and nerves have been affected too, and take longer to heal.

First Aid for Sunburn
Relief from the pain and redness of the skin surface for mild sunburn can be sought through the following methods:

• Medication such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen could be prescribed by your doctor
• Cold compressors with equal portions of milk and water helps treating a mild sunburn
• Look for aloe-based solutions for application at the local drug store
• Cold but not ice cold baths help in bringing relief to mild sunburns
• Avoid perfumes, salts and oils that can cause further irritation to the skin
• Avoid shaving or scrubbing
• Use soft towels
• Apply a mild fragrance-free moisturizer
• Avoid the sun

Experts explain that self-care such as not staying too exposed to the sun and covering exposed areas of the body play an important part in preventing sunburns. For extensive cases of sunburns your doctor may recommend Silver sulfadiazine (specific warning for the face). Oral steroid therapy, strong pain relievers, fluid treatment and hospitalization may become absolutely essential for a severe case of sunburn.

Nausea is an uneasy feeling when the stomach churns and you feel the need to vomit. In most cases, the tendency to vomit goes away on its own and could arise due to minor reasons such as an empty stomach. Though manageable, the treatment for nausea or vomiting includes medicine to reduce the sick feeling and fluid replacement for dehydration.

First Aid for Nausea
The one thing on mind should be to take lots of fluids that will keep your body hydrated as nausea or vomiting tends to lead to fluid loss. First aid for nausea should entail the following remedies:

• Take fluids such as soups, juice or lime soda (4-8 ounces for adults and 1 ounce for children)
• No milk or dairy products should be taken as they can make the nausea worse
• Soft foods such as oatmeal, yogurt, etc can help but if you do not feel any difference go back to the fluids

Children need to be given oral rehydration that DOES NOT include cola, fruit juices, sports drinks or water. Rehydrate solutions like Pedialyte, Resol, Rice-Lyte and Rehydrate have to be given to them for nausea and vomiting tendencies. Medical treatment for nausea includes fluids given through the mouth or through the vein into the bloodstream and the particular cause for nausea is also treated.

Hysteria is described as an extreme behavior which is usually exhibited at the time of high emotions, which can be either positive or negative. Though such sudden bouts of behavior in the form of shouts, screams or unrestrained crying may seem not in connection or an over reaction to the current milieu, it appears very real to the person affected.

Hysteria is quiet prevalent today and some also argue that it is a normal and healthy response to absolutely stressful situations. However, it could be difficult to handle such extreme behavior that comes out of no warning for the person affected and those not.

First Aid for Hysteria
Explained below are some first aid measures to control and help a hysteric person:

• Without scolding the person affected try speaking to him or her slowly but very firmly
• Move him or her away from the crowd as without the person knowing it the bouts could be in reaction to the present onlookers
• Ask the person to focus on slow and deep breathing
• In case of dizziness or cramps hand over a plastic bag to the person and ask to breathe the exhaled air
• Never leave a hysteric alone and stay till he or she recovers fully
• Check for injuries and treat if they are minor ones or call for medical assistance

Other symptoms of hysteria also include trembling, inability to move from the very spot and aggressive behavior.

The foremost thing a first aid giver needs to know when dealing with a victim of electric shock is not to touch them. Instead, the first aid measures begin with keeping the caregiver safe enough to give help to the victim. The appliance that has caused the electric shock needs to be unplugged or the first aid giver can turn off the power from the control panel of the appliance.

Ways to prevent further damage if attending to electric shock victims

• The first aid giver needs to first separate the victim from the source of danger by turning off the power, before attempting to physically help the victim. If the power switch is not accessible for any reason, the first aid giver can use a piece of wood- brooms handles are handy in such a situation as are walking sticks-or even a dry rope or dry clothing, and disconnect the victim from the power source. If the electric shock victim has touched a high voltage wire, touching or moving them can be fatal for the rescuer as well.
• In such a situation, the first aid giver should call 911 or any emergency medical service for immediate help and keep the victim lying down. If the person is no longer connected to the wire and is unconscious, he/she should be placed on their side to allow drainage of fluids. However, in case an injury to the neck or spine is suspected, the victim should not be moved.
• If the victim shows signs of respiratory distress or is not breathing, the first aid giver needs to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be applied in case of no pulse recorded in the electric shock victim and his/her head be covered with a blanket to maintain body heat, keeping it low while awaiting medical attention.
• Electric shocks are very common and mostly fatal so the first aid giver needs to be aware of the dangers of such a situation and keep a cool head while attempting rescue operations or first aid techniques. It is crucial to first establish the site of entry and exit of the electric shock and break this contact, between electrical source and patient, using dry non-conductive object, such as a wooden stick.
• The first aid giver should be alert in tending to a victim of electric shock and check for visible signs of the source and burns on the victim. If electric shock is caused due to a wire, the rescuer must stay at least 20 feet away and make the emergency call to the power company immediately and state the location of the high voltage wire. Acting fast in a situation so distressing calls for staying calm and thus helping the victim towards recovery by thinking straight and acting intelligently.