Save Your Own Life
We've all heard the miracle stories: The Boy Scout who survived for four days in the mountains of North Carolina. The Montana couple who fought off a bear. The guy in Utah who cut off his arm to free himself from under a fallen rock. You've probably read many stories like this and wondered how to keep yourself out of the dangers. Here's what to do in some life- threatening emergencies when no one's around to help.
Allergic Reaction
Bee stings, food allergies, and medications can be deadly, even if you think you don't have allergies. Symptoms include itching in one spot or all over your body, sometimes accompanied by a rash, swelling, and, in the extreme, swelling of the airways, which hampers your ability to breathe. If you know you have a life-threatening allergy, form. an action plan with your doctor, who will probably prescribe an EpiPen, which comes in child and adult doses. It delivers the drug epinephrine (肾上腺素), which keeps the heart pumping, improves breathing, and gives you about 20 minutes to get to a hospital. Even if you don't have severe allergies, you can still be prepared for a spontaneous reaction. Slip a few maximum-strength antihistamines (抗组胺剂), into your wallet. The fast-acting tablets will begin to fight an allergic reaction while you wait for help to arrive. But since antihistamines can make you drowsy, don't drive yourself to the ER (急诊室).
Choking
Richard Stennes, MD, was home alone in La Jolla Shores, California, eating a steak, when the phone rang. The 64-year-old swallowed down the bite still in his mouth and answered the call. But the steak was stuck, and he couldn't talk or breathe. He put his finger down his throat to grab the meat, but he couldn't reach it. Gagging (使呕吐) didn't help either. So he walked over to the couch and forcefully thrust his abdomen on the hard arm of the couch, sending the meat flying and allowing him to breathe again.
If you're ever in the same situation, quickly find a chair or other piece of furniture or a kitchen counter, says Maurizio Miglietta, MD, chief of trauma at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. Aim to hit the top of the chair or edge of the counter against your upper abdomen, in the soft part below the bony upside-down V of the ribs. Thrust up and inward. If you still can't breathe after six tries, call 911 from a landline, even if you can't talk. They'll find you. Write the word choking somewhere nearby, and leave the line open until help arrives.
Heart Attack
If you're experiencing crushing chest pain with or without pain in your left arm, are short of breath, or have a sense of impending doom, you may be having a heart attack. (Women are more likely to have atypical symptoms like severe fatigue, nausea, heartburn, and profuse sweating. ) Call 911 and chew one 325 mg uncoated aspirin, to get it into your bloodstream fast. This will thin your blood, often stopping a heart attack in its tracks. While waiting, lie down so that your heart doesn't have to work as hard, says Sandra Schneider, MD, a spokeswoman for the American College of Emergency Physicians. If you think you might pass out, try forcing yourself to cough deeply. It changes the pressure in your chest and can have the same effect as the thump given in CPR, says Dr. Schneider, "Sometimes it can jolt the heart into a normal rhythm."
If someone else goes into cardiac arrest, note that the American Heart Association now recommends CPR without the mouth-to-mouth: Call 911, then push hard and fast on the person's chest until help comes.
Bear Attack
If you surprise a bear, don't run away. That invites an attack. Instead, stand up and back away slowly, without looking the bear in the eyes. Speak softly to the animal (no loud shouting). If it does charge at you, try to make yourself look as large as possible:

A. Y
B. N
C. NG