On this blog, I don’t write much about first aid. But this article  from Newsweek.com on common first aid mistakes is a keeper.

As the writer notes, emergency room waits are getting longer and longer. It’s becoming more important to know what to do for a nosebleed, a cut finger, or a sprained ankle.  This story tells why some conventional wisdom – like putting butter on a burn – can harm rather than help.

Don’t let this story sit on the computer desktop. Print it out and post it on the refrigerator, or another prominent place. Have everyone in the house read it regularly so you’ll all know what do to if you’re in a “home health emergency.”

Researchers say a dramatic increase in the number of strokes among middle-aged women is another consequence of the nation’s obesity epidemic, the Associated Press reported today.

Data from the latest National Health and Nutrition Surveys, gathered from 1999 to 2004, showed two percent of women aged 35 to 54 reported having a stroke. In the previous survey, which was conducted from 1988 to 1994, only half a percent of respondents had the ailment.

Researchers point to obesity as the major factor because it was the only traditional risk condition that had changed enough to account for the increase in strokes.

That increase could have severe consequences for African Americans. Because of the incidence of high-blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes in our community, African Americans are twice as likely to die from stroke than are Whites.

For more information about stroke prevention, go to this page at the National Stroke Association website.

Although Donda West died a month ago, there are so many lessons to be learned from her passing that I want to revisit it when appropriate.

The latest news comes with the release of the 911 tapes  from the day of her death.  According to a story from the Associated Press, two guardians tried to revive West by administering CPR. The women, however, didn’t know the procedure.  The dispatcher tried to instruct them, but the women were too panicked to follow directions.

The seconds between life and death are not the time to become a student. Let’s all resolve to learn CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and other basic first aid skills.

Here’s a link to “Learn CPR” , a site from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Print copies of the page and post them prominently around your house. Better yet, take a CPR class. The American Heart Association has a great search engine for finding CPR and other first aid classes. Just put in your zip code.