Everybody everywhere has had or will get a cut a bruise or a scrape. Knowing how to treat it will determine how fast it heals, and whether or not it will leave a scar.

Most of these injuries are minor, and visiting the doctor isn’t necessary. Knowing when an injury deserves a visit to the doctor is as important as knowing first aid at home. I live by the rule when in doubt; let the doctor rule it out. My instincts are usually dead on when it comes to what I can doctor at home, and what injury needs a professional touch.

What is the difference between a Cut and a Bruise?

Cuts and bruises are basically the same thing. A bruise is an injury that is under the skin and a cut is on the outside of the skin. Blood from a cut or scrape is apparent, but the bruise is actually bleeding underneath the skin. The uglier and darker the color of the bruise, the more clotting and healing is going on under the skin. Treating the two minor injuries takes a little bit of a different approach since each injury is just a little bit different. Broken skin needs to be protected from infection whereas a bump or bruise is already protected because the wound is under the skin.

Sometimes what appear to be minor injuries may need to be looked at by a professional health care provider. Signs that it’s a minor injury:

• The injury is small (less than a ½ inch around)
• There’s no bleeding, or only slight bleeding. (Make sure you wear protective gloves to prevent the spread of bloodborne pathogens).
• The victim isn’t in excessive pain.
• There is no feeling of numbness or tingling on the victim.
• There aren’t any signs of paralysis.
• The victim doesn’t seem to have any broken bones or dislocated joints. (Dislocation or broken bone is possible if the victim is in a lot of pain, and the shoulder, leg, arm, or ankle seems to be lying or hanging at an awkward angle).

Cut and Scrape First Aid

For cuts and scrapes:

1. Wash the injured area with mild soap and lukewarm water.
2. Apply an antibacterial ointment or spray to prevent infection.
3. Cover the wound with a band-aid or sterile bandage.

For bumps and bruises:

1. Apply an ice pack or cold compress to the affected area as soon as possible to reduce the amount of swelling.
2. If possible, elevate the injured area above the heart. This will keep the blood from “pooling” in the affected area. (Pooling creates more internal bleeding and swelling).
3. Keep the injury elevated for about 15 minutes if the wound is minor. If the bruise is severe or covers a large portion of the body, call for help. Keep a severe bruise elevated for at least an hour or until a trained emergency care team arrives.
4. If the bruise doesn’t seem to be getting better and 24 hours have passed, consult with your physician.
5. Seek prompt medical care if there is any swelling around the bruise, especially if it occurs around a joint. This can signal danger to the nerves, muscles and bones all of which require trained medical attention.

Warning Signs for Internal Bleeding

Whenever an injury occurs, look for the signs of internal bleeding or hemorrhaging which are similar to those of shock.

• Pale, clammy skin
• Chills
• Cold hands and feet
• Dilated pupils (excessively large pupils even in light)
• Rapid, weak pulse
• Major swelling at the injury site
• Major or immediate black and blue marks at the wound site

First aid procedures won’t stop internal bleeding, unfortunately. Call for help immediately if internal bleeding is suspected, and then proceed with first aid procedures for shock.
-Anne

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Breathing is the most natural thing to do, right? So why am I sitting here writing a post about breathing? Can you believe that most of us are breathing wrong? Well, we’re alive, so we must be doing something right. The thing is, if we learn to breathe a little more consciously and from the diaphragm, we can reduce our stress levels, optimize our sense of smell and taste, and even live a little longer.

There are basically two types of breathing: cleansing and energizing. Cleansing breaths detoxify the body and stress exhalation. Energizing breaths focus on inhalation and collect and store vital energy.

Sounds like basic breathing so far. But what of the spontaneous ’sighs’ and ‘yawns’ we sometimes experience? A sigh is a cleansing breath, a long, forceful exhalation preceded by a quick gulp of air. People sigh when toxins in the bloodstream reach a critical level or energy is running low. In contrast, a yawn is an energizing breath–a long, deep inhalation briefly held in the lungs, followed by a short exhalation.

Breathing is a three step process. Did you ever notice a sleeping child or puppy? The stomach moves up and down as they breathe, not the chest. Take a gradual breath in, and expand your diaphragm. Your stomach should fill up like a balloon. Next, feel the air fill your lungs without lifting your chest or expanding your rib cage. Third, you can feel the air getting up into the top of your lungs. Exhale in the same manner, only the steps are in reverse. When we breathe, as we do, into the rib cage and the clavicle, our breaths are shallow and so not enough oxygen or negative ions are getting into the lungs and subsequently the blood stream leading to lower energy. A cleansing breath helps open the blood vessels in the brain as well, and is a great aid in relieving stress. Slower, deeper breaths will help the body to heat naturally, and comes in handy on a cold February day like today.

Chee-gung has been a formal branch of Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years, and means both ‘breathing exercise’ and ‘energy control’. It was found that it was first referenced in the mid-sixth century B.C. There are many different ways to do exercises in order to learn to breathe properly. This first one is for beginners and takes only 10 minutes a day.

· Dress in loose comfortable clothes.

· Find a comfortable, quiet location.

· Lay on back or sit with back erect in a chair or on the floor

· Count “1″ and breathe in and think “relax” and breathe out.

· Focus attention on breathing and counting.

· Expand diaphragm on breathing in and keep chest still.

· Count up to 10 and then back to 1.

· Practice up to twice daily, 10 minutes each time.

· Monitor your practice.

1. Place one hand on your chest and the other one on your stomach with your little finger just a little above your naval. The movement should come from your lower hand (diaphragm, muscle in stomach) not your chest.
2. Do not try to take in too much air and don’t slow your breathing down too much. Just breathe smoothly and easily through your nose. Do not hold your breath.
3. Count “one” mentally as you breathe in, and think “relax” as you breathe out. Then “two” on the next breath in, and breathe out and think “relax.” Do these until you get to 10 then start back at 1.
4. After about 5-6 weeks of doing chee-gung, gradually begin to slow your counting day by day until you can breathe at a rate of 10 breaths per minute at rest.

-Anne

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We’ve all been informed that a healthy diet makes a healthy body. Something I was interested in was finding out more about the specific benefits of individual foods. So I did a little reading and research myself. What I found out is that we can prevent so many illnesses and diseases, and promote healing when diseases are present, merely by eating the right quantity of the right foods in specific combinations. How cool is that? We could reduce the number of trips to the doctor, and possibly cut our medical bills in half. Expensive prescription medicines may be replaced by the foods in my refrigerator.

Black Grapes

One popular food in homeopathic or alternative medicine is black grapes, which contain an overabundance of health benefits. Native to the Mediterranean region and Central Asia, grapes grow in clusters on a deciduous woody vine, Vitis vinifera, and come in many colors.

The dark grapes all contain a rich supply of anthocyanins, which refers to the pigment, and helps to provide an antioxidant that conveys many health-promoting properties of grapes. This antioxidant property is conserved after consumption and is why most red fruits are a nutritious food source.

Grapes can be eaten fresh or dried (raisins), while grape juice is a favorite beverage. Although seedless grapes are highly sought after for table grapes, the absence of seeds diminishes the phytochemical content of the grape, the property that provides the antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. Grapes are also used for making jam, jelly, and wine.

Used as a supplement or an alternative to medicine, and eaten in a therapeutic dose, raw fresh grapes aid in the treatment and prevention of many disorders:
• Arthritis—eating exclusively 2-3 pounds of black grapes for 1-5 days will provide amazing therapeutic relief, depending on severity of symptoms
• Heart Disease—experimenters in the Soviet Union have shown that eating nothing but 1-3 pounds of black grapes for 5-7 days has a detoxifying effect on the muscles and valves of the heart and also purifies and balances the bloodstream
• Prostrate disorders—exclusively for 1-3 days at 1-3 pounds
• Menstrual disorders—exclusively for 1-5 days at 1-3 pounds
• Cancer—2-4 pounds of grapes a day for a week to a month will help detoxify all tissues and organs in the body, and restore organic integrity to starved cells when used solely for a prolonged period of time

To find out more about the therapeutic use of grapes, refer to the following list of books.
• The Grape Cure by Johanna Brandt
• Sweet Grapes: How to Stop Being Infertile and Start Living Again by Jean W. Carter
• Fasting and Grape Cure by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely

-Anne

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