Written by Benjamin Law – Canberra Times

• NOVEMBER 12 2016 – 12:00AM

Most of us don’t know how we’ll react in a crisis until it happens.

Years ago, when cutting pumpkin on a slippery surface, I almost sliced right through my fingerprint and watched myself bleed like a Quentin Tarantino character before it even occurred to me to call an ambulance. My friend Kirsty, when faced with a snake, tried to scream in horror, only to find all she was capable of producing was a mute wheeze, like a deflating air mattress.

And if you haven’t had training and something bad happens, you could make things worse. It’s been years since I originally did my St John’s Ambulance first aid certificate, and when I think of all the kids in my life nowadays, it makes me shudder to think that I – Uncle Ben, the unco moron who could barely reverse-park until his late 20s – could be the difference between life, disability and death.

If you do first aid with St John’s now, you’re required to do an online training module beforehand that takes several hours. It’s unexpectedly fun, although the photographic models in the material that re-enact choking, wounds and burns prove so hilarious, it’s almost distracting. (Apparently it’s hard to realistically act like you’re having a stroke.)

On the day of training, our teacher is Rhonda-Lee, a quick to-laugh, flame-haired, no-bullshit nurse who has been with St John’s for two decades. We’re not expected to come out of this as medical professionals, Rhonda-Lee clarifies. “First aid is exactly that,” she says. “You’re the first aid until professional help arrives. Keep them breathing; stop them bleeding. Everything else is buttons and bows.” Rhonda-Lee’s benchmark is that she’d be confident letting one of us treat her kids if they were sick or injured. “And I like my kids,” she says. “Well, at least I do today.”

Over seven hours, we learn that if someone’s choking, get them to bend over and deliver five sharp, powerful blows between their shoulders. If someone has a sprain or strain, remember RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). If someone is unresponsive, unconscious and not breathing, CPR is essential. By the end, most of us are exhausted yet weirdly exhilarated.

In fact, we can now address several medical emergencies at once. Someone is stung by a bee, has an anaphylactic reaction and trips while looking for their epi-pen, causing them to bleed profusely with possible fractures? We know what to do! “Well done, everyone,” Rhonda-Lee says, proud. “I hope you never have to use what you learnt today.”

A true article and reflection on a first aid course in Canberra. Make sure you come and join a first aid course in Canberra in the future not only o St Johns run these courses but many other first aid providers. At Canberra First Aid we run a well priced and excellent first aid course in Canberra so check out our upcoming dates and book in to the best first aid course in Canberra as soon a s possible. We look frward to training you.

An estimated 1.2 million Australians, or 5.1 per cent of the population, had diabetes in 2014-15, the majority type 2. But it is thought that for every four adults who were diagnosed, one would be living without knowing their status. Diabetes is more common in men than women, and prevalence increases with age, to about 16 per cent for those aged 65-74. It is also often associated with other conditions. In 2013, diabetes contributed to 10 per cent of all deaths in Australia, most cases listing diabetes as an associated cause (coronary heart disease was the underlying cause in 23 per cent of those deaths and stroke in 6 per cent). Regrettably, indigenous Australians are 3.5 times more likely than other Australians to have diabetes, and four times more likely to be hospitalised or die from the condition.

Australians with type 2 diabetes have access to various resources but, according to one expert, need more support to manage their condition. Writing in the Medical Journal of Australia in August, Jane Speight from Deakin University and Diabetes Victoria called for a “paradigm shift” to improve self-management, while researchers continue searching for better treatments and interventions. Speight cited a study showing one in five diabetics never, or infrequently, ate healthily, and two in three did not engage in physical activity, but there was widespread distress over future health outcomes. “This suggests that, far from being apathetic or unmotivated to manage their diabetes, many people overestimate their risk of long-term complications and feel burdened or unsupported trying to manage a complex and unrelenting condition,” she wrote.

Risk factors and issues surrounding access to medical care mean that diabetics in remote areas, particularly indigenous communities, are far more likely to require an amputation. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has found huge variation in amputation rates, ranging from eight for every 100,000 people in North Sydney and Hornsby in NSW to 91 in outback Northern Territory and 73 in outback Queensland. A Queensland University of Technology study estimates that funding better care of diabetic foot ulcers could save $2.7 billion over five years and prevent thousands of hospitalisations. “Not only do patients receiving the best care have faster ulcer healing, fewer recurrent ulcers, hospitalisations and amputations, but they also have a better quality of life and we still save thousands of dollars per patient,” says health economist Rosana Norman.

Common environmental synthetic chemicals may be exacerbating the obesity problem. There is mounting evidence that environmental pollutants such as plasticisers, pesticides and coolants are contributing to metabolic disorders by disrupting the production and regulation of hormones in the body. A Swedish study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, suggests cutting exposure to these chemicals by just 25 per cent could help prevent more than 150,000 cases of diabetes each year in Europe. “Our findings also speak to the need for a strong regulatory framework that proactively identifies chemical hazards before they are widely used, and the use of safer alternatives,” it says.

By 2040, the International Diabetes Federation estimates one in 10 adults around the world, about 642 million people, will have diabetes.

Melbourne’s Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute, in collaboration with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, is set to examine the number of new type 2 diabetes diagnoses around the world. It will seek to better identify trends, for example the apparent slowing in rates in the US and feared outbreaks in southeast Asia.

“While we have consistently been hearing about escalating rates of diabetes in Australia, for example, this is based on prevalence and it could be that the incidence actually demonstrates a slowing in the number of diagnosed new cases,” says the institute’s head of population health, Jonathan Shaw.

Learn how to treat someone if they have a diabetic issue in one of our first aid courses in Canberra. I cant believe with all of the information out their on how positive physical activity, sleep and eating right can help save you from this disease that we are still seeing the rise in type 2 diabetes. Not only should you book in to a first aid course in Canberra but get out and about in this great city, start eating healthy and make sure you are getting 8 hours of sleep a night. It will save your life.

There’s nothing quite like the experience of a live music festival. Hearing your favourite bands, hanging out with your friends, and living in the moment are things you’ll never forget.

You don’t want to miss a single second, but you also don’t want crime, illness or injuries to spoil your fun. If you want to ensure an epic music adventure, then consider these safety tips when travelling to gigs and festivals.

Accidents, injuries and the elements

Your festival may be in a grassy field, or a football stadium, under trees or the beating sun. Wherever it is, you may face unusual physical demands that can lead to bug bites, sunburn, twisted ankles, and sore muscles. Pack some basic first-aid items and pain killers, along with sunscreen, sunglasses and bug repellent. Once you arrive at the festival, scope out the first-aid locations in case you need them.

Unfortunately, accidents can happen when you are getting to and from the festival. If you’re in your car, you need to be prepared to deal with drivers who are careless or drinking. One way to protect yourself is to hire a car. Make sure the rental company carries drivers negligence insurance, and get help making a compensation claim from a reputable company if you are in an accident.

Crime

It might seem like it’s all peace and love, but where large crowds gather, so do criminals and predators. Don’t bring all your credit cards with you, and leave expensive jewellery at home. Keep your identification and valuables in a purse with a zipper. You can also invest in a travel purse that you can wear round your neck. Before you go, make copies of any cards you’ll be taking in case they get lost or stolen.

Keep an eye on your drinks to avoid anyone adding anything, and don’t take drinks from strangers. Set up a place to find your friends if you get separated, and adopt a buddy system for wandering round the festival grounds.

Look for security stations when you arrive, in case you need to flag one of them. Before your trip, be sure to inform others where you’ll be and for how long.

Illness

There are some illnesses you can avoid whilst you are at the festival. By drinking loads of water, you will avoid dehydration, which can give you headaches or cause fainting. It’s also helpful to drink water if you are also drinking alcohol. Water helps ward off hangovers, and it helps you pace yourself so you don’t get ill from over-imbibing.

If you’ll be eating that wonderful festival food, pack some antacids in case you’re sensitive to deep-fried cuisine. Be sure to clean your hands before and after eating anything, to get rid of bacteria you pick up from the festival venue.

If you’ve got a mobile phone, help is just a call away, but makes sense to take safety measures before and during your trip so you can just enjoy the music. Have a great time!

This one is for all of our festival goer friends at Canberra First Aid, make sure you follow some of these basic safety guidelines when heading to your festivals over summer. It would also be worth while to complete a first aid course with us so that you have some skills to help out your friends or family in case of an emergency this summer.

The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) has announced today the inauguration of its 4^th Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Meeting (FAAM), hosting over 1,200 international researchers, clinicians and allied health professionals in Rome from 13–15 October 2016. This year’s edition is the largest food allergy meeting ever organised, confirming the increased attention that health care professionals and the general community are giving to this topic.

In Europe, more than 17 million people suffer from food allergies, of these 3.5 million are under 25 years of age. Furthermore, 8% of people suffering from food allergies are exposed to the risk of a severe reaction resulting in death. Food allergy reactions appear to be on the rise mainly amongst children: a seven-fold increase in hospital admissions for food anaphylaxis was reported in the UK and Australia over the last 10 years, among children aged 0–14 years.

The serious and life-threatening nature of the disease, with the burden of anaphylaxis and its increasing prevalence, makes food allergies a major public health concern, and also has considerable economic implications. The societal cost of food allergies could be incurred through directly managing allergies (e.g. purchase of drugs, allergen-free foods, hospitalisation and specialist medical care), or indirectly (e.g. lost time from work or school, as well as the loss of productivity). It is estimated that the cost of managing food allergies is greater than for other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, which costs the USA about USD $4,800 a year.

FAAM’s main ambition is to tackle this disease through a holistic approach including all stakeholders involved in managing the multifaceted nature of food allergies and anaphylaxis. In addition to allergists, pediatricians, and gastroenterologists, the meeting is being attended by food technologists, allied health professionals, policy makers and patient organisations. A multi-disciplinary arena bringing different specialists together is crucial to maintaining FAAM’s very successful nature, which is characterised by highly interactive multidisciplinary learning.

EAACI Guidelines on Food Allergies and Anaphylaxis

On the first day of FAAM 2016, EAACI has provided an update on the implementation plan of its Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Guidelines with a special focus on tools for primary care physicians. In fact, for the first time, the principal European association of primary care physicians was involved in EAACI’s debate on food allergies. Experts from EAACI and the European Association of General Practitioners (UEMO) have illustrated the steps for the successful implementation of these guidelines during a roundtable discussion chaired by Professor Antonella Muraro, President of EAACI and Chair of FAAM 2016, and Dr. Alberto Lupo, President of UEMO.

“General practitioners are at the forefront of diagnosing and treating patients, and only by strengthening collaboration with these practitioners will we be able to ensure an improved earlier identification and treatment of patients suffering from food allergies and anaphylaxis,” said Professor Muraro.

Current EU legislation related to food allergen labelling

Another important topic that will be discussed during FAAM 2016 is the current EU legislation related to food allergen labelling. Since December 2014, the EU Regulation No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers requires that information about a priority list of allergenic ingredients, included in a recipe, be provided on pre-packaged, loose and catered foods. Whilst this is helping consumers that suffer from allergies to avoid problematic foods, the unintended presence of allergens is resulting in the use of precautionary allergen labels. In relation to this topic, a new proposal for regulating the “may contain” labelling will be discussed, and an overview will be given of the international regulatory legislation on this topic.

“The influence of EU legislation on the industry’s day-to-day work and the impact on consumers that suffer from allergies are enormous. Therefore, all stakeholders should be aware of regulatory bodies’ actions, including the voluntary risk-assessment recommendations put in place by the industry,” highlighted Professor Clare Mills, Co-Chair of FAAM 2016 and Coordinator of EU-funded iFAAM project at the University of Manchester. Professor Muraro then added, “Safety is of utmost importance for patients and parents and their quality of life can dramatically change depending on the final legal recommendations”.

The meeting will also provide new updates on research and activities in this area, including from EU-funded iFAAM project, on how such labels can be used in a transparent, evidence-based way to communicate the potential risk of an allergen, rather than being used in a defensive way without any risk of allergen contamination.

The integrated approaches to food allergen and allergy management (iFAAM) programme is coordinated by Professor Mills at the University of Manchester. The project is funded by the European Union and 43 partners from across Europe, the USA and Australia and includes academic organisations, patient groups and the food industry. It aims to develop evidence-based approaches and tools for the management of allergens in food, integrate knowledge derived from their application into food allergy management plans and dietary advice and develop strategies to reduce the burden of food allergies in Europe.

Novel foods and novel allergens

The allergenic risk assessment of novel foods and novel allergens is a cutting-edge topic and will be addressed in a session featuring the presence, amongst other experts, of Antonio Fernandez Dumont from the European Food Safety Association (EFSA), who will discuss the European Union’s views on how to address this important issue.

In an era of increased climate change and food insecurity, new sources of dietary protein will urgently be needed. Some of these, such as insect protein, may not be widely consumed but could pose a risk for those with food allergies. New scientific approaches are required to ensure innovation in new food protein ingredients progress whilst ensuring individuals with food allergies are effectively protected. However, Professor Muraro commented that the cure to food allergies is very close to being found.

During the meeting, immunotherapy trial findings will also be presented. The topic “How to prevent food allergies” will comprehensively be discussed, illustrating latest research findings on modulating the immune response in early life and pregnancy, as well as the role of the microbiome in shaping the immune system’s reaction to food allergens.

These and many other topics will be further discussed in the context of a three-day reach programme, featuring more than 70 experts. The meeting’s symposia, seminars and workshops will offer the opportunity for experts to exchange ideas and cutting-edge innovations in science and medicine relating to food allergen biology, nutritional support and innovative therapeutic approaches to patient care and food safety.

“FAAM has always been a unique opportunity to reaffirm the vision that we are only able to help patients and adequately manage the several challenges associated with this disease by working together as stakeholders in a patient-centred approach,” commented Professor Muraro. “It is exciting to come to a meeting that brings people together from across the world and from different disciplines, all working to solve the problem of food allergies – from therapies and prevention to managing food allergens in manufactured foods. All working to make life better and safer for anyone unfortunate enough to suffer from a food allergy,” added Professor Mills.

Meet the long-glanded blue coral snake of southeast Asia. The visually striking snake with a vibrant blue body and a blood red head is a specialist feeder that preys on other fast moving, venomous snakes.

It has the world’s biggest venom glands which grow up to one quarter of its body length — and it certainly knows how to use them.

But despite the snake’s notoriety, its venom has remained largely a mystery until now. A team of scientists including a number of Australian researchers have studied the animal’s paralysis-inducing venom and believe it could hold immense potential for use in human medicine, particularly in the area of pain relief.

Dr Bryan Fry from the University of Queensland who contributed to the study told news.com.au that when in search of the world’s next wonder drug, he likes to look in the most unusual places. It was the uniqueness of the blue coral snake and its fast-acting venom which drew him to it.

“The speciality in my lab is to use evolution as our map, so we seek out the weirdest things we can find,” he said. “Because we have a very simple premise that if you want to find something new and wonderful for use in human medicine, you’re more likely to find it from a very unusual venom.”

Simply put, “We can’t predict where the next wonder drug is going to come from,” the venomologist said.

“Here out of this enigmatic, extraordinarily rare animal we have made a discovery that could greatly benefit human health.”

The snake’s venom acts in a similar way to a scorpion’s by instantly paralysing its victim.Source:Supplied

The snake can grow up to two metres long and its venom glands can reach 60 centimetres.

It has a fondness for eating young king cobra snakes and because it feeds on other venomous snakes which are capable of profound retaliation, it needs to be able to immobilise its prey almost instantly.

Therefore the long-glanded blue coral snake has developed venom which administers a “lightning strike electrical spasm throughout the body,” Dr Fry said.

Like scorpions it causes its prey to completely spasm.

The study, published this month in the journal Toxin, reveals how it achieves such a feat. The venom of the blue coral snake contains a number of unusual peptides that switch on all of its victim’s nerves at once, causing it to become instantly paralysed.

So what does this have to do with human health?

According to Dr Fry it works to act on a particular type of sodium channel that is important for the treatment of pain in humans.

“Where it’s acting is on sites that are extremely important for pain,” he said, and the insights gained from how the venom works could yield important medicinal developments.

“Even if it doesn’t itself become a drug, which it still may, it already immediately teaches us about how those channels work which means we have more data for drug design,” he said.

“No matter what we’ve gained a massive amount of new knowledge about how these channels work.”

For Dr Fry the study is also a lesson in the importance of conservation. While he likes to search out the most unique and venomous creatures on the planet for what they can potentially teach us about human health, the declining biodiversity of our environment means it’s an increasingly difficult task.

Like plenty of other species, the long-glanded blue coral snake faces a tough and uncertain future.

“It’s an incredibly rare snake and it’s becoming only rarer,” he said. Because the big monsoonal forest in southeast Asia which it calls home “are being wiped out at an absolutely shocking rate”.

 Snake Catchers: Protecting The World’s Deadliest Snakes

Dr Bryan Fry holding a 2m King Brown Snake. Picture: Russell ShakespeareSource:News Corp Australia

Not the same as our normal snake articles collected, this looks like a very positive snake venom… If this treatment for pain can be utilised we might even find it in first aid kits and teaching the information on how to use the venom in first aid courses around Australia, Canberra and even the world. Make sure you book in to a first aid course in Canberra soon so that you are prepared for any first aid incidents that occur near you this summer.

Police officer Jason Short thought he was about to save a life.

After receiving a 911 call to reports of a baby left alone in a hot car, the officer rushed to the Walmart car park in Keene.

He spotted the baby, wrapped in a blanket with a bottle next to it and immediately smashed the window to rescue her.

But he quickly noticed that she was motionless and began performing CPR on her after calling an ambulance.

He told WMUR-TV: ‘I went to put my finger in its mouth and it was all resistance. And I’m like, “This is a doll.”‘

It turns out the doll belonged to Carolynne Seiffert, who has been using lifelike dolls as a coping mechanism ever since her son died from Hunter’s disease in 2005.

Seiffert, who named the $2,000 (£1,531) doll Ainsley, told the channel: ‘I’ve been laughed at and embarrassed by all the fuss. You can’t know how people choose to deal with their losses in life.’

Life-like dolls are known as reborn dolls that can be sold for anywhere between $30 and thousands of dollars.

They’re made to look life-like by substituting plastic eyes for glass eyes and either hand-implanted mohair or human hair.

Keene police chief, Brian Costa, has offered to pay $300 to fix Seiffert’s window.

He said: ‘If all indications are that a baby is in a car in upward of well over 90-degree weather, officers will break car windows.’

Short said: ‘I would never assume that it’s a doll. I would always assume that it’s a child. I would never do anything different.’

Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2016/08/19/police-smash-hot-cars-window-to-perform-cpr-on-baby-turns-out-its-a-doll-6078614/#ixzz4OAkGeOP3

Great work by the officer, you have t always assume in this situation that the doll was a child. Make sure you book in to a first aid course in Canberra with us at Canberra First Aid and Training. Also check out or facebook page Canberra First Aid and Training. We will teach you all of the first aid skills required to help in an emergency.

Posted Tue at 2:16pm

A group of station owners and Indigenous community members in the Mid West have battled heat and flies on a remote sheep station to learn how to save lives.

They were bussed in to Gabyon sheep station, about 35 kilometres south of Yalgoo, to take part in a first aid course run by St John Ambulance.

Local paramedic Blair Bayens said the choice of location was an important element of the course.

“It was conducted in the middle of the bush so it was relevant to our local Indigenous [people] and station owners,” he said.

“It wasn’t a plastic environment, we sort of tried to recreate the same type of location, I guess, as to where these people are living.”

Mr Bayens said participants were given crucial first aid skills, which hopefully could be passed on to others.

“Everyone passed [the course],we had some first aid mannequins for them to take home with them so they can show their children how to do CPR,” he said.

A similar course was held in Mount Magnet several weeks ago.

PHOTO: The course was held in “the bush” to make it more relevant to participants. (Supplied: Blair Bayens)

Communities reaping benefits of courses

Mr Bayens said recent history had shown the value of such courses in the regional areas.

“We’ve actually seen it on the ground first-hand the impact that it’s making on the community,” he said.

“In the past twelve months we’ve seen people placed in the recovery position prior to the ambulance arrival, basic first aid, wound-dressing, stemming of bleeding and things like that,” he said.

Four participants of the Yalgoo course plan to go on to complete their ambulance officer volunteer course to become members of the Yalgoo ambulance service, while two young indigenous women have been selected for a new ambulance officer youth cadet program for country WA.

Shannon Simpson and Katie Flannagan, both 16, said they wanted to help their community, and hoped to one day go on to be paramedics.

St John Ambulance WA Mid West regional manager Lynne Hunt said the course was part of the Aboriginal Ambulance Project, which allowed Indigenous community members to attend the course for free.

She said people should contact St John Ambulance if they were interested in taking part in a first aid course.

“If a group of community members in any part of the Mid West are interested in learning first aid, we are willing to go to any number of remote locations to deliver these important lifesaving skills to the community,” she said.

Great work from St Johsn heading out to these remote parts, I wish we could do this. Make sure you learn all of the first aid skills you need in an accredited first aid course. At Canberra First Aid we can offer you a great training package in one of our first aid courses at a good price so book in now.