First Aid Archives

Relaxation Exercise: 1 minute calm breathing

21 August, 2021 by Elizabeth Good

Using Breath as a Relaxation Exercise

During stressful times it’s great to have a relaxation exercise to calm our nervous systems. 1-minute calm breathing can really help.

Lockdown and the worries associated with Covid-19 can make us all feel extra anxious.

So take a minute with us to have a breather.

Using Breath to Calm our Bodies and Minds

One of the fastest ways to tell your body it is safe is by slowing your breath. We often tell our Urgent Care patients to use relation exercises like calm breathing as many people coming to our clinic have had an accident or stressful situation to deal with. It’s really useful to understand stress and how to manage it.

Breathwork is so important. When your exhale is longer than your inhale, you start switching on your parasympathetic nervous system – our rest and recovery response. We encourage breathing in lightly through your nose and focusing on the exhale.

Breathe with us for a minute.

Here are some breathing tips for helping whānau or yourself calm down in an emergency or in extended times of heightened anxiety-like Lockdown:

Aim to gently inhale through your nose. This helps filter and warm the air. That nasal filtration is extra important right now with Covid-19 and RSV in our community.
Pause before you exhale, giving you a moment to allow for gas exchange: more oxygen gets into your blood, and more Carbon dioxide can leave the blood.
Slowly exhale out of your nose, or through pursed lips to control the flow. A longer exhale that fully empties the lungs allows us to clear out any stale air or unneeded toxins. Think of it like emptying the waste basket!

This relaxation exercise of 1 minute Calm Breathing can help you to pace yourself.

Try the video now. Bookmark it for the future or find it on our social media pages under videos.

First Aid for Stopping Nose Bleeds

29 June, 2021 by Elizabeth Good

We’re sharing our top first aid tips for stopping nose bleeds, which are commonplace and often result from trauma caused by nasal infections, inhalation of dry air, or excessive use of certain medications. We see a lot of nose bleeds during the winter months.

Here are some helpful first aid tips for treating nose bleeds at home.

sit straight and lean forward slightly
Pinch your nose between the thumb and index finger for 10-15 minutes
Place an ice pack on the bridge of your nose while pinching
Once the bleeding has stopped, lean forward and do not blow or pick your nose
If you’re losing a lot of blood and the nosebleed lasts more than 30 minutes, it’s essential you call your doctor immediately or come directly to see us at East Care.

Know when to get urgent care

Unusual symptoms, detailed by Health Navigator include

very heavy bleeding from the nose
irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
breathlessness
weakness or dizziness
swallowing such large volumes of blood that it causes vomiting
heavy bleeding that does not stop after pressure has been applied for 20 minutes.

We can help with stopping nose bleeds that aren’t responding to normal home treatments.

For more updates on home first aid, follow our Facebook page. We cover the top first aid topics like burn treatment care.

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Using Breath as a Relaxation Exercise

Using Breath to Calm our Bodies and Minds

Breathe with us for a minute.

Here are some helpful first aid tips for treating nose bleeds at home.

Know when to get urgent care