Although the body is hardy, there are a lot of different things that can happen to it. Since we can’t possible cover them all in this article, let’s look at some of the more common experiences.

He’s a bleeder! If an injury occurs and bleeding is apparent, the first step to talk is to apply pressure to the area. We can all suffer the loss of a bit of blood with little problem. We have between 5 and 6 quarts in our body, so a trickle isn’t going to hurt us. On the other hand, a situation where serious blood is being loss can lead to shock and death. If pressure doesn’t work, try a tourniquet and get the injured person to a doctor as soon as possible.

As hinted at indirectly in the previous paragraph, shock is a real killer. When someone goes into shock, death can quickly follow unless they are stabilized. So, what is shock? It is a somewhat vague term that refers to a person’s internal organs not receiving either enough blood or oxygen. The person essentially becomes unresponsive, cold and bluish. Your best step at this point is to keep them as warm as possible, elevate the legs a bit if possible and get them to a medical professional as soon as humanely possible.

Burning is an extremely unpleasant experience, but it is also a fairly common injury. Most people burn their hands, but others figure out ways to get other parts of the body exposed. There are different types of burns, but all require the same initial treatment. You want to run cold water over the burned surface for 30 minutes minimum. Do not try to remove anything from the burn area as the victim will pass out from pain or strangle you. Once the burn is flushed, cover it lightly in cotton material and get to a hospital. If you don’t have cotton, leave it uncovered.

As mentioned previously, there are many different ways we can injure our bodies and we always seem to be discovering new ways to do it. You can’t plan ahead to help with all of these, but you can plan for the basics so make sure you have your rudimentary first aid knowledge.

John Grimes is with AllTerrainco.com - makers of natural first aid supplies for your active lifestyle.