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How to Think Like a Doctor (Plus a Sneak-Peek Survival-Book Excerpt)

“The Survival Doctor’s Guide to Wounds” (available July 17) is written in the way doctors think—with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions.

by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

People sometimes ask me how doctors keep all that stuff in their head. There are a gazillion diseases and injuries (give or take), so how does one doctor figure out what to do just for you?

The answer is, of course, we don’t know everything. That’s why there are specialists. But what we do know, we have compartmentalized in our brains. To figure out what’s wrong with you, we go through step-by-step checks, which help us rule out and rule in things.

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Take The Survival Doctor With You! First Interactive E- books on Sale in 7 Days

“The Survival Doctor’s Guide to Wounds” goes on sale next Tuesday, with a special discount for 24 hours!

by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

I’m so excited. After many months—really years—of preparation, I’m publishing my first two in a series of mulitmedia, interactive e-books.

The Survival Doctor’s Guide to Wounds and The Survival Doctor’s Guide to Burns will take you step-by-step through the process of evaluating and treating these common injuries—from minor, everyday cuts to life-threatening, third-degree burns. And to thank you, I’m offering a special discount for the first 24 hours they’re on sale.

About the New, Interactive Survival Books

The books, on sale next Tuesday (July 17) through Amazon.com, are written in the same user-friendly manner as my blog posts, but with a more thorough focus on one particular subject. You’ll learn how to evaluate an injury and treat it, and what to do if something goes wrong.

For instance, in The Survival Doctor’s Guide to Wounds:

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Video: How to Repair a Cut With Duct Tape (Treating a Cut, Part 3)

by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

We’re finally to the finale. This is the third video of my three-part series on how to treat a cut.

When you have no other recourse, almost any way to keep the edges of a cut together will suffice. Your body will do the rest. Duct taping a cut together requires the skin around the wound to be dry. Even a little oozing of blood may cause the tape to not stick. Other than that, taping a cut is easy.

To treat a cut, first follow the steps in my previous videos, parts one and two. Then:

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Head Cut: How to Use Your Hair as Stitches (Kind Of)

You can also use dental floss to tie the hair together.

You can close a head cut by crossing strips of hair and gluing them down.

by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

This may be my favorite tip on treating a cut.

Let’s say your son rises from under a table and conks his head or scratches his scalp with a nail. What technique you can you use for a head cut that you can’t use for any other cut? Hint: It applies only to head wounds. Another hint: You need hair.

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Arteries Vs. Veins: How to Tell the Difference and Stop the Bleeding

Arteries flow away from the heart (red). Veins flow back toward it (blue).

by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

When trying to stop a cut from bleeding, you need to know how to tell the difference between a bleeding vein and a bleeding artery.

Memorize this saying: Arteries spurt. Veins don’t.

Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to tissue. Veins drain the blood back to the heart to resupply it with oxygen.

Arteries pump. Veins dump.

Step 1: Apply pressure.

Use gauze or a clean cloth. If you don’t have anything else, use a gloved hand. If it’s yourself, as a last resort, use your bare hand. If it’s others, beware you could be exposing yourself to a blood-borne disease. Stuff a gash with a cloth (the cleanest you have) or gauze, and hold pressure. A shirt will do.

Step 2: Determine whether it’s an artery or vein.

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Popular Posts

How to Think Like a Doctor (Plus a Sneak-Peek Survival-Book Excerpt)

Take The Survival Doctor With You! First Interactive E- books on Sale in 7 Days

Video: How to Repair a Cut With Duct Tape (Treating a Cut, Part 3)

Head Cut: How to Use Your Hair as Stitches (Kind Of)

Arteries Vs. Veins: How to Tell the Difference and Stop the Bleeding

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