Contents:
- Medical Video: Animal Attack Survival Tips That Will Save Your Life!
- It says urine can cure stings, is that right?
- How to treat body parts affected by jellyfish stings
Medical Video: Animal Attack Survival Tips That Will Save Your Life!
At a glance, jellyfish animals look like jelly which looks harmless. In fact, being stung by a jellyfish can be painful. However, the existence of these marine animals is often not realized when someone is engrossed in playing in the sea, so many people are often stung.
Most cases of jellyfish stings tend to be harmless even if painful. Because after all, some jellyfish release strong poisons into the skin and can infect the body. If it is not immediately left, this can endanger humans and even cause death. So, how about first aid when exposed to jellyfish stings?
It says urine can cure stings, is that right?
Many people say that jellyfish stings can be cured by urinating over sting wounds. But unfortunately, this is the case just a myth mere.
Nematocytes are jellyfish skin cells that contain toxins and are spread along jellyfish tentacles. Once jellyfish feel threatened, these tentacles will move to attack, sting, and move poisons to the body of other organisms. People affected by jellyfish sting will experience some symptoms such as itchy skin, burning, throbbing, and blistering.
According to Joseph Burnett, a dermatologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, salt water can help deactivate nematocytes that still persist in the body, while fresh water has the opposite effect, which exacerbates the spread of poisons.
Well, many think that urine water is similar to salt water and can be an antidote to jellyfish stings. It's true, urine contains a lot of salt and electrolytes. However, the concentration of urine that is too runny will be similar to fresh water.
If urine that tends to be like fresh water is splashed onto a part of the body that is stung by jellyfish, then this will make the spread of toxins more widespread and the stinging part of the body becomes more painful.
The jellyfish tentacle portion contains a certain amount of salt concentration. If this part is given fresh water or urine, the concentration of salt that is outside the jellyfish's tentacles will also dissolve and make the concentration of fluid on the tentacles become unbalanced.
As a result, this triggers jellyfish tentacles to release more poisons.
How to treat body parts affected by jellyfish stings
A recent study published in the international journal Toxins in 2017 has found a simple treatment that can help reduce pain due to jellyfish stings. When you are suddenly stung by a jellyfish, immediately do the steps below, including:
- Immediately remove body parts from salt water or sea water so that the pain does not get worse.
- Rinse the affected area with vinegar (acetic acid) to deactivate nematocytes and stop the flow of poisons.
- Gently remove the tentacles attached to the skin while continuing to wash the sting area with vinegar. Use gloves, plastic, or tweezers so that you are not exposed to poisons from jellyfish.
- Soak the stung body parts in the water with a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes.
- Do not occasionally scratch the sting location because this will actually release more toxins into the body.
Jellyfish stings can also cause severe allergic reactions or anaphylactic shock that can harm the body. When a person has a severe allergy, some of the symptoms that may arise are as follows:
- Breathless
- Dizzy
- A rash that spreads quickly
- Nausea
- Heart rate increases
- Muscle cramps
- Loss of consciousness
If someone experiences this when exposed to jellyfish stings, then he must be immediately taken to a doctor for further treatment. Immediately call the emergency number 11119 or call an ambulance from the nearest hospital. If he has difficulty breathing, immediately give artificial breath or do CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) as first aid until medical help arrives.
