Time to change the clocks back.

This Sunday at two o'clock in the morning is when Daylight Saving Time goes away and standard time comes back.

Woo-hoo! Bring on the extra hour of sleep!

Clocks aren't the only thing that should change. The US Fire Administration wants to remind you to change the batteries in your smoke alarm when you change the time.

Don't have a smoke alarm? It's time to get one!

According to the USFA, almost two thirds of deadly home fires from 2003-2006 didn't have working smoke alarms. Either the homes didn't have smoke alarms at all, or the smoke alarms didn't make any noise.

The trick to making your smoke alarm work: good batteries.

You should change your batteries at least once a year, twice a year is better. That's why the USFA recommends changing batteries when the time changes -- it's a great way to remember.

You should also change the batteries if your smoke alarm starts to chirp for no reason.

Have fun sleeping in Sunday morning, and don't forget to be safe.

• Smoke Alarms
• When Your Smoke Alarm Chirps
• Smoke Alarms that Sound Like Mom

Flu season is going to be rough this year.

I watch Google.org's Flu Trends website rather than the CDC only because it tends to be a bit ahead of the curve reporting trends in flu cases (and it has an easy to use interface).

Wow. There's an early spike this year.

I don't know how much the media hype of H1N1 is affecting Google's numbers, but I'm still a little concerned about the impact this will have on emergency services as we get deeper into the traditional flu season.

Apparently, the White House is concerned, too. President Obama declared an emergency, which should give hospitals additional options for treating tons of flu cases.

The flu season is the busy time for emergency departments and ambulances around the country. The flu leads to shortness of breath and coughing. It makes folks tired, dizzy and confused. It gives you body aches and fever.

It sends you to the ER.

Now, thanks to H1N1, we're dealing with the flu at numbers near a typical peak season before the season should have even started.

The CDC has these tips to protect yourself, which look strangely similar to the things Mom always told you:

• Get vaccinated.
• Cover your cough with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water.
• Keep your hands out of your face -- touching your eyes, nose and mouth spreads germs.
• Stay home if you're sick.

Spiders get blamed for all kinds of bites because whether they are the culprits or not; everyone knows they will bite you because they like to eat meat.

Not all spiders.

A researcher in Costa Rica found a veggie-loving spider living on an acacia tree. It's a hairy, ugly little critter. I don't know if it bites for protection, but it certainly won't bite you because it's hungry.

I guess that's good news.

• Spider Bites
• Spider Bite Pictures

My girls are dancers. After shuttling them back and forth to dance class today, I sat down to an episode of So You Think You Can Dance (aren't you jealous of my life?).

In tonight's episode, a couple of dancers injured their ankles. One is simply a sprain, but the other is significantly deformed. It's either a break or a dislocation. Whichever it is, it will most likely be the end of that dancer's career on this show -- at least this season.

The show has medical staff to handle injured dancers, but what would you do? Broken ankles are not life-threatening. They are very painful, however. A few splints can help you deal with the pain until you get to the doctor.

• Broken Ankle
• Sprains
• Pillow Splint
• Splinting a Foot

If you truly like your dog or your cat (or your ferret) then you might want to have a first aid kit just for them. Much of what you keep in your own first aid kit will do double-duty for Fido or Tabby.

For a family with a pet, the best plan is to put pet-specific items in your family first aid kit. Junior might not need a muzzle (some kids could use one, I'm sure), but it would definitely come in handy when you have to dig out the remnants of your rottweiler's torn toenail.

Throw a few items that would come in handy for your pet into a bag and keep it either next to or in your regular first aid kit. That way, you'll be prepared for any emergency, human or not.

• How to Build a Pet First Aid Kit -- from Janet Tobiassen Crosby, DVM
• First Aid Kits
• Must-have Items in a First Aid Kit
• Tour of a First Aid Kit

Halloween is supposed to be fun and exciting, but it's not really supposed to be scary.

There's a lot of stuff going on -- especially for parents. Costumes, carving pumpkins, handing out candy and taking the little ones trick-or-treating all have to be done.

I live in a destination neighborhood. We have neighbors that really get into the spirit (pun intended) of Halloween. They set up haunted houses and give hay rides. Basically, they pull in kids from all over town. There are kids and cars everywhere -- a recipe for disaster, just add alcohol or distraction.

Be safe this year. Follow some basic rules: wear bright clothes, make sure there's an adult with the kids at all times and only cross at corners and crosswalks.

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Keep it safe and have a good time.

• 5 Halloween Horrors

When I first heard of NBC's new drama, Trauma, I had high hopes for it. My hopes were in critical condition after I watched a trailer a few weeks ago.

My hopes are DOA today.

Trauma sucks. I don't really have a more eloquent way to describe the glaring inaccuracies and lame storylines on this stinker. It's bad. Really bad.

Read more...

On my way to an About.com gathering in New York City last week, I watched an episode of Dr. Oz's show on the headrest of the airplane seat in front of me. Actually, I didn't watch the whole thing, just the part about saving lives.

Dr. Oz invited a paramedic affiliated with the American Heart Association to come on the show and teach audience members how to do the Heimlich maneuver, how to do CPR (only chest compressions) and how to use an AED.

Overall, I really liked the segment. CPR for adults doesn't need to take very long, and Oz and the paramedic were able to burn out these three life-saving tools in less than 15 minutes -- as well as a short video from a hidden camera showing diners at a restaurant NOT responding to a choking victim.

I especially want to applaud using the paramedic to teach all three of these. Dr. Oz might be a cardiologist, but I'd venture a paramedic with a career as long as his has done quite a bit more CPR than he has.

I have a critique and a comment about this segment. The comment is just a point that slapping the back of a choking victim is always skipped in segments like this. There's very little -- if any -- evidence to support that. Indeed, so little evidence that the American Red Cross has added back slapping back into its recommendations as has the European equivalent of the American Heart Association.

The critique has to do with the AED portion. Dr. Oz and the paramedic showed how to use the AED after they showed how to do chest compressions. Unfortunately, it gave the impression that using the AED and doing CPR are two different actions. They are, but they only work together. The AED doesn't always shock and if it doesn't, then CPR needs to be done.

I liked the segment, but if you really want to know about saving lives, take a true CPR class. Shows like Dr. Oz are really good at demonstrating what we should all know, but you can't get what you need from passively watching a television show (or from reading a website). You need to get down on the floor and start pushing on the manikin's chest.

One more thing: during the part on doing chest compressions, Dr. Oz told the audience to point to someone and order that person to call 911. That's good advice, but I'll take it one step further -- tell the 911 caller what to say. There have been a few 911 calls from people who don't know why they are calling. They just know that someone told them to call. Give specifics. "You call 911 and tell them a woman has collapsed" is better than "you call 911."

• CPR Tips
• Defibrillators
• Finding the Right CPR Class

Summer's over, flu seaon's getting underway (not that we ever really got a break from the flu this year) and we are all settling into work and school again.

In the summer, readers want to know about burns and bug bites. In the winter, they come here looking for information on carbon monoxide poisoning and frostbite. Those patterns make me wonder what my readers are looking for when they visit About.com First Aid in the fall.

What did you come looking for?

As the First Aid Guide, my job is to research and provide the information you, my readers, need. Is it occupational health or stocking disaster supplies? Do you want to know more about jellyfish stings or do you want me to debunk more first aid myths? How about adding more first aid videos?

I often wonder how you got here and how I can get you the information you really need. Some of you may not realize this isn't all there is to About.com First Aid. For instance, did you know there's a forum where you can share ideas with other safety and first aid afficionados? If you have a question, the first aid forum is a good place to ask it.

Maybe you'd rather ask me directly. Email me and I'll do my best to answer your questions. I'll even share the best questions with everyone else. Don't worry, I won't use your name unless you want me to.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Tell me how I can make the first aid site better all year long.

I went to Starbucks this morning for my morning crack. It's not really coffee, because coffee is just a beverage. This is a necessity -- if I don't drink at least one cup I start Jonesing really bad.

I should get help.

As I waited for my cup o' crack I was offered a sample of Starbucks' new instant coffee. They don't call it instant; it's supposed to be a finely ground version of the company's real beans, ready to dissolve instantly in water.

Yeah, that would be instant coffee.

Anyway, the barista whipped me up a sample with nothing more than hot water and a single serving packet of not-really-instant-instant-coffee. The packet reminded me of those drink powders that transform your bottle of water into fruit punch or passion guava cocktail.

I tried the instantly brewed non-instant coffee. It tasted like instant coffee. Better than the instant coffee our parents thought was so cutting edge, but still just instant coffee.

The barista waited for my reaction. Read more...