Chinese Medicine by Day

You can imagine my grumbling upon rising early on the gorgeous summer Saturday that I was to spend nearly an entire day indoors, with strangers, and an American Red Cross Basic Life Support (BLS) trainer, to fulfill a prerequisite for Acupuncture school: CPR and basic life support training.

But no sooner did we begin did I think, “Holy moly: everyone in the world should have basic CPR training.”

Why did it take mere minutes to come to that conclusion? Read on.

CPR–or cardiopulmonary resuscitation–can literally save someone’s life if their heart stops beating, or beats too inefficiently to pump blood to the brain and other vital organs. The American Heart Association estimates that between 100,000 and 200,000 lives are saved every year as a result of CPR.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be in a position to potentially save a life if, God forbid, it ever becomes necessary.

My training lasted about five hours, was entirely in-person (the American Red Cross offers hybrid in-person/online options, too) and covered the basics: CPR (effective technique for chest compressions and breath delivery) for adults, children and infants, as well as the proper use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), which our instructor referred to as a “doctor in a box.” Frankly, I came away thinking that literally every home in America should have an AED and every person living in that home should be trained to use it.

I hope I never need to put this training to the test. But I now feel confident that, should the unthinkable happen, I can confidently step in to administer effective, potentially life-saving care.

You don’t need to be in the medical profession to pursue BLS training. You need not be an EMT or a nurse, a lifeguard or a yoga instructor. If you’re a parent, a child, a sibling, uncle or friend–this is training you should have.

Check out the entire roster of Red Cross Training classes available near you and enroll today. Someone’s life might literally depend on it!