Thread by @aproko_doctor

I saw someone arguing on the TL that his mother saved a person's life with palm oil or spoon when the person was convulsing.

She could have killed a person. I have seen it happen before

In most seizures, the person is unconscious and that's bad practice

Let me explain how.

In your throat are two pipes, one leading to the lungs that exchange air and the other to the stomach for food. They both have a common entrance at the back of your throat.

There is a flap on the pipe that is over the pipe that sends air to the lungs called the epiglottis

It stops food or water from getting to the lungs. That is why when you swallow and talk at the same time food tends to enter that causes you to cough. That cough is simply trying to remove the particles of food that may have entered your windpipe
You can't stop it till it's clear

When a person is unconscious, they don't have this reflex, food forced into the throat can enter the lungs

The lungs are not made for food, so food particles will cause a reaction in the lungs.

Can lead to a form of pneumonia called aspiration pneumonia

Now we have that part covered, most seizures will end by themselves. You don't even have to do anything except make sure the person does not hurt him or herself in the process of convulsing.

What NOT TO do?

1. Don't put anything in the mouth of a convulsing person

What to do
Lay them on one side, preferably their left side

Remove tight clothing eg belts, ties

Take them away from danger, exposed wires, fire etc

Time the episode, if it lasts longer than 5 minutes take them to a hospital.

So my friend, whether your mum did anything or not, most seizures would end on their own. She might have placed a life at risk by doing that.

You can tell her this because young mothers might look up to her for advice and end up hurting their own children.

Peace