Common First Aid Myths (and What You Should Do Instead) Part 1

In today’s world, anyone can share “advice” online, regardless of whether they’re qualified. Some of these tips are based on outdated practices, memories from childhood, or things people simply “heard years ago”.

The truth is, first aid guidance evolves over time. As new research and medical evidence become available, techniques are updated to ensure safer and more effective care.

Here, Help First Aid Training clears up some of the most common first aid myths — and explains what you should do instead.

1. You should give someone food or drink after an injury

It’s a natural instinct — offering a cup of tea or something to eat to make someone feel better. But in first aid, this can actually be harmful.

If the casualty needs surgery or has been poisoned, giving food or drink could make their condition worse or delay treatment.

What you should do;
Avoid giving anything to eat or drink unless advised by a medical professional.

Exception:
If the person is diabetic and experiencing low blood sugar, they may need something sugary. 

This is why proper first aid training is so important, there’s not always a hard and fast rule for every situation.

2. Make someone vomit if they’ve swallowed poison

This used to be common advice, but it’s now considered unsafe.

Forcing someone to vomit can cause additional damage, especially if they’ve swallowed something corrosive like bleach. The substance can burn the throat twice — going down and coming back up.

What you should do:
Do not encourage vomiting. Seek immediate medical help and follow professional guidance.

3. Put butter on a burn

This is a classic myth many people still remember — especially if you grew up in County Durham or the North-East in the 1970's!

Unfortunately, butter (and other oily substances) traps heat in the skin, making the burn worse.

What you should do:
Run the burn under cool running water (around 12°C) for up to 20 minutes.

This helps reduce heat, pain, and long-term damage. For more information, see our blog, how to treat a burn.

4. If something is stuck in the skin or eye, pull it out

It might seem logical to remove an object — but this can be dangerous.

The object could be:

• Preventing bleeding
• Stopping further internal damage

Removing it may make the injury worse.

What you should do:

• Rinse the eye gently with clean water
• If the object doesn’t come out, leave it in place
• Seek medical attention

See our blog on how to treat an eye injury 

5. First aiders can give medical advice

A trained first aider plays a vital role — but there are limits.

First aiders are trained to:

• Preserve life
• Help to prevent conditions from worsening
• Promote recovery

They are not qualified to diagnose conditions or provide medical advice.

What you should do:
Always seek advice from a qualified healthcare professional when needed.

6. Tilt your head back during a nosebleed

This is one of the most common outdated practices.

Tilting the head back causes blood to run down the throat, which can:

• Irritate the stomach
• Lead to choking

What you should do:

• Sit upright
• Lean slightly forward
• Pinch the nostrils just below the bridge of the nose
• Hold for around 10–15 minutes

If bleeding continues beyond 30 minutes, seek medical help.

7. Put your fingers in someone’s mouth if they’re choking

This is one of our lead instructor, Graham’s favourites!

 He always tells our first aid learners that putting your fingers into someone’s mouth is very risky — for both you and the casualty.

You could:

• Get bitten, causing injury to yourself and potentially leaving your blood in the casualty's mouth
• Push any object further down the throat

What you should do:

• Encourage the casualty to cough
• Lean them forward
• If you can clearly see an object, ask them to spit it out

For more information, see our blog on choking first aid

 8. I’ll never need first aid skills

We often read stories in the news telling us that a quick-thinking bystander in the community has performed CPR, or used a defibrilator and saved someone's life. 

Help! First Aid Training always leaves plenty of time for our learners to get hands-on and confident with CPR and defibrilator skills, because they're important.

But first aid isn't only useful in life-or-death situations.

In addition to saving lives, first aid skills are used every day for things like:

• Minor injuries
• Cuts and bleeding
• Burns
• Sudden illness

These early interventions can prevent a situation from becoming more serious and can also; 

• build your confidence
• boost your employability

What you should do:

1.    Learn first aid 

Learning first aid can help to prepare you for real-life situations — at home, at work, and in your community. See our blog for more reasons to learn first aid.

Look for a company that follows the guidelines of the Health and Safety Executive (H.S.E.)

All of Help! First Aid Training’s courses are fully compliant with H.S.E. guidelines, you can view our courses here.

2.     Keep Your First Aid Skills Up to Date

First aid isn’t something you learn once. New research and updates in guidance and health and safety laws mean that first aid techniques alter over time and it's important to keep up with the changes.

Check if your certificate is still valid — and if you’re unsure, get in touch, we’re always happy to help.

Book First Aid Training in County Durham

At Help First Aid Training, we provide high-quality, practical courses designed to give you confidence when you need it.

We offer:

• Open courses at our training centre in Shildon, County Durham
• On-site training for businesses, schools, nurseries, and organisations across the North-East – please contact us for a quote
• Our experienced trainers make sessions engaging, informative and enjoyable.

We cover Durham to Darlington, Newton Aycliffe to North Shields, Trimdon to Tow Law, Gateshead to Grangetown and everywhere across the North-East and in between.

Get in touch

• Website: www.helpfirstaidtraining.co.uk
•  Email: info@helpfirstaidtraining.co.uk
• Call us: 01388 417303