Spaces

So, then those are the basic structures which make up the face. Behind the face upon which sits the skin and the muscles, you will find several hollowed spaces quite filled up with air. At least, these usually are anyway under normal conditions. These are called sinuses, of which there are four. There's two above the eyes and the brows on either side of the face. These are called the temporal sinuses. Then there's two on either side of the face just below the eyes on either side of the nose. These are known as the maxillary sinuses. Actually, the name of the space isn't all that important. What you should know is that these fill up with fluid or snot in the case of congestion or illness. If you have a cough or a cold, these can get full of gunk just as your nose can, since they communicate with the nose. Sorry, there's not really a more scientific term for it. That's why the steam treatments and sometimes even the forcing of water through the nose in the use of a lavage works well for flushing out the nose and the sinuses. Should the sinuses stay blocked up with stuff, the symptoms can last for up to a week or longer. If these symptoms of a cough, congestion, stuffy nose, congestion in the lungs, or even shortness of breath persist for longer than a week, chances are you've got an infection. These require seeing a doctor and quite possibly a course of antibiotics to clear up. The problem is though, that the sinuses and the nose and the lungs are all connected due to being part of the same breathing system. Thus, what goes up must also come right on back down. Basically, that means you'll have congestion in the nose and sinuses before it ever spreads to the lungs. Should it start in the lungs, you likely have a lung infection that's caused by several cases. We'll get to more about that in just a minute. First though we need a better way to tell if the sinuses are actually affected. You can't see in the spaces of the face just by looking, but light certainly can. If you think about it, light travels far in the air but when you put something around it you can block off the light. Thus, you can hold a flashlight or even the light of your phone up over the spaces on the face that make up the sinuses. Make sure when you do this that you've turned off the lights. Now, you'll finally be able to better see what you're doing. If the sinuses are empty or hollow, you will have light reflected in them and back off through the face. If they're blocked though, the light will not be able to bounce back and will seem to stop in its' tracks. Just a hint though, if the nose is affected, the sinuses most definitely are.

Neck – this connects the face and the shoulders to the head. You know, that thing right there in the middle. Some people's is longer, some are shorter, some are thin, and some are fat. Everybody is different and that's okay. What is not okay though is how much the neck tells about the state of your health. Actually, by itself it doesn't tell much. It's what is inside the neck though that does most of the work and affects the rest of the body. As with everything else, the neck is made up of skin and muscles. Behind the muscles you have the thyroid, the lymph nodes, and the trachea. You also have some blood vessels too, but we'll get to those later. They make another system all by itself. The front part of the neck is known as the throat. The back part of the neck contains the spinal cord, which again is part of another system. The only reason we will discuss it now is because of the brainstem.

Brainstem – this is the part where the spinal cord connects to the base of the brain. The brain in itself forms the shape of an almost round ball except where it reaches the brainstem. Because of the shape of the head, the brain must get awful narrow when it reaches this point at the top of the neck. From there, all the nerves condense into one to form the spinal cord. The brainstem is responsible for basic functions such as breathing and keeping the heart beating. These are known as involuntary reflexes. That is why any injury, trauma, or blow to the base of the head runs the risk of causing permanent crippling if not fatal injury. Should the heart and the breathing stop, then the person will need divine intervention or perhaps nothing short of a miracle. If they are still alive, but their condition is unknown, an injury to these parts should be determined. Preferably it should be done before they are moved. You can tell by whether or not they sustained injury to this location, have any sharp objects protruding, or blunt force trauma occurring. People without injury to this location will be able to move their arms and legs, fingers and toes, their mouth, and even their eyes. Pupillary reflexes will also be maintained. The pupil reflexes are found in the brainstem as well. You can check these by shining a light in their eyes (hold their eyelid open if they cannot by themselves). If the pupil dilates or constricts (gets bigger or smaller) in response to light, it should be considered as a response. The pupil in most cases will ultimately constrict, which is what should usually happen. If it does not, injury can be suspected. When transporting someone in this condition, you should use a board or something flat to lay them on. The board should go under their head and their back and their legs keeping everything in a solid in-line position. If you do not, the spinal cord could break or suffer further injury leaving the person paralyzed and unable to move. The appropriate place for the person to go is the hospital where additional treatment is needed. The spinal cord helps control movement in the arms and legs and other parts of the body. Using straps or strips of cloth is suggested to help maintain the person's position while they are along for the ride, that is, until you can get them checked out.