First aid

How to recognize a heart attack in real time – and the pill that can save your life

A heart attack is often silent, deceptive, and feels like indigestion. Dr. Itay Gal explains how to distinguish between anxiety and a cardiac event – and how one pill can save a life in seconds.

|ByDR. ITAY GAL
Illustration: Heart attack
Epileptic seizure

The mistake people may make when a person is having a seizure – and it could end in disaster

The sight of a person losing consciousness is one of the most frightening there is, but panic will not help. Here is how you can assist and save lives.

|ByDR. ITAY GAL
Illustration: Arm test for stroke identification

This is how you will identify a stroke before it is too late

In emergency medicine, one phrase guides stroke treatment: "Time equals brain." Every minute without care kills millions of nerve cells and reduces recovery chances.

|ByDR. ITAY GAL
Members of the US Air Force Pararescue, April 5, 2026; illustrative.

Behind the US Air Force unit that spearheaded the mission to rescue downed airman

The concept of a dedicated pararescue force traces its roots back to the end of World War II. Becoming a PJ is widely considered one of the most grueling undertakings in the military.

|ByAMICHAI STEIN

Off-duty medic waiting in post office line saves choking baby

United Hatzalah's national dispatch center received an emergency call just after 1 p.m. about the toddler in trouble, but it was Yossi Dvir who first arrived on the scene.

NOVEMBER 8, 2017ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Mordechai Mammon and Avraham Shitrit meet again a week after the incident

Only 10% of Israelis know how to properly administer CPR

The study was aimed at discovering how well the general populace of Israel could respond to a medical emergency that they came across before emergency responders could arrive.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2017ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
United Hatzalah paramedics practice CPR on a volunteer.