Did you know that...
- You can treat a bee sting with meat
tenderizer?!
For people not allergic to bee stings - Use any brand with Papain (papaya
extract). Make a paste with a few drops of water to a teaspoon of meat
tenderizer and quickly apply to the sting to reduce pain and inflammation
(breaks down components of sting fluid).
- Sanitary Napkins - are a highly
effective as pressure pads to control bleeding
- Out of meat tenderizer? Try hemorrhoid cream on insect bites and
stings. It stops the itch and the swelling. You can use it on the bags under
your eyes too!
- You can feel for a distal pulse on
the top of the foot. Practice first!
Buying a First Aid Kit Online
Building a
First Aid Kit
If you are putting together your own
kit, there is a lot of advice at wildmed
- adapt it too your needs (there are a lot of items which would no be necessary
in a home kit but are great for your jungle adventure). After that , you might
want to think about this.
The Singapore Red Cross recommends the following
contents for a home First Aid Kit:
| Basic |
| 10 pieces each |
Adhesive dressings in
assorted sizes |
| 4 packets |
Sterile gauze of
various sizes |
| 6 pieces |
Triangular bandages |
| 1 bunch |
Safety
pins |
| 6 pieces |
Butterfly clips |
| 2 pairs |
Disposable
gloves |
| 1 pair |
Scissors |
| 1 roll |
Micropore
or zinc oxide tape |
| 2 packets |
Cotton
balls |
| 1 packet (10 pieces) |
Antiseptic cleaning
wipes |
| 1 piece |
Face Mask with one way
valve |
| 5 tubes |
Normal Saline (10 cc) |
| 2 rolls each |
Crepe bandage (2.5, 5,
7.5, 10 cm) |
| 1 each |
Thermometer |
| 1 set |
Tweezers or forceps |
| Useful
additions |
| 1 each |
Notepad and pen |
| 1 each |
Torch and whistle |
| 2 packets |
Instant Cold pack |
Here are some other items I personally think
you could consider for your kit:
| Instant Hand Sanitizer |
Antibiotic
Ointment |
| Compress
with long ends |
Anti-Bacterial
Ointment (Neosporin is good) |
| Sterile
eye pads |
Anti-Fungal
Ointment |
| Large abdominal/chest
wound dressings X2 |
Panadol
or other brand of Aspirin |
| Q-tips |
Ammonia Inhalant
ampules (smelling salts) |
| Bee
sting swabs |
Hydrogen
peroxide |
| Betadine |
For
Your Car |
| Cortisone |
Emergency
Triangle |
| Pain
Relieving Burn Gel and/or spray |
Flares |
There are an amazing number of essays on
building a first aid kit at Epinions.
Some great tips you can find here include:
- LARGE GAUZE PADS.
Carrying a sample of each size takes up too much room. The larger ones will
cover any wound area. You don't have to fumble to find the correct size.
Just grab one and it'll do the trick. Donnie
- CHLORINE BLEACH
Forget the peroxide! It's just not strong enough. Fill a plastic bottle with
liquid chlorine bleach. Keep it in your first aid kit. The chlorine bleach
kills more germs and bacteria than peroxide. It will sterilize anything and
everything, tweezers, scissors, hands, wounds - you name it! (this is
recommended by hospitals, police and ambulance workers). Donnie
- Tongue depressors or Popsicle sticks
make great splints for fingers juliasv
- I generally keep my alcohol and betadine in squeeze
bottles kinda like sports drinks come in, you can squirt an stream
rather accurately with them. Between the kids, dogs, cats, horses and all
the other critters, I literally buy betadine by the gallon and these little
4 oz bottles make it a lot easier to cart around. juliasv
- Look for saline
wound wash in a spray can (Blairex makes one)...you don't have to worry
about contamination after it is opened. juliasv
- Get Bacitracin Zinc Ointment- Try to get a
single antibiotic ointment, Double and Triple ointments and creams contain
sulfates which can cause reactions in people sensitive to sulfa drugs. juliasv
Want a complete checklist? Try this one