What's in your first aid kit?

What's in your first aid kit?


Here's what we pack:
a. Semi-clear plastic luchbox to put everthing in. Semi-clear and you can hold it up and see what your looking for.
b. Aloe vera spray gel; a good all-purpose spray for minor burns and scrapes.
c. A small bottle of Listerine for disinfecting burns.
d. A bottle of colloidal silver for disinfecting burns (optional). Before it is a small bottle of camphor and a jar of tiger balm for rubbing on sore muscles.
e. A big tube of moisturizer for putting on hands that have handled fuel.
f. A plastic baggie with spare antibiotic, bandages, and moleskin for those rubbed-raw spots you get from dancing in your boots.
g. Assorted bandages: roll of sterile gauze, large non-stick bandages, small medical tape.
h. Little tubes of sunscreen lip balm, wide-spectrum antibiotic, calendula cream, zinc bacitracin, and arnica (for bruises).
i. The ingredients for making Dr. Christopher's Burn Ointment: Little packets of honey, wheat germ oil, and powered comfrey root.
j. Small bottles of peppermint oil (clears clogged lungs), tea tree oil, eye drops, and clove oil (for toothaches).
k. A small bottle of jojoba oil for burns to the eye.

Not pictured: sharp scissors to cut clothing or bandages; ibuprofen, a small magnifying glass, magnet, and tweesers for getting bits of sparkly poi out of a friend's eye; a small tuning fork to see if a bone is broken; and sodium bicarbonate and salt for making shock formula if someone's going into shock.
This reflects my faith in herbal and altermative medical treatments.

Maximus

[ 05 November 2002, 16:10: Message edited by: Maximus ]

Curious, how often, if ever, have you had need of your first aid kit?

What is shock formula?

You know, Dom, I've rarely used it. But I sure feel better having it with us, especially way out in the desert where we are far from any ER.

Now, traumatic or psychogenic shock can happen as a result of a bad burn. The American Medical Association and Dr. Heimlich (yes, the Heimlich maneuver guy) recommend administering shock formula if help is over an hour away.
I recommend taking a class in first aid to be able to identify the symptoms: pallid face, sweating forehead dispite a feeling of coldness, disorientation, and weak and rapid pulse.
Here's the formula: Take one level teaspoon salt and one-half level teaspoon of baking soda mixed with one quart room temperature water. Give an adult 4 ounces (1/2 glass); a child 1 to 12 years old two ounces; and an infgant 1 ounce. Have the victim sip it slowly over a 15-min. period.

My med kit..

Burn cream - aloe based
Plasteres and gauze
Lavender oil, tree tea oil and citronella (to keep bugs away)
Bach's rescue remedy..For shock

Not much but it's okay for small burns.. most of the time we are close to civilisation so it's just on the spot treatments needed.

May I just say I would be pround to own such a comprehensive med kit as the pictured.

[ 06 November 2002, 00:34: Message edited by: Stix ]

Hrmm.... I certainly support safety precautions. I'd be a little anxious about self treating serious burns and such. Living in a major metropolitan area, I'd be more comfortable stabilizing and disinfecting and then getting to an emergency room.

I know that western medicine takes quite a bit of flack for certain methods but there are somethings that western medicine is quite good at. Things like gunshot wounds, broken bones, and burns seem to be handled quite effectively by emergency rooms.

No intent on being disagreable. I just DO have faith in modern medicine for some things.

The mention of colloidal silver reminded me of this story. No, it's not a joke.

Thank you for your kinds words, Stix. I've never used it, but I have seen so many references to the effectiveness of Bach's rescue remedy that I think it would be a good addition to any first aid kit.
Also, I'm going to take Pele's advice and get some lavender cream.

As for NYC's anxiety and adamrice's blue-skinned man: it's true, it's true. None of this stuff should be used unless you are absolutely certain about the advantages and contraindications of what you are doing. (Libertarian, pfft! They're all morons. You're not supposed to drink a tall glass of the stuff every day.) I have had excellant results from silver colloidal, including treating poisonous spider bite and two cases of genital herpes. I also use it myself and my skin is bronzed like Doc Savage. It is also used in burn clinics in the US.

Keep it coming...I posted this to get feedback.