Find an Acupuncturist,
Chiropractor,
and more...

Advertisement

Healthcare Today

First Aid Kit: The Essentials

Summary & Participants

While home first aid kits can be purchased at most retailers, it may be wiser to create your own tailored to your family’s needs. Here, the essentials and recommendations of a home first aid kit are explained.

Medically Reviewed On: July 21, 2009

Webcast Transcript

DR. NANCY SYNDERMAN: Hello, I’m Dr. Nancy Snyderman with this week’s Healthful Hint.

Your favorite home design magazine may not mention it, but no home is complete without a first aid kit. You can buy one at almost any drugstore. But for a safety kit that really meets the needs of your family, try making one at home.

First, get a good waterproof container. Then stock it with basics like painkillers, bandages, sterile gauze, tweezers and a thermometer. Don’t forget antiseptic solution; hydrogen peroxide works well. Or, if you want to go natural, there’s tea tree oil – straight or diluted.

If a family member is prone to sprains, throw in some elastic support bandages and a chemical ice pack to bring down the swelling. And if someone is allergic to insect stings, keep an epinephrine syringe stashed in your kit just in case that bee makes a beeline for a vulnerable person.

Another smart move – pack backup supplies of certain prescription drugs you’re on like heart medicines. That way you won’t have to search for your pill bottles if emergency strikes.

With Healthful Hints, I’m Dr. Nancy Snyderman.