Lifestyle
The Ultimate First Aid Treatment to Common Home Injuries
Learning how to administer first aid from home may give you the power to avoid a hospital trip. Whether you’re performing self-care by administering first aid to yourself or treating a friend or family member who gets injured at your home, you’ll find that knowing what to do when trouble strikes are very empowering.
While going to the emergency room is appropriate sometimes (and recommended in many cases!), there are first aid techniques for common home injuries which are extremely effective.
Today, we’re going to talk about the ultimate first aid treatments for the most common home injuries…
How to Deal with Minor Burns and Skin Irritation
There are a few misconceptions when it comes to treating minor burns and/or skin irritations at home. For example, some people believe that toothpaste is a good home remedy. Others prefer to put butter on fresh burns or rashes. The truth is that doctors don’t recommend either home remedy. They believe toothpaste may make things worse, rather than being a healing treatment, and that butter may introduce the risk of infection, which is the last thing that people want!
Medical experts feel that the best home remedy is to purchase an inexpensive tube of antibiotic burn ointment and keep it in a home first aid kit or in a kitchen or bathroom. Polysporin is one famous example of an ointment which is ideal for minor burns and skin irritation. There are other brands, so you’ll have plenty of options. It’s easy to find this type of ointment, and it’s something which should be part of any first aid kit for the home.
Sometimes, it’s hard to know whether to treat a wound yourself or go to the emergency room. With this in mind, let’s share some tips from real doctors. In general, if a burn is bigger than 3 inches around, it hurts consistently, and its diameter keeps getting ruddier, you should go to the hospital. If a burn is less serious, apply the ointment as directed and then cover the wound with a clean bandage to protect it.
Hopefully, these common-sense tips, which come from physicians, will assist you with treating burns and skin irritation at home. This is common home injuries and learning how to treat them appropriately is very important.
How to Treat Stubbed or Sore Toes
If you’ve ever stubbed your toe on something hard, such as a piece of furniture, or had a sore toe at home for any other reason, you should know that there are ways to reduce the pain and swelling without going to see the doctor or paying a visit to a local emergency room. The key to treating this kind of injury effectively is elevating your toe, applying ice to take down the swelling and using soft padding between the toes to separate and protect them. The RICE treatment (rest, and ice and compression and elevation) is recommended for this type of swelling and pain, and it’s a treatment which is doctor-approved.
Now, let’s walk you through this first aid treatment for this type of injury…
Rest – You shouldn’t walk on your stubbed or sore toe. You should rest it, as using your foot and toe may make matters worse, by increasing inflammation and pain. So, be sure to sit back and relax, after gathering the self-treatment supplies that you’ll need, such as ice and soft, padded bandages. It’s good to have ice around, so keep your ice tray full always or keep a bag of ice in the freezer. Also, have an array of soft and padded bandages in your home all the time. When supplies get low, replenish them, as you will never know when injuries are going to happen.
Ice – Next, ice the injury. This is straightforward. Put a bag of ice on the sore or stubbed toe, or wrap an ice cube in a clean dish towel and press it on the injury. This will numb it and take the swelling down quickly.
Compression – The next step is compression. Wrap a soft and padded bandage around the sore or stubbed toe and then wrap more of these bandages around the surrounding toes. The bandages will compress the wound and promote faster healing and less discomfort.
Elevation – Lastly, put your foot up. Elevation will keep the injured toe in the right position for faster healing. Place your foot on a cushion which is set onto a footstool or Ottoman. It’s the easiest way to elevate. Then, relax and wait for a reduction in pain and swelling. If you don’t experience relief quickly, consider seeking out medical attention. Some stubs and soreness are more serious than others.
Ease Muscle Strains with a Natural Herb
Sometimes, it’s easy to zig when we should zag, and we may pull our backs or trigger other sorts of muscle strains, without meaning to. These types of home injuries happen quite a lot, and they may trigger a lot of discomforts. If you’ve caused a muscle strain by moving a certain way or lifting something that is too heavy, you should know that there is a natural herbal supplement called Arnica, which is quite effective regarding treating muscle strains. Keeping a bottle of Arnica supplement around and taking it as directed when the need arises will help you to manage muscle strain pain, right from the comfort and privacy of your own home. Naturally, if pain is severe, you should consider seeing a doctor.
Now, let’s talk about what Arnica is and how it works. This herb is indigenous to Russia and Central Europe, and it’s also found in the most temperate regions of North America. It’s the blossoms of the Arnica plant which are utilized to create this medicinal supplement. Arnica is all-natural, and it’s taken orally in order to ease discomfort. It’s a pain reliever in general and therefore appropriate for muscle strain treatment at home. There are also Arnica ointments which may be put on strained areas topically.
These ointments will penetrate the epidermis and provide quick pain relief. While results will vary, most people who use Arnica find that it helps a lot. It’s not that expensive and easy to keep in a first aid kit at home. You’ll find it online and at community-based drugstores, grocery stores, and health food stores. There are natural active ingredients in Arnica which relieve pain by reducing swelling. This herbal supplement may also kill germs.
How to Treat Cuts Which Happen at Home
Occasionally, almost every person cuts him or herself at home. Sometimes, cutting happens when a kitchen knife slips. Even a paper cut may trigger bleeding and pain. When cuts aren’t too severe, home remedies may be used to treat them. Any cut which is bleeding a lot should be tended to by a doctor and the sooner, the better. Our tips are meant to be used for minor cuts. None of our advice is designed to be a substitute for proper medical care.
Now, let’s talk about some common household ingredients which have the power to treat cuts. One of them is honey, and you may have a jar of honey in your home right now. Honey is antibacterial, so it kills the germs which may lurk inside of cuts. As well, it’s emollient, so it soothes as it gets rid of bacteria. Once a cut is cleaned with warm, soapy water and dried gently with a clean towel, spread a thin and even layer of honey on the cut. Then, cover it with a bandage. Any type of honey will work. Some honey manufacturers sell bandages which have honey on them already. If you’re curious about this, Google “Manuka Honey Bandages” and see what pops up.
Another option is cleaning and drying a cut and then applying some Aloe Vera Gel to the wound. A lot of people have Aloe Vera Gel in their homes already, or Aloe Vera plants. If you have the gel, just apply a thin layer to a clean cut and then bandage it. If you have a plant, break off a stem and squeeze out the fresh Aloe Vera gel. Then, apply a thin layer and bandage the cut.
Aloe Vera is very hydrating thanks to its natural emollients. As well, it is loaded with glycoproteins which are pain-killing and inflammation-reducing.
Neither honey nor Aloe Vera is designed to be used on deeper cuts or surgical cuts. These are tips for minor cuts only.
Create a Home First-aid Kit
Now that you know some excellent home remedies for some common home injuries, you’ll be ready to put together a home first aid kit which helps you to cope with injuries which occur at your private residence.
The best home first aid kit will contain antibiotic ointment, such as Polysporin, as well as Arnica supplements, honey, Aloe Vera gel and bandages which are soft, padded and made in an array of shapes and sizes. Some padded bandages also need tape for proper and secure application. You’ll find this type of tape where bandages are sold. If you need it for the bandages that you buy, be sure and buy it.
What else is sensible for a home first-aid kit? Well, a bottle of Advil or another preferred pain reliever will be a sensible addition to your kit. Soap and antiseptic wipes will also be practical additions. The Canadian Red Cross also recommends that people have sterile gauze squares for under bandages, as well as scissors and tweezers. This respected Canadian organization also believes that adding instant ice packs, latex gloves, and face shields, as well as pen and paper and a list of emergency phone numbers, is a smart strategy.
It won’t take much time to pull a home first aid kit together and doing so will be such a great way to protect you and yours. Making two or three of these kits for home, cottage and the car will be smart. How many kits you’ll need will depend on your circumstances.
Are You Prepared for an Emergency at Home?
Knowing the most common household injuries, such as burns, skin irritation, stubbed or sore toes, muscle strains, and cuts, and knowing how to treat them from home will empower you. Also, if you have the right supplies on hand, you’ll find that you’re able to handle minor problems of this type yourself.
Whether you live alone or with others, the key to handling emergencies well is planning. Hopefully, our quick guide has given you the instructions and direction that you need. We want you to have the right supplies and knowledge at your disposal when trouble crops up. Our detailed guide is designed to give you exceptional assistance which is practical. As well, the supplies that we’ve talked about today don’t cost a lot, and you may have some of them already. Bear in mind that you should replace anything which has an expiry date as soon as that expiry date is reached.
Now that you know how to handle these common home injuries, you’ll be ready for almost everything. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out for help from emergency services in your community if you need to. It’s really important to ask for help if you’re hurt or frightened. While services like 911 should only be used for life-threatening emergencies, there are other services which you may utilize when you need help fast.
Putting together a home first aid kit is the first step to taking care of yourself and others who get injured at your private residence. Since it’s so easy to shop online, why not stock up on what you need right now? A first aid kit for home is something that you should always have.
