MacGyver like first-aid

Photo courtesy of the article
"Could an empty crisp packet save your life?"
by Kate Hilpern of  express.co.uk

Germs!!! No one wants them, and although you might be faced with a life threatening situation where a stranger needs mouth to mouth, you may stop yourself with the worry of contracting goodness knows what. Which is why when you take a CPR course, instructors often advise you to carry  a breathing barrier with you to avoid skin to skin contact.

On top of this type of item, you’re also advised to have a whole array of items in your medicine cabinet arsenal, which quite frankly, few of us have! Luckily, we’ve found this nifty article published by EXPRESS in the United Kingdom which suggests some interestingly MacGyver like everyday household items that can create loopholes to purchasing a number of the expensive first-aid tools that people rarely use. 

For example

Insect stings generally just cause pain and irritation for most of us, however, others can have life threatening reactions which can cause anaphylactic shock.  Regardless, a top priority for any sting is making sure that the stinger is removed.

So, here is a little trivia question for you…

What is the best way to remove a stinger?

A.      Tweezers

B.      A needle

C.      Credit card

You should never squeeze or use tweezers to remove a stinger because there is generally a sack of poison at the end of it which you could squeeze, causing the wound to be even worse.  This is why C, a credit card, can come in handy… it can also come in handy when buying a new camo outfit for the upcoming BASH! 

You should use a credit card to scrape the stinger cleanly off the skin, taking care to not break the stinger under your skin. 

If the person stung has a known allergy, ask them if they have any type of EpiPen, call their doctor or 9-1-1 and follow the instructions given by the medical professional.

For everyone else, not much will help the pain of a sting besides time, and a compress of ice wrapped in a towel. 

For more MacGyver like first-aid tools, read the full story!!

We always suggest you have a first-aid kit and basic first aid items in your household instead of relying on MacGyver like tools, so click  here to visit our store to get yours and check out some of the other cool Red Cross paraphernalia we have there as well!