What are Top 10 “Must Haves” for My Medicine Cabinet?
May 10th, 2014
Here are 10 items that help you get through illness, cold, or muscle injury.
- Sinus Rinse– This is a must-have for allergy sufferers. It removes pollen and dust accumulating in your nasal passages and sinuses. In my office, we also use it for people who have sinus congestion due to viruses. Please make sure you use distilled or pre-boiled water that you allow to cool down. My favorite brand is NeilMed
- Saline Nasal Spray– When you don’t have time to do a full sinus rinse, spray one or two times in your nostrils and you will feel a difference. It also helps when the room air is very dry. NeilMed also makes this product.
- ACE Bandage– For muscle aches and joint pains, be sure to wrap the area with an ACE bandage to control swelling and to add support. Sprained ankles, and tendinitis can get worsen if the joints continue to be unstable.
- Topical Analgesic (aka Bengay, Biofreeze gel, Aspercream,Tiger Balm etc.) Got a muscle injury? These act the fastest to control pain. Massage into the area deeply and remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards as it can seriously irritate your eyes if you rub your eyes.
- Epsom Salts– Great for adding to your bath when you have muscle pain, soreness after a workout, or body aches when you have a flu. Also good for soaking your feet after a long day.
- Hydrocortisone cream– For all sorts of insect bites, hydrocortisone cream is the best for itching. For best results, apply immediately after being bitten.
- Saline eye drops (Natural Tears)- Whether you wear contacts or not, we all experience dry or irritated eyes at some point. Never use pure water or tap water as these can actually cause more irritation because of the chlorine in the water. Use these drops instead. They are also good for rinsing out pollen from your eyes. At the first sign that your eye is turning red, immediately use saline eye drops to flush the eye out. It may actually prevent you from progressing to full pink eye or red eye.
- Pepto Bismol– For the occasional diarrhea/indigestion. This should be your go-to medication for most gastrointestinal issues. *Note: You cannot use this if you have an Aspirin allergy, as it contains salicylates
- Saline Wound Wash– For years, people used betadine, iodine solution, hydrogen peroxide, and even alcohol to clean wounds. Studies have shown that these can actually delay wound healing and don’t really prevent infection. If you get a cut or scrape, use the wound wash immediately followed by bacitracin or neosporin ointment.
- Tweezers– Great for removing splinters and ticks from your body
