Why Preppers Need a Well Stocked Survival Medical Kit
Today we pretty much take for granted that we have access to medical supplies. Everything from aspirin to bandaging is only as far away as the grocery store. In the case of a more serious problem we can go in to see a doctor or even go to a hospital. What if these weren't available? Simple things we take for granted could become life threatening quickly so having a well stocked medical kit is a must.
There are several areas you will want to address in your medical kit.
Personal Hygiene
Things to consider here would be products like cleansing wipes, disinfecting wipes, feminine products, soap etc. Mostly these would be common sense items. If you didn't have access to these simple items you could go from an unsanitary condition to an infection fairly quickly which would likely be something you are hard pressed to deal with.
Dental Needs
In a situation where you don't have access to dentists something as simple as a toothache can become a major disabling issue. If you chip a tooth you want to have access to products to seal up the tooth to help stop the tooth from becoming a cavity and leading to worse. Dental floss will be a must. It's very important to make sure that you take care of your teeth where there aren't any dentists to help you if you get an abcessed tooth or infected gums. Also having mouth wash or hydrogen peroxide would also be highly benefitial. Also Anbesol or similar drops that can help manage pain are well worth the space they take in your medical kit.
Minor Cuts and Scrapes
For these the items you want to have would be antibiotic lotions such as neosporin or caladryl lotion and a good supply of bandages. You will want a variety of sizes to help with any sort of cut or minor injury. If you get a minor scrape or cut you will want to treat it quickly to make sure that a minor issue doesn't become a major one.
Major Trama Items
If you get a major cut or a broken bone and don't have access to medical staff then you need to be prepared with the items you need to take care of this. Items like large gauze bandages, pressure bandages, blow up splints, suture kits and skin staplers could be the difference between life or death. No one wants to have to pull out a suture kit to sew up someone, but if you are the defacto doctor you at least want to have what you need to do the best that you can. Most of these items can be found online at places like Amazon.com. You can also find a lot of wound care items at local medical supply places.
Medical Books
If you are not a trained medic you will also want to have access to books that can help you. A couple of good recommendations are Where There Is No Dentist by Murray Dickson and Where There Is No Doctor by David Werner. These two books cover a lot of what you will need to know in an emergency situation.