| ESSENTIAL FIRST AID KIT ? C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D. One of our subscribers asked me what I keep in my first aid cabinet. I have long been a bit of a pack rat. I am sure I died of starvation in a previous life, so for the past 40 years we have kept food in the basement adequate to supply at least 4 people with food for a year!? We also have a couple dozen glass gallon jugs of water and we have a wood burning stove in our living room fireplace-it came in very handy in 2007 when we were without electricity for a week after an ice storm!? It has a small ledge on which we could boil water and cook soups, etc. My old Boy Scout days of Be Prepared have not been forgotten!? We keep adequate toilet paper for at least a month and strike anywhere matches and lots of candles. And I buy 50 or more cans of salmon at a time, along with canned peas. We can our own vegetables and fruits-much easier to find and use than frozen!? We buy brown rice in 100 pound bags and vacuum can a variety of dried foods.? We also keep a supply of good band-aids, some 4 by 4 inch gauze bandages, tape and a few ace bandages. A couple of tubes of triple antibiotic ointment, hydrogen peroxide, 95% isopropyl alcohol, and?? Tincture of Iodine are essential. I store in the freezer some extra antibiotics-“just in case”. They will keep for years that way. Cough drops are stored there also. Having had several spinal surgeries, I still have a few Demerol tablets in the freezer-actually I never have taken the 10 day supply they give me after surgery-do not like the effect! We keep on hand a couple of bottles of buffered aspirin and one or so of naproxen-always handy for visitors!? I listed my own supplements in an earlier newsletter and we have always access to at least 3 months of these.? The there should be Vicks Vapor Rub-to put on soles of feet in case of a cough. ESSENTIALS for Emergencies: Food, water, emergency heat, matches, candles, bleach and cleaning supplies Vacuum packed heirloom seeds for a basic garden. Mine are 10 years old an may need to be replaced soon An emergency radio, windable for power Hydrogen peroxide Isopropyl alcohol Tincture of Iodine Triple antibiotic ointment Band aids, gauze and tape Ace bandages Aspirin or Naproxen Vicks vapor rub and cough drops Toilet paper Supplements Any essential medications Check everything you use routinely in a given week and be sure you have enough on hand to last a minimum of a week!? I prefer for 3 months! Finally, I believe the ideal is to keep some old silver coins. You never know when they will come in handy in case our paper mache dollars collapse totally! | 