Car Kits

Hi everyone!
A new month is upon us: June! Time to travel. Our cars are our homes away from home, you know. I have done this before, but need to do it again: Devote time for preparing our car for emergencies. Just as we should all have a 72 hour kit in our homes, to grab and go...we need a survival type/emergency kit in our car for when we are stranded.

Last Thursday, motorists on a certain freeway in Riverside were stalled in traffic for 4 hours while they waited for the semi-truck (that got turned over by the tornado)which was blocking the freeway, to get put upright. This is the time you need to have something in your car to make you wait comfortable, even enjoyable.
You never know when this will happen to you.

So the theme and challenge for JUNE 2008 is:

Making Your Car Ready For Emergencies

Last month we worked on first aid kits. This month, as part of making you car ready for emergencies, we will also be preparing a first aid kit for the car.

So..keep checking on this site for ideas, reports, encouragement and education!

~Fearlessly yours, Joan

First Aid Kit Done?

Hi,

Our challenge for the month of May is to get a first aid kit together for our 72 hour kits.
I have put together a simple one but felt I needed more. I found a site that listed 21 essential items.

(http://life.familyeducation.com/emergency/first-aid/48239.html?for_printing=1&detoured=1)


The 21 First-Aid Items Every Home Should Have

The following items are necessities for any first-aid kit. Prepackaged kits are great for the road. You can buy inexpensive “all-purpose” kits to keep in each of your cars and in almost every room of your house!
First Things First

The items in your first aid kit belong together and must be kept in one place. Remember to put back, or replace, any items found in the kit.

But space is not an issue when you’re living at home. You can have the luxury of filling your medicine cabinet with everything you might need—in the amounts you want. You don't need the convenience of prepackaged first aid kits. You can buy all the items you need in a drugstore or supermarket. You can either keep them in a medicine cabinet or in a childproof container that's readily available in a kitchen cabinet or a closet.
Be sure to store it where anyone can locate it quickly, and make sure everyone knows where it is!

And, no matter what type of kit you have, make sure you place a list of emergency phone numbers inside the lid. Include numbers for your doctor, the local hospital, poison control center, and more.

In order to have a useful first aid kit, you will need to purchase the following items:

1.Protective gear to prevent the spread of infection. Remember those universal guidelines? Chances are, if an accident occurs within your intimate family, you won't have to bother with gloves, goggles, aprons, and dental dams. But it's useful to have these items in your medicine cabinet just in case someone other than your intimate family has an accident in your home. And it's a good idea to put protective gear (especially latex gloves, disposable airway bags, goggles or masks, and dental dams) in your traveling kits or to add them to your prepackaged kits. It's especially important to practice safety measures if you happen to help a stranger. You don't want to transmit HIV or any other virus or disease from one person to another.

2.Adhesive bandages in an assortment of sizes for any punctures, cuts, or minor scrapes. Be sure to buy bandages that are sterile and come individually wrapped.

3.Sterile gauze pads that are individually wrapped may be useful for larger cuts, profuse bleeding, burns, and infections.
4.A roll of adhesive surgical tape will come in handy when using gauze pads. You will need the tape to secure the cotton pad to the laceration. First aid adhesive tape is great for wounds that need to be sealed from infection. This tape is extremely sticky, anyone who has ever yanked off a taped bandage knows that it can be a painful experience. Clear tape will stretch with the body; it is especially effective when waterproofing is necessary. Paper tape is best for individuals with sensitive skin, or if the dressings need to be frequently changed. If you want a recommendation, use cloth tape. It keeps a gauze bandage secured without the irritation or discomfort of the other adhesive tapes.

First Things First
Individualize your first aid kit to fit your family's needs. If someone is asthmatic, add an inhalator. If someone is allergic to bee stings, add an anaphylaxis (bee sting antidote) kit. If someone is diabetic, make sure you have insulin at hand.

5.Scissors may be necessary to cut tape, clothing, or bandages in emergency situations. Surgical scissors will cut tape cleanly and quickly, but any good scissors will do in an emergency. (Avoid “kiddie scissors” if possible; they're meant for cutting out paper dolls and designs.)

6.Elastic bandages, or Ace bandages (the common brand name), with clips may be used for sprains and twists.

7.Sterile cotton balls for applying ointments and antiseptics, as well as a sterile cloth for washing and dressing cuts and abrasions.

Before You Put the Band-Aid On
Sterile and germ-free are crucial words when finding supplies to treat wounds. The sterile products need to be used in order to avoid infection. Bandages and cotton balls are purchased sterile. But when using your own medical “tools,” you must be able to sterilize them after each use. You can do this by lighting a match and moving the instrument back and forth through the flame. Just don&'t forget to add a pack of matches to your first aid kit! Alcohol and peroxide can also be used for sterilization.

8.Tweezers for removing any foreign objects from a cut or for splinters. Although needles are only good for splinters, they can sometimes get out a small foreign object better. So keep one on hand in your first aid cabinet.

9.Matches can be a useful addition to your medicine cabinet's first aid section. In an emergency, a flame will sterilize needles and tweezers. Just make sure you keep the pack out of the reach of tiny curious hands!

First Aids
Histamines are chemicals produced by mast cells—fat, chubby cells that are found in our skin. These chemicals are inflammatory, causing itching and burning. Antihistamine medications actually neutralize the histamines in the mast cells, which stops the itching.

10.Rubbing alcohol can be used to clean utensils in your first aid kit, and it very effectively cleans cuts, scrapes, and minor wounds. Antibacterial antiseptic lotions and ointments should be added to your homemade kit as well. Bacitracin or Johnson's & Johnson's First Aid Cream are good all-around ointments that will prevent infections on scraped knees, cuts, and wounds. They also make excellent dressings.

11.Oral and rectal thermometers are important (and petroleum jelly for the rectal thermometer). Fever can be a sign of shock, poisoning, or infection. It's always good to gauge a sick person's temperature to know how to proceed.

12.Calamine lotion for insect bites and hives. This lotion is used to relieve itching and scratching. It also contains a healing agent which is especially useful for poison ivy.

13.Antihistamine tablets are good to have handy in case of an allergic reaction, an attack of the sneezes and sniffles, a sinus problem, or a migraine headache (all signs of allergic reactions to pollen or dust). Benadryl is a good antihistamine, and it even comes in a cream to treat superficial allergic reactions, such as rashes and hives.

14.Mineral oil and Q-tips to remove ticks on the skin and foreign objects from ears. Simply dab a little oil on the Q-tip and gently touch the area in question.

15.Sterile eye wash for eye injuries.

16.Syrup of Ipecac, which will induce vomiting in case of poisoning. Available in any drugstore, Syrup of Ipecac’s sole purpose is for inducing the vomiting reflex. The syrup is made from a South American root and does not require a prescription to purchase. Only use Syrup of Ipecac if you know exactly what an injured person swallowed. Vomiting can worsen symptoms of some poisons, such as petroleum and corrosive chemical products. To be absolutely certain whether to induce vomiting or not, call your local poison center immediately.

17.A bar of soap or a container of antibacterial liquid soap to clean wounds and your own hands. Sealed “wet naps” also work well.

18.An ice pack to reduce swelling, to cool a victim, or to reduce fever. (Many companies now make “instant” ice packs that do not need to be chilled. Chemicals keep them cold so you can store them in a first aid kit.)

19.A flashlight. Be sure to check the flashlight batteries frequently. Flares need to be kept in the car or boat to alert passers-by of an emergency condition. Flares not only prevent unforeseen collisions in the dark, they force other drivers to slow down (and someone might just offer help or the emergency phone call you desperately need).

20.Medicine for diarrhea such as Pepto-Bismol, Immodium AD, or Mylanta.

21.Aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), or ibuprofen (Advil) tablets to relieve pain and reduce fever. Remember that some people are allergic to aspirin, and some have bleeding or stomach problems that aspirin can make worse. When in doubt, opt for the Tylenol or Advil. NEVER give aspirin for a fever to children under 18 years of age; they are particularly susceptible to Reye's syndrome, a form of brain damage that can occur when aspirin is taken for a fever. Instead, give your kids Tylenol for Children, or Pediaprofen (a child's version of ibuprofen). Ditto for pregnant moms!

22.Large, triangular pieces of cloth (scarves) for makeshift slings, splints, and tourniquets.

A First Aid Guide Book should also be included in your kit. There are some great sites online if you are near a computer during an emergency.

When in Bear Country

Just a note about bears. If you find yourself in bear country anytime, it would help to have some good practical knowledge about what to do to keep safe. On the side of this blog are some great sites regarding this topic. Why am I bringing this up now, when we have enough to think about with the recent tornadoes?

I will tell you why:

#1. Yesterday on the news there was a report from a couple who had a baby bears get their car...actually open the car doors and get in. Momma bear came along. They ripped up the interior pretty bad. Click on "BEARS" link (on the right)to see a news report complete with home video of this. So bears (and tornadoes, too) are on my mind.

#2. This is the last day of school for some school districts, and other school districts will be out in a few weeks. That means you may be taking trips to forests, mountains and across the plains, etc. Summer Safety should be a hot topic around the house these days. We need to share the knowledge we have, to teach our children and loved ones about how to keep safe.

I Stand Corrected

Hello everyone! I recently stated that we don't have tornadoes in this area...that I don't recall reports of tornadoes in the 21 years we have lived here in Southern California.
Well, I stand corrected!
And I also must humbly state: "Never say never".
Twin tornadoes touch down Thursday, May 22, 2008 near March Air Force Base in Riverside. The funnels caused power outages, derailed a train, and flipped a big rig truck forcing the 215 Freeway to close, but no injuries were reported. Here is a photo from Los Angeles Times today. On TV they showed semi trucks tipped over on the freeways, and derailed train cars. If anyone reading this was traveling in the Riverside area Thursday afternoon, I would love to hear about what you experienced.

Also on Thursday afternoon there was a quarter mile wide tornado in Colorado that left one person dead.

Tornadoes come when cold air meets warm air and there is enough flat surface on the ground to accomodate the physical requirements needed for a funnel of whirling wind to form and grow. Ask you favorite 5th grader for more details.

Because of the weather conditions here in Victorville, California (very hot with 102 degrees on Sunday...then plunging to cool and wildly windy Tuesday night, Wed. morning and then dark clouds and rain on Thursday morning)I was not surprised that 50 miles away from us tornadoes did develop Thursday afternoon.

Tornadoes !

Hello to all of you.
We live in the high desert of Southern California (Victorville). Our family has been here since 1987. I have never seen a tornado or heard of a tornado in this area that whole time. There have been little "dust devils" that travel across the desert, and even our city streets, whirling sand around in a mini funnel cloud. Once a dust devil came to a swap meet in a nearby town and caused a death. A vendor had tied down the flaps on his canopy with cement blocks. The wind was swift enough to whisk the canopy up like a kite...and the cement blocks dangled and swayed violently, knocking a girl in the head and killing her. I say this to remind us all how freaky things can happen and maybe keep us more on the alert. Things happen fast. Plan your escape from danger.

I have information here on what to do during a tornado. A weeka nd a half ago there were so many tornadoes in the Oklahoma/Missouri region. On TV there were stories of people who were literally saved because they went into the bathroom and huddled in the bathtub. I saw this picture online and thought: Wow. The pool table! Those things are heavy. This one looks like it didn't budge one inch during the tornado that took everything down around it.

OK...Fair Warning...Lots of reading ahead...but you will feel a bit more savvy after you read this.

During a Tornado


Signs of an Approaching Storm
Some tornadoes strike rapidly, without time for a tornado warning, and sometimes without a thunderstorm in the vicinity. When you are watching for rapidly emerging tornadoes, it is important to know that you cannot depend on seeing a funnel: clouds or rain may block your view. The following weather signs may mean that a tornado is approaching:

A dark or green-colored sky.

A large, dark, low-lying cloud.

Large hail.

A loud roar that sounds like a freight train.

If you notice any of these weather conditions, take cover immediately, and keep tuned to local radio and TV stations or to a NOAA weather radio.
(NOAA weather radios are the best way to receive warnings from the National Weather Service. By using a NOAA weather radio, you can receive continuous updates on all the weather conditions in your area. The range of these radios depends on where you live, but the average range is 40 miles. The radios are sold in many stores. The National Weather Service recommends buying a radio with a battery backup (in case the power goes off) and a tone-alert feature that automatically sounds when a weather watch or warning is issued.)
Sighting a Funnel Cloud

If you see a funnel cloud nearby, take shelter immediately (see the following section for instructions on shelter). However, if you spot a tornado that is far away, help alert others to the hazard by reporting it to the newsroom of a local radio or TV station before taking shelter as described later. Use common sense and exercise caution: if you believe that you might be in danger, seek shelter immediately.

Taking Shelter

Your family could be anywhere when a tornado strikes--at home, at work, at school, or in the car. Discuss with your family where the best tornado shelters are and how family members can protect themselves from flying and falling debris.
The key to surviving a tornado and reducing the risk of injury lies in planning, preparing, and practicing what you and your family will do if a tornado strikes. Flying debris causes most deaths and injuries during a tornado. Although there is no completely safe place during a tornado, some locations are much safer than others.

At Home
Pick a place in the home where family members can gather if a tornado is headed your way. One basic rule is AVOID WINDOWS. An exploding window can injure or kill.
The safest place in the home is the interior part of a basement. If there is no basement, go to an inside room, without windows, on the lowest floor. This could be a center hallway, bathroom, or closet.
For added protection, get under something sturdy such as a heavy table or workbench. If possible, cover your body with a blanket, sleeping bag, or mattress, and protect your head with anything available--even your hands. Avoid taking shelter where there are heavy objects, such as pianos or refrigerators, on the area of floor that is directly above you. They could fall though the floor if the tornado strikes your house.
In a Mobile Home

DO NOT STAY IN A MOBILE HOME DURING A TORNADO. Mobile homes can turn over during strong winds. Even mobile homes with a tie-down system cannot withstand the force of tornado winds.
Plan ahead. If you live in a mobile home, go to a nearby building, preferably one with a basement. If there is no shelter nearby, lie flat in the nearest ditch, ravine, or culvert and shield your head with your hands.
If you live in a tornado-prone area, encourage your mobile home community to build a tornado shelter.

On the Road

The least desirable place to be during a tornado is in a motor vehicle. Cars, buses, and trucks are easily tossed by tornado winds.
DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO IN YOUR CAR. If you see a tornado, stop your vehicle and get out. Do not get under your vehicle. Follow the directions for seeking shelter outdoors (see next section).

Outdoors
If you are caught outside during a tornado and there is no adequate shelter immediately available--
Avoid areas with many trees.
Avoid vehicles.
Lie down flat in a gully, ditch, or low spot on the ground.
Protect your head with an object or with your arms.

Long-Span Buildings
A long-span building, such as a shopping mall, theater, or gymnasium, is especially dangerous because the roof structure is usually supported solely by the outside walls. Most such buildings hit by tornados cannot withstand the enormous pressure. They simply collapse.
If you are in a long-span building during a tornado, stay away from windows. Get to the lowest level of the building--the basement if possible--and away from the windows.
If there is no time to get to a tornado shelter or to a lower level, try to get under a door frame or get up against something that will support or deflect falling debris. For instance, in a department store, get up against heavy shelving or counters. In a theater, get under the seats. Remember to protect your head.

Office Buildings, Schools, Hospitals, Churches, and Other Public Buildings

Extra care is required in offices, schools, hospitals, or any building where a large group of people is concentrated in a small area. The exterior walls of such buildings often have large windows.
If you are in any of these buildings--
Move away from windows and glass doorways.
Go to the innermost part of the building on the lowest possible floor.
Do not use elevators because the power may fail, leaving you trapped.
Protect your head and make yourself as small a target as possible by crouching down.

Shelter for People with Special Needs
Advance planning is especially important if you require assistance to reach shelter from an approaching storm (see specific instructions in the next section).
If you are in a wheelchair, get away from windows and go to an interior room of the house. If possible, seek shelter under a sturdy table or desk. Do cover your head with anything available, even your hands.

If you are unable to move from a bed or a chair and assistance is not available, protect yourself from falling objects by covering up with blankets and pillows.
If you are outside and a tornado is approaching, get into a ditch or gully. If possible, lie flat and cover your head with your arms.

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/tornadoes/during.asp

Regarding Heart Attacks

Part of being prepared is knowing about the symptoms of heart attack and knowing what action to take.

I have noticed that there are a lot of articles in th media lately about women and heart attacks.

The statistics are scary. (Yes, that's me, fearless Joan, talking.)

Here are 2 article you need to read:

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR TICKER

http://www.vvdailypress.com/common/printer/view.php?db=vvdailypress&id=4678
January 24, 2008 - 7:51PM
By MELISSA CASSUTT
Freedom News Service

A woman dies of heart disease about every minute in the United States. Only 13 percent of women view it as a threat.
Stephanie Hammar-Samuels sure didn’t. On a hike up Mount Herman near Monument, Colo., she was the one nagging her buddies to go faster.
The next morning, she woke up nauseated.

She assumed she’d come down with the flu, but the urge to vomit persisted for more than a week and was sometimes so strong she had to pull her car to the side of the road. She thought she might be pregnant, but the home test came back negative. Then she noticed she was short of breath walking up a flight of stairs.
Hammar-Samuels was 39 and healthy at the time of the hike in 2005. She was a non-smoker with no history of heart problems in her family. But coronary heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women older than 25, doesn’t discriminate.

That’s what the American Heart Association wants women to know. It’s trying to get women — especially those who have deemed heart disease a fat old man’s problem — to pay attention to their tickers. One in 2.6 female deaths in the United States is from cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.
“What most people don’t know is they will most likely die of heart disease,” said Dr. Kimberly Dulaney, a cardiologist at Pikes Peak Cardiology in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The American Heart Association works to teach women the facts they need to stay healthy.

“We’re targeting women to take care of themselves. We understand that you’re busy, we understand that you’re caretakers . . . but don’t forget about your own health,” said Katie Farlow, co-chair of the Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” education day, which includes such things as heart-healthy luncheons. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in great shape or not, you still need to be getting checked.”
Because it can happen to anyone. Even to someone who did everything right.
Even someone who practices yoga a few times a week, plays volleyball and stocks her kitchen with fresh veggies, whole grains and soy milk. Hammar-Samuels was diagnosed with coronary artery disease in October 2005.
She was scared, but mostly furious.

“I exercise, I eat healthy,” she said. “I went all these years living a healthy lifestyle, thinking everything was fine.”
In reality, her left anterior descending artery was 99 percent blocked. The LAD artery is responsible for supplying the heart’s left ventricle, which pumps blood to the rest of the body. Its occlusion often leads to death, earning the artery the nickname “widow maker.”

Hammar-Samuels displayed the symptoms of a heart problem — shortness of breath, nausea — but went undiagnosed for two weeks while her doctors ruled out other possibilities such as acid reflux, thyroid problems and pregnancy. One doctor diagnosed her with an anxiety disorder and prescribed medication. No one mentioned her heart. She started to think she was a hypochondriac. She’d call her best friend Betsy Cole five times a day to reassure herself she wasn’t crazy.

“She just doesn’t make up stuff like that,” said Cole, who once got a call from Hammar-Samuels as she was sitting on the sidewalk, exhausted from walking her dogs. “It really started to bother me because it was associated with activity.”
Cole, a nurse, pushed Hammar-Samuels to take a stress test and pulled a few strings to get her into a friend’s cardiology office. During the second part of a treadmill test, Hammar-Samuels’ blood pressure dropped and she collapsed. After a coronary catheterization, a procedure that examines the heart’s arteries with a catheter, a stent was inserted into her blocked LAD artery to open blood flow.

“I wouldn’t have guessed my heart, and she did,” Hammar-Samuels said. “She really validated that I was not crazy. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Two days later, her nausea returned. Three more stents were placed in two smaller arteries in Hammar-Samuels’ heart. Several months later, a fifth stent was inserted to repair one that was failing. The relapses keep her on edge. If she’s nauseated, she starts to panic. If she’s tired, she worries it’s her heart. She takes a handful of vitamins and cholesterol medications, and stays militant about her diet. She shops at health-food stores, never sets foot in fast-food restaurants and doesn’t eat red meat.

She’s still a little scared, but she’s not angry anymore. She’s more thankful — for a good friend, and good instincts.

“Women have really good instincts, but we cover them up,” said Hammar-Samuels,
now 41. “We just are more apt to think, ‘Oh, why can’t I do more?’”

It’s a common complaint among busy women, who tend to put themselves low on the priority list in lieu of balancing relationships, careers and kids, said Lauve Metcalfe, associate director for the Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition at the University of Arizona.
“We need to start working smarter and not harder,” said Metcalfe. “If you’re not in tip-top shape to handle life, how are you going to expect to do the things that you need to do?”
Sources: MEDICINENET.COM; AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION; NATIONAL HEART, LUNG AND BLOOD INSTITUTE


WARNING SIGNS of a heart attack
http://www.vvdailypress.com/articles/heart_4679___article.html/discomfort_chest.html

January 24, 2008 - 7:53PM
Heart attacks are an indicator of a heart problem such as an irregular heart beat or blocked arteries.
Signs of a heart attack:
Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach; shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort. Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness.
As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
What to do:
Even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, have it checked out. Don’t wait more than five minutes to call 911.
Emergency medical services staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. Patients with chest pain who arrive by ambulance usually receive faster treatment at the hospital.
If you don’t have access to an ambulance, have someone drive you to the hospital right away. If you’re the one having symptoms, don’t drive yourself unless you have absolutely no other option.

Sale Now at King Ranch

Best by March 2011. That is what is stamped on top of these cans of tomato sauce, which are on sale now until midnight, May 12th. 8 Cans for $1.00. That is for 8 oz. of good tomato sauce. They have a huge stack of baoxes of these so head on down! I use tomato sauce mostly for a savory tomato rice soup. I also add tomato sauce to my homemade lentil soup, and use it in my spanish rice. By adding herbs, spices and finely chopped vegetables, you can make great spaghetti sauce.

$1.00 Each!

Here are 3 items that I paid $1.00 each for (at Target, today)that are good to have in your 72 hour kit: a small flashlight, glow sticks (2 came in this package) and a pocket knife.
Once my husband was able to fix something in the engine of our car in the middle of the night, on a dark dark road, while our 7 kids slept in the car, and I held a tiny little key chain flashlight like the one pictured here, so he could see what he was doing. I do not know what we would have done without that little light.
The glow sticks also produce quite a lot of light. If you hang it in front of a mirror, it is even brighter. I just tested one to see if I could read a book with just the light from a glow stick-I can! Now I am testing this same glow stick to see how long it will stay lit. It did not give this information on the package.
The pocket knife has 11 functions, including scissors, saw, screwdriver, bottle opener, knife, nail file and more. Many a time, I have resorted to using my pocket knife (I always carry one in my purse on road trips)to slice apples for easy snacking
and sharing. There are many other uses for a sharp blade. What I like is that it all fits so snug together and is small enough that it can be carried in your pocket.

Add Cayenne to Your First Aid Kit

And whosoever among you are sick, and have not faith to be healed, but believe, shall be nourished with all tenderness, with herbs and mild food, and that not by the hand of an enemy.

D & C 42:43


This post is about cayenne pepper.
I recently heard about its amazing healing properties. If it is true that it can stop a heart attack and stop internal bleeding (you still have to call 911), then it should be in everyone's first aid kit. Do you believe? I do! And so I will have it in stock in every first aid kit I have (Home, car, purse). To learn more, click on some of the links I have posted in the right hand column of this blog. The amazing properties of this herb can also be read about in the book, "Ten Essential Herbs" by Lalitha Thomas. Thanks to Jeanne Bradley for this tip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is a bit of history about cayenne (capsicum frutescens) from
http://altmed.creighton.edu/cayenne/History.htm

"It was first introduced to Europe following the discovery of America, and it quickly spread to Asia. It is now cultivated throughout the world, and is a common constituent of many a spice rack and medicine cabinet. Its medicinal properties were first documented by historians traveling with Columbus and its uses have progressed to make it a mainstay of many botanical physicians."

99 Cents Store Finds

I was trying to get the top ten items (plus a few more)of a good first aid kit. The cold pack, the water, the scissors (to cut the long bandgages) was not in the original published list. I still need non-latex gloves, digital thermometer, face mask, first aid instruction booklet, cough drops...maybe benadryl cream. I got these items (pictured) at the 99 Cents Only Store on LaPaz here in Victorville. The water was 39 cents. I like to have water (this bottle expires in 2010) to flush any wounds. The more I read about wound care, the more convinced I am that it is one of the most important things to know how to do. Why? To prevent infection getting into the body. More on this later.
Now I have some fresh supplies for my first aid kit. I had an older one (10 years old at least..the adhesive was worn off the band-aids, the antibiotic ointment had long since expired, etc.) Now I need to find a good container for the items. OK, everyone, Thanks forloggin on, and.... carry on! ~Fearlessly yours, Joan Hulihan