FIRST AID AND HOME MEDICINE: ANTISEPTICS
The best way to disinfect a cut or wound is to bathe it in a sterile solution of salt (saline). The easiest way to do this is to take a cup of boiled, cooled water and dissolve a teaspoon of salt in it, then wash the wound gently with a clean or sterile dressing. This is a very effective antiseptic.
For convenience, you can buy from a pharmacy sterile saline solution in sachets (Normasol or Steripod). These are handy for first aid kits, for workplace or school, or for travelling.
Be careful to use water (for solutions or for drinking) which you tolerate well. You can be sensitive to tapwater, and this may make you react when you use it for medicinal purposes. Use filtered, mineral or distilled water if you are not sure.
Boric acid, dissolved in boiled, cooled water, can be used as a stronger antiseptic. It should not be used on young children, nor on broken skin. You should consult your doctor or pharmacist before using it.
Calendula, a homeopathic ointment or tincture, is antiseptic. Some allergy sufferers tolerate it well. Patch Test or use with care, to see if you tolerate it.
If you have a persistent infection or sepsis in a cut or wound, you should always consult a doctor.
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April 2, 2009 - 6:02 AM