Prep Tip #2: Your First Aid Kit

While the media-fueled hype now makes many people think that prepared folks=survivalists=maniacal mass shooters, the reality is much less exciting than that.  Prepared folks = someone like this lady.  One of the most basic ways to start getting prepared is to get your first aid kit together because a) when you are sick, the last thing you feel like doing is heading out to shop for medical supplies and b) when you are sick the public appreciates you keeping your germs to yourself and not infecting others by going out where other people congregate like stores.
So, now that we know we need to take care of our own minor medical maladies, this is what you need:

• An EDC mini first aid kit.  Mine includes two bandaids, a needle, an alcohol wipe, and a packet of aspirin.  Simple, but this covers most everyday health problems (headaches, cuts, etc).
• A car first aid kit (and one for your boat/RV too).  Any time you are away from home, you are away from the first aid supplies found in your home so it makes sense to carry a few indispensable first aid supplies along with you when you hit the road (or the lake).  Again, this will include the basics such as bandaids, alcohol wipes, aspirin/Tylenol, but also an instant ice pack, antibiotic first aid ointment, sunscreen, Benadryl, etc.  Basically the things you would need if you can't get any medical supplies for a few hours or more.
• A travel first aid kit.  I carry a travel first aid kit with my travel gear and this bag is fairly comprehensive and fairly well used.  Besides helping myself out when traveling off the beaten track, I've often used the items included in this kit for the locals as well.  Depending on where you travel to, you may want to add to the basics listed above and include a supply of oral antibiotics, prescription pain killers, acidophilous (takes care of most stomach problems), rehydration salts, Thera flu (I swear by that stuff), cough drops, gauze and tape, Imodium, tweezers, scalpel, etc.  
• A home first aid kit.  My home first aid kit is less comprehensive than my travel first aid kit because medical care is fairly easy to access where I live.  I still, however, keep a goodly supply of common first aid items including: aspirin, acetaminophen, NSAIDs, Thera flu, Benadryl, sunscreen, Noxzema (for sun burns), bandaids/gauze/tape, antibiotic creme, peroxide, rubbing alcohol, tweezers, razor, etc. 

There are plenty of good lists online of items to put in your first aid kit so I won't take up space here restating what is already available but the main points to remember when stocking your first aid kit is to stock items you usually use and are familiar with, stock items you know how to use (if you do decide to get all fancy and decide to add ET tubes and a bone gun, don't use these items if you aren't trained to use them--however in a disaster trained medical professionals will probably appreciate such items if there happens to be a shortage so there is that), and don't forget the medical supplies your grandmother might have used: nutritious, easily prepared food, herbal tea, and home remedies (again, herbal medicine is easy enough to grow or forage yourself but you need to know how to use these items).  It is also a good idea to have cash on hand, personal relationships with a variety of medical professionals, and an eye towards prevention so you won't need to use your medical kits in the first place.