[Shiver me Timbers]

I got a tip in India from an Old Hand - treat your cuts and wounds with a combination of Hydrogen Peroxide Solution (8 RUPEES in any chemist) and anti-biotic powder (no more than 30 RUPEES in any chemist). In the Andamans, I cut my foot pretty badly, and even after a visit to the local doctor, after a week, it still looked bad. Then I let this guy at it with the above combination, and the next day, my foot was healed. Or maybe he was Jesus?  

Anyway, don't forgot to clean your wounds with water, before and after applying the Hydrogen Peroxide. The powder will then dry the wound, and then apply your bandage/plaster whatever.

[cyberhippie]

I carry a can of that spray on plaster as well for little cuts, you just spray it on the effecte area after cleaning and it selas the cut!! Great if your on the beach for instance as it keeps out the sand and water!!

[Strawberry_Blonde]

Conor M, on May 4 2006, 04:42 PM, said:

anti-biotic powder (no more than 30 RUPEES in any chemist).

If I only I had known about this, I got two bites in Nov that got badly infected and have only just healed last month, I tried everything! It now looks like I have two gunshot holes on my leg, I might treat you all to a pic .....! Any particular brands of Aniti-Biotic powder, names to ask for?

cyberhippie, on May 4 2006, 05:00 PM, said:

I carry a can of that spray on plaster as well for little cuts, you just spray it on the effecte area after cleaning and it selas the cut!! Great if your on the beach for instance as it keeps out the sand and water!!

What is this, never heard of it? Can you buy it in India?

One thing I did manage to pick up in the UK that was useful was Savlon Dry spray, sprays a nice yellow powder which helps dry your wounds. But a 5 quid for a small can it's a bit pricey and, 4 squirts and its all gone!

[jyotirmoy]

If bitten by wasp the best thing is to dab with vinegar....

[vinayverma]

When you do not have anything to apply on your wounds, especially custs and bruises, pee on it. It was told to me by my grand father who was told during the WWII about it.
I used it many times when I was a kid and even now and it has always worked as a first aid.

[Hyderabadi]

Paste of haldi & coconut oil.

[Judi]

vinayverma, on May 5 2006, 03:57 AM, said:

When you do not have anything to apply on your wounds, especially custs and bruises, pee on it. It was told to me by my grand father who was told during the WWII about it.
I used it many times when I was a kid and even now and it has always worked as a first aid.

Easier said than done for those members of the population who are not equipped with flexible plumbing    

[digital drifter]

Judi, on May 5 2006, 03:28 PM, said:

Easier said than done for those members of the population who are not equipped with flexible plumbing    

ahh....very fortunate.  It may be the best method but I ain't peeing on myself.  I did that for awhile when I was born(on myslef as well as parents & all I got was a sound thrashing)  but that was enough.

Pass the band aid.

[HowieUK]

As young Engineering apprentices we were told to pee on our hands to toughen them up and make the skin harder!

I never tried it myself and believe it is 'an old wives tale' so I would be dubious too about its antiseptic properties, but who knows?

[sakurablue]

Conor M, on May 4 2006, 12:12 PM, said:

I got a tip in India from an Old Hand - treat your cuts and wounds with a combination of Hydrogen Peroxide Solution (8 RUPEES in any chemist) and anti-biotic powder (no more than 30 RUPEES in any chemist). In the Andamans, I cut my foot pretty badly, and even after a visit to the local doctor, after a week, it still looked bad. Then I let this guy at it with the above combination, and the next day, my foot was healed. Or maybe he was Jesus?  

Anyway, don't forgot to clean your wounds with water, before and after applying the Hydrogen Peroxide. The powder will then dry the wound, and then apply your bandage/plaster whatever.

This is excellent advice.  I have asked for Hydrogen Peroxide solution in Boots, Uk but was told that it is no longer available to the public.  This is hard to believe but now the UK is a nanny state and lots of medicines have been withdrawn.  Short of using household bleach (and I've been advised not to) , I don't know where to buy H2O2 (right?).

Several years ago I attended a lecture (biochemistry course) where a doctor said he treats all his patients with hydrogen peroxide.   I'd like to find a book on the subject.

[wanderingkat]

Hyderabadi, on May 5 2006, 02:59 AM, said:

Paste of haldi & coconut oil.

I'm with you on that one. Haldi & neem oil work well together too.....

[yossie23]

HowieUK, on May 5 2006, 10:44 AM, said:

As young Engineering apprentices we were told to pee on our hands to toughen them up and make the skin harder!

I never tried it myself and believe it is 'an old wives tale' so I would be dubious too about its antiseptic properties, but who knows?

Likewise, it is not uncommon to find people use spit to treat their open wounds. I hear they keep the bacteria away!

Can these (pee, spit) be called 'alternative' medicine?

-Mani

[BigDave]

yossie23, on May 6 2006, 09:57 AM, said:

Likewise, it is not uncommon to find people use spit to treat their open wounds. I hear they keep the bacteria away!

Can these (pee, spit) be called 'alternative' medicine?

-Mani

Apple Cider Vinegar (not malt vinegar) is a natural antiseptic and can be used for all sorts of ailments including cleaning cuts and wounds. No bacteria can live in it and it's cheap and I hope, available in India 'cause I'm heading there in September and the thought of not having my trusty cider vinegar is a real worry. A tablespoon in a litre of water kills any bugs.

Dave
(None of the above is to be relied upon in preference to proper medical advice)

[Shyam from NJ]

Strawberry_Blonde, on May 4 2006, 09:47 PM, said:

If I only I had known about this, I got two bites in Nov that got badly infected and have only just healed last month, I tried everything! It now looks like I have two gunshot holes on my leg, I might treat you all to a pic .....! Any particular brands of Aniti-Biotic powder, names to ask for?
What is this, never heard of it? Can you buy it in India?

One thing I did manage to pick up in the UK that was useful was Savlon Dry spray, sprays a nice yellow powder which helps dry your wounds. But a 5 quid for a small can it's a bit pricey and, 4 squirts and its all gone!

Strawberry:  You can use hydrogen peroxide (3%) to clean your wound.  It is a powerful oxidant, kind of like bleach but much milder.  But do not wash with water afterwards.  It will defeat the purpose.  Hydrogen peroxide will first form some white bubbles and then it will disappear and thus, no need to wash.  For small cuts this will do.  But for large wounds, next time you need to take something more powerful.  I suggest take 500 mg Cipro (ciprofloxacine, preferably from Ranbaxy Labs.) twice a day for six days.  Clean the wounds with clean water and peroxide twice a day and keep it covered with clean band aids because of the dusty Indian roads, not to mention flies.  Seeing a doctor is not a bad idea either! Good luck!!

P.S. It is a little heavy handed approach but in a hot climate, far away from home, it would be the best.

[70s-80s overlander]

HowieUK, on May 5 2006, 05:44 AM, said:

As young Engineering apprentices we were told to pee on our hands to toughen them up and make the skin harder!

I never tried it myself and believe it is 'an old wives tale' so I would be dubious too about its antiseptic properties, but who knows?

It's not that urine is antiseptic, but that it generally is sterile, except for any organisms it might pick up on the way out. So, as a general rule, using freshly produced urine to wash dirt out of a wound would be better than letting dirt stay in a wound.

When avian flu hits, you will hear a lot more about the general sterility of urine, as one way to get the maximum benefit out of Tamiful is to take a dose then collect today's urine to use for tomorrow's dose.
"Tamiflu is excreted unchanged almost entirely in the urine. If Tamiflu supplies are limited, as they most certainly will be [during a bird-flu pandemic], consider giving the patient two Tamiflu tablets at the same time, collect the patient’s urine and re-administer it to the patient via naso-gastric (NG) tube or orally. If managed carefully, this approach means that you can completely treat a patient with only 2 Tamiflu tablets [by re-administering the patient’s urine daily for five to 10 days]."
Woodson G: Preparing for The Coming Influenza Pandemic. Fluwikie.com. http://fluwikie.com/...m#_Toc116746508.

[vinayverma]

Quote

Easier said than done for those members of the population who are not equipped with flexible plumbing

Yes I know, you can carry some cotton with you

digital drifter, on May 5 2006, 04:06 PM, said:

ahh....very fortunate.  It may be the best method but I ain't peeing on myself.  I did that for awhile when I was born(on myslef as well as parents & all I got was a sound thrashing)  but that was enough.

Pass the band aid.

Haha yes, thats fine but as I said 'if you do not have anything to apply'
Jokes apart, yes I've used it manytimes and it always worked.

Also in 70's and early 80's all over north & East India there used to be a wild growing shrub/bush. they were everywhere around open ground and some people used to complain about itching when your legs used to rub against them. One day in Calcutta, when I fell down on the road while playing, a gentleman picked me up, plucked a branch of that bush, squeezed it to take out some brown colored sticky sap and applied it on the wound. It did 'burn' in the begining but with in 15 minuted the blood stopped and in few hours it had a thick brown dried layer on it. Next day I was fine.
Later govt. found that bush a nuisence and ordered to be cut and burned. I hardly see that bush anymore especially in cities.

Another 'proven' remedy used by truck drivers in India is applying break-oil on cuts, bruises and light burns. In most of the older models of Tata and Ashok Leyland trucks there used to be a small plastic bottle of break-oil right next to the driver's seat. I did try this few times when I used to hitch hike on trucks across cities to save money in early 90's when I was a student with very less money to spend.

[cyberhippie]

It's my understanding using urine is also good for getting rid of warts!!

[jyotirmoy]

Turmeric & lime for broken limbs.... poetry & songs for broken hearts...

[vistet]

yossie23, on May 6 2006, 01:57 AM, said:

Likewise, it is not uncommon to find people use spit to treat their open wounds. I hear they keep the bacteria away!

In this case , the cure may be worse than the disease : saliva is the second most bacteria rich cocktail found in the body. (Trivia : the Komodo "dragons" actually use their saliva to kill, take one bite , retreat and wait a short while until the victim succumbs to massive septicemia).

Myself I´m a believer in soap and water , drying well and polyurethane foam wound dressings for superficial wounds.

Large wounds can be cleaned with physiological saline solution : 10 ml of table salt dissolved in a cup of boiling water and then diluted to a liter with more clean water - but by then you should go for help from the pros.Large contaminated wounds and hot climate also breaks down my resistance to pre-emptive antibiotics use.

In Sweden hydrogen peroxide (1 %) cream is sold  without prescription against impetigo - I thought we were more nannied here...

(I like the sound of jyotirmoy´s prescriptions, I´ll try them out next time )

[dzibead]

vistet, on May 6 2006, 11:45 AM, said:

In this case , the cure may be worse than the disease : saliva is the second most bacteria rich cocktail found in the body. (Trivia : the Komodo "dragons" actually use their saliva to kill, take one bite , retreat and wait a short while until the victim succumbs to massive septicemia).

Myself I´m a believer in soap and water , drying well and polyurethane foam wound dressings for superficial wounds.

Large wounds can be cleaned with physiological saline solution : 10 ml of table salt dissolved in a cup of boiling water and then diluted to a liter with more clean water - but by then you should go for help from the pros.Large contaminated wounds and hot climate also breaks down my resistance to pre-emptive antibiotics use.

In Sweden hydrogen peroxide (1 %) cream is sold  without prescription against impetigo - I thought we were more nannied here...

(I like the sound of jyotirmoy´s prescriptions, I´ll try them out next time )

After my cat bit me one night (long story - don't ask) and the wound got VERY infected to the point where I was running fever of 103 F. and needed heavy duty antibiotic injections, my doctor told me that with regard to bacterial infection, HUMAN bites are actually far worse than almost any animal bite, apart from animal bites that are actually POISONOUS.  So that's consistent with vistet's assessment.  I take Betadine in my travel first aid kit - downside:  it stains (both you AND your clothing!)