When I need to make a hot compress I put dried beans (preferably lentils) in a pillowcase and heat in the microwave for a minute or two. It's cheap, easy, doesn't smell horrible, and retains heat for quite some time. Reusable, too. If you want a pretty one, there are some nice ones available from etsy, including scented ones.

-- Courtney Ostaff

I also make hot compresses at home, but with rice in a long sock. Same method: microwave for a minute or two to enjoy around 10 minutes of heat. After several uses, the rice will eventually start to breakdown and you'll need to replace it. The heated rice does emit a very faint smell, but I actually find it to be comforting. This might be a problem, though, if you're using the heat to treat migraine pain.

I tried using a rubber hot-water pouch recently, but I found that the thick rubber walls weren't transmitting heat very well, so I went back to rice in a sock.

-- Camille Cloutier

I have had a lot of expensive and time consuming dental work done over the last five years, so I am a really motivated electric tooth brush user. I have used at least three different electric tooth brushes and the Colgate 360 is by far the best, while also being the least expensive.

It is powered by one AAA battery so the handle is slim and easy to pack. The one battery lasts a long time. The brush has a non slip rubber on/off switch that has a satisfying click and is more intuitive to use than the two battery brushes with bigger handles. There is no worry with expensive replacement heads. Just buy a new 360. It also has a tongue cleaner feature that I haven't seen elswhere.

As an aside I took one of the Colgate 360 electric tooth brushes apart to see what makes it work. It has some really sophisticated engineering. The on/off swith is a formed piece of metal that clicks open and closed like the clamp that women use to hold their hair curls at night. The power source is a vibrator in a metal cylinder and the energy is transmitted to the brush head by a rigid plastic rod encased in a flexible plastic sheath. Cool stuff.

Kinesiology tape has been around for some years and is widely used by athletes, but in the past you had to have a trained person apply the tape. These spider-style kinesiology tape are precut, and by following instructional videos an untrained person can apply the tapes to help stabilize joints, prevent injuries and otherwise support the body. They make them for various injured body parts.

I have a badly damaged shoulder due to a motorcycle accident in 1977. I've had joint replacement but the muscles are full of scar tissue and I have limited use of the arm. I have recently had a tear in my rotator cuff and have used a spider to support the joint while waiting for tests, appointments and surgeries. The difference that it has made in my pain level has been amazing.

I have lots of problems with severe muscles spasms in my rotator cuff muscles and have for 20 years. Aside from the spider tape, the thing that has helped the most is a hot tub with very powerful jets. A far less expensive yet very effective tool is a tennis ball in a sock (preferably one of those hospital socks with "non-slip" strips to maximize traction). I can hold the sock with my hand and hang it over my shoulder so the ball is over my shoulder blade, lean back into a wall and move around to massage the muscles. You have remarkable control over the pressure and positioning of the massage.  This has been far more helpful than the many commercial massagers I have tried over the years, and it is very portable. 

I have also found the The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook to be the best guide for self-help using trigger point therapy.

About a year ago I developed an extremely bad case of tennis elbow and was introduced to the Torex ice sleeve by my physiotherapist. The ice sleeve is very soft. It never freezes even when very cold and can be rolled onto my arm. Because it is a sleeve and not a pack it stays in place and is very comfortable. I had to ice my upper forearm for at least 20 minutes to get any relief and using the Torex beats holding a pack of frozen peas any day. I would just roll it on and forget about it until it warmed up.

I use the medium size and have found that it is perfect for ankles as well. I used it after getting hit in the ankle with a puck playing ice hockey.

The sleeve is non-toxic, latex-free, and made in the USA. It can also be used as a heat pack following very specific heating instructions in a microwave.

I've also discovered a bonus use. The medium size is perfect to roll over a can of beer. It is, by far, the fastest drink cooler I have seen. My brother would always steal my ice sleeve to cool his drinks and now that my elbow is better I use it mostly for that purpose, as well.

This thermal sleeve is a very comfortable ice/heat pack and an extremely efficient beer cooler. Two qualities that make you feel better.

Did somebody finally get around to asking real women what was wrong with maxi-pads? This new design has done for maxi-pads what the Mach-3 did for razors blades. It is a complete re-design, and the result is a pad that is extremely thin, non-irritating, stays dry, doesn't leak, is shaped to fit comfortably, and sticks only where it should.

The Infinity pads look very different from other pads. They are tapered to the front and wider at the back with a clearly marked "Pad Front" on the wrapper. They have holes and channels in them that have been engineered to maximize their absorption and prevent leaks. They are only about 3mm thick.

I have had about six months experience with these pads, and I am still surprised by their effectiveness every month. They are a little pricier than the Kotex pads that I was previously using, but they are so comfortable and work so effectively that they have been well worth the price. I recommended them to a friend who was experiencing uncomfortably long and heavy periods and she is now telling all of her women friends that these pads have changed her life.

While this isn't as environmentally friendly as the previously reviewed Diva Cup, if you're looking for comfort and convenience, these maxi-pads are revolutionary.

From time to time you might find yourself wanting to take half a pill as opposed to the whole dose. This tool simplifies the mechanical act of splitting a pill such that you obtain the best possible equal division with the least effort.

To that end, you will want a dedicated pill splitter as opposed to using your fingers or a knife. I've tried a number of pill splitters over the years and the best one I've found is the Apex Ultra, pictured above and below. It has a sharp blade that's covered by a retractable piece of plastic when not in the process of cutting. Equally important, it has a nicely designed platform upon which to place your pill, with rubbery side guards next to the firm base, such that the pill is securely gripped before being cut.

Scored pills are best cut along the score line. Egg-shaped (more precisely, prolate ellipsoid) pills should be placed such that the long axis of the pill is perpendicular to the blade: this results in a shorter cut edge than if the long axis were parallel to the blade, and thus minimizes loss of pill material.

Occasionally you may wish to quarter a pill: this is trickier than dividing an intact pill because you're working with a cut edge. The best result (most even division of pill half) will be obtained if you place the previously cut edge AWAY from the first contact point of the descending blade. If instead you advance the cut edge into the "V" of the platform, the blade will tend to fragment that edge as it divides the pill in half, leaving more of the pill's contents on the platform.

By having the intact surface of the pill serve as the initial contact point for the blade, you'll find the blade causes less of the pill's substance to break off from the previously cut edge.

I had been using the previously reviewed Optical4less to purchase inexpensive prescription eyeglasses online, but I changed over to Zenni Optical two years ago. Zenni offers the same fabulous advantages of decent glasses for super cheap, but they are much faster to deliver, and have a much better selection, and their website is much easier to use and order. Reordering from the same prescription is a no-brainer, too.

Over the past two years I've ordered about 8 pairs of glasses from Zenni for different family members and myself, in all different strengths and styles, including sunglasses. The frame quality is okay (great for the price) and the optical quality is A+. My wife has extreme corrections, and I have a very odd combination of factors, while my daughter's prescription is mild. I've ordered single, bifocals and progressives - and the results have all been good. A simple correction and simple frame can cost as little as $10, but our typical glasses will cost about $35. Still a fantastic bargain. Even if you are style conscious, these are great for backup pairs.

One detail you have to pay attention when selecting a frame online is the width of the frame, which varies between models. Pay attention to the size indicator. I once ordered a pair too narrow. Delivery takes only about 2 weeks to my home in California.

After 45 years of perfect vision, I began needing help to see up close. I have prescription glasses for writing long chapters at my desk, and I've stashed cheap reading glasses everywhere else in the house. But inevitably, when traveling around the planet, I have struggles with menus and bank documents and so on. A convenient pair of portable readers can be a blessing.

I started with one of those slim fresnel lenses, shaped like a credit card, in my wallet. They're fine for emergencies but useless for comfortable or extended reading. An ideal solution would be a small pince-nez. But the cheapo versions - with a plastic nose-bridge - soon break, or they pinch and hurt.

What you want is for the bridge to be made of flexible metal, squeezing the two lenses against your nose with just the right pressure. They can slip off, if you're sweaty, and there are (ahem) some places you do not want to let them drop-off. But the good ones can squeeze together so the lenses overlap and they fit into a tiny pocket pouch. It's surprising how comfortable they can be, feeling so natural you forget they are there.

Alas, my first trio of pocket pince-nez all broke in the same place; where the metal bridge was riveted into the glass. I searched all over and finally found better ones from Pocketeyes. These have an improved, adjustable metal-to-glass attachment, a corrugated spot on each lens to help grip the nose, and a split pouch that lets you keep the lenses from rubbing against each other in your pocket. The keychain grommet is another plus.

They also have a fun factor. People do double-takes and even strike up conversations asking about them. They won't help with driving or distance. But if all you need is readers to help while traveling around, this may be your answer.

I cook all the meals in my household and have worked in a bunch of manual jobs, from welding to construction, so I have a lot of experience with cuts, abrasions, and burns. After much experience and unwilling experiment, I highly recommend Band-Aid Tough Strips without exception or qualification.

Every other variety I have tried, including the plastic "waterproof" Tough Strips and the regular plastic and fabric Band-Aids, have, in a word, stunk. Why the fabric Tough Strips stay on through sweat and multiple soapings, I don't know. The adhesive does seem to be of a different sort. But the fact is they do stay on through everyday and not-so-everyday abuse, and no other bandage I've tried comes close. Also they're a little bigger than regular bandages, and the extra bit often makes the difference between not-quite and fully covering a wound. Be sure to apply them to dry skin while trying to avoid getting any antibiotic ointment on the sticky part as that stuff is like adhesive kryptonite.

I have 4 kids and we are outdoors as much as possible. One down side is my blonde kids can easily get too much sun. I have tried almost every sunscreen out there and these sunscreen towelettes are the best. They come in a "baby-wipe" style of dispenser, or as individually wrapped foil packets.

Each towelette has enough sunscreen to cover a person from head to toe. The kids no longer complain about it in their eyes or how cold the aerosol cans are. I also like it because it is fast to apply and easy to carry with us. It's also easy to keep the pack in our car just in case.

Having been in the the CrossFit community for a few years now, I've heard a lot about two dietary protocols: the Zone diet and the Paleolithic diet (Paleo for short). I had tried out the Zone diet for a bit more than a year, but never found the performance or feel-good gains compelling enough to stick with it strictly for more than a week or two at a time. After reading Robb Wolf's The Paleo Solution and trying the Paleo diet for a few weeks I became a quick convert.

Robb's book outlines the benefits of eating Paleo, the specifics of how to follow the protocol, the evolutionary basis for it, all while providing evidence found in scientific studies. Anyone who has read books like Gary Taube's Good Calories, Bad Calories, Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, or has seen Fathead or Food, Inc. will find that they appreciate Wolf's explanation of the Paleo diet.

I started eating Paleo in early 2011 at the urging of folks from my CrossFit gym. My original intentions were not to lose weight or overcome any specific malady, but simply to feel and perform better. In short, it has fulfilled both of those goals extremely well.

At its core, Paleo intends to imitate an ancestral human diet, with a focus on foods that are available today including meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts, while specifically excluding grains, legumes, dairy products, salts, refined sugars and processed oils.

Since switching to Paleo, I have found I have considerably more stable energy throughout the day, and am able to perform better and to my fullest capacity in demanding CrossFit workouts. I am also happier with the things I eat. While it didn't apply to me, I have no doubt that the nutrition prescribed by the book can be a powerful tool for weight loss and fighting numerous chronic illnesses. Robb's book and Paleo websites everywhere are chock full of folks who struggled their entire lives with ailments from diabetes to chronic fatigue and irritable bowel syndrome until they discovered this diet.

Robb Wolf isn't the only person proffering the eating like our Paleolithic ancestors: he follows closely on the heels of Loren Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet, and Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint, but I have found his work most accessible.

-- Drew Stephens

[Editor's note: I asked my friend and personal trainer Khaled Allen, who I know has had some experience with the Paleo diet, to add his perspective to this review.-- OH]

The principles behind the Paleo diet are very sound and are reflected in other lifestyles that do really promote health. Traditional (but non-caveman) diets always reflected a low starch, low sugar approach. In The 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss writes about his experience helping clients lose weight, and he pretty much espouses the Paleo approach, though he isn't so hung up on specific types of foods.

I got into Paleo through Mark's Daily Apple. Mark blogs about his version of health, called the Primal Blueprint. Technically, I was eating Primal, since I eat yogurt and butter. However, the fact that all these health movements are going in the same direction suggests that its all legit to me.

I did try strict Paleo for about a month last spring. It went well, but I found it unnecessarily cumbersome, and the stress of trying to strictly follow the diet counteracted the health benefits.

The Paleo approach is handy because it keeps things simple. There is no calorie counting, and as long as you stick within the recommend food types, you can't mess up (usually). When you start allowing some types of grains, or some kinds of dairy, most people get messed up, which is why the strict, no dairy, no grains approach of Paleo works so well. That said, it doesn't account at all for individual variation in diet or culture, and people have a tendency to go nuts on the bacon and steak and ignore the fact that Paleo really is mostly vegetable. It doesn't account for raw or fermented foods, which if you're being true to Paleolithic eating was probably more significant than the types of foods being eaten.

I'd say as long as you understand the principles behind Paleo, you should be alright. No refined sugar, minimal starches, avoid hard to digest foods (modern industrially processed grains, dairy, and legumes). With this in mind, you could get away with fermented organic dairy such as yogurt, grass-fed butter, or even brown rice (which I save for days with a lot of exercise, since it is gluten free).

With all these caveats, it does work. People lose weight because they are keeping their insulin low, and by cutting out all the processed foods and chemicals, they get a lot of health and vitality returned.

-- Khaled Allen

Permethrin is a man-made version of an insect repellent found in chrysanthemum plants. The molecule repels a variety of biting insects including flies, ants, chiggers, mosquitoes, ticks, etc. The company Insect Shield partners with manufacturers of work and recreational outdoor clothing to produce bug repellant gear: LL Bean, Buff, Carolina Manufacturing (bandanas), Eagle’s Nest Outfitters, ExOfficio, Outdoor Research, and REI.

Since deer populations have been exploding in many parts of the country, we have seen a corresponding explosion in the tick population. Some diseases carried by ticks can send you to bed for at least a week and may even have permanent effects (Lyme disease for example). Permethrin seems to be the best alternative for dealing with these pests and is a vastly superior alternative to DEET.

We were clued into this permethrin clothing treatment last year by Rob, a local farmer. He was finding about a dozen ticks a day after working in the fields. Rob started wearing permethrin treated socks, long pants secured at the ankle, long-sleeved shirts and a bandana; he stopped picking up ticks. I have shorts, an ExOfficio Bugsaway t-shirt, and several pairs of treated socks, and that seems to do the trick for me. There are also sprays for applying permethrin to your own clothing and camping gear (please read the warning labels carefully before using them) though I personally prefer pretreated clothing.

My favorite non-clothing use of permethrin is the Perky-Pet Ant Guard. It’s a small canister with hooks at both ends for hanging a hummingbird feeder. The canister separates into two parts held together with a central line; that central line is the only thing that’s treated with permethrin. Ants must crawl on the line to get to the feeder, thus minimizing any bird feeders over run by insects. Besides minimizing exposure to the environment, the treatment is protected from both sun and rain by the canister.

One thing to consider before using permethrin is that, as the Wikipedia article notes, permethrin is toxic to fish and aquatic life in general. This is why I dislike the use of permethrin backyard sprays as they seem like overkill, while any runoff can inadvertently damage local water life.

This is a new design of respirator which has advantages for mass distribution, emergency preparedness, and multi-ethnic populations. I've been using/testing it for 5 or 6 years in the Unorganized Borough in Alaska.

The respirator can be cut with scissors to fit faces properly. Because they are clear, fit is easily ascertained. A clear respirator may mean they are more acceptable culturally (the face is not hidden).

The filters are replaceable. They allow a lot of air to pass through so can be useful in bike riding and outdoor work. They also allow moisture to pass through; I haven't found the exhaled moisture to be a problem except in subzero temperatures (quite a bit of condensation then).

Instead of storing respirators of every size, only one size needs to be stored for emergency use. One doesn't need to check sizes before distributing the respirators. Respirators can be cleaned and re-used by the individual (replace filters). I have seen them be used for pandemics, volcanoes, dust, woodworking, and cycling, and I am hoping to continue testing them in Alaska where we have faces from many different populations.

-- Pamela Bumsted

These filters show the build up of particulate in the mask's filters after a bike ride through the various cities. -- OH

There is nothing in this book that you don’t need to know. You don’t have to commit the book to memory but I would encourage you to know what’s in it and how to find it quickly. My first duty as a Scout leader is the safety and well-being of our Scouts at an age when they are poor judges of risk and have a propensity to overestimate their capacities. I need to know how to keep them safe and how to respond if they are injured or ill.

Medicine for the Outdoors is the work of Dr. Paul Auerbach, wilderness medicine pioneer and arguably the world’s foremost expert on the subject. He explains the how and why of responding to nearly every possible illness or injury one is likely to encounter in a concise, step by step manner that is intended to be used on the spot - but don’t wait for something to happen before you read the book.

Safety is not owning the right gear or having the right book. It is not having a well-appointed first aid kit. Safety is knowing how to prevent injury and illness and how to respond if it occurs. Get the book, read through it, make notes and practice the skills before you need them. I have a Kindle copy that I can carry on a smartphone, iPod or similar device. I also have a copy of the book that lives in our troop first aid kit.

I've had this pocket geiger counter for a while, and I have not used it much. I took it out recently to check its battery just in case. The unit is made to check for radioactivity in industrial or geological uses, like testing scrap metal from unknown sources, old Uranium glazes on pottery, or possibly contaminated waste sites. The device clicks satisfyingly clearly when it detects three types of radiation. It's bigger than a pocket, but much smaller than the old fashioned vacuum tube variety. It runs off an 9-volt battery.

This device is not sensitive enough to detect natural background radiation, or radiation drift in the atmosphere, or mild exposure on clothing, say. The device has to be very close to the radioactive source. It would have had trouble detecting the radiation during the accident at Chernobyl 500 meters outside of the plant itself. To measure the radiation in uranium ore, for instance, the device has to be just about touching the rock. Stuff has to be significantly "hot" to register, but this is the stuff worth worrying about.

As you might expect, you can't buy one anywhere at the moment (immediately after the Fukushima incidents). But they will be back.

UPDATE: This device is a little bit more sensitive than your classic hand-held geiger counter, and cheaper, and also smaller. It's a good bargain. But geiger counters in general as not extremely sensitive. They can be made more sensitive by wiring them up to count "hits" over hours, days, and weeks instead of per second. See, for example, the Sparkfun geiger kit.

This CPR pocket mask is a great addition to any first aid kit. After becoming an EMT last year I learned the importance of maintaining A. the airway, and B. body substance isolation, and this collapsible mask goes a long way in achieving both.

The soft plastic bubble that lines the mask creates a great airtight seal when fitted over the mouth of the patient ensuring effective oxygen delivery. In addition, the two way valve minimizes the rescuer's exposure to any bodily fluids or vomitus that could result from providing rescue breaths. The mask itself is standard equipment in trauma bags, and the oxygen port can be used to attach an Ambu bag or oxygen line.

The mask itself comes in a bright orange hard case, along with some nitrile gloves, an alcohol swab, and CPR instructions. For my money this is one of the best tools (outside of adequate and up-to-date training) one can throw in the back of the car or in a first aid kit as it goes a long way in improving the effectiveness and quality of life-saving interventions. It's cheap, easy-to-use, and small enough that it's on hand when you need it most.

I have been using RunKeeper Pro since it was first made free in January of this year. I am training for a half-marathon run in April, and wanted something to help motivate me and to track my progress. RunKeeper fits the bill perfectly.

There are two components, the mobile app, which runs on iPhone and Android devices, and the web application, which allows more detailed analysis of your activities. The mobile application has a simple, straightforward interface, which allows you to track the time of your activities (this could be running, cycling, walking, hiking, etc...), as well as plot a GPS map of your activity, so RunKeeper can figure out how fast you were going, and how far you went. The app also offers verbal reporting while you are performing your activity, to let you know the time you've been working out, how far you have traveled, and your average pace for the whole activity. This is really useful to help you keep on track and not go too slow or too fast for your particular goals.

After each activity, you are asked if you want to post it on Facebook, if you have linked your Facebook account with RunKeeper. I would recommend this, as it is a great way to get encouragement from your friends which just offers more motivation to keep working toward your goal.

Your activity is also uploaded to RunKeeper.com, where you can login later and analyze your activity in more detail. You can look at a Google Map of your activity as well as see the elevation, pace, and speed at any given point during your activity. You can make your activities public or private. You can see an example of one of my runs here.
(Credit: Adam Pash/Lifehacker)

There are some more social aspects integrated into the RunKeeper site, such as groups of your Facebook friends who also use RunKeeper, so you can keep abreast of their activities and offer them encouragement and motivation as well.

Additionally, RunKeeper has some "classes" that you can purchase, which are created by sports trainers or professional athletes, that will help you to reach specific goals. Once you have purchased a class, you can start using it during your activities, and the app will give you verbal coaching while you work out, such as instructions to run the next mile at a fast pace, or to sprint for 45 seconds. This makes your workout more dynamic and also helps you to improve specific parts of your performance (like speed or endurance) without having to come up with a workout plan on your own. In my case, there are several Half Marathon classes available for different experience levels and different amounts of time to train before the race (16 weeks vs 24 weeks, for instance).

Since I've started using RunKeeper my outlook on running has changed, I've connected with a few other runners from my Facebook circle, and my endurance and motivation to keep going towards my goal of running a half-marathon have improved.

I've used other run/sport tracking apps for Android in the past but this one has them beat on the simplicity of the user interface, and the smooth social integration, which for me has proven very useful to keep me motivated.

Dr. Bronner's soap is a staple in my bathroom. Widely known for its eccentric label that espouses the moral philosophy of the soap's now deceased maker, Emmanuel Bronner, it is a testament to a simple product made well.

The potent soap is vegetable-oil based (including jojoba, coconut, and hemp oils) that when diluted can be used in a number of different ways. When I spent four months traveling through China it replaced my shampoo, face and body wash, deodorant, laundry detergent, and, when I ran out of it, my toothpaste (but only once as it overwhelmed my mouth). Using it meant I could pack less and lighten my load. I have also brought it camping to clean pots and pans where the use of harsher soaps and detergents would sully sensitive environments.

Outside of being multi-use, Dr. Bronner's is also an extraordinarily pleasant soap. I have yet to find another cleaning product that leaves my skin as tingly and fresh feeling as the peppermint variety (be warned, it can be frighteningly intense on sensitive parts of the body). It also doesn't contain any lathering agents or synthetic chemicals like sodium lauryl sulfate that some people have a sensitivity to. Instead the soap relies on an ingredients list that is predominantly organic and fair-trade certified.

The liquid soap can be purchased in a variety of different sizes, up to a gallon at a time. While travelling for four months my girlfriend and I used about 12 oz of the stuff, but that included showers, laundry, and deodorizing. So keep in mind that a little goes a long way. Though I have only used the peppermint and lavender varieties, they also offer the soap in eucalyptus, citrus, tea tree, almond and a mild formula for babies.

I was first introduced to the Israeli emergency bandage several years ago as a medic in Iraq. It was a huge step up from the standard military dressings that we had been issued. The old military style dressings hadn't changed since WWII and were not really effective as the canvas ties didn't always hold the dressing where you needed it. A lot of guys were using gauze pads and elastic wrap which, while better, was cumbersome.

The Israeli emergency bandage was the first of a new generation of bandages that made a difference when it really counts. It combines a sterile dressing, elastic wrap and a pressure bar to make a fast and easy to use trauma bandage. The long tail can be configured in various ways to hold the bandage in place or to immobilize the limb, plus it can be configured in to an improvised tourniquet. I consider it must carry item since I can use it as a multipurpose bandage, use the tail as an "Ace" wrap for sprains or to immobilize a fracture to a splint. The bandage comes in 4" and 6" for around $5-$11 and everyone in my family has one in their car first aid kit, backpack or office.

Method foaming soap dispensers are inexpensive, reliable, and refillable. The soaps are widely available from retailers like Target. Method's 300ml reservoir has a stable base and is larger than most foamers. The reservoir is transparent: if you have multiple dispensers, you can use the color of the soaps to tell them apart. I've used the Method foamers for over five years. I use them for hand soap, in the shower (soap and shampoo) and for hand-washing dishes. Foam soap cleans eyeglasses astonishingly well.

Foaming soap dispensers work by extruding the foam through the precisely-aligned pump mechanism. The foamers can be refilled; the trick is to dilute the soap the right amount. If the soap is too dilute, the foam will be wet and runny. If the soap is over-concentrated, the pump will be difficult to press. Foaming soap is white because the soap's surfactant has no color. If you see color in the foam some soap is getting pushed through the extruder without foaming. This damages the foaming mechanism — use less soap! The foamers will eventually wear out but well-treated ones will work for at least a couple of years.

Lotions will not foam. The wonderful soaps from Burt's Bees will not foam (I'm not quite sure why). Other than that, virtually any liquid soap or shampoo will foam. Method's soaps use sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) as their surfactant. I'm not fond of SLS; I prefer soaps made with saponified natural oils.

Foaming soap is a simple and effective green technology. The foam provides an optimal ratio of soap and water for cleaning. You can completely wash before turning on the tap for rinsing. It's good for sponge baths or camping when you have limited access to water. Foam uses the soap far more efficiently: you will be using a fraction of the soap from your pre-foam days. Less soap also means fewer chemicals for the wastewater treatment facility to remove.

Many of us live in environments or buildings where air quality is poor or downright unhealthy, and many airborne pollutants and allergens end up in in our lungs. Depending on your sensitivity, age and other factors, what you can't see (bacteria, pet allergens, mold spores, dust, pollen, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), etc.) can hurt you. The smaller the particulate, the easier it can get into your lungs and cause problems.

I was introduced to the HealthPro Plus by my partner, who suffers from bad asthma and allergies. She had been using one for a couple of years and has come to depend on it to keep her bedroom in a breathable state. I got one for my place and immediately noticed the difference, from particulate in the air to the amount of dust collecting on surfaces. I had been using another mass market HEPA filter, but apparently it hadn't been doing a thorough job at all (I live in an urban environment with rather poor air quality).

The HealthPro Plus is not just any air filter. From IQAir site: "IQAir's HyperHEPA filtration is tested and certified to filter ultra-fine pollution particles down to 0.003 microns in size with a guaranteed minimum efficiency of over 99.5%. This is 100 times smaller than what is achieved with ordinary air filtration technology and 10 times smaller than a virus."

It draws dirty air in through vents in the bottom, passing the air through a prefilter, then an activated carbon gas and odor cartridge, then finally up through the cleanroom-grade "HyperHEPA" filter and out through dispersal vents in the top.

The control panel allows you to set a variety of settings and monitor filter life (which varies widely based on usage). There are 6 fan speed settings, from 40 cfm (cubic feet per minute) to a cranking 240 cfm. You can do the math and figure out how many times per hour the HealthPro Plus can cycle all of the air in the room. It's surprisingly quiet at the lowest setting, and sounds a bit like an oncoming tornado at the top setting.

The "Plus" in the name IQAir HealthPro Plus refers to the Plus's chemical and odor filtering capability. Standard HealthPros and HealthPro Compact do not carry the IQAir V5-Cell Gas & Odor cartridge, but a standard HealthPro can be upgraded with a V5-Cell. I like having the The V-5 Cell installed, knowing that there are 5+ pounds of activated carbon and alumina based potassium permanganate mix capturing volatile organic compounds (VOC's), odors and chemicals.

It is also worth noting that IQAir - a 45+ year old Swiss company - is very responsive, and that the unit comes with a 5 year warranty. I had a small issue with my power supply and I was able to call IQAir and reach someone who handled the return efficiently. They even FedEx'd me shipping materials and overnighted the unit back to me.

I can only point out two obvious downsides to the HealthPro Plus. One is that it's expensive - it is more than twice the cost of most other high end systems on the market (though worth the money in my opinion), and replacement filters are also somewhat pricey. The second is that it is another large beige box in an age of too many beige boxes. Placing it aesthetically in the room while also allowing for maximum air exchange can take some finesse (there is also a compact model). If you're interested in filtration for your whole house, IQAir makes air purification systems (http://www.iqair.com/residential/wholehouseairpurifiers/) that connect to HVAC which are very well reviewed.

I did a bunch of research on air purification systems before buying one, and among everything I've seen the HealthPro Plus always came out on top.

This woven nylon shower or bath scrubbing cloth, 11"x43" in size, can be folded up or used long to scrub the back in those hard to reach places. It's really good for scrubbing (and exfoliating I guess) all over, it foams up easily with a small amount of soap, rinses easily and completely, and dries quickly on its hanging loop. It folds up small and fits in its provided plastic zip case for travel. It can be machine washed (but not dried!) and is very hard-wearing - mine has been used every day for at least three years.

It's simpler, more hygienic and easier to pack than a brush or loofah. It can't unravel like those pouffe things. I bought mine out of curiosity, and I'm glad I did. I've used this towel for several years.

The Daily Plate at Livestrong.com does for dieting what Quicken did for my checking account. I have been using it to log my food and exercise for the last three or four months. Basically, you type in what you eat, and it searches for a match, gives you the calories and nutrients and adds it to your daily and weekly totals. The best part is the quick lookup. As soon as you type part of the name, i.e., "broc" it will go and find "Broccoli" in a number of different serving portions and preparations (raw, steamed, sauteed, etc.). You can also log your water consumption. By setting various weight loss goals the site will adapt and track your weight loss over time.

Besides keeping track of your food, it also tracks your exercise. Everything from jogging to moving boxes. It automatically subtracts the calories you burn from the calories you eat, increasing the amount of calories you can eat to reach your goal.

I'm a really terrible dieter and have only lost 2 or 3 pounds a month so far. However, this does add up over time. Given that I've failed at all my other diets but this one, I can genuinely say that Livestrong is changing the way I live, the way I eat, the way I exercise, and the way I look by giving me a painless way of logging my exercise and food intake.

I have an inexpensive (and unfortunately no longer available) 30-inch visible man sitting on my desk. Putting it together was an education; I couldn't believe how much stuff we have crammed into our insides. Everyday the man-model reminds me of the wonder of our temporary home. To go deeper into the full catalog of human meat, you need the Anatomical Chart Company, which carries replicas of most human body parts. Eyes, guts, brains, etc. in three dimensions. They aren't cheap, but they are detailed. I am looking for a spot in my studio to park their budget life-sized skeleton. It focuses one's productivity.

These are the best crutches in the world, no hyperbole. If you've ever used traditional crutches you might remember how painful they were to the hands and/or underarms. Not these. I first got them after a pair of forearm crutches became so painful to the hands. By redesigning how and where you hold them they reduce pressure to the underarm and hands. Like traditional crutches they are adjustable based on your height.

I had an articular cartilage tear in my knee (femur, specifically), necessitating microfracture surgery, and subsequently used these crutches for 2.5 months. Being able to ambulate comfortably made the many challenges of recovery much less stressful. When I first got the crutches I adjusted the arm rest angle to my desired setting and never felt like changing it. Over time I adjusted the height to be a little lower when I was non-weight bearing, as I felt it easier to get around without the tips hitting the ground. When I began weight bearing with a single crutch, I liked it a little longer to more easily reduce weight on the operative leg. I probably would have done the latter two adjustments with any type of crutch.

As for wear, the crutches have held up well. The foam on the arm rest has compressed somewhat, but is still comfortable and I don't think it would compress further. Anyway, it is something that could be easily cut away and replaced with a similar material by the user if that became necessary. Other aspects of the crutch do not show signs of wear after 2.5 months of use.

The other thing that's awesome about them is that you can safely go up stairs by actually holding the railing! By setting the arm cuff angle to about 70-80 degrees, it allows you to hold the unused crutch in the hand of the side that's using a crutch for support leaving your other hand free to hold the railing. Incredible.

-- Gus Gustafson

I had knee surgery and have to be on crutches for 6 weeks, completely non weight bearing on one leg. After 1 week on standard forearm type crutches (more common in many places than the underarm ones you see in the USA), my hands were KILLING me from all my 160 lbs being put on my palms. I found these smart crutches, and have done some major walking on them: NO PAIN. I will say that I feel slightly more unstable on them compared to the regular forearm crutches, but I also have them set to like 70% to put all my weight on my arms, and almost none on my hands, which may contribute to that feeling.

For me, they were well worth the cost, even if my insurance won't cover them, which I may still be able to get.

-- M. Clifford

I hate flossing. I hate how the floss cuts into my fingers and lips, and how it gets wet and slimy and impossible to manipulate. I've tried those little flossers with handles but they're not much better than regular floss. I've used interdental brushes (they're like itty-bitty bottle brushes with handles) but they're not flexible and don't fit between normally-spaced teeth. After years of ignoring my dentist's suggestion to just floss the teeth I want to keep, I think BrushPicks are my solution.

"These are AMAZING," said my mother-in-law as she presented our final, newspaper-wrapped stocking stuffers on Christmas Eve. I was sure her description was a little over the top for what turned out to be a tiny box of glorified toothpicks. That was until I gave one a try.

Each disposable plastic pick has a pick end and a brush end. The pick end has tiny ridges that help to scrape harder material from between your teeth. But it's the brush end that's a real innovation. It looks kind of like a feathery antenna, with a flat row of tiny bristles extending on either side of a thin, flexible pick. This brush end is stiff enough and thin enough to poke easily between your teeth, but flexible enough that it readily bends so that you're not jabbing painfully into your gums. This flexibility also allows for cleaning behind rear molars. Rotating the brush end as you clean helps to loosen and remove gunk from otherwise impossible-to-reach areas.

BrushPicks are so effective that they're actually kind of fun to use--in a "look what I just dug out of my own head" sort of way. I've taken to using one every 2 or 3 days and I'm anxious to see if my dental hygienist notices the difference during my next cleaning.

Someday you will be able to continuously measure your body in a hundred ways, and this constant data will transform your health. For the past few years David Duncan has been trying out this experiment. Although he is healthy, he's subjected himself to every quantitative test he could find: multiple varieties of genome sequencing, measuring compounds in his blood, getting his brain scanned, tracking body pulses -- and then he tried to correlate all this data. He calls himself the "experimental man." The most fascinating part of his project was his attempt to measure the traces of environmental toxins left in his blood. I believe we will be following in his footsteps in the coming years. I started the site The Quantified Self just for this reason: in order to preview and discuss the tools for this kind of self-tracking (and I make a minor appearance in this book). Duncan's account covers the plus and minus of this technology. He also gives us a clear sense of the potential for self-tracking and the immense difficulties we'll have dealing with the data. I consider this book a very helpful and sobering glimpse of the future of health tools.

My brother-in-law introduced me to the neti pot, for nasal irrigation, about three years ago. He had had chronic sinus infections that have largely stopped since he started using it. Since I began using it, I've had fewer illnesses and just breathe easier. I used to take decongestants regularly in order to sleep soundly (due to mild allergies), but haven't in the past three years, since the neti pot became part of my daily routine. My sinuses don't dry out as much during winter anymore, and my wife says my snoring has decreased.

The neti pot flushes your sinuses of pollutants, allergens, pollen and dust that build up during the day. By flushing your sinuses you allow your nose to do its secondary job more effectively -- keep the bad stuff out. It also has the added benefit of relieving sinus headaches and congestion. The interesting thing is, it's been around for a long time (several thousand years) and is used by many yoga practitioners to ease breathing during meditation. Eight ounces of warm tap water and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (with no iodine) is all it takes to wash the grime away, and that's a lot cheaper than over-the-counter decongestants.

I recommend getting a neti pot with a pot belly look, like the Himalayan Institute one available from Amazon. I've tried two other brands/styles and they don't provide as consistent water pressure through the nose. Currently I use my neti pot once a day, in the evenings, to wash the day's grime away and help with sleeping.

Try it once or twice and you'll agree your sinuses have rarely felt better or clearer. As a side note, if it burns a little, stop and add a tad more salt. Too little salt and the water won't flow well through the nasal cavity. If you've had a broken nose, please check with your doctor to make sure your nasal cavity is still properly aligned for nasal irrigation.

We've been using this book for nearly two years. We bought it because we were tired of having to resort to Tylenol and/or Ibuprofen for all of our now three-year-old son's ailments. It's written by a practitioner of natural medicine, a medical doctor and a pediatric nurse. Since the three authors each contribute her/his respective specialties, Smart Medicine offers remedies in various forms, from conventional treatments to more holistic ones such as homeopathy and acupressure.

Its excellent content paired with Smart Medicine's practical organization is what makes it better than similar books. The entire volume is a concise A-to-Z reference guide for common childhood illnesses and symptoms, broken down into sections of treatments, supplements, homeopathy, general recommendations and prevention. Dosage charts are clearly laid out and simple to follow. (It's even become our go-to book for ourselves because the age-appropriate dosage guideline makes it easy to calculate for all ages.)

It's such a great all-in-one guide, we don't need any other books on the subject. We love this book so much, we give or recommend it to new parents who are looking for alternative choices and ways to play a greater, more informed role, in their child's healthcare.

I have always been prone to motion sickness. Going out in a boat meant that I would be sick; the only question was how long it would take before I was hanging over the edge. My wife really wanted to go on a cruise, so I looked to see if there was anything that modern science could do for me. Dramamine puts me to sleep, so that was out, and I feared the patch would be just as bad. Then I ran across the ReliefBand. After reading a number of reviews I tried it, and the results for me were amazing. I went on a seven-day cruise and never had a moment's illness, not even when we were on a small fishing boat with several people bringing back their lunch right near me.

The ReliefBand uses small pulses of electricity on pressure points in the wrist that relieve nausea. It's approved by the FDA for morning sickness, but it certainly works for motion sickness as well. You can adjust the strength of the tingling from 1 (very mild) to 5 (strong enough to make my fingers curl a bit, involuntarily).

The ReliefBand needs to be worn tightly, and I'm often adjusting the band to make sure the electric pulses fall in the right place on my wrist. I adjust the setting according to the level of ship's motion; sometimes I've set it on 5, mostly I leave it on 2 or 3. The most severe test I put it to was on my most recent cruise, where one evening we had 15-foot swells and Force 7 winds. Half the crew was seasick, and most of the passengers, too. I didn't feel so good, myself, but I never felt like throwing up; I just went to bed early.

I don't know why this device isn't better known or sold more widely because it does the job exceptionally well with no drugs and no side effects. I've run into a couple of people on cruises wearing the ReliefBand, and they all have stories similar to mine. Yes, it's expensive (if you hunt around you may be able to find it for around $110), but if you're planning to spend a lot of money on a cruise it pays for itself in the first sickness-free day.

This is one of the few products I've ever read about in a magazine and then sought out immediately for purchase. I don't recall the publication, but I do know that it was several years ago and I had to search high and low to find it.

No Bite is "a bitter flavored nail bite deterrent that helps break the annoying and often painful nail biting habit." I used it more for my cuticles than my nails, but the idea is the same. It looks like nail polish, and it smells (and tastes) like nail polish remover. Once you paint it on it seems to disappear, but then later when you mindlessly slip your finger in between your teeth you're greeted with a disgustingly awful flavor. The aversion therapy worked so effectively for me that I still have a pretty full bottle of the stuff. A little goes a long way.

My fiance, who wears fake nails specifically to avoid biting her real ones, says that a similar product didn't work for her. She must have had a powerful compulsion, because I can't imagine fighting past the flavor of No Bite. In fact the only problem I had was accidentally tasting it on my fingers while eating. Use of a fork would pretty much solve that problem.

If you've ever tried to give a pill to a cat, you know it's not only not fun, it can be downright dangerous. Dogs will eat anything. Cats, not so much.

I had a cat that was on medication for years, and every day it was the same struggle to get a pill down her throat. Now, I have a semi-feral, and very strong, older cat who needs thyroid medication every day. I would probably have lost a finger or two if I hadn't found these things. You just fold the pill up into the little pocket, drop it in front of the cat, and it's gone, like magic. Everyone's happy, especially the cat. And you don't need the asbestos gloves anymore.

I originally got the Tersano Lotus Sanitizing System to clean fruits and vegetables...but it does so much more. The pitch sounds like a cross between snake oil and science fiction, but this device works. What it does is infuse water with extra oxygen molecules, which turns it into something of a miracle cleaner.

The system comes with two attachments - a spray bottle and a bowl. The spray bottle lets you use the oxygenized water to clean just about anything - tough stains in laundry or carpet, mildew in the shower, counter-top surfaces like granite or tile - with simple tap water and no dangerous chemicals. The bowl lets you clean fruit or vegetables with treated water, resulting in killing bacteria and breaking down and dissolving pesticides.

The system does all this with tap water, and it couldn't be much easier to use. To use the spray bottle attachment simply fill the bottle with water, set it on the base, and press a button. The machine whirs away for a few minutes, and beeps when it's ready. Once the water has been oxygenated, it is charged up for about fifteen minutes...after which time the oxygen has been depleted harmlessly in the air.

To use the bowl attachment, pre-rinse your food to get the "big pieces" washed away, then dump it in the bowl and fill it with tap water until the food is covered. Place the bowl on the base and press the button, and when the machine is done, leave the food in the charged water for a couple of minutes. The base will beep when the time is up, and your food is ultra-clean!

There are other available attachments for the system, including cleaners for toothbrushes and baby bottles, or a floor mop similar to a Swiffer.

The ozone in the water doesn't chap your hands. In fact, I have soaked infected cuts in it on occasion and it seems to help. The only warning they give is not to swallow it... I suspect this is because it would kill the beneficial bacteria in your gut, which would be very bad for you indeed!

It hasn't bleached anything I've tried it on, and that includes a lot of different fruits and vegetables.

I notice that I left out that it's also an effective room deodorizer. Just spray a fine mist of the treated water in the air, and it draws out whatever's floating around making it smell.

All in all, the system sounds like a bunch of malarkey but it really does work!

If you have serious anaphylactic allergies, Epipens are indispensable and probably the greatest (and simplest) medical contraption ever. Simplicity is key for this auto-injector. Just jab yourself with a dose of epinephrine, in the thigh, through your pants. The pen has saved my life several times.

However, as cool as they are, Epipens are hard to carry -- unless you have a purse. For guys, the "Leg Buddy" makes it so you don't forget your Epipens at home. Basically an ankle holster where you can store two Epipens -- out of sight but never out of mind.

Influenza = Uncertainty. Rumors. Caution. Hysteria. Pandemic. No, wait, a media frenzy. Or maybe, serious medical worry. Where can you go to find out the latest?

The best dynamic snapshot of what is known to the media is, no surprise, the virus's Wikipedia page.

The best source for the latest published news from around the world on the H1N1 virus (and other viruses of human health concerns) is the Fluwiki Forum. This site was started for tracking the avian H5N1 virus, and is now trying to keep up with this latest outbreak of swine H1N1. The in-depth and comprehensive background material on flu available on the Fluwiki itself is excellent ballast for the froth of "news."

If you love the froth of the latest rumors and eye-witness accounts from the street, the twitter stream from Veratect* seems to be the first choice for a real time feed of raw flu news.

A "proxabrush" is the offspring of a menage a trois twixt a toothbrush and toothpick [with floss acting perhaps as a voyeur]. I am 63, getting long in the tooth, with increasing gaps between teeth and receding gums. Recently I thought I was headed for four-figure dental work. Instead, my experienced and honest dentist suggested this minibrush. It is marvelous for a thorough cleansing twixt those teeth and wherever it can gain entry. I had spent a lot of time behind the wheel with a toothbrush in my hand and mouth; what I needed to do more of is floss the spaces a typical toothbrush cannot get to. This brush allows me to get deep into crevices and is much easier to use than floss (it's also used by folks with braces). The good dentist recommended dipping the mini-brush into hydrogen peroxide to really go after Mr. Toothdecay.

Since I started using one, some health has returned to my troubled tooth. I find I'm able to keep my teeth and gums much cleaner that with just brushing or flossing. I can also see these little teeeeny brushes coming in handy for cleaning out some other small spaces.

I have been trying several brands since becoming aware of the genus. Oral B has one with a long handle and another with a two part sliding handle that allows the user to pivot the brush by altering the two part handle -- facilitating guiding the tip of the little guy to the proper orifice. When I am on the go in the car I've been using the little ones from Dentek that have a cap that slips over the handle end like an old fountain pen, making the implement longer and easier to handle. The cap also keeps it clean when I put it in my pocket or set it down in the car. I've noticed there are different sizes with tapered, untapered and cylindrical ones, too. I have not yet tried all the brands or types and am not ready to declare an overall favorite, but am delighted with the search.

My doctor told me about this tracheotomy tube when I was putting together an expanded medical/first aid kit for a cabin in the middle of nowhere in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In the winter up there, 3 - 4 feet of snow is common and it's a mile+ out to the road, so we need to be prepared if something goes wrong. Yes, it would take a little guts to use this (there are clear instructions that come with it), but if someone was turning blue there's not a doubt in the world I could jam it home.

These laminated cards display "strongly-worded" warnings ("I have a life-threatening allergy to XXX") in a range of foreign languages and even pictures where possible. While I have not seen these cards in use (nor have I used them myself), they really make a ton of sense. I had a friend once who was allergic to soy. Even in the States getting people to believe and deal with the allergy was difficult. Made me appreciate the plight of people who suffer from food allergies.

SelectWisely also tailors basic cards in more than two dozen languages for more than three dozen food allergies, plus phrases for vegetarian, vegan, gluen-free, and lactose intolerance. A great and simple idea. Sure you could mimic this easily with a printer and laminator, but the prices are not outrageous.

If you're camping or hiking in a group, you can't go wrong with the previously-reviewed Adventure Medical Kit. But if you're a citygoing 9-5'er (read: not a search-and-rescuer), the Red Cross' personal safety kit packs many of the basics -- whistle, blanket, face mask, glow stick, poncho, germ wipes and first-aid kit -- for a price that's more or less unbeatable.

We've got a home medical kit. We regularly update the earthquake/disaster kit in our car (a plastic tub complete with basic med supplies, canned goods, MRE's, water, spare clothes, etc.). But like a lot of folks, I spend a chunk of my time working in an office building where I've always presumed/hoped supplies are both plentiful and current. That's why I very recently stashed one of these kits at the desk I keep away from my home office.

Could the pack be more complete? Of course. My first gesture was to rubberband a small handcrank flashlight to the diminutive bundle. Even still, the embellished package remains small, light and manageable.

Beuy's are virtually unbreakable fiberglass combs made in Japan. Always a pleasure to use, they cause no static. Mine is as good today as when I got it over a decade ago (a professional hair stylist gave a couple to my brother and he was good enough to give one to me). There are different style and shape models ranging from $4.50 and up. A rare price for a tool for life.

I have a bit of a crowded mouth -- small mouth relative to jaw size -- so it's very difficult for me to scrub the sides of the rear molars. The Sulcabrush, which I've used for about 15 years, is still the only brush I've used that adequately cleans the far surface of my rear molars. The Sulcabrush works because it's thin, has a couple of good angles to it, and the bristles are medium stiffness, so they don't crap out very quickly. It's a pain flossing back there. Flosspicks (even the Reach flosser) are a little too big for my mouth. I've had some success with Reach toothbrushes and some Oral-B's with the stiffer bunch of bristles at the tip, but after about a week, these edge bristles splay and become less effective.

The Sulcabrush keeps working again and again. Since the Sulcabrush's bristle bundle is pointed, I think the total angle is a little more than if it were flat, and better than what I've experienced with average toothbrushes. I've found the pointed end lets me cover more of the molar sides (chewing surface is easily handled by regular toothbrushes). The downsides are that it's essentially another toothbrush to use and it's not particularly versatile -- i.e. I don't like using it to brush the rest of my teeth, because of the small area it targets and the stiffness of the bristles. However, I'm very happy with how it cleans the crud off the rearmost molars.

Most colds are transmitted through hand-to-nose contact; alcohol-based hand sanitizing gels and sprays reduce the potency of most viruses within seconds, and so provide a good defense -- as long as you keep some handy.

This is the first sanitizer I've found that's not only fits easily in my small purse -- or clips to a pocket -- but is also refillable. The top unscrews, and you can refill it with 70% rubbing alcohol (use ethyl alcohol; less stinky and not as drying as isopropyl). Sprays are more useful than gels, as they can also be used on questionable restroom fixtures, for example. I've seen 1 or 2 ounce spray bottles, but those are usually about 1 1/4 inch wide. This one is the size of a slender highlighter, slightly thicker than a standard pen (at its widest, the barrel is 5/8 inches—not counting the clip—and 5 inches long). It fits easily, even in my inky-dinky overfilled purse, and when I have a cell phone or PDA in my pocket along with the bottle, things don't get uncomfortably bulgy. I'm a pharmacist, exposed to every cold virus that comes down the pike, and I haven't had a cold in a year. Dunno if it's the spray or dumb luck, but I used to get them pretty regularly before I developed the habit of spraying my hands after any exposure to a suspiciously sniffly customer.

Compared with my previous visit to Japan 12 years ago, the most noticeable change I find today is in the bathroom. The "Incredible Squirting Toilet" has achieved almost total market penetration, and not just in middle-income homes. It even appears in fast-food restaurants and in public facilities in railroad stations.

As you lower yourself to the thermostatically warmed seat, a concealed motor whirs briefly, providing your first clue that you are about to encounter a piece of highly sophisticated technology. The toilet then remains silent and passive until you reach the point where you would normally apply paper. Instead, you hit the spray button. A hidden tube extends itself beneath you, and with the precision of a heat-seeking missile, it directs a spray of warm water that simultaneously tickles, stimulates, and cleans the place that needs it most. While its aim is meticulous, you can adjust its penetration by gently flexing your sphincter muscle. The experience is so unexpectedly and uniquely pleasurable, I found myself tempted to visit the toilet repeatedly just for recreational purposes.

Paper is needed only to mop up the water when the spray jet has done its work, but such is the effectiveness of the washing action, you will find no visible trace of fecal matter on the sheets of tissue, and can don your underwear in the happy knowledge that you have been cleaned by the same impeccable Japanese engineering that brought the world Honda motorcycles, 170-mile-an-hour trains, and robotic talking dogs.

Higher-end versions of the squirting toilet eliminate the need for paper entirely, by allowing the option of warm-air drying. They also provide adjustment of the water-cleaning jet, including a pulsatile flow which I found especially pleasurable. And for those in Western countries who are sufficiently uninhibited to allow themselves the pleasures of using this rectal equivalent of a water-pic, I have good news: The squirting toilet is available as an imported item and can be retrofitted to older bathroom equipment (you simply swap out the seat). Toto, the primary Japanese manufacturer, offers the most basic model under the name Washlet C100, and if you browse online you can find it for around US$500. This has only the most basic features; you can pay more for more advanced models, including one that welcomes you by raising its lid when it sees you approaching.

A note for female readers: The squirting toilet has a second tube which can be deployed by women who wish to cleanse their labial areas. For anatomical reasons, I was unable to test this personally.

Between being over 40 and having run 14 marathons, I have feet callused enough to require "dealing with" on a regular basis. The PedEgg is a microplane type set of blades attached to an egg-shaped compartment that not only makes it very ergonomic, but also collects all the lovely "stuff." Very easy to use while seated in the living room rather than precariously perched over a sink or wastebasket, or balancing in the shower on one foot. I've tried pumice stones, rasps, and the super coarse emery boards with no luck -- those all take forever to get the job done (and none has a built-in mechanism to capture the shavings or dust). I thought I'd found the perfect answer in a microplane kitchen grater (not something most people would admit, since it makes guests wonder what other kitchen utensils have been pulling double duty).

Now that I have the PedEgg, the grater has been retired, officially. I use it about once every 2-3 weeks when there's 1/8" or more callus to remove. It leaves a very smooth surface. Surprisingly, it's more aggressive than the fine microplane I had. And you can buy replacement blades should it ever wear out. It also has an emery board on the outside of the cover for final smoothing of your feet. Overall, I'd guess the PedEgg is at least twice as fast as the microplane and four times faster than an emery board on dry calluses. Of course, if you work on your feet after a shower when they're soft, any of these techniques are faster.

There are certain solutions I can't imagine ever being improved upon. These simple, effective stick-on strips, which help pinch open your nasal passages, are one of them. I've been using them for years now, mostly during allergy season when I'll pick up a pack of the mentholated vapor variety. The cooling relief is instant, impressively so. I often have major trouble sleeping due to severe congestion and allergies. When I don't want to resort to antihistamines, which can leave me groggy in the a.m., these comfortable, non-drowsy strips step in to ensure a decent night's rest. If you're a snorer, an athlete or sports fan, these strips are nothing new to you. I figured they'd already been reviewed on Cool Tools, and was surprised to find they hadn't. I'm also surprised that in all this time, the company has not only cornered the market, but avoided mucking up the product with a confusing number of variations. There are just three incarnations: tan, clear and mentholated. And two adult sizes: small/medium and large.

I had a problem taking glucosamine in tablet form. I was gagging on the horse-sized pills and this seemed to cause an automatic antipathy to swallowing pills of any nature. After some research I discovered Utrition liquid vitamins. Their Liquid Vitamin Plus has an excellent lineup of vitamins A, B, C, D, and E + other ingredients and tastes like frozen orange juice (ed. note: it's "pineapple orange juice" according to Utrition). Their Liquid Joint Repair has 2000 mg glucosamine, 1200 mg chondroitin and is good-tasting as well. I keep these in the fridge and take a swig each day. Simple.

I also discovered a very sharp website (Bodybuilding.com) that is totally on the ball, has quick service, and offers thousands of nutritional products.

My 14 month-old daughter has been wearing these noise-reducing headphones for 9 months, give or take, ever since a friend in Norway sent us a pair (they're made in England). As a touring musician and the owner of a record label, I go to a lot of shows. Now not only can we hang out together, but my daughter's even performed with me. She loves the earmuffs, or seems to. She hates hats, but whenever we put these on -- even at home where it's quiet -- she doesn't want to take them off. They seem comfortable (they fit kids up to 7 years old). I also trust my kid's ears are safe because she freaks out over noises and things normally, but doesn't at all when she's at a show wearing these. Plus, in my travels, I've a seen a lot of kids wearing these exact earmuffs.

This simple little carrier hugs a bottle of contact lens solution, so the two are always together and easy to find at the bottom of your pack. In the past, I've relied on rubberbands and plastic baggies, but of course they tend to break and they add an extra packing step. This clip pops conveniently on and off. The colors make it easy to distinguish right from left. And it's reduced a bit more clutter from my dopkit. The price is a tad extravagant, but the case is so effective I'm done using the freebies.

When my six year old daughter broke her arm, we figured our big lake vacation was going to be a real test of her patience. Then a friend told us about DryPro Cast covers. They're essentially a super-thick latex mitten (or 'crab claw') that covers the entire arm or leg. Air is sucked out via a one-way valve to give it a snug fit, like a rubber glove. The device comes with a detachable bulb pump, but we usually just sucked out the small amount of air needed by mouth. Our daughter used it not only while swimming and bathing, but for water-tubing, rope swinging, and general sprinkler fun. She was able to submerge the broken limb completely. The covers are not indestructible, but the only thing I was ever worried about, and warned her to be careful of, was cutting the cover on a sharp rock. I actually purchased a second cast cover in case my daughter tore the first one -- she didn't. And it completely saved the vacation. I'm guessing these will last most kids at least one bone-mending cycle.

A Mason Pearson is like the hairbrush analogue of baby shampoo: it takes good care of the hair, without tears. Our 10 year-old's hair has never been cut, so it reaches almost to her knees; but with an MP, brushing her hair before school isn't a big deal. The brushes are very effective at getting snarls out gradually and they don't hurt the scalp. The ones we use have two kinds of bristles: mostly boar bristles, which are the same hardness as hair, so they don't scratch or cut the hair; and there are some soft, molded nylon bristles that are much gentler than the extruded/cut plastic bristles in typical brushes. Only the nylon bristles touch the scalp, as they are a little longer. All of the bristles are slender and mounted in a flexible rubber mat, which also adds to the softness of the brush.

We have removed a number of pet ticks with this lasso and every one has come out complete and without effort, even a tiny tick. Because the lasso varies in size, it fits every tick perfectly. Last year we had big tick problems, and we did in fact try out a tick hook, which is basically a mini-crowbar. If your patient is not completely still, I've found the hook impossible! In the end, we started taking our pets to the vet, but this got expensive. As an engineer, I liked the look of the lasso idea and bought one. Some real thought has gone into the design and how to get into small, awkward places, like ears. As with all removers, you do need to use them as instructed to avoid tick damage.

The Nosefrida is a remarkably effective tool for sucking snot out of a kid's nose. It's basically a flexible plastic tube with a mouthpiece on one end and a snot-collection chamber on the other. You put the mouthpiece in your mouth, press the open end of the snot-collection chamber against your kid's nostril (it doesn't go very far inside the nose), and SUCK. An inline filter prevents the snot from ending up in your mouth. The filter only needs to be changed when it gets gunked-up. Such gunking can be avoided by stopping periodically and blowing the collected snot out into a sink or emesis basin. Otherwise, if you keep filling up the snot-collection chamber, it eventually makes its way up to the filter. To clean, I just disassemble it and run warm water through it. Real easy.

It sounds disgusting and bizarre, but it works like a charm. If you've got a snotty kid, it's the best $15 you'll ever spend. My daughter got her first cold when she was three months old. It was a real nasty one, with lots of nasal congestion. My wife is a family doctor, and she suggested the standard course of action: spray saline up the kid's nose and try sucking the nastiness out with a bulb syringe. Anybody who's ever used a standard bulb syringe knows that it's a suboptimal tool for this project, for two main reasons: (1) A bulb syringe is too small to generate adequate suction to pull thick snot out of a kid's nose, and (2) little kids hate having a bulb syringe stuck up their nostrils. Can you blame 'em?

Two incredibly handy tools seldom used for their intended uses are dental mirrors (a.k.a. "inspection" mirrors) and dental picks. The one problem with most inspection mirrors is that when you have to look into awkward electronic or mechanical crevices where you need a mirror, you also need a flashlight for illumination and a spare hand to hold the light. This kit (#832) has a dental mirror with a bright flashlight integrated into the handle and a switch in the grip, freeing up your other hand. The other neat thing is that for less than $10 you get two dental picks -- great for nudging or extracting small inaccessible components from assemblies. Recently, I was upgrading a friend's computer. The motherboard was mounted in a "baby ATX" case which was a very tight fit. To locate the CMOS reset jumper or check to see if the memory socket catch was engaged, I needed the use of the lighted mirror to negotiate the dark spots where those components were hidden. In the same manner the picks were handy to snag small cables within the case.

This rapid Strep A Test is great tool for families with kids who get frequent sore throats. It helps you determine whether a throat infection is caused by strep (which requires treatment) or a virus (which does not). You swab the back of the child's throat with the included applicator, add a reagent, and watch for the color change. A kit of 25 tests costs about $90, which works out to about $3.50 per test. That's a whole lot is much cheaper than an unneeded doctor's visit. But since you may only use a couple tests a year, consider a cooperative buy with other families.

Looking for an effective weight loss motivator? Check out this all-too-realistic anatomically correct replica of one pound of human fat, complete with blood supply. Keep it on your dinner table and watch everybody lose their appetite. For even stronger motivation, you can buy the five-pounds-of-human-fat version.

Is it worth it to pay the premium price for organic produce? I have found this wallet guide (folded paper) a handy reference in the supermarket to help answer that question. It identifies 12 fruits and vegetables that are high in pesticides when conventionally grown so I buy the organic versions instead. When I feel like saving a buck, I can check it to find 12 that are typically lower in pesticides. This list is in my wallet along with the Seafood Watch, reviewed earlier. You too can keep the green in your wallet as well as in your diet.

I am convinced that the single most effective tool you can have on hand for an ABC disaster (Atomic, Biological, or Chemical) is a good face mask. The danger of nuclear radiation is primarily from fallout, which drifts as air-born particles. Same for many chemical spills; their poison also drifts on microscopic airborne droplets. And the biological toxins we most fear also travel in the air as particles. A face mask covering nose and mouth can reduce (not eliminate) the risk of inhaling these particles.

But face masks are useless unless worn, and are not worn (for long) if uncomfortable. I've been trying out various inexpensive masks that I could wear for many hours without going crazy. I found the Cool Max to be the only respirator I could keep on for long periods. The Cool Max are cheap N95 units (workshop, not surgical quality) that fold out and fit on the face with two elastic straps. The enlarged surface area eases breathing, and removes that suffocating sensation I usually get from wearing respirators. I could talk, drive, and work outside in the garden for hours without much discomfort. These masks are cheap enough that I have stocked a supply for our household (you'll need more than one).

Recently I attended a meeting for the world's avian flu experts and asked them how effective a face mask like Cool Max would be in an avian flu epidemic. (I had already learned that touching hands transmits more viruses between people than does sneezing; so it makes no sense to wear a mask without wearing gloves.) About half of the flu researchers believed a mask would not do anything at all (viruses are smaller than the filter pores), and the other half said that of course it would help since the viruses ride along on larger particles. When I asked them how many of them would personally have their families wear one in a flu pandemic, they almost all said they would. Although the efficacy of masks with viruses is unproven, there is no harm in using them, as long as you don't believe it guarantees anything.

My research came down to this: Better than hoarding Tamiflu, sequestering some face masks and disposable gloves is the cheapest, easiest and most productive thing you can do to prepare for a flu epidemic beforehand. Fancier, more sophisticated face masks would probably be more effective if you kept them clean and were willing to wear them. But I find it cumbersome to walk around with a gas mask. These Cool Max respirators will at least be worn for the durations needed, and will reduce your risk of inhaling ABC particles.

And, oh, they work really great keeping dust out, too!

Several years ago I was rafting through an isolated gorge that separates Mexico and Guatemala...at least several days away from the nearest medical facilities. We carried The Extractor for snake bites. A friend was bitten by a flying bug. Her arm immediately began to swell up. She was in intense, burning pain. We attached the extractor over the bite, with its largest cup...Several drops of foul brown liquid were drawn from her arm. Almost immediately her pain dissipated. I have used this tool many times since then on simple bee stings on my children -- their pain leaves almost immediately. I have never seen it used on a snake bite but it appears that it would work great. It is one of the best tools I have ever used. I try to keep one around all the time.

Gripmaster consists of four little buttons on springs (think of a trumpet) and lets you exercise each finger separately. It really helps keep hands strong & healthy. I'm on a computer at least 8 hours a day, and using Gripmaster has helped me tremendously.

I gave my mother one (a yellow one) for her arthritis and she's able to open soda bottles again. They come in 4 colors each of different resistance. I use the blue one which is light. The yellow one I gave my mom is extra light. They also have more difficult ones.

If you share your house with several children (as I do) it's quite common for one kid to grab another kid's toothbrush, creating a pathway for infection. I decided that this problem was real when my oldest boy got a cold sore on his lip, and my youngest daughter mysteriously acquired one of her own a week later.

The human mouth is well known to be crawling with viruses and bacteria, and a toothbrush naturally picks up its share, along with some saliva to form an excellent culture medium. A toothbrush sitting innocently in the bathroom may be one of the least hygienic items in your home.

Several sterilizers are available, but this one seems the best to me, using ultraviolet light instead of steam. It's also useful if you have a guest who didn't plan to stay overnight and came without his own toothbrush. He won't catch anything from you, and you won't catch anything from him (at least, not by him brushing his teeth).

The Nadachair and Slouchbuster are based on the ropes that Tibetan monks use to sit upright for hours on end when meditating. The monks use these ropes between their knees and back to help them stay upright. The Slouchbuster is a small, much more elegant version than ropes. The Nadachair is a larger version.

I'm a yank who lives in Perth Australia (West Coast). I fly often to the US and Europe, in coach. I've found this little thing is what allows me to sleep and survive 19-22 hours of crowded coach seats. I use the Slouchbuster when I travel because:
(1) It is very small. It is the size of a paperback book when folded up.
(2) It folds up and then zips up inside itself. It is totally self contained. No bags or anything needed.

I also own a Nadachair, too, which I keep at work. I use that a couple times a day to keep my back straight. I write software for a living, so I'm sitting for hours on end. It really makes a difference, especially if you have any sort of lower back problems (like me). I owned them for a couple of years now and I found that I no longer need a monthly chiropractor visit. So it has paid for itself within a month.

There's no better description of this book by Autodesk founder John Walker, than his own:

The Hacker's Diet ... is a serious book about how to lose weight and permanently maintain whatever weight you desire. It treats dieting and weight control from an engineering and management standpoint, and provides the tools and an understanding of why they work and how to use them that permit the reader to gain control of their own weight. The book is intended primarily for busy, successful engineers, programmers, and managers who have struggled unsuccessfully in the past to lose weight and avoid re-gaining it.

This electronic 250-page book has gone through many revisions over the past decade and is available online for free in four formats, from frame-based web to PDF files. It's been recommended by many readers.

About a dozen readers wrote in with suggestions for an accurate body scale, one that would give you a consistent reading within less than a pound, even if you say, stepped off the scale and back on again. Four people recommended the Tanita digital scales as providing repeatable readings to within 1/5 of a pound. The Tanita UM-015 was selling at Costco for $25, which is a good deal. Three people recommended the Soehnle line from Germany. (Thanks to Blake Sobiloff, Bill, Ger, Dan Dubnov, John Biddle, Myles Kelvin, Peter van Impelen, Phil Mann.) But before you head to the store, read this note:

"I've got a low-end digital scale and in an attempt to fake quality, the manufacturer has built in artificial repeatability. If a subsequent weighing is within about 2 lbs. of the preceding weighing then the previously reported weight is re-displayed -- regardless of
how much time has passed. So a person loosing a steady .1 lbs a week will show the same weight for 14 days and then suddenly loose two pounds. I find that in order to get an accurate re-measure I have to step on the scale holding a weight between each actual measurement. Just a word of warning about using repeatability as an indicator of
quality." -- Ryan Brase

With that warning in mind the scale below may be a best choice. Also, a scale for very large folks.

-- KK

A physicians' balance beam scale is consistently accurate. We've had one now for at least 25 years; its accuracy has remained constant through many moves, changes in humidity, and so forth. Measurement is in 1/4 pounds, which is good enough. There is a readjustment knob if you think there is an error when changing the scale's placement. If
only my weight and height had remained so constant....

-- Martha Robinson

If you want consistency and accuracy in a body scale, I strongly suggest an old-fashioned balance beam scale. Even a cheap one (<$200) will do a better job than most expensive electronic scales. Also, they are kind of fun to use, they have an eye level display, and the batteries never run out.

-- Danny Hillis

Detecto Eye-Level Beam Scale
$214+
(Fedex shipping $20)
Available from
NorthShore Care

***********
I'm a big dude so most scales don't even cover my weight. Consequently I had to think different to get a decent scale. I found this digital postage scale. It reads up to 400lbs in half pound increments, has a remote, mountable readout auto tare (useful when
weighing the dog). It isn't particularly pretty but being in the top percentile in weight and height has certain drawbacks and requires special tools.

-- Bryan Covington

400-pound Digital Freight Scale
$102
Available from
Amazon

Zanfel is very expensive, it's true ($38/oz). But it's worth every penny to anyone suffering with a poison ivy (or oak) rash. Within 30 seconds of treatment, the itching stops. Really. It's the only product I know of that chemically binds the urishol which is causing the problem. Doesn't have to be used as soon after exposure as the previously-recommended Tecnu.

A macerated foot resulting from exposure to moisture.

Your feet uphold you. They're easy to abuse, hard to repair. This book is considered the authority on maintaining feet by those who most depend on them: athletes, dancers, soldiers, runners and hikers. Keep 'em happy with the great advice and proven remedies in this portable foot hospital. No other source is as reliable and complete, or more recommended by pros.

The Keeper and the Diva Cup are reusable menstrual cups. I have been using the Keeper for several years now and it is excellent! I enjoy not having to throw away disgusting tampons and also not having to worry about buying them and carrying them around. It is really super and I don't know why it's not better known. It comes with a little cloth pouch. Any woman can use it; in fact some women who can't use tampons (because they get pushed out) are able to use the Keeper. It takes a little practice to get used to inserting it, but you just have to have a positive attitude! It's best to practice first when you are not on your period. The Keeper website has information on how to best insert it. I usually use one or two pads along with it for the heaviest part of my period, but it's a far cry from all the disposable stuff I was wasting before. And, by the way, I'm not a real green freak--I just think it's really convenient.

The Diva Cup is the same but made of silicone, so it's claimed to be better for people with latex allergies, although I have not used one myself.

I have a real talent for cutting my fingers. While cleaning the grille of an air conditioning duct last week I somehow managed to injure myself in three separate places.

Normally, this would have meant replacing a slew of conventional finger bandages ("Band-Aids") until my boo-boos healed. But I noticed this new product on my pharmacy shelf and decided to give it a try. It was a great improvement.

A typical finger bandage has a 1-inch gauze pad with a 3/4-inch adhesive strip at each end. This gizmo has a normal 3/4-inch adhesive on one side, plus a 2-3/4-inch length on the other-enough to wrap all the way around your finger two complete times, plus a little more. They stay on until you decide to take them off.

The next time you or a friend are in the ER getting stitched up, ask your provider if you can have the suture set when he or she is done. Most places will hand them over if they are the disposable type. Hospitals use disposable suture sets since they are fairly inexpensive and decontamination of the reusable ones can be costly. The curved hemostat, the toothless needle driver, small surgical scissors and the pickups (tweezers) come in handy around the house.

The civilized way to floss. A tiny, easily replaceable harp on the end of a stick. More hygienic (no fingers in your mouth), more effective at flossing the hard parts, more comfortable, easier to use. Our kids love 'em. I floss much more often myself since I started using one. A really cool tool more folks should use.

Long the standard reference for working doctors and nurses, thumbworn copies of the Merck Manual could be found in most clinical offices. It had the kind of detailed and reliable summaries of an ailment that an intelligent person might want to know about, but its jargon and medical logic were difficult to decipher. Five years ago Merck translated this legendary book into plain English and issued a home paperback version. It was so far superior to any other form of home medical information (except the original Merck Manual itself) that it quickly became THE medical reference for our family. Last year Merck issued a second edition that updated, expanded, and improved this already great material. This Second Home Edition now approaches the professional Merck Manual in depth and completeness, except it retains its plain layperson's approach. Most home medical information sucks; collectively the web is better, but by far the best single source for dependable quick medical guidance is this handy book.

Merck Publishing (a non-profit organization) generously makes this book and the Merck Manual available in full text online. This version is very easy to search, and it is free.

The very first stop on the Web for anyone newly diagnosed with the big C should be the non-profit ACOR site. Home of 200+ support groups for cancer, the life-changing advice on this clearinghouse is supplied outside the view of search engines, so you probably won't encounter it by Googling.

Talking with survivors of your type of cancer is the best place to start. It normalizes the experience, provides vital information and support, directs you to the other resources you will need, saves you many wasted hours on the Net, helps you make sure that you're getting the best available medical care, and plugs you into a continuing network within which you can both ask for help and be of help to others.

About half of the ACOR communities are composed of patients and family caregivers concerned with a specific type of cancer, e.g., the Lung Cancer Online Support Group, the AdenoCarcinoma of Unknown Primary Online Group, and the Prostate Problems Mailing List. Other groups focus on topics of interest to patients with cancer, e.g., the Cancer Patients Christian Online Support Group, the Cancer and Fertility Discussion Group, and the Complementary & Alternative Medicine Clinical Trials Discussion Group.

ACOR was established in 1995 by New York artist Gilles Frydman to host his wife's breast cancer mailing list. It then opened it's virtual doors, offering to host any noncommercial cancer-related mailing list. It now hosts nearly all such lists, and Frydman (gfrydman@acor.org) and his ACOR colleagues are always happy to help patients, family caregivers, or medical professionals start new cancer-related lists on needed topics. They've made a special effort to develop new support groups for rare cancers. And their Rare Cancers Discussion Group can be a godsend for patients with extremely rare forms of cancer.

To find the group you need, click on the Mailing Lists/Online Communities link at the ACOR home page, then search or browse till you find the group you're looking for. You will then be prompted to enter your e-mail address and to choose a password. ACOR will immediately send you an e-mail message confirming your request. When you click on the link in this e-mail, your password will be activated. (This procedure protects users from search engines and spam.)

Once your password is activated, you can browse or search the list's archives of past postings. You can also sign up to receive future postings. For active lists, the once-a-day "daily digest" option is strongly recommended.

Since ACOR blocks search engines and links for privacy protection, the group you're looking for may not show up on a Google (or other search engine) query for general terms. So if you know anyone with cancer, do them a favor: Send them a copy of this review.

I was recently reminded of this cool tool for sprained ankles when my wife and I were hustling to locate an obscure theater before the doors shut. Not watching my foot path, I stepped on a misaligned concrete sidewalk and went to the ground after rolling my ankle. I couldn't wait to get home to put my Aircast on. This product stabilizes your injured ankle well enough that you'd have to go hiking on poorly maintained trails to reinjure your ankle after a sprain. My last sprain was twelve years ago and the Aircast got me 95% healed within three weeks; without it, I've gone longer than three months. Truly amazing if you sprain your ankle.They can be ordered direct from the company, but even in my town of 16,000, there's one pharmacy that carries them in stock. Around $40.00 and worth twice that, easily.

These bandages simply won't come off. Not underwater, not in oil or sweat, not by wear and tear. They are extremely flexible, very comfortable, and hard to notice, too. To tell you the truth, they are so thin at the edges and stuck down they are hard to get off when you want to. A hot and messy test kitchen tried out ten different brands of bandaids, and Nextcare were the only ones to never come off. Most bandaids are put on kids for boo-boos as a placebo; for the times when you need a covering that must stay on, this one by 3M (the adhesive folks) will really do the trick.

A cocktail of three popular antibiotics invented in the 1950s that is synergistically more powerful than any of the three alone or in sequence. Trials have shown that triple antibiotic combo reduces scarring better than double or a single antibiotic. It's an over-the-counter ointment.

One of the things medical staff used to nip from hospitals to bring home is inexpensive moist wound pads. Keeping a wound moist - particularly a burn wound -- has been proven to aid its healing. Moist wound pads contain a layer of gel that holds either sterile water, or additional therapeutic ingredients, wrapped under a large adhesive bandage. Doctors' offices stock these aids, but they are only now getting into the consumer market. Drugstore over-the-counter pads like Spenco 2nd Skin Moist Burn Pads come in a package of 5 small (2 x3 inches) sterile packages. New-Skin (UK-based) Burn Relief Dressing comes in 3 3x3 pads -- but these have less than half the usable surface area of the Spencos. Johnson and Johnson is introducing household bandages with moist gel pads inside, too. These pads aren't cheap, but hopefully you'll only need them occasionally.

I got mine -- made of surgical stainless steel -- from a set of used dental tools at a garage sale for 25 cents. It's incredibly handy for inspecting missing fillings, infections, gum complaints, particularly in kids. And you can look for sharp edges on dental braces. There really is no other way to look deep inside the mouth. The key is to get a proper front-surface mirror, which some drugstore plastic versions don't have. Otherwise at close range there is a slight double image which confuses the image.

Dentemp is a traditional dental combination of zinc oxide and eugenol (clove oil) mixed when needed to make a temporary tooth patch for lost cavity filling, or to re-cement a cap or inlaid on a tooth. It's strong enough that you'll need to have a dentist remove it later. Since an emergency Dentemp kit weighs less than an ounce, it should be part of your traveling or backpacking kit. You can get it at almost any drug store.

Those of us who take vitamins or other medications may find ourselves fumbling through assorted vials and pill bottles several times a day -- if we remember to take them at all. And if we're going to be away, we need to remember to take our medications with us. This remarkable pill organizer changes everything. You fill it once a week. Then, when Thursday comes, you open the sliding lid of your Thursday pill box to find all your pills waiting in large compartments labeled morning, noon, evening, and night. Comes with a medication alarm (it reminds you when its time to take your pills) and carrying pouch. Epill.com also offers other medication organizers, reminder watches, and a variety of other medication aids.

This is a must for any 1st aid kit. QuikClot is a topical blood clotting agent for scrapes, cuts and wounds (they claim some even very serious). You basically apply this stuff to an open cut, and it instantly clots to stop bleeding. Tested by the US military. This stuff works great for those scrapes, cuts and wounds encountered on the road. I've been using it in the bathroom for shaving cuts, too.

A cure for aging!? In part at least it seems indeed to be that -- not only preventing but reversing. Evangelism is not my style, but this one has me collaring people. So far.

Many years ago I co-wrote a piece for CoEvolution Quarterly with Bruce Ames, creator of the renowned "Ames Test" for carcinogenicity. So when I saw a news item that Bruce Ames had discovered something that dramatically reversed some of the effects of aging in his lab rats and was starting a business called Juvenon to peddle the elixir to humans, I visited the web site and then began dosing myself with the substances named in the research. They are two standard anti-oxidants available in any health food store online or on the street -- alpha-lipoic acid and L-carnitine. Apparently due to a combined effect, "Our old rats are doing the Macarena," Ames told the press, "Suddenly the rats were fitter, happier, and had better memory."

I'm 63. For several years I've been watching my ability to recall proper names degrade (regular words you can always work around in synonym-rich English), and I've lamented how an ever shorter section of mountain could get me out of breath. Ten days after I started taking the two drugs, my memory began improving; it's been getting steadily better in the months since. I can remember names like a politician. Four months on, I'm noticing a return of peripheral awareness, most welcome when driving in traffic. About two and a half months after I started, my wind began to come back in a significant way. In Aspen last week, a post-breakfast stroll turned into a quick climb of 2,000 feet to 9,600 feet because it was so easy.

The organelles in question are one's mitochondria -- wee energy factories in the cells. Their decline in number and efficiency is a well known effect of aging and cause of its deterioration. With the combination in Juvenon, the mitochondria come back. (For the mechanisms, read the scientific papers at the Juvenon site, starting with the lead piece in the Press area, which summarizes nicely.) The rejuvenative effect is felt first in brain function because the brain uses one-third of the body's energy.

Side effects? None I've noticed. What age is a good time to start? Dunno. My wife just turned 50 and she's trying the pills. Is there an accumulative good effect or gradual nullification over time? Too early to say.

The Juvenon company now offers the pills directly -- convenient tabs instead of the multiple caps of doing it home-brew; about a dollar a day. Though the two drugs are over-the-counter legal, the company is pursuing rigorous double-blind human trials just as if this were a new drug seeking FDA approval. Coming soon: Juvenon for aging pets.

(Other daily additives in my bloodstream: generic multivitamin from Costco, vitamin E which delights male muscle, and folic acid -- prescribed by a passing Doctor Without Borders for prevention of heart attack.)

For wrapping up wounds, both large and small, you want a wrap that is secure, yet not so tight it will decrease needed blood circulation. Ace bandages are considered too constricting and likely to wind up tight; in their stead pros use conforming bandages, with brands names like Kling. The key here is "wider is better." Get the widest width you can and wrap liberally. The bandage will cling to itself (you still have to tape the end of it) but will not shift around much in normal use. The same stuff as Kling, but about 10 times cheaper is Vet-Wrap, used for the same purposes on animals. Better yet, Vet-Wrap comes in a choice of cheery colors instead of hospital white.

It's a great idea to put all your medical stuff into a kit of some sort, even if it never leaves your house. The worst place to store medicines and supplies is in the bathroom, where most people keep them. It is moist and warm there, while what medical stuff wants is dry and cool. You also want to be able to grab supplies quickly and take them where they are needed. We put ours into plastic cases the size of shoe boxes, There's one for bandages and first aid, and another for medicines. The lids seal tight, prolonging the shelf life of the contents. When there is an first aid injury, we get the kit and have everything together on site.

-- Alan Greene, MD

In the worst-worst case scenario that you experience a nuke explosion, dirty bomb, toxic chem attack or biological disaster, what should YOU do? The first ten minutes are crucial. Don't "ask your local officials" as much advice to date has suggested. Do read this short booklet prepared by RAND, and prepare. You can print it out from the free PDF file (including handy 3-fold card reminder version), or if you need to distribute many copies to employees, neighbors, etc., you can order printed copies for $15 a piece.

I highly recommend reading the full version first (also available as a series of PDFs and/or a longer book) which gives the logic behind their suggestions and scenarios. This is the best practical advice I've yet seen for personally dealing with the consequences of an actual weapon of mass destruction in your neighborhood.

--KK

Excerpt:

There is no need to determine the location of the source or direction or speed of the chemical cloud. Technical evaluations indicate that such basic sheltering can reduce chemical exposure by 75 percent or more compared to the exposure outside the shelter. These results are consistent with the outcomes of the aerosolized sarin attack by the Aum Shinrikyo group in a residential area in Matsumoto, Japan, in June 1994. In that incident, all seven people who died had their windows open. All of those individuals who had closed their windows-including many people closer to the source, those in units adjacent to buildings in which fatalities occurred, and those on the lower floors of these buildings-survived the attack (Yanagisawa, 1995).

Quick Guide
Free PDF from Rand
Click on the Quick Guide.

Full Version PDF

Individual Preparedness and Response, Quick Guide [book]
RAND
$11
Amazon

Back pain is ubiquitous in developed countries. Yet the honest truth is that science is uncertain as to what causes it. Theories abound, as does a lot of pseudo-therapy. There are probably multiple origins and different varieties of lower back pain. However, one theory says a large portion of back pain starts with mental tension. If you have an inkling that your back pain is linked to stress, I strongly suggest you seek out this perennially-in-print book (since 1972). My speaking agent, who deals with hundreds of stressed-out type A's and the consequential epidemic of back pain they carry with them, routinely hands out this book. It seems to be the one thing that helps them the most. It helped me. By adopting the view that lower back pain is a syndrome in large part fostered by the mind/body complex, I've been able to avoid surgery and painkillers and resume my life. Your mileage may vary, but it's worth a read.
-KK

Mind Over Back Pain
John Sarno, MD
1982, 124 pages
$10
Berkley Books
New York
Amazon

Excerpt:

The reason for this obsession with discs is that it does seem logical. There are those degenerating structures at the lower end of the spine, right where a lot of pain and spasms occur; there are lumbar and sacral nerves conveniently located so that they can be compressed by bulging or herniated discs; there is pain in the leg, proving that those nerves are compressed.
*
What these data confirm is that degenerative processes have nothing to do with most back pain. Degeneration is progressive and relentless; serial X rays as one ages document this fact. Yet back pain is far less common in the older age groups. According to the conventional diagnostic concepts, everyone over the age of sixty should have back pain.

The bar graph in Figure 9 [above] gives the age by breakdown by decade. Seventy-seven percent of the group fell between the ages of thirty and fifty-nine. Note that there are fewer patients in their sixties than in their twenties! Since the majority of back pain syndromes are attributed to degenerative processes - for example, degenerative osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease - it is strange, indeed, that there were only thirteen patients aged sixty to sixty-nine, and seven in their seventies.

Kids hurt their fingers a lot. You can make an okay bandage with Kling wrap (see Vet Wrap), but if the injury is on a fingertip (a common spot) the cylinder shape you get from rolling doesn't do as nice a job of protecting or of providing gentle pressure. You can fold over the end, but it gets bulky and inelegant for everyday activities. Tube Gauze is a quick, easy, elegant way to make a stocking cap for your finger or toe. The applicator (sold separately, but you can do without it) is a metal cage that holds the tube of the gauze open. You slide the applicator (or just the gauze) over a finger, lift it up, twist once, and then slide it back down. You can repeat several times to get the thickness of bandage you want. It gives a smooth, flat, elegant bandage -- and it's kinda fun to do. A hit with kids.

The strongest non-prescription numbing substance you can apply around a scrape, wound, or burn is Lidocaine. You can find 2% lotion in expensive little tubes (8 per pack) for burns called Activ BurnStuff at most drugstores. You can also get topical anesthetic pads with 2.5% Lidocaine from Chinooks. Good for bee-stings, too.

-- KK

Activ Burnstuff
$13
Available from Amazon

Lidocaine First Aid Lotion
$6
Available from Amazon

I've had this little gray tool for years. You open the little container up and put in your little bottle of eyedrops. Snap it back shut. When you want to use the drops (for me, every morning while still in bed, half-asleep and with shaky hands) you pop the top back on a hinge--the top part being shaped like an eye-wash cup somewhat--unscrew your bottle cap and pop the top back on. Lift to your eye and squeeze the device; there are squeeze panels on either side of it. The top fits in your eye socket and keeps the dropper tip at the right distance from the eye, so you don't:

a) blink
b) contaminate the tip
c) shake drops everywhere but in your eye, and
d) stab yourself in the eye with the eyedrops bottle.

Since I developed a tremor, the thing is indispensable. I don't know how I'd get on without it.

This nifty little pocket reference was designed for EMTs to use in the field, but it also is great for anyone with basic first aid training in urban situations, or anywhere emergency services or a hospital are available within a reasonable period of time -- basically, any situation other than a wilderness environment.

Concisely covers the essentials of responding to the most common situations encountered in urban areas, such as cardiac emergencies, pediatric injuries, poisoning and childbirth. While this is no substitute for first aid/CPR training or a more comprehensive first aid guide, its concise outline style is perfect for quickly refreshing one's memory. In this sense, the Pocket Reference is actually better than a full-boat first aid book, because when an emergency strikes, minutes count and would-be rescuers are doing the victim no favors by sitting around reading long texts or fumbling through large tomes.

The Reference contains information specifically tailored to the DOT EMT/First Responder curriculum that readers unfamiliar with those courses may find a bit alien. For example, there are multiple unfamiliar acronyms, and an emphasis on patient assessment not commonly taught in more basic first courses . But taking a few minutes to read the material will remove the unfamiliarity and actually give the reader some extra skills and confidence that will pay off well in an emergency. I recommend putting a copy in all your first aid kits, both at home and in your car.

A fantastically well-stocked source of the smartest medical supplies around. Highly versatile, highly effective (and portable) self-care gear. The audience is expedition doctors and search and rescue teams, but 90% of these state-of-the-art supplies would serve home and homestead as well. The catalog is a real education and wonderfully broad -- for instance, they rightly see keeping insects at bay as a health issue. They sell the full line of Adventure Medicine Kits, as well as empty kit containers and the basic items, books, and non-prescripts to assemble your own medical tool box. Among suppliers of emergency medical gear, Chinook stands out for honoring the intelligence and independence of their customers, as you might expect from a company serving the health concerns of strong-willed lunatics heading off the map for three months.

Early defibrillation is the best thing for somebody having a heart attack. The quicker you can get a defibrillator onto somebody, the better the outcome. Standard non-automated defibrillators, like the ones with the paddles you see doctors using on TV, require costly and time consuming training to use, and anybody who doesn't do it all the time is likely to get rusty pretty quickly. However the particular condition (ventricular fibrillation) that a defibrillator remedies can reliably be detected by a computer. New automated defibrillators decide themselves if the patient needs to be defibrillated, or "shocked." The machine will not apply a shock under any other situation...i.e. people can't use them to shock each other for kicks. All the responder needs to do is attach the sticky-pads to the right place on the body (there is a picture on each pad), turn on the machine, and do what the machine tells him to do. One could argue that somebody with no training could do it pretty well; it's definitely easier to do correctly than the Heimlich Maneuver, and everybody seems to have a pretty good grasp on how to do that. However, the AHA and manufacturers currently require training to qualify to use one. Almost any Red Cross or Emergency Medical course with Basic Life Support training will teach students how to use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) as well.

The bottom line is that if I were having a heart attack, I'd be OK with somebody with no medical training having access to an AED and just following the instructions that the machine gives. It's better than being dead. These are rather expensive at the moment -- $2000 $3000 -- but they are state-of-the art and their price will likely come down as the market expands. My guess: they will soon be as common in public buildings as fire extinguishers are now.

The V-700 is a government issue Geiger counter stockpiled during the 1960's for Civil Defense use in the event of nuclear war, and now available to you and me for $20 to $80 from surplus suppliers and auction sites such as eBay.

Built like a tank, most of them are still in great shape 40 years later, and set an example that should be met by more tool manufacturers. The Geiger counter reads gamma and beta radiation, with a probe shield to discriminate between the two. It includes a check-source on the side of the can for instant testing, runs off standard flashlight D-cells, and comes with a carry strap, earphone, and manual. The manual (while short) covers use, calibration, maintenance, emergency/MacGyver repairs, and has full schematics and parts list. The schematic is also reproduced inside the case, which is water tight, and EMP resistant.

While most people have limited (if any) genuine need for a geiger counter, they are interesting devices, and are useful for a variety of purposes -- from aids in learning about natural background radiation and geology (while hiking?), to adding radiation survival equipment to an emergency kit. Radiation detection equipment, being too niche to really feel market forces, has evolved surprisingly little in the last 40 years, so most of the difference between one of my $20 V-700s and one of my $800 modern meters is bells and whistles, and more reliable calibration systems.

However, since these are sometimes over 40 years old, and there are many differing models and manufacturers, a little buyer savvy is needed: Most, but not all are still in working condition, so avoid "untested, as is" if you need it to work out of the box. Many are sold with accessories missing (eg no manual or earphone), but any missing manuals can be found online in pdf format at Southern Radiation.

(Note: These manuals are also useful for researching a particular model of v-700 before you buy).

A quick rundown on the models: Do not buy a V-717, V-720, or V-715 - these are ion chamber survey meters, not Geiger counters. They are designed to complement the v-700 in times of nuclear war - their needle only starts to move when the Geiger counter is off the scale (so you'll need a radiation lab just to test if they even work). If emergency gear is your purpose, one of these might be on the list after a v-700. They are cheaper than a v-700, but a lab test will likely be $60.

For the v-700, I recommend the Victoreen model 6A or 6B, because it has a depleted uranium check-source with millions of years half-life, so the "level" of the check-source remains constant. The Lionel 6B has a more elegant circuit that only requires two batteries instead of four, but the check-source often has a half-life of as little as 6 years, so calculations must be made to compensate when calibrating. The Anton models I would avoid - they are older, in my experience much less reliable, and have the short half-life check-sources. The Anton model 5 is worth a mention though if space is a consideration because it is smaller than the rest. The Electro-Neutronics Inc (ENI) are apparently good, but I do not own any, so have no experience.

A sprained ankle on the trail or a weak knee in sports needs a really firm bandage that won't move in strenuous activity. That's what a self-grip bandage does. I've been amazed at how firm a purchase this tape can make against itself. It holds itself together much tighter than a velcro grip (and far better than any Ace bandage), yet is quite smooth against your skin (it only sticks to itself). In fact it is so steadfast that unwrapping can be a challenge. It even adheres (to itself) under water. Comes in colors, too.

We now know that mercury is a potent neurotoxin, too harmful to keep around the house. When mercury thermometers get broken or are tossed in the garbage, toxic mercury is released. So you may want to swap out your old mercury thermometer for a non-mercury model at one of the many drugstores that now offers a thermometer exchange program. (Nine of the ten largest drug chains currently do so -- for details, see noharm.org.) Or take your old thermometer to a local mercury-recycling site. Safer options include an inexpensive alcohol glass thermometer from your local drugstore or a digital oral thermometer -- Vicks makes a good one for about twelve bucks. And with squirmy youngsters, an electronic ear thermometer like the Braun Thermoscan can be a godsend.

-- Tom Ferguson

Vicks Digital Thermometer
$17
from Amazon

Braun Thermoscan Ear Thermometer
$39
from Amazon

Cutaway view of boxed wine.

Until now I didn't drink. Never liked the taste of beer, and wine didn't tickle me either. Hard stuff had no appeal at all. But recently the medical benefits of wine have become so established that it's hard to ignore. One respected study published in JAMA in December 2002 claims that not drinking at all was as bad for the heart as morbid obesity, and that moderate alcohol has health benefits equal to one hour of physical exercise a day. Take that you gym rats! And just this summer another high-profile study at Harvard published in Nature revealed that an ingredient in red wine -- resveratrol -- carried huge longevity effects, extending the life of yeast 60-80%.

I decided that I would take one glass of wine a day, as medicine.

Unfortunately, resveratrol is easily oxidized, disappearing within hours of opening the bottle. Since my consumption was so low, the medical effects I wanted from the wine would evaporate quickly, to say nothing of the wine's taste. I discovered however, that boxed wine retained the freshness of wine almost indefinitely. By means of a tap on the bottom, and a collapsible bag, the wine is never exposed to air at all before it is dispensed. I can drink at a nibble and retain the goodies. Even better, the economics are impressive: about 35 cents per glass. No one should depend on my evaluation of taste, but several wine connoisseurs, including ones in the New York Times, have declared their surprise at how good the box wines are. A few upscale wines are now being package this way, too. I find the tap extremely handy to use (no drip) so the box sits on a shelf in the pantry awaiting my daily draft. Here's to taste, longevity and the good life!

Box Wines are in supermarkets and beverage stores like Bevmo.com. The elixir of youth I am drinking:

- Almaden Burgundy Box (5 liters): $11
-
Franzia's Cabernet Box (5 liters): $13

List of Box Wines

For those wine snobs that must drink wine from a bottle, there is one tool that can prevent oxidation in bottles fairly well. Devices that try to make a vacuum often don't succeed for long, but an inert gas called Private Preserve can make a usable seal. A few zips of this mixture of heavy inert gases (nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon) down the neck of the wine bottle creates a barrier to oxygen which preserves the wine's freshness for up to a year. Each seemingly weightless can holds enough for more than 100 applications. Easy enough to use when boxed wine might embarrass the guests.

Tecnu as a remedy for Poison Oak is OK, but for really allergic folks like me, it's not enough. I'm a regular mountain biker, and in Northern California, we have a ton of poison oak in the summer.

I discovered Ivy Block which came out a few years ago, and haven't had a problem since. You apply it to your arms and legs **before** going out, sort of like putting on suntan lotion, and voila! -- no poison oak. Really works great. Check it out.

* * *
Ask Ed: Marijuana Gold- Trash to Stash
Ed Rosenthal
2003; 178 pages
$12
Amazon

This is a very important book, but it's mis-titled. It should be called "The Cannabis Revolution." Three very important things have happened in the marijuana world in the last decade or so: vaporizers, home-made hash, and sophisticated marijuana cookery. It's amazing that imbibers know little or nothing about say, vaporizers. Their pot consciousness is where mine was in the '60s -- the "toke and choke" mentality.

VAPORIZERS refer to vaporizing the cannabinoids (the active ingredient) in the plant at a much lower temperature than smoking, without combusting the leaf. The essence of the high is extracted and the lungs are not being subjected to hot tars. No carcinogens1 Various devices are used to produce a temperature of around 350?. Ed reviews a bunch of vaporizers.

HASH can now be made at home in a very simple process using a number of screens in a 5-gallon bucket and ice water. Voila! (Thus the "trash to stash" subtitle.} You can use "shake" (what's left over after manicuring buds) for the process.

POT COOKING. There's a hash butter recipe using a crockpot, "Mystic Muffins, "Wamm's Mother's Milk," plus many others. Even if you're only an occasional smoker, get this book and listen to Uncle Ed. It's a whole new ball game.

* * *
The Big Book of Buds
Ed Rosenthal
2001; 214 pages; 4-color, soft cover
$16
Amazon

Another advance is the categorizing of pot varieties for effect. In very general terms, sativa for cerebral, high-energy high, indica for stonier, body, buzz high. Growers are dialing in genetics to produce the desirable effect.This 4-color book is a small encyclopedia of the different varieties and the sophisticated breeding going on. "Flo has an energetic, motivating buzz with unusual clarity. This is a true wake and bake pot, great to start the day off right without losing sight of your intentions. The flavor has a floral quality similar to Nepalese temple hash..."

* * *

The Eterra Tulip Vaporizer
I am a long-time (40 years) cannabis user. Since discovering vaporizers I seldom "smoke." My lungs feel a lot better. The taste of the herb is like the essence of the flower and resin. Once the cannabinoids are vaporized, you throw out the herb. This means you're not pulling all that foliage through your lungs. It's a revolution and especially beneficial for those using herbs for medical purposes. A vaporizer that is simple and that I recommend is the Eterra Tulip. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once mastered it's rather elegant, as well as less expensive and complicated than other vaporizers:

Eterra Tulip Vaporizer
$122
Lightwell

Ed Rosenthal, who has been in the news for his efforts to legalize medical marijuana, runs a website with yet more books on cannabis here.

A super light-weight (only 4 oz.) foam-padded aluminum splint that can be unfolded and bent into almost any shape to conform to almost any part of the body (around the neck, at the elbow, etc.). Re-usable and transparent to X-Rays, which means it can be kept on during scanning. Every expedition doc and EMT crew packs one of these as a standard item. It's a great thing to have in your car's first aid kit, or at home, camp, or vacation where you have active people.

Most drugstores sell pathetically lousy tweezers. These are blunt, imprecise instruments suitable for plucking eyebrows, if that. They are useless for medical purposes. What you need is a needle-sharp, stainless steel, surgically precise tool that can remove the teeniest splinter from the smallest toe. What you want is a pair of Tweezermans. Their incredibly sharp points should be protected with a plastic cap. They are a joy to use; I don't think I've failed to get what I was after since using them. Backpackers favor a compact medical tweezers called Uncle Bill's. It does a fine job, although I prefer the longer handles of Tweezerman.

For years midwives have been using over-the-counter superglue to "suture" perineal tears after birth. It's better than stitches. Veteran backpackers have been known to pack a tiny tube of super glue for emergency repairs of deep cuts in places where there is no doctor.

Superglue is ethyl-cyanoacrylate. While fine for small cuts, it has several weaknesses when used as a substitute for heavy-duty suturing. An improved version, butyl-cyanoacrylate was developed for heavier surgical repairs, and this stuff was used widely in the Vietnam War to patch up soldiers in the field. Butyl-cyanoacrylate is a little more flexible on a wound than commercial superglue, generates fewer toxic byproducts, and is now commonly used by vets to repair animal wounds. You can buy the stuff as 3M Vetbond. This is also what midwives have started using.

In 2000, the FDA approved a new version of tissue adhesive for human use, sold as Dermabond. This new composition, octyl-cyanoacrylate, is a longer chain, still more flexible, and possess the yet-unexplained ability to inhibit bacterial growth -- a godsend in surgery. It's strong enough that it will likely replace a lot of suturing altogether someday. Small quantities of octyl-cyanoacrylate are sold to non-medicals for "research purposes" -- it's the genuine stuff, only in dispensers that aren't sterilized, and therefore not approved for human use (only animal use).

To use any cyanoacrylate on a wound, keep it on the surface layer of skin, not down in the well of the wound - imagine you are taping the top of the wound together. The glue sloughs off by itself in time.

Despite all the improvements of cyanoacrylate, small amounts of hardware store superglue will work in a pinch. I know a physician who uses ordinary superglue at home on his kid's cuts. A vial of Vetbond would be even better. It's dyed blue so you can easily see where it is on the skin and where it is not, and it is made for cuts.

The biggest health risk after an accident at a nuclear plant or a nuclear attack results from exposure to radioactive iodine. Other radioisotopes are dispersed and quickly excreted, but radioiodine is concentrated and retained in the thyroid, increasing your risk of thyroid cancer. Even tiny doses, which can be carried downwind for hundreds of miles, can be harmful. Children are at greatest risk. Taking potassium iodide (KI) before or immediately after exposure saturates your thyroid gland with safe stable iodine so that the uptake of radioactive iodine is blocked. There won't be time to get it when an incident occurs. So if you live downwind of a nuclear plant, or worry about a nuclear attack, you might want to keep some KI tablets at home. (But please note that this may not protect you from the radiation of a terrorist "dirty bomb" made of spent nuclear waste) The FDA recommends keeping a 14-day supply on hand; radioactive iodine has a half-life of eight days. Only two brands have received FDA Approval, Iosat and Thyroblock. Children should take half an adult dose. A related salt, Potasium Iodate, (KIO3) is less bitter, and may stay down better in babies.