Top 10 Must-Have Medical Products for Your Home

Every family should have at least one bottle of eye drops to prevent cases of dust or foreign objects (eyelashes, insects, sand, etc.) falling into the eyes. You can choose to buy physiological saline NaCl 0.9%. This type of solution has many uses, is cost-effective, and can be used not only to rinse the eyes when foreign objects fall in but also for daily eye hygiene. It has similar benefits for the nose. If you often work on a computer, consider having a bottle of Vrohto eye drops. This eye drop contains various vitamins that nourish the eyes, improve eye fatigue, and help prevent eye diseases caused by dust and sweat. However, be sure to use the correct dosage as instructed.

This solution has various uses, so it's advisable to keep around 4-5 bottles for daily eye and nose hygiene, especially after being in dusty environments or during times of increased disease transmission. Use it to rinse your eyes and nose after swimming or in situations where you're exposed to common colds or viral fevers. It's also effective for washing eyes when foreign objects (dust particles, insects, sand, etc.) enter. The physiological saline solution works to flush out these foreign objects from the eyes.

Diarrhea is a condition of having more than 3 bowel movements per day, with loose, watery, or unformed stools. Persistent diarrhea significantly affects the daily life and health of the patient. If not addressed promptly, it can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, potentially resulting in death. There are various causes of diarrhea, including lactose intolerance, food allergies, antibiotic side effects, intestinal infections, viruses or parasites, and various gastrointestinal diseases such as colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, or inflammation of the intestine...

Diarrhea is a common disorder, causing significant water loss in the body leading to fatigue and discomfort. Prolonged cases can be life-threatening due to severe dehydration, requiring timely treatment. Smecta is a commonly used medication to alleviate acute and chronic diarrhea. Alongside taking medication, it's crucial to consume plenty of water to compensate for the lost fluids. However, before using, consult your doctor to ensure proper treatment and avoid undesired side effects.

Flu, headaches are common illnesses, so it's wise to have some fever-reducing medication on hand. Products containing paracetamol, such as Panadol or Efferalgan, are the most common. Depending on the age, you should prepare different products, such as tablets for adults, powder for children, or suppositories for urgent fever reduction in case of infants. This is an essential product to prevent a family member from having a fever at night, especially for young children.

When a child has a fever, parents should pay attention to the degree of fever and regularly measure the temperature. When the child has a temperature below 38.5 degrees Celsius, it is considered a mild fever, and the body is in the process of fighting against biological agents that are harmful to the child. During this time, parents should dress the child in cool clothes, give them plenty of water, eat lots of fruits, wipe their bodies... to help the child reduce fever. If the child has a fever of 38.5 degrees Celsius or higher, it is necessary to use fever-reducing products. However, the use of fever-reducing products can have some impact on the child, so you need to be cautious and consult with doctors about using fever-reducing products for children.

Cough relief products are essential in your family medicine cabinet, especially during seasonal changes or rainy days. Going out on those days may only make you sicker, so it's wise to have some cough medicine on hand for use when needed, and then you can go to the hospital for a more thorough examination. There are many causes of coughing, and cough reflex is an important physiological defense mechanism of the body to expel foreign objects in the upper respiratory tract that may cause airway obstruction. However, if coughing is excessive, treating cough symptoms is essential. Only use cough suppressants in cases where there is no phlegm, and excessive coughing makes the patient tired and sleepless. Do not use cough suppressants in cases of cough with phlegm (in chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis...) because cough is considered a beneficial protective mechanism, cleaning the airway.

Cough relief products are divided into two types: peripheral cough relief products that reduce the sensitivity of receptors causing cough reflex in the respiratory tract. You can use honey, glycerol (soothing cough by protecting and covering receptors in the throat), benzonatate, peppermint also known as menthol (numbing nerve endings causing cough reflex, reducing cough). Central cough relief products: These drugs directly inhibit the cough center in the medulla oblongata, while also having a calming effect. This group includes codeine, dextromethorphan, noscapine. In addition, some antihistamines such as alimemazine, diphenhydramine... also have antitussive effects and are used in dry cough due to allergies, irritation, especially at night.

When digestion is disrupted, causing bloating, indigestion, or loss of appetite, people often turn to digestive support medications. In the digestive system, digestion occurs through mechanical mechanisms (transport, cutting food into small particles, mixing with digestive fluids through chewing, contraction, peristalsis), chemical mechanisms (breaking down complex structural substances into simple or soluble forms, facilitated by acids and enzymes), and absorption mechanisms (transporting nutrients from the digestive tube into the blood through diffusion or intermediate carriers). When any of these links is faulty, digestion will be disrupted.

The causes can be attributed to diet or psychological factors such as stress and tension. Therefore, your medicine cabinet should have digestive support products. These products come in various forms, including digestive enzymes, beneficial probiotics, and appetite enhancers. When supplementing digestive enzymes for children, careful consideration is required, depending on their age and not exceeding 10 days. Excessive use of enzymes can make children dependent on medication, reducing their natural production of digestive enzymes. Beneficial probiotics should only be used when the ecological balance is disrupted. You may consult a doctor to choose the appropriate medication.

Instances of burns from boiling water or fire are common, especially for homemakers. In such cases, you need a medication that can relieve pain and reduce swelling. Similarly, when bitten by insects, the bites can become infected and swollen. Therefore, it's essential to have some skin care products prepared for your family to handle these situations promptly. Vaseline or Panthenol in cream form are the types you should have.

Furthermore, the family medicine cabinet should also have skin care products for treating dermatological conditions such as itching, hives, insect bites, etc. Topical products are commonly used, such as antiseptic solutions for soaking and cleansing, applying to dressings for skin abrasions, infected wounds, oozing, and scaly secretions like impetigo, infectious eczema... Products for scabies treatment include DEP oil (diethyl phthalate), Eurax cream, 1% permethrin solution, 33% benzyl benzoate oil, 10% sulfur ointment (for children), and 30% sulfur ointment (for adults). Products for treating ringworm, scabies, athlete's foot, diaper rash in young children...

Frequent physical activity can make your muscles feel sore and uncomfortable, especially in areas like the shoulders, back, and joints. Compared to other measures such as injections or oral pain relievers, this is a simple and convenient method. The common type of pain relief patch nowadays is Salonpas. Note that when using it for children under 12, you should consult a doctor. In addition to patches, there are other products such as pain relief gel and spray, which also have pain-relieving effects.

Pain relief patches, as the name suggests, are thin rubber patches containing active ingredients and are commonly used to relieve joint and bone pain or when facing trauma or external forces on the body. The habit of using pain relief patches is increasing in many cases. According to doctors, people often consider external skin injuries as minor ailments, so they tend to buy pain relief patches or topical gels for personal use.

Chronic illness is a condition that persists for an extended period, ranging from 3 months to over 1 year. Generally, chronic illnesses cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, and they cannot heal on their own. However, you can still live with the disease and manage daily symptoms following your doctor's guidance. The disease may go through cycles of exacerbation, control, or stability.

If your family has someone with a chronic illness such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease, you need to equip yourself with the products recommended by the doctor. For instance, high blood pressure is a common ailment in the elderly, so if you have elderly family members, you should prepare blood pressure-lowering products. Heart-related conditions require having products supporting the heart, and conditions related to bones and joints need products that provide joint support. The crucial point is to strictly follow the doctor's instructions when using these products.

This is a basic type of product used to treat external wounds, clean the wound, and limit infection. The most common type of antiseptic product is 70% alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or iodine alcohol. Antiseptic products for external use are often used to prevent infection in small wounds and should only be used after the wound has been cleaned. For wounds where the skin is intact (for example, only swollen in one place), after cleaning, you may only need to use topical medications containing anesthetic to reduce pain locally, without using antiseptic drugs. Some more serious wounds or burns require medical attention and should not be self-treated at home.

An ideal antiseptic product is one that can kill all bacteria without damaging tissue. However, even at treatment concentrations, antiseptic products can still be harmful to tissues. For example, alcohol-containing preparations can dehydrate the injured area, causing pain and cell damage. Therefore, antiseptic products should only be used to disinfect the intact skin around the wound after cleaning, and should not be applied inside the wound. Be cautious when using them at home.

In addition to the above products, your medicine cabinet cannot be without essential medical tools. In families with seniors and children, medical equipment becomes especially important. They not only help us easily check our own health conditions but also assist in identifying dangerous signs when necessary. A blood pressure monitor is very significant when there are family members with heart diseases who need regular monitoring. The blood pressure monitor helps everyone in the family check their blood pressure and intervene promptly when the situation tends to worsen.

A thermometer is one of the most essential medical tools for a family. In families with young children, this device becomes more crucial to monitor the child's health whenever the weather changes or the child shows signs of illness or fever. Nowadays, mercury thermometers have been replaced by electronic thermometers with simple, quick, and highly accurate usage. Additionally, a blood glucose monitor, medical cotton, and more are also essential tools in your medicine cabinet.