1. You were stung by a bee.

Take a straight edge, like a butter knife or paring knife, and scrape away the stinger. Forget the tweezers. Once tweezers clamp on the stinger, it releases the venom. This will save you the agony of the poison in your blood: After removing the stinger with the straight edge, mix baking soda with water to form a thick paste and slap it on ASAP. The sting is produced by an acid, and if you put baking soda on as soon as you can, it neutralizes that acid.

2. You have a first-degree burn.

Icing cuts circulation, and you need healthy blood cells for healing. Instead, expel excess heat by running cool water over the burn for several minutes, then cut an onion in half and let it rest on the wound. Onions contain a mild analgesic which is supposed to help heal first degree burns.

3. Your tooth is killing you.

First, make an appointment with your dentist. Then suck on a clove near the throbbing chopper. The oil in the clove acts as a mild local anesthetic. Plus, it will freshen that dragon mouth. You could also wrap an ice cube and rub it on the V-shaped soft spot of your hand, where the bones of your thumb and index finger meet. The cold, rubbing sensation travels on the same pathway to the brain as tooth pain, and by icing your hand, you override the signals from your mouth.

4. You sliced off a small piece of a digit.

Here’s the trick: Stop the bleeding and speed repair by gluing on the missing part. Run water over both the wound and the chunk you lop-ped off. Put the piece back in place and apply pressure. If you’re short on tape or Band-Aids, you can use superglue. Emergency rooms use a similar acrylic-based resin called Dermabond. Then head to the E.R. to show off your handiwork.

5. You have a nosebleed.

Don’t put your head between your knees or tip your head back. The latter is especially bad because you can breathe the blood into your lungs or get it in your stomach and vomit. Press the fleshy part of your nose, and not the part where your glasses sit — lower than that — as if you are trying to stop a bad smell. Now — and this is the important part — press firmly for a complete 10 minutes by the clock. People don’t do that, they let up every three seconds to see if it stopped. Ten minutes!

6. You’re choking.

If you are choking and alone, you can perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself by giving yourself abdominal thrusts. Or position yourself over the back of a chair or against a railing or counter and press forcefully enough into it so that the thrust dislodges the object.

7. You sprained something.

Fashion a makeshift brace. Here’s what to do: Slip on a snug high-top sneaker to brace your ankle. It gives the same support as an air cast. To lock down a wrist, place the fat side of a spatula in your palm, with the handle pointing toward your elbow, and tape it in place. Then head to the E.R.

8. Your hand is full of thorns.

Coax them out with candle wax or duct tape. Here’s how to do it: Light a candle and pour melted wax on the hand, let the wax harden, then peel it off. This should free the more stubborn spines. Then use the sticky side of duct tape or roll a lint brush over the area to pick up the stragglers. Gently, of course.

9. You can’t remove a stuck ring.

Here a great trick: Pass an end of fine string or dental floss under the ring. With the other end, begin tightly wrapping the string around the finger. Ensure that the string is wrapped evenly and smoothly past the lower knuckle. With the end that was passed under the ring, begin unwrapping the string in the same direction. The ring should move over the string as the string is unwrapped. If the ring cannot be removed, unwrap the string and go to a hospital emergency department.

10. You feel like puking.

Sailors swear by ginger to suppress seasickness and general nausea. But there’s an acupuncture technique that works just as well if you’re feeling queasy. Find the pressure point “pericardium number six”: From the heel of your palm, measure three finger widths toward your elbow. In the center of the wrist area, tape a golf ball snug against that point, and your stomach should calm down.

Everyone should learn at least the basic first aid techniques. You may need to use them at any time at home, at school or work or even while you’re traveling. Knowing what to do can make the difference to a person’s recovery.