Medical Jewelry: When Fashion Can Save Your Life

For most people, jewelry is worn purely as an accessory, an adornment for one's body. Not everyone knows that jewelry serves another purpose too, and that purpose is to save a life. This specific kind of jewelry is called medical jewelry.

Medical jewelry is usually worn by people with a medical condition that should be made known to first aid volunteers, paramedics, and doctors in case of an emergency. Medical jewelry serves as an alert, informing everyone that the patient has a condition which needs special treatment.

When should you wear medical jewelry? If you have food and insect allergies, especially the life-threatening kind such as allergies to peanuts or bee stings, you're the perfect candidate for wearing medical jewelry. If you have allergies to certain common drugs such as penicillin, it's also a good idea to wear one. If you're taking medications, wearing medical jewelry is advisable since there are some medicines that should not be taken at the same time with others, or else unpleasant and even possibly fatal side effects may occur.

Aside from allergies, other conditions that call for medical jewelry include diabetes, epilepsy, kidney failure, hypertension, Alzheimer’s, etc. It's best to ask the advice of your doctor to determine if any of your existing conditions call for medical jewelry.

What does medical jewelry look like? At first glance it looks just like any other piece of jewelry, and the only differences are medical symbols and engravings that denote wearer’s medical condition. For larger pieces of medical jewelry such as dog tags, a lot of information can also be added such as medications being taken, home address, emergency contacts, doctor’s phone number, blood type, etc. For some people, carrying these extra details make them feel more secure and less apprehensive if an emergency occurs because of their condition (e.g. an epileptic having a seizure, or an Alzheimer’s sufferer not being able to find his way back home).

Medical jewelry is undeniably important; unfortunately not a lot of people are conscientious about getting one, and usually the reason is that medical jewelry is unappealing and too obvious. People are generally not comfortable with wearing something that not only clashes with a carefully thought-of outfit, but also announces to the world their medical conditions even when there is no emergency. Fortunately, there are pieces of medical jewelry that are both beautifully crafted and discreet. The most private person in the world and the biggest fashionista will find medical jewelry that will suit his need for discretion and her want for style, respectively.

But of course, above discretion and style, medical jewelry is primarily made for function. A lot of lives could be saved if people take the time to wear one when they have medical conditions. In emergencies, ignorance of your medical conditions on the part of medical practitioners is not bliss; it can mean death. In situations like these, it’s still your responsibility to keep them informed even when you are in no capacity to speak. Just let your medical jewelry do the talking.