How to make your own ultrasound gel.

[Argirios Argiriou]

[spoiler]I saw an interesting blog post, sent to me by my ultrasound uncle, Dr. Chris Fox, that was on the: “Why Is American Healthcare so Expensive?” site entitled “How to Make Ultrasound gel: which is also sterile and edible and environmentally friendly” by Dr.Janice Boughton. Not only did the title catch my eye, but the content drew me even closer. If you are in need of gel – whether that’s because you are doing global health, disaster relief, or healthcare at any resource-limited area – there are ways to make it. Ive heard of a couple alternatives – and here is a way to make your own – that is also sterile, edible, and environmentally friendly.

As the blog post states: “Ultrasound requires an aqueous interface between the transducer and the skin or else all you see is black. Ultrasound gel is a clear goo, looks like hair gel or aloe vera, and is made by several companies out of various combinations of propylene glycol, glycerine, perfume, dyes, phenoxyethanol or carbapol R 940 polymer along with lots of water.” – not easy to find, and ot so cheap either. So, she set out and tried six different recipes – yup, that’s right – SIX! …and made the below gel (see pic) from guar gum (found in the flour section of stores), salt and water:

“Guar gum is available in the flour section of many grocery stores and costs about $10 for a 220 gram bag. It is purported to be good for diarrhea, constipation, diabetes and lowering cholesterol.” – how cool is that?!

1. Mix 2 teaspoons of guar gum with 1-2 teaspoons of salt. (The amount of salt isn’t vitally important since it is just added to keep the guar gum from clumping. Using slightly less than a teaspoon of salt per 2 cups makes a gel with which is isotonic, which would be ideal for use near eyes or other mucus membranes or on open wounds).

2. Boil two cups of water.

3. Slowly sprinkle the guar gum/salt mixture into the boiling water while stirring vigorously with a fork or whisk.

4. Boil for about 1-2 minutes until thick and well mixed.

5. Cool before using. Save lives.
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More about Guar Gum:

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You can buy Guar gum from Amazon:

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How to make your own ultrasound gel, youtube videos: