Category: First Aid/Medical

Re-Evaluating Priorities: Food vs. Sleep, by Jared S.

I was reviewing some back issues of the Journal of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, published by the Wilderness Medical Society, and came across an article that I realized may be of use to preppers.  The article deals with the effects of food deprivation vs. the effect of sleep deprivation, on cognitive ability, decision making, and risk taking behaviors.  Here I will attempt to summarize the relevant findings and examine how these realities might inform our choices in prepping and responding to emergency survival situations.  We have all been taught the easy to remember device for setting priorities for survival, right? …


Addictions That Could Be Your Undoing, by Z.T.

I have tried to think about things that you may not have thought of, in regards to The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI.) And maybe not just fresh ideas for readers, but even for those that write about these things. And, it’s possible that you may even think that I am going waaaay out there to bring you fresh ideas. But I’m not. I bet you haven’t thought of how silly and secret addictions can really hurt you. Have you? While the effects of hard drugs, even seemingly minor alcoholism, have their own withdrawal symptoms that …


Why Your Doctor Won’t Help You Prepare–And What You Can Do About It, by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD

This past week I had a pharmacy call me about a multi-year prescription I had written for a fellow prepper.  The pharmacy would not fill the prescription, and didn’t even know if was legal.  At first they told the patient I would have to write a note regarding the purpose of so much medication, and that the drug might not even be good beyond a year.  On further consideration, they informed him that he would have to get a new prescription written for a smaller amount.  It seemed they did not even want to keep the written prescription in their …


Winter Survival Tips, by Mat Stein

Note: This article is adapted from my book When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide for Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival Tips for Surviving Outside in Extreme Weather and Subfreezing Temperatures Every year people get lost in the backcountry near where I live in the High Sierras, and end up spending one or more unplanned nights outside in the snow and extreme cold. Some of those folks live to tell the tale, and some of them don’t. Hopefully you will never need to spend unexpectedly long hours outside in extreme weather, but in case you do, here are a few tips: …


Three Letters Re: Dealing With Biting and Stinging Insects

Jim: I’d like to recommend the best chigger bite treatment: Put some rubbing alcohol on tissue paper and lightly rub this on the chigger bite as soon as possible. Hold in place for at least half a minute to kill germs. Then immediately rub a piece of ice on the bite for a few minutes to reduce swelling. This will eliminate pain and swelling by 99%.  After getting hundreds of chigger bites over the years, this is the best method I’ve found. – Paul O. James, One thing to add about chiggers, or red bugs. I got these on my …


Dealing With Biting and Stinging Insects by K.F.

Being “bugged” by insects is a problem we will likely face in TEOTWAWKI. Americans will spend more time outdoors in an effort to gather food and fuel as well as hunt and guard their retreat and resources. Exposure to insects will increase exponentially. Our defenses against pests will diminish significantly as our homes and retreats have their windows and doors left open more often. Also, the commonly available pesticides will probably not be available as supplies (of all kinds) decrease when TSHTF. We all know that insects have the potential to spread disease as well as lower our quality of …


Creating a Secure Post-SHTF Community, by Old Bobbert

This is the time for all of us to learn something abut “Building a community”. We have done our best to be prepared to survive and to continue to enjoy an acceptable good life, and provide for the present and for the future. Time surely appears to be getting very short. Now is the very best time we will ever have to ready ourselves to rebuild our community and provide the services and protection that we will need. We sincerely believe that our post-SHTF life must be more than simple survivalism, more that just having enough basic food to survive …


What to Do if You’re Stung by a Striped Bark Scorpion, by Richard R.

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Disclaimer: I have to say that I am not a physician and nothing I tell you is a substitute for good medical care. I am an RN with many years of experience in Emergency Room care, but that does not qualify me to advise you in medicine when there are Emergency Rooms all over the USA with qualified physicians on duty to take care of your health problem. The things I’m going to tell you only apply in a TEOTWAWKI situation. Use any information I am going to give you at your own risk. That being said, what do you do …


Asthmanefrin: A New Twist on a Life-Saving Medicine, by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD

Ever since Primatene Mist was taken off the market a year ago, SurvivalBlog readers have asked about a replacement for this potentially life-saving over-the-counter drug.    Now there is one, in the form of Asthmanefrin. If you don’t have asthma, should you care?  Definitely so. Although the drug is officially only indicated for asthma, in the event of societal collapse, it may be the only effective and available treatment for: Serious allergic reactions to foods, drugs, stinging/biting insects, or other substances Widespread hives Anaphylactic swelling of the face, lips, or throat (or angioedema) Dropping blood pressure Narrowed airways due to infection, …


Four-Tier Survival for the Newbie, by C.H.

A little about me: I am 27 years old, I have been married to my wife for 7 years. We have two boys, ages six and 22 months. Both my wife and I are school teachers; I also coach football and power lifting. So, we are the epitome of the American middle class. I have always enjoyed hunting, camping and the outdoors. So I have developed some basic “outdoorsman” skills throughout my youth and early adult hood. As a young child and early teen, I was very interested in survival, homesteading, and living off the land. I remember reading Foxfire …


Letter Re: I Thought I Was Prepared

Hi Mr. Rawles, It is a bit embarrassing to share this account with you, but maybe, just maybe someone will learn from my errors. I guess we’ve always been ‘preppers’’ of some sort.  We’ve always had a fruit-cellar and extra personal hygiene items along with bandages etc. on the shelf.  When I found this site about 4 years ago, my husband and I took a long, hard look at where we were and where we needed to be.  The two of us are not just looking at helping ourselves, but my sister and her family.  So we dug in and …


Letter Re: The Case for Stockpiling Gauze

Dear Mr. Rawles, I was recently treated for an abscess in my foot and was reminded of the importance of stockpiling large amounts of everything, gauze in particular. The good news is that a nasty staph infection is treatable in a TEOTWAWKI situation. The bad news is that you need to have antibiotics and gauze, and lots of it. A few weeks ago I went to see my doctor after developing a large and painful abscess that didn’t look like pimples I’ve experienced before. It was deep under the skin, large and painful, so I thought it should be checked …


Two Letters Re: Dealing with a Genuine Pain in the Rear

Thank you for your wonderful service,  and Merry Christmas! On the subject of Hemorrhoids, my favored,and very effective,  treatment for this problem is tincture of witch-hazel (Hamamelis  Virginiana) It grows plentifully in damp woods in central Appalachians—maybe elsewhere, I simply cut a bunch of the small twigs, stuff them in a jar, and add alcohol. I prefer drinking-grade ethanol, as it is the least toxic of the alcohols. After a couple of days steeping, I begin using it by soaking a small pad of toilet paper or cotton , and pressing it to the affected area a couple of times …


Letter Re: Dealing with a Genuine Pain in the Rear

Mr. Rawles, I would like to comment on the recent article by P.S. in Virginia on the sensitive (pun intended) subject of hemorrhoids.  I would suggest the use of arnica montana or just Arnica.  It comes in gel, cream, and sublingual tablets and acts as a very powerful anti-inflammatory agent.  Don’t use the topicals on open wounds.  I am not in the medical field, but my chiropractor/nutritionist recommends it and I have used it for this very purpose and for others.  I purchase mine from Puritan.com, but it is available at many local health food stores, amazon.com, etc.  I have …


Dealing with a Genuine Pain in the Rear, by P. S. in Virginia

One of the best ways to learn something is by doing for yourself or if it’s a painful learning experience then the best way to learn is from someone going through it so you hopefully won’t have to. A couple of days before Thanksgiving (Tuesday) I managed to end up with the wonderful surprise of a hemorrhoid. I would like to think I have a high tolerance to pain but let me tell you, this puppy took me down for the count. When these first start there is just no comfortable position you can get into, sitting, standing or laying …