Category: First Aid/Medical

Recently I attended a three day class on medical response in hostile environments presented by Medical Corps in Caldwell, Ohio.  The presenters were terrific, the topics important, and the hands on lab sessions made the whole thing come together very well.  I have already had considerable medical training but I left with a better understanding of what may be required in the future. I gained additional confidence in my ability to perform many of the basic and lifesaving medical functions.  After talking to a number of people I realized a few things about medical preparedness could be presented to this …

Dear James, I’m a long time SurvivalBlog reader, first time responder, and serious prepper.    This article by J.F. has some excellent information but there is a glaring omission.  In most auto immune diseases, there is an assault on your body that invokes a response by your immune system. At times, such as the case of the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918, your body gets confused by various threats and “brings out the big guns, namely a cytokine storm that effectively neutralizes the threat.  Unfortunately, this also does “collateral damage” in the form of severe oxidative stress to surrounding tissue.   …

Many preppers are carefully strategizing the health care needs of themselves and their families. They are doing a great job of planning for a lack of conventional medicine, by stocking up on prescription medication where possible, finding alternate sources for antibiotics, collecting over-the-counter supplies and supplements and stockpiling the necessary items for inevitable wounds, rashes, skin infections and the like. But what about those folks with chronic illnesses, who rely upon daily medications and/or the newer injectable biologic answers to auto-immune disorders such as Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus? What solutions, hopefully temporary, can be offered to those with diabetes, hypertension, …

In the introduction to this series I gave a brief outline of the medical skills that a layman should acquire when preparing for TEOTWAWKI. Injuries will be common among people required to be more active than they are accustomed to.   Lacerations have already been addressed in Parts 1 and 2 of this series.  Next we will turn to injuries that required immobilization for optimal healing including sprains, strains, and fractures. To begin, what’s the difference between a strain and a sprain?  To strain means to overstretch a muscle or tendon beyond its capacity to resist without tearing.  A sprain means …

Hello Mr. Rawles, In response to the Dr. S.V.’s article, which I thought was fantastic, I would like to take a moment to describe my experience with Effexor, which as the Doctor points is in a different class of medication than Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro. That being said, the withdrawal symptoms are just as devastating and in my case began within 24 hours. My fiancé and I were on a short weekend trip to see her folks and in our rush to get on the road, I forgot to pack my Effexor. At the time I was currently taking …

Worldwide, Prozac is the most prescribed antidepressant.  It is also prescribed for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and co-morbid anxiety. By inhibiting serotonin re-uptake, more serotonin is available at the synapse, which is anti-depressant.  There are many SSRIs prescribed for depression: Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil,  Celexa, Lexapro, etc.  There are antidepressant medications which target serotonin and other neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine (Effexor), but they lie outside the scope of this article. When raw ingredient availability is interrupted these medications will become abruptly unavailable.  There are recent examples of this phenomenon in the United States:  in 2003 tetanus toxoid became very scarce for some …

In Part 1 of Suturing I discussed several aspects of wound closure, including goals of treatment, common lacerations, alternate wound closure techniques, types of suture to purchase, wound cleansing, sterile field, needle size, proper instruments, correct suture placement, and aftercare. In Part 2 of Suturing I will address common mistakes to avoid. Wound closure is not rocket science, and any adult of average intelligence can learn the basic techniques.  Anyone who has sutured has learned from their own mistakes and those of others.  The following advice will help you skip a few errors and should make you look like a …

Goal:  To help organize medical supplies into easily accessible modules of like items within your medical kit(s). Two years ago I was looking at pre-packaged medical kits on-line and noticed one with various items organized in colored bags.  For example the red pouch had everything a person needed for simple wound care.  Some ambulances carry trauma and pediatric bags with contents organized by color.  The kit on the internet was over my budget, but I was intrigued by the idea.  On my next trip to town, I was looking for office supplies and noticed zippered pencil pouches, which are intended to …