Category: First Aid/Medical

Preparedness as a Disabled Individual, by Barbara H.

Disability has many faces and people with disabilities come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you are born with a disability or become disabled at some point in your life, learning to survive “differently” than able bodied persons is a challenge. Life in general is geared for those who are strong in mind, body and spirit. Having a disability, whatever it is, does not mean that you are less of a person or unable to have a good life, or survive catastrophe should it occur. Our Disabled Veterans would surely agree since some of their injuries are visible and some …


Letter Re: DMSO — Pain Relief Without a Prescription?

James: I read with interest Dr. Koelker’s article/letter regarding DSMO and its pain killing effects and would like share my own personal experiences with it since I am an alternative health care practitioner (not a doctor). First, DSMO is a by product of the paper industry and yes, horse people have used this for years with excellent results. Outside of this country and within the US some doctors use it by injection directly into the joints with amazing results. A quick google search will bear this statement out. In my own experience I have used it topically for muscle problems …


Lessons from Afghanistan, by W.B.

SurvivalBlog is the best in it’s field because it draws upon the different skill sets and experiences of it’s readers. On that note, I would like to offer up my own experience for the benefit of other readers. I am a former Army Infantry Sergeant with combat service in Afghanistan and am currently a private security contractor. I was not a prepper before my service there. However, witnessing a post-collapse environment first hand made me confront some painful realities. I hope to God that my experiences will aid fellow preppers by giving them insight in to one type of collapse …


DMSO: Pain Relief Without a Prescription?, by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD

A reader of SurvivalBlog wrote to ask whether dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is safe and effective for use in humans. The chemical is well-known in veterinary circles for its soothing effect on swollen, inflamed equine (horse) muscles.  But would it have the same effect on people?  Unrelieved pain is a great fear among survivalists and preppers.  Few have access to narcotics or anesthetics.  Wouldn’t be great if there were a readily available, safe and effective over-the-counter remedy?  That is the primary question with DMSO. What is DMSO anyway?  The chemical dimethyl sulfoxide is a potent solvent, produced as a by-product of …


Survive or Thrive?, by Sarah M.

It was a bright, sunny day. I found myself scaling Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona with my mom, dad and 5 younger siblings (since I am a homeschooler, I have the privilege to visit some very exciting places in the United States. Such was the case this past March). As my family and I were hiking up the hazardous ‘path’, a few thoughts crowded my brain. What if my eight-year-old brother fell or slipped in this pass? What if my nine-year-old sister falls down this slab of rock or my mom passes out? Would I know how to help them? …


Letter Re: Alternatives to Dentists DVD

Hi Jim & Family, SurvivalBlog readers will be interested in this new DVD titled “Alternatives To Dentists“.  It contains very effective techniques for daily hygiene, treating and preventing cavities, even healing abscessed teeth – and how to do this in a grid down, primitive, “no dentist available” scenario.  The presenter is Doug Simons who has been using these techniques for himself and his patients for almost 30 years.  Doug has a bit of a ‘tree hugger’ in him, but the information is solid and well worth having in any survivalists library. You’ll love it. – Greyback Mountain


Advice for Less Able/Disabled Preppers, by M.D.M.

I was born and raised on a farm, lived military and worked all my life, so I am accustomed to hard work and understand the need for a strong physical body. After years of working 10-12 hours a day, I decided to go back to college at nights to get a degree in pastoral studies, so I could keep busy during my ‘retirement’ years. In August, 2005 my life changed with a bad accident, now, disabled and in a wheelchair, my life is upside down and for me it was TEOTWAWKI.  I have always been a prepper and I’m not …


Letter Re: Childbirth at Home, by J.C.

Dear Editor: There are a few errors in J.C.’s article posted 5/19/12. I am a registered nurse that has delivered many babies in hospital and in home and other emergency locations. My comments are in bold type. J.C. wrote:   Make sure to never pull on the baby’s head. Do apply gentle downward traction while someone pushes firmly down superior to mother’s pubic bone. This counter pressure is usually only done if there is a problem delivering the shoulders not as a routine intervention. Once the baby delivers the top shoulder, then release all pressure by everyone and tell mom …


Prepping and Unassisted Childbirth, by an American Dad

I never intended to be a homebirthing dad.  Our first child was born in the “normal” American way – in a hospital.  Physically, mom and baby came out fine.  But the scars from that experience still throb in our hearts many years later.  The impersonal way hospital staff treated us; the overactive use of clinical equipment, terms, and technology; the fact that I had to keep briefing incoming personnel on our birth plan (since apparently they didn’t take the time to actually talk to read the copies I had provided, or talk to one another); the fact that they ordered …


Home Childbirth — A Midwife’s View, by No Place Like Home

Our society today views childbirth as a sickness that can only be managed by “professionals” in the hospital.  Babies that might come out blue and unresponsive, possible hemorrhaging, and babies that get stuck in the birth canal are all things that deter families from having births at home.  These are real issues and should not be ignored, but they make up only a small percentage of birth outcomes.  The vast majority of women in the world can and do give birth safely at home.   As fellow survivalists, we understand that the government and media either hide statistics or distort them. …


Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants, by Slim

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors survived for generations by gathering the food that nature provided. Some of those plants contain natural remedies to many common problems, and in fact are where many modern pharmaceuticals come from.  In this article we will be discussing various edible plants mostly found in the north east United States, as well as a few others. Provisos: Before getting started you should be warned that some plants can be highly toxic. We will cover some common look-a-likes, but you should never eat a plant unless you are one hundred percent sure of what you’re eating. Wild poisonous plants often resemble non-poisonous …


An Introductory How To Guide to Wild Herbal Medicine, by P. Farms Mike

DISCLAIMER:  I am not a medical professional.  All advice given in this article should be discussed with your doctor before attempting to use them.  Please be cautious that all plants that you use have been properly identified before using them medically. After a societal collapse, no matter the cause, store bought medicine will disappear.  If you are like my wife and I you have stored up medicines along with your food, water, and all the rest.  However, if the collapse will be long term then sooner or later you are going to run out of medicine.  About a year ago, …


How to Talk Your Doctor into Prescribing You Antibiotics, by Dr. Cynthia Koelker

First of all, don’t use those words.  Doctors don’t want to be “talked into” something that they may not want to do.  You’ll need a better approach.   Secondly, if you tack your request on to the end of an office visit, it will not be granted.  At this point your doctor is ready to move on to the next patient and will not appreciate the delay.  You don’t want your doctor irritated with you when you ask him a favor.   So how does one meet with success?    Basically you need to enter the doctor’s “world” and see …


My Top Five Favorite Plants

Nature is amazing, I love plants. Not only does just looking at them produce a calming effect, they are beneficial to us in every way. From food, to medicine, glue and rope, plants give us everything we need. These are my top five favorite plants because they are amazing, easy to grow or find and have many uses which are especially valid in TEOTWAWKI. Here are my favorite plants found in the wild, and in the garden, and the reasons why. 1. Garlic  Garlic is great for two reasons, it is a food and a medicine. All parts are edible except …


Letter Re: Advice for a Partially Disabled Prepper

Mr. JWR: I am 57, been collecting prepping supplies for the last 5+ years, but was involved in an accident in 2008 where I was disabled. I’m ambulatory, but limited in lifting and such (three inoperable herniated discs in lower back) – I am planning moving to the Redoubt, but fear that my limited abilities will make me less than attractive or welcome to any community or preppers I may encounter. I do have manual skills in building both small items up to buildings, but cannot actually do the work. Is it worth it for me to move there? I …