Category: First Aid/Medical

Survival and Special Needs Loved Ones, by Mrs. H.

Although most survival enthusiasts are “of sound mind and body,” many of us have friends or family members who aren’t quite so lucky. Being the parent or friend of someone with special needs in everyday life is often stressful enough, let alone when facing TEOTWAWKI. Making preparations for their survival and long term care will help ease some of that worry in the event of a real emergency or extended crisis. Obviously, the same basic needs should be met for everyone: food, shelter, water, heat, protection, and health care. With a special needs person thrown into the mix, though, your …


The Top Five Lethal Infections — How to Prevent and How to Treat

In choosing the top five infections in which preppers should be well-versed, I have employed the following criteria:  The infection must be potentially life-threatening The infection must be potentially reversible with treatment The infection must be common now and likely to continue into the future. Based on the preceding, these five are a good place to start educating yourself. Pneumonia.  Pneumonia is often confused with bronchitis.  Both cause cough, fever, and difficulty breathing.  However, with bronchitis, the breathing tubes are narrowed, thus decreasing airflow.  Occasionally (primarily in patients with asthma or COPD) the airways will be so swollen that sufficient …


Letter Re: The Importance of Acquiring First Aid Supplies in Depth

James,   I have been a part time survivalist for many years.  I thought about the topic while still serving in the Army and after retiring I have moved, slowly, to position my family to be able to survive if the Schumer hits the fan.    I live in a brick home on 1-1/2 acres, surrounded by vast farmland.  Work cooperatively with neighbors to develop cooperative relationships that would benefit all parties if the worst happens.  Have the guns and ammo thing covered.  Food?  Still working on it but think we could make it for six months or more in …


Letter Re: An Approach to Medical Supply Storage

Sir, One of your readers emailed you regarding using a $38 tool box in lieu of funds for a “great professional” military or civilian aid bag. I would highly recommend to Big Mike to seek out flea markets, garage sales and the like (also Craig’s List) in his area. I recently attended a local flea market and purchased a great COMPACKTEAM compression pack for $25 that’s larger than my $130 military pack! Way bigger and with more support than my US Army issued assault pack (the new age kind that hook to one’s ruck sack). Sometimes you luck out, but …


Letter Re: An Approach to Medical Supply Storage

Mr. Rawles, I thought you might want to mention a product with your readers. I must admit that I am kind of a gear head and am constantly trying  to come up with better ways to organize and store my preparedness supplies. The one storage issue that I have always been indecisive about was how I wanted to store my medical/trauma/surgical supplies. There are lots of great professional bags and military medical cases out there, however their cost just didn’t seem reasonable to me or my budget.  One day while checking out the latest and greatest tools in my local home improvement store I came across what I …


Using Lye Safely in Soap Making, by LadyDoc

Soap is arguably one of the greatest inventions, ever.  Most people do not need to be convinced of the advantages of soap, especially in terms of preventing infections.  Using soap for personal and property cleaning when medical care and antibiotics are not readily available will be a vital part of avoiding contagious diseases.  Elegant in its simplicity, soap is made from two ingredients, lye and fat, through a chemical process called saponification.  This process cannot occur without both ingredients in the proper proportion.  Making soap for household use post-TEOTWAWKI raises some challenges, two in particular that I believe warrant the …


Keeping Your Newborn Safe and Content – A First Time Mom’s Primer, by Jenna S.

Like most first time mothers, I am fortunate to say that I had the luxury of prenatal care and the vast availability and surplus of supplies after my son was born.  We were able to take our time transitioning from disposable diapers to cloth diapers and when my breast milk did not come in as quickly as he would have liked, we had the availability of formula.  Imagine the compounding stress a first time mother would experience with limited prenatal care, no mentors with breastfeeding knowledge and nowhere for miles around with supplies to care for a newborn.  Most people …


What is a Well-Stocked First Aid Kit?, by K.M.

We’ve all heard the admonition: “You need to have a well-stocked first aid kit!” The first step to following that advice is an understanding exactly of what “well-stocked” means. Recently, I read an article on SurvivalBlog about a man who treated his wife for a serious arm laceration during an ice storm. After running out of bandages, he was forced to drive to the store in dangerous weather conditions to get more supplies. I posted a response to the article that elicited an e-mail asking, “Well, what does a good first aid kit contain?” Let me start with some background …


Letter Re: Encapsulate Your Own Potassium Iodate

Dear Editor: With several Japanese reactors threatening to meltdown, knowing that I am downwind and would have less than a few days’ notice, I quickly did some research on how to protect my family. The choices for thyroid protection (apparently the most common disease) are either Potassium Iodate (KIO3) or Potassium Iodide (KI). I found an old SurvivalBlog article that showed that KIO3 has advantages to KI. So I placed an order for enough pills to cover our family, plus extras to give away. But while doing some additional research I happened upon the bulk form of KIO3 at PureBulk.com. I …


Medication Dependence and TEOTWAWKI — 10 Tips for Survival, by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD

Thyroid disease, diabetes, heart disease, back pain, asthma, COPD. If you suffer from any of these chronic illnesses, you may be medication dependent.  What will you do when the supply of pharmaceuticals dries up?  Do you have enough medication stockpiled for the rest of your life?  What are the consequences of doing without?  Will you die or merely suffer?  Is there any way to prevent what appears to be inevitable? And if not you, what about your parents, grandparents, and other loved ones? Although complete answers to these questions would require hundreds of pages and perhaps years of study, here …


Herbal Medicine for Preppers, by Chris S.

Being able to take care of our own medical conditions is very important. Sometimes we can’t get to a doctor, can’t afford it or perhaps there will be a breakdown and there are no doctors available. I’ve found it invaluable to know what to do on my own when out on backpacking trips and an injury or sickness shows up. In cases like this having a good knowledge of herbal medicine and having a few things on hand can mean the difference between agony and wellness or even life and death. I’ve used herbal medicine for over 20 years for …


Lessons From Christchurch: Urban Earthquake Preparedness and Survival by Alex F.

Let’s be honest. Thinking about the end of the world is kind of fun. If it weren’t, there wouldn’t be so many post-apocalyptic novels, movies and television shows. Preparing for a relatively slow-moving Armageddon like a civil war or pandemic demands a lot of shopping which is an enjoyable pastime. However, as the grieving citizens of Christchurch, New Zealand attest, the most likely threats are also the most sudden, the least glamorous, and not fun at all. TEOTWAWKI may or may not happen in our lifetimes, but almost everyone has to deal with a natural disaster at one time or …


A Surgeon’s Advice to Preppers, by Swampfox, M.D.

As a reformed Christian and novice “prepper”, I am so glad to have found your blog and all the informative material that it contains.  With your help, I am becoming prepared for the hard times that I believe are imminent. I am a general surgeon practicing in the southeast.  Your writings have caused me to think a lot about the logistical vulnerabilities that exist in our health care system and how drastically surgery would change if/when Schumer hits the fan.   The Coming Instrument Shortages Many instruments and most of the supplies that we use for routine operations are disposable. …


Letter Re: Antibiotics for Serious Wounds

A reader wrote to ask: “Dr. Koelker, you explained what each of the antibiotics is good for, but one major concern was unaddressed. In a TEOTWAWKI situation we may be faced with having to treat gunshot wounds. And just as likely, if not more so, we may need to treat serious lacerations, such as accidents with sharp, dirty tools. I think, as am I, the readers of this blog might be interested to know which antibiotics are the most effective in preventing infections if/when we sustain such wounds.”   Doctor Koelker Replies:  As usual, such answers come in a short …


Letter Re: Legalities of Prescribing Long-Term Antibiotics

A reader wrote to ask: “I have talked to a local doctor who is sympathetic about giving prescriptions for antibiotics but he is concerned about the legalities of supplying anyone with excessive amounts of any drug.  Does anyone out there know the proper process to undertake this acquisition?  I’m not worried about buying stuff outright and am willing to use multiple pharmacies but he is worried about getting in trouble and wants to know the legalities.  Any wisdom you or your readers can share? “ Doctor Koelker Replies: Doctors prescribe long-term antibiotics for many different problems, including conditions as simple as …