Category: First Aid/Medical

Silver has been known for thousands of years as a killer of pathogens.  The early Greeks noticed that the wealthy people (who used silver utensils) seemed to never get sick as did the common folk.  In the middle ages, the royal families used exclusively silver dinnerware, and in the mid-1800s in this country, pioneers kept silver coins in their water barrels to guard against pathogens picked up from the trail watering holes. My own grandma placed a silver dollar in the milk can to keep the milk from clabbering in the summertime. There is absolutely no known bacteria, virus or …

Sir: This was an excellent article.  I was on the right track but it was reassuring to see an M.D. confirm it.  Thanks.    I just wanted to pass along a warning of sorts as it relates to Sudafed (Pseudoephedrine) because I know Preppers like myself tend to have unusual shopping habits.  We not only buy a seemingly odd assortment of items all at once, but we probably buy them in larger quantities and with greater frequency than the average shopper.  This is simply for the fact we are stocking the products for future use rather than replenishing them as …

Are over-the-counter (OTC) drugs really worth stockpiling?  As a family physician my answer is a resounding yes.  Most of the following were actually prescription medications when first released.  (In higher dosages, several still are.)  Although other OTC drugs are worth considering, these ten have been selected due to their ready availability, affordability, safety in both adults and children, and multi-use potential.  Used alone or in combination, they can effectively treat dozens of conditions including:  headache, fever, sore throats, ear ache, menstrual cramps, heartburn, arthritis, ulcers, diarrhea, allergies, hives, congestion, dizziness, mild anxiety, nausea, vomiting, poison ivy, athlete’s foot, ringworm, eczema, …

Jim,   I enjoy SurvivalBlog and have started preparing. Food storage and making some sort of preparations had been in the back of my mind since January. Then the power went out here for six hours. I treated that as a sign and got started buying food and silver.   I do have to say though that while breaking costly addictions is a great plan, caffeine has more value than just the power to keep us awake and alert. I’m a Registerd Nurse, and in my research I read that Caffeine is related to theobromine, a bronchodilator used to treat …

Mr. Rawles, I enjoyed the referenced article, and wanted to piggyback a point about triage in combat. Combat medicine is different than a mass casualty incident in a non combat scenario. Good medicine may be bad tactics. In combat, treat those in the yellow category (such as having a finger shot off) first- to get more guns back into the fight. Otherwise you may all die, and that’s bad juju. Don’t waste time on an expectant casualty (i.e. a gunshot wound to the head with brain matter showing). Move instead to the casualty with extremity bleeding where they may be …

Perhaps you are a civilian EMT, paramedic or RN that has found interest in preparedness, or you are an established prepper who has taken an EMT class or a Wilderness EMT class, but are having some difficulty with bridge to the world that has no power grid, no Internet and lacks a certain social cohesion. Even military medics will be challenged in this situation, as they are currently accustomed to having modern equipment, restock and a means of patient evacuation (in most cases). Either way you bring essential experience and knowledge to your preparedness group as the medical specialist, but …

Dear Jim, Having discussed with my doctor (seldom seen in 12 years – since I’m mostly healthy) a “blizzard cupboard” of useful medicines to have on hand – he said “great idea”. I live in a rural area – about a 5 hour drive round-trip to doctors and drug stores, and we have been snowed in for as long as 4 days. I took several “wilderness medicine” courses, then returned to him two years later with a list of prescriptions I wanted. He said “no way” – that he was the doc and I was not. He is moving to …

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I reviewed the available information regarding expiration dates of specific medications, primarily antibiotics and antiviral drugs, as tested in the FDA’s Shelf Life Extension Program (SLEP).  Although antimicrobial medications are important, what about other common drugs used on a daily basis?  If you or someone you know suffers from diabetes, chronic pain, arthritis, asthma, hypertension, heart disease, or other serious condition, will medications be safe and effective beyond their expiration dates?  The following is excerpted from my upcoming book, Armageddon Medicine: Published data has documented the safety of many medications beyond …