Category: First Aid/Medical

Mr. Rawles, As a physician I take significant offense to Lawrence R.’s letter regarding antibiotics. The fact is over 90% of infections presenting to US hospitals are antibiotic resistant in some form or other. He is correct that some of the older medications may be effective and that is why bacterial cultures are performed to determine antibiotic resistance. He is sadly misinformed regarding the idea that we prescribe the most expensive or newest antibiotic available. We prescribe the least expensive antibiotic that is effective against the specifically cultured infection as long as a patient is not allergic to that class …

Editor’s Note: As previously mentioned, when this thread was started, the use of anything other than USP Human Grade antibiotics on humans should only be considered in the most dire of circumstances, where there is no other choice. Jim, In reference to the question of sources for prescription medications, I recommend that readers interested in stocking up on medicine take a copy of Wilderness Medicine, Beyond First Aid, by William Forgey, to their primary care physician and show them the list of medications listed in the book. Explain to the doctor that you are preparing and that you would like …

Editor’s Proviso: Please note the following article is presented for educational purposes only. Implementing the steps described below is illegal in most jurisdictions. This article is presented in the context of total collapse of society and government, in which government has become nonexistent. Pain management is one of the most serious aspects of any medical situation whether it is life threatening or not. Many of us have chronic pain issues which get worse as we age or as our physical workload increases. Pain exacerbates shock when traumatic injuries are sustained. Pain management can comfort us in during palliative care and …

Hello Jim, A. Woofer should be commended for his excellent article on Betadine. An excellent way to use/carry Betadine in a small personal first aid kit is Betadine swab sticks. There are normally used for skin prep before minor surgical procedures. Take care, – Jeff in Ohio Jim, I’m writing to take exception with the author’s affinity for using Betadine in open wounds to “prevent infection.” While the liberal application of Betadine was relatively standard practice in the Emergency Medicine community when I started practicing 20 years ago, recent studies have changed this practice considerably. As the author himself points …

Sir, That was a great article on the revival of tourniquets. One very important point that the author briefly touched on is the ability of the wounded individual to apply the tourniquet without assistance. The central tenant of it’s use by our forces in the field today is that the wounded individual must be able to tend to his own ‘blowout’ while everyone else continues to engage and suppress the enemy. Otherwise the risk is that one wounded troop might multiply into more if the enemy gains fire superiority and/or individuals expose themselves to aid a wounded comrade. Individuals who …

Jim: You recently mentioned Ciprofloxacin in your blog. Cipro is an antibacterial, a fluoroquinolone. It’s useful for urinary tract infections, bacterial (not viral) sinusitis, post-inhalation exposure to anthrax, traveler’s diarrhea, and in combination with other drugs for abdominal infections. Resistance to various sexually transmitted diseases and some bacteria that cause pneumonia (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) is increasing. Ringer’s isn’t usually given with dextrose. It can be, but not normally. Ringers is an electrolyte (salt) solution, dextrose is used to replace (just) water or water and add some carbohydrates. Electrolyte solutions are used in cases of electrolyte depletion or dehydration (often combined with …

James, I love your blog, I read it daily. Good article on the field craft of tourniquet applications. I do have one question to add–where can I get medical supplies for treating trauma? I love the fact that we have the blood clotting bandages available to the civilian–long live the free market. In the Army, I was a Combat Life Saver and I may be out of practice, but when truly required of me I am certain that I can start an IV to keep someone from going into shock. I have tried to find lactated ringers on the Internet, …

As an instructor of multiple combat medical courses, I have had the privilege of instructing many courageous and dedicated young corpsmen and medics in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) and Combat Lifesaver (CLS), as well as other courses.  Out of all of the information I have taught, I am amazed at the feedback I receive from many of these students returning from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of the world. Tourniquet use is documented as far back as Roman times; examples have been found composed of bronze and leather.  The first practical …

Jim, I would like to let your readers know that there is an opportunity for them to get free medical training in there community, I have just done this and am working on going further. I joined a volunteer fire department (VFD). No, not everyone has to fight fires, in our department only 10% do. In my area we have a mandatory three hours per month that we have to be at the station and [respond to] any calls that come up. So out of this we all get free EMT training and they actually pay us to go do …

James: First, thanks for the blog useful information is so hard to come by nowadays. With regards to alcohol I would add a few bits First, Everclear 190 is a great addition it any backpack or bail out bag, This wonder bottle has a subject all its own. If for barter purpose you choose booze there is a bit of an OPSEC point to make. Trading liquor has risks especially if you are dealing with someone who may be looking for a lucrative target. Trading a sealed bottle of bourbon or even worse taking said bottle from a visible case …

In 1940, Reserve Constable Albert Alexander scratched his face.  Accounts differ on whether this occurred while shaving, or an encounter with a rose bush.  In either case, the Constable had a minor scratch  which became infected. What makes Constable Alexander’s story notable, is that his was the first wound infection treated with the then-new antibiotic, penicillin. It almost worked.  When first treated, Constable Alexander improved dramatically, but the hand-purified supply of antibiotic available ran out before the infection was eliminated. The infection returned, and he died from the combined staph and strep infection of the wound.  Welcome to the reality …

Dear Sir, I was perusing your blog for the first time and saw the post about dehydration due to diarrhea. I have five sisters and one brother (yeah mom!) so my mother is quite the home medic. My eldest sister had been prescribed a very strong antibiotic for a common infection she had. After she took the course of the antibiotic, she also began having severe chronic diarrhea (we’re talking months here). She began going to a specialist after her regular doctor couldn’t diagnose her. My mother, conscious of her medical history, realized the antibiotic she had taken for her …

Jim, During my many travels in Asia and Central America I never brought along medications to stop diarrhea, only to prevent it. Diarrhea is natures way of getting rid of something your body doesn’t want in it. Preventing that can lead to serious problems. Water and food born bugs (bacteria, not parasites) can be dealt with by taking Doxycycline Hyclate as a prophylactic. Prior to the likely encountering of suspect food and water, such as a bug out situation, a pill a day will keep you reasonably safe. You should be able to talk your doctor into proscribing for emergency …

Sir: My recent trip to the library and skimming through a few books on diseases led me to the conclusion that some of the secondary or follow-on effects are often bigger killers that the diseases themselves. I’m talking about pneumonia and diarrhea. Respiratory bugs often develop co-infections like pneumonia. And stomach bugs often cause diarrhea, which can cause such severe dehydration, that the patient dies. Obviously, [some forms of] pneumonia can be avoided by getting a pneumovax innoculation. So how do we deal with diarrhea? It can be controlled with over the counter (OTC) medicines. According to FamiliyDoctor.org, some of …