Category: First Aid/Medical

Survival Medicine and Ditch Medicine, by Josh in Montana

There may come a time when we are no longer afforded the luxury of dialing 911 to receive prompt emergency medical care within minutes. You yourself may be faced with a sick or injured loved one, having nobody to turn to but you and your skills as well as inventory of supplies to provide critical interventions. My lively hood is emergency pre-hospital medicine. Having earned a degree in Paramedicine in 2002, I have worked and currently still work as a full time paramedic for a department that sees over 4500 runs a year. I myself serve as lead medic or, …


Night Operations–Gain the Tactical and Psychological Edge, Even Without the Aid of Night Vision Devices, by Pete C.

Sometime in the future, in a post-TEOTWAWKI environment, your retreat group may decide to send out small teams to conduct either reconnaissance or security patrols. They may want to collect information on what is happening at the nearest town or confirm/ disprove the accuracy of any information (rumors) previously attained. Whatever the mission, these teams must function as a cohesive unit every time. Their success or failure will depend on everyone’s ability to operate during darkness or periods of reduced and/ or limited visibility (to include rain, fog, snow, etc.) even if they do not have the aid of night …


Two Letters Re: A Do-It-Yourself Denture Adhesive Formula

Jim: In answer to the recent query in SurvivalBlog about denture adhesives, Sea-Bond is an all natural wafer with [a very long shelf life–] no expiration. It sells for $5.99 for three boxes of 15 wafers each. It is the only thing I could find that would do. I’d stock up on these for long term use. – TD   Mr. Rawles, This formula comes from a book that I have in my arsenal of survival books, entitled “Formulas, Methods,Tips and Data for Home and Workshop” by Kenneth M. Swezey (I can’t tell you how many times over the years …


Letter Re: Health Saving Accounts in the US–Buying Retreat Medical Supplies with Pre-Tax Dollars

Hi Jim – Thanks for your blog. It is well worth the [voluntary] 10 cents a day. Just a quick tip on saving money. Many employers offer flexible spending [“Health Savings”] accounts [(HSAs)] that are funded with pre-tax money. These accounts are usually billed as letting the employee pay for office co-pays, prescription co-pays, etc. tax free. But depending on the program, many other things qualify for purchases through the account. For example, my employer’s program allows most over-the-counter [medical] products. Things like bandages, creams, contact lens solution, foot care products and more are all valid purchases. I’ve been able …


Letter Re: Getting Third World Experience to Prepare for More Austere Times

Mr. Rawles, I have been prepping and working on self-reliance for some time now, and starting reading your blog about a year ago. Thank you for your efforts. I am a dentist and would like to mention a training option that may be of interest to some of your readers. Especially medical personal. For the past 11 years I have been a “volunteer” dentist for a week or two at a time in a very poor, Central American country. I am part of team that includes other dentists, medical doctors (MDs), and assistants. I picked this country because of its …


Letter Re: Innovations in the Treatment of Obesity and Diabetes

Dear James, Take a look at this article. The innovation of the second device which acts as an artificial barrier to the small intestine, described in this article, is noted to effectively cure Type II Diabetes. This may be the long-awaited answer for those who wish to remove themselves from the daily dependency of self administering antihyperglycemic medications. This could also be one very effective option for the resolution of their coinciding carbohydrate intolerance which causes their obesity. This is a non-invasive endoscopic procedure. – KAF


Four Letters Re: Vision Care, Post-TEOTWAWKI

Hi Jim, Acting on a recommendation from another reader, I’m happy to report that quality of the six pairs of eyeglasses purchased from Zennio Optical are good. These glasses are surprisingly inexpensive and only cost $150 for all six pairs, which is less than the typical cost of one pair [from most other sources]. The ordering process does require some thought and time to measure your current pair, yet a variety styles and sizes can be ordered insuring that at least one pair will be satisfactory. I’m happy with all six pairs and at those prices felt bold enough to …


Arthropod Borne Diseases, by A.B.S.

Recent attention on the West Nile Encephalitis outbreak has brought the need for more education and awareness to the threat of insects transmitting diseases to both humans and the livestock we use for food. Unfortunately most people are fixated on the West Nile problem and continue to ignore the myriad of other pathogens that can be transmitted by insects and other arthropods in North America. Most of the pathogens that are transmitted by arthropod vectors are of low virulence and due to exposure most of us have developed an immunity to them long ago. Unfortunately, with the migration of much …


Letter Re: A Reminder to Readers About Botulism

I think that the author of “Letter Re: A Reminder to Readers About Botulism” [posted on July 18th] is a little mistaken about the deadliness of “even a single small whiff of Botulinum toxin.” The video in the link he provided is a discussion of the effects of weaponized botulism toxin. In the video, it’s stated that botulism doesn’t make a very good open-air weapon, although it may have potential as a weapon in enclosed areas or by infecting food. According to the Botulism Handbook for Epidemiologists, Clinicians, and Laboratory Workers: …botulism can be picked up by (a) eating contaminated …


Letter Re: A Reminder to Readers About Botulism

Jim, Feel free to post the following if you think it would be of help and interest. Bulging cans with botulism are worse than most think. While bulging cans of food are relatively rare and most everybody knows that any bulging can should be discarded, few know just how seriously dangerous they can become if opened or accidentally ruptured. Botulism is so extremely deadly, it must be suspect in all bulging cans and they must not only be discarded, but put away from anyone else. Botulinum toxin is one of the most lethal substances known to man, as seen in …


Letter Re: Securing Needed Prescriptions for Family Preparedness

Dear Mr. Rawles, First, I must thank you for the great service that you provide to society. I simply can’t tell you how much I have learned since beginning to read SurvivalBlog daily. I’ve decided that 10 cents per day is not enough, and plan to double it soon. Though I pray that I will die peacefully at the age of 98 without ever having to activate my prep plans, the feeling of security that comes from preparation will make my remaining years much more pleasant! As a pharmacist, I wanted to make a few additional comments regarding Matt R.’s …


Letter Re: Securing Needed Prescriptions for Family Preparedness

Jim, I’ve been stockpiling medicine since before it was fashionable. My dad is a physician and gave me an Rx for ciprofloxacin and other antibiotics before 9/11 (in prep for Y2K). That is all refrigerated and despite official expiration dates, probably still fine. More recently, my dentist wrote me an Rx for TamiFlu. I won’t drag on about it, but the bottom line is that virtually anyone with a medical degree who is semi like-minded can give you an Rx for whatever you want. All you have to do is assure them you are only worried about shortages and won’t …


Letter Re: Kudos for the WRSA’s Medical Training

James, I would like to recommend to anyone looking for medical training in grid down austere environments to attend the 2-1/2 day course offered by Western Rifle Shooter’s Association (WRSA). My wife and I recently attended their course in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho this past weekend, and found the course informative and thought provoking, considering ing the times ahead of us. Hands-on training in suturing, wound triage, and trauma wounds were a plus to our animal husbandry skills. Another great aspect is [meeting] the like-minded people that attended this event. The Western Rifle Shooter’s Association is scheduling more clinics this …


The Warrior Way as Survival Strategy: Attune Yourself to a Martial Mindset in Daily Living, by Jeff Trasel

One of the constant knocks by the mainstream media on the preparedness movement is the oft-touted canard that preparedness, indeed the “survivalist” mindset is nothing more than an excuse by far-right loons to engage in Rambo-esque fantasies of firearms, firefights and macho posturing. While there is a scintilla of truth to this in some far dark quarters of doomsday lunacy, it is for the most part fiction. (This matches JWR’s caveat on discussing unregistered suppressors [in the US] or other illegal preparations). So that we bring no discredit on what is nothing more than prudence, perhaps a few short observations …


Letter Re: Packing The Vehicle G.O.O.D. Bag

Mr. Rawles I’d just like to present an alternate thought to one of the statements made in the most recent piece written about G.O.O.D. bags: “Try to avoid foods that are high in sodium. You will have to drink more water.” Salt is not the enemy! Especially in hot climates. If you are traveling on foot you will be depleting a lot of your body’s salt. Low sodium levels in the body can, in a surprisingly short time, lead to muscle cramps at the least and seizures and death in the more severe losses. Salt also provides an osmotic gradient …