Category: First Aid/Medical

Letter: Some Wuhan Coronavirus Observations

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Everyone will have a different perspective on this.  Here are some ramblings: Things are rapidly downshifting in greater Seattle.  In less than seven days.  There are strong parallels with the 2011 B-movie Contagion. Numerous employers are telling much of their workforce to work from home through the end of March (I expect that to continue beyond March…). Amazon, Microsoft, Puget Sound Energy (utility), Russell Investments.  Those are four big ones that I am aware of as of now. The Northshore School District just closed through the end of March, and will attempt to begin Remote Learning on Monday, March 9.  …


Stockpiling Medications Inexpensively, by J.B.

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As news of the coronavirus spreads, it shocked me to learn that sixty percent of our finished medication, eighty percent of the precursor chemicals used to manufacture medication and almost one hundred percent of our antibiotics are manufactured in China. One only has to look at the news to see where we will be headed if the quarantine in China and the resulting factory closures and furloughs continue for even a few more months. Consider this quote from scmp.com: “The United States’ ability to respond to an epidemic within its borders is critically hampered by its reliance on China for …


Letter: Elderberry and Wuhan

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Dear SurvivalBloggers: Just a quick note concerning Elderberry syrup and the Wuhan coronavirus (now named “COVID-19”) that I didn’t want to get lost in the extensive comments about the virus at https://survivalblog.com/post-exposure-prevention-pep-protocol-jj-mi/ and https://survivalblog.com/letter-wuhan-virus-shepherdfarmergeek/ : Normally, with flu, elderberry syrup is a positive and helps fight the virus.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190423133644.htm“Sambucol Elderberry Extract and its formulations activate the healthy immune system by increasing inflammatory cytokine production.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11399518 However, “…elderberry also enhances cytokine response, which may not be so good when one of the complications of pandemic influenza is cytokine storm.” https://vancouversun.com/news/staff-blogs/high-dose-vitamin-d-and-elderberry-syrup-for-flu-treatment And here we have that immune dysfunction also showing up with COVID-19 …


Letter: Acclimate to Wearing N95 Masks!

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Dear Prepper Friends and Family, As someone who sleeps with a CPAP machine running every night I’ve grown accustomed to the strangeness of having a mask on my face. Even more so, when I exhale the mask fills with hot breath and it feels as if I’m suffocating. When I inhale, however, I get clean, fresh air and it’s all okay. But I had to train myself to not struggle with it. We’re all going to run into this situation with N-95 filter masks if and when the time comes to wear them whenever we go out in public, to …


Letter on the Wuhan Virus, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

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The following are my comments to the SurvivalBlog article Post-Exposure Prevention (PEP) Protocol, by JJ in MI. This is great to be considering post-exposure treatment. Our protective gear is likely to be *less than perfect*, and if we know we’ve been exposed we need a Plan B! This study supports the use of PVP-I as an antiviral, although I do wonder about swabbing my nose with it! Thinking in terms of what we can do *on the scene* when we realize we’ve been exposed, I’m wondering if it would be more convenient to use a Betadine spray, into our mouths (don’t …


Post-Exposure Prevention (PEP) Protocol, by JJ in MI

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Everyone already knows about the Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak so I’ll skip an overview of what it is and why it’s dangerous. No doubt you’re also aware of the CDC’s recommended preventative measures of hand hygiene and avoiding close contact with those who may be infected. You may have also acquired items such as masks, goggles, or gloves (if you didn’t have enough already) as additional preventative measures, and those can help limit exposure when used properly, but they do not provide 100% protection either. You may also have considered social distancing, or even self-quarantine, but that’s not always possible – …


Letter: Clarifications on N95 Masks

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Dear Editor: There seems to be a lot of misunderstandings about N95 masks.  I have quoted some information from CDC, NIOSH, OSHA, and the FDA to help clear some of the confusion. The main issue I hear is that “only medical rated (by the FDA) N95 masks should be used to protect oneself against Coronavirus  and other flu.”  This is not necessarily true.  The “95” part of the N95 stands for the percentage of particulate matter that the mask will filter out.  The size of the test media is .03 micron.  At .03 micron an N95 mask is more than …


Ready for TEOTWAWKI: What’s Bringing Us Along – Part 1, by K.G.

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As we age, we need to understand our new limitations and be able to adapt to them, overcome the ones we can and add new skills commensurate with our abilities. The timeless adage “if I knew then what I know now” is quite applicable to my prepping and survival journey. The focus of this article will be on adding new skills that will complement our existing skill set so that we can still be of service and not just survive but thrive in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. The Importance of Family and Like-Minded Friends Having a wife and family members that …


Cold Weather Considerations – Part 1, by JM

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(Note: This Part 1 of a six-part series.) If you live in the northern hemisphere then it’s that time of the year when things are getting cold and, depending on how far north you live, covered in white stuff. Around Thanksgiving I start planning my various winter outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, skiing and snowshoeing trips, and I thought it would be a good time to review some considerations for surviving and operating in winter conditions. Why would anyone want to be outside in the cold and snow? Because in a post-disaster scenario you may not have a choice, …


My One Month TEOTWAWKI Road Test – Part 2, by Maui Dan

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(Continued for Part 1. This concludes the article.) I was consistent with daily hikes using them for recon practice, making maps, taking notes of locations and observing any nearby people. Judging who I thought may be friends or foes. I did take note of two males in their 20’s who appeared fairly intoxicated early in the afternoon. I hiked for the benefits of physical exercise and enjoyed the quite beauty of the land. There were several memorable hikes. The day time temperatures were now in the upper 80’s. I wore Timberline hiking boots and stripped down to shorts. Finally found …


Making Lidocaine for Injection, by R.J.

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Important Introductory Disclaimer: I am not a licensed health practitioner. This article suggests knowledge and understanding you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher care is available. As long as our society is functioning, you should leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the professionals. No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician. Preparation of sterile medications by non-professionals should only be attempted in extreme emergencies where there is absolutely no access to commercially-prepared medicines.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only. …


Our Prepping Journey – Part 2, by Elli O.

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(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Resources: I found it quite helpful to have books at home that cover raising, dispatching (killing), and processing livestock. The internet is useful but nothing beats a written guide when the internet is unavailable. Lessons learned from having livestock: Remember the reason for raising the livestock. They are not pets; they are food for the family. The first cute calves we brought home were named Lunch and Dinner, which served as a reminder to all that these bottle fed babies would someday be on our supper plates. Animals get sick and die. …


The Pharmacy Around Us – Part 3, by Jen R.

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(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the three part series.) LOMATIUM Why you want it:  Lomatium is the go-to antiviral for influenza.  It’s much cheaper than Tamiflu, you don’t need a prescription, and it doesn’t have to be started within 24 hours to be effective.  During the Spanish flu, when it was used on patients thought to be lost causes, even these patients fully recovered. Lomatium is an herb that most people have never even heard of.  And yet, it’s something you really want to be able to identify and harvest if possible if you live west of the Mississippi, …


The Pharmacy Around Us – Part 2, by Jen R.

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(Continued from Part 1.) BERBERINE Why you want it:  With actions similar to penicillin and amoxicillin, it is used for treating cholera, acute dysentery, diarrhea, E. coli, infected wounds, giardia, and yeast infections. While there are not as many uses for extracts from berberine plants as for juniper and Usnea, a berberine tincture is still very nice to have on hand in case of cholera or giardia.  The most common plants high in berberine content are Japanese barberry, Oregon grape, Nandina domestica, Hydrastis canadensis, and Phellodendron amurense (not to be confused with the common philodendron houseplant).  And you’ve probably got …


Solutions to Post-Event Problems, by Old Bobbert

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Post-event situations can be surprisingly difficult to discuss. Let’s first cover more positive and productive word usage. We can all readily agree that there is nothing positive, enabling, or uplifting about the acronym WTSHTF. The Editor of this blog euphemistically uses “When the Schumer Hits The Fan”, in defining it.  But we all know what these letters really stand for, and that is often felt to be negative or low class language. Moving up in the world of solution communications, we can instead choose to say or write “Event.” Our newly adopted word (much more expressive) can convey a disaster …