Category: First Aid/Medical

Advanced EMT for Preppers, by R.S.

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Among the most valuable skills for any prepper to possess is the ability to deal with medical issues. Advanced training such as Medical Doctor, Physician Assistant, or Nurse are certainly wonderful assets, but they typically require a vocational commitment. This begs the question “what about the rest of us”? Several years ago I requested a trauma kit from my family as a birthday present. Being the loving family that they are, they dutifully provided. However, once I opened the kit to review the supplies and tools inside I suddenly realized: ”I have no idea how to use this!” It was …


Preparedness Lessons from the 1930s – Part 2, by J. E.

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(Continued from Part 1. This part concludes the article.) Twice a year the cabin was emptied of everything. The walls, floors, and ceilings were scrubbed with lye soap and a bristle brush. All the belongings were also cleaned before they came back into the house. This was pest control and it was needed until DDT became available. Even then, bedbugs, lice, ticks and other creepy crawlies were a fact of life and were controlled by brute force. Failure to do so left you in misery and maybe ill. Foods were stored in bug proof containers. The most popular was fifteen …


Control Your Type 2 Diabetes or Die in TEOTWAWKI, by Scott M.

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I am a family physician and I have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is where you initially have enough insulin produced by your body but are resistant to the insulin, i.e.:  you don’t have enough receptors for the insulin to plug into to act on the sugar/carbohydrates you ingest. As time goes on if you don’t manage your diabetes your body will stop producing insulin and you will need to be on insulin shots for the rest of your life. Type 1 diabetes is where you don’t produce any or very limited insulin and have to be on insulin for your lifetime. …


JWR’s View: Storage Space Planning for Your Stuff

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As a survivalist since age 14–and now 58–I’ve reached the stage of life where I’ve accumulated a deep larder and a lot of stuff. Just writing can’t help but remind me of the classic George Carlin stand-up comedy routine on “A Place For Your Stuff.” (Be forewarned of Carlin’s foul language.) But seriously, every well-prepared family has mountains of stuff. Storage space planning presents three major challenges: 1.) Where to fit it all. 2.) How to keep it safe from deterioration. 3.) Keeping it organized, so you can quickly find, retrieve, and replenish it. I will attempt to address all three …


Age-Adjusted Prepping, by Wandering Will

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It is said that prepping is not a movement or a philosophy. It is a way of life, and a way of life must accommodate changes in life. Having squarely arrived into my “Golden Years,” I was reluctantly forced to take a fresh look at my prepping agenda. Not exactly a newbie to the game. I’m still eating Year 2000 Problem (Y2K) food, I have accumulated food, gear, and training over the years and have reached a somewhat reasonable level of comfort. However, we all know what happens when we start feeling confident. After a few recent practice drills and …


Making Herbal Medicines, by Michele Cooper

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Herbs are powerful medicine. Do not think for one minute that all herbs are harmless. Herbs can also interact with any medicines you are taking, making them stronger or counteracting some of their properties, so research them well if you are taking any meds. Herbal Preparations I will go over various preparations for herbal medicines, which can be made into various forms, including an infusion, decoction, syrup, pill, capsule, and more. I will provide general instruction for each of these below. Infusion (Tea) Probably the easiest method to prepare herbal medicine is an infusion, more commonly known as tea. However, …


Medical Action Sheets by K.B., M.D. Part 4

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We are wrapping up our series on medical action sheets for use when illness or injury strikes in various scenarios that can prevent professional medical access, such as weather extremes (hurricanes, ice storms, blizzards), civil unrest (riots, curfews), EMP, TEOTWAWKI, or pandemics/disasters, which can swamp the medical system. I have given binders of these to my loved ones with the caveat that they use them only in a genuine situation as listed above and if I am unavailable to help them. As you read these lists, remember that I am not prescribing and urge you to review any plans with …


Medical Action Sheets by K.B., M.D. Part 3

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Preppers are concerned about scenarios that can prevent access, such as weather extremes (hurricanes, ice storms, blizzards), civil unrest (riots, curfews), EMP, TEOTWAWKI, or pandemics/disasters, which can swamp the medical system. When illness or injury strikes, you will not have the time or inclination to read books or articles. I, therefore, propose the use of medical action sheets, and I am sharing a few of those that I have written. In truth, I have given binders of these to my loved ones with the caveat that they use them only in a genuine situation as listed above and if I …


Medical Action Sheets by K.B., M.D.- Part 2

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Preppers are concerned about scenarios that can prevent access, such as weather extremes (hurricanes, ice storms, blizzards), civil unrest (riots, curfews), EMP, TEOTWAWKI, or pandemics/disasters, which can swamp the medical system. When illness or injury strikes, you will not have the time or inclination to read books or articles. I, therefore, propose the use of medical action sheets, and I want to share a few of those that I have written. In truth, I have given binders of these to my loved ones with the caveat that they use them only in a genuine situation as listed above and if …


Medical Action Sheets, by K.B., M.D. – Part 1

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It is ideal and important to seek out medical care from qualified professionals. However, preppers are concerned about scenarios that can prevent access, such as weather extremes (hurricanes, ice storms, blizzards), civil unrest (riots, curfews), EMP, TEOTWAWKI, or pandemics/disasters, which can swamp the medical system. When illness or injury strikes, you will not have the time or inclination to read books or articles. I, therefore, propose the use of medical action sheets, and I want to share a few of those that I have written. In truth, I have given binders of these to my loved ones with the caveat …


Cold and Flu Season, by Michele Cooper

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During cold and flu season, what can you do except be as careful as possible? I hate being sick. So, I very carefully wash shopping carts (many flu and cold germs are contacted in this manner), stay away from sick people, wash my hands often, and try very hard not to touch my eyes or nose while out and about. Assure Your Health However, there is a way you can assure your health during the cold winter months. The answer is black or blue elderberry! In the autumn, when children head back to school, which seems to be a petri-dish …


Guest Post: Dealing With Hypothermia by Joe Alton, MD and Amy Alton ARNP

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Joe and Amy are authors of The Survival Medicine Handbook: The Essential Guide For When Help Is Not On The Way and Alton’s Antibiotics And Infectious Disease: The Layman’s Guide To Available Antibiotics In Austere Settings. They also run doomandbloom.net which is an excellent source for austere medical knowledge. The environment plays a large role in your success as medic in survival settings. If you don’t take weather conditions and other factors into account, you have made the environment your enemy, and it’s a formidable one. Different areas may pose special challenges. If you live in Miami, you might be …


Common “Weeds” as Food and Medicine- Part 4, by M.C.

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If things go very wrong, such as in an EOTWAWKI or SHTF scenario, you may find yourself without access to doctors and hospitals and may have to take care of yourself and your family. This is why we are looking at common weeds that can be used as food and medicine. You may want to print this and save it for such a time, when things are stressful and you may not remember the information here. Warning: Never eat a wild plant unless you are 100 percent positive of its identification. Get yourself a good field guide, like Edible Wild …


A Review of OnPoint Tactical’s Off-Grid Medicine Course, by JR

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OnPoint Tactical’s off-grid medicine course is not your typical first aid class. It’s not EMT school. I mean no disrespect towards them at all, but those first responder classes are like baby aspirin. What Dr. Steve provides is more like dilaudid or fentanyl. (No, he does not sell these or tell us how to get them. It’s just for comparison between the types of courses. However, there does seem to be the possibility of developing an addiction of sorts. Three of the people from the February class repeated the August class and brought family members with them.) The Man Behind …


Maintaining Mental Health in the Face of Crisis: Dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress, by M.G., MSN, RN

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Many of us have considered how we would provide for our family’s physical needs, including medical care, during a prolonged crisis. Indeed, it would seem foolish to be unprepared for trauma related to accidents, violence, fire, et cetera, when professional medical care might not be available for weeks, months, or more. What most of us don’t think about is the effect that a long-term crisis and/or exposure to traumatic events could have on our mental health. Next to food, shelter, and security, this may seem to be a low-priority concern, but depression and anxiety related to traumatic events can have …