Category: Health and Fitness

Protein Sustainability, by SKB

Protein is an essential part of the human diet. It is one of the main building blocks for healthy muscle tissue as well as other organs, which are heavily called upon during times of crisis. The majority of North Americans rely on beef, supplemented by other animal meats. Purchasing dried and canned meat products is essential to any prepper’s well rounded food storage arsenal. It brings a sense of accomplishment to see those items stacked on the shelves. The big question, though, is “What happens when this runs out? What happens when we can’t buy and stock anymore?” Not everyone …


Prepare the Wolf Within, by N.K.

If you are reading this article you are already awake to the impending Schumer Hits The Fan (SHTF) and whatever that could look like. You probably already have your bug out bag packed, your rendezvous rural destination with loved ones, your hard copy maps, your silver coins and small bills, and your gun and ammunition. If you are thinking you need to stay put you have your stored food and water, your medical supplies, your plans with like minded neighbors. You may even have learned some new trades – perhaps you learned on YouTube from a Canadian how to be …


Live Your Survival and Gain Sufficiency-Part 2, by E.M.

Mental Health Physical health for the mind is equally as important as exercising it. Like our body, if we have an unhealthy mind there will not be much exercise. We must make sure that we are not taking with great excess or frequency those things that alter and damage our mind and cause us to lose focus. There are also foods we can eat daily and place in our preparedness food shelter which will aid the biological make up of our physical mind. This topic is a book in and of itself, and there is a very large selection of …


Prepping Mindset: The New Normal, by D.V.

I am a one year oral cancer survivor. I survived a 13 hour operation that included removing my lower right jaw and replacing it with the tip of my shoulder blade. My operation is called a lateral neck dissection, and it sounds nicer than it felt! The lining of my cheek received a living tissue transplant from the same shoulder area. I had a tracheotomy and couldn’t speak. During the “cut, burn, and poison” treatment, I was connected to a feeding tube for four months. Months of treatment and physical therapy have helped me survive, but I am still discovering …


Letter Re: Development and Maintenance of the First Weapon

Hugh, I appreciate B.C.’s points related to the majority of our population being poorly prepared physically to deal with increased levels of stress. As a physical therapist and athletic trainer for 24-plus years, I see it every day. I do want to make one observation and warning, for lack of a better term. There is a huge difference in “normal tissue” and “pathologic tissue”, or tissue that has gone through a process that is called secondary healing. Secondary healing is when there has been enough damage to a muscle, or ligament, or skin, or joint surface, (pick your tissue type), …


Letter Re: Rethinking Wound Care

HJL, What the writer says is spot on for infection occurring more often in warm and moist conditions. One note here, however. Flies in a wound are going to lay eggs and you are going to get maggots. As disgusting as that sounds, it might not be a bad thing. Maggots have been used for centuries to debride wounds. (Debride means to remove non-viable tissue.) Maggots only eat the dead tissue, which is where the infection is at its worst. The less infection present the easier it is for the bodies defensive mechanisms to fix the problem. I first became …


Keep Your Nose Clean!, by E.P.

In a survival situation, one of the most important things to consider is hygiene, especially if you are caring for children. In developed countries, waterborne illnesses and skin diseases are no longer common, but even in a short-term survival situation, unclean spectres rear their ugly heads. Fortunately, a simple family hygiene kit is easy to prepare and store. Although public health has advanced much in the past 150 years, at its core it consists of isolating waste and washing hands properly. Other important considerations are regular bathing and dental hygiene. As a mother of six children, I would also add …


The Development and Maintenance of the First Weapon- Part 2, by B.C.

Strength-Building Option 2: Alternative Training Your second option is much less expensive and is easier, but it’s less lucrative in its payoff. You’ll need three handled water containers (I would use the inexpensive pre-filled 2.5gal ones you can buy at the grocery store), a pair of grippy work gloves, and a large filled and twist tie sealed sandbag. You’ll leave them filled as is for now, but will eventually fill the containers with sand or dirt as you get stronger. Fill the sandbag to a weight that allows you to take it from the ground to your shoulder 5x with …


The Development and Maintenance of the First Weapon- Part 1, by B.C.

“You can’t make people smarter. You can expose them to information, but your responsibility stops there.” -Mark Rippetoe, Strength Coach and Texan Two-thirds, one-third, and one-tenth. Those are the stats on how many Americans are overweight, obese, and have diabetes, respectively. Let that sink in for a minute. One in ten Americans would be dead within weeks, should their insulin supply be cut short by any kind of major incident. (Insulin is only guaranteed to be good for 28 days.) There would be roughly 30 million bodies in the first two or three months. The remaining folks who are obese …


Letter Re: Christian Healthcare Ministries

Hugh, Please be aware that if you must cancel membership that all claims must have been paid out first. They say that it takes 60 to 90 days to pay. If membership is canceled prior to payout, they do not pay. I was left with a $1200 bill when I canceled membership. There is one obscure sentence in their booklet that supports them not paying. – M.N.


Letter Re: Christian Health Care

JWR: I am not a spokesman for any health care provider, but I have had experience with one! Regarding the postings on Christian Health Care sharing programs, I have to weigh in. My wife is a member of the Christian Health Care Ministries program and has been for about three years. She selected a mid-level program and we just bite the bullet and make the monthly payments without fail, as hard as it sometimes is. Living in the Pacific Northwest/American Redoubt, we were not sure of available providers that would accept CHM, but we were in for a surprise! About …


Letter Re: Christian Medical Sharing Ministries

Hugh: In response to a recent contributor’s comments on health care sharing ministries, I want to add my biased take. (Full disclosure, I am a member sponsor for Liberty HealthShare, meaning I make some money by referring people to their programs. However, I do recommend any of the various major health sharing ministries– Liberty, Samaritan, Medi-Share, and Christian Healthcare Ministries. I think most people will have a good experience with any of them, so long as they are properly informed and know what to expect.) The big concern raised in the recent post was that it might be difficult to …


Letter: Christian Medical Sharing Ministries

Hello Hugh, Some time ago I read about Christian medical sharing ministries on SurvivalBlog. (My Experience in Expatriating to Panama, by Chuck Holton) I am retiring early at 61 due to a medical condition, and not wanting to use Obamacare I thought I had found my solution. I joined Liberty Health Share after researching them. They tell you they will help you establish a connection between them and your doctor. You fill out a form detailing your doctor’s office and send it back to Liberty. They then send correspondence to your doctor’s office. If your doctor does not respond to …


Guest Article: The Best Oils For A Worst Case Scenario- Part 2, by Melissa Mink

#4- Cedarwood (Organic-Atlas) This is a very useful but tricky oil that I would not recommend any pregnant women use. It can be ingested but needs to be an Atlas variety only. Others are toxic and cannot be ingested, so know your oils! This one is also an amazing calmer and is much more powerful, in my own experience, at soothing bug bites and stings than Lavender. If you have ever owned a Cedar chest, you know how amazingly effective it is at repelling bugs. It is also not an oil that will give away your presence if needing to …


Guest Article: The Best Oils For A Worst Case Scenario – Part 1, by Melissa Mink

I am going to lay out the very best oils in my opinion to have on hand in a “worst case” scenario or emergency situation. I have used (ran a business and used personally) essential oils for 17 yrs now. They are a part of my life, in home and business every day. I am giving my wisdom, gleaned from experience and much research on the uses and abilities of essential oils. Although there is no replacement for a well-trained medical professional, I realize sometimes life puts us all into situations where what we need isn’t always accessible. So here …