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 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 your medical professional who will tailor medical action sheets to your specific medical needs, conditions, allergies, and abilities.
Last time we studied abscesses and shingles. Today, we’ll study medical action sheets for influenza, colds, and pneumonia.
Influenza Overview
Influenza is spread by viruses either via droplets (up to six feet away) or direct contact with objects. (Think door knobs, ATM buttons, ink pens, keyboards, et cetera.) The virus lives up to eight hours on surfaces, so wash hands frequently and wear a mask/eye shield when caring for flu patients. Remember that influenza hits hard and fast compared to a cold. You will experience fever, extreme fatigue, and painful body aches. You’ll feel like you’ve been hit by a truck, but don’t despair! There is a new, inexpensive over-the-counter treatment called the vitamin D3 “hammer” that can end the flu within 48 to 72 hours. So please consider giving this a try and see if it works for you. Our family has had success with it, so read details below. Just remember to stick to the dosage listed below for adults, as vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, as are vitamins A, E, and K, and overdosing can result in toxicity.
Medical Action Sheet- Influenza
Here is your medical action sheet for adults dealing with influenza.
Prevention
For prevention, avoid the sick or wear mask/eye shields; wash hands often or use alcohol gel as alternative; chlorox wipe surfaces; wash dishes/utensils with soap and very hot water; get adequate rest, exercise, sleep, and nutrition.
Symptoms
Fast onset, fever, fierce fatigue, and body aches (feel like hit by a truck)
Treatment
Our family’s best treatment is to take the vitamin D hammer ASAP!
Adults: Either a one-time 50,000 IU dose of vit D3 or 10,000 IU 3 times daily for 2 or 3 days. Do not exceed this amount. Rest. Drink fluids. Avoid other people for their sake and in order to not expose yourself to other germs when you are already ill. Take a fever reducer/pain reliever. Avoid aspirin if under age 20, due to Reye’s syndrome.
See your doctor if you are very sick (short of breath, chest or abdomen pain, confusion, et cetera), have other medical conditions/questions, or if news media indicates this is a flu needing prescription antivirals.
Overview on Colds
Colds are also caused by viruses and spread not unlike influenza, so prevention is similar. Pick a home remedy and start treating it immediately at the first suspicion. I list a few below and favor #1 or #2. Many other treatment options are listed on the Internet elsewhere.
Medical Action Sheet- Colds
Here is your medical action sheet on colds.
Symptoms
Relative to influenza, cold symptoms have a slower onset and include sneezing, stuffy nose, and sore throat.
Treatment
Treatment instructions are to rest and drink fluids. If pregnant, try orange juice and chicken soup and not herbs, booze, or over-the-counter remedies without checking with your doctor first. Additional treatment options include:
- Hot toddy: 1 oz booze + 8 oz warm juice. Sip slowly to bathe throat. Don’t overdo.
- Cider vinegar-honey-cayenne-lemon: 4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar with mother (antiviral) + 4 Tbsp hot water + 1 Tbsp raw honey (antibacterial, antiviral) + 1 tsp cayenne pepper (anti-viral, anti-inflammatory) + lemon juice (vit C). Sometimes I’ve used just the raw honey and cayenne pepper to good effect. Remember, no honey for anyone under age 1 year. Take the remedy slowly and allow it to coat the throat.
- Garlic-honey-cayenne: 1 clove raw peeled garlic smashed and allowed to sit 15 minutes + 1 tsp honey + ½ tsp cayenne. Eat slowly 2 or 3 times per day. Continue until 1 or 2 days after cold symptoms are gone. It is said to be effective against strep throat, but I haven’t read any scientific studies verifying this claim. Over-the-counter medications that ease symptoms are anti-inflammatories (avoid aspirin under the age of 20), antihistamines, and decongestants. Avoid oral or nasal spray decongestants if you have glaucoma, urinary retention, or high blood pressure. Do not use nasal decongestant sprays more than a day or two due to the risk of rebound swelling.
Pneumonia Overview
Pneumonia can be due to virus, bacteria, or mycoplasma. In a hospital or medical facility, one can be exposed to germs and come down with more aggressive forms. Community-acquired pneumonia is contracted during normal life, especially if you are already run down by illness (cold, influenza), starvation, or have a predisposing medical condition. Suspect pneumonia if you are coughing and have a fever plus shortness of breath and or chest pain. See your doctor, if at all possible. Community-acquired pneumonia has a 30 to 40% fatality rate, which is even higher in the elderly who also may not exhibit the typical symptoms due to a weaker aging immune system!
Practice listening to normal lungs with a stethoscope so that you can identify abnormal or decreased breath sounds. Serious signs include rising respiration rates, dropping blood pressure, and dropping pulse oxygen. If the pneumonia is viral in origin, antibiotics will not help. If it is bacterial, an appropriate antibiotic is needed to fight the organism. What if someone has been walking around with a cough for three or more weeks and is gradually getting worse? Consider mycoplasma pneumonia.
Medical Action Sheet- Pneumonia
Below is your medical action sheet for adults.
Symptoms
Most common symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, decreased/abnormal breath sounds, fever, chills. Elderly people may not have fever, due to a weaker immune system, but exhibit confusion. Beware of rapid respirations (30 or more per minute), dropping blood pressure, or dropping oxygen levels. (Have an accurate pulse oximeter available.) Three or more weeks of gradually increasing coughing may indicate mycoplasma pneumonia.
Treatment
For treatment:
Provide acetaminophen (aka Tylenol) 1000mg orally every 6 hours as needed for fever/pain.
For adults, if bacterial or mycoplasma pneumonia and patient is not pregnant, offer azithromycin 250 mg two tabs on day one. Then, give one tab on days 2-5, or doxycycline 100mg orally twice daily for 10 days. If bacterial pneumonia and pregnant, offer amoxicillin 500 mg orally every 8 hours for 10 days. Do not change antibiotics for the first 2-3 days, unless it is a life-threatening situation, as it takes that long to start improving.
Continue to monitor fever, fluid intake, lung sounds, respirations, and pulse oximetry. Keep records of these vital signs and time/day/amount of medications. Encourage the patient to sit, stand, deep breathe, and walk as soon as possible and as tolerated, as this speeds recovery.
Remember to always seek medical help for pneumonia!
Next Medical Action Sheets
Next time, we’ll study medical action sheets for “Tick Troubles New and Old”.
See Also:
- 1- Medical Action Sheets, by K.B., M.D. – Part 1
- 3- Medical Action Sheets, by K.B., M.D. – Part 3 (Active on 12/28/18)
- 4- Medical Action Sheets, by K.B., M.D. – Part 4 (Active on 12/27/18)
SurvivalBlog Writing Contest
This has been part two of a four part entry for Round 80 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
- A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
- A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
- A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
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Second Prize:
- A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
- A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
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- A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
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Round 80 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
Colds and flu. Take elderberry syrup or elixir, both of which are easily made.
I firmly believe in the power of natural remedies, but I would be cautious about taking the elderberry syrup. I took it some time ago and ended up with a case of C-dif. Ended up having to have lab work to determine first of all what it was, then was put on antibiotics which I was trying to stay away from in the first. When I asked my doc what the cause of the C-dif was she said it was from an extensive use of antibiotics.
Then, this year I got cocky and tried a dose again as my grand kids were sick & I didn’t want to be out of commission for any reason. The C-dif. reoccurred. This time I fought it with charcoal tablets. Charcoal will get rid of the bad bacterial in your system. It also gets rid of the good.
So then I work at reinforcing what good I have with yogurt containing LIVE bacteria. So far, so good. Learned my lesson.
Valley Girl
50,000 u of vitamin D is a very high dose & likely to be hepatotoxic for many. Drinker? History of Hepatitis? Rxmeds? All these & many others predispose to permanent liver injury from high dose Vit K. I’m tempted to ask this to be pulled but won’t, this is a very GREY Zone recommendation. Better idea, get a Quadravalent flu shot.
I feel obliged to chime in: I have often warned that vitamins K, A, D, and E are fat-soluble rather than water soluble. Therefore, consider the risk of toxicity in high doses! Take into account your age, body weight, activity level, and most importantly the condition of your liver before ingesting high doses of these four vitamins! If uncertain, consult your local doctor. Excesses of most other vitamins that are water soluble (B, C, etc.) are excreted through the kidneys. So with those, over-dosing is just an expensive way to urinate in pretty colors. No harm done, except to your wallet.
Please be assured that what is stated above is safe and recommended by several organizations and medical professionals including the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Vitamin D Council who states that 10 days of 50,000 IU is safe, a statement that I am not comfortable with. I am however comfortable with using the one-day vitamin D hammer for healthy adults. As always, consult with your personal physician. Best wishes, K.B., M.D.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4463890/
https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health-conditions/influenza/
https://vitamindwiki.com/Influenza+prevented+by+40+ng+levels+or+treated+with+vitamin+D+hammer+%2850%2C000+IU%29+%E2%80%93+June+2015
https://www.drtraviselliott.com/blog/ever-tried-vitamin-d-hammer/
https://www.fxmedicine.com.au/blog-post/vitamin-d-vs-flu-vaccine-there-stand-out-winner
I share Montana Rural Doc’s concerns regarding these extreme mega doses of vitamin D. I THINK vitamin D in daily doses of “somewhere in the neighborhood” of 1000 IU is appropriate, and apparently safe, for prevention of osteoporosis, and probably for good health in general. However, I find no credible evidence for mega doses of this or any vitamin for prevention/treatment of influenza in particular. And the downsides could be catastrophic…especially in a grid down scenario. Between one “study” consisting of an anecdotal “what happened to my family on summer vacation” to articles masquerading as scientific misquoting other themselves poorly done “studies” it was enough to make blood shoot out of my one good eye.
The basis of action for most, if not all, of these magic potions appears to be an enhanced immune system, although in one article vitamin D was simultaneously credited with reduction in inflammation and therefore, supposedly, less cytokine storm.
The single most effective and safe method to “enhance” the immune system against influenza is flu vaccine. And, yes, I am aware the “flu shot” doesn’t always work depending on the accuracy of prediction of which strains will predominate that year, antigenic drift, etc, etc, etc.
In my humble opinion, vaccines in general are a gift from God, and along with good public health and good personal hygiene, some of the safest and most effective ways to avoid some of the most awful plagues ever visited on humanity…many of which have no treatment, only prevention. Think smallpox, polio, whooping cough, rabies, tetanus, and others that we almost never see in western countries.
My two cents…
I did not state that I was anti-vaccine. My article states that this is for
TEOTWAWKI situations when vaccines may well not be available.
As we all know, there are also years where the vaccines are not as effective. This gives people an alternative to riskier antivirals.
Please site your references for the “catastrophic” effect of a one time
50,000 IU vitamin D dose in a healthy adult. I also stated that all remedies should be cleared by one’s treating physician.
My apologies if my comments came off as confrontational…not in any way meant to be so. To be clear my comment regarding potential catastrophic effects was for mega dose vitamin consumption in general not so much at the 50,000 IU one time dose…although anytime one exceeds generally accepted safe doses of anything caution is in order. That said, I would consider any risk to be unacceptable if no provable benefit accompanies the risk.
And while you state this treatment is for TEOTWAWKI too many less informed would take this information as further justification to avoid more effective strategies.
Unfortunately, the medical profession, and more so the healthcare “industry”, has, and often deservedly, lost the trust of many. Critical thinking and healthy skepticism is always warranted.
Respectfully.
Thank you, doctor. This is a wonderful format- straight forward symptomology, some insight into what other conditions these symptoms might indicate, drugs and alternative medications for the condition, and most importantly, some attempt to communicate your wisdom, insight and experience, all on a single page or two.
There are all kinds of nursing and where-theres-no-doctor handbooks out there that have this same kind of information, but your format, notebook sized and three ring punched on laminated card stock would be fantastic. I’m no advocate of algorithm medicine, but in extremes they could be life savers for folks without training.
Has anyone seen these kinds of “cheat sheets” out there?
Yes I as well used elderberry concentrate. I have also read that flu and colds can be helped by a baking soda and water mix. It was on the box back 100 yrs ago. Now they are not allowed for whatever reason.
Influenza is a specific set of viruses and only mildly related to common viral colds and completely different from bacterial colds. The most telling sign is fever,influenza causes a violent reaction by the bodys immune system as a high(101f+) fever and chills. Aid the patient by allowing the fever to work(as long as it stays below103-104). Beware dehydration and prolonged fasting(12+hrs) they won’t want to eat or drink but push.
Pneumonia is recognized by not only labored breath but also sputum that has color(yellow to green) and thick. Elimination can be assisted by inverting and allowing gravity to assist(not fun but effective).
If you are infected and transmitable wear a mask to prevent spread to others. Take responsibility to not infect others not the other way around(Japanese are very good on this).
Can you elaborate on inverting?
I use standard doses of Mucinex with a strategy of lying down and changing position to aid in the discharge of the congestion in your lungs. That is take the Mucinex and drink lots of water. Recline on your back for 20 minutes or so. If at any time you achieve productive coughing sit up so that it is more effective (and put your legs over the side of the bed for better positioning) and cough as necessary to bring up the mucus. After 20 minutes on your back lie on your side (either side). You will/may feel the mucus in your lungs moving and when it does it will induce coughing so again sit up so your coughing can be most productive. After lying on one side roll over onto the other side. Again you will likely actually feel the mucus migrate under the influence of the change in position relative to gravity. Keep repeating as long as the cough is productive. Additionally if able walk a little and move around as this too will loosen the mucus allowing you to expectorate it. It can be messy, use a small trash container, paper towels or tissue to catch the mucus and of course dispose of it when it is convenient.
Inverting is getting the head to closest to the ground,if you have access to a inversion table(hook your feet into a restraint and then reclines til you are upside down,mostly used for back problems) or a hand stand against a wall or laying head down on stairs. Caution! This can be uncomfortable and have dramatic effects if a large volume is expectorated.
Apology accepted, John. All medical treatments come with risks and benefits to be weighed. Some of the articles I listed above are for people who distrust M.D.’s and
prefer other sorts of practitioners. There will always be disagreements about preferred treatments, and people can pick and choose who they want to listen to. I just hope that my four-part series may help someone in a time of need.
Hi KB,
I like your articles and the format. That said do you intend to produce more after the initial 4 or is that it. ( there are many more ailments that could be covered in this format).
Many thanks for the initial 4.
Regards and best wishes
The effectiveness of the Vitamin D hammer varies by individual. I came across the Vitamin D Council site years ago, which was very handy when I got swine flu. It took one dose of 100,000 units, and away it went.
As I have gotten older, that amount of D no longer works, but 200,000 units does. Note: I am indoors 99 percent of the time, so my natural levels are low.
If I remember correctly, the site shows a study that found you can take that much for up to six weeks, which is totally unnecessary, since a couple of days of it will kill almost anything. However, should ebola or the black death strike this country, it is good to know.
Vitamin D is a body weight dose dependent vitamin. The usual dose is 1,000 units per 10 kilograms of body weight. So a 110 pound person would normally take 5,000 units, and a 220 pound person would take 10,000 units. The recommendation of 1,000 units is suited for a 22 pound child.
This is why most of the people who died of swine flu were obese. Obese people need much higher levels than people of normal weight, and the swine flu struck in winter when levels of D are lower than in summer.
Vitamin D poisoning is a slow process, the symptoms are clear, and you have to be really stupid to keep taking it once they appear.
If someone has liver issues, take milk thistle with it. I once inadvertently cured a client who was waiting for a liver transplant with it – eight capsules of Solaray milk thistle a day turned him from deathly yellow-grey to a nice, healthy pink. No transplant. Not saying this would work for everyone, but it’s harmless, and worth a try.
I’m surprised no recommendations for Vitamin C intake. I’ve heard high levels of C can cure many common colds.
Oral vitamin C self regulates at approx. 1000mg,your body won’t absorb more but IV vitamin C has much higher limits and has cured most infections(including incurable) for almost 100years.
The difference between a cold and the flu is that if you received a phone call in bed telling you a $100 bill was just taped to your front door that if you have a cold, you’ll go get it.
And how about Oscillococcinum. and other homeopathic remedies.
No one has mentioned the Tylenol dosing of 1000mg every 6 hours, I realize that this can be an acceptable dose per 24 hour period, but I would use caution in any person with a compromised liver, or certainly children. Working in an ICU unit for decades I have seen many attempted suicides with acetaminophen end up with liver toxicity. Some of these people used very large doses and some not. If you choose to take 4000 mg in a 24 hour period, I hope you do this for as few days as possible. Many people are not aware they have a compromised liver, this can include drinkers, drug users, cancer patients, and some other conditions.
Tylenol is the only over the counter pain medicine I can take because I’m on anti-coagulants. But I fear Tylenol because of it’s effects on the liver. So I prefer the pain (or the temperature) to the medication.
Thank you so much, Doc, for this excellent summarized information. Even coming from a medical family, I learned something and appreciate the concise format.
I’d very much like to see more of these on other subjects and also on these subjects for children, as many of us have children/grandchildren that we will need to care for in emergency/TEOTWAWKI situations. While they are clamoring for comfort and we are emotional over their distress, summarized medical action sheets could be a God-send.