Letter: Mastitis

HJL,

Mastitis nearly killed me. In a more primitive country, I could have been another maternal death statistic. Mastitis is just one path of infection and death for new mothers. Mastitis cannot be downplayed. Nor can the value of breast feeding “support” be over estimated. While my response to the excellent and informative article by Dr. Goscienski is intensely personal and private, perhaps in the future it may save a baby or mother’s life.

I come from a comfortable family, in the socio-economic sense. It would not be correct to just say we are advocates of breast feeding. Simply, everyone does it; it’s the norm. While growing up, my mother who was born in 1918 always proudly told us she nursed all her babies, and her vastly experienced family– grandmothers, mother, sister, aunts– that surrounded her had helped her.

Never was there a “well, maybe I will, maybe I won’t, we will see how it goes” attitude. I just knew breast feeding was natural, best for the baby, one of the sweetest and dearest parts of mothering, and you do it.

Thankfully, no doctor, prior to my first giving birth ever said to me, “Oh, you have inverted nipples so you won’t be able to nurse a baby.” Since then, throughout my life, several docs have said, “Oh, you were never able to nurse a baby, right?” My response? I said, “Only three babies for a total of 36 months.”

Mastitis is not simply full, hot, and hard breasts. The suffix “-itis” means infection. It’s a life-threatening illness. Had I been without medical support, the outcome could have been direful. One minute I was fine and out grocery shopping with my second child– a 3 month old. On getting into the car, I had that familiar tingly feeling of “I should feed the baby”. I tried, and she refused. Within the 30 minutes that it took to drive home, unload the car, and get inside the house, serious symptoms struck. I spiked a high fever, had chills at the same time, and wandered in and out of delirium. I writhed and thrashed on the bed several hours until my husband came home to take me to the ER. There, I received oral antibiotics and a needle aspiration for culture and was sent home.

As dying people sometimes do, my body gave its big hurrah. Dying people with little urine output may appear to have better kidney function. Dying people may appear to rally right before the end. My body seemed to respond to the antibiotic– no fever, no chills, in my right mind overnight. However, within 18 hours, every symptom returned with a vengeance, and I was the same as the day before, yet much worse.

We went back to the ER where I was admitted. I remained in the hospital on IV antibiotics for five days. This baby daughter had been breastfed exclusively for her short three month life. My husband looked at me before departing that night with our other child and asked, “What do I do?” All I could do was shrug and say, “Go buy some bottles and formula.” I was too sick to care.

What did support look like in this situation? Support was IV antibiotics, clear liquids, a small electrical blanket made of cells with circulating warm water to lay across my chest, a breast pump, and after a couple of days, the directive for my husband to bring the baby to me in the hospital so she could nurse. No one ever suggested I stop breast feeding. I was ready to quit. But that option was not ever brought up. I got well, we went home, and I nursed her until she was a romping 14 months old. Never, ever in 63 years have I been that sick, before or since.

What did support look like for the next child in line? At that point, I was leery of breast feeding an infant since the last experience had nearly killed me. Before delivery, I told the OB that I had no intention of breast feeding this next baby. He was having none of that. He sternly told me that oh yes I was, and it was not up for discussion. I was good at breast feeding, I knew how to do it, and the chances of getting sick like that again were infinitesimal. Sometimes people need to be bossed. The baby came and happily nursed without event or drama until her first birthday.

What did support look like for my first born? My mother came and stayed with us for a month. She was an old pro at how to breast feed a baby. She got up with me at night, and sat with us in the wee hours while I muddled along. She forced liquids on me and simply encouraged me. Giving up was never an option. When my nipples cracked and bled and I moaned, “What do I do?” Her response, “Put that baby back up there. Keep going.” An OB woman acquaintance later joyfully told me about the blood, “More protein!”

The hospital gave me a nipple shield, which saved the situation. After three weeks, my baby had the hang of nursing, so I could retire the shield. The subsequent children took less time to figure it out and pulled strongly enough.

Let me be honest. It hurt in the beginning, it was frustrating, I was scared that I was starving my baby, and again, it hurt. But, all this was short-lived– really only a few days. And I gave my babies the jump start in life they needed.

What did support look like for my daughter when she had a baby? First of all, her intense desire to breastfeed for one full year saw her through and enabled her to succeed. She could have quit at any time. Her mindset was that she could do it, and she made it work. In 2014, there are many excellent items in the marketplace to help mothers of newborns, but in the end it’s mental. I stayed with her for several weeks, got up with her at night, ensured she always had a glass of juice or water at hand, sat with her hour after hour as she pumped her excess, sat with her hour after hour as she nursed, and washed her equipment. When her milk came in, I made hot packs for her breasts. She prevailed and nursed that baby over 12 months.

If there is the least remote chance you will be around childbearing women, which is pretty much teenage girls and up, your stock of supplies must include several nipple shields, nursing pads or fabric to make them, nipple cream, such as Lansinoh HPA Lanolin for Breastfeeding Mothers, breast pump (manual/painful or electric/pleasant but requires electricity) and a thermometer. Encourage, encourage, encourage, be a cheerleader, and reassure the new mom.

Flat or inverted nipples, cracked and bleeding nipples, hard full breasts, engorgement, true mastitis, leaking, heat, and pain can all be a part of the early breast feeding experience. However, just like childbirth which hurts, the pain is transient, and the outcome is oh so worth it. A progressive, knowledgable medical and family environment helps support the new mom.

In conclusion, create a positive culture of breast feeding. Why is this even an option? I don’t know what the numbers are, but except for a teeny, tiny percent of new moms who for whatever reason are truly, physically unable to nurse, the vast, vast huge majority of moms could nurse if they have emotional support, products, and a desire to be successful. Otherwise, the human race would have gone extinct a long time ago.

Oh, by the way, I was in that hippie generation and gave birth “naturally,” sans epidural, spinal, or any of those other aids, but that is another article. – S.A.

Economics and Investing:

The Successor to Keynes. – Mark the Hairless

o o o

Russia, China Plan to Expand Payments in National Currencies. The Demise of the Petrodollar. – G.P.

o o o

Items from The Economatrix:

Jim Rogers Warns: “You Better Run for the Hills!”

How Much Do Americans Earn? Average Income Data For Individuals And Households. Stagnant Income Growth For American Families.

America Can’t Prosper With Low Rates, Weak Dollar

Humor: Risk Of Another Financial Crisis “Very Low,” Geithner Says

Odds ‘n Sods:

Quality Homegrown Milk . Do you know what A1 or A2 milk is? I didn’t. Some cows are just better than others.

o o o

Federal ‘Biosurveillance’ Plan Seeking Direct Access to Americans’ Private Medical Records – D.S.

o o o

‘They Brandished Shields’ and Pointed Rifles ‘Directly at Innocent Citizens’ — and That Was Just the Start: Lawsuit Details Shock Case of Alleged Fourth Amendment Violation – B.B.

o o o

Ukrainian army leaves fully armed & fueled BMP unguarded. Curious crowd climbs in for a look. Results as expected. . Fortunately, no one was injured by the round, though there were a few injuries by flying brick.

o o o

Cops find arsenal of guns, swords in Brooklyn apartment. If this is an “arsenal” then most of my friend’s gun-rooms and safes would be considered independent nations. – T.Y.

“‘It was enough to arm a small army or militia,’ a police source said of the bust. ‘These guys were ready for war.’”

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“To have a faith, therefore, or a trust in any thing, where God hath not promised, is plain idolatry, and a worshipping of thine own imagination instead of God.” – William Tyndale

Notes for Tuesday – May 20, 2014:

May 20th, 1942 is the birthday of Carlos Hathcock, who died February 23, 1999. He was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills.

o o o

Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be 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,
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

Second Prize:

  1. 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,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Instituteis donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. A full set of all 26 books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Autrey’s Armory – specialists in AR-15, M4s, parts, and accessories is donating a $250 gift certificate,
  10. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  12. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  7. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208.
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.

Round 52 ends on May 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.

The CMP: America’s Civilian Armory, by Uncle Mike

The M1 Garand, as a modern day tactical rifle, has many alleged faults. You can find that they may be only perceived faults. Here are a few alleged faults: No detachable magazine, obsolete, too heavy, and limited magazine capacity. I think that these perceived disadvantages can be actual advantages. It has no magazines to lug around. It is easily obtainable, especially from the CMP, with sturdy construction, and a great set of sights. Also this rifle is cost effective and reliable with available ammo. The 30-06 is one of the most popular cartridges.

An eight shot clip may not be ideal in today’s climate of unlimited ammo for military. Unlike the military, civilians don’t have a supply line or unlimited ammunition. The clip has advantages. First, it’s semi-indestructible. Run over it with your truck and you’ll probably get a flat tire. In the prone position, there’s no longer a magazine protruding from the receiver. You don’t have to lug around a bunch of empty magazines. With some simple manipulation the internal magazine can be topped off. Just pull back the slide. Partially eject the clip, and then place a few rounds in the clip. It’s not easy, at first, but it can be done, easily. When you learn to operate your rifle, correctly. Like loading, 8 plus 2 rounds for a match, string of ten. Place the empty clip in the magazine well; then place two rounds on the follower and close the action.

The “obsolete” nature of the rifle’s design can be looked on as a tried and tested battle rifle. It has been tested in the deserts of North Africa to the jungles of the Pacific and the arctic cold of Korea. A well maintained and lubed M1 Garand Rifle works in all conditions, as proven by its long service.

The heavy nature of the M1 Garand is a reassuring heft, made from steel and wood. At 9.5 pounds, it’s not that much heavier than the modern day battle rifle carried by today’s troops. It’s also an accurate rifle that can get solid hits at 300 yards and beyond. It has some of the best iron sights on any rifle. Because of the ubiquitous nature of the Garand, there are plenty of after-market upgrades– Tritium front sights, stock pouches, grab and go ammo carriers, and a variety of two and three point slings.

Unlike many rifles available today, the Garand receiver is forged steel made in a government armory or a government-inspected major manufacturer, such as Springfield, Harrington & Richardson, Winchester, and International Harvester. The later two are hard to find at this time. The CMP has announced it has a limited amount of International Harvesters but has not released them at this time. The real deal is available from the Civilian Marksmanship Program. They will send the rifle to your house, in most cases, for a nominal shipping fee. You can get a good shooting rifle, priced between $625 and $995. The various grades are divided by wear on the rifle. The higher the grade the more the price. The highest being the CMP Special at $1100, with a new barrel and new commercial stock. With a new finish and barrel you have a new rifle.

There are some simple qualifications to receive your “new” rifle. You must be a U.S. citizen, belong to a CMP-affiliated club where you show firearms activity, and pass a background NICS check. There’s a list of clubs on the CMP web site. None in your area? Join the Garand Collectors Association for only $25 a year. You get a great quarterly magazine and can study the history of your new rifle. The NRA is not considered an affiliated club, but my local club makes membership mandatory for all members, which is not a bad idea. The shooting component can be satisfied by US Military service, law enforcement service, or shooting in a match. My local club has a CMP Clinic that ends with a shooting match and is great fun and very informative.

The CMP promotes marksmanship and safety, and it uses the profit from rifle sales to run the various national matches, like Camp Perry, in Clinton, Ohio. They also have ammo, targets, training aids, shooting equipment, and Garand parts. With surplus M 2, 30-06, and other calibers including 30 Carbine ammunition available, it’s a great way to feed your new rifle. For those that like the .308 vs. the 30-06, the CMP now has a .308 Garand.

Over the years I’ve owned several Garand rifles, and I’ve never had any major problems with the rifles that I’ve obtained from the CMP. I did receive a rifle with a broken rear sight that they fixed immediately. They stand behind what they sell. The CMP publishes a short booklet, “U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 ‘Read This First,’“ which talks about field stripping, ammunition, safety, loading, unloading, firing, care, and cleaning. It has such nuggets as “When all else fails, read the Instructions.” All this in a 37-page booklet. It comes free with every CMP M1. It’s written in plain English and easy to understand.

After receiving your rifle and reading your booklet, you will need to clean and lube your rifle. Then take a trip to the range. I sight my rifles three inches high at 100 yards. I use the old pumpkin on a stick sight picture. I raise the elevation and then count the clicks back down, so I know what my zero is. When I get the result I want, I loosen the rear sight elevation screw and put the 100 yard hash mark at my zero. Tighten it down and your all set. I usually write down the number of clicks, in case the rear sight loosens. For us old guys, you can place white paint or use a china marker in the notches of the rear sight for easy visibility and manipulation. You can also mark the windage scale behind the rear sight. A neat little item is a Tritium front sight available from Brownells. There is more about this later.

When your rifle is clean and well lubed, you will find your ejected empties in a neat little pile in front and to the right of your muzzle. As your rifle gets fouled, you will see this ejection pattern change from a forward bias to a straighter, 90-degree angle. This often occurs in a poorly-lubed rifle.

Those familiar with the M14 or the popular M1A, produced by Springfield Armory, Inc., will find the safety and sights on the Garand very familiar. The safety on your rifle is a well thought out system. The safety in the trigger guard, protruding to the rear, is safe. When forward and out of the trigger group, the safety is off and the rifle is ready to fire. Also, the rifle will not fire unless the bolt is locked and the firing pin is aligned in the slot in the receiver bridge.

The CMP and most gunsmiths advise use of the specific GI 30-06, M2 , M72 Match loading or those commercial loads specifically designed for the M1 Garand. The CMP Armorers specify, if you use commercial ammunition, nothing heavier than 180 grains. There’s a small part that can help you, if you want to use a non-recommended load. It’s a vented gas plug. There are several models available. The one I use has an open gas plug with an Allen screw fitted to the center. You open it all the way, venting all the gas, and slowly tighten the screw until you get positive ejection and reloading. My experience is that this can be done in three or four shots. Frankly, I have one but don’t use it much. With fairly cheap M2 ball ammunition available, I see no need for commercial loads. As a reloader I am sorry to say that most of the problems I’ve seen with Garand rifles and ammunition has been due to reloads. The CMP booklet has a chapter called, “A Grim Sermon On Reloading”. They don’t encourage it.

I think that the M1 Garand is a well-balanced, powerful battle rifle. I’m not recommending you sell your ARs, M1As, or AKs, but for the average shooter it is a good possibility. By putting a Tritium front sight on your Garand it gives you a low-light sighting option. One of the points that helps in accuracy in your Garand is a tight gas cylinder lock up. One of the unintended consequences of my Tritium front sight installation was the tightening of this area. I went from three minute of angle to two by increasing the tension on this area. Some of the other points of accuracy improvement are a tight trigger group lock up and a good muzzle.

Don’t carry your ammo in a paper bag! There are several ways to carry your loaded clips. One is the GI ammo belt. These are being reproduced in the original khaki, green, or black. Also, bandoliers are cheap. I’ve been told that WW II GI’s liked to carry spare ammo in bandoliers and not in their ammo belts. Olangapo Outfitters makes a handy stock pouch that holds two loaded clips. They also make an upgraded 10-pocket ammo belt and what they call the Grab and Go Garand bag. It is carried to the side of the shooter, like a half SKS chest ammo carrier.

A good sling is a must. You can get an original style 1903 style leather sling from Turner Slings. I have one, but I am considering going to a web sling. It’s lighter and simpler to use. You can also get a modern two or three point sling from Specter gear. Scope mounts are available from the traditional M1D configuration, a side mount to a scout scope. Mounts are being sold by several manufacturers– B Square, Ammega Ranges, and Ultimak– available at Brownells.

“Tactical” is an elastic term. It can cover a wide group of firearms. For self defense everything has been used from the pistol and shotgun rifle to clubs and rocks. Painting a rock black and hanging a flashlight from it doesn’t make it an ideal self defense weapon. If your preferred platform is the AR or AK system, well and good. The M1 Garand has a unique place in American history and doesn’t scream “Black Gun” or “Tactical”. It has an eight round clip, so there is no 10 round “hysteria”. It’s also a lot of fun to shoot. You’ll be at the range more than in combat. In the eventuality that you need to defend yourself, the M1 Garand will not let you down.

Links:

http://www.thecmp.org/

http://www.thegca.org/

http://turnersling.com/

http://www.spectergear.com/

Letter Re: Multi-Purpose Power Solution

HJL,

Liquid fuels are expensive, heavy, dangerous to transport, and a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Even if you have enough stored for a year, what then?

Direct conversion of biomass to fuel for gensets has been proven successful for thirty plus years now. I have operated a design for powering small gensets that works as well today as it did in the early 80’s. It’s also driven a few thousand miles on a truck that runs on nature’s finest.

Due to space and weight limitations not present in stationary applications, refining wood into gas on board a vehicle is a much bigger trick than powering a stationary genset from wood. There are plenty of folks powering vehicles already. Checkout driveonwood.com for more info.

A solid fuel refinery takes up less space and weighs less than storing long-term, useful amounts of liquid fuels.

Biomass– wood, stalks, and stems– provide plenty of energy that does not need to be hoarded and is so low value it is not worth stealing. Various forms of dry biomass are likely to be even more plentiful in worst case scenarios.

The more people who switch now, the lower the bottom and the quicker the rise from the fall.

The Creator designed a world with plentiful energy provided above ground by the daily passage of the sun overhead. That this energy “manna” is not good enough, not even considered when seeking to serve energy needs, is a sign of the times.

A 1993 US DOE report by Larry Dobson presented the potential quite clearly. The report is not hard to find for those who seek to learn more. –DAB

Letter Re: Building Your Own No-FFL AR From An 80% Complete Receiver

Hugh,

I am a firm believer in what JAG is advocating. I, too, have built different AR15 platforms. The first was an FFL registered stripped lower receiver and a full kit (shipped through UPS with NO FFL paperwork) from Model 1 Sales. Everything went together smoothly. Anyone with any mechanical aptitude can do this. I next bought an EP80 and drilled and milled the lower with a drill press and Dremel tool. This, too, is easy if one works carefully. I have since bought two 80% aluminum forged lowers and a jig. I don’t mind the extra expense of the jig, as it will provide piece of mind while I drill and mill the lower. The bottom line is an individual can make an unregistered rifle that is LEGAL to own. They can be cheap enough to cache and reliable enough to depend on. The AR15 platform is made from a design that is easy to assemble and disassemble, clean, and shoot for the smallest frame adult. I feel that every home could benefit by having one of these around. The one thing that I would add is a .22 caliber upper or adapter for plinking. The ammunition costs less and shooting at tin cans or targets (safely) is fun, relaxing, and a good way to teach firearm safety and handling. – CDH

Economics and Investing:

No Raises For Anyone: Real Hourly Wages Decline For The First Time Since 2012. – T.F.

o o o

Why The Fed Won’t Flinch As Unemployment Drops And Inflation Rises

o o o

Items from The Economatrix:

Richard Russell – Shorts May Get Crushed In The Silver Market

Full-Blown Currency Wars, Gold, World War III & Serious Panic

Ask The Expert – Jim Willie (May 2014) | Sprott Money News : Sharing The US Government Has A ‘Suicide Tendency’, Jim Calls Out The Banking Cabal As The US Dollar Edges Ever Closer To Its’ End

A Demographic Time Bomb: Over The Next Decade 20 Percent Of The US Population Will Be 65 Years Of Age Or Older

Odds ‘n Sods:

Feds Hit Online Gun Stores With “High Risk” Label. – B.B. Gun stores in the same category as porn?

o o o

BEAUMONT: Jury weighs police pepper spray that blinded woman – T.Y.

“Clark used his department-issued JPX gunpowder-propelled pepper spray weapon and fired it less than a foot away from her face.”

o o o

NASA Study Concludes When Civilization Will End, And It’s Not Looking Good for Us – S.O.

Now I’m really wondering why NASA is still part of the government budget process.

o o o

Obama Syndicate Assaulting Americans from Every Angle. – B.B.

o o o

Why the Hell is the Department of Agriculture Buying Submachine Guns? – RBS

Notes for Monday – May 19, 2014:

JWR wanted to share this interesting podcast on a A Swiss view of prepardness.

o o o

While the BLM took a beating over Cliven Bundy, it looks like they are still up to their old polices: Feds Seize New Mexico Ranch to Rid the West of Ranchers.

Seven Secrets of Medical Prepping, by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD

Someone once commented that my book held no “secrets” to medical prepping, that everything in the book could be found elsewhere. I’d have to agree, but it would take you hundreds of hours to compile the information. My experience has taught me to be cautious of secrets. Don’t they usually just cause trouble? Nothing in medicine should be secret, anyway. In fact, the subtitle to my Survival Medicine courses is “Taking the Mystery Out of Medicine.” Still, “secrets” can be fun, and what follows are seven “secrets” you should know, if you don’t already:

  1. Out-dated drugs aren’t actually expired. Drug “expiration dates” are comparable to “best if used by” dates. Medications are tested to prove they are safe for a documented period of time, but this says nothing about safety or efficacy beyond the test date. When stored according to manufacturer directions, pills, tablets, and dry powders are likely safe and effective for years beyond their printed expiration dates. (The Shelf Life Extension Program has confirmed this for many drugs, including several antibiotics.) However, out-dated liquid medications are significantly less likely to remain stable, and therefore should be used with caution.
  2. Fish antibiotics are the same as human antibiotics. At least in many cases this is true. Keep in mind that fish antibiotics are legally sold OTC for aquarium use, not for human ingestion. However, if you’re going to go the fish antibiotic route, make sure you find a source where you can confirm the drugs are USP grade, AB-rated generics. Ideally, the seller would provide images of these medications showing their imprint numbers, which then can be double-checked against a pill-finder, several of which are available online. However, I again recommend that you develop a strong, trusting relationship with your personal physician and work with him or her to obtain an emergency supply of recommended antibiotics (which I’ve addressed in earlier articles).
  3. Laymen can learn to suture as well as professionals. Having taught suturing classes over the last few years, I have concluded that the layman can learn to suture as well as a professional, at least when it comes to straightforward lacerations, such as those seen daily in Urgent Care Centers. If you’d like to learn, perhaps a local physician, dentist, PA, nurse practitioner, or midwife would be willing to assist. There are also a handful of schools for preppers, missionaries, and crisis workers scattered across the country which you could attend.
  4. OTC drugs are as strong as prescription drugs. Why don’t people believe this? I think it’s largely because when the average person visits a physician, they want something “better” than they could have procured on their own, thus making the trip to the doctor “worthwhile.” However, readers of SurvivalBlog are above average, and should educate themselves regarding the amazing array of potent medications that have changed status in recent years from prescription to over-the-counter. Some of my favorites include: ibuprofen, naproxen, Zantac, Pepcid, Prilosec, Prevacid, Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec, Monistat, Lotrimin, Lamisil, and most recently Nasacort. Older essential OTC drugs include insulin, aspirin, gentian violet, Primatene Mist (now replaced with Asthmanefrin), Benadryl, Bonine, and Dramamine, as well as several others. Knowing when and how to use these is the next step.
  5. Many medicines don’t work most of the time. In many situations, drugs offer little or no benefit over “tincture of time.” Many illnesses that are often treated with medicine would resolve on their own, given a little more time (than impatient Americans allow). For example, using antibiotics to treat sinus infections offers almost no benefit, even among patients with X-ray-proven sinusitis (93% chance of no benefit). The answer is similar for adults with middle ear infections (but young children do benefit). Is saline irrigation better for preventing infections in wounds than simple tap water? Maybe for one patient in 36. Do prophylactic antibiotics help prevent infection in people with animal bites but no sign of infection yet? No. Do topical antibiotics help pink eye? Maybe; about one in seven patients gets well faster. Does aspirin help prevent a first heart attack or stroke in healthy people? One in 1667 will benefit. Check out www.thennt.com and search for your favorite problem or disease. The “number needed to treat” along with “number needed to harm” are interesting concepts introduced into medical research in the past decade or so. If a doctor gave you a drug and told you, “When I treat ten patients with this medicine, I’ll help on average only one,” would you take it? Even knowing these statistics, doctors use medicines that offer little value simply because patients want something. These numbers are not meant to depress you but rather to allow you to conserve your limited supply of drugs for serious problems.
  6. Neither drugs nor doctors actually cure anyone. The best a doctor or medicine can do is to optimize the environment to allow the God-given healing process to occur. Antibiotics don’t cure anyone directly, they just (hopefully) kill enough germs to allow your immune system to take care of the rest. AIDS patients don’t die of HIV, they die of diseases their own immune systems cannot overcome, regardless of how many antibiotics doctors prescribe. Surgeons don’t cure appendicitis; they just remove the infection to allow the body to heal itself. The closest to a cure doctors can achieve is by recommending something your body actually lacks, such as Vitamin C that can “cure” scurvy. However, this is actually just providing your body with the building blocks it needs to function, in the same sense that food “cures” starvation, at least for awhile. How can this help you? My main point is to relieve you from worry. Not that you don’t want to optimize the healing environment by eating a balanced diet, observing good hygiene, brushing your teeth, et cetera. Do what you can, and then thank the Great Physician for His healing touch.
  7. You can be better prepared than a physician to care for your own health. In truth there are no secrets of medical prepping. The information explosion has made all the health information available to doctors available to you as well. While there’s still time, educate yourself for free online, and buy an assortment of primary care textbooks. Also, whereas doctors do have a great deal of medical education and experience, very few are doing any sort of preparation for a rainy day or TEOTWAWKI. Even if you don’t have the confidence to provide medical care, you can acquire the tools, medications, and instruments for someone with training to use. Invest a few hundred dollars in common medical items to equip a small clinic (stethoscope, pen light, otoscope, syringes, suture material, plaster, OTC medications, bandages, splints, dressings, et cetera.)

So there you have it. The cat is out of the box. You know all my secrets. (Well, actually I do know a few more that I don’t put in writing, in order to protect all of us. However, if and when you meet me in person, feel free to ask.) For further information on the above topics and many more, visit my web site at www.armageddonmedicine.net, where you can also register for upcoming Survival Medicine Workshops.

Scot’s Product Review: Milt Sparks Holsters

In a way, I am reluctant to write about Milt Sparks as it will probably just make it harder the next time I need a holster, but my readers deserve to know, so here goes.

Milt Sparks Holsters is named for its founder, Milt Sparks. Sparks began making holsters in the early days of competitive combat shooting in the 1960’s and 70’s. Magazine writer and founder of the International Practical Shooting Confederation, Lt. Colonel Jeff Cooper, among others, helped popularize Sparks’ work. What really made Sparks’ products so popular, though, is the quality of design and production.

The only problem with Sparks’ products is that it can take months to get them. Sparks has always been a small operation with an eye for quality, and that means they don’t make them fast and they don’t make them cheap. Each holster is custom made to order for the buyer. There is even a scalper market for their holsters. People try to sneak in extra orders so they can sell them on auction sites at a large profit. Sparks tries to prevent this, as they think the end user deserves to get the holsters directly.

Something else that makes me respect Sparks is that they give credit to others when one of their products borrows an idea. This is unusual these days and worth noting.

Milt Sparks brought Tony Kanaley into the operation in 1983. Kanaley eventually took over the business. Sparks passed away in 1995.

Summer Special

The Summer Special is one of the best known concealment holsters on the planet. The holster is simply so good that it has been the inspiration of countless other holsters. Most makers have a variant in their line of products.

The Summer Special was originally designed by Bruce Nelson, a California law enforcement officer working narcotics. He needed a holster that allowed him to carry a well concealed, powerful sidearm. At that point in time, there weren’t very many good choices. Nelson came up with an inside the waistband (IWB) rig that featured the rough side of the leather out. The roughness helped anchor the pistol to the clothing and body of the shooter so it stayed in one place, a critical factor in being able to present the weapon quickly and accurately. Placing the holster inside the waist also helped with concealment, as there would be no visible holster to give him away if his shirt rode up.

Nelson also discarded the spring clip that was often used in those days to hold the holster to the shooter’s clothes or belt. These clips often allowed the holster to pop off the belt during the draw. He replaced it with a simple leather loop that goes around the belt, making sure the holster stays in place.

A last detail is in the mouth of the holster, which is reinforced with metal so that it stays open after the pistol is drawn. This allows you to reholster the weapon easily. This is important for both a law enforcement officer who might need to cuff a suspect as well as a non-officer who needs to put the weapon away as the police arrive.

While Nelson made holsters as a sideline, his law enforcement career kept him too busy to fill the demand for his leather. He gave permission to Sparks to produce his design knowing that the results would be well made.

While I like the Summer Special, I have found that the rough side out absorbs sweat faster than a well waxed smooth side out holster. My climate is hot and sticky, so that’s a factor.

I also like for the holster to ride a bit lower than the Summer Special. The Summer Special places the pistol high, so you can get an excellent grip, but I like having the pistol’s center of gravity a bit lower as it feels more stable to me.

The belt loops on the Summer Special also sometimes collide with my belt loops. I like cargo pants and shorts, and some of mine put a wide belt loop right where I want to carry a holster. The closely spaced belt loops on the Summer Special don’t always spread wide enough to get around these belt loops.

These thoughts about my personal needs led me to try another Sparks holster.

Executive Companion

The Executive Companion (EC) is another inside the waistband holster. It carries the pistol a little bit lower than the Summer Special and is smooth side out. I find it amazingly stable, and I have no trouble getting a good firing grip on the pistol. Besides carrying the pistol lower, it added leather in kind of a paddle shape around the sheath that holds the pistol. The extra leather contributes to the stability of this design.

Another bit of good thinking was to add an extension to the backside top of the holster that goes between the pistol and the shooter. It helps keep your clothes out of the holster and protects you and your clothes from the gun rubbing. It also protects the gun from your sweat and helps keep the safety on.

Adding to the goodness, they came up with a system of interchangeable belt loops. You can swap them out so they match your belt width. This is a pretty big deal, by the way. If your holster can swivel about on your belt because the loops are too wide, you won’t get a consistent draw stroke. That’s bad.

My only problem with the EC is that, like the Summer Special, the belt loops don’t like to go around the loops on some of my pants. That’s a clothing malfunction, of course, not a holster one. Fortunately for me, the next holster, the Versa-Max (VM)– my favorite concealed carry rig– takes care of that.

Versa-Max

The Versa-Max, in some ways, seems like an improved EC. It continues the paddle of leather around the actual pistol sheath, though it’s a bit reduced in size from the EC. It is also smooth side out and has the interchangeable belt loop system.

The big thing for me about the Versa-Max, though, is the placement of the belt loops on the holster. They are spread out so they are positioned well ahead of and well behind the pistol. This does a bunch of good things. First, I can position the holster more easily around that nasty wide loop on so many of my pants. What is probably more important, though, is that the loops pull the gun closer to the body for better concealability. It also places the thickness of the loops away from the gun, making the whole package a little bit thinner.

The ride height is pretty similar to the EC, which works quite well for me.

The VM also has a trick, something its name hints at. As well as a regular IWB rig, it is a tuckable holster. You can set it up with clips that allow you to tuck your shirt in over the pistol. This truly improves concealment, though at the expense of speed. You have to yank the shirt up and out to get to the pistol. It is a mode of carry that works well with thin pistols like the 1911 or Browning. It can work especially well with something like the Officers ACP models that have a shorter butt than a 1911 or Commander.

Heritage

The Heritage is much like the Summer Special, though it rides even lower than the EC or VM. It is also smooth side out. The big draw of the Heritage is a waterproof lining. I’ve mentioned sweat, and the Heritage is the only holster I haven’t managed to sweat through to the pistol. The belt loops, though, mirror the Sumer Special, so it won’t work with some of my pants. I also like the ride height of the VM and EC better, so this isn’t my favorite holster. It occurs to me that I would be really happy if Sparks would add the waterproof lining to the VM. Maybe they’ll read this!

Mirage

The Mirage is a really neat rig. It is an inside the belt but outside the pants minimalist holster. It offers great concealability and comfort with a very special trick. Sometimes we have to go into a non-gun permissive location. With the Mirage, we can leave the holster on and simple stash the pistol in our car. The Mirage is almost invisible on our belt, so we can leave it in place. A special beauty of this holster is that it is ambidextrous with belt loops for both sides. Sparks says it is best for the 1911 or Browning Highpower, but they will make it for other guns.

Belts

Sparks makes super belts. They are sturdy, long lived, and cut on the contour of the body to fit better and feel better. You can’t go wrong with a Sparks belt. They are strong enough to carry your gun and reloads. Belts are critical to the successful carry of arms, so be sure to get a good one. Sparks is a good place to look.

Other Products

Sparks makes a number of other products, but I haven’t owned or tested all of them. They have magazine pouches and a wide variety of holsters, both inside and outside the waistband. I’m pretty sure, however, that all of them are well designed and well made. There is a new holster I hope to see called the Nexus that uses magnetic fasteners rather than snaps on the belt loops. It sounds like a great idea if they hold well enough. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Scot Frank Eire