Letter Re: A Different View of Diapers for Prepper Families

Hi Jim,
I feel compelled to offer a contrary view with regard to diapering for prepping families.  In preparing for survival situations, I believe that disposable diapers offer a number of distinct advantages over reusable diapers.  
To qualify myself, I will tell you that I am a father of three young kids, and have changed hundreds of disposable diapers.  I am also a mechanical engineer who works for one of the largest diaper manufacturers.  In my work, I have seen all kinds of diapers (disposable and reusable) from all over the world.  But my points are grounded in simple common sense.  

1.) In an emergency where you cannot wash clothes, reusable diapers are not feasible.   It seems that many proponents of reusable diapers are preparing for a single scenario: a long-term grid-down situation, where their family has taken to a kind of organized country living that assumes an abundance of clean water, the availability of wash stations, and time for regular laundry.  While this is one possible scenario, it certainly does not encompass the full range of situations for which we should prepare.  I can imagine dozens of survival scenarios where a family does not have the water, the equipment, or the time to wash and dry diapers.  Think about the images from the emergencies that we have seen lately in the news.  We see people who are running from danger, searching for family members, seeking medical attention, and begging for food and water.  We do not see people who are pressing ahead with wash day, despite disaster all around them. 
               
2.) Without your electric washer and dryer, reusable diapers are potentially unsanitary.   What kills the bacteria and viruses in your laundry?  It is not soap and water.  It is not the agitation from the washer or the tumbling in the dryer.  Only three things can (and do) kill the bugs: an adequate amount of bleach, very hot water (at least 140-150 degrees), and time in the dryer on high.  Which of these things will be available in an emergency?  The power is out, so you are drying on the line.  Maybe you have some bleach, but you can’t use it on your dark clothes and camo.  Are you willing to do a separate bleach load, just for the diapers?  What happens when you run out of bleach?  Or, are you going to boil water for every load of diaper laundry?  That’s a lot of work, and at the required temperature you’ll burn yourself if you are washing by hand.  If you have reusable diapers, the gross truth is that every time you do the wash (unless you bleach or boil) you’ll simply be concocting a stew of fecal matter that will spread bacteria onto your washing equipment and into your other laundry.  Obviously, this greatly increases the potential for sickness and infections.   

3.) Disposable diapers are a predictable choice; easy to size, buy, store, use, and resell.   Compared with reusables, disposables are offered in more sizes with more variations.  Disposable diapers are remarkably consistent in size from brand to brand while there can be tremendous variation in fit among reusables.  Looking at baby growth charts, in a matter of minutes, you can accurately estimate how many of each size disposable diaper you will likely need, until your child is potty trained.  Available everywhere, disposables have a shelf life of many years.  Name brand disposable diapers are high quality and quite effective at containing your baby’s mess.  Store brand diapers vary in quality, but some can be pretty good.  Some reusables work reasonably well, but some do not.  By and large, they are simply not as well engineered as disposables.  For disposable diapers that you do not use, there will always be a demand, so you can easily resell them or give them away as you see fit.

4.) Many disposable diapers are quite durable and somewhat reusable.   For sanitary reasons, always immediately change a diaper that has feces in it.  Also, for a baby with a rash or skin irritation, change whenever a diaper is wet.  However, outside of these two situations, changing frequency can be much more flexible.  For a diaper with urine only, on a baby with healthy skin, when to change is a choice, made by the caregiver, for comfort, convenience, and cost considerations.  In a survival type situation, a caregiver may wish to wring every last bit of use out of each disposable diaper.  With this view, it is instructive to know about some diaper practices in less developed countries. 

In some countries, caregivers will only change a disposable diaper when the baby has a bowel movement.  Most disposable diapers can effectively hold at least three large urine gushes, and only leak after the core is completely swollen.  Some caregivers extend the life of their diapers by adding absorbent material (e.g. newspaper) on top of the cores.  Some caregivers reuse their disposable diaper by cutting out the used core, and adding more absorbent material.  This is a bit tricky, but if the core is removed without damaging the outer cover, the chassis of the diaper can often be used several times before failing.  With some disposables, it is even possible to wash the chassis a couple of times, before it falls apart.  (Never attempt to wash a disposable with the absorbent material still attached, it will make a huge mess!)  While these practices may not appeal to our quick and convenient lifestyles, they are real possibilities for us to consider, if faced with scarce resources in an emergency.          

Now, to be fair, disposables are not cheap, and they do require storage space.  (I won’t get into a discussion of comparative environmental impact, except to say that, in an honest evaluation, there’s not much difference between disposables and reusables.)  However, in light of the advantages described above – especially in an emergency – if you can afford them, I would strongly encourage family preppers to stock up on disposable diapers (and wipes!) as part of their preparedness planning.  At the very least, by buying them now, you can avoid some cost increases from inflation.    

Like any other tool or system, learn the diapers that you plan to use in an emergency.   Diapering is a bit of a skill.  And choosing the right diaper for your baby takes some trial and error.  If you are using disposables today, don’t simply buy a stack of cloth squares and some safety pins, and think that you are prepared to survive in the diaper department.  Like any tool or system, if they don’t fit or if you don’t know how to use them, then you are not properly prepared.  At the very least, try out your survival diapers (whatever kind they are), verify that they can work for your baby, and learn how to use them.  That’s the least that we can as responsible parents.

JWR Replies: Rather than looking at this as a point of contention, I can see plusses for both approaches under differing circumstances. Obviously for a short-term bug-out situation, disposable diapers make a lot of sense. But in a long term grid-down situation, there simply won’t be disposable diapers available, at any price.So it is wise to stock up on cloth diapers, washable bottom clean-up rags, and bleach.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Matt R. sent something of interest to M1 Garand owners: Olongapo Outfitters has introduced new Garand Cartridge Belts to their line of products.  Though based on the original M1923 Cartridge Belts, they are not reproductions like those used by historical reenactors.  Rather, they are made from modern heavy duty material and are available in O.D. Green, Coyote Brown, and Khaki with either heavy duty snaps or Velcro for closures.  Matt says: “I have bought other gear from them and their products are first rate.  The owner is a former Marine and is a pleasure to deal with.”

   o o o

Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) recommended this article: Defunding of NOAA Weather Satellites Means Goodbye To the 7-Day Forecast.Mike’s comment: “We don’t need satellites, just check The Weather Channel.”

   o o o

Steve M. spotted this: Considerations for a Catastrophic Declaration: Issues and Analysis

   o o o

NATO on the Ground in Somalia?

   o o o

Cameron pointed me to an Australian News Article: 64 million empty apartments in China’s Ghost cities

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 35 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 35 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Some Creative Gardening Techniques, by Kristi N.

I often have dirt under my fingernails. Fortunately, my husband doesn’t care.  He doesn’t care that unlike most of the women living in this southwestern suburb with us, I don’t have fake fingernails.  He doesn’t care that I like digging and fertilizing and mounding up dirt, burying seeds and planting seedlings so that we can enjoy a summer harvest of fresh vegetables and fruit.  My wonderful husband doesn’t care that I come in flushed and sweaty from watering plants and snipping herbs under a brutal Sonoran desert sun, and I am grateful for that! 

It might sound like hard work, and it is, but it is completely and totally worth it.  I guess it sounds like we’ve got a good deal of land to play with, to till up and furrow and weed and plant.  But we don’t!  We actually have a smaller-than-average yard for the area we live in.  We are going to harvest almost every vegetable and fruit we grow from containers.  The members of our family are big believers in small-space container gardening. 

In late fall, winter, and early spring, we grow lettuce, spinach, radishes, and broccoli in a five-by-seven-foot raised bed on the side of our yard.  The rest of our crops – zucchini, cucumbers, various herbs, green onions, sweet and hot peppers, tomatoes, yellow squash and strawberries, to start with – are being grown in a plethora of pots, buckets, two-liter pop bottles, and even a kids’ wading pool that are happily scattered around our patio and yard.  Some are right-side-up and some are upside-down.  All of them are bursting with the promise of a healthy and inexpensive harvest to supplement our family’s diet, something we desperately need as food prices increase more every month.  I would like to share with you some solutions that we have discovered and implemented for small-space container gardening.

First of all, I refuse to be picky about what I put a plant in!  Some of the pots that we used this year are terra-cotta, left over from years past when we could afford to pay $30 or more for a clay pot.  They’re handy, they tend to hold moisture well, and I’m glad that we saved them, but I would never pay that much for a planting vessel now!  The majority of our plants have found a home in re-purposed containers. 

Here are some ways to think about gardening “outside the box.”

Children’s Plastic Pools

We live in the desert southwest, which means that every year local stores make a killing on those cheap little plastic wading pools.  People buy them for their kids, their dogs, and – believe it or not – even their drinks when they have backyard barbeques.  Then, around October, they toss them out by the front curb for the bulk garbage pickup.  That is the time to go foraging for free gardening containers!  You may find them earlier in your area, like around August or September, but if you’re interested in small-space gardening, don’t pass those free pools by.  I pick them up and toss them in the back of my van.  When it’s time to plant in them, use a 1/2 inch drill bit and drill several drainage holes in the bottom of the pool.  If you’ve got gravel handy, you can strew a layer in the bottom of the pool (about 1 inch deep); then fill the rest with your favorite mixture of gardening soil, incorporating some fertilizer into it as you mix it up.  These wading pools are perfect for raising a few zucchini plants for a prolific summer squash harvest, two to three bush cucumbers, or two to three bush bean plants; maybe even more, if you get one that’s on the bigger side.  These little pools are a perfect way to grow plants that are just a little too big or sprawling to fit comfortably into a large pot.  Their inexpensive plastic will eventually break down around the top with several seasons’ exposure to the sun and elements, but that’s all right – just get a new round of tossed-away wading pools, and transfer your soil before your next season of planting.  Not only are you container gardening, you’re also recycling! 

Plastic Buckets

Every time I go to my local “warehouse store,” Wal-Mart, or the grocery store, I drop by the bakery to see if they have any plastic frosting buckets that I can have.  If they do, they’ll give them to me for free.  All I have to do is take them home, wash them out with warm water and soap to get all of the fat from the icing off, and get them ready to hold some garden goodness.  Again, just drill a few 1/2  inch holes in the bottom of the bucket, add a layer of gravel to the bottom for drainage, then fill it up with dirt and whatever type plant you want to put in there.  Currently, my sweet red bell peppers and an aloe vera plant are growing in these re-purposed frosting buckets.  Their carrying handles are a convenient bonus if you need to move your plants around the yard – where we live, we need to move them several times in the summer season to make sure they’re getting enough shade so that they won’t get completely scorched by the hours and hours of direct sun our area gets.  (Note: You can also use these buckets for food storage since they’re food-grade plastic containers.  Wash them out very well with hot water and lots of soap, then dry them thoroughly before fitting them with a Gamma Seal lid and pouring in whatever bulk food item you’d like to store.  You just can’t beat free!)

You can also create hanging buckets, a la Topsy-Turvy tomato containers, with these plastic frosting buckets.  My husband, who is much more handy with the power tools than I am, used a 3/8 inch drill bit to drill a series of holes in the shape of a circle, essentially “drawing” an approximately two-inch circle in the middle of the bottom of the bucket.  We then had a lot of fun banging it with a hammer until it fell out while our children looked at us as if we’d gone completely insane.  The end result was a bucket with a hole in the bottom.  I cut an X in the middle of a coffee filter and threaded a tomato seedling through it, then centered the coffee filter over the hole in the bucket, with the plant hanging down (it’s easier to do this if you place the sides of the bucket on two chairs pushed quite close together).  Then, all we had to do was fill the bucket up with soil, leaving about two inches of space on top for mess-free watering.  Hang your bucket up on something that will support its weight and you’ll have a homemade upside-down tomato container!

Pop Bottles
You can also make hanging containers out of two-liter sodapop bottles.  These are great for growing plants that remain relatively small, like hot pepper plants and strawberries.  Making them is quite simple.  First, use a solid, sharp pocketknife to cut the spout off of the two-liter bottle.  Then, cut the bottom of the bottle off.  Poke three small, equidistant holes about a half inch down from where you cut the bottom off the bottle; these will be used to thread wire or monofilament through to hang the bottle.  Cut an X in the middle of a coffee filter, and thread your plant through it; then place the coffee filter into the pop bottle, threading the plant gently through the opening where the spout used to be.  Fill the container with soil.  Then hold it between your knees as you insert a length of thin wire or monofilament through each of the little holes you drilled through the former bottom of the bottle (which is now the top of your planter) and twist or tie it off.  You’ll wind up with three lengths, which you will twist or tie off at the top in order to create a hanger for your pop bottle planter.  There are some great videos on YouTube regarding these planters, if you’re more of a visual learner; just go there and search “Upside Down Tomato Planters.” 

So as you can see, your ability to garden in a small space is only limited by your creativity in utilizing the space you have, both on the ground and to hang containers from.  Container gardening is just as rewarding as gardening on an acre plot of land (and you don’t have to deal with as many weeds!).  For people who are gardening on limited land, container gardening – in just about any container you can get your hands on – is a great alternative to totally relying on grocery store or even farmer’s market produce.  And in a crisis situation, it can provide not only nourishment, but essential vitamins and minerals, variety for the diet to prevent appetite fatigue, and a renewable supply of seeds to prevent hunger in the future.  As we gradually learn more and more about gardening in our hot little neck of the woods, I will definitely be on the lookout for anything I can pour dirt into and grow plants in.  If you wish you had acreage but you only have a yard – or a terrace or a patio — try your hand at container gardening.  It’s well worth the effort and your family will thank you for it!

Letter Re: Some Experience with Clothing and Field Gear in Desert Environments

Captain Rawles,
I came across a good post by Erik M., a brother Marine, about the practicalities of humping the brush in full gear, in your archives from last year.  Where he writes from the perspective of an east coast Marine, I thought it would be good to complement that by writing on the same subjects from a west coast Marine’s viewpoint (was stationed at 29 Palms, California), as I’m guessing from his time reference that we were contemporaries, or close to it.  If someone else has done so already, my apologies for having missed it.

For the high desert, and desert southwest environments, I recommend the inexperienced start off with only their cartridge belt/combat harness, and do 3-to-5 miles at a normal walking pace.  Do not do this in the heat of the day, else you risk becoming a heat casualty, regardless of how much water you’re humping.  When it gets 110 Fahrenheit in the shade, you don’t want to be humping anywhere if you can at all avoid it.  Early to mid-morning, and early evening are the most user friendly times for this purpose.  Listen very carefully to your body as well, as your body will inform you in no uncertain terms when it’s time to stop.  Eat lightly beforehand, preferably fruit or something similar, and drink well before you step off.  Being well hydrated here in the desert is even more a necessity than it is in the humidity of the eastern areas.  I will not here address night movement, as I believe I saw that dealt with in other posts.  (Note: Desert tactical movement will eventually become necessary in full daylight, but with good OPSEC, and proper discipline, you can avoid it in most instances. YMMV.)

Once a person is capable of doing five miles in combat harness/cartridge belt, with canteens, and first aid kit only, then step it up by adding the remainder of the pouches that will ride on your harness and belt.  Do this until you are acclimatized to the weight and water requirements, then again with either the actual magazines or weight equal to that load.  Again, rigorously avoid the hottest parts of the day, unless there is no choice.  In my experience, unless you are actively being shot at, there is almost always a choice, so don’t go humping when it’s the hottest part of the day.  Once used to this level, step it up to include your body armor, or tactical vest, if you intend to use any, and repeat the process. (You might wish to do this on a country/county road, as the LEOs are likely to get hinky over folks walking about in tactical gear, in the middle of town, here, and I’d assume the same for elsewhere.)

 At that point, you should be more or less doing a “Boots, Utes, an’ Kevlar” physical training cycle.  Keep in mind, for those who are reading this, that the normal forced march step is a full forty inch step, by the book.  As Erik said, almost a run.  One can, once fully used to the rigors of humping, and with a bit of patience and attention to detail, find a more or less comfortable rhythm, where that extended step will really eat up the ground, without wiping you out before you’ve gotten out of town.  Find yours, as best you can, as quick as you can. 

As for humping the burning desert with 100 pound of gear, and such, I will merely say the same thing I said to my troops when I caught them loading that much garbage in their ALICE pack. You want spare skivvies, socks, cold weather clothes, poncho, and at least one full change of regular clothing.  Don’t bring or wear all that slinky satiny tight nylon taffeta garbage.  You want good solid work clothing, that will stand up to the nastiest beating you can give it, if you don’t have any actual utilities.  All else is already covered elsewhere.  Such things as spare toilet paper, fire starters, mess kit, first aid extras, ammo, and whatnot, are automatically part of your harness, and need not be mentioned here, to my mind.   It is also not necessary, unless you in northern climes, to tote twenty-odd pounds of tent, stakes, and subzero rated mummy bag with accessories.  In the environment of the southwest, and high desert west, you’ll just end up pitching all that in the ditch in favor of more water, and more ammo. 

Does it get cold in the desert? Yep.  Sure does.  Sometimes we’ll have a difference from midday to dew point of some sixty-odd degrees.  That is to say, from an average of 105 plus, down to maybe 40.  On a really rough day it can be more than that, even, but it is exceedingly rare to see temps of less than about 40 at night, in this area.  Thus, unless we’re all unlucky enough to have SHTF in the middle of winter, all that heavy gear is not necessary, and in my experience should be staged at one’s retreat, if possible, beforehand.  As an example, for me it rarely gets cold enough to justify much more than long johns, and a standard field jacket, besides my regular clothing, even in January.  You might choose to keep the mummy bag for really cold nights, or you might choose you go with a lesser bag and augment with a blanket or two.  That’s up to you, so long as your circumstances make the weight worth the effort.

One thing that I feel most compelled to address is the mention of boxer shorts.  I agree with my brother Marine. Get rid of ’em.  For all those wannabe couch commandos and mall ninjas running around who think you ain’t a man unless you wearing boxers, I say this;  The first time you’re out humping the boonies with your life depending on it, sweating your butt off, lugging your whole world on your back,  and those things twist all up in and around your tender bits, you gonna get rubbed raw and bloody with a screaming quickness. Find some good briefs, or maybe some of those hybrid half brief/half boxer legged jobs.  Cotton preferably, for the absorbent qualities, and a little bit of stretch, and same goes for the skivvie shirt, too.  Seriously, with as much as almost all of us will be sweating when things go sour, we’ll do better with the absorbent properties than with the macho/ego picture associated with boxer shorts, and we’ll do a whole lot less screaming in the end.  I speak from hard experience, both personal, and from the perspective of pushing troops once upon a time.  Get rid of the boxers, and save yourself a seriously raw groin/upper thigh area.  And don’t even think about going commando either.  I know it sounds corny, but it’s something that should be considered.  Especially if you are blessed with a pair of thighs that rub in the best of conditions, like I am.

Rest places.  In addition to the rehabilitative issues, such as resting turned ankles and such, I would recommend finding a reasonably sheltered rest area every couple days for tactical reasons.  You’ll want to stop and recon the surrounds every so often on a long hump, even if there are no en route injuries.  This allows things to settle some, and you to get a fair look about to see how the ebb and flow of the Golden Horde, Mutant Zombie Bikers, or even just the locals, is working out.  These stops, not more than a day or two, unless there are injuries present, also afford the chance to scout out watering holes, and if one is lucky, grab a decent canteen cup bath, instead of a quick wipe down, and maybe even some warm chow while you’re treating your refills on water.  Such things can go far to keep your morale meter in the green, when all else is going to hell in a hand basket.  So try to incorporate a rest stop every few days at most, if for no other reason than to catch your breath and have a good look around.  This will also give you a good opportunity to perform other sanitary measures, such as improvised laundry (dry method, or use a rock, if there’s little water), or do cleaning/maintenance on weapons and gear, while eyeballing the territory.  Surprisingly, even your own county that you grew up in can, and most likely will, change dramatically when things get nasty, so these little pit stops will give you a chance to re assess while you rest, and hopefully do it before you have to take off again.  One is a serious believer in the art of the low profile, if you can’t tell:)  Stop, look, and listen when and while you can, so you got better info for when you can’t. And when you can’t, move as discreetly as circumstances allow.  Rule of thumb:  Even if it’s “friendly territory”, it isn’t.  So recon every chance you get, while still making the miles roll by.

All in all, the remainder of that post was pretty much on point, and brings back a number of memories. Semper Fi – J.H.

Economics and Investing:

Courtesy of David N.: Lessons of Argentina crisis ignored in handling of Greece

The latest from The Daily Bell: So Many Lost Decades – Why?

Items from The Economatrix:

Be sure to watch this: Economic Armageddon & You

Factories Busier In June After Spring Slump

Enough of this Greek Farce, Everyone Knows Default is Coming

The Great Misdiagnosis

Selling Gold Teeth in Greece to Make Ends Meet

Jim Rogers:  Boost Food Production At Any Cost Or “No Food At Any Price”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Derek C. suggested an encrypted phone service that makes voice over IP (VoIP) calls.  This is a free Android application called Redphone, and when both phones have registered, “secure” calls can supposedly be placed between the phones. Note that if you have Google Voice installed, you need to log out before you can either register or receive Redphone calls;  however, once registered, you can place Redphone calls while still logged into Google Voice.  Derek notes: “I installed this on my wife’s phone and my phone, so we theoretically have an emergency ‘secure channel’ for communications.   If I want to initiate secure communications with her, I can just start dialing on Redphone.  If she wants to initiate secure communications with me, she must first text me with a codeword, which is a signal to me to log out of Google Voice.  She can then initiate a Redphone call to me.”

   o o o

Randy K. thought this was a interesting: The Key to Disaster Survival? Friends and Neighbors

   o o o

F.G. sent some news about double standards for “special people”, in California: Good Fence, Good Neighbor? Los Angeles Okays Getty House Plan

   o o o

Chad S. sent this article about covert surveillance: Police officers find tiny pocket cams are “silent partners”

Notes from JWR:

Katastrophenvorsorge! The new German hardback edition of my international best-seller “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” is now in print. The title of the German edition is Überleben in der Krise: Das Handbuch für unsichere Zeiten. It is published by Kopp Verlag, of Rottenburg. If you want to be “Sei vorbereitet für Das Ende der Welt, wie wir sie kennen”, then buy a copy.

OBTW, the Bulgarian edition of the book is also already in print. You can expect to also see the Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Korean editions available in the next few months.

—

Today we present an article by SurvivalBlog’s Medical Editor, Dr. Cynthia Koelker:

Three Disabling Diseases You Can Cure Without Medicine. by Dr. Cynthia Koelker

Serious medical conditions that occur infrequently now will become commonplace at TEOTWAWKI.  Recognizing the symptoms will help you treat these diseases effectively.  Better yet, learn how to prevent them and prepare accordingly.
Case #1
It’s been over a year since you’ve escaped the city for your retreat.  Things are going well, though your teenage daughter is tired of hauling water from the creek. One day you walk with her and are alarmed at how winded she becomes.  She’s been acting fine otherwise, still primping and polishing her nails (though no boys are around).  She hasn’t lost any weight and seems to be eating okay, though she’s become a vegetarian after watching you slaughter a pig.  She has no history of asthma or heart disease, and shows no signs of respiratory infection.  What’s the most likely diagnosis? 
(see answers below)

Case #2
Meanwhile, your toddler is starting to worry you.  He was walking fine when you left the city, but now his legs are starting to bow like a cowboy’s.   Your wife plans to continue breast-feeding him another year yet, believing it will benefit his immune system.  Both of them have remained inside for months to avoid possible radiation exposure.  What could be wrong?

Case #3
It seems your mother is growing old before your very eyes.  At the last minute she agreed to join your family, though she hadn’t done any prepping herself.  Before, she always seemed full of pep.  Now she doesn’t have the energy to help with anything.  Even her voice sounds worn-out and a little hoarse.  Another mouth to feed wasn’t what you had planned on, but you can’t set your mother out on the curb, can you?

Answers:

1.) Shortness of breath occurs when either the lungs or the heart must work harder.  In the absence of heart or lung disease, the most likely condition is iron deficiency anemia.  Without enough blood, the heart must pump harder to keep what little blood remains circulating properly.  Usually the heart rate increases, especially with exercise, and often the blood pressure drops.  In a teenager wearing make-up and nail polish, you may not notice pallor (paleness).  Vegetarians who are not careful to include iron-rich foods in their diet are prone to anemia, especially teenagers who prefer a high-starch diet.  I’ve seen girls whose blood count has dropped to only a third of normal as a result of an iron-poor diet, with or without excess menstrual blood loss. 

Normally a teen whose blood count has dropped low enough to cause shortness of breath would be transfused with red blood cells for quick relief.  Untreated, extreme anemia will lead to congestive heart failure and possibly eventual death.

Fortunately dietary ingestion of iron will resolve the condition (or taking OTC iron pills such as ferrous sulfate 325 mg three times daily).  Iron-rich foods include red meat, liver, dark leafy greens, prunes, raisins, egg yolks, iron-enriched cereal, beans, artichokes, lentils, soybeans, and chick peas.  Make sure to stock foods your family will actually eat.

2.)  Most doctors have never seen a case of rickets – except in pictures.  But if Vitamin D fortified milk is no longer available at the local grocer, and if exposure to sunlight is limited, rickets will recur, particularly in breast-fed infants and toddlers. Although rickets may also be caused by calcium or phosphorous insufficiency, lack of Vitamin D is the most common trigger.  Vitamin D may be supplied through diet (butter, eggs, fish liver oils, oily fishes, and fortified milk and juice) or may be produced in the skin upon adequate exposure to sunlight.  Lacking these options, dietary supplements are recommended (400 IU daily for infants and children).   Adults lacking Vitamin D and/or calcium often develop osteoporosis.

To avoid permanent deformities of the legs, wrists, back, and skull, make sure to include sufficient Vitamin D supplements and/or foods in your prepping supplies.

3.) Don’t be surprised if even your own family omits part of their medical history.  People usually want to appear healthier than they are (except for hypochondriacs).  Many middle-aged and older women have hypothyroidism and are taking thyroid replacement therapy.  However, most will not have experienced full-fledged hypothyroidism.  The disease is usually diagnosed via blood work long before advanced symptoms occur, and patients may not associate their symptoms with lack of thyroid therapy, especially when it takes several weeks to months for symptoms to develop.  Many patients stop their medicine for a week or two now and then, and because they feel no different in the short-term, patients do not understand what would happen in the long-term.

Fatigue is the hallmark of hypothyroidism, often accompanied by dry skin, weight gain, hoarseness, puffy eyes, constipation, and slowed thinking.  Everything slows down.  Severe hypothyroidism may lead to permanent coma unless treated.

Fortunately, the symptoms are reversible with thyroid replacement therapy. Anyone suffering from hypothyroidism currently should stockpile sufficient medicine for years to come.  However, animal sources are also effective, usually in the form of desiccated bovine or porcine thyroid.  Proper dosing requires additional understanding of thyroid function, which I have addressed in several articles at ArmageddonMedicine.net. 

Two Letters Re: Blending In–Unremarkable and Invisible Architecture

Sir,
Happy Independence Day to you and your family. Concerning underground tanks for fuel storage, most states require both lining systems and cathodic protection to prevent leakage into the ground and or ground water. I fully agree with the defensive sense, being a veteran of the US Army and most of my time serving in the Infantry, having prepared many a defensive position.   As such for OPSEC, finding a discreet contractor may present a challenge, and of course the local county may get interested, Hopefully not too much. – Grog  

JWR Replies: Cathodic zinc anodes (commonly called “sacrificial zincs”) such as these have been mentioned before in SurvivalBlog. They are important to use if you bury metal containers for caching, too!

Your mention of bureaucratic nosiness prompts me to mention that this is just one more reason to move to one of the American Redoubt States. In most of those states, no building permits or inspections are required for anything except septic tank installations, if you live outside of city limits.

Jim:
That was an interesting article you wrote about the goal of blending in. My amplification of that is to make a goal of not showing up on the aerial and satellite photos that Google and others have on line. I’m in the middle of 10 acres of old growth woods and the satellite view shows the road leading here swallowed up by the over-reaching trees. And delivery vehicles trying to get here usual go right by the drive.  

For ham operators, the method I use to blend in is by use of wire antennas. Through the trees. My long wire antenna is 250 feet long. My doublet is strung as an Inverted V. Details on doing these antennas that perform every bit as good as more expensive beams and towers is The Wireman’s excellent handbook, now in its fifth edition.  

My scanner and VHF/UHF antennas are all on five television masts and push-up mounts on the rear of the house, not visible even from the front of the house. – Vern

JWR Replies: Keep in mind the drawback to having large trees that screen your house from aerial observation in most cases also put your house at risk of forest fires.

Letter Re: Machine Shop Tool Recommendations

James,
In your blog you recently mentioned Transfer Punches. A more important tool to have is the automatic center punch. These are handy around the shop and in a bug out bag. They are great for emergency egress from an automobile accident. [Since these will shatter the tempered glass used in the side widows of cars.] They are handy, compact and versatile.

The ones made by Starrett, though pricey, are the best quality. I used mine at work for over 20 years and once a year would oil the spring and still have it after 40 years. Quality always wins in the end. I paid less than 1/3 of the current price that long ago.

I have tools that are 40 years old and still in great shape. These include Wiss brand Snips, Vaco nut drivers, Klein tools, etc. For instance, I have my Grandfathers’ and Fathers’ Wiss Wiss bulldog snips as well as my first pair and each pair is as good as new and still sharp after years of metal cutting. I did wear out the aviation L/R pair several times though. (Mostly from cutting sheet steel or metal that was too thick.)

The moral is you still get what you pay for. As always talk to the people who use these tools everyday to find out what are the best and most reliable. – J.H.B.

Economics and Investing:

A New Investment Strategy: Preparing for End Times

Huge rare earth deposits found in Pacific: Japan experts. (A tip of the hat to to Mary M. for the link.)

John R. recommended a piece over at The Daily Bell: Where Will You Go When the Sovereign Debt Volcano Blows?

JBG sent this: Rating Agency Issues Greek Rescue Plan Warning

Items from The Economatrix:

Ron Paul:  US Should Declare Bankruptcy

On-line Retailers Strike Back at Internet Tax Levy

S&P to Deeply Cut U.S. Ratings if Debt Payment Missed

Gas is 24 Cents Cheaper Than Labor Day

The “Economic Recovery” Turns 2.  Feel Better Yet?

US Auto Sales Up in June, But Japan Still Hurting