MESSAGE FROM TESS

Dear Reader,

Someone asked me the other day why I am committed to prepping, and throughout the conversation with them, I felt like my faith was being questioned. At the end of the discussion, I was reminded about how many people misunderstand why we prepare.  I have been called, and I know I am not alone, paranoid, a doomer and lately a Christian extremist; however, in my opinion, preppers are forward thinkers – people who are willing to do what is necessary to prepare for the unthinkable.  There is nothing wrong with seeing an approaching storm and taking precautions and making preparations.  I remember when I was a child whenever a hurricane would enter the Gulf of Mexico, my father would have us walk the yard.  We would pick up anything that could become debris and put it away.  In the early days, we taped our windows, and then we purchased storm windows.  I cannot see forward thinking as a negative.  Also, I love the Prepper community because we are all open to helping each other, especially beginners.  So today I want to thank you for being a part of this amazing community.  Together we can spread the word about the importance of being a forward thinking Prepper.  Let’s get our families, friends, and communities prepared.

In the next week or so, I will be uploading my past newsletters to Ready Nutrition, so if you missed an issue, you can catch up. Having the information at your fingertips may help you as well as new readers who also want to be prepared. Another handy feature that I am adding is a prepping calculator for you to calculate how much food and preparedness items you and your family will need, so stay tuned because changes are coming.

Don’t forget to see what we’re up to on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. I like to interact with my readers, and Facebook and Twitter are ways that I can connect with you personally. Why not extend an invitation to your extended family so they can also be prepared by reading Ready Nutrition?

Regards,

Tess Pennington

PREP OF THE WEEK

Week 11 of 52: Dental Preparedness

How many of us have dental supplies on hand? I’m guessing not very many of us. Dental emergencies can hit out the blue.  Without a warning, pain and soreness can occur in the gums or teeth and cause an extreme amount of discomfort. Ensuring that you have some dental supplies on hand can help maintain healthy teeth and gums and assist in not further aggravating any existing dental problems.

Be proactive and take the time to schedule regular dental visits and develop good dental hygiene habits, and in doing this, it will ensure that your teeth and gums stay healthy.  When your family dentist suggests elective procedures, take the opportunity to the extra mile for your teeth because the last thing you would want to face during a disaster scenario is a dental emergency.  Two proactive solutions to maintain good oral health is to floss regularly and to invest in a water pick.

Anticipating a dental emergency is difficult to say the least, but, there are seven likely dental emergencies that could affect your health in a long-term emergency.  To learn more about them, click here. I cannot stress how important it is to take your oral health seriously, and failure to treat a dental emergencies could result in one of the following:

• Loss of the tooth
• Mediastinitis
• Sepsis
• Spread of infection to soft tissue (e.g., facial cellulitis, Ludwig’s angina)
• Spread of infection to the jaw bone (osteomyelitis of the jaw)
• Spread of infection to other areas of the body resulting in brain abscess, endocarditis, pneumonia, or other complications

Dental experts have suggested there is a correlation between overall health and oral health. As a result, those that have a healthy diet tend to have healthier teeth and gums. Consequently, vitamins play a vital roll in oral health too.  These  7 vitamins would be essential to have in a long-term emergency. In addition to a regimen of vitamins, having natural alternatives to turn to when dealing with oral pain would also be beneficial.  Some natural alternatives to look into would be:

• Valerian Root – pain reliever
• Kava Kava – muscle relaxants and mild sedative
• Passionflower – pain reliever
• Clove oil – relieves teeth pain
• Charcoal – can make a compress that relieves swelling and pain.

If a long-term disaster situation were to occur, many people would face malnutrition, be vitamin deficient, and have poor dental hygiene, as a result, they could face some painful dental repercussions that may become life threatening.  Here are some dental preps to purchase this week: 

Preps to buy for Week 10:

• Dental emergency resource
• Dental exam gloves
•  Toothpaste (for 3 months)
• Toothbrushes (for 3 months)
• Floss (3)
• Baking soda
• Toothpicks
• Fluoride rinse (3 bottles)
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Oral-gel
• cotton balls
• cotton gauze pads
• Pain reliever such as Tylenol or Aspirin
• Temporary cap filler
• Instant ice packs
• Dental mirror
• Salt (for rinsing)
• Clove oil (for tooth aches)
• penlight or headlamp

Action Items:

1. Go to the dentist and get an annual check-up and cleaning.

2. Start taking a vitamin regimen that will assist in oral health.

3. Begin brushing your teeth for at least 1-2 minutes, and teach your children to do the same.

4. Floss at least once daily.

5. Read your dental emergency resource to be familiar with treatment plans.

6. Read a dental emergency resource to be familiar with treatment plans.

Note: If you plan to have older adults staying with you during a short or long-term disaster, do not forget to anticipate their dental needs.

WHAT WE’RE UP TO

In Our Home:

When the children are home from school, life is hectic; however, I live to hear them laugh and play with each other.  Right now the in game at our home is the classic Hot Potato. Do you remember playing that? I do.  It inspired me to make a few bean bags for the children to entertain themselves with during an emergency event; it would serve as a beneficial distraction.

Family Preps:

I ordered some more Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers from Sorbent Systems.  I intend to beef up our long-term food storage in the coming weeks.

Outdoor Activities:

Is it ever too early to start turnip greens in Texas?  I don’t know if it is, but I did.  I am a Southern woman who loves her greens!  Here are a few amazing recipes that you would enjoy. I didn’t just plant greens; I started a raised bed full of peppers and tomatoes.  Hopefully they will be producing through the fall.  I can’t wait to make some homemade salsa! I even decided to convert an unused swing stand into a green bean trellis.  I will be sure to provide pictures for inspiration. 

RECENT ARTICLES

In case you missed this week’s article, be sure to read this:

SHTF Survival: 7 Vitamins That Help Prevent Dental Emergencies

Are You Ready Series: Dental Emergencies

STATS AND FACTS

Did you know that July is Awareness Month? I came across these preparedness facts on a Prepper’s website and it’s a bit unnerving when you look at statistics.

• Only 1 in 10 American households has hit the preparedness trifecta, which is a family emergency plan, an emergency supply kits, and a family who has training in first aid and CPR. 
• 40% of businesses never reopen after a disaster, and 1/3 of businesses surveyed do not have a business continuity plan in place.
• Close to 60% of Americans are unprepared for a disaster of any magnitude.
• Although 89% of those surveyed believe it’s important to be prepared, far fewer are ready for an emergency.
• One-third of businesses surveyed do not have a business continuity plan in place.
• 93% of parents agree it is important for their child’s school emergency preparedness efforts to be recognized by the American Red Cross.

LETTERS TO TESS

One of the perks of my job at Ready Nutrition is to address questions and/or concerns that you may have with your prepping endeavors. Feel free to ask anything that is on your mind because no question is too big or small. You can email questions to: getprepped@readynutrition.com

This week’s question addresses spices:

I thought I would divide my spices into smaller amounts and use Mylar( 8 0z or so) with the oxygen absorbers.  What amount of oxygen absorbers should be used for this? What is the storage life?  I’ve heard that spices keep for a long time.

Joanne

Answer:

Joanne,

If you repackage your spices well, then you may be able to extend their shelf life by a few years.  Most spices are dehydrated, so as long as you keep them away from the elements (light, humidity, etc), they should stay fresh for the duration of a long-term scenario.  To ensure that there are no insect bugs on your spices, freeze them for a day or two to kill off anything that may have remained, and you can do this for other preps (e.g., corn meal, flour, wheat).

If you decide to repackage your spices and use oxygen absorbers, I would suggest using 55 cc’s oxygen absorbers.  I found this information online that may be helpful:

• 20 cc – 20cc and 30cc are ‘preferred’ sizes for 2oz and 4oz beef jerky packages.
• 50 cc – Good for containers of a quart size or smaller. Perfect for 6″x6″ mylar® bags.
• 100 cc – Suggest using 3 of these in a #10 can or equivalent size container.
• 200 cc – Use with medium sized bag when not vacuuming .
• 300 cc  – Use one for a #10 can or equivalent size. You can also use a number of these in a larger container, depending on residual air volume.
• 500 cc  – An appropriate size when using three per 5 gallon bucket.

I hope this helps,

Tess