Order by 11:00am central time for same-day shipping!

Week 47 of 52: Emergency Medical Supply (List 4)

In week 47 of 52, Dr. Bone and Nurse Amy are guest contributors who share the most likely medical emergencies we may face during an extended emergency and which supplies to stock up on.

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING…A COLLAPSE!

BY JOE ALTON, M.D. AKA DR. BONES AND AMY ALTON, A.R.N.P., AKA NURSE AMY

As a retired physician and nurse team whose entire focus is figuring out strategies for survival situations, We are often asked what medical issues are the most likely to be encountered in times of trouble.  The answer depends somewhat on what event you expect to throw society into disarray. Knowing what situations to prepare for and making provision for it will make you a more effective medical resource and might save lives.

Are you expecting:

Economic Collapse?  If some event causes us to collapse financially, it stands to reason that food from farm areas will cease to be delivered to supermarkets (who’s paying the truckers?).  As such, you’ll be dealing with malnutrition among your people.  Besides food storage, you should be stockpiling multivitamins (either commercial or natural) to prevent deficiencies that cause disease, such as Scurvy (lack of vitamin C), Beri-Beri (lack of vitamin B1) or Rickets (lack of Vitamin D in children).

Civil Unrest?  Many collapse events will be fraught with episodes of civil unrest, so you should be well acquainted with how to deal with traumatic injuries such as fractures and hemorrhagic wounds.  Supplies here will be lots and lots of gauze bandages (keep old sheets, they can be used to improvise),  antiseptic solutions such as betadine, and some method of closing wounds (butterfly closures, Steri-strips, surgical or super glue, staples, and/or sutures) when appropriate.

You can expect that many wounds will be contaminated with dirt and debris, and therefore bacteria or other microorganisms.  It is essential to know when to close a wound and when to leave it open; this is much more important to understand than how to throw a stitch or place a staple.  The young Georgia woman in the news who had a laceration from a zipline injury had her wound closed with 22 staples.  Doctors unwittingly sequestered bacteria deep in the injury that caused a serious infection called “necrotizing fasciitis”, costing her a leg and threatening her life.

Pandemics?  If your area is invaded by a superflu, you will need plenty of extra masks (both N95 and standard) and gloves (nitrile is less allergenic than latex).  You will have to know how to plan out a sick room protocol that will isolate the ill members of your group and you might consider antivirals like Tamiflu.  Tamiflu is helpful in decreasing sick time if taken early, and may actually has a preventive effect.  Be sure to ask your doctor for a prescription for each member of your family each flu season.

Radiation events?  Meltdowns, dirty bombs, nuclear apocalypse, EMPs, Coronal Mass Ejections, whew! If this is something you’re concerned about, learn how to make a shelter in your home that will block radiation effects.  Learn about “halving-thicknesses”, the thickness of  a material that will decrease your exposure by half.  These multiply as you add additional thicknesses of a substance (1/2  x ½ x ½ x ½ = 1/16 total exposure, for example).  Here are the halving-thicknesses of various materials:

  • Lead:                  0.4 inches or 1 centimeter
  • Steel:                  1.0 inch or 2.5 centimeters
  • Concrete:            2.4 inches or 6 centimeters
  • Soil (packed):      3.6 inches or 9 centimeters
  • Water:                7.2 inches or 18 centimeters
  • Wood:                11.0 inches or 30 centimeters

Also, consider the accumulation of Potassium Iodide (KIO4) tablets.  These will help prevent certain thyroid cancers which can be a long-term complication of radiation exposure.

You may ask, “How can I know what medical issues I’ll have to deal with if the you-know-what hasn’t hit the fan yet?”.  Well, many physicians have found themselves in this circumstance and learned the hard way.  Responders to the Haitian Earthquake, Peace Corps caregivers and Doctors Without Borders are just some of the medical personnel that have compiled this information for us.  In no particular order, here is a top ten list from one physician that spent 15 months as the sole medical resource in a remote and austere location:

  • Minor Musculoskeletal injuries (sprains and strains)
  • Minor trauma (cuts, scrapes)
  • Minor infections (cellulitis, “pinkeye”, urinary infections)
  • Allergic reactions (some severe)
  • Respiratory infections (pneumonia, bronchitis, influenza, common colds)
  • Diarrheal disease (minor and major)
  • Dental issues (toothache, loose crowns and lost fillings)
  • Major traumatic injury (fractures, occasional knife and/or gunshot wounds)
  • Burn injuries (all degrees)
  • Pregnancy (!) and Birth Control

You may have thought of the top nine, but have you given some thought to number 10, pregnancy and birth control?  Pregnancy is a natural process and usually ends with a healthy mother and baby, but not so long ago the announcement that someone was pregnant was met with concern as well as joy.  Complications such as miscarriage, bleeding, and infection are easily dealt with in most cases today, but were a common cause of maternal deaths in the past. If modern medical care is unavailable, you may find yourself thrown back to that era. Consider birth control strategies such as the Rhythm Method and learn the basics of how to deliver a baby.

You’ll benefit from storing as many medical supplies as you can.  How much is too much?  You can NEVER have too many medical items in your preps; any “extras” you are willing to let go of will be extraordinarily valuable barter items in a collapse situation.

Accumulate stockpiles of antibiotics as well; these will deal with many of the listed issues above if they are used judiciously.  My research shows that some aquarium antibiotics may be identical in dosage, action, appearance and even numbering as those stocked in human pharmacies, and may be purchased in quantity without a medical license from a number of online sources.

All of the above topics are discussed in detail for free on our website at www.doomandbloom.net and more so in our recent #1 Amazon Bestseller (Survival Skills Category) “The Doom and Bloom™ Survival Medicine Handbook”.  It’s not your everyday first aid book, as its main assumption is that there are no longer hospitals, clinics or doctors, and that YOU are the end of the line when it comes to the medical well-being of your loved ones in times of trouble.  You can find it at www.doomandbloom.netwww.createspace.com/3697264, and Amazon.

Please, as you learn how to treat medical problems in hard times, you are learning a skill, not a trade.  The practice of medicine or dentistry without a license is illegal and punishable by law.  If modern medical care IS available, seek it out.

Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy

 

Copyright Doom and Bloom, LLC 2012

Special thanks to Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy for contributing their time and effort on this portion of the 52-Weeks to Preparedness.

Preps to Buy:

An assortment of the following:

  • Multi-vitamins
  • Gauze bandages
  • Antiseptic solutions such as betadine
  • Butterfly closures, Steri-strips, surgical or super glue, staples, and/or sutures
  • Extra masks (both N95 and standard)
  • Gloves for treating medical wounds
  • Antiviral medicines such as Tamiflu
  • Potassium iodide (KIO4) tablets
  • Benadryl or allergy medicines
  • Contraception
  • Anti-nausea medicine
  • Electrolyte drinks or homemade electrolyte powders
  • Braces for sprains
  • Moleskins for foot relief
  • Stethoscope
  • Gloves
  • Duct tape
  • Potassium iodide capsules
  • Snake bite kit
  • Anti-diarrhea medication (for adults and children)
  • Antibiotics
  • Stool softeners
  • Petroleum jelly or other lubricant
  • CPR mask
  • Colloidal silver

Action Items:

  1. Make a list of the medical emergencies you could foresee occurring during an emergency and research (in depth) the preventative measures, treatment and care.
  2. Take an advanced first aid or medical course. Many of the preparedness/survival expos going on offer these sorts of classes. Also doing a simple Google search of “survival courses” will provide you with a long list of region specific courses being offered.
  3. Do inventory and keep an organized list of medical items you have on hand.
  4. Continue to invest in medical emergency manuals and books in order to familiarize yourself with up-to-date medical information.
  5. Be proactive and create first response packs for wounds in order to expedite the emergency care process.
  6. If childbirth during a sudden emergency is a possibility, research and learn the correct procedure in how to assist in the birth as well as ways to keep the baby and mom healthy.

This article was originally published at Ready Nutrition™ on June 22nd, 2012