Tag: medical

Do It Yourself Medicine

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For my money, I really did not get much out of Do It Yourself Medicine – it could have been much shorter – basically – Do-It Yourself Medicine – go to the co-op and buy animal antibiotics…

There is a little more to this book than just that, it has a little bit of dosing instructions, and some information on why its “safe” to use vet meds – but I am afraid that this book will soon be horribly out of date, as the FDA and other Alpha Agencies are talking about requiring prescriptions to buy veterinary medications.

What would have made Do it yourself medicine more useful as a reference would be a chart on animal body-weight to human body-weight – especially as it says that determining proper dosage of the medicine is hard.

Is the same dose you give a 200 pound pig the same dose you would give a 200 pound human? I do not know, and before I jab a needle full of veterinary grade antibiotics in my hindquarters I would like to know.

It may be a moot point, as I have heard rumblings of requiring prescriptions for vet medicine which would close this “loop hole”

*Update – They did

March 6, 2018
Ditch Medicine

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Anyone can go online and order sutures, quick clot, and fish antibiotics, and a quick trip to the co-op can net you all sorts of neat medical trinkets. If your willing to spend the money you can buy all sorts of high adventure medical kits, or military medic kits, but knowing how to use them is another thing altogether. That is where Ditch Medicine: Advanced Field Procedures For Emergencies fits in.

Ditch Medicine’s author, Hugh Coffee as been in emergency medicine since 1985 – and has been a swat medic for the last 10 years. He spends a lot of time training medics to deal with trauma in austere situations.

If you are prepping for some catastrophic disaster – either general or specific, and you are storing beans, and bullets, you know you cannot neglect the bandages.

This book gives a great selection of techniques and procedures for dealing with wounds. It is also a lot easier to read, and infinitely better illustrated than such classics as Emergency War Surgery this book needs a spot on your prepper bookshelf, but that spot needs to be worn out by you consistently studying this book. While things like suturing are very clearly shown in this book, I believe I would punch any person that tried to stitch me up with a needle in one hand a book in the other.

Buy this book, study it, practice skills like suturing on oranges to grasp them BEFORE they are needed, and then keep this as a refresher/reference for those times when you do not have the luxury of 911 or a emergency room.

February 13, 2018
Herbal Drugstore

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The book The Herbal Drugstore is billed as symptoms, fight disease, and supercharge immunity– All without Drugs or Chemicals! While this is a lot to believe (especially as marketing copy) – I believe that herbal medicine does have merit. Especially when the normal drugstore is not available.

You’re about to enter a completely different kind of drugstore. One where herbal medicines are offered right alongside conventional pharmaceuticals. Where bottles of feverfew stand next to bottles of aspirin, and echinacea has its place among other cold and flu remedies.

The Herbal Drugstore is the only place where you can compare mainstream drug treatments and their herbal alternatives for close to 100 common health problems. You’ll find herbs that have the same healing powers as many prescription and over-the-counter medications– only they’re cheaper and gentler, with few or no side effects.

Whether you need fast first-aid or long-term relief, The Herbal Drugstore has a remedy for you. Here’s just a sampling:

* Immobilized by arthritis? Rub on capsaicin cream, a natural pain reliever made from hot peppers (page 96)

* Can’t sleep? Start snoozing with valerian– it’s as effective as Valium, but it isn’t addictive (page 352)

* Want to lose a few pounds? Get a helping hand from psyllium, an herbal alternative to appetite suppressants (page 448)

* Feeling stressed? Calm jangled nerves with ginseng– it won’t undermine alertness (page 509)

* Battling bronchitis? Clear up that cough with licorice, a natural expectorant (page 129)

* Need help with high blood pressure? Turn to hawthorn– it has much in common with beta blockers, except for the side effects (page 326)

The Herbal Drugstore features these and many more herbal remedies– 712 in all! They’re profiled right next to their pharmaceutical counterparts, so you can make your own comparisons and decide which treatments are best for you.

October 22, 2015
A Minnesota Doctors Home Remedies for Common and Uncommon Ailments

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A Minnesota Doctors Home Remedies for Common and Uncommon Ailments is an older book, and may be hard to find, but I think it is worth it.

We all know how doctors generally feel about folk medicine – so it is very interesting to find a book on practical home remedies that was written by a doctor.

I found this book to be full of common sense and simple remedies.

If you are leaning toward natural medicine, but still trust doctors, then this is a good bridge.

I personally think that both have their places – there are reasons that natural medicine works – and I like how it works on the root cause, but I like the science behind modern medicine.

This book has a place in a well rounded medical library. It is not designed to be, nor should it be, the only medical book in your library, but it does have a lot of medically sound home remedies that can prevent you from having to take a trip to the doctor.

As will all medical related posts. I am not a doctor, and suggest you talk with yours about this book and get some guidance from them about what you should and should not attempt to do on your own.

July 2, 2015
Emergency War Surgery

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Emergency War Surgery is not the be all end all medical reference, and in a catastrophic disaster, if you are on my team and break this out and read it with one hand as you try to pull a bullet out of my leg – prepare to get kicked in the head…

But this book does give information that is hard to find, and in my own opinion, I think it deserves a place in every prepper’s bookshelf.

Just don’t equate owning this book (or any other) with knowing its contents, which is why I said don’t read with one hand and cut with the other.

You should have a firm grasp on the contents of this book pre-disaster if you think there is a possibility that you may one day have to use the contents of this book

I remember once as a kid, I bought a karate book at the school book fair, and went home and challenged my dad to a sparring match. I was so ready – I kept calling time out to open the book to whatever kick I wanted to try. It was silly then, and the idea that you can learn emergency war surgery simply by owning a book is even sillier.

Take real classes by knowledgeable professionals.

June 25, 2015