100 Medical Preps

Any time is a good time to get your medical preps in order.  Here are some things to do to prepare for your next medical emergency:

1. Be sure all of your immunizations are up to date.
2. Be sure all of your health metrics are in order (weight, blood pressure, A1C, cholesterol levels, etc).
3. Get your advanced medical directive forms (living will and medical power of attorney)/POLST form (if necessary) done then scan copies of these documents into your computer.  Also keep digital copies of these forms on your cell phone and backed up on a thumb drive.
4. Exercise. Every. Single. Day.
5. Eat healthy 95% of the time.
6. Keep an updated list of your medical history, allergies, and medications on your computer, cell phone, and backed up on a thumb drive.
7. Be aware of any possible negative interactions your medications can have (examples here and here).
8. Take a basic first aid class (first aid, AED, CPR).
9. Take a Stop the Bleed class.
10. Take a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class.
11. Take a wilderness first aid class.
12. Take an advanced first aid course (EMT class, tactical first aid, etc).
13. Take a lifeguard class, even if you don't intend to work as a lifeguard.  This class teaches emergency rescue skills as well as water-related emergency medical skills.
14. Put together a comprehensive first aid kit for your home.
15. Put together a comprehensive first aid kit for your vehicle.
16. Put together a good first aid kit for your EDC bag (don't forget to add a couple day's worth of your necessary prescription meds to this kit).
17. Put together first aid kits for other situations you may find yourself in like a kit for your boat, for your RV, for your backpack, for your college student, etc.
18. Have medical-related items on hand specific to your location (suntan lotion, bug spray, KI pills if you live near a nuclear plant, etc).
19. When you get new medical devices, keep your old devices to use as a back up in an emergency (hearing aids, glasses, dentures, etc).  
20. Stockpile necessary medications and medical supplies (but don't forget to rotate these so they don't get old and expire).  These should include prescription medications, vitamins, hearing aid batteries, contact lens supplies, denture supplies, etc.
21. Have health insurance (medical, life, long-term care, etc).
22. Keep up with your dental health (regular cleanings, fix any problems immediately so they don't turn into big problems, brush and floss regularly, etc).
23. Keep up with your mental health care too.
24. If you or someone in your household has a medical condition that requires electricity at all times (on a vent or other medical device that must be powered all the time) consider investing in a generator and extra fuel to use in emergencies.
25. Have your hearing and vision checked regularly and fix any problems as soon as possible.
26. Consider corrective eye surgery (like LASIK or cataract surgery) if this will improve your vision and let you get rid of the necessity for glasses or contacts.
27. Keep medical texts on your computer/cell phone/ebook reader for further study/use during an emergency/etc.  Examples here, here, and here.
28. Consider a volunteer position/career in the medical/healthcare field (such as a volunteer EMT or becoming a nurse, paramedic, or doctor).
29. Spend some of your free time studying medical/health preparedness topics online (examples here and here).
30. Volunteer with agencies that will expose you to emergency medical training such as the Red Cross, FEMA, local fire/EMS services, CMRT, etc.
31. Learn about medicinal herbs and consider growing some of these plants in your garden.
32. If you live in a remote area which would require an air evacuation for a medical emergency, see if your local air medical service offers an annual membership which would significantly reduce the cost of an air evac.
33. If you backpack in remote areas, consider carrying an emergency locator beacon to use in the event of a medical emergency.
34. If you travel internationally, consider buying international medical insurance as well as international medical evacuation insurance before you head off on vacation.
35. Always be able to manage your severe medical conditions (carry an EpiPen or Benadryl or asthma inhaler or other emergency medication you can use until you can reach definitive care).
36. Teach everyone in the household how to call 911 from the oldest visitor (make sure they know your address) to the smallest child.  They should be able to report the type of help needed, the location, a general overview of the problem, and be able to provide additional information as requested by the dispatcher.
37. If you have a pool, make it kid (and trespasser) proof.  Have a high, lockable fence, a pool cover or alarm, and rescue items such as a flotation device or pole.
38. Any time you are in open water (swimming, boating) be sure everyone wears an appropriate life jacket (many open water drownings, especially when people are "good swimmers", are due to cold water shock).
39. Make your home "falls proof".  Falls are far and away the most common cause of deaths and injuries for senior citizens.
40. If you have small kids at home (or small kids visiting you like the grandchildren) be sure to baby-proof your home as well.
41. Ditto pet-proofing your home if you have pets or pet visitors.
42. Always ensure that your home has working smoke and CO detectors as well as working fire extinguishers (better to prevent a medical emergency than treating it after the fact).
43. Protect your firearms in a way that makes them accessible to you yet inaccessible to thieves or visitors.
44. Always have appropriate safety gear on hand for whatever activities you are doing (ie: life jackets on boats, eye and ear protection when you are shooting, gloves and eye protection when working with yard equipment, etc).
45. Consider having PPEs on hand to use in the event of an emergency or clean up (gloves, face masks, rubber boots, Tyvek coveralls, duct tape, etc).
46. If you regularly take prescription medications, put them in a daily reminder pill container or put reminder alarms on your cell phone so you don't overdose (surprisingly, many seniors overdose on their meds simply because they forgot they already took them so they take a second or third dose thus causing a medical emergency).
47. If someone in the home is suicidal, consider: getting them appropriate long-term help, locking up guns/knives/rope/medications that they could use to commit suicide, and contacting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
48. Always lock up narcotic medications; these are a prime target for thieves and even visitors with an addiction problem.
49. Know how to provide pet first aid.
50. Know how to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
51. Wear a medical alert bracelet or keep pertinent medical info (allergies, medical conditions) on your cell phone's lock screen.
52. If you travel to foreign countries, get vaccines appropriate to the countries you will be in and also regularly check the CDC's Travel Health Notice page.
53. Consider putting appropriate medical and first aid apps on your cell phone.
54. Dispose of unneeded medications appropriately so they don't fall in the wrong hands and poison someone.
55. If you find pills that you can't identify, you can either input the color and text/number into Google or use one of the many "pill finder" websites to determine what it is.
56. Have a good-sized emergency fund.  Money can be used to pay for gas or lodging near a hospital, an emergency taxi or Uber ride to the hospital, paying unexpected co-pays, buying medication, evacuating out of a disaster area, etc.
57. If you can't afford necessary medication, look into other options like free samples from your doctor, buying them at Walmart or Costco, or using prescription assistance services.
58. If you need medical care (NOT emergency care) but can't afford it, consider medical and dental tourism.
59. If you need emergency medical care go to your nearest hospital emergency room (not a quick care place or something like that).  Emergency rooms must stabilize and treat you even if you can't pay (you will, however, receive a boatload of bills for your care after the fact.  When you receive these bills, consider these options for paying them).
60. Know the difference between a medical emergency which requires a hospital and an urgent medical need which may only need a clinic.
61. If you have a chronic disease that can be reversed with diet and exercise, give it a shot.  Obviously not all diseases can be reversed but if yours can, not being tied to a lifetime of medications is a good thing.
62. Prepare for flu season.  Get a flu shot, stock up on kleenex and canned soup/Pedialyte/7 up, stock up on over-the-counter flu meds (Tylenol, TheraFlu, cough syrup, etc), stay away from sick people, and brush up on natural remedies for the flu.
63. Have someone (and a back-up someone) who can: accompany you to the hospital, feed your pets if you are in the hospital, pick up your kids and/or care for them if you end up in the hospital, etc.
64. Prevent a medical emergency (or a more severe than necessary medical emergency) by: always wearing a seat belt, never driving drunk, putting your kids in appropriate child safety seats, etc.
65. Always use appropriate sports safety gear (bicycle or motorcycle helmets, avalanche backpack, football pads and helmets, etc).
66. Be prepared for common emergencies that you may encounter (have glucose tabs on hand if you or a loved one is diabetic, keep a stash of electrolyte replacement tablets/mixes with you when backpacking, etc).
67. Keep necessary medical devices at home if someone needs them (like a blood pressure monitor, AED, cane or walker, etc).
68. Donate blood.  It can be a lifesaver for someone in need and sometime in the future that someone in need may be you or a loved one.
69. Be an organ donor.  Again, giving a life-saving organ to someone when you won't be needing at anymore is a great way to help others out.
70. Put together a bug out bag (BOB) or Go Bag in case you or a loved one has a medical emergency and ends up in the hospital (a bit of chest pain can end up in a multi-day hospital stay with very little notice).  Include a change of clothes, toiletries, entertainment options, cell charger, etc.
71. Be sure to add plenty of sanitation supplies to your preparedness stockpile.  Soap, waterless hand sanitizer, Wet Wipes, Clorox wipes, rubber gloves, bleach, etc.
72. Have alternate methods to get to the hospital if necessary: ambulance for life threatening emergencies, a friend to drive you/Uber app/Lyft app/bus schedule for less urgent emergencies, etc.
73. See what free and cheap medical/safety things are available in your community: health fairs, free vaccination clinics, free child safety seats through the local hospital, free smoke detectors and blood pressure checks at the fire department, etc.
74. Consider keeping "old fashioned" health care items on hand: hot water bottles, heating pads, netie pot, acidophilous, castor oil, lemon/ginger/honey, etc.
75. Be sure both your street name and house number is large and clear and easy for an ambulance to find.
76. If you or a loved one has a disability, be sure to prepare accordingly for a medical emergency.
77. If you must be in regular contact with your medical or mental health care provider, ask them what their disaster emergency plans are (how would you contact them in a disaster, how could you transfer your medical records if necessary, how would you renew your prescriptions if their clinic was washed away in a flood, etc).
78. Scan all of your medical records into your computer and keep back up copies of these (you can request your medical records from your provider).  Also keep copies of your admit/discharge paperwork, your vision/glasses prescriptions, etc.
79. Learn how to prepare for the most common natural disasters in your area.  By studying how to respond to common disasters you will learn how to avoid common pitfalls (like knowing that fallen live electrical wires can be a danger during floods and windstorms, that "earthquake proofing" your house can keep large furniture from falling on you, etc).
80. Consider becoming a licensed HAM radio operator.  During disasters when you can't call 911 for emergency medical assistance, HAM radio may be the only way to call for help.
81. Encourage your workplace/gym/hobby and activity areas to step up their medical emergency preps.  AEDs placed in public places like gyms and golf courses save lives, making your workplace a hard target can prevent mass shootings, shooting ranges should have comprehensive medical kits as well as safety measures to prevent accidental or random discharges, etc.
82. If you have kids in school, ask how medical care--from providing prescription medicine to your child to medical emergencies and severe food allergies--would be handled by the school.  Schools should have policies for all of these things which you will want to know about sooner rather than later.
83. Teach everyone in your household how to do the medical preps on this list--if you are the only one who knows where the first aid kit is or how to perform CPR and you are the patient, you will want everyone else in the household to know this important information as well.
84. Everyone else in the household should also know what each other's allergies are, each person's basic health history, and how to respond to the most likely medical emergencies (like what to do if grandma's blood sugar tanks, if dad has chest pain again, and if little brother who has a sever bee allergy gets stung).
85. Use your cell phone for many medical needs: take photos of each of your prescription bottles, take photos of rashes or injuries so you can show the doctor any changes, use your phone's stopwatch to time contractions, texting 911 if calls aren't going through, etc.
86. Learn about OSHA requirements for your job site and what safety procedures your employer should be following (and how to file a complaint if you are working in unsafe conditions).
87. Learn what to do before, during, and after an active shooter event.
88. Learn how to recognize and prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, a common household killer.
89. Learn how to prevent and respond to household fires, another common household emergency.
90. Keep the number of your local or national poison control center on your cell phone.  In a possible poisoning emergency, quick help can be essential to saving a life.
91. Put an ICE (in case of emergency) contact on your cell phone's lock screen.  This can be a spouse, parent, or friend that you would want contacted if you are severely injured or unconscious.
92. When traveling, always know the location of the closest hospital, 24-hour pharmacy, and fire department/ambulance service.
93. Learn how to respond to a car accident.
94. Practice situational awareness, many medical crisis can be averted or mitigated by being aware of what is happening around you.
95. If you have an addiction--alcohol, drugs, etc--take steps to fix this.  Not only will this save you money and perhaps avert financial/legal/social problems, but your overall health will be greatly improved as well.
96. Everyone, young people especially, should take steps to improve their health and safety to avoid medical issues either now or in the future.  Sexual health, binge drinking, anorexia, assault, spring break, college safety--there are a number of situations that young people can find themselves in that can have serious impacts on their health and safety.
97. Everyone should be able to identify the most common types of poisonous plants in their area.
98. Everyone should also be aware of current health threats on the global level which could trickle down to the local level.  Prepare accordingly.
99. When you travel, take a few minutes to Google around and find out what the most common types of health threats are at your destination (Dengue fever, shark attacks, alligators, tainted alcohol, etc).
100. Prevent food poisoning, it is a not uncommon medical event which happens at home, in restaurants, at picnics, etc.

50 Medical Prep Tips

A big part of preparedness is being healthy and fit and able to handle medical emergencies as they happen.  Here's how:

1. Stay up to date on your vaccinations.
2. Stay up to date with your annual physical/medical evaluations.
3. Get your teeth professionally cleaned and have a dental exam every six months.
4. If you have vision or hearing problems, fix them ASAP.
5. If you wear glasses, consider surgery for fixable eye problems like cataracts/myopia/etc; not needing glasses at all is a good thing.
6. Keep a written list of allergies, previous medical procedures, health history, current prescriptions, etc.
7.  If you must take prescription medication, try to get 90 day prescriptions instead of 30 day prescriptions and refill them as soon as possible so you always have extra medications on hand.
8. When you get new glasses/hearing aids/dentures, keep the old pair in reserve to use in case of emergency.
9. Make fitness activities part of your everyday routine.
10. Eat healthy as much as possible (many chronic diseases are due to the food you eat).
11. Get a good night's sleep every night.
12. Use whatever de-stressing methods work for you (yoga, meditation, deep breathing, etc); stress can have a negative impact on your health.
13. Have a comprehensive first aid kit at home.
14. Have a good first aid kit in your vehicle.
15. Carry a small first aid kit in your EDC bag.
16. Put first aid kits in your RV/boat/vacation cabin/etc.
17. Review and restock all of your first aid kits regularly (annually or whenever you use items in them); replace old supplies or expired medications.
18. Take a basic first aid/CPR/AED class.
19. If you really want good emergency medical experience, take an EMT class then volunteer as an EMT for field experience.
20. Stay on top of chronic health conditions (know about the latest research, make lifestyle changes if that have been proven to help, etc).
21. For severe long-term medical conditions have a way to evacuate before a disaster strikes.
22. Keep PPEs on hand (face masks, nitrile gloves, safety goggles, etc).
23. Keep a medical library on your tablet, laptop. or in hard copy (include documents like 'When There is No Doctor', US Army Survival Manual, PDR, etc).
24. Keep potassium iodide tablets on hand if your area is at risk for a nuclear/radiologial emergency.
25. Have a way to purify water in an emergency.
26. Stockpile sanitizing agents (everything from waterless hand sanitizer to bleach to alcohol).
27. If you rely on medical supplies like oxygen, home health care, etc. figure out how you would access these things during and after a disaster.
28. Hit up the internet and YouTube for information and lessons on all things medical-preparedness (how-to videos, medical preparedness resources, virtual surgery simulator, etc).
29. Find out what your city/county plans to do for medically fragile/injured people during and after a disaster (some will have special medical shelters, some events may necessitate "pop up" trauma triage areas, etc).
30. Teach everyone in the family how to call 911 and report an emergency.
31. Take medical preparedness classes as they become available in your community (ie: Red Cross first aid, CERT, Stop the Bleed, etc).
32. Take other emergency-medical-related classes as they come up (lifeguard training at the local pool, Search and Rescue courses, child safety seat installation class, etc).
33. Be proactive when it comes to safety (wear a seatbelt, don't drive drunk, wear a bike or motorcycle helmet, etc).
34. Stock meds that you don't normally use which would be useful in an emergency (EpiPen, Narcan, etc).
35. Learn how to DIY medications in an emergency (using animal antibiotics, using older forms on insulin if newer forms aren't available, etc).
36. When traveling, know where the nearest hospitals are and where the nearest pharmacies are.
37. When traveling internationally, carry a vaccine card and get meds/vaccines for health issues specific to the area you will be traveling in (malaria, yellow fever, etc).
38. Keep all of your medical records on a thumb drive for easy access after a disaster.  Also keep copies of your Will, Living Will, POLST form, medical power of attorney, etc on this thumb drive.
39. Have health insurance (this will keep a medical emergency from bankrupting you).  When you travel, have health insurance that will cover you in foreign countries as well as medical evacuation insurance.
40. If you will be away from your children, leave the following information for their caregiver: full name, doctor's contact info, Social Security number, health insurance card, emergency contact numbers for parents/grandparents, list of allergies, medical consent forms, health history and current health problems/medications.
41. Keep spare assistive  devices on hand if you need them/often have guests that need them (cane, wheel chair, magnifying glass, wheel chair, etc).
42. Stockpile bottled water (important for cleaning, staying hydrated, washing wounds, etc).
43. After a disaster, keep hygiene top of mind (bury human waste if it can't be flushed, always wash your hands with soap and water, cook food thoroughly, etc).
44. Know how to use herbal medicines (and grow these items in your garden!).
45. Have a cash emergency fund at home (if ATMs and electronic payment systems are down you can use cash to pay for emergency meds and other necessities at local stores and pharmacies).
46. Avoid common medical emergencies (prevent sunburn, avoid food poisoning, elderly people should stay off ladders, clear ice and snow from walkways to prevent fall injuries, have working smoke detectors, etc).
47. Be able to get a victim of a life threatening emergency (stroke, heart attack, major trauma, etc) to definitive care as soon as possible (if roads are blocked have several evacuation routes planned, have the number to call the local fire department/ambulance if 911 is down, use your HAM radio to request help if there are no other communication systems working, etc).
48. Wherever you are, always note building exits, where things like public access AEDs and fire extinguishers are kept in office buildings/commercial buildings, where first aid stations are located, what items you see that could be used for a sudden medical emergency, etc.
49. Make your home safe for its occupants: put grab bars in the bedroom and bathroom if people need them, remove trip and fall hazards in your home, if someone in your home has mental health issues lock up your firearms, kid-proof the kitchen and bathroom, etc.
50. Be proficient in pet/livestock first aid if you have animals (make first aid kits for these four-legged creatures as well).

Prescription Medication Tips

Tens of thousands of people are killed each year by prescription medications.  This is higher than gun deaths, car accident deaths, and even suicide deaths.  In order to increase your safety with prescription medications, consider these tips:

• Make a list of your current medications, including the name, dosage, when to take it, when to stop taking it if there is an end date, the doctor who prescribed it, and why was it prescribed.  Be sure you include all of the meds you take from ALL of your doctors.
• Take a photo of each prescription bottle and keep them on your cell phone.
• Understand how your prescription medications work (ER usually means extended release, many medications can’t be doubled up if you forget to take it, some meds will interact with others so both the doctor and pharmacist should check for interactions, etc).
• If you have a pill but don’t know what it is, you can Google the number or letter found on the pill itself and it will come up with a photo, description, and name.
• Keep track of any allergies you have to medications and have your doctor and pharmacist put this in their records.
• If you have a negative reaction to a medication and immediately alert your doctor (reactions include swelling, hives, rash, nausea, etc).
• Have a dispenser system set up to avoid forgetting or overdosing on your prescription meds (these range from prescription pill boxes with AM/PM on them to individualized and dated packets of medications to high-tech electronic dispensers).
• Don’t stop taking meds until told to by your doctor (quitting antibiotics because you feel better not because you have reached the stop date can lead to drug resistant bacteria and some meds can have serious effects if you quit them suddenly instead of tapering them off).
• Ask your doctor if the drugs you are taking have any special restrictions (some shouldn’t be taken with grapefruit juice, etc).
• Tell your doctor about any special situations you have (recent overseas travel, tick bites, vitamins you take, OTC meds you take, illegal drugs you take, if you have suddenly started a strict diet, etc).
• If refill prescriptions look different or have a different name on the bottle from previous prescriptions, ask your doctor or pharmacist why this is (it could be a generic drug instead of a name brand or it could be a mistake that could be deadly!).
• Read the side effects for each prescription (you can Google this or read the documentation that comes with your meds) and note if any of these side effects happen to you.
• Try to keep several day's worth of prescriptions in reserve (ie: don’t order them the day you are scheduled to run out of them).
• Don’t try to extend your medication by taking half doses or cutting pills in half.
• Ask if you can crush pills (some you can't) or take them in a different form (liquid) if you have a difficult time swallowing them.
• Safeguard your medications (lock up opiods, keep meds in original bottles and all together in a cabinet, not on a counter. don't get your medication bottles mixed up with another family member's bottles, etc).
• Don’t give your medications to others and don't borrow meds from other people.
• Keep your meds out of the reach of kids, pets, and the family drug addict.
• If you can’t afford your medications ask your doctor or pharmacists what your options are (some docs can give you sample packs, docs can prescribe generic rather than name rand drugs, and many drug companies have charity drug programs, etc).
• Print out your list of medications and bring it to the doctor's office with you each time you go.
• Read the warnings on your prescription medication bottles.  If it says take with food, take with food; if it says don’t drive, don’t drive.
• Beware of the possibility of becoming addicted to some classes of drugs, particularly opiods.  Doctors are more careful these days with this problem but you can't be too careful.
• Dispose of your medications properly (info here).

10 Medical Preps for a SHTF Situation

You never know when a SHTF situation will happen.  When it does happen, the last thing you want to do is be caught in a disaster AND have a medical/dental/vision/etc crisis at the same time.  To avoid this...

1. Stay up to date on your vaccinations (you don't want to get injured and try to find a tetanus shot when your entire city has been wiped out).
2. Have regular vision check ups and save an old pair of glasses when you get a new pair of glasses so you will have a back up (or better yet, buy two pair of your current prescription glasses and keep one as a back up).  You may also want to buy a few pair of reading glasses at the Dollar Store in varying strengths if you have difficulty reading small print.
3. Get your teeth cleaned every six months and have regular exams and x rays done.  You want to catch dental problems when they can be fixed with a filling and not a root canal and crown and you want your teeth to be in their best shape when a disaster happens because finding a dentist may be difficult or impossible in such a situation.
4. Get your hearing checked as needed and if you do have hearing aids, keep an old pair when you get a new pair so you will have a back-up pair.  Also, stockpile lots of hearing aid batteries.
5. Keep up with regular medical exams and fix medical problems as they come up instead of putting them off.  
6. If you use regular prescription medications, be sure to stockpile them as much as possible (ie: get 90 days prescriptions if possible, get prescriptions refilled as soon as possible, ask for additional prescriptions for an emergency if possible, keep a week's worth of medications in your BOB, etc).
7. Stay of top of mental health issues including therapy and medication.  Also ask your mental healthcare provider how you can prepare for a disaster--where would you go for continuing care, can you stockpile prescription medications, what should you do if you find yourself in a mental health crisis during a disaster (some communities have plans for mental health shelter services during a disaster, others don't).
8. Work daily to improve your health.  Exercise daily, eat healthy food, and try to control chronic medical conditions with diet if possible (there is a lot of research going on with using WFPB diets to control diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure thus reducing your risk of stroke, diabetes, and heart attacks).
9. Practice good hygiene daily.  Avoid sick people, wash your hands regularly, and wear PPEs if you are dealing with blood/sick people/bodily fluids.  Be sure to stockpile these items as well including nitrile gloves, face masks, and hand sanitizer.  Make sure you keep yor first aid kits up to date and well stocked.
10. If you or a loved one has a serious medical condition, have pre-evacuation plans in place.  An eight-month pregnant woman should be evacuated ahead of any potential disaster like a hurricane or wildfire.  Anyone on life support at home should have a back up generator with extra fuel in addition to plans to pre-evacuate ahead of any kind of disaster.

A Few Words on Vaccines

The state of Washington is in the midst of a public health emergency all because some parents, who themselves are probably vaccinated, decided not to vaccinate their kids.  For the vast majority of people, vaccines are a good thing.  Vaccines have been used since about 1800 and they have been responsible for eradicating smallpox with polio probably soon to follow.  Vaccines have also made huge strides in getting rid of measles...until some idiot parents decided they don't care if their children get a severe, sometimes fatal, but wholly preventable disease.  Obviously I am not an anti-vaxxer.

While there are some specific reasons not to get vaccinated, for most people, vaccines can mean the difference between severe illness, possible permanent disfigurement, and lasting health issues, and good health.  Vaccines do not cause autism, they aren't part of a government conspiracy, and aside from a couple of questionable vaccines in recent memory (don't even get me started on the anthrax vaccine), vaccines protect far more people than the small number of people who have adverse reactions to them. 

Personally I keep up-to-date on my vaccine schedule (during a SHTF situation, the last thing I want to do is try to hunt down a tetanus shot if I inadvertently cut myself), stay home when I am ill so I don't spread whatever virus I have contracted, and try to avoid contracting illnesses from others (washing hands often, keeping "coughing distance" from people, etc).  Note that with highly virulent diseases such as measles, good hygiene often isn't enough (thus the possible outbreak officials fear may happen in Hawaii due to people who were infected in Washington and flew to the islands).

The bottom line is that being vaccinated is the best way to prevent many common--and uncommon-diseases and is just one more way to prepare for whatever the future may hold.

10 Bystander Medical Skills

If you are old enough, you will remember that when someone keeled over having a heart attack years ago, people would just kind of look at them then call for an ambulance.  It wasn't until the 1970s that the idea of training civilians to do CPR could save the life of someone having a heart attack became a thing.  Fast forward to now and CPR classes are quite common in schools and at other community events because when seconds count, EMS is usually (several) minutes away.  Here are 10 skills everyone should know how to do in order to save a life before EMTs and paramedics arrive:

1. CPR
2. AED use
3. Heimlich Maneuver
4. Basic First Aid
5. Stop the Bleed
6. How to use lifesaving drugs (Epi Pen, Narcan, asthma inhaler, Glucose Tabs, etc)
7. Treating shock
8. Initial hypothermia treatment
9. Recognizing a stroke
10. Suicide warning signs

5 Medical Prep Tips for This Week

In no particular order...

1. Consider getting a flu shot.  80,000 people died of the flu last year, and contrary to what anti-vaxxers say, flu shots do work.  Find a flu shot location here.
2. This Saturday is National Take Back Your Meds Day.  This is a great way to get rid of unwanted/unneeded medications in a safe and free way.
3. Next week is Halloween.  In addition to limiting the amount of candy your kids (you?) eat for health reasons, follow these tips to keep everyone safe during the holiday.
4. Check out these Field Medical Training Manuals from the Marines.  Part 1   Part 2
5. Want a cheap (actually free) way of adding to your preps?  Check out this list of freebies that you can order.  Even little sample sized products are good enough to add to your preps for "just in case" situations.

10 Medical Preps You May Not Have Considered

After a SHTF event, you might not be able to access medical care very easily.  Here are ten ways you can be proactive about your medical care before a major disaster:

1. Consider LASIK eye surgery.  Many people I know have had this sort of surgery and all rave about the major improvement to their vision and thus the fact that they no longer need glasses.
2. Make sure your tetanus shot is up to date (tetanus booster shots are recommended about every ten years).
3. Take family planning seriously.  Be familiar with the most--and least--effective forms of birth control.
4. Take steps now to keep your immune system in tip top shape.
5. Exercise (cardio, strength, flexibility) every day.  You would be surprised at the number of people who can't do something as simple as wedging themselves under a desk during an earthquake without injuring themselves.
6. Consider aligning your circadian rhythms with the seasons.  Doing this can help you sleep better, stay awake during the day, and, in the event of a major disaster, you may not have a lot of unnatural light to keep up with your current nocturnal schedule.
7. Get rid of your addictions.  Smoking, drinking, drugs, caffeine...anything that you are addicted to will become a problem when said substance isn't available after a disaster.
8. Learn how to make your own natural products.  If you couldn't just walk into a store and buy soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. how would you make these products the old fashioned way?
9. Grow a selection of medicinal herbs in your garden and learn how to use them.  
10. Consider using a 'direct primary care' model of medicine if available in your community.  Small town, community doctors who you have a good relationship with may be more accessible after a disaster.

How Do You Get Your Meds During a SHTF Event?

A question I've seen on quite a few survival message boards is "how do I get necessary meds during a SHTF event?"  Since nearly 60% of Americans take at least one prescription medication on a daily basis, that's a good question.  Here are some options:

• You can stockpile your prescriptions.  Ask you doctor for 90 day prescription refills instead of 30 day refills.  You can also ask you doctor for additional prescriptions (like a prescription for antibiotics even if you don't need it if they are sympathetic to your survivalist tendencies YMMV).
• You can use veterinary meds meant for animals.  This isn't recommended by anyone in the medical field for a number of reasons but if it is 'take an antibiotic meant for your animal or die', well, YMMV again.
• You can work to get off your meds.  Again, the medical field can be quite divisive and when the spouse, who was already on a bunch of meds and not in any hurry to get off them, was prescribed a whole bunch of additional meds for a heart attack/stents/etc, suddenly had a change of heart--no pun intended--and after years of me harping on the WFPB vegan diet for completely getting off of all meds, then told the cardiologist that the goals was to get completely off all meds (except blood thinners which are necessary for a period of time when you have new cardiac stents), the cardiologist just laughed.  No one ever did that he said.  Well he will soon know at least one person who did this as a complete change of diet has nearly reversed the spouse's diabetes and I am guessing that after a new set of blood tests it may show that the meds for high cholesterol and high blood pressure may no longer be needed either.  There are several doctors who are completely on board with using diet to fix what are considered lifelong, chronic medical problems including Dr Gregor, Dr Fuhrman, and Dr McDougall.  

As with anything medical related, you need to know what you are doing lest you cause permanent damage or death.  And seeking medical advice from a doctor or pharmacist is always a good idea as well as copious amounts of research on your part.  There are some meds you simply cannot get off of no matter how you change your diet (some psych meds, etc) and while vet meds might work in a pinch, they might not depending on the source of the meds, the impurities that wouldn't be found in human meds, etc.  

10 Common Medical Emergencies

You probably won't go through your entire life without running into a medical emergency or two.  Here are the 10 most common medical emergencies you should be prepared for:

1. Heart attack
2. Choking
3. Stroke
4. Severe bleeding
5. Diabetic emergency
6. Dehydration
7. Psychiatric emergency
8. Seizure
9. Woman in labor
10. Asthma attack

When YOU Are the First Responder

Emergency medical care--having EMTs and paramedics show up at your door when you call 911--is a fairly recent invention.  Prior to 1970 someone (usually untrained) would show up at your door and toss your loved one into the back of an ambulance and haul them to the hospital and maybe they would make it, often they would not.

Around 1970, staffing ambulances with trained medical providers (EMTs and paramedics) started to show greater promise for patient survival rates.  Then came better protocols for when someone called 911 (ie: the dispatcher would get EMS rolling but then offer instructions on how to help the patient until EMS arrived such as giving instructions on how to perform CPR).

Due to the many recent mass murder events including 9/11, the Oklahoma City bombing, and numerous mass shootings, emergency medical care is changing yet again.  In these mass casualty incidents a few problems have been noted.  #1--dispatchers can't give life saving instructions to one caller when they have hundreds and hundreds of calls coming in, #2--patients may have to wait longer for EMS to show up because they are busy helping other wounded people and #3--mass casualty events are taking place in both urban and rural areas.  In urban areas, mass casualty response is pretty good.  All of the responding agencies practice together, plans and protocols for response have been developed, and you are much more likely to survive a mass casualty event today than you were a decade or so ago.  Rural areas are still problematic as there are usually few responders who show up immediately and they usually have to wait for mutual aid from larger cities that are further away.  Patients also usually wait longer to be transported to level one trauma centers (rural hospitals are usually designated a level 4 or 5 trauma center).  Obviously this is not good when it comes to survival rates.

More and more it is being recognized that immediate medical care for victims of trauma and severe injury means that it's more likely the patient will survive.  And by immediate I don't mean when EMS arrives but seconds after the patient drops.  This is where you come in.  The difference between life and death in a trauma injury situation is literally minutes.  If a patient is in cardiac arrest or bleeding out, waiting five minutes means the patient will be dead when EMS shows up.  But, with appropriate bystander care, these lost-cause patients can often survive even the worst wounds.  As an untrained bystander, these are the things you can do now to help out in the event that someone (like in the case of a heart attack at the family Christmas dinner) or many someones (like in the case of a mass shooter at a concert venue) need immediate medical care.

• Learn CPR.  There are classes for this in almost all towns and it is a simple skill to learn that can save lives.
• Learn basic first aid.  Again, these are easy skills to learn that can come in handy for the simplest household injury to something bigger.
• Learn how to use an AED and pay attention when you are out and about so you know where AEDs are located in your community.  Most AEDs will talk you through the steps to use the device and a shock or two can mean the difference between life and death when a patient is in cardiac arrest.
• Learn how to do the Heimlich Maneuver.  There are dozens of YouTube videos on this topic and preventing someone from chocking to death is a very important skill to have.
• Stop the Bleed is a relatively new civilian training class in Washington State that is aimed at providing immediate patient care to prevent someone from bleeding out before help arrives.  Learning this skill (and learning how to improvise if necessary) can be a real lifesaver in an emergency situation.
• Donate blood regularly if you can.  Obviously this isn't an emergency response skill but having blood during a mass casualty event is crucial for blood banks/hospitals in order to save lives.  Usually after a mass casualty incident the community comes out in droves to donate blood but the problem with this is that blood is needed now not in five hours when people can get to the blood center to donate.  Also, blood has a limited shelf life so hundreds of people donating blood after an event doesn't mean enough blood will be available in two weeks if needed.
• Always carry first aid supplies with you.  This can be as simple as a handful of tampons or feminine hygiene pads (great for stopping bleeding), some condoms (can be used as a tourniquet), aspirin (not NSAIDs or acetaminophen although these belong in a first aid kit too) for when someone is having a heart attack, an EpiPen (these days this item is insanely expensive but can be a lifesaver when someone is having an allergic reaction), plus other basic first aid supplies are better than nothing and can tide you over until emergency help arrives.
• Communities are always looking for volunteer first responders.  Organizations like fire departments, ambulance companies, and hospitals will often pay for your training course if you agree to volunteer a certain number of field hours after you successfully complete the certification process (as an EMR, EMT, ILS, or paramedic).
• There are also a number of tactical EMS/first aid courses offered to both certified first responders as well as the general public.  Examples here, here, and here.
• If nothing else, there are numerous YouTube videos and books you can take advantage of to learn the basics of first responder care to help out others during an emergency.
• In a Wisdom of the Crowd-esque means of giving and seeking emergency medical help, you can check out the PulsePoint app.

Quarantine

If you have been watching the news today, you may have seen that a family in Texas has been quarantined due to one of their family members having contracted Ebola.  This is a big deal.  Huge.

In-home quarantines are rare.  Although this power has always been in the legal arsenal of a community's public health officer, it isn't something that is entered into lightly.  Here are some things to consider about medical quarantine:

• Obviously if you can stay away from someone who is likely to need to be quarantined (someone with a contagious, usually deadly, disease) you will be better off, however, as you can see in this case, no one knew about the man's condition until he was quite ill so that means that all of the people on his plane, in his home, in his workplace, in his neighborhood, et al. were unknowingly exposed.
• It's one thing to quarantine people in a hospital, but when there are large groups of infected or possibly infected people, quarantining them in their home is a more viable option unless they need critical medical care.
• Being quarantined has legal repercussions. If someone in power (in this case it was probably someone from the city health department or someone from the CDC) quarantines someone and tells them where they need to stay (ie: in their home) they have the full force of the law behind them.
• People who are quarantined, on the other hand, have a penchant for trying to escape (thus the legal guard as noted in the article above).  
• It is in the best interest of everyone that people with a contagious illness (whether the flu or Ebola or any other disease) isolate themselves from the general public to avoid spreading disease.  Most people, however, don't have everyone else's best interest in mind in these situations (note how many people go to work when they are contagious during cold and flu season).

Do you have an in-home quarantine plan?  Since this sort of thing could happen to anyone at anytime, here are some preparedness tips:

• Have a month's worth of food stockpiled.
• Have a month's worth of other supplies stockpiled (toilet paper, baby diapers if you have a baby, medication, cleaning supplies, etc)
• Have a plan for your work/income (can you work from home, how will you pay your bills, how will you do banking, etc).
• Have the means to keep yourself and your family entertained (most people can't even imagine not leaving their home for an entire month).
• Have the means to take basic care of yourself and your family (ie: monitoring medical conditions, providing basic health care, etc).

More resources on isolation and quarantine:

• CDC Isolation and Quarantine laws
• CDC Isolation and Quarantine
• Tips for being quarantined at home
• NY DOH Isolation and Quarantine Agreement
• Prepping for Mandatory Quarantine

Medical Concerns During a Disaster

It would be nice to be in optimal physical condition when a disaster strikes but as the population continues to get older, fatter, and sicker, the reality, for many people, is that they will have to deal with any disaster that arises in less than stellar condition.  Not only will this impact their ability to respond to said disaster but all of the things that go along with being old, fat, and sick will also come into play after a disaster.  Here are some things to consider, and prepare for now, if you fall into any of these categories or care for someone who does:

• If someone has any sort of in-home life support equipment (ventilator, CPAP, etc), what would happen if the power is out for an extended period of time?  
• If someone relies on regular oxygen delivery, what would happen if these deliveries couldn't be made?
• If someone needs regular prescription medication, what would happen if they couldn't get this medication for weeks or longer?
• If someone relies on glasses or contacts to see, hearing aids to hear, or dentures to eat, what would happen if these items were lost or destroyed?
• If someone is wheelchair-bound, how would they be able to escape from a damaged building after an earthquake or other disaster that impeded their ability to be mobile?
• If someone uses adult diapers or liquid nutrition such as Ensure, what would happen if they couldn't purchase these items for an extended period of time?
• If someone were quite obese, how would they be able to evacuate a disaster area or destroyed home if the roads were closed?
• If an elderly or ill person relies on home healthcare, what would they do if their care provider couldn't get to their home for an extended period of time?

...you get the idea.

In the event of a major disaster, like a Hurricane Katrina which wipes out all infrastructure/medical facilities/pharmacies/stores or an earthquake which levels an entire city, the above situations will happen to a percentage of the population,  It is up to each person who sees themselves or their loved ones in these scenarios to plan now for such an eventuality.

Besides discussing these concerns with your healthcare provider who may have some ideas to help, consider a range of alternatives.  In the case of the examples above:

• Have a generator for emergency electricity and have an early evacuation plan in place.
• Stockpile additional oxygen or have a portable oxygen concentrator.
• Stockpile as much prescription medication possible (doctors will often provide a prescription for a 90 day supply if asked).
• Keep old glasses, hearing aids, and/or dentures for emergency use when you get new items.
• Someone who is wheelchair-bound may want to consider early evacuation if possible as well as have neighbors who could check on them after a disaster and offer assistance if needed.
• For necessary supplies, buying a bit extra each week with the regular shopping can equal a significant stockpile eventually.
• The simple answer for those who are obese is to lose weight although that isn't always so simple.  Even walking every day starting with twenty feet at a time can make a difference when disaster strikes.
• For those who rely on home healthcare, this concern should be brought up with the healthcare agency as many have disaster plans in place.  Also, if possible, family members should learn the basic skills to care for the person if possible.

Survival Skill #5 Medical Care (Part 5 of 10)

Right after a disaster, and right after you have procured the basics for survival (food, water, shelter), you may--depending on the disaster and your personal circumstances--need to procure medical care.  Picture the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (all of the people including doctors and nurses were displaced, buildings like hospitals and pharmacies were washed away) then picture what you would do if you or a family member needed medical care in a post-disaster scenario.  Here's some ideas:

• Have a stockpile of necessary medications (prescription and non-prescription meds) that you keep in various places (your home, your BOB, your office, your car, etc).
• Have comprehensive first aid kits located in the aforementioned places as well.
• Have some basic medical training (a first aid class, a CPR/AED certification, an EMT class as well as volunteer EMT experience under your belt, etc).
• Have a comprehensive medical library at your disposal (both in hard copy format and digital format; start with the popular "Where There is No Doctor" book and expand from there).
• Be well-versed in home remedies and herbal medicine (this is becoming a lost art as people now run to the ER for the smallest of medical problems but years ago that was about the only medical care a person received unless they were missing a limb or literally dying).
• Know what medical skills your friends and neighbors have and cultivate these reciprocal relationships (ie: you help your neighbor, a doctor, out with car repairs and he/she provides medical care for you if needed, etc).
• Be sure everyone in your family/neighborhood/survival group has similar medical knowledge and training as you do (this way if YOU are the patient someone else will be able to help you).
• Prepare now for your future healthcare needs.  Basically, the better condition you are in now (exercise regularly, eat healthy, take care of preventive healthcare, etc) the less likely you will be to have a major medical event in the future (like a heart attack, stroke, etc).
• Make basic healthcare precautions part of your everyday life (isolate yourself from sick people, wash your hands regularly, etc).
• Get vaccinated as necessary (make sure your tetanus booster is up to date, ditto any other vaccines that are needed).
• Go out of your way to prevent injuries.  While it may be fine for you/your teenager to do some stupid scary stuff that ends up going viral on YouTube (like riding a bicycle off the roof into the family pool, etc), in a post disaster scenario (and even in everyday life for those of us who are generally safety conscious) some very basic safety precautions like wearing a seat belt or bicycle helmet, not taking unnecessary physical risks, etc, can greatly reduce the need for emergent medical assistance.
• Know what your community's disaster plan is (where medical services will be offered after a disaster, what the mass casualty response plan is, etc).
• Volunteer with a medical disaster team like the Red Cross, Search and Rescue, the Department of Emergency Management, a private group like CMRT, etc.  This provides excellent training, the opportunity to work with like-minded disaster preppers, and gives you a knowledge of how a medical disaster will be dealt with in your community.
• Be able to reach out--sometimes way out--for help.  This may entail driving a patient to a community with available medical care, having the means to fly a patient to outside medical care, being able to use a HAM radio to call for assistance when all other communication lines are down, etc.

Prep Tip #3: 10 More Medical Preps

Now that you have your first aid kits together, here are ten more medical prep tips:

1. If you rely on prescription medications, try to stockpile as much of your meds as possible.  In the event of a disaster which closes all of the pharmacies in the area or in the event of job loss or insurance loss which means the cost of your necessary medications jump sky high, having a stockpile to fall back on can be critical to your health.
2. Also stockpile any additional specialized medical supplies for your household members such as diapers and formula if you have a baby in the house or diapers, hearing aid batteries, Ensure, etc if you have elderly folks in the house.
3. Take a first aid course and become certified in CPR and AED use, as well as in basic first aid skills.
4. Create a medical information sheet for each member of the family.  Keep one copy of these sheets on your computer and have each family member carry their own sheet in their wallet.  Information on this sheet should include: birth date, allergies, medical history, current list of prescription and over the counter medications, physician's name and phone number, etc.
5. For elderly or medically fragile folks, the medical info sheet listed above should also be kept on the refrigerator or near their bed (ditto if they have a DNR--Do Not Resuscitate--order).
6. Make sure you have a good selection of medical reference books in your home library.  While there are plenty of good medical reference books to download to your computer or phone, it is also nice to have hard copies in the event of an extended power outage.
7. Be proactive and take care of your health so that needing medical care for chronic health problems is not needed.  Stay active and fit, eat nutritious food, take your vitamins, visit your doctor for an annual physical, etc.
8. If you have the opportunity to get advanced medical training--everything from EMT classes or outdoor medicine classes to paramedic or RN courses--take the opportunity; the things you learn can be extremely valuable during a disaster.
9. Learn a range of home remedies.  Many small medical problems can be handled at home so learning and practicing the basics--Heimlich Maneuver, how to stop bleeding, how to take care of someone sick with the flu, etc--can not only save you money but can also be valuable during a disaster if medical care isn't available.
10. Volunteer at a medical facility or for a medical-related community event.  This will give you some good connections to the medical community, you will gain valuable information and/or training, and you may even end up with some useful freebies.