Staying healthy in an unhealthy environment! Hello everyone! I recently came down with pneumonia and while thinking about how bad I felt, I couldn’t help but think how much worse it could be if SHTF had hit. Being forced to be out in the weather trying to survive, in the worst of circumstances, with no access to a Dr., could have had a completely different outcome than it did. In today’s post, we are going to discuss preparing to survive common illnesses in a post SHTF environment. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back and let’s have a talk.
In my case, I had access to strong antibiotics and other medication that was prescribed by my Dr. I was able to stay home and rest without having to come into the office or get out in the weather. Even with that I was really miserable. So how would I have handled being that sick in a post SHTF world? I can tell you without doubt that it would be a lot different. With no access to a DR., I would have had to try to diagnose my symptoms myself by looking them up in a medical reference book. If you don’t have one of these in your preps, then by all means you need to get one! Trying to diagnose symptoms without one can get you killed. This is an absolute must have!
So, once I figured out what the trouble was, what then? This book should give you an idea of what type of medication you will need to fight whatever it is that is making you sick. The trick will be to have a natural replacement that can help your body fight it off or Fish antibiotics to take. If you haven’t added these to your preps, now would be a good time to do it. In my case, I have them, but what if I didn’t, what then? While there are tons of natural remedies out there, I would need to choose ones that addressed my symptoms. For example: A stuffy head and nose could be treated using Peppermint oil to open it up and let it drain.
Chest congestion can be treated with several natural herbs such as Garlic which helps your body fight infection, Turmeric and ginger which is well-known as a way treat pneumonia and for fighting respiratory diseases, as well. I would also be good for treating. I would top it all off by making a tea from Holy Basil, adding a little to it and drinking it every 6 hours until I was better. While there are many other herbs that you could use, these are the ones I would use. That is just my personal preference as it were.
Remember to drink plenty of water and take vitamin “C” or something that contains lots of vitamin “C” in it, to help your body fight off any new infections that might also be floating around at the time. The last part of this equation is going to be the hardest in an SHTF situation and that is to get plenty of rest. In an SHTF situation where you are fighting to survive, rest will be one of the least likely things available at the time. Just remember that if you don’t get better, you will die because there will be no hospitals available to help you. Allow others to carry your load if possible and if you are travelling on foot, then take the time to stop and rest for several days to rebuild your strength. Even though others may be depending on you, you cannot help them until you get better yourself.
The best way to handle pneumonia is to not get it at all and to do that you will need to take of yourself. When SHTF hits, you are going to have to be smart if you want to stay alive. Being smart means taking vitamins when possible and learning which local wild plants have what vitamins in them. The idea is to try to maintain a healthy diet when at all possible. Make sure your meals contain local plants that are high in vitamin “C” and other nutrients that your body needs to maintain it’s self. They may not taste the greatest, but getting the vitamins in you will quite literally be the difference between life and death in a post SHTF world.
The next time you are laid up with the Flu or a cold, try to imagine what it would be like to be that sick in a post SHTF world and how you would handle and treat it without a Dr. or Pharmacy available. This is how you prep for illness in an SHTF world. Learn, prepare and prep and you will be well on your way to surviving illness when SHTF hits. I guess that’s it for today and I hope you have enjoyed our talk. Please remember that I have had no medical training and am just expressing my personal opinions in this post. Until next time, stay safe, strong and prepared and always remember to keep on prepping!
-The Sargent-
