Tuesday, July 12, 2016

War Against The Police. Whose Lives Matter?

SVP dallas shooting - Copy

Ever since the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, almost two years ago, the rhetoric against police officers has been running high. Members of the Black Lives Matter group have repeatedly called for the killing of police officers, especially white police officers.

Well, now it’s happened. The first salvo in the war against the police has been shot and it was a devastating salvo.

On July 7th, people who claimed to be part of Black Lives Matter staged a demonstration in Dallas, Texas, protesting the killing of two young black men in other parts of the country.

While it doesn’t appear that the organizers of this event had any plans for violence, there was at least one other, not associated with Black Lives Matter, who had their own agenda. This 25 year old man, Micah Xavier Johnson, opened fire on the police from a sniper’s perch; killing five and wounding six others, in addition to two civilians who he wounded.

Johnson, a former military reservist, was sent home from Afghanistan in 2014, charged with sexual harassment. Even though his file was flagged for a “less than honorable discharge,” he was honorably discharged and returned to his home. Little was heard from him since then. He had no police record, had not committed any other crimes and basically lived a quiet life, focused around his love of basketball.

But underneath the surface, there were things going on in Johnson’s heart and mind. He was hearing the message of Black Lives Matter, especially the call for violence against the police. He was also hearing an anti-American message at his mosque in the Dallas suburbs.

Who is to Blame?

Regardless of who actually pulled the trigger, it appears to me that some blame can be placed on the Black Lives Matter group, even though the killer had no association with them. We have no way of knowing for sure, but it’s quite possible that Johnson was at least in part motivated by those calls to violence.

At what point is a person guilty of incitement to violence and at what point is it protected speech under the First Amendment?

That’s a hard question to answer; but if the same standard is applied, which is used for pastors who preach against homosexuality, then those who have been speaking publically about killing cops, are as guilty as the man who pulled the trigger.

Johnson, who goes by the name “Micah X” was apparently named after the Black Nationalist leader Malcolm X. Both belong to the same group, Nation of Islam, where Malcolm X rose to a position of leadership. The mosque which Micah X attends, is apparently part of one of the branches of Nation of Islam (the organization has split since Malcolm X’s time).

The Nation of Islam is a black organization, loosely tied with Islam. I say loosely tied because from what I know of Islam, they would at best shunned by most Muslims and at worst killed as apostates. I think they are more a racist political revolutionary group, than they are a true expression of religious belief of any sort. While they claim to be Islamic, their version of Islam has been culturally adapted to the American Black community.

Islam has been attractive to some American Blacks, especially anti-white blacks, for the same reason that it was attractive to the Arabs in the Middle East during the Middle Ages. Christianity was and is seen as the white man’s religion, by those who oppose it, even though there are many black Christians.

Islam offers them an alternative; something that is decidedly not white. For that reason alone, blacks who blame their suffering and poverty on whites, flock to Islamic groups like the Nation of Islam and the New Black Panther Party.

But when you mix radical Islam with militant revolutionary ideas, then feed it to people who are disenchanted with society, you have an explosive mixture. That’s what happened here. Micah X got a strong dose of these teachings, which resulted in him taking violent action.

While the Nation of Islam isn’t associated with ISIS and their theology is doubtful, they still play into the hands of radical Islamic goals. By inciting violence and violent rhetoric, they cause unrest, creating fertile ground for the recruitment of more members to the ISIS ranks. But even those who choose not to join ISIS can still take their part in global jihad, by participating in acts of violence here at home.

So, whether or not the Nation of Islam is truly Islamic or not, is ultimately inconsequential. They are working towards a similar goal. While the members of these groups have their own vision for America, they don’t have the numbers of the true Muslims. Eventually, they will have to fully convert to Islam, or they will be cut out of the victory.

With that in mind, the shots that Micah X fired, could be the opening salvo in the war against police. Black Lives Matter, the New Black Panthers and others have been calling for this war since Ferguson, now it looks like they have it. The question is, where does it go from here?

Video first seen on Face the Nation on CBS.

You may think that I’m being premature or presumptuous in calling this a war against the police, but the attack in Dallas was not the only attack to take place. While it was the largest, and the killer claimed to not be affiliated with any group, there were several other attacks against the police within the same 48 hour window. That’s too much to call it coincidence.

Protests happened around the country, for the same reason as the protest in Dallas. While some were relatively peaceful, doing nothing more than blocking traffic, there were others which turned violent. A number of police officers were attacked, either wounding or outright killing them. Atlanta, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and other places, Black Lives Matters demonstrations were held. None became as violent as the one in Dallas, nor was there the violence, looting and destruction that we’ve seen with Black Lives Matter in the past, but they weren’t exactly peaceful either.

I believe that we’re going to see an escalation in violence against the police, even while the founders of Black Lives Matter are trying to reduce the violence in their own organization. There are always others who copycat the actions of criminals, especially those who gain national media attention. Must like the mass killings that have been going on, others will follow in the footsteps of Johnson, seeking to emulate and improve upon his success.

There are those who complain about our police becoming militarized. I have had my own concerns about that. But in the light of the dangers that our police forces face every day, I am not surprised that they are becoming militarized. If they don’t, they will become outgunned, outmaneuvered and all too many of them will end up dead.

That’s not to say that I’m in agreement with the federal government militarizing administrative departments. I can see no reason for many of the feds to be armed and militarized like they are. They are not police organizations, so they don’t have the same needs the police do.

But the police do have needs. They are still the thin blue line that protects us from the barbarians. With the ever-increasing risks of terrorism, including domestic terrorism caused by the extremist groups that I’ve been mentioning, police need to be able to defend themselves. They also need to be able to count on the support of law-abiding citizens, whether that be merely verbal, or in going to assist police officers when they are in a shooting situation.

I did that once, stopping to help a police officer who was outnumbered and quite possibly outgunned. As a member of my state’s National Guard, I felt a responsibility to help that officer. Fortunately, I was in uniform at the time, so he was able to recognize me as a good guy. Nevertheless, by joining forces with him, I was able to change the equation, making it so that he was no longer outnumbered.

America actually has a long history of armed law-abiding citizens standing ready to help and support our law enforcement officers. Whether joining in a posse or providing information on a crime, the police and other law-enforcement officers have long been able to count on the support of law-abiding Americans.

Yet today, there are those who are working to undermine that support. The media reporting and liberal rhetoric that surrounds each of these shootings, has been the cause of much violence. Every time a white police officer is forced to use deadly force against a young black criminal, the police officer is tried in the court of public opinion and found guilty, before the facts are truly known.

But then, the news media has given up on facts anyway, preferring to stick with liberal talking points instead.

A lot of the blame for the deaths of those police officers can be laid right at the feed of those same news anchors and reporters. If they weren’t so quick to act as left-wing propagandists and instead did their job of finding out the facts and presenting them to the public, people would know that police are less likely to shoot a young black man, than they are to shoot a white one.

But then, that doesn’t match their liberal talking points, so they won’t bother to say it.  

12_620x110This article has been written by Bill White for Survivopedia.

References

http://abcnews.go.com/News/dallas-shooting-suspect-micah-xavier-johnson-accused-sex/story?id=40456396

http://www.usapoliticstoday.com/islamic-connection-dallas-massacre-suspects-attended-mosque/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_of_Islam

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chris-christie-black-lives-matter-murder-police-officers/

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_qkvXLuGsc

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Monday, July 11, 2016

What to Consider Before You Bug out by Boat

Written by Guest Contributor on The Prepper Journal.

You could conceivably bug out by boat if you live within a short drive from the coast, lake, large river or even stream. Before you throw in with Gilligan and the Skipper though, here are some things to consider.

The post What to Consider Before You Bug out by Boat appeared first on The Prepper Journal.



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Lists And Instructions For New Preppers

Today we present another article in our non-fiction writing contest – By Victoria S

Like many of us, I’m sure you have relatives and friends who are not into the whole preparing for disaster thing. There has always been a debate in the prepping community about what to do about those non-prepping friends and family if they show up at your place after a large-scale SHTF situation. Some schools of thought are to turn them away, perhaps with a bit of food or equipment. Other schools of thought are for bringing them in, even if they scorned your preparing before the SHTF.

The point of this...

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July 11, 2016 Miscellany News Brief

1.) New Black Panther Leader: Blacks Need to Migrate to Five Southern States, Form ‘Country Within a Country’: claiming five states as belonging to the “Black Nation”: Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia.
The CIA sponsored Cloward–Piven strategy bankrolled by liberal dupes aims for race war and order out of chaos: The liberal billionaires who support a racist group that markets white guilt for political gain and embraces activists calling for the lynching of white people and cops?

2.) California ill-prepared for the Big One, experts say: Beyond the...

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How To Build Your Own Irrigation System

Survivopedia diy irrigation system

In the summer time, when the weather is hot (actually scorching hot in some places), what can be more important than knowing how to build your own irrigation system for your garden?

DIY irrigation systems will save you some of your hard-earned dollars, and they also make for an interesting learning experience. They help you with acquire new skills and that’s a big part of a prepper’s way of life, isn’t it?

Now, irrigation systems are essential whether you’re growing roses in your back yard for winning prizes or what not, or, more importantly, for your survival garden. Hose-watering your plants is quite a chore. You’ll have to move the hose around every 30 minutes or so and then store the hose in your yard afterward etc.; basically it’s a waste of time and resources.

Today’s article is built around a few ideas about DIY drip irrigation systems, as they’re very efficient and simple. As a matter of fact, their beauty is their simplicity, like a Swiss watch. Oh, and they’re also dirt cheap and easy to build using readily-available materials. That’s a huge plus in my book.

Soaker Hose vs. Drip Irrigation System

Taking into account that not all irrigation methods are created equal and obviously, there are quite a few systems of irrigation available, let’s begin with the basics.

While soaker hoses are the most common irrigation method for “amateurs”, i.e. home gardeners, they’re rarely used in commercial gardening for several reasons. One of the reasons is they will end up costing quite a lot. They’ll also cause you more problems than they solve.

The biggest problem with soaker hoses is that they don’t water your garden evenly. Due to their intrinsic design, i.e. they seep water all along the hose’s length, the water delivered at the beginning of the hose will always be considerably more than the quantity delivered at the end of the line; that’s a law of physics folks. Basically, there’s no way of delivering the optimal amount of water for all of your plants using soaker hoses.

Long story short, that’s inconsistent watering and it’s a big no-no for your survival garden, as it leads to rotting in some places (too much water) and your plants dying of thirst in others. Also, soaker hoses don’t function properly on slopes because they’re not pressure-compensating. The maximum length of such a system is less than 200 ft.

Another disadvantage of soaker hoses is that they’re prone to clogging easily and that leads to even more inconsistency over time. When left in the sun, soaker hoses are also prone to damage, as they’ll harden (rubber doesn’t cope too well with UV light) and get brittle in time, breaking over when you’ll need them most.

To make things worse, the soaker hoses are also prone to bursting, making a huge mess and leaking large amounts of water. And yes, a burst soaker hose is pretty hard and expensive to repair if needed, especially if it’s hardened and brittle from sun exposure.

Just check out this cool video about soaker hoses vs drip irrigation; you’ll see with your own eyes what I’m talking about. On the good side, soaker hoses are cheap and fairly easy to install compared to drip irrigation systems.

Video first seen on CaliKim29 Garden & Home DIY.

Now, talking about drip irrigation, these babies are built using flexible plastic tubing that features tiny emitters (holes basically) that allow water to drip slowly into the soil.

There are a few advantages of using drip emitters over soaker hoses: they are not wasting as much water as the latter, they’re totally fixable when they break, and even if they require some maintenance, many of the parts are re-usable. They’re one hundred percent repairable, which is very important in my book.

Besides the almost–zero waste of water, a drip emitter puts the water directly where it’s needed, with pinpoint accuracy so to speak. For example, you will be able to space them (the drippers) so the water drips exactly over the root zone of your plant.

How to DIY The Drip Irrigation System

Project #1

Now, let’s see about how to DIY a PVC-made drip irrigation system. Here’s an extremely interesting video depicting the advantages of a homemade drip irrigation system compared to regular flood irrigation.

Video first seen on Utah State University Extension.

This PVC-made drip irrigation system will help you save money, time, and water. A fabulous advantage of using this design is that you’ll be able to reduce water use by up to 75%, and that’s quite a lot, especially in a survival situation. All you’ll have to do is turn it on and forget about it, as it doesn’t require monitoring or supervision.

This system uses water wisely and you’ll end up with a beautiful garden that will provide you with fresh veggies for you and your family all summer long. Also, this project is not expensive: the estimated cost for a 15ftx15ft garden is under $50 and the time to build it is approximately 5 hours. You’ll only need ¾-inch PVC pipe, a drilling machine, and connectors/fittings. These are intuitive to use, user friendly, easy to set up, and lots of fun.

Project #2

The next project is about a small-scale DIY gravity-fed drip irrigation system. The complete plans for the project can be downloaded from here. Here’s a video tutorial depicting the system working and most of the DIY details.

Video first seen on Ross Lukeman.

The materials required for this project are dirt cheap and readily available; you probably already have them lying around your property somewhere. You’ll need a 5 gallon bucket for the reservoir, a drill, garden hose fittings, irrigation tubing, some planks of wood for building the structure that holds the bucket in place (you’ll have to cut them), and that’s about it.

For added precision, you can throw in a digital irrigation timer, which gives you a lot of flexibility because it allows you to do whatever you want. For example, if you want to water your plants every morning at 8 AM with a predetermined amount of water and so on and so forth, you can arrange it; just take a look at the video.

Project #3

Now, let’s talk about the easiest way to DIY a rain-drip watering system for keeping alive a relatively large garden. This DIY project is very efficient. It uses an electronic timer, a back-flow system, and a water filter to prevent clogging. It will help you with your bills and also with conserving water if you’re living in a remote area.

Thanks to the electronic timer, this irrigation system will save you a lot of physical labor, as it will basically automate the whole process and you’ll not have to water every plant by yourself. Also, this system is expandable, adaptable and relatively cheap, and it can be used with basically anything: flowers, veggies or hanging baskets. Take a look at this video and start working.

Video first seen on RedneckResponder.

Project #4

Last but not least, here’s an interesting idea about DIY-ing a self-watering container garden. The main benefit of a container garden is its efficiency, as the plants will draw the exact amount of water required from a reservoir placed below the soil; no more, no less. Also, there’s no loss of water through evaporation.

Video first seen on XoletteLife.

This project will provide you with better-tasting veggies and fruits, as the plants are free to use as much water as needed for optimum growth. The main benefit of a self-watering container garden is its relative self-sufficiency, i.e. you can go on vacation for extended periods of time. As long as you set the hose on a timer, the plants will take care of themselves.

The total cost of this project is about $50, so you’ll not have to break the piggy bank either. Materials required:

  • Commander 27-Gallon Tote
  • 10′ Orbit Polyethylene Riser Flex Pipe,
  • FLEX-Drain Corrugated Pipe with Filter Sock 4″ x 25′
  • Apollo 3/4″ Polyethylene Drip Irrigation elbow
  • Miracle-Gro 64 qt. Moisture Control Potting Mix
  • Apollo 3/4″ PVC Drip Irrigation Female Adapter

The rest is up to you.

I hope the article helped. If you have any other ideas or questions, feel free to comment in the dedicated section below. And click on the banner below to discover one amazing tool that any prepper should have for building what he needs for survival!

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This article has been written by Chris Black for Survivopedia.

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Sunday, July 10, 2016

10 Essential Medical Resources You Can Get From Nature

leechesJust because there is a currency collapse, martial law, or a natural disaster, that does not mean you can ignore medical needs. What will you do when there are no bandages, no medications, and no way to get help?

Even if there is only “weeds”, trees, and moss around, you may have a number of useful medicinal aids at your disposal.

Learning how to recognize natures medical resources is a very important part of preparing for a crisis. Aside from simply reading a few books and going on a few field trips, take the time now to make sure you know how to prepare specific treatments in a range of situations.

How to Use Nature’s Medicines

As someone with a keen interest in herbal remedies and natural medicines, I concluded long ago that it is truly difficult to remember all the incredible healing resources in nature. It is truly to your advantage to gain hands on experience and keep a well organized journal that contains detailed information on both the resources and how to use them. This journal should be treated with as much care as other sources of information such as maps and anything else that you consider indispensable to long term survival.

If you choose to keep a copy on your computer, do not forget that it may no longer be accessible if you do not have access to electricity.  A good medical journal may span several hundred pages and may also be quite thick from pressed specimens, however it is well worth its weight.

In time of need, you would truly be amazed at how confusing a sketch or even a photo may look when compared to a specimen that you can see and touch for a closer comparison.

celandine

Taking courses in how to use natural medicines is critical if you expect to know what you are doing in time of need and be successful. No matter whether you study online or actually attend wilderness medical excursions, do not simply put the materials aside once you are done with the courses. Always make the information part of your personal wilderness medicine journal and try to practice making medicines and equipment as much as possible.

Herbal Remedies for Chronic Illnesses

Most preppers already know that good quality medical care is essential for preserving health, managing injuries, and ensuring that the next generation of humans can be born and grow to maturity.

Many people also realize that in a major crisis or social collapse, medical care will be unavailable. Critical medications such as antibiotics and other drugs will be even more important in the post-collapse world. Even though you, and others may already know about herbal remedies and may also know how to grow and prepare them, that does not mean your work is done.

Consider a situation where you have been growing garlic, ginger, turmeric, and other herbs that can be used as herbal antibiotics. Perhaps you have even made oils from these herbs or dried them out for later use. Now let’s say  a major crisis occurs and you cannot get home for several days in order to retrieve your stash of herbs, or worse yet, your stash gets ruined while bugging out. In these situations, not knowing about the local wild plants in your area can spell disaster.

Here are some things you can do right now to ensure you will always be able to find and prepare the wild herbs in your local area for medicinal needs:

  • Get a field guide that features pictures and descriptions of medicinal herbs in your local area. The guide should give you full details about where they grow and also how to recognize them. The guide should also give you a listing of plants that are commonly mistaken for the plants you will need for medicinal purposes.
  • Make a list of all herbs that may be of interest to you. Do not list herbs that are from rare species or ones that are listed as endangered.
  • Go to sites where you can find the plants you identified as useful for your needs. Once you find a good sized patch of herbs to work with, take samples of leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and any fruit the plants may bear. These small samples should be done for all four seasons and folded into your journal.  You can also take pictures of the leaves and other parts of the plant, print them out, and keep them with the actual samples. In your journal, also make note of the spot where they are growing and the basic characteristics of the area.
  • Find a local herbal specialist or Cooperative extension and ask an expert to confirm that you have all the plants labeled correctly.
  • Once you have confirmed that your listings are all correct, you can begin looking for other places where these herbs grow well, and also start learning how to prepare them for medicinal needs. If at all possible, try to gather seeds from the wild plants. If you have to bug out or move to another area, you can try planting these seeds indoors and see if you can get them to grow.

In a major crisis, it is entirely possible that you will wind up traveling hundreds of miles as part of a massive evacuation form a dangerous area. Since there is no telling where you will wind up, you will need to use some additional methods for spotting medicinal herbs. You can try keeping field guides on hand.

One way to expedite the process of finding medicinal herbs in foreign locations is to see if you can find ones related to herbs that you already know about.  Herbs that grow in other regions may be more or less potent than the ones you are used to. Make sure that you know how to test herbal potencies for your own safety and well being.

Non-Herbal Remedies for Skin and Wound Management

No matter whether you are trying to find your way out of the city, navigate through a woods, or move objects from one place to another, injuries are bound to happen. During a major crisis, you can also expect infectious diseases to increase because of poor sanitation and increased risk of exposure to infected individuals.

In many cases, wounds that you would normally pay little attention to may become infected and require direct application of antibiotics.  If you are moving through unfamiliar areas, you can also expect increased problems with wounds because your immune system may not be as well adapted to the exact strains of pathogens in the area.

Here are some natural remedies that you can apply directly to skin and wounds:

1. Honey – even though honey has a sweet taste and seems very mild, it is one of the most powerful antibacterials you can find.  It has been used successfully on both oral and skin wounds for centuries without major side effects or other problems.  If you are able to find a beehive, be very careful when gathering the honey.  Since while honeybees are at very high risk for extinction, try to take only as much honey as you need, and try to avoid breaking apart the entire hive.  You should also do your best to subdue the bees with smoke instead of killing them.

2. Sphagnum Moss – Since sphagnum moss contains iodine, it will work well as an antibiotic. You can usually find this moss in bogs or other marshy areas.

3. Salt Water – If you are near an ocean coastline or other source of salt water, you can spray salt water onto wounds as a form of antibacterial. Do not rub the wounds with the salt water. Instead, try to run the salt water over the wounds similar to taking a shower.  Before using salt water, you should also filter it and boil it to make sure it is as clean as possible.

salt water

4. Tannic Acid – If you have rashes, blister, sores, boils, or other skin ailments, tannic acid may be of use.  You can obtain this acid from boiling acorns, and also from nutgalls that form on oak trees.

Splints and Bandages

To make bandages, non-poisonous leaves can be used to put pressure on the cut, and also to protect it from the elements. The best leaves to use are from the Plantain plant. If you chew on the leaves to release liquid from within the leaves, you will also have a natural antibiotic in the form of mashed leaves to put on the wound. From there, just use a second leaf to wrap around the crushed Plantain and the wound.bandage

Some fungus that grow on oak and silver birch trees may also be safe to use for bandaging.  Since it is notoriously difficult to tell safe fungus from poisonous ones, be sure to ask a local expert on mushrooms, molds, and mosses so that you know what to look for. As with locating and identifying useful herbal remedies in a woods or field, be sure to take samples and photos for your journal of useful organisms as well as ones that it may be confused with.

Splints for broken bones and injuries can be made from just about any tree branch.  To keep the splint in place, make rope from yucca leaves or any other leaf that has strong, straight fibers in the leaf.

If these plants are not available, tree bark from smooth bark trees can also be used. In order to avoid friction burns and abrasions, use mullein leaves (or any other non-toxic leaf) as a cushion between the splint and the the body part being immobilized.

In order to make a splint from a branch:

  • Choose a branch that is long enough and wide enough to support the area that needs to be immobilized.  The finished splint should also be long enough so that the joint above and below the injured area will also be immobilized.
  • The branch should be as straight as possible and of even thickness for the required length.  You can use a branch that is bent or curved, but try to use the straightest area parallel to the injured area.
  • Try to avoid branches that show signs of fungal growth, insect damage, or anything else that might increase the risk of developing an infection.
  • If you have sharp enough knife, try to smooth out the rough areas of the branch so that it is as smooth as possible.  You may also want to flatten out the splint so that there is a wider surface area.  Just make sure that all areas that you cut are covered so that your skin does not come in contact with the unseasoned wood.
  • When placing a splint, make sure that the rope or cord is not too tight or too loose.  A wrapping that is too tight can cut off blood circulation and lead to further problems.  If the wrapping is too loose, the splint will move around and cause more abrasions.  A loose splint will also fail to support the injured area and keep it properly immobilized.
  • Remember that if you have a broken bone or a dislocated joint, splinting the injured area is only a temporary fix.  You will still need to find a competent medical professional to move the bone or joints back into place.  Unless you have taken courses and practiced bone and joint setting, it is best to leave these matters to a doctor.  A broken bone or dislocated joint can still be near blood vessels or nerves that are still intact.  The last thing  you will want to do is try to manipulate the broken or dislocated areas and wind up causing damage to other tissue in the area.

Tourniquets and Wound Packing Materials

When you have a deep wound, or one that is bleeding heavily, you may need to use several different methods to stop the bleeding and then make sure the wound is protected.  Once you address the most immediate problem, you may still need other items from nature to ensure that the wound is managed as well as possible.

1. Tourniquets –  When blood is spurting or pouring form a wound limb, there is no time to prepare a bandage let alone a wound filler. Your first job may well be to cut off the blood flow as quickly as possible using a tourniquet.  Just about anything that can be wrapped tightly between the wound and the heart can be used.

For example, if you are in a meadow or field, tall grass or straw can be twisted together quickly and wrapped above the wound.  Anything that is pliable enough to wrap, and then twist will work to form a tourniquet.

Remember that you must be able to loosen and tighten the tourniquet every few minutes in order to avoid gangrene.  If you only have straw or other relatively weak stalks or even tree bark to work with, you may need  to make several tourniquets to manage the injury.

2. Pressure Bandages – If you have an abdominal wound, or some other wound that cannot be isolated using a tourniquet, you will need to make a pressure bandage. Once again, just about anything will do as long as you can apply pressure without completely stopping blood flow. You can try taking several leaves from safe plants and roll them up to form a pad large enough to cover the wound.

If soft, absorbent leaves such as mullein are available, use them close to the wound, and then stiffer ones on the outer layer. From there, use your hands, or even a flat rock to hold the leaves in place and apply additional pressure.  Remember that as with a tourniquet, it can take several minutes for pressure and blood clotting factors to finally stop the bleeding.  Try to make additional bandages from leaves so that you can apply new ones as needed.

3. Cauterizing Agents –  If you are bleeding from a major artery, then it is possible you will need to burn the wound so that it stops bleeding.  While cauterizing carries many risks, those problems can be dealt with later on. If you are bleeding heavily, stopping it needs to be your first priority. Even though you may not have access to metal in the woods, you can still build a fire and heat up rocks (after you remove soil and debris from them)  that can be applied to the wound. Be very careful about the rocks you choose, as they can explode when heated, or just as bad, have poisonous chemicals that will get into the wound.

In a sense, choosing rocks for cauterizing, and other medical needs is not so different from choosing herbs.  You will need to know a good bit about the geology of the area and the chemical makeup of rocks and their inclusions.  For example, if you found a nice, flat piece of gray shale, that does not mean the entire rock has the same chemical composition.  It may have some hidden parts that have toxic chemicals that will move out of porous areas of the rock when it is heated.

As with herbal remedies, try to obtain a comprehensive field guide that gives you detailed information about rocks in the local area and how they are most inclined to form and mix together.  Next, go out and collect as many samples as you can. Bring your samples to a local geologist and ask him/her about which rocks can be safely heated up and used for medicinal needs such as cauterizing.  If you can find a geologist or rock hound that has a special interest in hiking or natural medicine, then he/she may be a more viable source of information.

4. Wound Fillers – After you stop a wound from bleeding, there may still be large holes that need packing in order to prevent further damage.  Here are three substances that you can use. While some require more preparation than others, at least you will have some options to choose from based on the materials available.

  • Pine Sap – warm up the sap so that it is soft and sticky.  Aside from having antibacterial properties, pine sap will protect the wound and will also stop the bleeding.
  • Calcium Alginate – if you happen to be near a bed of kelp, or brown algae, you can extract calcium alginate from the leaves.  When applied to a large or open wound, the moisture from the wound will cause the calcium alginate to form a protective gel.  As with cauterizing, you still run the risk of developing a serious infection of the wound is not managed properly or if the  calcium alginate does not all form up into a gel.  That being said, this substance can also help stop blood flow, and may be of value if you have the time to prepare it.
  • Sphagnum Moss, Leaves, and Other Soft Materials – Non-toxic mosses, leaves, and even grass can be used to pack wounds and keep them from reopening.  If you must use leaves, try to find herbs to mix in that also have antibacterial properties.

Makeshift Syringes

Chances are, if you are working with herbs or other natural medicines, there may not be much need to inject substances into the bloodstream.  Nevertheless, it may still be necessary to isolate insulin from animal sources  to treat diabetes, or other injectables that require some kind of syringe or needle.  If you think about the basic parts of a syringe, you may be surprised to find that there are quite a few ways to make a makeshift version from natural materials.

  • The Needle – to work effectively as a makeshift syringe needle, the material used must be very thin, strong enough to resist breaking when puncturing the skin, and hollow.  Some possible sources of needles include wasp and hornet stingers (do not use bee stingers because they are barbed), fine porcupine quills, and very thin reeds.  If you are going to use insect stingers, make sure that the all of the venom is removed from the stinger.
  • The Barrel – this is where the medicine will be held until injected into the bloodstream.  Just about any rigid, hollow stem from a non-toxic plant will do.  Thicker reeds, bamboo stem, and other dried, durable stems can be used for this purpose.  To attach the needle to the barrel, you may need to set the needle at an angle so that there is less chance of breaking it.  Next, you can seal off the space between the needle and the barrel with pine pitch or some other natural glue like substance.
  • The Plunger – anything from a well trimmed tight fitting small branch to a solid, rigid plant stem can be used for the plunger.  Just bear in mind that the plunger must fit snugly inside the barrel so that the medicine is pushed through the needle instead of squirting out the back end.

Some problems that you may encounter when using a makeshift syringe:

1. It will be very hard to make exact dosage measurements.  If you have a way to determine how much material is ejected from the needle, then you can try making notches in the barrel and the plunger so that you can make  a reasonable estimate.  Before you go into a crisis situation and run out of syringes, make it a point to know exactly how much liquid should be discharged with each dose. You can do that with a measured syringe now, and then make a circle representing that amount in your journal.  If possible, try also allowing one single dose to stain the page so that you can observe the size of the liquid stain on a known paper source.  Make sure that you have an additional blank page so that you can make comparisons in the field.  Do not forget to make these comparisons for herbal or animal based injectables that you may need to prepare from scratch.

2. Even though you may be able to get medicine to move through the needle, you may not be able to create enough of a vacuum to pull medicine into it.  You will be best served by creating a simple leaf funnel or using some other means to pour the medication into the syringe.

Once you are able to make needles in a wilderness setting, do not overlook applications other than injecting medicines.

Solid needles can be used to stitch wounds (using animal sinew, fibers from plants) and also for acupuncture. Today, even conventional medicine includes acupuncture as  valid treatment for pain and other ailments.

As long as you know how to sterilize the makeshift needles and where to apply them, there are plenty of ways you can use this remedy as part of your wilderness survival kit.

Crutches and Carriers

When it comes to making improvised medical supplies, crutches are probably some of the easiest to make.  If you are in a wooded area, simply pick a branch or tree limb that has a fork at one end.  Try to pick one with the widest angle possible in the fork so that your armpit has a larger surface to rest on.

Next, use leave and vines/makeshift cordage to create a cushion that will fit under your arm.  If possible, add an absorbent top layer of leaves so that the padding does not all become soaked with sweat.  You may need to change the pad often for the sake of comfort and to avoid infections.   When cutting the wood for the crutch, make sure that it fits comfortably.

If you are in a group, those who are injured may slow down the entire group.  Rather than leave people behind or take a risk on not getting where you need to go, try making a litter or other form of carrier.  Adults and children can be dragged along far easier than they can be carried.  You can make a simple carrier using the following basic instructions:

  • Take 2 saplings or branches that are about 1/3 longer than the height of the person who needs help being transported.   Next, take 2 more saplings that are a little longer than the shoulder length of the individual.   If the person is very heavy, or you do not have durable materials to make a mat with, then collect 2 or 3 more of the shorter branches.
  • Use vines, bark rope, or other cordage to tie together the saplings.  The longest saplings should be parallel to each other.  Set one of the shorter branches at one end of the longer branches, but leave a few inches so that the bottom of the longer branches is the only thing that will be touching the ground.
  • Set the second shorter branch at the opposite end.  There should be just enough room between the top and bottom for the person to lay down without his/her feet or head flopping over the frame.  You should also have enough room at the top of the litter to pick up the longer branches and drag them along.
  • Add the remaining branches between the top and bottom ones. Try to make them  equal distances apart.  When you are done, the frame of the litter should look something like a ladder with the longer sides extending  out further than the “steps”.  Alternatively, you can also have the longer branches aligned so that they cross in front of the area where you will be standing.  You may need longer branches for this method.
  • Next you will need to add padding to the litter.  Moss, leaves, and anything soft can be used for this purpose.  You can also use vines to tie the materials down and make a more compact bedding. You can also used animal hides as long as they are well scraped and have been drying for at least a few days.  Choose leaves and other materials that are as dry and clean as possible.
  • If you have enough materials to make additional cordage, create a belly band or harness that attaches to the handles of the litter.  You can use the harness to drag the litter and keep your hands free or pull along with your hands if you so choose.
  • Unfortunately, in nature, there are not many ways to reduce friction on the bottom of the litter where it can catch on rocks, stumps, and many other things that will make it harder to drag along. You can try attaching very smooth, flat rocks to the impact areas.

Animal Based Remedies

Many people do not study animal based medicines because they think that plants are more diverse, easier to find, and easier to harvest.  On the other hand, some of the most powerful and useful medicines are harbored within “dangerous” animals that you may already be hunting for food.

Study  Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to learn how to prepare medicines from these animals. It should be noted that there are a number of newer drugs based on compounds found within these animals, however it may be difficult to find out how the important molecules are isolated. Given that the Chinese traditional healers, Indian practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine, and Native American medicine people may have been using these animals to reliably treat illness, they are your best source of information on this matter.

Here are a few animals you can ask about as long as they are relevant to the local area for you and the practitioner has direct knowledge of the species of animals in the area:

  • Frogs – produce natural antibiotics on their skin.  Some frogs also produce neurotoxins and other poisons that may work in lower doses as painkillers and muscle relaxants.
  • Pit Vipers – aside from carrying compounds in their venom that work as ACE Inhibitors (used to treat high blood pressure), snake venom may also be used as an anti-coagulant,  to treat heart failure and preserve kidney function in diabetics.  While venoms vary from one species of viper to another, local and indigenous medicine people may still know which animals can best suit your needs as well as how to safely milk the vipers of venom without killing them.
  • Gila Monster – if you happen to be in the desert and need a stimulant to produce insulin, venom from these lizards may be of some use.
  • Spider Venom – some species of spiders and tarantulas produce venom that can treat cancer, reduce pain,and relax muscles.
  • Spider webs – as fragile as spider webs look, they can act as a strong, gentle network that allows flesh to grow back into place.
  • Cone snail – if you are near a body of saltwater or near the ocean, cone snail venom may be an option for treating pain, managing heart disease and preventing epileptic seizures.
  • Horseshoe Crab – if you aren’t sure if a bacterial infection is present, expose water, food, or other materials to the blood from a horseshoe crab. If the blood becomes thick and coagulates, then you know a dangerous infection is present.
  • Centipedes – centipede venom can be used as a painkiller.
  • Scorpion Venom – this venom can be used to treat cancer and also as a painkiller.

Poison Antidotes

Chances are, you already know that activated charcoal is one of the best antidotes for swallowed poisons. As long as you have trees and a fire, you can make charcoal as a form of poison antidote.  To get the most out of the charcoal, crush it up and mix with water.

While some people recommend mixing tannic acid with charcoal, researchers have found that the tannic acid is actually absorbed by the charcoal, thus making less room available to remove the poison.  If you need to draw poison from a wound, you can try using a charcoal poultice.  Mud poultices and some herbal poultices may also draw poisons out of a wound.

Some modern research suggests that honey badgers, squirrels, and opossums have molecules in their blood that can neutralize venom from snakes, spiders, and other venomous animals that you might encounter. As with other animal remedies, try asking indigenous people in the area about how they treat venomous bites, and if they use preparations from these animals.

If you already know how to hunt these animals and use them for food, then you may already be on your way to an important natural  remedy for venomous bites.

Worldwide, thousands of people die each year from consuming poisonous plants or mushrooms, getting bitten by venomous animals, or ingesting poison from some other source.   While activated charcoal can help in some cases, there is very little else in nature that can act as an antidote.

You can still try to mitigate the effects of some poisons if you know what you came in contact with and how it affects your body. Once again, you should never experiment  with these ideas.  Take them to a certified herbalist or other practitioner of Chinese or Ayurvedic medicine to see if they already have experience with these methods.

For example, if you know that you have been bitten by a snake whose venom acts as an anti-coagulant, it may be possible to wash the site with some herb that has the opposite effect, but will not interact in ways that multiply the effects of other parts of the venom.

If you need to induce vomiting, warm salt water can be used for that purpose. Try to avoid herbs (unless you know they are safe to take with the poison in question)  that induce vomiting because they can also interact with the poison and make it more dangerous. As a means of last resort, you can still try and focus on herbal or animal based remedies that counter the effects of the poison.

Fire Cupping

In ancient Chinese medicine, Fire Cupping was often use for pain relief.  This particular treatment basically relied on creating suction by heating a round, hollow object, and placing it on the skin.

fire cupIf you can generate heat and suction as in fire cupping, then you may be able to create a makeshift venom removal kit. Some things you might try using for the “cup” include hollowed bones, or mud that has been shaped into a bowl with a narrow opening and fired. Needless to say, if you have, or find  a small glass bottle or a cup, then you can use that to for suction purposes.

When choosing natural materials to make a fire cup, choose items that:

  • Can easily be fashioned into a small, round cup with a narrow neck.  If you cannot create a rounded cup, a longer, narrower form will do as long as the neck is still narrower than the body.
  • The cup should be able to retain heat well.  If the material loses heat easily, it will not generate sufficient suction.  The material should be able to retain the heat for at least 3 – 5 minutes.
  • If you are going to keep an open flame on the cup while in use, it should be non-flammable.
  • You can try boiling a wooden cup, however it may not work as well as other materials.

Rocks for Generating Steam

From winter colds to spring allergies, and other respiratory ailments, inhaling steam or herbs mixed with steam is often the best remedy.   While this may seem like a novel idea,  generating steam for these purposes is possible using natural resources. As with heating rocks to cauterize wounds, you need to be very careful about which rocks you use and how you use them.

Here are some important things to keep in mind:

  • When rocks are heated, they can crack or break apart causing sharp projectiles to fly all over the place.  Porous rocks are usually the most problematic because water from rain, dew, and other sources seeps into the rock.  Once the rock is heated by a fire, the water turning into steam will create pressure that causes the rock to break apart.
  • Heated rocks can also emit gasses that are poisonous.  It does not matter if the rock is porous or not, since even surface contaminants can emit poisons when heated.
  • When you pour water onto hot rocks, the sudden changes in temperature can also cause the rock to fracture or explode.
  • As hot water seeps into the rock, it can mix with other chemicals hidden deep in the pores. These chemicals will escape with the steam and can be poisonous if you inhale them.
  • Because rocks very so much in composition and formation, you need to work with a reputable geologist in your local area in order to help reduce the risk of choosing rocks that can cause more harm than good.
  • When creating a steam bath, many people try to keep the steam in an enclosed area.  Never put yourself in a position where the materials used does not allow adequate ventilation.  For example, never use plastics or any kind of tarp that does not allow air to flow through it.  It is better and safer to take the time to create a leaf or bark mat then wind up suffocating in a steam bath.  When choosing plants to make the covering, make sure that you wash and dry them thoroughly so that you do not pick up stray chemicals that can be harmful if inhaled with the steam. Only work with plants that you know to be safe and non-toxic for this purpose.
  • Never use steam sweats unless someone else remains outside the steam area and can monitor you for signs of trouble.  This includes making sure that you exit the steam area every few minutes so that you do not dehydrate or suffer from heat stroke/exhaustion.

Leeches and Maggots

When science was in the process of overtaking religion for control of the masses, the use of leeches and maggots was dismissed as quackery.  Today, modern doctors have had to substantially revise their opinion on the use of these animals as part of sound medical treatment.

Here is how you can use leeches and maggots in time of need:

  • Leeches can be used to suck blood from serious injuries. Basically, if you had to sew up a limb that was amputated or almost amputated, or some other injury that caused damage to the blood vessels, the blood will pool and slow down healing.  If you apply leaches for a few hours each day, they will absorb the blood pool and allow the veins to heal.
  • Historically speaking, leeches were often used in “bloodletting” for colds, and many other diseases.  At this time, it is believed these therapies do more harm than good.  That being said, if you need to stimulate blood production, sucking out small amounts may actually do more harm than good.
  • Maggots are used to manage deep infections where the flesh is rotting or is very close to that stage.  To use maggots for this purpose, simply let flies rest on the wound.  Once the eggs from the flies hatch, they will become maggots that eat up the rotted flesh. Once you see blood an feel pain from the wound, then you know it is clean. Wash out the maggots and let the wound continue to heal.

In these times, we are often led to believe that there are very few, if any alternatives to modern medicine.  Throughout the world, indigenous people have been using medicines for thousands of years from items found in nature.  While herbal remedies are the most commonly discussed treatments, there are truly many other medicinal wonders that nature has to offer.

As a prepper, you should learn all you can about wilderness medicine and how to use it in a time of need. Aside from courses aimed at basic treatments, also consider studying indigenous methods so that you can expand your skill sets even further and utilize more materials in different geographic settings.

NewSMDCover3This article has been written by Carmela Tyrell for Survivopedia.

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Saturday, July 9, 2016

Stock Your Bunker: Common Necessities You May Have Overlooked

Written by Guest Contributor on The Prepper Journal.

What you do now before an emergency happens to stock your bunker or even your home could help you survive.

The post Stock Your Bunker: Common Necessities You May Have Overlooked appeared first on The Prepper Journal.



from The Prepper Journal
Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies?
#SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag