10 items that might be missing from your first aid kit....

If you have stumbled across our website, you are probably already a prepper and first-aid kits are usually among the first things people put together when they have realized that S will HTF  sooner rather than later...
Bandaids... Check! Alcohol wipes? Check! Neosporin? Check! Ammonia inhalants? Uh.. what?

So let's talk about some things that your first-aid kit might be missing. We will be publishing a complete check-off list for your medical needs later on this week!

1) Ammonia inhalants... better known as smelling salts.

You don't want to have somebody in your group incapacitated when it is extremely important for them to very much be with it... This is were smelling salts come in. These ammonia salts give your brain a quick jumpstart by providing an increased supply of oxygen to your brain.

2) Antihistamine medications

Most people will have included basic pain killers ( ibuprofen, acetaminophen or even aspirin - well get to that latter one in a future post) in their kits but don't include much else as far as pill forms of medications go.
A big one to not over look is any type of allergic reaction that you might ( will) encounter if you are crawling around in the woods.

a) Benadryl : can help alleviate symptoms of allergic reactions in cases of bee stings, mosquito bites, poison ivy or poison oak encounters. As a little bonus it works great as a sleep aid , especially if you need to keep children quiet in a certain situation.

b) Claritin: for your typical "seasonal allergy" symptoms ( watery eyes, itchy, runny nose, sneezing, itchy throat etc). Perfect for every-day use as they are a non-drowsy formula.

c) topical antihistamines : 1% hydrocortizone cream is your best friend for any skin-related itchiness! Keep in mind - with long-term use hydrocortisone can dry out your skin and also make your skin's layers thinner so try to always pair it with a high-fat content cream on top to combat these effects!

3) Analog thermometer ( mercury free)

Because these have no batteries, they will always be ready! Knowing somebody's core temperature can be a key factor in treating hyper- or hypothermia, shock etc.


Make sure to have disinfectants readily available, even better would be disposable sheats if you have several patients :

In case of an epidemic , having disposable thermometers that you can hand out to people are excellent

4) Dental first aid kit:

Don't forget dental hygiene! This small kit should contain everything from every-day hygiene items ( tooth brush and tooth paste - the dollar store is a great source for these) as well as actual first-aid items such as the small dental kits you can buy at most stores nowadays.

( Dental Medic)


Additionally I would recommend Amoxicillin ( great for abscesses and other dental infections) as well as clove oil ( great antiseptic that also helps numb the pain).

5) Blister first-aid kit

In an ideal world all your shoes that you are wearing on a daily basis or in a  bug-out situation have already been worn multiple times and that you have the right footwear and sock-combination to not get blisters. But it's better to be prepared, because if you remember the last time you had a blister on your feet especially - these things are a bitch and will slow your down unnecessarily as well as create a possible source of infection.

Adventure medic again has a great kit for these situations :



But as with many things in medicine prevention is key. Make sure to have a spare pair of socks in your bag and test out your boots thoroughly to make sure nothing rubs. If it does, the Glacier Gel is going to provide instant relief.

Now let's talk actual trauma:

6) Compression bandages 

You might think that Ace-bandage that came with your store-bought first aid kit will be sufficient - and while it's definitely good to have these handy for sprains and strains, you will need an actual sertile compression bandage to stop bleeding.
We have found these to work the best and their compact size makes them easy to throw into any of your bags.



Above all - you have to have the right training to deal with situations such as these! For anything beyond your basic first aid of applying a bandaid and giving some pain killers - go get the appropriate training! Whether you pay for one of our courses or go and volunteer for your local fire department or EMS services. Get the training you need!

7) Trauma sheers

No your knife does not replace the set of sheers that you need to have in your medical kit. If nothing else, go to your local drugstore and buy a regular pair of trauma scissors such as these


But we would recommend this kind, especially if you are serious about getting trained :



They are lightweight and are ultra-compact. In fact one of our medic-friends carries this particular pair with him at all times.

8) Charcoal tablets

They are a prepper's first anti-poison method. Activated charcoal has a very large surface area, which allows it to have very high absorption properties, meaning it keeps poisenous substances from being absorbed by our body.

An inexpensive but high quality version of this can be found in the Nature's Way brand

9) Wound closure

a) super glue - this can be extremely useful for smaller wounds, particularly in the face where bleeding is an issue

b) safety pins - they are better than nothing ( have either a form of fire or another means to quickly sterilize them before using them for wound closure), and are incredibly effective and easy to use.

c) with a little bit of training an actual suture kit can be extremely powerful! In our Medical Geek 202 class we go over basic suture methods to get you comfortable and prepared for anything!

10) saline nosespay

Regular saline nosespray provides you with a sterile NaCl solution that has several applications. Aside from the obvious nasal application, it allows you to clean and irrigate wounds , just make sure to keep the nozzle sterile ( meaning don't use it as nosespray).





Next up: your medical kit check-list!

OFF GRID MAGAZINE - WHAT IF SCENARIO : PNEUMONIC PLAGUE IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST

This post is in response to an article that was published in the most recent "OFF GRID" Magazine ( available on shelves until 4/1/2016) - " What if - an outbreak of weaponized pneumonic plague hits your city" .

I was drawn to this article for several reasons but my interest was mainly spiked due to the fact that the 3 scenarios presented by the survival experts were all taking place in the Pacific Northwest, more specifically in Seattle, WA and later on Pullman Regional Hospital in Pullman, WA which is basically our back yard. 

I highly recommend you pick up this publication, especially if you are not familiar with OFF GRID magazine yet - we have never felt let down when picking up the newest edition - but I will give you a short summary of the scenario at play:

The article is discussing the situation of a pneumonic plague outbreak in Seattle, WA and 3 different scenarios, all from people that do not live nearby but are in the area on vacation or for business related travels and hence are limited with their preps. 

Scenario 1:

2 colleagues have traveled to Seattle for business. Shortly after their arrival they notice Department of Health Vans and instantly react. They grab cloth napkins from the restaurant to tie around their mouth-nose area, empty anything useful from the hotel room, book a rental car and plot their routes by avoiding main roads and as thus avoiding contact with too many people.
They make it 300 miles outside of Seattle when one of them starts exhibiting the first symptoms of pneumonic plague. They again react immediately and head towards Pullman Regional Hospital, where they receive IV antibiotic treatment. 
Another noteworthy point is that these 2 colleagues had taken another major prep in all their travels - they had gotten in the habit of mailing a package with basic equipment like knives, fire-starters and firs-aid equipment, as the TSA does not allow for these things to be carried on the plane.

Scenario 2: 

2 colleagues have completed a job in Seattle and are sticking around for 2 more days of R&R. They don't notice the severity of the situation until , while waiting in line at a coffee shop, they hear news reports speak of terrorist attacks in the area.
As they have a strong military background, they head back to the hotel room, gather supplies at a pharmacy and head out of town. They prepared for pretty much anything - food, water, hypothermia...  They head into the mountains and try to make it there. Due to their exposure however, they both fall ill and it is unclear if they grabbed the wrong medications ( codeine and peptobismol are mentioned, which leads me to believe they took a symptomatic approach, rather than a curative one) or if they took the antibiotics too late. One digs a grave for his dead partner and starts shoveling his own grave. 

Scenario 3:

2 colleagues are out to dinner in Seattle and after spotting a homeless man coughing up blood on the streets earlier they catch the media coverage of the outbreak. They head straight back to their hotel rooms and decide to hunker down .As one of them exhibits symptoms, they create a quarantine room in the hotel bathroom. The second person stays outside the bathroom and once the news arrive that medications are being given out on the streets, he heads out but as only one pack of antibiotics per person can be handed out he returns to the hotel room and hearing his friend in bad shape, he decides to slip the antibiotics through the bathroom door to his friend and plans on heading out again the next day to get another pack of antibiotics for himself. 
Unfortunately for him, the onset of pneumonic plague is incredibly fast and treatment is only helpful when administered within the first 24 hours, so he slips in and out of consciousness until it is too late. His friend, despite being weak, survives and finds his companion's body days later on the bed.

This article showed a very interesting and different approach to this "what if" question as it is happening in our neck of the woods and as the 3 different situations from the perspectives of 3 different teams are quite different.

The article leads us to believe that only the team from scenario one survives their exposure, and I have to say their approach is probably the one i have to agree with the most. It is probably THE MOST difficult decision to make, weather you hunker down or bug out as soon as you realize a bioterroristic threat is close-by that you may already have been exposed to.

The pneumonic plague is a interesting choice of bacterial agent as it is quite common  and yet deadly. Yersinia pestis is the bacterium responsible for the bubonic, septicemic and pneumonic plague. It is quite commonly found in rodents and their fleas and is found in several parts of the world, including the U.S. 
From the website of the C.D.C.:

"Pneumonic plague occurs when Y. pestis infects the lungs. This type of plague can spread from person to person through the air. Transmission can take place if someone breathes in aerosolized bacteria, which could happen in a bioterrorist attack. Pneumonic plague is also spread by breathing in Y. pestis suspended in respiratory droplets from a person (or animal) with pneumonic plague. Becoming infected in this way usually requires direct and close contact with the ill person or animal. Pneumonic plague may also occur if a person with bubonic or septicemic plague is untreated and the bacteria spread to the lungs. 

With pneumonic plague, the first signs of illness are fever, headache, weakness, and rapidly developing pneumonia with shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, and sometimes bloody or watery sputum. The pneumonia progresses for 2 to 4 days and may cause respiratory failure and shock. Without early treatment, patients may die.

Early treatment of pneumonic plague is essential. To reduce the chance of death, antibiotics must be given within 24 hours of first symptoms. Streptomycin, gentamicin, the tetracyclines, and chloramphenicol are all effective against pneumonic plague.

Antibiotic treatment for 7 days will protect people who have had direct, close contact with infected patients. Wearing a close-fitting surgical mask also protects against infection.

A plague vaccine is not currently available for use in the United States."

The good news is, prevention is key with this situation as with all others. Carrying N-95 masks with you, even on your travels does not add in a lot of weight, nor will you run into issues with the TSA agents. Add in a pair of gloves and a good hand-sanitizer and you can avoid infection in most cases.

In the case of an airborne agent such as this, especially in a terrorist attack where you might have already be exposed by the time you discover the threat, it is paramount that you get as far away from the threat as possible, while bettering your situation. In this case, bugging in or simply removing yourself from the situation would only have been helpful if you could have ruled infection out at the time of making the decision.

If there is even the slightest bit of doubt, you need to also make sure to better your situation - in this case and as described in the first scenario, this means getting as far away as possible from the threat but also getting to an area where you can receive adequate medical treatment.

Fortunately, pneumonic plague is treatable, and the antibiotics can easily be found on the internet and should be part of your medical kit at home as they can not only be used for the treatment, but also the prophylaxis of this disease! 

Tetracyclines like Doxycycline for example can easily be acquired, just make sure they are human grade ( this can easily be double checked with a pill-identifier book or by googling the imprinted marks that are on every single pill, whether they are for human or veterinarian use - and you will find that many come from the exact same factories and have to go through equal safety controls and regulations and are simply packaged differently. If you would like help with this, feel free to message us on our Facebook page or send us an e-mail to emergencysurvivalgeeks@gmail.com !

There has been a single incident in which expire tetracyclines caused toxic effects and the death of a patient, and as such many in the survivalist community advise against storing these medications long term. Personally I think everybody needs to do their own research and make their own informed decisions, and especially in a " am i going to die from the plague, which is a 100% certain death or am I going to risk it and take a potentially expired antibiotic that I MAY die from or it could save my life " situation i think the answer is clear. 

- " Do whatever is necessary to survive and thrive!" 

The perfect human diet ? - How to prepare your body for the coming change

Hello Geeks,

we believe that a large part of prepping is not just how much gear, beans, bullets or bandaids you can acquire but which skills you have and how you set yourself up for your everyday life. A huge problem that we are fighting every day in America is that our society and government are doing everything in their power to set us up for failure - this includes dumbing our children down with the current education system ( have you seen the common core math crap they are trying to pass off as education??) and basically poisoning us from the inside and out.  This poison is everywhere in our homes.. in dyes, fragrances and preservatives to the poisons and medications used to grow our foods or raise our meats. If you look at the alarming increase in auto-immune diseases and the alarming rate of children born with birth defects or those that are suffering the consequences from receiving so-called FDA approved and "safe" treatments and preventative measures like vaccines within the 3 decades, the link to low-fat, low-carb, low-everything chemical diets is pretty obvious and has been proven in several studies.
Basically- if the FDA considers something safe - you might want to avoid it ;)

DISCLAIMER: While I am a health care professional, I do not claim to be a nutritionist or dietician. All opinions mentioned here are based purely on my own research and experience! If you are a strong believer of the Vegan or Vegetarian community, or if you do not believe in evolution, then I ask you to please not be offended, I respect your opinion just like I ask you to respect mine!
This post is meant for those, that have an open mind and would like to be educated on what the human body was meant to live on, purely based on science and evolution!

What is the "perfect" human diet??

 First, let's talk some facts. I am trying to keep this post as little scientific as possible, but there are just some things we need to cover for you to understand where I am coming from with this post!

I think we are all aware that obesity is the #1 killer in the U.S. and is spreading worldwide. And in all honesty, it is not surprising! There is so much contradicting and ever-changing advice on which diet you should follow ( high carb veganism, low fat, low varb, vegetarianism, paleo, primal etc). How is one supposed to know which way is the right way? Well, the answer is quite honestly.. you know which way is the right way when you get your head out of your butt , open your eyes and think about what's going on!! I am guilty of the same thing, for the longest time I would follow whatever diet hype was created, and didn't realize that I was damaging my body more and more.

Over 147 billion $ were spent in 2010 for obesity related issues. The population that was most affected? African-Americans and Latinos. By the end of this post, you should be able to answer, why that is. Quality nutrition costs money. Unfair, but true.

One of my favorite quotes from the documentary is the following:

" Health is not just the absence of disease"

This sentence is incredibly powerful! All too often do we see ourselves as healthy, if we have no pressing medical conditions or aren't taking any medications! I see this all the time in my patients, and I used to be the same way!
Anybody that also works in health care, can probably relate to this.. more often than not, even people WITH disease ( like diabetes) consider themselves "healthy" and when asked if they have any illnesses the answer "NO" .. frustating? You betcha!!

"The Perfect Human Diet" is a straight forward documentary, they do not sugarcode anything, and I think that is the way to go! So again, if you are easily offended, then please do not continue reading, I am just repeating the facts mentioned in the movie and adding in my own research!

The example used in the documentary is of a pretty harsh nature, but incredibly accurate.
Think back to 9/11. Do you remember the devastation? The number of people that died that day? The number of people that are dying every day from obesity related illnesses, equals a scenario in which we would have a 9/11 every 3 days!
I had to pause the movie at that time, because I could not grasp the monstrosity of that number!

Evolution

So let's travel back in time, because in order to understand what we humans are like today, we have to take a look at our origins!
Whenever you conduct a science experiment, you need a few things. A large group of people that are willing to participate, you need to be able to watch them over a lengthy period of time , you need to know which factor you want to research and you need to make sure that the group is not influenced by any other factors!
So where do we find that in our modern world? Scientist went to several old tribes, that still lived like it was tradition 100 or more years ago, and that were not influenced by the modern world. If you simply look at them, you could immediately notice that they were all incredibly strong and healthy, despite the lack of modern medicine. They had a much different jaw structure in common, with a much wider jaw that fit all of their teeth - so what we refer to now as " wisdom teeth" never occured in this population, because the jaw was wide enough to accomodate all teeth!
What we look like today as modern humans, as far as body build and bone structure go, are hugely due to improper feeding!

To prove this theory, scientists approached a group of Australian aboriginees, that had grown up in the wild as hunters and gatherers. As the modern world reached their grounds, they moved into cities, and lived a modern lifestyle, which lead to weight gain and various obesity associated diseases.
This group was then asked to move back to their traditional grounds and live by their traditional ways for 7 weeks.
The results of this were mindblowing. Within just 7 weeks, the participants lowered their body weight even though they were LESS active than they had been in the city! They also lowered their blood pressure, their cholesterol and their insulin resistance.
How? By reverting back to a diet that was 74% based on animal foods, just as it had been tradition!

The documentary, in research for the "perfect human diet" explores all other popular diet "myths" and so they also researched Veganism/Vegetarianism.
I have had this conversation with many Vegans myself, and even in official text books you will read these opinions.

What I am talking about is the wide-spread opinion in those groups, that humans were built to be herbivores ( aka eat a plant-food based diet) and NOT carnivores. Along with this goes the common misconception, that saturated fats are bad for us.

Well, I hate to break it to you, but those ideas are just straight up WRONG!
Think about this... what is the first animal that comes to mind when you think of a herbivore? A cow, right? What do we all know about cows.. they are constantly eating and chewing and they have several stomachs. Why is that? Well as an herbivore, they need to chew, regurgitate and rechew their food, sometimes even to the point of eating their own feces, in order to extract every bit of nutrients from their food source, and they need to constantly be eating in order to satisfy their caloric needs.

Does this sound like a typical human to you? NOPE.

So let's look at the other end of the spectrum! A typical carnivor ( aka meat eater) in the animal world. How about a lion? Lions have one stomach. They can eat once a day or they can eat only once every few days. Sounds a lot more like us humans, now doesn't it? We are much more dependent on water, than we are on food!

If this doesn't convince you yet, let's take it one step further. You have probably heard that we need Vitamins in our diet. We can create some vitamins in our own body ( like Vitamin D for example), other we can't. Those are the essential vitamins, that we need to take in with our food. One of the biggest ones in this group is Vitamin B12. If you have been pregnant, then you know that it is essential for a pregnant woman to take large enough amounts of Vitamin B12 to ensure normal neurological development of your child!

So, where is Vitamin B12 found? ONLY IN ANIMAL BASED FOODS!

First appearence in medical textbooks
In 1862, a London Undertaker , William Banting, went to his doctor because he was severely obese, couldn't bend down to tie his shows or walk down the stairs forward, due to imbalance. He had tried all of the current medical advice, like more exercise, low fat, low meat - without success.
His doctor then prescribed to him a diet, that was solely based on meat, poultry, fish, vegetables other than potatoes and fruit! This doctor, was Dr. William Osler, one of the biggest names in the history of nutrition, and after the success of that lifestyle in William Banting, this new "diet" was published in all medical textbooks!
So to make this clear one more time.. from about 1865 to 1965, whenever you would go to your doctor about weight issues, you would be told to cut out all starches and sugars from your diet, and to eat meats and vegetables predominantly!

So.. what happened?

In the 1950s, the idea emerged that fats would cause heart disease and in turn a new diet was recommended, that banned fats and praised carbohydrates.
Now of course change can always happen, especially in science, but this change in recommendation was based on NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER!
It was mostly driven by politics and the industrial revolution, not by founded research!
Actually, a study was conducted in 1948 to identify the risk factors of heart disease, known as the Framingham Heart Study. This study came to the conclusion that those that ate a diet high in fats and meats and low in carbohydrates were actually HEALTHIER and LESS at risk for heart disease than those that ate a diet LOW in fats!!

Despite this study, the new recommendations were published. I find this unbelievable!

If you think that this only happened in the past, think again!
Let's pull up a picture of the USDA Food pyramid, or of the revised version from 2010.

See these? They recommend more of everything, more carbs, more fruits, more dairy and less fat.

Who creates these guidelines?

Scientists? Nutritionist? Dieticians? Doctors? WRONG. Politicians.
These guidelines are based on a report that is published every 5 years by a panel. From the very first one of these guidelines, they have all been based on a false belief that fats are bad for us, a fact that has NEVER been proven, in the contrary this fact has been DISPROVED!

Here's another fun fact for you and a little exercise if you are up to it. Go to your local farmer's market or local farm and ask them what they are feeding their animals. The documentary showed, how farmers are using the exact USDA Food pyramid recommendations in order to FATTEN THEIR ANIMALS... I don't know about you, but I don't want to be a fattened pig!

Finally, let's talk Evolution!

 
I had already mentioned the ever-changing diet recommendations that are constantly being thrown at us by the media.. how were these created? 

Remember the basic needs for a good fundamental study? Well, what scientists have been doing to evaluate diets in the population is look at a small sample group in a study for a fairly short period of time. Does this sound like it would make a good fundamental research study? NO.
We have millions of years of human evolution and human diet to look at, so let's take THAT as our sample group!

About 2 million years ago, "Homo erectus" first appeared on earth. They lived on the african continent and then moved up north and east into Europe and later Asia.
What does this tell us? Of course in an african climate, they would have been able to grow many things throughout the entire year. They didn't though. They moved up north where for a good portion of the year they were definitely NOT able to grow their own foods and instead had to rely on animals as their primary food source!
Further evidence of this can be found about 400.000 years ago in Schöningen, Germany as well as many other places were spears and hunting weapons were found next to over 10.000 animal bones.
Do you still think that we were meant to eat a plant-based diet??

Over this time period, the brain size of these early humans increased dramatically, which also lead to the development or art, speech and better hunting skills!
This tells us that the increase in animal foods in their diets, let to the increased brain size due to the bigger intake of omega-3 fatty acids!

So to make this short, if our ancestors hadn't eaten animal foods, we would not be as highly developed as we are today!

About 190.000 years ago, the first anatomically modern humans appeared, and also headed from Africa to the North and East. If you are ever in France, go check out the amazing cave paintings! These show humans hunting animals. Would they paint those if it wasn't an accurate representation of their lifestyle? Probably not.

Now let's jump to what in comparison seems like just yesterday... 10.000 years ago, dairy and what were introduced to the human diet, and later-on during the industrial revolution more and more processed foods came along..
Nowadays, studies show that about 70% of the calories in our diet come from processed foods!

So let me ask you this... WHY WOULD YOU CHANGE A DIET THAT HAS PROVEN SO SUCCESSFULL OVER MILLIONS OS YEARS???

We are basically feeding ourselves, but we aren't getting the proper nutrition that we were meant to get.
Did you know that the human digestive tract wasn't designed to consume dairy after the age of 2?
If you look back at these millions of years of human history, all of the AutoImmune Diseases like Rheumathoid Arthritis, DID NOT EXIST before grains were introduced.

I'm sorry, I have to get a little scientific again..

The process

What happens in our liver when we eat protein? It gets turned into a steady release of glucose ( aka sugar, aka energy).

What happens when we eat carbs? It triggers an Insulin spike, which then inhibits the liver from turning protein into glucose, so even if you had protein with your carb meal, your body cannot use the energy that it would normally get from protein.
This leaves us feeling hungry, sluggish and tired. We've all been there right? What do we do? We reach for more carbs for a quick energy fix, and the cycle begins again.

Why are carbs killing your body?

First, when you see “grains,” that means wheat, rice, corn, barley, rye, oats, millet, or sorghum.
Grains consist of a component called "Lectin".  Lectins are proteins that we can’t digest. We normally digest proteins into amino acids where they are absorbed by our intestines (our gut). Since we can’t digest lectins, they pass through the wall of our gut undigested as complete proteins. This damages the gut, inflames our bodies, and makes them unable to absorb many of the good proteins that we get from other foods. But that’s not all. The worst part is that our body’s immune system is at a high state of readiness around our gut.

www.thepaleomom.com

Now, when lectins pass through the gut as a complete, undigested protein, our body mistakes them for foreign invaders and attacks with the immune system. After repeated attacks from lectins daily  your body gets smart and makes antibodies to automatically attack these nasty proteins. It builds immunity. The problem? Sometimes part of the lectin looks a lot like normal body tissue. You don’t want your immune system attacking your normal body tissue, but that’s exactly what can happen.


Some lectins  look a lot like an important protein in the pancreas, so now the immune system attacks that protein in your pancreas, rendering your pancreas unable of producing insulin. This is basically what happens in Type 1 Diabetes. What if the lectin looks like myelin basic protein (MBP) in your brain? Multiple Sclerosis. An important kidney protein? Nephropathy. The list goes on. Grains turn your body’s immune system against you. This phenomenon is called Auto-Immune Disease.

But you've been eating grains all your life and you are fine, right?

So you’ve been eating grains all your life and you’re not dead yet, right? Why haven’t you been stricken with something described above? The human body is an incredibly resilient biological machine. That’s the only way we’ve been able to survive, not thrive, with grains for the last 10,000 years. After grains were introduced to humans, we lost an average of six inches in height. Do you think that’s coincidence, or that we’re trying to feed our bodies with material that we’re not genetically equipped to handle? But yes, you could go all your life eating grains and never get one of the many auto-immune diseases. In the end, you may be lucky. I suppose it depends on whether you’re a gambler.

So what's there left to eat?

A LOT. You just have to re-introduce the variety of foods into your diet, that was meant to be there all along!

• large cuts of meat ( pork tenderloin, soirloin steak, chicken, turkey - preferably all grass-fed)
• Veggies ( fresh or frozen, if possible stay away from canned as these tend to have a lot more salt added to them! We opt for frozen a lot because they can almost be fresher than what you are buying in the produce section, just make sure nothing was added!)
• Lettuce ( the darker, the better!)

• Fruit ( If you are a diabetic, be careful with the Fructose, otherwise enjoy! Anything that keeps your blood sugar level constant and doesn't allow those Insulin spikes to happen is good!)

The story about whole-grains...

Last but not least I wanted to point out a whole other set of problems that I wasn't aware of either.
Besides the already known issues that grains cause, whole-grains add yet another layer to this. Not only do these not get broken down, but they inhibit mineral absorption, that is so important for us! Do you  know what this triggers? Hunger.

So if your take-away message from today's UBER long post is nothing else.. at least take your multi-vitamin ( that you will NEED if you keep eating grains and processed foods) separate from your grains, otherwise you will create nothing but really expensive pee!

So free yourself from the government-dictated doctrines and think about where the food that you SHOULD be eating is coming from - the only valid answers to this problem is that you either need to know a local farmer that you can trust, or simply grow and raise your own food.
Don't expect that once TEOTWAWKI ( The End Of The World As We Know It) has happened that you will then automatically lose the extra weight and change your diet and that overnight you will turn into an expert farmer, gardener and homesteader! You do NOT want to be going through a massive sugar withdrawal when SHTF, trust me....

Every-Day-Carry (EDC) - Vehicle edition Part 1 (within-city-limits)

The average American Joe spends 101 minutes in their vehicle each day, a study found in 2013. As such, it is important to be prepared for any eventuality that may arise during your daily commutes.

The biggest factor in deciding what to pack for your vehicle-EDC is dependent on your individual situation and things like commuting time and distance, location ( city size, characteristics of your environment - for example if your commute takes you into Detroit every day your preparations must look different than if your commuting to a smaller town in rural Idaho) and also who you may be accompanied by ( co-workers, children etc).

We wanted to put a comparison together of what our EDCs look like - with a less than 10 mile per day commute within town limits on one side and an 80 mile round-trip commute on the other.

Within town limits, the obstacles are lesser and fewer between and the main objective is to get back to base, where more supplies and back-up are available. As such, the vehicle EDC is not even designed as a 72 hour kit.

The bag that Doc chose for her EDC is the Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack (color Green/Khaki) as she felt it would blend in with most cases and was the least "military" looking if she were to carry it on foot through town.

The shoulder-sling makes for a very comfortable carry and would even allow for you to carry an additional backpack if necessary without hindering your movement too much. The straps are adjustable and the first thing we noticed about this bag is that all materials, including zippers and buckles are very sturdy and well made.

The back pouch is designed to conceal a handgun and is easily accessible ( and conceals your gun even if the zipper is not closed - a definite plus in my opinion as it will allow for a much fast draw). It has a large velcro pad on the backside of it, which allows you to attach holsters or mag pouches to them. (Maxpedition has their own versions of velcro holsters and velcro mag pouches that I will be trying out very soon - at the moment my gun is fine just sticking in its own holster).

Obviously this handgun ( a Glock 19 in 9mm in my case) is only a back-up gun, so this is why I am not too worried about how it is fastened inside the pouch as it is a small area and I can still quickly gain access to my firearm if necessary. The pouch is also plenty big that it can house several other items, in my case a few spare mags ( both for my primary and secondary firearms).

 I also like to keep a small fixed-blade knife (in this case an inexpensive tactical neck knife) as well as some extra 9 mm hollow points in this bag.

The other pouch on the main flap is perfect for additional knife, multitools or the likes, in my case because I do have to wear eye-glasses I have a spare pair in there in case my glasses break or get lost. ( This is where those BOGO deals for glasses come in very handy!). A smaller pouch on the flap can house things like an extra mag and a pocket knife

Once you open the main flap ( that is secured with a very large adjustable buckle strap), you can access a smaller front pouch or access the main compartment through the drawstring cover.

The main pouch contains the following: a case with 50 rounds of ammunition, S.O.S emergency rations food bars (72 h kit), 1 Mountain House Scrambled Eggs and Bacon Meal, spare clothing (socks, underwear, t-shirt and a long sleeve underarmour shirt - which gets changed out depending on the seasons), mechanic gloves as well as a small first-aid kit- which still leaves plenty of room to spare if you needed to throw extra items from your vehicle or things you were able to grab lets say at the vending machine at work.

Even though I only have a very short commute / potential walk, depending on the time of the year and time of day it might be cold, so I chose to still carry a stove and a meal with me, to give both a little bit of physical warmth as well as a psychological boost. Unfortunately, due to some food allergies I am very restricted when it comes to which freeze-dried meals I am able to eat so I chose one that would give me a good amount of protein.


As I am a firm believer of packing skills rather than packing more gear, my medical kit only covers the very basics - gauze, band-aids, a method of disinfection ( Sterilium - one of the most effective hospital grade hand sanitizers and disinfectants in my opinion), basic pain killers ( Ibuprofen 200 msg), chapstick, triple antibiotic ointment as well as a spare menstrual cup. I always have a more advanced first-aid kit in my vehicle and if we travel further than my regular commute we either have our BOBs with a better medical kit or one of our separate medical kits with us. This was also the reason why I have chosen an over-the-shoulder style of bag to be able to carry extra if necessary.






The small pouch towards the front of the bag contains miscellaneous items like a casualty blanket, rain poncho ( I will probably be adding a camo-colored one shortly), a trioxane/hexamine tablet stove ( as it can also be powered with small sticks etc) and please don't forget about the human necessities that may arise on your way home - so I have added a roll of TP.

The side pouch to the left is subdivided and contains all fire-starting mechanisms ( 2 varieties of strike-anywhere matches, a lighter, ferrocerium rods and in the sub-pouch a Smith's pocket pal as well as a multi-tool).







To the right the Jumbo Versipack ( as opposed to the smaller versions) has a pouch designed for a 32 oz Nalgene bottle, which i fit a stainless steel cantine cup into as well. The nalgene bottle is the green glow-in-the-dark kind, and shows both fluid oz and ml amounts on the side, which comes in very handy when cooking freeze-dried meals on the go. Inside the bottle are several of the Emergency Purified Water drinking pouches   (as they can freeze but will not burst unlike other containers) as well as water purification tablets.

Keep in mind this kit is only a small get-home bag to cover a distance of less than 5 miles ( even with avoiding main routes and the city center and taking the long way home) that could easily be walked within a few hours so it is only meant to supplement what I carry on me everyday anyway ( see more about our EDCs in an upcoming post!) My vehicle EDC will soon be supplemented with a H&R 20 gauge snake charmer and at this point the ammo will be distributed accordingly.


Check back here for Gunny's EDC vehicle kit for his 80 mile round-trip commute that will be coming live on Saturday 2/20/2016!

The frugal prepper series - feminine hygiene part 1

So you are trying to prepare for everything that could possibly happen... great! Unfortunately even with most of us a working full-time or several part-time jobs to try and make ends meet, there never seems to be enough money left at the end of the month to invest in your preps. With the frugal prepare series we want to bring a few different little ideas that you can change in your life that will save you money instantly and will also benefit your health immensely! 

In my opinion, being frugal doesn't mean that you have to do without certain things. It just means that you are being smart about it and by learning to either make a lot of things yourself or changing out toxic items that the media and commercials want you to buy into, you can be a lot more prepared for when things take a turn for the worse! This falls right into one of our most favorite categories - learning skills rather than packing/storing tons of gear will make your life much easier! 

So today, ladies.. this post is mostly for you! Even though I don't think it would hurt for the man in your life to learn a little bit about this topic.. they will most likely be grosed out by it... so let's jump right in and get down to the nitty griddy!!

I strive to be as healthy as I possibly can, to live a long healthy life and to be as healthy of a (future) mom and example to my (future) children as I possibly can be! 
Now we all know that junk food is bad, that you should exercise regularly and that you need to drink your water and ditch the soda, right?
What many of us aren't thinking about however, is all the other toxins that we are submitting our bodies to. I had no idea that I was endangering my body every single month, until I started studying the topic in medical school, so please don't think that I didn't make the same mistakes!

Every 21 -28 days, we as women have to enter our monthly battle. Even a week or so prior, we have to face mood swings, bloating and fight the urge to eat our body weight in ice cream ( just as an example from my personal experience). Whatever your "guilty pleasure" is just substitute that in. I'm sure it will be more or less along the same lines! 
You'd think that this is bad enough, right? But NO! It hasn't even started yet! So then we deal with fatigue, more bloating, cramps, headaches and so on and so forth. 
It's hard enough to stick to your plans and goals during those days as it is... so should you really expose your body to more harmful substances, that you might not even be aware of?
For over a decade now, it was just the most normal thing for me, to reach for tampons, whenever it was that time again.
Then, in 2012, while studying microbiology in medical school, I heard about TSS, also known as Toxic Shock Syndrome. If you head into your bathroom right now, reach for your box of tampons and get out that little paper flyer that they always include, you will find a warning about TSS on there. So why don't we know about this? Because we just throw that piece of paper in the garbage as soon as we open the box, right? Guilty as charged.

So what is TSS?

Toxic Shock Syndrome is a disease caused by the Staph. aureus toxin known as TSST-1. The symptoms of TSS  include: a high fever, sunburn-like rash, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, disorientation, headache, sore throat, achy muscles, fainting, flu-like symptoms, peeling skin, bloodshot eyes and a rapid decrease of blood pressure.
Scary? I THINK SO! But it gets worse. TSS commonly affects women in the age-group under 30, with 60% being between the ages of 19 and 24 years old, 98% of which are white women. 
Women who have survived TSS, have suffered miscarriages, loss of hair and limbs, paralysis, severe organ damage, reduced lung capacity and various other terrible ailments. In short, this means that TSS is a potentially fatal disease!

How does using a tampon connect to TSS?

Tampons nowadays are manufactured to be more and more absorbent,to attract the busy, active female. And in theory this is great! Nobody wants to worry about having to have a bathroom nearby or god-forbid leaking! However, the prolonged intra-vaginal use of these hyperabsorbent tampons enhances bacterial growth. ( Bacteria just love anything dark and moist - too graphic for you? I'm sorry!)

But wait... there is MORE!

Tampons pose additional risks, that manufacturers don't warn us about. These risks arise from the synthetic fibers that make tampons and the chemicals used to bleach them. This chlorine bleaching process produces toxic by-products such as dioxin and furan.
YES... you read this right. CHLORINE. The same things you use to bleach harsh stains out of your clothes or to kill bacteria in your pool. And we are really expected to add this into our bodies month after month after month? An average woman has about 450 periods throughout her lifetime. 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has done a study which shows that excess chlorine causes cancer in humans, and both the immune and reproductive systems can be damaged by minimal quantities. 
450 periods... and minimal quantities introduced each time???.. that does not work!!!


Now think about the environment where you are placing your tampon. Like I said.. this post is not meant to be pretty, it's meant to be honest and we should all feel comfortable enough with our body to talk about this! So... if you aren't comfortable, close out and check out one of our other posts! 
Still here? Good. So you place your tampon inside your vagina. The vaginal walls are composed of 3 layers:
- the first layer is a stratified squamous non-keratinized epithelium and  an underlying lamina propria of connective tissue(a layer that is highly vascular!)
- the second layer is the muscular layer, which is composed of smooth muscle fibers and situated longitudinally and circularly.
- the third layer is the adventitia, which is a dense connective tissue that blends with the fascia surrounding the area.

Why is it important to understand this? 

You can think of the first layer much like a mucosa, like the tissue in your mouth for example. Then add to that, that this tissue is highly vascularized (meaning that there is lots of blood vessels leading blood to and from this layer). 
So what happens if you introduce a tampon, that consists of harmful substances and might be covered in toxins into this area? Bingo. Your body can absorb these substances, or in the case of TSS the toxins can spread throughout your entire body.
SCARY, right?

So, let's go back on step. I talked about these additional substances, besides the bleach that are found in tampons: dioxin and furan. What exactly are these?

Dioxin:  has been considered highly toxic and even very small amounts are known to cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer^. This is based on animal studies, and several studies have been done (including one by the FDA) that came to the conclusion that these "miniscule levels of dioxin found in tampons do not pose a risk to women".
For "some reason" ( please note the cynical tone of my voice here), it does not reassure me, when an institution like the FDA, that also thinks that it is acceptable to add propylene glycol to water-flavoring drinks like the "mio" drops for example, approves these levels in tampons. Propylene glycol is the same ingredient that is used in antifreeze. And we are expected to drink that?? Nope. Screw that. 


Furan: 
Furan is found in heat-treated commercial foods , for example it can be found in roasted coffee, instant coffee, and processed baby foods. Exposure to furan at doses about 2000 times the projected level of human exposure from foods increases the risk of hepatocellular tumors in rats and mice and bile duct tumors in rats. Furan is therefore listed as a possible human carcinogen.

Again, this is not proven to be harmful to humans at the levels that we consume or are exposed to, but I think it is important to be aware of this, as these studies often don't take into consideration that we might have exposure from different levels (food, drinks and tampons) at the same time, so levels might add up to a higher total. 


So, after I learned all this, I started doing my research on alternatives. At first I stumbled upon unbleached tampons, that claim to be toxin free and cloth pads. Sure these would be valuable options and certainly better than your average tampon, but unbleached tampons are very expensive, so it was not feasible for me on a student budget and nowadays with the goals of starting a homestead in mind this does not fly with our budget either!. This left cloth pads. These looks great, the price point is alright at about 15$ per pad, since they can be washed and reused. However, living an active and busy lifestyle, pads just did not seem like the way to go! In my opinion they will be a great option for post-partum bleeding, so I will keep those in mind when that chapter in my life comes around the corner.

I continued my research over the course of several weeks until I heard about menstrual cups on YouTube. This is what I want to introduce you to today!

A menstrual cup is a device made from medical grade silicone (so completely safe for use in the human body) that is inserted in the vagina to collect menstrual fluid.

These are the 2 different styles of menstrual cups, that I own:

On the left you can see the "MeLuna" menstrual cup inside the little travel bag that it comes with. ( Recently featured in my EDC vehicle edition post). The orange container is a foldable silicone container that can be used to sterilize your menstrual cup in-between uses or in-between periods (because we still want to be sanitary!!) - this came as a free accessory with my purchase and if you own a microwave, then this is a neat little way of sanitizing your cup. We have not used a microwave in well over a year and don't even own one anymore, so what I would recommend to you as an alternative is to go to one of your local goodwill stores and find a small stainless steel pot that you will EXCLUSIVELY use for your menstrual cup! 

 The menstrual cup by "Diva" is pictured on the right. 

The differences that you will notice immediately are color, size and shape of "stem".
"MeLuna" offers 6 different sizes of menstrual cups and 3 different types of firmness. This offers a great selection and allows each woman to find her perfect fit! However, I found that if you are new to using a menstrual cup, it can be difficult to gauge which size you might need.

This is where the "Diva" version of the menstrual cup comes in handy. It is only available in 2 sizes, which are distinguished by "Pre-birth" or "Post-birth". So if you have never had a child, you go with size 1 (as seen in my pictures above) or if you have given birth before, you select size 2. It doesn't get much simpler, right? 
No matter which company you go with, they each come with cute carrier bags for your cup that it can be stored in!

This collage down below is to give you an idea about it's size and some basic insertion techniques.

What is my personal experience with menstrual cups?

I think they are awesome. I would suggest going with the "Diva" cup first, until you are used to handling and get an idea if you would like it softer/firmer or smaller/bigger.
You can order the "Diva" cup straight from amazon.com if you click here (size 1) or here (size 2).
For the "MeLuna" cups click here. They have a great website explaining everything and answering all the questions that you might have!. 

The only piece of advice that I would give is, if you want to start using a menstrual cup, pick a time when you know you won't have a super busy weekend! It is a little bit of a different feeling (even though you can't actually feel the menstrual cup once it is inserted, but you "know" that something is different) so I made sure I was home for the first day or two until I was comfortable.
It is a little bit of a learning curve until you can easily insert and remove the cup and until you know how long you can go before you have to empty the cup! So for the first few days just make it a habit to check regularly until you are comfortable! After a while you will find that you can go much longer with a menstrual cup than you could with a tampon!
Then just rinse it out with plain water and re-insert. If you are at home I recommend cleaning it with a mild soap like Dr. Bronner's in between uses, but if you are in a pinch just warm water or some toilet paper in a public restroom will do the trick also! With a little practice it does not take longer than using a tampon! Just be warned... you have to be comfortable with your own body! It is completely natural for you to menstruate and with this technique you will be confronted with your body's excretions !


What do I like about menstrual cups?

- they are safe for your health
- one cup costs about 25$ and can be reused for 10 years or longer !!! versus a pack of tampons costing 5$ (? I'm not even sure anymore, I haven't purchased them in a while, but I know it is more expensive!)
- you spend less time in the bathroom

What do I dislike about menstrual cups?
- I wish there was a better way to figure out which size is appropriate, but "MeLuna" lets you chose 2 different sizes (for example Small and Medium) if you are unsure which category you fall in to!
- you might have to try out different styles. Menstrual cups are designed to create a slight suction around your cervix, as this is how they stay in place and collect the blood. If you didn't pick the right size or style for your body, then this suction can be hard to break at times, especially without making a mess. 

What should you be aware of?

- Always wash your hands before and after you insert the cup ( this should be a no brainer!)
- sterilize the cup at least after each period (this is where that stainless steel pot will come in handy)
- be familiar and ok with your fluids! If you use a cup, you will have to take the cup out by slightly pinching it in, which will loosen the "seal" that it has formed around your cervix and then you will have to dump the contents out, wash and re-insert. It is your body and your fluids so I personally don't see a problem with this, as long as you are washing your hands! But I know not everybody might be this comfortable with their body, so be aware of this fact!
- love the new freedom! In my personal case I can go MUCH longer before having to empty the cup than I did with tampons. Especially in a SHTF scenario, particularly one where you might have to bug out or be on the move, you don't want to be slowed down by leakage, so I recommend getting accustomed with your menstrual cup now! 


Bottom line - do what works for you but if you can make the switch - your health, the environment and your budget will thank you! What will you be spending your savings on? 

- Do whatever is necessary to survive and thrive! 

Doc 

Natural birth control methods in a post-collapse scenario

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to promote or denounce the use of anticonceptive devices - this decision is ultimately up to you and your spouse and what your personal beliefs- religious or otherwise allow.

There are several birth control methods commonly used in present times that you may or may not be practicing - spanning from abstinence , temperature methods, barrier contraception methods like condoms or spermicides, implanted devices that do or do not emit hormones, to oral birth control medications.

As most things in your preps, the supply for manufactured items like these is most likely limited and you will not be able to obtain many of the "conventional" birth control methods – unless you have discovered the condom tree? If so, please share with the rest of us!

The alternative methods of conraception that I am discussing in this article are not listed in a particular order of effectiveness and may not be reliable without added barrier contraception devices - I encourage you to do your own research and make your own informed decisions!

Also, this article is soley intended for informative reasons. While the world as we know it is still intact, please consult with your health care professional about the topic of contraception if you are interested in it and most importantly – as we are talking about herbal remedies that are not studied as well as pharmaceutical drugs – be sure to thouroughly check for any contraindications that might apply to your case due to underlying medical issues or prescription medications that you are already taking. Also do not – and I repeat, do not – switch out your current contraception methods for these described below without taking the extra steps of talking to your primary care physician, doing your own research and most imortantly applying common sense!

If however TEOTWAWKI ( the end of the world as we know it - copyright www.survivalblog.com) comes into play or you want to have alternatives ready for this case, continue reading below.

In the prepping community, the focus clearly lies on beans, bandaids and bullets. From my own experience with patients in a primary care setting, even if they think they are prepared – commonly items of daily use tend to be forgotten. While some may remember to find alternatives for their current other prescriptions – blood pressure medicine or antidepressants for example, birth control or other methods of contraception seem to be forgotten frequently, or if they were thought about then in a short term situation with a box or 2-3 of condoms that are bound to run out.

In the case of contraception methods, and this may be due to the fact that the prepper community is still largely male dominated or – as I tend to believe – that things we tend to do on a daily basis have become such a habit that we don't even think about them anymore and as such we fail to prepare for them adequately.

I realize that contraception and the unclear and often faught over definition of abortion and the beginning of life are very controvercial topics and I hope nobody will be offended by this discussion. Scripture states that the physical act of marriage is intended by God and that whether a woman will bear children is a blessing from God (Genesis 21:1 , 1 Samuel 2:21). We also have to obey God's command to provide for our children. Scripture does not state clearly whether it is against contraception or not and so it is the belief of many that temporary contraception in order to be able to provide better for children at a later time is acceptable.

You may or may not have though about this topic before - whether you are planning on hunkering down or bugging out - at least in the beginning stages of a new world order it might not be the wisest decision for yourself or your spouse to become pregnant as stress, lack of medical support, food shortage, unsanitary conditions, diseases and the likes will be prominent. If you are not preparing for ways to prevent conception, then you have to prepare for the eventuality of a home birth without support from medical staff or medications and have to be ready to face the complications associated with this for both mother and child.

Before you focus on herbal remedies, a good option would be to talk to your doctor about your concerns and discuss the possiblity of having a larger quantity of for example oral birth control pills dispensed at a time, so that you can always be ahead a few months. In many cases, depending on your state laws and especially once insurances are involved, this is unfortunately not an option.

Several plant-based methods of contraception have been used for centuries and date back to the ancient Greek and Roman tribes. Studies have intermittently been done on the effectiveness of several of these herbal remedies , but probably due to the monopolist power of the FDA and other government agencies not many of these remedies are widely known anymore or are even taught in medical schools in Western countries. I completed my medical training in Germany and was fortunate enough to have several courses on my curriculum that at least remotely touched on the subject of herbal or alternative medicine. By my experience from continuing my medical education in the United States, this topic is also largely overlooked here and sadly takes away a valid resource for the general population.

All of the herbal contraception methods described below are described as not causing sterilization, as such they are non-permanent, reversible methods.

Neem plant

The Neem plant is also known as Indian lilac. The parts of the plant that can be used are neem leaf, neem leaf extract or neem leaf oil.

It is one of the few contraceptives that are effective in both males and females : it shows spermicidal properties (meaning it kills the sperm upon contact, reportedly within as little as 30 seconds), is a reversible method on contraception and does not exhibit any changes in the menstrual cycle or ovarial function .When used in men it has been shown to slow the motility of sperm, thereby reducing the chances of fertilization.

Studies have shown that even the smallest amounts of Neem oil injected into the uterine horns (the
area where the uterus and fallopian tubes meet) can reversibly block fertility for up to one year!

When used in males (typically in an oral form of neem leaf) the reversible effects do not affect the sperm production or libido - a fact that every male reading through this article I'm sure is very glad to hear about!

A few other advantages of the Neem plant that are worth mentioning is that it also has antibiotic, antiviral and overall immune-boosting properties which has helped secure its spot on the top 5 herbal contraception remedies, as these properties help protect against sexually- and vaginally transmitted diseases.

Queen Anne's lace

Queen Anne's lace is also known als "wild carrot" and can be found all over the United States.

Only the seeds of this plant should be used and need to be chewed or otherwise broken up in order to release the active ingredients.

Queen Anne's lace seeds have been proven in studies on laboraty animals to inhibit the progesterone synthesis and as such inhibit the implantation of the fertilized egg into the uterine wall. Thus,

most will argue that this herb is the most effective herbal remedy when it comes to contraception!

Queen Anne's lace is typically taken as follows:

- 1 tsp within 8 hours of exposure to sperm (chewed/ broken up)

- continue this dose 1x/day for another 7 days

There are however a few aspects that you need to be aware of if you plan on using this herb:

A very common side effect is constipation (a fairly easy-to resolve problem but something to be aware of and if the symptoms persist you may have to discontinue the use of wild carrot seeds.)

This seed should not be used in patients with a history of kidney- or gallstones as it can re-exacerbate these conditions.

Most importantly though, be sure that the plant you are using is actually Queen Anne's lace! The hemlock or water hemlock plants look eerily similar but are extremely poisenous!

A solution that would help prevent this from happening is to purchase the seeds  and grow your own resources; just make sure the plants were not treated with any toxins or chemicals as you will be ingesting them. This applies to all of the remedies mentioned in this article and beyond – if you know what you are growing it limits your chances of being wrong while you are foraging for these plants in the wild.

Blue Cohosh

With Blue Cohosh, only the root of this plant is used to make a tea. One of the components of Blue Cohosh mimics Oxytocin - a hormone that naturally occurs in a woman's body and is typically excreted after stimulation of breastfeeding after birth, which leads to the contraction of the uterus in order to minimize post-partum bleeding.

In this particular situation, the oxytocin-like properties inhibit the implantation of the fertilized egg and initiates menstruation, which then expels the outer-most layer of the uterine-wall tissue, including the fertilized egg.

Blue Cohosh tea is prepared as follows:

Boil 4 cups of water

add 1 tsp of Blue Cohosh root and steep it for 5 minutes

consume the tea in small sips while hot

use no more than 3x/day until menstruation begins, then discontinue.

Pennyroyal

This plant was also used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. It promotes menstrual flow (this is also called being emmenagogue) and initiates contraction of the uterine muscles much like Blue Cohosh.

Pennyroyal is consumed as a tea (no exact dosage is known; but expert herbalists recommend that it be consumed while hot and since only a dosage of 50-75 cups of this tea per day can cause lethal side-effects ( Source 2 - Norman Farnsworth-Phd University of Illinois), no exact recommendation for a daily dose exists.

Studies were conducted in the 1930 which showed that the plant " stimulated the production of female sex hormones and decreased fertility in laboratory animals, much as modern contraceptives do" ( Source 1 - University of Illinois)

It is most often consumed together with other emmenagogues like Blue Cohosh. As such, I would deem it as possibly a little less effective, especially considering that no clear dosage has been tested

in studies.

A recipe that can be found in "The Child Bearing Year" by Susun Weed states:

Emmenagogue Brew

2 tablespoons (Tbsp) dried Blue Cohosh Root

(substitute 20 drops of blue cohosh tincture to each cup)

3 Tbsp dried pennyroyal leaves

2 Tbsp dried Tansy in flower

Boil the Blue Cohosh in a quart of water (if the tincture is used, skip this step, just boil the water) for 5 minutes.

Place the pennyroyal and tansy in a glass quart canning jar (or equivalent). Pour the boiled water (with the blue cohosh - if you used the dried herb) into the jar, cap and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Strain the herbs out and reheat before using. If you use the blue cohosh tincture add 20 drops after reheating the tea.

Together these 3 herbs can produce profuse menstrual flow in sensitive women. The usual dose, is a steaming hot cupful every four hours, day and night, for up to 5 days or until bleeding is well underway. The effectiveness of this formula is enhanced by the addition of tablespoonful of brewers yeast to every cup.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat interferes with normal hormone levels in the female's body and its' component Rutin inhibits implantation of the fertilized egg. The recommended dosage is 500 mg per day and virtually no side effects are known, which makes it a very popular birth control option.

There are several other options out there so I once again encourage you to do your research, keep your own specific situations, allergies and other illnesses you may have in mind. If you are currently breastfeeding and are looking into herbal remedies please be extra careful!

With any natural remedies it is very important that the female wanting to apply these methods is very familiar and in tune with her body. You should be aware of your menstrual cycle and your body's normal behaviors so you can more easily identify side effects of these herbal remedies that would warrant you to cease using them. Along with this also goes to be prepared for possible stronger menstrual flow than you may be used to, which has to be compensated for with a big enough supply of tampons, menstrual cups of the right size or sanitary napkins.

A few good references that I have found helpful for herbal remedies in general are “ The Herbal Drugstore” by Linda White , “Herbal Antivirals- Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections” by Stephen Harrod Buhner as well as " Prescription for Herbal Healing" by Phyllis Balch. Of course a lot of information can also be found online but be weary of information from one single source and confirm the information with as many sources as possible as you are treating your body with supplements that have not been very well studied and that you are new to.


 

This brings us back to the beginning- use common sense!

As always, a solid hard copy of books is better than an electronic version, as you will always be able to reference and cross-reference these books.

First and foremost though, especially if you are the medic for your family or group - please keep in mind the basic principle of medicine – nihil non docere - first do no harm.