Podcasts and Youtube and Blogs, oh my!
In the last article I covered what I believe to be the most important item in first aid; training. In this article I’ll cover Podcasts about first aid, survival medicine and other related topics
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor; all information provided is based off my own research and personal experience. I would advise you to use the information I give here as part of your research.
I have listened to a few different Podcasts where the host of the Podcast has interviewed a medical professional. Sometimes that professional has a Youtube channel or a blog as well. I’ll link the Podcast in case you would like to listen as well as cover some of the high points. I’ll also link their Youtube or other ways to connect with them. Some of these I listened to at a time when I could take better notes than others. I did not transcribe these interviews and they are not word-for-word, but they will be close to the speaker’s intent.
Matt Brasik Today’s Survival show- 135
Bob Mayne of “Today’s Survival Show” interviewed Matt Brasik of Midwest Disaster Medical. Matt covers ways to get Red Cross training as well as training from other places. He also recommends building a supply of the prescription medications you take every day
Matt lists some over-the-counter medications that belong in your first aid kit. I’ll cover some below. He also explains that Wal-Mart and Target both sell generic prescriptions for $4.00 for a 30-day supply and $10 for a 90-day supply. He goes on to say that many insurance companies will only let you get a minimum prescription but if your doctor writes out a paper prescription and you pay cash, the insurance company can be left out of the transaction.
Some of the OTC meds he recommends are stool softeners, pain relievers, Metamucil, Benadryl, Orajel and the one I thought was the most interesting was Primatine Mist. He said the active ingredient in both Primatine Mist and in an Epipen is epinephrine. In an Epipen there is.3mg of epinephrine delivered intra-muscularly and in Primatine Mist there is .22mg of epinephrine and id delivered via inhalation. He said he has never used this method, but that Primatine Mist could be used to treat anaphylactic shock; give a few puffs and then maybe some of the Benadryl. You can find out more about Matt at Midwest Disaster Medical.
The Survival Podcast Episode 565- Lessons from the Haitian Earthquake
In this episode of The Survival Podcast, Jack Spirko interviews Brandon Shelton. Immediately after the earthquake in Haiti, Brandon’s Pastor approached him about taking a few of his friends and going to Haiti to help in the relief effort. In this interview Brandon explains what it was like in the aftermath of the earthquake. He said that after the initial earthquake, the trauma wasn’t killing people, dirty water and diarrhea was. He explains that having Imodium and anti-nausea meds as well as a means to re-hydrate are very important. He also said that being well stocked on food didn’t matter when there were 30 tons of rubble on it. He said the only thing that would have been a big help in this situation was having a BOL (Bug Out Location).
Brandon and some of his friends created Bella Medical Ministries. They have made numerous trips to Haiti and have most recently aided in Joplin. If you feel so moved, you can support Bella Medical Ministries via their website.
The Survival Podcast Episode 584- The Patriot Nurse
In this episode of The Survival Podcast, Jack Spirko interviews the Patriot Nurse. In the interview she explains that the three leading killers worldwide are respiratory infections, diarrhea and measles. She explains that it is a good idea to have multiple ways to treat pain and explains that what works for one person might not work for the next. She said that if you can’t store anything else, store Mucinex or it’s generic form. This will help break up the mucus and make it easier to cough out. This in combination with what she calls “percussion therapy” physically pounding on someones back will also helps break up the mucus.
She explains that cough drops are important to store as they help sooth the throat. Bronchitis can occur If you have a cough and your throat becomes irritated, if left untreated. Another important item is a means to create re-hydration, table salt and water, even pedialyte, keeping children hydrated as they don’t have much fluid to lose. She also covers what health care might look like in a large-scale scenario such as a pandemic. Here is one of the videos from the Patriot Nurses Youtube Channel
The Survival Podcast Episode-685- Dr. Eric Wilke on Survival Medicine
If you only listen to one of the Podcasts I have mentioned, listen to this one. Dr. Wilke covers some of the ways in which to purify water, I cover the same subject in detail in The Storage, Filtration And Purification Of Water Dr Wilke explains that we don’t have the same diseases as third world countries because of our water and sewage treatment systems. He explains that one of the biggest killers in the third world is diarrhea. He explains how to treat viral and bacterial infections.
Fair warning; the next paragraph is a little gross.
In the USA, under normal circumstances, viral infections out-weigh bacterial infections, and antibiotics really aren’t going to help. You need to stay hydrated and wait it out. If the diarrhea is watery, there is no fever and no blood or mucus in the stool, then presume it’s a virus and treat with fluids. If there is blood or associated fever or mucus in the stool or white floating stool, which means your not digesting fat, this is a big tip off that it is Giardia or a bacterial infection. It may go away on it’s own, but antibiotics will help it go away faster and may help with some of the side effects.
He mentions that you will need to push fluids. You need to drink until you are urinating. Sometimes people will be very nauseous and will have to take a teaspoon at a time, almost constantly to stay hydrated.
Dr Wilke also talks about knowing how to clean wounds and how to stop bleeding. He mentions that duct tape can be used in a pinch. Some of the medicines Dr Wilke recommends are Imodium, a means to make re-hydration serums, and meds to ease pain. Jack and Dr Wilke also talk about some unconventional things in medicine, such as the healing properties of honey.
They also spoke about the shelf life of medications. Dr. Wilke talks about an article that was written by Laurie P. Cohen and published in the Wall Street Journal in 2000 called “The Shelf Life Extension program”. The Air force was forecasting spending billions on destroying and replacing medications. They asked the FDA to test the shelf life of medications to see if they could safely use them beyond their expiration date. Dr. Wilke explains that the original study cannot be found. He mentions the article from Laurie Cohen. I couldn’t find the original Wall Street Journal article, but I did find a copy of it that can be found in this article about the Shelf Life Extension Program. I’ll post some of the highlights.
“The testing, conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, ultimately covered more than 100 drugs, prescription and over-the-counter. The results, never before reported, show that about 90% of them were safe and effective far past their original expiration date, at least one for 15 years past it.
In light of these results, a former director of the testing program, Francis Flaherty, says he has concluded that expiration dates put on by manufacturers typically have no bearing on whether a drug is usable for longer. Mr. Flaherty notes that a drug maker is required to prove only that a drug is still good on whatever expiration date the company chooses to set. The expiration date doesn’t mean, or even suggest, that the drug will stop being effective after that, nor that it will become harmful.”
“Joel Davis, a former FDA expiration-date compliance chief, says that with a handful of exceptions – notably nitroglycerin, insulin and some liquid antibiotics – most drugs are probably as durable as those the agency has tested for the military. “Most drugs degrade very slowly,” he says. “In all likelihood, you can take a product you have at home and keep it for many years, especially if it’s in the refrigerator.””
There are many reasons drug companies don’t use the longer expiration dates, most of them have “$” on them. I never bought into the meds loosing all efficacy on or even remotely soon after their expiration date but I wouldn’t have guessed that many of them would have been as potent and effective many years after they were created.
So if the medications are still viable for some years later, what happens when they are no longer viable?
“Only one report known to the medical community linked an old drug to human toxicity. A 1963 Journal of the American Medical Association article said degraded tetracycline caused kidney damage. Even this study, though, has been challenged by other scientists. Mr. Flaherty says the Shelf Life program encountered no toxicity with tetracycline and typically found batches effective for more than two years beyond their expiration dates.”
So meds will last much longer then their expiration dates imply and if they do “go bad” they just lose efficacy? You’ll have to decide for your family, but unless it’s Tetracycline, I don’t think we’ll be throwing away meds just because of an expiration date.
Here is a video from Dr. Wilke’s Survival Medicine Course Youtube Channel.
You can stay connected with Dr. Wilke on the Survival Medicine Blog and at the Survival Medicine Course Youtube Channel
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