How to Handle Dental Emergencies In Survival Situations (This article by Joe Alton MD was first published in MD Creekmore’s thesurvivalistblog.net) Medical preparedness is an important part of surviving a disaster scenario and, indeed, many believe that they can handle any emergency if the grid goes down. For those who are trained to stabilize and transport, that may be true for typical injuries due to trauma. The true survival medic, however, is the end of the line for medical care,

[… Continue Reading]

The Special Operations Forces Tactical Tourniquet (SOFT-T) is one of the most popular tourniquets made, with many selecting it as their item of choice to control severe extremity bleeding. The SOFT-T is reliable, sturdy, and easy to apply, especially when only one hand is available to the casualty. The US Army Institute of Surgical Research reports a 100% effectiveness rate in stopping hemorrhage. Tourniquets like the SOFT-T are used in a life-threatening situation, and its ease of application is a

[… Continue Reading]

Hurricane Irma, already a powerful storm, is steaming its way towards the Caribbean and the U.S. East Coast. With Texas and Louisiana still reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, it’s just one more reason to always be prepared for disasters.   You only have to read the news to know that hurricanes are dangerous, but they don’t have to be life-threatening for those who prepare.  Unlike tornadoes, which can pop up suddenly, hurricanes are first identified when they are

[… Continue Reading]

HERBAL TEAS IN AUSTERE SETTINGS In long-term disaster settings, even prepared medics may end up using their entire supply of commercially-made medicines. As such, caregivers should consider the medicinal benefits of the plants in their own backyard as additional tools in the medical woodshed.   Due to their longevity, essential oils are probably some of the best natural products the medic can stockpile. Producing them, however, requires knowledge, experience, and equipment. In addition, you’ll need a lot of plant material.

[… Continue Reading]

Survival Medicine Hour #354 In this episode of the Survival Medicine Hour with Joe Alton MD and Amy Alton ARNP, aka Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy, our hosts discuss the difficulties in achieving sterility off the grid when it comes to techniques for procedures and for the proper cleaning and maintenance of important instruments. Plus, skin conditions that the medic will likely have to treat after a disaster, including contact dermatitis, psoriasis, stasis dermatitis, shingles, and much, much more. To

[… Continue Reading]

SKIN PROBLEMS AND TREATMENTS Treating medical problems in a remote homestead or after a disaster won’t always be about gunshot wounds and broken bones.  Sometimes, little things can make people miserable and affect their ability to contribute to group efforts. Skin inflammation, called “dermatitis“, is one of the issues that a caregiver can’t ignore if the group is going to function at 100% efficiency. This condition has various causes and varies in appearance from case to case, although most present

[… Continue Reading]

SURVIVAL MEDICINE HOUR #353 In this episode of the Survival Medicine Hour, Joe Alton MD, aka Dr. Bones and Amy Alton, ARNP, aka Nurse Amy discuss the types of nuclear weapons and the damage they cause in the form of shock and heat waves. Plus, the different types of radiation emitted by detonations of nuclear bombs: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, X-ray, and Neutron radiation. Also, what are the damage zones for, say, a Hiroshima type bomb and what are the chances

[… Continue Reading]

SHOULDER DISLOCATIONS Of all the joints in your body, the shoulder has the greatest range of motion. This flexibility comes at the cost of low joint stability. 50% of all major joint dislocations seen in U.S. emergency rooms involve the shoulder joint. A dislocation is an injury in which a bone is pulled out of its joint by some type of trauma. Dislocations commonly occur in shoulders, fingers, and elbows, but knees, ankles, and hips may also be affected.  The

[… Continue Reading]

TYPES OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND THEIR EFFECTS Given the fragile state of affairs on the Korean peninsula, fears of a nuclear incident are higher than at any time since the Cold War. With good reason, most people associate use of nuclear weapons with devastating outcomes. Few, however, know much about the different types and their actual effects. (by the way, It’s pronounced “noo-clee-ar”, not “noo-cu-lar”) TYPES OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS Until the recent missile launches by North Korea, most people were

[… Continue Reading]

TYPES OF RADIATION FROM NUCLEAR BLASTS In my last article, I discussed the various aspects of radiation sickness, but haven’t yet defined just what radiation is. The quick definition of radiation is energy given off by unstable matter in the form of rays or high-speed particles. Some basic chemistry paraphrased from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC): All matter, including you, is composed of atoms. Atoms are made up of various parts; the central nucleus contains minute particles called

[… Continue Reading]