Prepper: BEST BARTERING ITEMS WHEN DISASTERS STRIKE

Prepper: BEST BARTERING ITEMS WHEN DISASTERS STRIKE

This blog is LOADED with the latest from the prepper, survivalist, preparedness, health and homesteading world!

Conrad Novak 

Catastrophic disasters can occur at any time of the day – whether it is a hurricane that wipes out the shoreline or a storm that destroys your home. You could also be at the receiving end of an explosion and not know how to deal with it. Hopefully, you survive it with your limbs intact.
However, irrespective of who or what we attribute these disasters to, the conclusion remains that in today’s world the possibility of disaster striking looms large over our heads and hence, the need to prepare yourself to face such situations is the need of the hour.

To protect and defend yourself against such catastrophes, you should always have a stockpile of certain necessities at hand at all times so that they can be traded in exchange for other items.
After all, when money becomes useless or worthless, people will rely on trade to get their hands on basic essentials to survive. Hence, stockpiling some necessary items will enable you to be as prepared as you possibly can while at the same time allowing you to barter these essential items in exchange for things you need but don’t have.

BEST BARTERING ITEMS TO FACE DISASTERS

Here are some of the things you should stockpile in your home so that you are equipped to deal with the situation if ever a disaster strikes.

NON-PERISHABLE FOODS

When grabbing food to stockpile, you need to keep in mind the calories contained in it, the shelf life, mode of preparation, and other such factors. For instance, if you have to evacuate on foot, having tins of canned food in your backpacks will certainly weigh down on you. Keeping all this in mind, here are a few food items that it will serve you well to carry.

• Brown Rice – Having proteins, calories, vitamins and minerals, this non-perishable food has a long shelf life of about three to six months, making it an effective survival food. However, it does take a while to boil so it may not always be feasible.

• Dried Beans – Whether it is black beans, kidney beans, or any other kind, beans contain large amounts of calories, vitamins, and minerals. Although they usually come in a big package, they do not weigh much and hence, are a better alternative to canned beans.

• Energy Bars – Since there are numerous types of energy bars for you to choose from, it isn’t hard to stock high-calorie bars. These energy bars contain large amounts of nutrients and proteins. At the same time, you can also stock up on chocolate bars as these are known for perennially boosting a person’s mood as well as being a good source of energy and loaded with calories. You will need your energy during a bug out situation or disaster and you can be certain that in a crisis situation, the bars will be in high demand.

• Sea Vegetables – At the time of a disaster, it will not be easy to get your hands on fresh produce. This is why sea vegetables are a good alternative. They come in the form of powder or pills and are very beneficial for your immune system. They are loaded with vitamins and nutrients and possess antifungal and antibacterial properties. So you want them in your stockpile as they help in healing wounds and tissue repair. Imagine how sought-after they will be!

Not only will you be able to use these foods yourself, but you can also barter some of them to get your hands on items you may need at that moment.
RELATED: Pioneer Lessons From The Past That Can Save Your Life In The Future

ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO

While this isn’t really an essential, it is highly likely that in the case of a disaster, people addicted to nicotine or those that use it as a stress buster will desperately want to get their hands on it. However, if the markets have collapsed, there will be a scarcity and nicotine addicts will be willing to trade essential items just so they can have a smoke to calm themselves down.
RELATED : HOW TO MAKE ALCOHOL AT HOME
At the same time, any crisis situation will create a greater demand for alcohol, particularly at the time of an economic collapse as people will be flocking onto the streets looking for ways to drown their worries and stress away. So stockpiling liquor will be a good bartering choice. Remember, getting hard liquor is smarter than wine or beer as you will have to give out lesser amounts due to the higher alcohol content

ESSENTIAL ANTIBIOTICS

Most people don’t stock up antibiotics as they may not always be aware just what medication they will need. While this is certainly true, here are some of the best survival antibiotics that you should stockpile.

• Metronidazole – This antibiotic is useful in treating anaerobic bacteria that is found in theintestine. It is also useful in tackling bacterial vaginosis, diabetic foot ulcer, ulcers on the joints of feet, meningitis and other infections. However, this treatment should be avoided by pregnant women and children as well as nursing mothers.

• Ciprofloxacin – If you get a urinary tract infection, respiratory tract or prostate infection, this is the antibiotic to come to your rescue. It is also the best antibiotic in case of an anthrax attack. Even the treatment of infectious colitis involves this antibiotic in combination with Metronidazole. Click here for more info.

TOOLS

If you have had an EMP attack or a massive earthquake, your power grid will be down for a while. Your ability to survive during this time will depend not just on bare necessities, but on having ‘long-term’ essentials. Tools are an essential component that you should be looking to stockpile. Whether it is blades, hatchets, or axe heads, you need to stock for the long haul, and people will need these tools to get their places back in shape or build emergency shelters. You can benefit by trading your tools for other essential commodities that you may be in need of.

WATER

However, don’t just rely on your stockpiles for your water source. Also, stock up water filters, water purification tablets and household bleach that you use to purify water if your stock runs out. After all, in a disaster, there will be no way to get purified water from a faucet!

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TOILET PAPER

While everything is going down around you, you would certainly want to hold on to your dignity by maintaining some level of hygiene. After some time, people will run out of toilet paper and the moment this item becomes difficult to find, people will start to give almost anything in exchange for a roll of toilet paper. So stocking up this commodity will allow you to barter it for more important items.

OTHER ESSENTIALS

 Some other essentials that you should stockpile to barter in times of catastrophes would include:

• Batteries – These can be AA and AAA batteries as these are used for a large number of purposes. By buying a large package of these and storing them well, you can barter individual units in exchange for other items.

• Candles, matches, and lighters – When disaster strikes, the first thing that will go out will be the power grid. Also, if you have to shift to a bug out shelter, you may not have electricity there. So, it is prudent to have a stock of candles, matches, and lighters. You can even use these items, particularly waterproof matches and lighters, to start campfires for cooking and water purification. Hence, having an inventory of these items will put you in a position of power!

• Fuel – When the grid is down, everything that you could once do with electricity will now need to be worked in a old-fashioned way. So whether it is wood for the fire or gas for the stove, people’s demand for these things will increase. Similarly, the demand for gasoline for vehicles will also increase exponentially. Having these items during a disaster will make you the king of the land!

• Soaps – Whether it is a bar, a gel or a liquid soap, in times of disasters, people will try their hardest to follow their daily routine to give them some semblance of control over their lives. Even if it’s jumping into a shallow creek to clean themselves, there will be a demand for soap, making it a valuable bartering item.

• Shampoos – Just like soaps, shampoos too will be in high demand. People will want to maintain their everyday hygiene even during a disaster. So pile up sachets and bottles of shampoos that you can barter for things that you really need.

• Guns & ammo – Some people do not have this in their home but they will soon realize they made a drastic mistake when police services break down and 911 calls go unanswered. If you have extra guns and ammo, if there is such a thing, you should be able to trade this for food, clothing, and water and so on. Nothing wrong with having a bullet proof vest and night vision as well.

Given that the possibility of a disaster taking place in the near future is quite high, you should start to prepare right away. Finding you are unable to cope with the situation later will not help. By getting your hands on these survival items and stockpiling them for the future, you should manage to make it out of any catastrophe that comes your way. Just make sure you keep a close watch on the expiration dates and keep replenishing the items that go past their use-by dates.

Lindsey Williams – Warning to Prepare for an Emergency. Stock up on Food, Water and Supplies Now! It Is 5 Days Before the Economic Collapse.” So, what Do You Do?

Here is the scenario.  “Government agencies are having difficulty making their payments.  State governments are issuing vouchers to pay their bills.  US Social Security is late in issuing its payments to retirees and the disabled.  Many banks are issuing warnings about liquidity.   The prices of food are escalating by the hour.  Instead of talking about the latest inane reality TV show, everyone is talking about inflation, money, mass layoffs, etc.  It is 5 days before the economic collapse.”   So, what do you do?
Our current recession/depression is slow creeping at this point towards a bad outcome.  Although I believe US and Canada are still 3 to 5 years away from an economic collapse, I woefully believe that the collapse is coming.  Euro will collapse first.  Greece and Spain have already collapsed.  Italy and Portugal are soon to collapse next.  Having this insight, I have been preparing vigorously for the past 2 years.  During these past 2 years, I have often thought about what the last 5 days would look like before a collapse.  Because governments will do everything and anything to delay the onset of an economic collapse, as they should, I believe the problem will build to a dramatic point, where the economy will fall off a ledge very quickly.  With the US Federal Government running $1 trillion dollar deficits for the past 3 years, how long can that continue?   As some point in time, no foreign government or domestic entity will want to buy US Federal debt.   Then the only option is for the US Federal Reserve to generate artificial money, not backed by tax revenues nor by any tangible assets, in order for the Fed to buy US Federal debt.  At some point in time, the continual injection of fiat currencies will trigger a hyper-inflation period.  At that point in time, the spiral towards economic collapse will accelerate.

 

There are 5 key foods that should be part of every long-term food storage plan.

1. Wheat — Properly stored, wheat has the best long-term storage potential for common foods.  Hard Red Wheat berries have a 30+ storage life.  Be store to store the pre-ground wheat, which are called wheat berries.  Once ground into flour, it last only about one year.  Soft red wheat berries stores up to 20 years.   The white soft and hard wheat berries stores for 10 or less years.  For your critical long-term preps, stick with hard red wheat.   Be sure to have a wheat grind on hand, so that may flour from the stored wheat berries.  If you allergic to wheat, consider oats or quinoa instead.
2. Salt — This is not so much a food, but rather an essential mineral needed by your body.  If kept dry and sealed, salt has an endless storage life.   I store two types of salt.  Pure salt, or often called canning salt, has no iodine.  I reserve the canning salt for food preservation.  Before refrigeration, meat, fish and cheese were storable due to salt preservation.   And I store several pounds of salt with iodine added for cooking and table usage.  Salt is an item that is often overlooked in food storage.  Yet is has so many usage and is vital to good health.  Both too much and too little salt is bad for your health.
3. Sugar (or honey) — Pure white sugar and honey, if properly stored, never expires.  Keep sugar in a sealed container, and it never goes bad.   For more preps, I storeDomino’s sugar that is already pre-sealed in 4 pound plastic canisters.    Honey is best stored in glass jars in a cool, dark place.  If honey crystallizes over time, just warm it a bit to become fluid again.  Honey has a lot of micro-nutrients, and is my preferred way to store sugar for the long-term.  Occasionally, my local drug store, CVS, has the Dominos 4 pound canisters on sale or I might buy with CVS extra-bucks.
4. Rice — White rice, if sealed in cans with oxygen absorbers, can have a 20 year storage life.  Brown rice has a storage life of around 5 years.  White rice is simply brown rice with the husk removed.  Brown rice has more flavor and more nutrition.  But white rice stores longer, since the husk of brown rice has small amounts of oil within that go bad much quicker.  What I like about storing rice is the amount of dense calories it provides.   Rice is easier to prepare versus grinding wheat berries.  A cups of white rice plus of vegetables from your garden makes a filling meal.  Many people don’t realize the rice has some protein.  Rice combined with beans provides all the protein your body needs.
5. Powdered milk — If you have children, this is a key food to store.  Regular powdered milk has a shelf life of 2 years.  If packed in meal cans by a reliable vendor, powdered milk can be stored for 5 or more years.   Fat free powdered milk stores a bit long.  Most baking recipes call for milk, of which powdered milk is an adequate substitute.  My favorite powdered milk for long-term storage is Future Essentials Canned Powdered Homestyle Creamery Milk Substitute and Honeyville’s powdered milk.    

A couple honorable mentions are dried beans, TVP (textured vegetable protein typically made from soy beans), dried pasta, freeze-dried meats, dehydrated vegetables, dehydrated fruits.
The truly best long-term food plan is your own garden.
With Summer harvests coming in, now is the time to start home canning.  The canning season is upon us.  I’m a big gruff city boy who learned how to do home canning.  My blueberry jam is fabulous.  If I can learn, anyone can learn to do home canning.
In good times and bad, many your family always have enough to eat.

No Rescue Is Coming After A Natural Disaster! Prepare For More Climate Chaos 

 

Cooking When the Grid Goes Down and There’s No Conventional Kitchen

Many of you are familiar with the nearly famous books “Where There Is No Doctor” and “Where There Is No Dentist” that are the most widely used health education books in tropical and sub-tropical developing countries. These are great references that you can download from our Resources page that cover basic medicine and dental care from a perspective of a people who aren’t able to drive to the doctor or see the dentist whenever they have a tooth ache.

The concept of “Where there is no” popped into my mind as I was preparing to write this post. In a grid-down scenario we may not have the easy access to our kitchen tools that we have relied on in the past. Most kitchen appliances are powered by electricity or gas and if those both go out due to an emergency you could find yourself living “where there is no kitchen”.
Not having access to your microwave shouldn’t cause you any panic though, because people have been living pretty well without these conveniences for a very long time. Even if you have stored 30 days worth of dehydrated food and water, chances are you will want to eat something warm before it is all over. Even in the military we only ate MRE’s once a day when we were out in the field. MRE’s will keep you alive but eventually you get tired of that and want something hot and delicious. I know that MRE’s can be heated up too, but the contents of a regular bag of MRE’s can’t hold a candle to a nice venison stew that has been cooking slowly over a fire all day.
With some simple planning and preparation you can cook just about anything you need to keep you alive and healthy through any disruption. There are a few considerations and lots of options for cooking that we will discuss below.
Cooking Options
We are going to assume that any cooking that you will be doing is outside in this grid-down scenario. No cooking with open flame should be done indoors and that includes using your big stainless steel propane grill. Fumes are toxic and can hurt you so keep it outside for safety.
Wood stoves – These are about the closest you can come to the power and convenience of a range or oven inside your house or retreat location. Yes I know that I just said to cook outside, but your stove is vented outside already. This is a winter solution though because you won’t likely want to fire up the big wood-stove in the living room in the middle of August. In much older homes, the kitchen was in a different part of the house because the heat would stifle everyone else. During the winter a wood stove is a perfect solution for cooking and you can easily fit a couple of pans on the top and regulate the heat easily. You can cook on a wood-stove with your regular pans without any problem.
Backyard Grill – This is my personal first line of defense if the power goes out. It is simple to use and already set up outside. The main drawback is the need for propane but I keep an extra 50lb. canister of propane at all times so that if my main source runs out I still have a spare. This spare propane would be on my list of basic household items that you need to stock up on also. Some people use charcoal so an extra bag or two would be wise. It won’t last as long as a can of propane but having the ability to cook for a few days is always a smart idea. Optionally, if your house is heated with propane, you can purchase an adapter to run your grill but you probably are already using your oven in the house. It’s nice to have options.
TripodCampfire – Since the dawn of time people have been cooking over an open fire on the ground. This would be my fallback option after the propane was gone or if I had something that was larger and needed to cook for a long time. Campfires don’t need to be fancy but having a pit surrounded with rocks to contain the fire is preferred. To cook on a campfire, you will want to invest in at least one piece of cast iron cookware. Two would be the best giving you the option to fry or cook a big stew. You will also want to have a method to suspend your cookware over the flames. This is where a great tripod like the one on the left here or a grate you can set on the ground over the coals. I prefer the tripod, but the grate is much simpler when you are using a skillet.
Camping stoves – These are a great solution too and use the same type of Coleman propane cylinders your lanterns take. They do have the drawback that the grill does though, and once your fuel is gone, they are worthless. You can use the grill grating itself over a regular campfire so don’t throw that away. We will talk about that more later. Backpacker stoves also come in handy in a pinch, but that would not be ideal for cooking larger meals. It will heat up single portions nicely though, and there are a lot of fuel options for the short-term emergency.
Rocket Stove – Rocket stoves are simple to build using materials you may have lying around or in the shed. These can be fueled with sticks and twigs and make a great surface that produces a lot of heat without a big footprint. There is an article about how to make a rocket stove out of a few cans that you should check out also.
Lanterns – Anything that produces heat can warm your food and some lanterns give you the ability to use the heat escaping from the top to boil water or heat soup. This is yet another good option that may work for some people. Candles can also be used but this would be my last resort. They take forever but you are already using your candle so this is a way to get two uses out of your preparations.Lantern
Solar – I saved this one for last but solar cooking shouldn’t be discounted at all. If you have sun and dry weather this is a great way to heat up and cook meals if you have time to wait. You will want to build your own solar oven which is fairly simple or there are several you can buy online. If you just need to warm up a can of soup you can sit that in the sun on the driveway for 30 minutes and voila!
Solar ovens can be made in numerous ways with lots of material. Here is a video for a funnel solar oven by LDSPrepper that cost only $5.
Cooking Necessities
The first place we look is to our cooking containers, or what we are going to hold over our source of heat to contain this wonderful food you are getting ready to cook. Cast iron is my personal favorite but that isn’t practical if you are on the move. You can also cook with #10 cans if needed, just be sure that the plastic coating on the interior melts out first.
Aluminum foil is not only useful for creating a solar oven, but you can form bowls out of this to cook with or boil water in a pinch. Aluminum foil is a second cousin to Duct tape I believe, because it has so many uses and should be on your list of supplies for your household. Can and bottle openers are nice. They aren’t necessary because if you are hungry enough, you will get that can open, but they are very convenient and do not cost anything at all. You will also want to have plenty of capacity for making fire in the first place. Lighters are simple and cheap, but flint and strikers should be in your survival kits also.
Other tools you could use are oven mitt or pot holders to handle the pots on these cooking surfaces. Wooden spoons and spatulas won’t melt like plastic and you can even make these yourself if you have plenty of time on your hands and a sharp knife.
Cleanup
Now that the group has been fed how do you clean up? Sanitation is something that becomes more important… READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.jbbardot.com/where-there-is-no-kitchen-cooking-when-the-grid-goes-down/

The Miracle of Tea Tree Oil: 80 Amazing Uses for Survival

Essential oils have been used for healing and medicinal purposes for centuries and most certainly long before we had pills, capsules and big pharma to take care of our medical woes.  And while there is a place for manufactured pharmaceuticals in our survival medicine kit, there exists the possibility that none will be available or that they will be in such scarce supply that they should be reserved for only the most dire of circumstances.
For that reason, many preppers and individuals seeking self-reliance are learning to use essential oils to manage the both routine and not-so-routine maladies that occur in daily life.  There are about a dozen or so essential oils that belong in every survival kit including tea tree, peppermint, lavender, clove, rosemary and lemon among others. All of these essential oils have healing properties but today I would like to focus on just one, tea tree oil.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TEA TREE OIL
It is believed that the Aborigines of Australia have been using the leaves of the indigenous Malaleuca Tree (whose leaves are used to make tea tree oil) in their medications for centuries. They inhaled the oils from the crushed leaves to treat coughs and colds, sprinkled crushed leaves on their wounds and used an infusion of soaked leaves to treat sore throats or skin ailments.
Use of the oil itself, as opposed to the un-extracted plant material, did not become common practice until researcher Arthur Penfold published the first reports of its antimicrobial activity in a series of papers in the 1920s and 1930s. In evaluating the antimicrobial activity, he found that tea tree oil was 11 times more active than phenol.
The commercial tea tree oil industry was born shortly thereafter although interest in tea tree oil ebbed  after World War II, presumably due to the development of effective antibiotics and the waning image of natural products. Interest was rekindled in the 1970s as part of the general renaissance of interest in natural products.
80 USES OF TEA TREE OIL FOR SURVIVAL
For thousands of years, the derivatives of the Malaleuca Tree have been effective in treating a wide variety of ailments.  Here are 80 reasons why you should use it, too!
Abrasions & Minor Cuts: After cleaning the area well, apply a few drops of the oil directly. If a bandage is needed, allow a few drops of the oil to penetrate a cotton ball, then lay it face down on the wound with a bandage on top.
Acne: Add a drop to your normal cleansing routine or dab a very small amount on acne breakouts.  You can also add 20 – 40 drops of the oil to your regular face wash.
Air Freshener: Keep a supply of cotton balls soaked in tea tree oil packed away in a plastic bag or tin.  When confronted with foul smells from cooking, musty orders from dampness or even the medicinal smell in a sick room, take a few out the freshen the air and remove the nasty smell
Allergies: Use topically by massaging into the chest, abdomen or the reflex points of the feet.
Arthritis: To help reduce pain associated with the swelling of arthritis, add 20 drops of tea tree oil to 2 ounces of grapeseed or other carrier oil. Massage into affected area 2-3 times a day.
Asthma: Add a few drops of oil to a pan of water and heat on stove. When cooling, drape a towel over head and breath in for a few minutes.
Athletes Foot: Clean feet thoroughly, especially between toes. Add oil directly to feet every two weeks, dusting with corn starch after. Or add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp of grapeseed or other carrier oil and massage on feet and between toes daily.
Baby Care:  Keep your diaper pail clean and fresh with a spray of tea tree oil mixed with water.
Bacterial Infections: Use topically, either massaging into the reflex points of the feet, adding several drops to a bath or cautiously applying over an infected site.
Bad Breath: Rinse with 1 ounce water and 1 drop oil. Do not swallow!
Bladder Infection: In a shallow bath, add 10 – 15 drops of oil. Sit and wash area carefully.
Blisters: Wash area carefully, then apply as for cuts and wounds.
Boils: Apply a warm washcloth for a few minutes. Then apply a drop or two of oil to the area – the infection should rise to surface and eventually be released.
Bronchial Congestion: Use as directed for Asthma. Add 5 – 10 drops to 1 ounce of carrier oil, and massage into chest and throat 2 – 3 times daily.
Bronchitis:  Add 1-2 drops to a pan of hot water and breath in the steam, or massage the oil over the chest.
Bruises: After icing, apply oil as directed for Arthritis.
Bunions: Massage area with 5 drops oil to 1 tbsp. of carrier oil.
Burns: Run icy cold water on area. After a few minutes, add a mix of 5 drops oil with 1 tsp. raw honey. Repeat 3 – 5 times daily.
Calluses & Corns: Massage area with 5 drops oil to 1 tbsp. of carrier oil. Repeat 2 times daily. Once the corn or calluses have become soft use tweezers to remove, and apply a few drops of tea tree oil and cover with bandage.
Canker Sores: Apply a drop or two of oil directly to infected area with a cotton swab, 2 times daily. Also, rinse as directed for bad breath.
Carbuncles: Add a drop or two of oil to cotton swab and apply directly to carbuncle. Repeat twice daily.
Chapped Lips: Add 1 or 2 drops of oil to lip balm. Apply to lips as necessary.
Chicken Pox: Apply a drop of oil directly to blisters. Allow to dry, then dust with corn starch. Repeat every few hours or until blisters disappear.
Chigger Bites: Apply a drop of oil directly to bites.
Cold Sores: Apply a drop or two of oil directly to the sore with a cotton swab. Re-apply 2 – 3 times daily.
Coughs: Use as directed for bronchial infections. For a vaporizer, add 10 drops to steamer and leave on 5 – 10 minutes.
Dandruff: Add 20 – 30 drops oil to any shampoo. Apply a few drops to scalp and massage after washing.
Dermatitis: Add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp of grapeseed or other oil and massage into affected areas. Repeat 2-3 times daily.
Dry Skin: Add 5 drops oil to 1 tbsp sweet almond oil. Massage into skin.
Earache and Infection: Add 2 – 3 drops of oil to 2 tbsp warm olive oil. With a dropper, drop a small amount into aching ear, tilting head to one side for a moment. Use cotton swab to absorb oil. Repeat 2 – 3 times daily.
Eczema: Add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp grapeseed oil or coconut oil and massage into affected areas. Repeat 2-3 times daily. Also can be applied undiluted.
Emphysema: Use as directed for bronchial infections. For a vaporizer, add 10 drops to steamer and leave on 5 – 10 minutes.
Flea Bites: Apply a drop of oil directly to bites.
Gout: Add 10 drops of oil to 2 tbsp of carrier oil; massage into affected area 2-3 times a day.
Gum Disease: Create a mouthwash with purified water, 1 drop of peppermint and 1 drop of tea tree oil.
Head Lice: Add 20 drops of oil to 2 tbsp shampoo. Massage into scalp and hair, leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse. Repeat 3 – 4 times daily, until eggs are gone.
Hives: Add 10 drops of oil to 4 tbsp of witch hazel. Apply with cotton ball. Or, mix with coconut oil (which is naturally healing and soothing itself) and gently apply to the infected areas.
Homemade Mouthwash:   Make a simple homemade mouthwash with purified water and tea tree oil.
Household Cleaning:  Can be used aromatically or added to homemade cleaners to kill germs and prevent the spread of colds and flus.  You can make a general tea tree cleaner by combining 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake to blend and use for household cleaning tasks.  This is especially good in the bathroom and in toilets.
Immune System:  To stimulate the immune system, diffuse through the air on a regular basis, massage into the soles of the feet to increase your immune response.
Infected Wounds:  Adding the oil to steaming water, hold the infected area over the steam. Or dilute 1 drop of tea tree with 1 cup of water and rinse the infected area 1-2 times a day, as needed.
Inflammation:  Massage over the inflamed areas, gently and always toward the heart, or diffuse and inhale the tea tree oil directly or indirectly.
Ingrown Hairs: Add 1 – 2 drops of oil directly to area. Repeat every 2 hours or until signs of infection disappear.
Insect Repellant: Add 15 drops to a quart of water and use as an effective insect repellent.
Jock Itch: Apply 10 – 15 drops of oil to 2 tbsp of carrier oil. Apply 2 times daily. Dust with corn starch, to reduce chapping.
Laryngitis: Add 5 – 10 drops of oil and pinch of sea salt to 1 cup of warm water, gargle 2-3 times a day. Do not swallow!
Laundry Helper:  Add 1/2 teaspoon tea tree oil to your laundry for towels and other fabric prone to getting moldy.
Mildew and Mold Remover:  Spray an all-purpose cleaner made with 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil and 2 cups of water on growing mold and mildew.  Shake well before using and do not rinse.
Mosquito Bites: Apply a drop of oil directly to bites.
Muscle Aches and Pains: Add 10-15 drops of oil to half cup Epsom salts, and dissolve in bath. Add 10 drops of oil to 2 tbsp of carrier oil. Massage well.
Mumps: Massage over the body and into the feet, and diffuse through the home.
Nail Fungus: Add 1 – 2 drops of oil directly to nail and the surrounding tissue. Allow to dry completely on hands before touching anything. Repeat morning and night for a week.
Pest Control:  Household ants and other pests dislike Tea Tree Oil, so a few drops put at the point of entry will deter them. Wipe cupboards out with an oil and water solution to keep ants away.
Plantar Warts: Apply oil undiluted to affected area 2-3 times daily.
Psoriasis: Add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp carrier oil and massage into affected areas. Repeat 2-3 times daily. Also can be applied undiluted.
Rashes:  Mix with coconut oil and massage over the affected areas.
Rheumatism: To help reduce pain associated with rheumatism, add 20 drops of tea tree oil to 2 ounces of carrier oil. Massage into affected are 2-3 times a day.
Ringworm: Apply a drop or two of oil undiluted, repeat 2 times daily.  Can also mix 1 drop of tea tree oil with 1 drop of lavender oil for added benefit.
Rubella:  Dilute as needed and massage into the affected areas.
Scabies: Apply 1 – 2 drops of oil directly to area in the morning and at night.
Sciatica: Add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp carrier oil and massage into affected areas. Repeat 2-3 times daily. Also can be applied undiluted.
Seborrhea: For skin: Add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp of carrier oil and massage into affected areas. Repeat 2-3 times daily. For scalp: Add 10 drops of oil to 2 tbsp shampoo. Massage into scalp and hair, leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse. Repeat 3 – 4 times daily. Bath: Add 10-15 drops of oil to bath.
Shingles: Add 10-15 drops of oil to half cup Epsom salts, and dissolve in bath. Add 10 drops of oil to 2 tbsp of grapeseed oil or coconut oil and massage well.
Shock:  Massage tea tree oil into the soles of the feet as needed.
Sinusitis: Use as directed for bronchial infections. For a vaporizer, add 10 drops to steamer and leave on 5 – 10 minutes. Also add 2 drops to a neti pot.
Sore muscles. Fill your bathtub with warm water. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to the water to relax tight muscles.
Sore Throat: Add 2 drops of oil to 1 cup of warm water with pinch of sea salt, gargle 2-3 times a day. Do not swallow!
Staph Infection:  Best used topically, rubbed into the soles of the feet to increase the immune response and fight infection.
Stye: Add 5 drops oil to a pan of steaming water. Drape towel over head and steam 5 minutes. Apply warm compresses directly to stye.
Sunburn: Mix 1 TB coconut oil with 1 drop of tea tree and 1 drop of lavender and gently apply to to sunburned areas.
Tattoos: Apply after tattoos to avoid infection. Use undiluted, diluted with coconut oil or as a spray with purified water.
Thrush: Gargle with sea salt, warm water and 1 drop of tea tree.
Ticks: Apply a drop or two directly to the tick and the surrounding area.
Toenail fungus: Rub the tea tree oil directly onto the affected toenail and underneath the tip of the nail. Apply 1 to 2 drops of tea tree oil. Apply the oil once a day, preferably at bedtime.
Toothbrush Cleaner: Apply oil directly to toothbrush 1-2 times a week to kill bacteria.
Tonsillitis:  Inhale from steaming water with tea tree, gargle, and massage into neck and soles of feet.
Vaginal Infection: Add several drops to the bath water.
Viral Infections: Diffuse tea tree oil throughout the home or inhale from steaming water.
Warts: Apply undiluted directly to wart. Use morning and night, until wart begins to disappear. Dilute if necessary for sensitive skin.
Wounds:  Soak wounded area in water with tea tree oil, or spritz from a bottle of water with several drops of oil. Depending on the wound and your own sensitivity you may be able to apply directly.
A NOTE ABOUT CARRIER OILS
In order to effectively use essential oils – not just tea tree oil – it is often necessary to dilute the essential oil in another oil so that it can be easily spread or massaged on the affected area.  These oils are called “carrier” oils.  Common carrier oils include coconut oil, grapeseed oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, olive oil and others.
Fractionated coconut oil and grapeseed oil are favorites because they are odorless and in the case of fractionated coconut oil, immune to rancidity.  In practical use, any oil can be used if you do not have one of these more therapeutic oils on hand.
The properties of the various carrier oils is beyond the scope of this article but my favorite?  Easy.  Fractionated coconut oil.  Is is relatively inexpensive, odorless and has a long shelf life making it perfect for the survival kit.
THE FINAL WORD
My first experience with tea tree oil occurred in the 80s when I was faced with a nail fungus that would not go away.  The pharmaceutical solutions at the time (and for all I know, even now) were harsh and required frequent monitoring of liver enzymes.  For a simple, non-life threatening nail fungus, I chose to pass.  After using a topical application of tea tree oil for three months, the fungus was all but gone.
I then became interested in aromatherapy (which uses essential oils).  I read every book I could get my hands on and dabbled at creating synergy’s (a combination of two or more oils that create a chemical compound that is greater than the sum of its individual components).  My bible then, and even now, is The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood.
Since then I have used essential oils off and on for a variety of woes and have never been disappointed. My recommendation is that you pick up a few essential oils – and especially some tea tree oil – and start to use them now to supplement any other remedies that you are using to keep your family and your home in tip top shape.
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Top 7 alarming food modifications you should avoid at ALL COSTS

There are many ways corporations modify food products with chemicals in order to increase sales. They use toxic chemicals to extend shelf life, make food look more attractive, kill bugs in the fields, stave off mold and mildew, kill fungus and bacteria, add flavor back in after chemicals kill the taste, and actually make people depressed and anxious to fuel the chemical medicine industry. Most of it's nothing new, and has been going on since WWII. GMOs have been in existence for 30 years now, though few people are aware of that.

The cumulative effect of poisons in the body is something you can't sue one food manufacturer for, or one doctor, or one chemical company. The corporate food industry in America is sinister and insidious. They know they can't be held accountable for long-term chronic sicknesses from which so many Americans suffer. The FDA could care less about Americans' health and well-being.

The CDC is a criminal organization too, that invests in the demise of children. Just look at all the toxic vaccines and crazy medicines advertised on TV. It's crazy that people are stupid enough to take these chemical-based, unproven and unsafe medications for the ills they suffer from the toxic meals they consume, one after another, after another. You are what you eat, so how genetically modified, man-made, and artificially-induced are your health problems? You be the judge.

Here are the top 7 alarming food modifications you should avoid at all costs.

#1. Artificial Food Dyes: Did you know that some dyes are used to mask filth and rot in food and candy? You see them listed on just about every non-natural food item that has those colors of the rainbow, and they come from petroleum, an industrial chemical by-product that affects allergies, behavior, cells and brain function. Watch out for Citrus Red 2, Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3 – these are all contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals and trigger allergic reactions.

#2. Food-grade shellac (petroleum): Makes fruit and vegetables shiny. Have you seen this sign at a supermarket yet? It reads, "These Fruits and Vegetables have been coated with FDA-approved food-grade Vegetable-, Petroleum-, Beeswax-, and/or Shellac-based wax or resin to maintain freshness." Produce is often coated like a new surfboard with shellac and resin, including apples, avocados, oranges, parsnips, pineapples, squash, tomatoes and turnips. Signs say happy stuff like "To maintain freshness," and "FDA-approved." Nobody should ever eat shellac or petroleum, no matter what they do in a lab to "verify" its safety for food use.

#3. Chemical pesticides growing inside the produce (GMO): Molecular engineers working in biotechnology laboratories are gene-splicing fruit and vegetable seedlings with poisonous pesticides and herbicides so the plants are inherently protected from the insects and worms that might damage them. The majority of products Americans eat daily contain some form of GMO soy, corn, canola (rapeseed) oil or cotton seed oil. Research shows that consuming GMOs and the popular herbicide Roundup leads to the mutation of cells in the human body, in turn fueling the development of malignant tumors and other various forms of cancer.

#4. Aged red meat turns brown but is dyed back to red with carcinogenic nitrates and nitrites: Cured with toxic chemicals to make it look fresh, red meat like steak and hamburger, as well as most processed meats, usually contain synthetic cancer-causing nitroso compounds to keep them from spoiling so quickly. The FDA has known since the 1970s that nitrites cause leukemia when they turn into nitrosamines in the body. Routinely added to hot dogs, beef jerky, bacon and breakfast sausage, tiny tablets of nitrites the size of a nickel are also used by the USDA to kill wild hogs, which die within a couple of hours after consuming even just one.

#5. Sodium benzoate: This is a chemical used to preserve most jarred and canned foods that strangulates mitochondria (brain cells) and eventually causes cancer. Usually followed by the friendly-sounding words, "as a preservative" or "to preserve freshness," sodium benzoate extends the life of food while shortening the life of the humans who consume it. Commonly found in pickles, dressings, sauces, fruit cans, jarred vegetables and thousands of shelved food products found in those middle aisles of just about every supermarket in America.

#6. Carrageenan: An emulsifier, gelling and thickening agent that coagulates over time and can cause dangerous lesions in the digestive tract and excretive systems of humans. Permitted even in organic products, carrageenan is derived from a red seaweed compound in products like yogurt, coffee creamer, sour cream, cottage cheese, ice creams, soy milk, almond milk and coconut milk. Research shows that degraded carrageenan triggers inflammation, causes ulceration, and leads to malignancies in the gastrointestinal tract, including lesions, cancer and digestive disorders.

#7. Decaffeination process for coffee: Often involves soaking coffee beans in the toxic chemical benzene to dissolve the caffeine. Continual benzene exposure leads to neurological symptoms. Symptoms include dizziness, drowsiness, headaches and loss of consciousness. Larger doses cause vomiting, dizziness and convulsions, and can eventually lead to death. Dermal exposure leads to reddening and blistering of the skin, and exposure to vapor leads to respiratory problems.

What's the solution? Start filtering toxins from your daily intake. Where's the best guide for this? It's being published next month! View the trailer to the new book Food Forensics by the Health Ranger, that's available for pre-sale now right here.

"Food Forensics threatens to change the entire future of the food industry" – Mike Adams, scientist, author, editor of Natural News.

 

Family Medical Bag With Nurse Amy Alton

We all generally have some sort of first aid kit or emergency supplies, especially if you have children. When preparing your medical bag, you try to think of everything you can add to it that would be beneficial in some way.
Preparing a medical bag you want to take with you in a grid down situation can be tricky as well. Nurse Amy Alton and Dr. Joseph Alton have found one of the best bags I have seen in a long while. In the video below Nurse Amy walks you through hundreds of items and what they can be used for.
According to the description on their website the total weight of the bag and everything in it is 19 lbs. including the military-grade padded and comfortable backpack made by Voodoo Tactical. After watching the video you can make that even less buy removing outer packaging of certain items like boxed medicines/items.
Their Stomp Plus Trauma Survival Bag is a little pricey but I believe with all the items you get PLUS that awesome bag it is worth it. Especially if you would rather buy a product first and add what you need. Although I doubt you could need anything after getting this.
To top that off, according to their website you will also get “The Survival Medicine Handbook“.  This is a must have book for any prepper. Their book is written as if the grid is down. It is in laymen terms for those of us not familiar with medical definitions which make this book very much sought after.

Grid Down: Heart & Blood Pressure Care

It is important to realize and understand that if we ever have a grid down situation or some sort of natural disaster that prevented us from getting our medication, a lot of people will die. Diabetics, epileptics, anyone with heart disease. You name it. So what can you learn and put into play that will help you with the disability that you have?
Well we can help with that! Below we have another cheerful video by ThePatriotNurse.  She talks about what sorts of herbal medicine will help with your heart health and in possible emergencies. She gives a brief crash course on how the heart works and all the vessels. Her description simplifies the basic way the heart works.
Neglect of the body over time can manifest into high blood pressure and different kinds of arrhythmia. So what happens if we no longer have pills and medicine to help us out? She talks about different herbs you can incorporate into your daily routine easily and store some for grid down. Cayenne, Garlic, Hawthorn Berries, and Ginger plus tons more than can help you all through life.
Patriot Nurse shares with us her four “must have” books. (Listed at the bottom of the page.) Reference books can always be helpful and beneficial in assisting you in an emergency.
We hope you enjoy watching ThePatriotNurse. Please feel free to comment and share your knowledge with fellow preppers

The Reality of 2 Weeks of Food Storage

The thought of food storage can be very overwhelming, especially if you are new to being self sufficient. You have just realized the need for food-storage and the dangers of what is happening in the world. So now what are you going to do about it? You may find some very good answers in the video below.
The best answer that I have is research and lots of it. You Tuber ObessivePrepperAz shares her thoughts on an easy and affordable way to start off making sure you have two weeks’ worth of food. She walks you through how to calculate food storage for your family and points out some very helpful hints.
However, ObsessivePrepperAZ is just touching on the bare minimum you will need in her video, but by adding things like rice or noodles to some of your storage you can turn one can of soup into a pot of stew. Her tips and secrets are very helpful for a beginner prepper.
She focuses on how many cans of Campbell Chunky Soup you would need for one meal a day. One of her viewers suggested a very effective way to stretch those cans to feed four people 2 or 3 meals per day. That is a LOT more than one can of soup for one person.
“Tip: Double that food storage with one bag of rice, one bag of dried potatoes, and two packs of cubed bullion. Take two cans of that chunky soup, add I cup rice OR potatoes, and a bullion, add at least 3 cups water; make it into a large pot of stew. Feeds four, 2-3 meals per day. Stew is salvation.”
We hope you enjoy her suggestions and please feel free to comment some of your tips and advice to help the newbies!! We all have to help each other become reliant on ourselves.

7 Unusual Home Security Tips You Probably Didn’t Know

Whether you’re an experienced home defense guru or a complete amateur, the best way to prepare against a burglary or home invasion is to prevent it from happening in the first place. But no matter how watchful you are, sometimes you have to sleep, and some thieves know how to get around the standard home security measures. In case that happens, there are many unusual methods to protect your family and valuables–methods that don’t involve moving out of your 3-bedroom house and into a fortified castle.
Here are 7 unusual home security tips you probably didn’t know.

1. Use Dowell Rods in Sliding Glass Door Tracks

You’ll be hard pressed to find a home that doesn’t feature an aesthetically pleasing sliding glass door. They provide a great view and allow natural light to flood the house. However, they’re not very secure. A well-prepared and knowledgeable burglar has ways of getting around the average sliding glass door. And if the door is improperly installed, they can easily lift it off the tracks, so be sure to check your sliding glass doors for base line security.
The best way to secure a sliding glass door is to put a dowel rod or something similar on the tracks, and lodge it between the door and the wall. If a burglar manages to unlock the sliding door, they still won’t be able to slide it open if a dowel rod is in the way.

2. Move Your Alarm Keypad

Installing a home security system is a fantastic way to deter potential burglars, but it’s not fool-proof. Most alarm pads are placed by common entrances, such as the front door or back door. This is done because it’s convenient and because you’re only allowed a brief amount of time before the alarm goes off and the authorities question you for living in your own home.
Because the front and back doors are such common places for a keypad, burglars know exactly where to look. An observant thief will scope out the place and watch the numbers you enter into the keypad. A would-be burglar can also glance through the window to see if you engaged the alarm system before leaving the house.
Be mindful of who might be able to view your keypad when you arm or disarm it, and move it somewhere out of sight. Or at least block the keypad when using it. Another option is to have multiple keypads, one by an entrance and one in the master bedroom in case of a suspected break-in when you need to act fast.

3. Use a Key Lock Box

Everybody knows someone who keeps their spare key in an extremely common place—under the mat, in the mailbox, under a potted plant, or in a fake rock, just to name a few. Don’t be that person. If you want to leave yourself a set of spare keys somewhere, install a key lock box somewhere on your property–the kind realtors use. Backup keys will be just a simple combination away, and only you will have access to them. Just like with your security system keypad, make sure nobody can see you enter the combination.

4. Use Mother Nature’s Help

Mother Nature has had eons of time to develop the perfect home defense system: thorns. Consider planting bushes, vines, or trees in areas you don’t want strangers access. For example, you could plant a thorny shrub underneath the windows of your bedrooms so no one can climb through them without getting torn up.
Some great examples of thorny bushes, vines, and trees are:

• Many mesquite varieties
• Honey Locust
• Pyracantha (fire thorn bush)
• Climbing roses
• Catsclaw acacia
• Oregon grape holly

5. Don’t Hide Valuables in the Master Bedroom

The master bedroom is one of the first places burglars look after entering a house. Master bedrooms are typically easily to access, which is part of the charm for burglars.
Take a quick inventory of what you keep in your master bedroom. Is there jewelry, electronics, cash, or credit cards? Anything of value that can easily be moved should be relocated to somewhere unexpected. And what’s more unexpected than jewelry in the laundry room? Or an emergency fund stashed in your toddler’s bedroom? Few criminals would think to check for valuables in these places. Doing the unexpected can save you in the long run.
Avoid the more common hiding spots such as in CD or DVD cases, under mattresses, behind pictures, or in lightweight safes that can be easily be carried away. Some burglars might not give up until they find something valuable. In case of that, you could keep fake jewelry in a jewelry case by your bed. This would serve as a great decoy for any burglars. Speaking of decoys…

6. Get a Decoy Safe

To start with, never store your valuables in a safe that is not high quality and hasn’t been bolted down. But if you really want to foil criminals, from clumsy robbers to Ocean’s-11-caliber operators, buy a small decoy safe to throw burglars off the scent as to where the real goods are. Because burglars want to get in and out as fast as possible, they’ll be much more likely to run off with a decoy safe full of fake valuables and discontinue their search. Be sure to put the decoy safe somewhere easy to find and the real safe somewhere very difficult to find.

7. Keep Your Car Keys With You

Keep your keys on you during the day and by your bed while you sleep. Most car key fobs have a panic button nowadays. If you hear or see a burglar trying to get into your house, press the panic button. The last thing a burglar wants is to rob a noisy house that draws unwanted attention. Better yet, also keep a garage door opener nearby. If you open the garage, it will make it easier for the neighbors to hear your car alarm. Just make sure the door leading into the house is locked. Note: This only works in neighborhoods where the houses are very close together.

5 Keys to a Self-Efficient Life

Every Summer we are approached by the sons of neighbors, or their mothers, asking if we have work on the farm. For some it is curiosity, for others a desire to earn a few dollars doing something other than sitting around playing video games. Sometimes they work out, others times they don’t, but we almost always give them a shot if we are asked and in some cases it becomes an annual ritual that ends when they go off to college. As a practice I send them off to the chicken coop with a pitchfork and a wheelbarrow and after a brief period of instruction leave them to clean it out. If they return the next day we’ve got a keeper and we move on to other tasks, if not we save each other a lot of time and frustration.
I ran into one of them recently, a young man now, who once drove hundreds of cedar fence posts with a sledge hammer for us the first year we began our life in this place and he lit up with a huge smile when he saw me and rushed over to shake my hand. He had just graduated from college and was back home to watch his younger sister graduate from high school with the same class as our son. He said that he had been meaning to stop up and visit and that he had wanted to tell us that the days he spent on our farm were some of the best days of his life, that he finally understood how important the time he had spent with us had been for him and how he would always think fondly of the hours he spent working on our farm. I don’t know if someone could have given me a better compliment and I was proud to know that whatever he did in his life he would have the memory of having done a good job for someone who appreciated his efforts.
Over the course of my lifetime several truths have revealed themselves to me not through intentional seeking, but rather by the constant and repeated proofs of their validity. Certain behaviors net specific results, again and again without fail. Some of these outcomes are negative, others clearly on the positive side and it is always the underlying purpose of the initial actions that guarantee the desired — or undesired — resolution. Living a self sufficient life — as far as that is possible in this day and age — requires the maximization of every hour spent, every calorie expended, every dollar invested. You learn to make do, repair and re-purpose, save and store up, do with what you have or do without. While there is often time to enjoy the beauty around you and to suck in all the sights and sounds and smells of life itself, it is often done with a tool in hand. The other morning I was explaining a chore done poorly by one of these teenage charges in a way I hoped he would understand, demonstrating that what he had failed to do was not the result of failing to do something expected, but rather to do it correctly. He smiled and nodded his head and I asked him to repeat what I had said and he did and the next day when I passed by I saw that he had done what I asked perfectly and has every day since. The chore will likely fade as a memory for him by the time Fall arrives, but the underlying lesson of doing something right will likely last a lifetime. As I sat in bed the other night drifting off to sleep I thought about these lessons, most of which I have learned through trial and error and decided to write them down.
These are the five keys to a self efficient life.
1) Whatever you do, do it well. All of us face tasks that we would rather not do; laundry, cleaning the toilet, making the bed. Unless you are an invalid or so fabulously wealthy that you maintain a staff to manage your household, you will inevitably be faced with doing some chore so painfully odious or repetitious that you would rather not, yet the job is yours to do. Do it as if it were of importance, whatever that job may be. The result will never disappoint, the difference between well done and mailed in will become apparent and it will humble you to a degree that builds a certain character. In our home I am known to G.I. a bathroom as well as any staff at a five star hotel, not because I dream of becoming a manservant, but because my family, my guests and myself will be the beneficiary of my efforts. A clean refrigerator or a well made bed are signs of a well run life beyond the sanitary concern. Putting in effort and paying attention to the details of whatever it is that you are doing no matter how small or insignificant leads to doing the same with the bigger plans in life. A well kept home is a reflection of the person who lives in it and it is a statement about your approach to the world.
2) Make every trip count. This is one I learned later in life but which has saved me countless hours of precious time. If I am heading out to do a specific chore, I never return empty handed. That is a wasted trip. Every movement you make should be purposeful, every mission an opportunity to do something you’d have to do later. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard someone comment about how they forgot to pick something up while they were out to the store, but that it was alright because they had to go back out for something else later. Why not combine the trips and do it once? The savings in time and energy are enormous when you begin to get in the habit of piggybacking responsibilities. Make lists before you go somewhere that allows you to double or triple your initial efforts and you will see a rapid growth in your efficiency. Soon it will become a second nature to notice other opportunities to complete some side task while in the midst of doing another and your hours will multiply.
3) Persistence rewards. More people give up on things than become successful at them. There are always reasons why people quit or fold or give up, but most of them reflect the failure of discipline more than ability. When we began to farm we knew virtually nothing about it beyond basic gardening skills, but we had desire and a determination to learn. We had multiple failures in every aspect of what we did, from where we located gates and fence lines, to how we cleared the forest and bred our livestock, but we paid equal attention to what went wrong as to what went right and we built on as many losses as we did on gains. Each misstep was an opportunity and as time went by we developed a sort of psychic scar tissue that allowed us to weather the failed attempts and poor results and use them as learning tools to do things the right way.
4) Quid pro quo. Do unto others because others will do unto you. I give my help freely and I have been rewarded tenfold over the years because of it. A lot of people will dodge doing something for nothing, but like the concept of the honor box sometimes the rewards are greater than the costs associated with the initial act. This is not to say that you should take advantage of others or become manipulative in your motivations, but it is an acknowledgement of the laws of physics as well as the indisputable nature of karma. No good act goes unrewarded.
5) Time is all you have, spend it wisely. Every hour of every day we make the kinds of decisions that often seem inconsequential, meaningless. In totality they all add up. The hours spent staring at a glowing screen as opposed to fixing something broken, reading a book, learning a new skill are hours that cannot be replaced. Motivating yourself to do rather than passively be adds skill sets that can be capitalized upon in life as long as you live. As the folks over at ZeroHedge so wisely counsel, “On a long enough timeline, the survival rate is zero.” I have no idea what comes after this life, but I do know that it is the only one we have and that we should treasure every moment of it for what it presents, opportunity to make our lives fuller, richer, more rewarding.
I do not have a perfect life, but I have a life that is full and satisfying even when things are difficult and trying because I have determined to make each day count and it is because I have learned to live by these basic premises. I have made my bed and I lay on it, and when I close my eyes to sleep I am satisfied by these efforts no matter how insignificant they may be seem.

7 Valuable Lessons Learned as a Prepper

Preparedness is a lifestyle.  This habit or way of life isn’t developed over night.  It is essentially unlearning former habits of living carelessly and unaware to living strategically in order to thrive when disaster strikes.
The process takes place in a person’s life accompanied with challenges and lessons learned along the way.  These lessons help us to improve or warn us of things not to do.  Along my journey as a prepper I have learned a few things that I wanted to share with you to help you along your journey as well.

7 Valuable Lessons I’ve learned as a prepper

1. Preparedness is a lifestyle developed by a shifted mindset

In the preparedness community there is a big misconception or belief that preparedness is all about buying beans, bullets and bullion.  Unfortunately, you can never buy your way to preparedness.  Preppers should focus more on survival first then develop a plan on purchasing gear and supplies to assist in that plan.

2. It is more than about bugging out

Thanks to the fad created by the show Doomsday Preppers many people come into the movement with a single-minded focus on preparing to bug out or fighting off invaders from their underground bunker.  The fact is that these types of events don’t happen frequently if at all.
There are more important threats that preppers should be aware of to help develop a proper preparedness plan.  Threats such as natural disasters, riots, car accidents, etc. are more likely to happen than a nuclear bomb dropping in your neighborhood.  Don’t get me wrong, there is a possibility of a nuclear bomb being dropped but is less likely to happen than other possible threats.
So as a prepper we need to focus more on those more likely threats instead of just building a bug out bag and gear.  You should have your home stocked with the proper essentials to last at least 30 to 90 days.  Then you should build your supplies and gear from there.  Bugging out should be an absolute last option.  The ultimate goal is to be prepared enough so that you never have to bug out.  Check out my post on how to determine if or when you should bug out.

3. Goals supported by strategic plans are essential

Many people join the preparedness movement then quietly disappear after a year because shit didn’t hit the fan like they have been told that it would.  Their goal was focused around surviving one particular event.  They didn’t have a future goal in mind.  An example of that is Jade Helm when radio hosts and websites were building fear and hype about pending martial law coming to the country.  When it didn’t happen many so-called preppers fell off from the movement.
The ultimate goal that a prepper should have is to be fully self-sufficient and not dependent government agencies or FEMA when disaster strikes.  I recommend envisioning where you want to be by the end of your life.  Then breakdown 10, 5 and 1 year objectives to help you to achieve that dream.  That way when you hear a wacko radio host warn you to get in a bunker for a disaster you will still be focused if that happens or not.

4. Don’t fall for the “tacticool” fade

It is a pet peeve of mine to hear preppers brag about their tactical watches, scarves and shoes, etc.  They have clearly been watching too many reruns of Doomsday Preppers.  They think it is all about looking like you are part of military to be ready to fight at all times.  Most of these items of gear have no “tactical” functions at all.  Companies just put the name in front of the product because they know that it sells.
Preppers shouldn’t strive to appear tactical.  Instead we should live our life as the grey man.  You don’t want to stir alarm or suspicion.  More importantly you don’t want others to know that you are a prepper because they most likely know that you have a whole lot of gear that the junkies can sell at the local pawn shop.
I do recommend buying the appropriate gear and supplies that perform useful functions.  Don’t get me wrong I do own items that are labeled as tactical.  However, I don’t purchase these items for the sake of having “tactical” gear.

5. You’ll never be 100% prepared

There is a feeling of being overwhelmed or unprepared that all preppers will encounter.  There may be a looming danger that we are considering that makes us reflect on the gear and supplies that we have.  We then start to doubt that we are fully prepared.
The fact is if you have at least 3 days’ worth of emergency supplies you are more prepared than 70% of the population.  Will the gear and supplies guarantee that you will survive and thrive when SHTF?  No, the ultimate indicator of survival is having the skill to survive.  If you have survival skills paired along with other skills then there is a higher chance that you will survive and thrive.  Gear and supplies alone do not guarantee survival.
You will never be 100% prepared.  There is always going to be something that you may have missed or overlooked.  Doing practice drills can help limit that but ultimately your skills are going to make up for it.

6. Prepping never ends

Prepping isn’t just made up of stocking gear and supplies.  It is only a small fraction of overall preparedness.  Continuing with the previous point, we should be more focused on developing and refining skills instead of breaking the bank to stock up on gear and supplies.
Skills are not developed overnight.  It takes months and even sometimes a whole lifetime to develop skills.  Then once you have developed those skills you have to continue to practice it or you will totally forget.
A good example of skills that are easy to forget is tying knots.  Tying knots is extremely helpful in an emergency situation.  They can be used to build and tie down a survival shelter, fishing or even using it as a pulley.
For me, learning how to tie a certain knot takes continuous repetition.  Because if I don’t I will totally forget how to tie that knot only a few weeks later.  That is why it is important to practice these skills.  Survival skills should be mandatory for every prepper to practice.

7. Don’t be a victim of fear mongering

It goes without saying but I will say it anyways.  A lot of preppers are fascinated with conspiracy theories and radio programs that promote these theories.  Don’t get me wrong. I believe in what many claim to be theories but a lot of us know are true.  But there needs to be a point where we are thinking for ourselves and researching claims that any website or radio host propagates.
Many preppers don’t investigate the true intentions of these websites and radio hosts.  Fear is the biggest motivator that influence many people purchase things.  Therefore, these websites and radio hosts know that if they can keep you constantly fearing things that are not actually true they will make millions.  As a matter of fact, there is a certain radio host that is a multi-millionaire just by promoting his products by using fear.
There have been episodes that I have heard where one radio host claimed that the world economic collapse was coming in just a few months.  He stated that all of the elites where moving and heading to their bunkers because of that emergency.  Then he abruptly promoted his long term food products along with others at the end of the episode.
Needless to say, that is a year after that I heard that episode and the world economic collapse has never happened.  I’m not going to lie.  I almost fell for his marketing scheme until I started thinking for myself.  Beware of any website or radio host that promotes products by tapping into your emotions especially the emotion of fear.
Altogether these would be some of the most important lessons I have learned so far as a prepper.  Please leave a comment below sharing some lessons that you have learned by being involved in the preparedness movement.  Your feedback and contribution helps the prepper community.

7 Natural Antibiotics to Use When Medicines are Not Available

 

While the media may point out the dangers of Zika, flu pandemics, and other “newly” emerging diseases, very little is said about the rise of “super bugs”.  These common diseases are quickly outstripping the ability of modern antibiotics to deal with them. As a result, social collapse may well come from familiar infections that can no longer be treated with penicillin, erythromycin, or any other antibiotic that you decided to stockpile.  What will you do after a social collapse when you need antibiotics to fight super bugs, or any other infection, for that matter?  Surprisingly enough, even some of the worst infections known to man can still be killed off by natural antibiotics.  While not all of the seven antibiotics listed below will work for every infection, they can be used reliably in many situations where even modern antibiotics are failing miserably.

Garlic

Of all the natural remedies for infections, garlic stands out as one of the best. It is one of the few that acts as an antiviral as well as an antibacterial. Unlike most antibiotics, bacteria cannot
develop a tolerance to Garlic. Therefore, if you are concerned about the most current strains of super bugs, garlic should definitely be in your stockpile of seeds and plants to keep on hand. Ideally, you should use raw, fresh cloves, however, you can also add them to anything you are cooking.  When using garlic, exercise caution because it can also act as a blood thinner.

Ginger
Ginger is best used as an antibacterial.  It works well in tea form for bacterial upper respiratory infections.  You can also use ginger as an antiseptic wound cleaner.  When combined with Honey, ginger can also be used effectively against most super bugs.   You can also use ginger for relieving stomach irritation, sinus inflammation, and joint pain.  Insofar as stockpiling plans, you can store away roots for both growing and making into tea. Just make sure that you know how to recognize the budding part of each rhizome, and then how to prepare them for making new plants and roots.

Turmeric
Even though turmeric and ginger are related to each other, you still need to keep both on hand to cover as many infections organisms as possible.  In addition, when combined with olive oil and black pepper, turmeric can also act as a fighter and inhibitor of cancer.  You can use turmeric as a tea (be sure to always add black pepper or it will not get into the body) and in cooking.  As with ginger, you will need to store away the roots and pay careful attention to rhizome areas.  Both plants will grow well enough indoors, however, you will need pots at least 12 – 16″ deep so that the roots develop properly.

Honey
Aside from a sweet taste that cannot be resisted, honey is also one of the gentlest, yet most powerful antibiotics.  It is good for mouth and dental infections as well as skin wounds.  Since honey bees are in decline, you will more than likely need to start your own hive of bees. Fortunately, you can make smaller sized hives in mason jars.  Just remember that you must have one queen per hive and at least a few drones so that the bees will continue to produce from one generation to the next.   Queens and drones can be purchased from commercial dealers as well as instructions on how to handle bees.  It may cost a bit and take some practice to learn the art of beekeeping, however, it will be well worth your effort.

Alcohol
In many parts of the world, wine is still used routinely to get rid of bacteria and other pathogens in the water. While alcohol will not get rid of an internal infection, it still works well for skin and open wounds.  Do not forget that there are three basic kinds of alcohol:

• Ethanol or grain alcohol is safe to drink. It is made by fermenting sugary or starchy foods such as potatoes, honey, apples, grapes, and cherries. While most modern wine makers use brewer’s yeast, you can also use regular baking yeast for fermentation.  If you need to concentrate the wine to get a higher concentration of alcohol, you will need to use a still.   After harvesting the food base, you can expect it to take 3 – 6 months before you have a final product that can be used for water purification, drinking, and wound treatment.  Even though there are wild, or natural yeasts that you can harvest, it is best to study this field carefully before trying it as a DIY. For the purposes of your stockpile, be sure to keep both brewers and baking yeast aside.   There are many ways to preserve yeast cultures once you get them started.
• Methanol or wood alcohol is poisonous and cannot be consumed or used for medicinal purposes. As the name implies, methanol can be made from distilling wood.  This is, however, a dangerous process and can lead to blindness if the still is not set up correctly.
• Isopropyl Alcohol is commonly used to cleanse wounds and as a sanitizer. While this alcohol is very useful for medicine, it is also hard to produce at the consumer level.  You can do just about the same thing with high proof ethanol.  Since ethanol is safer and easier to produce, you are best served by mastering basic fermentation and distillation.

Apple Cider Vinegar
If you’ve ever tried your hand at wine making, then you already know that you can be very disappointed when the whole barrel turns into vinegar!  That being said, if your apple jack turns to vinegar, then you will have apple cider vinegar, which has excellent antibiotic properties. Gargle with apple cider vinegar to treat thrush, sinus infections, gum infections, and throat infections.   Apple cider vinegar is also one of the best treatments for candida and yeast infections no matter where they show up.  While you can make your own apple cider vinegar, don’t forget that it can take several weeks before it is ready for use.  Be sure to store some away in your stockpile, and also make sure that you know how to make it from scratch.

Oregano Oil
In the post-crisis world, bacterial, viral, and fungal infections are only part of the entire disease landscape that will be of concern to you.  If you do not have a remedy for intestinal parasites, it can truly spell disaster very quickly.  No matter whether you hunt certain animals at the wrong time of year, drink water without cleaning it properly, or you do not cook foods to the proper temperature, you can count on being exposed to all kinds of worms and other parasites that can cause hallucinations and kill you.  Fortunately, oregano is effective for killing these parasites, as well as:

• Urinary tract infections
• Athlete’s foot
• Upper respiratory infections including swine flu
• Ear infections
• Skin infections
• Sinus infections

As with garlic, be careful when using oregano because it can thin the blood. Since oregano can also lower blood sugar levels, diabetics should also use it with caution.
Oregano is a member of the mint family, and therefore very easy to grow. You can keep the seeds on hand in your stockpile, or start plants in a windowsill pot.   Oregano can be used as a tea using dried or fresh leaves. If you are interested in making oil infusions and also essential oils, this is an excellent herb to start because it grows so well and is also very easy to work with.
In the post-crisis world, poor sanitation, consuming unfamiliar foods, increased risk of injuries, and soaring stress levels are all going to create a situation where you may need antibiotics to treat an infection.  Many people are surprised to discover that they have potent, safe antibiotics right in their own kitchen.  Take the time now to learn how to grow and make these simple foods into powerful medicines that will serve you and your family well in a time of crisis.   In addition, if you encounter a super bug that cannot be handled by modern antibiotics, you may just find something in these seven natural remedies that will save your life.

Pedal-Powered Washer Needs No Electricity and Costs Only $40

We live in an era in which sustainable living is becoming harder. Since we have so many products accessible to us and we are so dependent on energy and power resources that a sustainable way of life tends to look scary and threatening. But choosing the eco-friendly way doesn’t mean you have to give up on your personal comfort or well-being. There are so many intelligent and creative products that can help you help our environment, you just need to make a bit or research and use them wisely. If you would like to do a favor for Earth, you can start by using this amazing pedal powered washer/dryer which uses no electricity, but will wash your clothes the same as a washing machine does. This washer is operated by you and your feet and it’s much easier than washing your clothes by hand and more eco-friendly than any electricity operated washing machine. The washer costs only $40 and you can watch the video presentation to convince yourself about its usefulness.

See more at: http://www.goodshomedesign.com/pedal-powered-washer-needs-no-electricity-and-costs-only-40/

How to Build a Totally Self-Sustaining, Off-Grid Home

There are many reasons you might be considering moving off the grid, and there are lots of ways to do it. You can be completely off the grid out in the middle of nowhere, and you can technically be off the grid right in the middle of a city.

Many seek off-grid living to live in better harmony with the planet and themselves. Some look to that style of living because they fear for the future of humanity and want a place to ride out the storm, so to speak.

Whatever your reason, there are lots of ways to do it. My favorite way is the Earthship. The Earthship is a concept that an architect named Michael Reynolds dreamed up in the 1970’s. His objectives were to utilize sustainable architecture, rely on natural energy sources, and keep it easy enough for a lay person to build.

The homes capture maximum light and heat and are designed with thick walls to provide thermal mass and regulate the temperature inside of the house. The outer walls are often crammed full of tires because they provide storage for thermal heat and build a pretty good foundation for the walls of the home.

She Cured All Forms Of Cancer and Now Her ‘Industry Suppressed Protocol’ Is Going Viral

It has become a well known fact that the Pharmaceutical industry has been hiding cures and treatments from the public. Food and natural remedies hold the key to the treatment and cure for Cancer and all sorts of other ailments our society is dealing with today. 

“I have the answer to cancer, but American doctors won’t listen. They come here and observe my methods and are impressed. Then they want to make a special deal so they can take it home and make a lot of money. I won’t do it, so I’m blackballed in every country.” — Dr. Johanna Budwig

In 2003, Dr. Johanna Budwig passed away at the age of 95. This amazing German doctor was nominated six times for the Nobel Prize for medicine, which means that it would be wise to take her health work seriously.

We call her a saint, but doctors-in-the-know thought of her as a god. She cured cancer in “terminally ill” patients; even patients which the establishment had surrendered to fate, claimed were “untreatable”, and had given a death sentence to. She did not just cure specific or rare types of cancer.

She cured all types of cancer, and she did it relatively quickly, cheaply, easily, and permanently; using only non-toxic ingredients, which had no side-effects. Her medicine actually made her patients stronger, and her cure rate was over 90%, including the worst terminal cases. Dr. Budwig’s successes greatly contrast the fact that the life-long cure rate from standard procedures averages less than 4%, and that the standard therapies themselves are known to cause future cancers.

How did she cure Cancer? Dr. Budwig’s secret weapons against cancer were quark cheese and flax seed oil. She quickly became enemy #1 to the pharmaceutical and nuclear industries. They have been so effective at suppressing her work, that for many of our readers, this will be their first instance of learning of her Budwig Protocol. Her astounding findings were first published in the early 1950’s. Yet they are still being censored today in most countries.

“As a chemist trained to interpret data, it is incomprehensible to me that physicians can ignore the clear evidence that chemotherapy does much, much more harm than good.”

— Alan Nixon, Ph.D., Past President of The American Chemical Society

The Cancer Industry is Built Upon Lies

To be clear, cancer is not merely an outbreak of tumors. The orthodox establishment apparently considers them to be the same, but it would be a waste of time and space to go there. For now, we shall simply state that endorsing perpetual treatments to create life-long customers is the overall agenda of policy makers, instead of curing. A dead patient is not profitable, nor is a healthy patient.
The big money is made somewhere in the middle, in patients who are alive, but just barely. The reason why they will never find a cure is because they are not looking for one. Curing would eliminate the cash flow, and this industry is so profitable that it is the 5th leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States.

Any researcher who found a cure would quickly find himself looking for another job, and at some level, all of them know it. Cancer is the most profitable condition in medical history, and the establishment intends to keep it that way.

Cancer is essentially a modern man-made epidemic from the food and chemical industries, which tend to be one in-the-same. There is some evidence that cancer existed in ancient history, but cancer was extremely rare in ancient times, except in cities with cases of mass heavy metal poisoning (again, man-made).

The Cancer Report

The Unholy Trinity of Cancer

Toxins such as radiation, and acidosis (from pharmaceuticals and malnutrition) are the unholy trinity of cancer. Acidosis is the final stage of this misunderstood condition. An astute reader will have noticed that these things are caused by the medical establishment itself, even in its supposedly valiant fight against cancer. When a person’s body chemistry becomes acidic from the aforementioned factors or modern medicine, then his blood’s ability to retain and carry oxygen is severely diminished.

Healthy individuals have a blood oxygen level of between 98 and 100 as measured by a pulse oximeter, but cancer patients routinely show only 60. Oxygen is replaced in a cancer patient’s blood by wastes such as carbon dioxide. The oxygen starvation caused by acidosis leads to the formation of tumors as cells must mutate to derive their energy from a fermentation process.

Normal cells obtain their energy from oxygen respiration, but oxygen-starved cells must mutate for survival, in order to utilize a type of direct sugar fermentation, which is the body’s self defense. This is not as biochemically “clean” as oxygen-based energy, and the waste products of fermentation build in the tissues causing even higher toxicities. This leads to even more acidosis and cellular oxygen starvation.

Eventually, the entire immune system is debilitated by the process of cleaning the waste products, so that it can no longer cope with the removal of unhealthy cells. This allows the cancer cells to multiply even faster and to spread unchecked, creating the symptom of tumors, which is in the latter stages of the cancer process.

All of the reason listed above were proven by Dr. Otto Warburg, and he won the Nobel Prize for it in 1931. His findings were suppressed, and so most readers wil not have heard of this great doctor, despite him having won the Nobel Prize for medicine in an era when the Nobel Prize actually meant something incredible.

The secret to beating cancer is that life-giving breath: oxygen. Technically, it is not so simple but it is almost that simple. The real trick is getting the oxygen into the deep tissue cells, and getting the cells to ‘eat’ it again. Dr. Budwig’s regimen is just one of many for stimulating this. Most cancer cures (not treatments) involve adjusting the body’s pH beyond neutral, and into an alkaline state.

In the alkaline state, human blood is especially rich in oxygen, and this same oxygen is poisonous to mutated cancer cells. Oxygen is, of course, harmless to people who are eating a healthy diet full of anti-oxidants. Whilst mocked by the cancer industry, the generalized anti-cancer alkalizing protocols have varying degrees of effectiveness, and merit further inspection.

Dr. Budwig discovered ways to oxygenate patients better and faster than other therapies. Her results were catapulted past those of other alternative therapies by utilizing a solution made from common flax seed oil and quark cheese. She discovered that the so-called “healthy” (fat free) diets were a huge part of the problem. Her regimen eliminated damaging fats and foods from the diet that cause cellular oxygen starvation, and replaced them with healing foods, and life-saving essential fatty acids. Along with diet, she emphasized the benefits of sunlight, the natural source of the anti-cancer vitamin D3, and the elimination of personal issues for stress reduction.

“Without these fatty acids, the respiratory enzymes cannot function and the person suffocates, even when he is given oxygen-rich air. A deficiency in these highly unsaturated fatty-acids impairs many vital functions. First of all, it decreases the person’s supply of available oxygen. We cannot survive without air and food; nor can we survive without these fatty acids. That has been proven long ago.” — Dr. Johanna Budwig

When Johanna was promoting omega-3 supplementation, it was a new and unusual concept. The mainstream establishment berated her theories and research papers about the omega oils. Mainstream promotion of the need for omega-3 only occurred decades later, toward the end of her life. She has now been vindicated, and that area of her research is now well-established.

The Budwig Anti-Cancer Regimen

There are two stages of the Budwig Protocol. One of them is a natural medicine, which is a blend of something containing high amounts of sulfur proteins, and flax seed oil to provide safe omega-3 in appropriate levels. Fish oil is avoided because there is a high risk of impurities, it requires heavy industrial processing, and it will dangerously upset the balance of the omega oils further. Fish oil is almost always rancid by the time it reaches retailers, which means that it is actually carcinogenic.

Dr. Budwig discovered that the body will synthesize omega-3 from flax seed oil in the exact quantity that it needs, and in the proper ratio with other omega oils. This food-based medicine is normally taken orally, but in the most terminal cases, Dr. Budwig was also known to have given pure flax seed oil in enema form. The other stage of the Budwig Protocol is the special diet. Dramatic results are usually seen within 90 days, and sometimes within a week. Patients should continue the regimen for a minimum of 6 months, regardless of a lack of symptoms.

The Medicine

The primary medicine is mixed together, and taken orally once a day at bare minimum.

 It should be stirred with a wooden or plastic spoon.  

Wood is ideal, and metal should never be used.

1 cup pure quark cheese.
Make sure that it is not made with homogenized milk.
Since quark cheese is not available for most people, see our suggestions below for alternatives.
2-5 Tbsp. of flax seed oil, or about 10 supplement capsules, or 1-3 Tbsp. of freshly ground flax seed (a coffee grinder works fine and use enough water to make it soft).
Note that the flax oil or ground seed must be used immediately after exposure to air.
Also a little cayenne

Optional

• little garlic
• little red pepper
• little champagne (for the worst cases — always given in the first couple of days)

The Diet

Sugar is absolutely forbidden.
Grape juice may be added to sweeten any other freshly squeezed juices.
Avoid pure animal fats, such as lard, fatback, dripping, and etc.
No commercial salad dressings or toppings
No commercial mayonnaise (bastardized, radioactive, genetically engineered, corn, canola and soy oils)
No meats unless organic and preferably range fed
No butter, and especially no margarine or other artificial butters (Butter is normally extremely beneficial, but it will interfere with this protocol)
Freshly squeezed vegetable juices are encouraged, especially carrot, celery, apple, and red beet.
All natural juice drinks are fine, with special preference to completely organic drinks.
Three times daily a warm tea is essential.
Good choices are peppermint, rose hips or grape tea. Sweeten them only with honey.
One cup of black tea before noon is fine.
Avoid all artificial sweeteners (including high-fructose corn syrup)
Entirely chemical free diet
Avoid all processed foods
Attempt to wean off of all pharmaceuticals
Avoid all soft drinks
Avoid tap water and bottled water, and use products free of fluoride
Eat all foods freshly prepared — no reheating and no leftovers

Additional Health Wyze Suggestions

Most people will need to use alternatives to quark cheese because it is unattainable in most areas. Goat milk cheese is the best alternative for most people. Yogurt, cottage cheese and other soft cheeses are less desirable, because they are made from homogenized milk.
These should only be used if goat cheese is not available or it is unaffordable. It is especially important to supplement with vitamin C if a product that is made with homogenized milk is used.
The flax seed oil used in the protocol must be protected from air, heat, and light. It should always be cold pressed, and preferably organic. We recommend obtaining it in individually sealed capsules.
Avoid fish oil and non-flax sources of omega-3, except for baked fish. Avoid fried fish.
We suggest either spring water or water filtered through a Berkey water filter that includes the optional fluoride filters.
Green tea with honey and lemon juice. A pinch of cayenne may be helpful, too.
No microwaving food
Avoid hydrogenated oils
Supplement with Chlorophyll
Drink The Green Drink regularly to ensure proper nutrition
Specifically eat An Alkalizing Diet
Use a nebulizer to inhale 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide mist for people with lung conditions
Take a large dose of Vitamin C daily that is purchased from a reputable health food store. Do not take more than 5 grams per day, because massive doses will cause kidney stress. This dosage could be problematic for patients with kidney or liver cancers, so use common sense.
Avoid sun screens, cosmetics, and the toxic lotions that are found at regular retailers
At least once a day, we suggest our Lemon And Pineapple Drink, because of its ability to improve body pH rapidly.
Avoid white bread, white rice, white sugar, white salt, white flour, and anything else that is bleached with chlorine compounds.
Avoid “table” salt and get high quality unbleached sea salt from a health food store.
Delay detoxifying when a person is severely ill or unstable.
Delay detoxifying if it is liver or kidney cancer
Get a high grade water filter for shower water with the priority of getting all chlorine removed.
Do not use tap water in a vaporizer, because it will release chlorine gas.
Find safer alternatives to common soaps, bleaches, and detergents at health food stores.
Eliminate Candida, which should already happen with the Budwig Protocol.
Avoid all vaccines
Avoid your doctor. Seriously. This could be the most important rule if you want to live.
Avoid soy products and canola oil.
Use Iodine Transdermally, but beware of povidone iodine. If a pill form is necessary, then supplement only with red marine algae capsules. Do not use any other type of oral supplementation for iodine.
Take a teaspoon of cold pressed organic coconut oil daily.
For deathly ill patients, see a specialist, such as a naturopathic doctor (N.D.), who can provide I.V.’s, including safe hydrogen peroxide I.V.’s if necessary.
Use Vitamin B-17 for bad cases, but avoid for people with impaired livers.
Use our oxygen drink several times a day

The Oxygenating Drink (several times a day):

• 8 oz. spring water
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1-2 tsp. of 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide (wait until all fizzing has stopped before adding, and be very gentle)

Books by Johanna Budwig
Only three of Johanna’s books have been translated into English.
There are six books that are still only available in German.
The English books are listed below.
The Oil-Protein Cookbook (Öl-Eiweiß-Kost) Sensei Verlag (2000)
Cancer – The Problem and the Solution (Krebs. Das Problem und die Lösung) Sensei Verlag (1999)
Flax Oil As A True Aid Against Arthritis, Heart Infarction, Cancer And Other Diseases (Fette als wahre Hilfe gegen Arteriosklerose, Herzinfarkt, Krebs) 1972

Beware of the Fraudulent Budwig Center

A warning to the readers about a fraudulent clinic in Spain that is calling itself, “The Budwig Center”. It dishonestly markets that it treats cancers with the Budwig Protocol, and that it had a partnership with Dr. Johanna Budwig. We are fairly certain at this point that she never met these people, nor would she like them. We wrote a detailed report about this place, because of the unknown amount of harm that it is doing to people. The full report about them and their methodologies can be found in the article, A Warning about The Budwig Center

 

Survival Communications After a Collapse: “Pringles Can And Broadband Routers Could Create a WiFi Network”

 

Are you truly prepared to survive what is coming?
It could prove to be the darkest period yet for modern civilization and the age of technocracy.
An EMP, a natural disaster, a nuclear attack, an economic collapse or a declaration of martial law rank among just some of the worst scenarios that could befall our society. And if you are not prepared, you will fall along with the masses.
Not long ago, the London Guardian interviewed global crisis expert and author Nafeez Ahmed, extracting lots of great info to think about prepping for survival.
Ahmed, who was involved with advising on a video game that included realistic portrayals of crisis aftermath, brought up lots of good points, including basics like:

1. Don’t hole up alone with hundreds of tins of baked beans
“There’s a survivalist response which is ‘I’m going to hide away all by myself’,” says Ahmed. “You’re probably not going to survive like that – you have to cooperate with other people… The more people who band together, the more likely you are to be able to rebuild something like a society.
2. You need to go rural … but not too rural
“Cities are found to be extremely vulnerable simply because there are so many supply chains that are interdependent… People will be competing with each other for these scarce resources, which creates violence… You need a group of differently skilled people who can work cooperatively in order to build your own supply chains and flourish…”
3. You need access to running water and agricultural land
“There’s also the need to grow your own food,” says Ahmed. “Again you’re better off doing that with a group of people on a large area of land where you can apportion labour. That’s not going to work as well in an urban environment.”
5. Don’t necessarily trust the government or law enforcement
All major governments have contingency plans in place to ensure their survival after a global disaster…. What we can be fairly certain of, however, is that it will involve the suspension of constitutional government and the instalment of martial law. To some degree.

But the most interesting discussion was on communications during a survival situation.
Of course, a lot of it has been brought up by different survival sources, but it is amazing how inventive people could be in setting up networks, even if the main internet went offline or was inaccessible.

4. Establish communications
The basic method of acquiring information will be a wind-up or solar-powered radio. However, to actually communicate with the outside world, or with members of your community, you may be back to walkie-talkies, two-way radios or even a citizen band radio…

Apparently, using a few repurposed items in tandem with alternative sources of energy could go a long way, and in the right configuration might even successfully set up a worthwhile local network.
If the internet providers and content sources go down, you can go it alone on a small scale, according to Ahmed:

Your best option, then, may be to set up your own community computer network – and the most sensible technology would be Wi-Fi, as the components are easily available. “You could loot a PC World for broadband routers and then hit a garage or supermarket for some Pringles cans,” says Bloch. “With those, you can probably build a reasonable network across a scorched suburb.”
Why a Pringle can? Well, it can be used to create a cantenna which would be capable of boosting a Wi-Fi signal from your computer. “Some students in Kansas made a cantenna that transmitted over 100 miles a few years ago,” says Bloch. He suggests using a cheap Raspberry Pi as the combined communications hub and router (although a basic netbook may be a good alternative). “I ran an old Pi off four AA batteries for four hours just to play a video game a while back, and that was wasting power on bluetooth and speakers. They can shift a lot of traffic, and run little servers, so I imagine you could run tiny hubs off a car battery for 1-2 weeks at a time.
“If you ran an old-school email network off those, it’d be quite handy and expandable piece by piece as you contacted neighbouring villages, cleared the zombies out, etc. I guess that’s the nice thing about the internet: the oldest protocols still adapt to this situation. I think some people really want to see this happen, just so they can prove it.”

A Pringles can to create a “cantenna” for wifi transmission? That bears some further explanation:
Getting a wifi antenna from pringles tube (DIY Cantenna)

Along with a number of low tech alternatives, there is also the chance that you and a network of survivors could piece together a wireless mesh network with radios or cell phones:
Broadband Over Radio Wireless Mesh Network Experimentation for Emergency Communications

 

Natural Relief for Eczema, Allergic Dermatitis, Itching, Rheumatic Diseases — Better Than Cortisone and Safe!

This natural [substance made into a cream acts in a similar manner to ] cortisone and is very effective in treating skin problems with itching, redness, hives, or rashes caused by medications or detergents, first-degree burns, infectious or allergic dermatitis, eczema or rheumatic diseases.
Surprisingly it is also very effective against bites from the dreaded tiger mosquito.
This homeopathic remedy has anti-inflammatory, anti-redness properties and decreases itching rapidly.
It can be taken orally in the form of pellets, drops and tablets. In this case a D2 dilution is suggested.
The Cardiospermum halicacabum is a plant belonging to the family Sapindaceae.
It is also known as the “balloon vine” or “love in a puff”, it is a climbing plant widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, India and South America.
It is often found as a weed along roads and rivers.
The species name of “Cardiospermum” comes from the small-sized, black-brown coloured seed, which have a white heart-shaped spot.
The term “halicacabum” is translated from Greek meaning “salt barrel”. The appearance of the fruit that looks inflated is where its name is derived from in German “Ballonrebe” (balloon-vine).

Properties

Dr. Willmar Schwabe collected this plant in Africa. There, Cardiospermum halicacabum is used in folk medicine.
It has several applications: as an anti-rheumatic, for digestive disorders, respiratory disorders, joint pain, back pain, sprains, strains and inflammation.
The surface part of the plant Cardiospermum halicacabum contains as active ingredients phytosterols, saponins and alkaloids and a smaller amount of long chain fatty acids.
Phytosterols have anti-redness properties, they relieve itching and pain because they act as modulators of inflammation by reducing the amount of enzymes and pro-inflammatory peroxides.
This gives the Cardiospermum halicacabum inflammatoryand antipruritic properties, hence, we dare say it is thehomeopathic cortisone, but without causing the negative side effects of cortisone.

18 Herbal Remedies for Aches and Pains

As well versed as I am when it comes to using essential oils for aches and pains, I have little practical experience using herbal remedies to resolve those daily creaks in my joints and elsewhere that seem to occur at the worst possible time.
Given the popularity of our recent Prepper Book Festival entry, Be Your Own Herbalist, I decided I better get with the program and continue the discussion of herbal remedies by calling in some experts with first hand experience.  That, plus getting some first hand experience myself.


This week I called in Carmen Reeves, the author of Homemade Herbal Medicine, and asked (really I begged) for some help.  What she has graciously done is given me permission to share an excerpt from her book.  In doing so, I want you to understand that Carmen is not simply a researcher who writes.  She uses herbs and other natural remedies herself and adds her personal anecdotal experience to her writings.
For the purpose of this article, herbal remedies for aches and pains are broken down into 4 main categories:

Arthritis pain
General, non-specific pain relief
Toothaches
Sore throats

Herbal Remedies for Arthritis

So many herbs out there tout anti-inflammatory capabilities. If you have pains from arthritis, whether Rheumatoid or Osteo-arthritis, there is an immense selection from the world of herbs to choose from. In fact—almost all herbs have some sort of anti-inflammatory capability! However, try out and stick to the following: they have the most supported use, both in modern studies and traditional knowledge.

1.  Evening Primrose – The seed pods are high in Omega-3’s, ALA, and GLA. An oil bought commercially, or infused from the plant’s seed pods, has been shown to alleviate inflamed joints—especially for Rheumatoid Arthritis sufferers.
2.  Arnica – Creams, ointments, and salves are widely available for arthritis relief at most natural food stores. You can also opt to make your own salve or topical oil by extracting Arnica’s soothing compounds from the flowers. Make sure to not use Arnica internally, only externally on pained joints.
3.  Comfrey –Comfrey can take the edge off arthritic pain. Creams and ointments are available at some stores—or make an oil or salve from the leaves or root to rub into painful joints. Do not take internally.
4.  Ginger – Taken internally, Ginger can help with inflammatory pain much like a modern NSAID (like Acetaminophen). You might need to take it periodically over a few hours—make a fresh Ginger root tea, a Chai tea, or add fresh Ginger to your meal. Or—sip a Ginger ale.
5.  Turmeric – This bright yellow powder can provide relief for arthritis more effectively than any other. Take it internally in a tea, tincture, supplement, or added to food. Or, make yourself a Turmeric oil or salve—it works, but might make your hands yellow for a while!

Herbal Remedies for Pain Relief

What about general pain? Beyond achy joints from arthritis, there are numerous ways we experience pain. For example: we might suffer from muscle pains due to exercise or injury. Or, we might face nerve pain from issues like sciatica, or even type 2 diabetes.
No matter the issue, the herbal world will probably have you covered. If you’re tiring from pain medications or ointments with uncomfortable side effects—or maybe you just want to make your own remedy, or turn to something natural—check out these herbs which have been used for ages to soothe pains of all kinds.

6.  Aloe – The pain of burns, itching, dry skin, psoriasis, and eczema is no fun. Apply Aloe gel or cream to skin infections, afflictions, or even wounds. It can dull the burn of inflamed pain, and speed up the time it takes to heal.
7.  Arnica – Arnica assuages not only joint pain, but muscle or bruise pains too. Creams, ointments, and salves are commercially available. You can make your own salve or oil from the flowers. Do not use internally or on open skin.
8.  Black Haw – Containing a compound called scopoletin (as well as Aspirin-like compounds, including salicin), taking the twigs or root of this plant in a hot tea could achieve similar effect as taking Aspirin for tummy aches, menstrual cramps, or even the pain from harsh, dry coughs.
9.  Cayenne – Try an over-the-counter cream containing capsaicin, the active ingredient in Cayenne that makes it “spicy.” It works excellent on unbroken, smooth skin for nerve and muscle pains especially. Just make sure you wash your hands after using—getting any residue in your eyes or mouth will burn!
Gaye’s note:  Check this Backdoor Survival DIY: Make an Awesome Cayenne Salve for Pain Relief
10.  Comfrey – Comfrey eases muscle and joint pain both, but also helps speed healing of muscles, breaks, and internal injuries. Make an oil or salve from the leaves or root and rub into skin. Do not take internally or on open skin.
11.  St. John’s Wort – Got the blues and some uncomfortable nerve pain? St. John’s Wort not only allays depression. When used as a topical oil or salve rubbed into skin, it can soothe nerve pain. Try it with issues like fibromyalgia.

Herbal Remedies for Toothache

Maybe you don’t have to go to the dentist for simple tooth pain. Instead, turn to the culinary spices and herbs in your kitchen cupboard. If you don’t think it’s a cavity, abscess, or infection—consider these herbs for ridding yourself of the agony.

12.  Echinacea – Beyond fighting colds, Echinacea was traditionally used for toothaches. Make an oil or salve from leaves, flowers, or roots— apply just a bit to the gums around your aching tooth. Apply more every hour until pain recedes.
13.  St. John’s Wort – This plant, typically used for depression, yields a gorgeously deep-red infused oil if you leave it in oil in the sun. It can be safely dabbed around the gums of a throbbing tooth. Apply more every hour until pain recedes.

Herbal Remedies for Sore Throat

Ah—the scratchy, raspy pain that accompanies colds, flu, or sometimes even strep throat or allergies. Luckily, herbal remedies have been in place for sore throats for hundreds of years… if not thousands. All it takes is making a hot, soothing tea with any of the following herbs—and add a little lemon or honey (a mixture of maple syrup and malt syrup works the same way as a vegan alternative) for additional throat- relieving effects.

14,  Eucalyptus – This Australian tree’s active constituent, eucalyptol, helps soothe the pain and soreness of coughs or sore throat. It may also help open up airways, assist breathing, and even kill of viral or bacterial infections causing the sore throat. Make it as a gargle, using a few drops of essential oils or dried leaves.   Spit it out when finished.
15.  Garlic – Garlic, like Eucalyptus, is strong at fighting off viral/bacterial infection causing sore throat. It also boosts immunity to give an added edge. Most of all— a warm Garlic tea can be throat-soothing. Add a few cloves (as many as you can stand) to warm or hot water, then crush them in the water with a fork and stir. Add honey (or maple and malt syrup mixture) and lemon, and you have in your hands a homemade, herbal sore throat dream.
16.  Ginger – Ginger can be a boon to a sore throat, especially when it occurs with colds or flu. Make a hot tea of fresh root and add lemon—if you’re brave, add Garlic. Ginger’s pungent heat soothes the inflamed skin, while killing off any viral presence.
17.  Mint – Menthol in Mint leaves suppresses cough, and soothes any achy throat. Make a hot tea of it, and perhaps add some lemon or lime. Mint is also mildly anti-viral.
18.  Thyme – Like all these other above herbs, Thyme contains compounds that assuage a sore throat—but also can kill infection-causing microbes that lead up to it. Make a tea of Thyme sprigs with honey (or maple and malt syrup mixture) and lemon. Add crushed Garlic or Ginger if you dare!

For even more remedies, consider picking up a copy of Homemade Herbal Medicine or one of Carmen’s other health related books.  Plus, if there continues to be enough interest, I will be sharing more of her knowledge in future articles, which, as you know, are always available to you online for free.

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