Prepper: Essential Tips to Keep You Alive When the Power Grid Goes Down

Prepper, Survivalism & Health

Essential Tips to Keep You Alive When the Power Grid Goes Down

This blog is LOADED with the latest as it relates to this area... 

 There were many whistleblowers who managed to expose the flaws and vulnerabilities of our power grid. Last year, the government was forced to recognize that it is not a scenario invented by “crazy survivalists”. Even more, the White House admitted that they are preparing for events that could destroy the power grid (source). 

Blizzards, solar storms and even EMPs are all events that will affect the power grid and leave you in the dark. When the power grid goes down you will be cut off completely from the conveniences you’ve lived with your entire life. If it will come to that and the power grid goes down the following tips can help you cope with the situation comfortably and safely.
More and more people are starting to understand that our power grid is vulnerable and it is one of the main threats that can bring our country to its knees.
Unfortunately, as this scenario is becoming a wake-up call for some, there will always be those saying that the government has a plan for all of us and that we will be saved. I don’t know about you, but I prefer to make my own plans and make sure I’m prepared to face a scenario in which the power grid is no longer working.
The following tips will keep you alive when the power grid goes down, regardless if you are a prepper or an average Joe.

General preparedness

Develop plans for short terms (2-3 days) and long-term (2-3 weeks or months) outages. All the plans you make and all the supplies you stockpile can be used for more than one emergency. Nothing goes to waste when it comes to emergency preparedness.
You should practice your skills in the great outdoors, where the grid is not available. This will be a test to see how well you can handle the situation when the power grid goes down and you will return to a rudimentary life.
Your gear is not for show, you didn’t buy it to throw it all in a corner of your house. You should get familiar with it and use it to practice the skills that will help you survive when the power grid goes down.
Stockpile more than you need because those supplies will prove useful, regardless the crisis scenario you will have to face. Key items such as batteries, fuel and warm items should be considered for this scenario. Don’t forget to also stockpile items that can be used for barter if the grid is down for an extended period of time.
Have an exit plan and know how to follow it when the time comes. Regardless of how well-prepared you are, sooner or later you will have to leave your home. Get yourself a new or used bicycle, a touring or mountain bike and equip it with saddlebags that can carry everything you need in order to reach your safe haven.

Electric needs

After Snowzilla, generator sales have increased and many people bought one just to make sure they won’t be caught unprepared next time. You shouldn’t wait for a storm to hit your area to get one and you should already have one in your garage.
Stockpile batteries in a variety of size because these items will be of great value when the grid is down. Even more, learn how to recondition your batteries and squeeze out all their juice.
Install solar panels now or get a generator that works with solar panels. You should integrate these solutions as an adjunct to your use of utility power.
Get your hands on some small alternative solutions to generate electricity such as thermoelectric generators devices. The Biolite Campstove and the Power Pot are two of the products appreciated by survivalists and off-gridders. These devices are great multi taskers and will allow you to turn the heat you use to cook or warm yourself into electricity.

Learn and stockpile for bartering

You can use your skills and trade them for items you might need. Basic medical skills, small motor repair, gunsmithing are all great “currencies” to barter with and if you have any of these skills, you are in luck. If you don’t possess any skill that can be used for bartering purposes, you can always stockpile on items that feeds people’s vices and needs. Stockpiling on items such as:

• Alcohol and cigarettes
• Feminine hygiene products
• Toilet and other paper products
• Water filters
• Duct tape
• Batteries
• Foods with long shelf life
• First aid materials and medicines

These are just a few suggestions and you can make your own lists based on your budget and the area you live in. Bartering will become a way of life when all the digital money will be gone.
Suggested article: Barter items you should have for a long-term disaster

Water needs

Water is essential to survival and you should stockpile three week’s worth of water so you have it on hand before a crisis happens. You should have at least one bathtub reservoir that can be filled as soon as you find out the water supply is down. Learn about the hidden water sources from your house and how to drain them of every drop.
Make sure you are able to collect water and improvise a rain water catching system if your local laws allow it. Buy a water pump that can be used with local water sources like streams, lakes or ponds. Learn how to purify your water and have a few reliable water filters at hand.
Suggested reading: Emergency water solutions

Sewage and sanitation

Survival sanitation is a dirty job and you will have to take care of it if you don’t want to get sick. This is one of the subjects that nobody likes to talk about. It is better to prepare for this in advance rather than dealing with a nasty situation when the crisis is in full effect. You should invest in waterless toilets like the ones sold in camping or boating stores. Even more, you should learn to recycle water for different purposes. I’ve written in a previous article about how you can handle survival sanitation during a crisis, I recommend reading it because it provides valuable info.

Communication needs

If the power grid goes down, communication will be an impossible task if you haven’t prepped for it when you had the chance. All your communication devices should be stored in a faraday cage or a faraday bag and you should have extra batteries for them. Get a battery powered radio and invest in a set of two way handled radios with different frequencies for family communication in case mobile phones will die. You should also research alternative methods to communicate with friends and family.

Food needs

Stockpiling the right food and heaving a well-equipped survival pantry will help you outlast any major disaster. You should stockpile a month’s worth of food to begin with and you should get only the food that your family is used to eating. You don’t want to experiment on them with your alternative cooking based on new ingredients you can scavenge. You should do “cooking runs” at least once a week with the supplies you have stored in your pantry using your “off-the grid” cooking equipment. You will be surprised how many things you can learn (cooking time is different; you discover you lack ingredients for certain recipes, etc.)
Suggested reading: Best foods to stockpile for when the power grid goes down

Heat needs

Conserving heat can become a problem when the power grid goes down, especially during the cold season. You should make sure you stay warm, otherwise you won’t wake up to fight another day. Everyone should stockpile their chosen source of heat (wood, propane gas, stove fuel, etc.) and they should have a backup for their backup plan. You should buy and practice with stove and heaters that work with your chosen type of fuel. The stove you buy should run on a variety of fuels so that you always have something that works with the fuel that is available. The stove should be installed in the room where everyone can gather during the day and sleep at night. If you want to conserve heat another alternative would be to get used to living in your basement. When you are 6 feet below ground, the temperature stays at around 60 degrees, regardless if it is cold or hot outside. You should also learn how to make improvised heaters and the internet is full of solutions, more or less complicated.
Some of the tips listed above you have probably already done or integrated into your emergency plan. If you haven’t put them into common practice you should really consider them. Always think outside of the box and chose solutions that have multiple applications. Think of what you depend on each day and figure out what you can do to replace it when the power grid goes down.
Stay safe and God Bless!

How to Make an All-Night Campfire with Only One Log

Low on wood at your local camp-site? Tired of hauling logs from one end of the property to the other? Is your BBQ pit rusting through or on it’s last leg?
Well this amazing “hack” (pun intended) will revolutionize your next outdoor cooking experience!

Rumors claim “The Swedish Torch” was thought up by a train hopper who used the clever trick to stay warm in between train rides. The Swedish Torch is as simple as it is brilliant and is sure to maximize efficiency at your next campout.

Here’s how to make a Swedish Torch:

1. Start by getting yourself a log that is rather wide and is flat on the top and bottom.
2. With a saw or large cutting tool, make two or three cross-hair cuts across the top of the log, cutting around 3/4ths of the way down.
3. Start a fire on top with kindling or a Bernie and watch as the airflow beneath the fire breaths life to it as it catches the top of the log ablaze.
4. As the fire on the top of log burns, coals will fall down to then bottom of the log, igniting the lower parts of the log and providing you with a long-lasting and hot fire.

How to Make a Swedish Torch 

 

Coconut Oil Truth: 10 Things You Need To Know

 Coconut oil is one of the few foods that can be classified as a “superfood.” Its unique combination of fatty acids can have profound positive effects on health. This includes fat loss, better brain function and various other amazing benefits.

Here are the top 10 health benefits of coconut oil that have been experimentally confirmed in human studies.

1. Coconut Oil Contains a Unique Combination of Fatty Acids With Powerful Medicinal Properties

Coconut oil has been demonized in the past because it contains saturated fat. In fact, coconut oil is one of the richest sources of saturated fat known to man, with almost 90% of the fatty acids in it being saturated (1).
However, new data is showing that saturated fats are harmless. Many massive studies that include hundreds of thousands of people prove that the whole “artery-clogging” idea was a myth (2).

Additionally, coconut oil doesn’t contain your average run-of-the-mill saturated fats like you would find in cheese or steak.
No, they contain so-called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) – which are fatty acids of a medium length.
Most of the fatty acids in the diet are so-called long-chain fatty acids, but the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are metabolized differently.
They go straight to the liver from the digestive tract, where they are used as a quick source energy or turned into so-called ketone bodies, which can have therapeutic effects on brain disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s.
Bottom Line: Coconut oil contains a lot of medium chain triglycerides, which are metabolized differently and can have therapeutic effects on several brain disorders.

2. Populations That Eat a LOT of Coconut Are Among The Healthiest People on The Planet

Coconut is kind of an “exotic” food in the Western world, primarily consumed by health conscious people.
However, in some parts of the world, coconut is a dietary staple that people have thrived on for many generations.
The best example of such a population is the Tokelauans, which live in the South Pacific.
They eat over 60% of their calories from coconuts and are the biggest consumers of saturated fat in the world.
These people are in excellent health, with no evidence of heart disease (3).
Another example of a population that eats a lot of coconut and remains in excellent health is the Kitavans (4).
Bottom Line: Plenty of populations around the world have thrived for multiple generations eating massive amounts of coconut.

3. Coconut Oil Can Increase Your Energy Expenditure, Helping You Burn More Fat

Obesity is currently one of the biggest health problems in the world.
While some people think obesity is only a matter of calories, others (myself included) believe that the sources of those calories are critical too.
It is a fact that different foods affect our bodies and hormones in different ways. In this regard, a calorie is NOT a calorie.
The medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) in coconut oil can increase energy expenditure compared to the same amount of calories from longer chain fats (5, 6).
One study found that 15-30 grams of MCTs per day increased 24 hour energy expenditure by 5%, totalling about 120 calories per day (7).
Bottom Line: The medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil have been shown to increase 24 hour energy expenditure by as much as 5%, potentially leading to significant weight loss over the long term.

4. The Lauric Acid in Coconut Oil Can Kill Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi, Helping to Stave Off Infections

Almost 50% of the fatty acids in coconut oil is the 12-carbon Lauric Acid.
When coconut oil is enzymatically digested, it also forms a monoglyceride called monolaurin.
Both lauric acid and monolaurin can kill harmful pathogens like bacteria, viruses and fungi (8).

For example, these substances have been shown to kill the bacteria Staphylococcus Aureus (a very dangerous pathogen) and the yeast Candida Albicans, a common source of yeast infections in humans (9, 10).
Bottom Line: The fatty acids and breakdown products in coconut oil can kill harmful pathogens, potentially helping to prevent infections.

5. Coconut Oil Can Kill Your Hunger, Making You Eat Less Without Even Trying

One interesting feature of coconut oil is that it can reduce your hunger.
This may be related to the way the fatty acids in it are metabolized, because ketone bodies can have an appetite reducing effect (11).
In one study, varying amounts of medium and long chain triglycerides were fed to 6 healthy men.
The men eating the most MCTs ate 256 fewer calories per day, on average (12).
Another study in 14 healthy men discovered that those who ate the most MCTs at breakfast ate significantly fewer calories at lunch (13).
These studies were small and only done for a short period of time. If this effect were to persist over the long term, it could have a dramatic influence on body weight over a period of several years.
Bottom Line: The fatty acids in coconut oil can significantly reduce appetite, which may positively affect body weight over the long term.

6. The Fatty Acids in Coconut Oil Are Turned into Ketones, Which Can Reduce Seizures

A so-called ketogenic (very low carb, very high fat) diet is currently being studied to treat various disorders.
The best known therapeutic application of this diet is treating drug-resistant epilepsy in children (14).
This diet involves eating very little carbohydrates and large amounts of fat, leading to greatly increased concentrations of ketone bodies in the blood.
For some reason, this diet can dramatically reduce the rate of seizures in epileptic children, even those who haven’t had success with multiple different types of drugs.
Because the MCTs in coconut oil get shipped to the liver and turned into ketone bodies, they are often used in epileptic patients to induce ketosis while allowing for a bit more carbs in the diet (15, 16).
Bottom Line: The MCTs in coconut oil can increase blood concentration of ketone bodies, which can help reduce seizures in epileptic children.

7. Coconut Oil Can Improve Blood Cholesterol Levels and May Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

Coconut oil is loaded with saturated fats, which actually do not harm the blood lipid profile like previously thought.
Saturated fats raise HDL (the good) cholesterol and change the LDL cholesterol to a benign subtype (17, 18).
In one study in 40 women, coconut oil reduced Total and LDL cholesterol while increasing HDL compared to soybean oil (19).
There are also rat studies showing that coconut oil reduces triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol, increases HDL and improves blood coagulation factors and antioxidant status (20, 21).
This improvement in cardiovascular risk factors should theoretically lead to a reduced risk of heart disease over the long term.
Bottom Line: Studies in both humans and rats show that coconut oil improves important risk factors like Total, LDL and HDL cholesterol, which may translate to a reduced risk of heart disease.

8. Coconut Oil Can Protect Hair Against Damage, Moisturize Skin and Function as Sunscreen

Coconut oil can serve various purposes that have nothing to do with eating it.
Many people are using it for cosmetic purposes and to improve the health and appearance of their skin and hair.
Studies on individuals with dry skin show that coconut oil can improve the moisture and lipid content of the skin (22).
Coconut oil can also be very protective against hair damage and one study shows effectiveness as sunscreen, blocking about 20% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays (23, 24)
Another application is using it like mouthwash in a process called oil pulling, which can kill some of the harmful bacteria in the mouth, improve dental health and reduce bad breath (25, 26, 27).
Bottom Line: Coconut oil can be applied topically as well, studies showing it to be effective as a skin moisturizer and protecting against hair damage. It can also be used as a mild form of sunscreen and as mouthwash.

9. The Fatty Acids in Coconut Oil Can Boost Brain Function in Alzheimer’s Patients

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia worldwide and occurs primarily in elderly individuals.
In Alzheimer’s patients, there appears to be a reduced ability to use glucose for energy in certain parts of the brain.
Ketone bodies can supply energy for the brain and researchers have speculated that ketones can provide an alternative energy source for these malfunctioning cells and reduce symptoms of Alzheimer’s (28).
In one 2006 study, consumption of medium chain triglycerides lead to an immediate improvement in brain function in patients with milder forms of Alzheimer’s (29).
Other studies support these findings and medium chain triglycerides are being intensively studied as potential therapeutic agents in Alzheimer’s disease (30, 31).
Bottom Line: Studies show that the fatty acids in coconut oil can increase blood levels of ketone bodies, supplying energy for the brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients and relieving symptoms.

10. Coconut Oil Can Help You Lose Fat, Especially The Dangerous Fat in Your Abdominal Cavity

Given that coconut oil can reduce appetite and increase fat burning, it makes sense that it can also help you lose weight.
Coconut oil appears to be especially effective in reducing abdominal fat, which lodges in the abdominal cavity and around organs.
This is the most dangerous fat of all and is highly associated with many Western diseases.
Waist circumference is easily measured and is a great marker for the amount of fat in the abdominal cavity.
A study in 40 women with abdominal obesity, supplementing with 30 mL (1 ounce) of coconut oil per day lead to a significant reduction in both BMI and waist circumference in a period of 12 weeks (19).
Another study in 20 obese males noted a reduction in waist circumference of 2.86 cm (1.1 inches) after 4 weeks of 30 mL (1 ounce) of coconut oil per day (32).
This number may not seem too impressive on the surface, but be aware that these people aren’t adding exercise or restricting calories. They’re losing significant amounts of abdominal fat simply by adding coconut oil to their diet.

11. Anything Else?

If you want to enjoy the immense health benefits of coconut oil, then make sure to choose organic, virgin coconut oil… NOT the refined stuff.
This is really just the tip of the iceberg. People are using coconut oil for all sorts of things with incredible success.

Backyard Chickens: How to Design Your Chicken Run

http://www.goodshomedesign.com/backyard-chickens-how-to-design-your-chicken-run/

 

6 Steps To a More Self Reliant Lifestyle

One of the most important things that we, as human beings, have lost is the knowledge of how to be self reliant.  We have also lost the understanding of why it is so important to be self reliant and self sustaining.  We have grown so used to others providing us with everything we could possibly want, (as long as you have the money to pay for it) that we have no idea how to take care of ourselves.

Look at it this way; if you took the average city dwelling person and put him on a farm without access to any stores, how long do you think they would be able to live?  The sad fact is we have almost none of the skills required to take care of ourselves, even if someone plopped you down on a fully working and thriving farm.

The average person does not know how to: Plant or harvest food Butcher and prepare meat Take care of farm animals Prepare food from scratch Preserve food Make or mend clothing Repair a home and outbuildings

These are basics skills that our ancestors took for granted.  Things taught to children without even thinking about it.  Little by little, as time has passed, we have moved away from doing for ourselves to buying everything we need from other sources.  Almost 100% of people that live in the city that are under 60 have never killed an animal for food.  Most have never killed an animal for any reason short of vet administered euthanasia.  Almost as many have never made any of their own clothing.  Schools no longer even teach "home ec" as they used to.....how to cook and sew and such.  When did it become unnecessary to know how to do these things?

You may think that buying what you need is good, as long as you have stores and money.  This view is rather short sighted because it does not take into consideration one thing:  it is not self sustaining.  It also makes for a lifestyle that is centers on reliance on others instead of self reliance.  This is dangerous on a few levels, the biggest being what would happen if all those convenient stores were to suddenly shut down?  Most city dwellers would be unable to keep themselves alive.

Is this the legacy you want to leave your children?

Living a self sustaining and self reliant lifestyle is not something you can just suddenly start doing.  Most of us do not have the skills necessary to live, even partially, without the convenience of stores to provide for our needs.  If you want to change your life in the direction of self reliance, you must do so purposefully and with a plan.  When I realized this, I sat down and wrote these 6 steps to start living in a more self sustaining and self reliant way.

1.  Limit Buying Things New - When buying something, ask yourself "Do I need a new _________ or can I buy it used?  Buying things used not only cuts down on the energy spent manufacturing, shipping and handling new items, it is also cheaper and it helps out the person you are purchasing it from.

2.  Reduce the Waste That We Create - This is especially important if the waste is plastic.  Avoid buying items that are packaged in plastic.  Try to avoid items that are encased in styrofoam.  You can accomplish this in the grocery store by buying organic and by making sure that you always bring your own reusable bags.

3.  Limit or Cut Out Processed Foods - This is good for you as well as the environment.  Processed foods like chips, crackers and single serving type foods are almost always in plastic containers and are high in salt, sugar, fat and calories.  Reducing the amount of these unhealthy foods is not only good for you, it is good for the environment, just that much less plastic in landfills or thrown in the ocean.  Make it a habit to shop at local farmers markets or to buy from local roadside stands.  This benefits everyone, and you can bet there will be a lot less pesticides on what you buy.

4.  Try to Re-Purpose Everything at Least Once Before You Toss or Recycle It - Cut down that shoe box and use it as a drawer organizer.  Poke holes in the bottom of that coffee can and use it as a planter.  Save the glass jars that mayonnaise and salad dressing come in and make your own to re-fill them.  Paint that table instead of throwing it away.  For every item that you re-purpose, you are saving money and helping the environment.

5.  Learn to Cook From Scratch and Don't Waste Food - The items you cook will be much healthier with less additives and preservatives.  Any food left over should be reworked into the meals of the next day, so the food will not be wasted.  You will save a lot of money by eating at home instead of going out to eat and also by cooking food instead of buying the more expensive and plastic encased preprocessed food.

And Most Important is .......

6.  Learn to Do Things Yourself - This covers everything in your life from learning out to sew on a button, to painting your own house.  Learn new skills that will make you less reliant on others to get things done.  Home improvement stores regularly have free classes, so go to some!  If you learn how to do something for yourself, that is something no one can ever take away from  you.  One of the best things you can do with any new skill that you learn is to teach it to someone else!

Converting your lifestyle from that of a consumer to something more self sustaining cannot be done overnight.  It takes a plan and a concentrated effort.  A more thoughtful way of living is essential.  Instead of just numbly working and buying, working and buying, you must think about the things you do and how best to do them so that you can depend less on others and more on yourself.

5 Homestead Probiotics You Can Make at Home!

Making Your Own Low Cost Probiotics

Well the science is in folks, and has been for some time! Probiotics are essential to maintaining a healthy gut, and a strong immune system. A properly functioning digestive system is the key to good health. You can grow, purchase, and eat all of the organic, mineral dense, beyond awesome food you want, but if you are not digesting and absorbing those nutrients then it is all for naught.
The same can be said for all of the fancy vitamin supplements, and even many of the probiotic supplements that are out there. There’s an old saying that goes something like: “garbage in, garbage out.” Anyway, there’s good news. You can grow your own probiotic nutritional supplements right in your homestead kitchen, or barn, or hallway closet… The point is you can be in control of your health and not have to depend on high dollar supplements grown in some lab someplace hundreds of miles away!

The Top 5 Probiotic Foods on Our Homestead

I put together a list of the top five probiotic-rich foods that we are currently or have in the past made and consumed here on the Traditional Catholic Homestead (www.traditionalcatholichomestead.com):

#1 – Kefir: We make both dairy and water kefir at home. It’s super simple, and easy to keep the process going perpetually. We usually go through about a gallon and a half of kefir per week in our household.

#2 – Kombucha: Another super simple and easily propagated probiotic beverage. The Traditional Catholic Homestead family consumes anywhere from 3 to 6 gallons of continuously brewed kombucha per week. Here’s how we brew ours: Brewing Kombucha. I really like experimenting with different herbs and teas in our brews. I’ve even heard of someone making Mountain Dew-flavored kombucha (though I wouldn’t recommend it)!

Note: Kefir grains and kombucha SCOBY will grow and reproduce so you can propagate the cultures and give away or sell the surplus.

#3 – Sauerkraut: The old homestead standby! There are a million different recipes for fermented kraut that you can make at home. As long as you don’t can the finished product it will be a probiotic-rich powerhouse. The beauty of sauerkraut is that it doesn’t require any fancy inoculants or cultures to get going. A true kraut is like a sourdough bread starter… made from wild cultures that occur all around us! Other than cabbage (or seed), no start up costs! 

#4 – Other Fermented Veggies: The same process and bacteria used to make sauerkraut can be used to ferment any number of other veggies. Just use what you like or what you have in abundance. We’ve fermented carrot sticks, salsa, shredded beets with carrots, garlic… you name it. The possibilities are literally limited by your imagination and tastes!

#5 – Homebrew!!! Most people wouldn’t think of homemade beer, hard ciders, mead, or wine as a probiotic food, but if you think about it, they are. Any of your homebrews will have living yeasts present throughout the beverage (as long as you don’t pasteurize it, but who does that, right!). I know there is a big push in some circles to eliminate yeast from our diets, but they are an essential part of our digestive process. They just need to be kept in balance. Plus, homebrew is awesome!!!

Honorable mention goes to homemade vinegars. These are the living vinegars with the “mother” culture still in them. We haven’t made any yet, so I didn’t include them in this list, but homemade apple cider vinegar is coming soon to the repertoire of fermented foods on The Traditional Catholic Homestead.

Why every prepper needs a reserve of raw, natural honey

Honey is one of nature's most amazing gifts. It's a substance which offers dozens of useful and health-boosting properties aside from its wonderful, sweet flavor. All serious preppers should make sure to obtain a sizable quantity of raw, natural honey to add to their survival stockpiles.

It's one of the few foods that has an unlimited shelf life; honey will never go bad due to its antibacterial properties, which are also part of what makes it so healthy. Considering its versatility in the kitchen, along with its medicinal value, honey is likely to prove to be an extremely valuable commodity to have on hand during a long-term survival situation.

One of the key things to remember when obtaining a quantity of honey is to make sure it is natural and unpasteurized. Most of the honey you'll see on the shelf at the grocery store has been pasteurized, which robs it of many of its healthful properties.

"Commercial honey has also had most of the pollen removed. Bee pollen is considered to be one of the most nutritionally-complete foods available because of its high amino acid and antioxidant content. Most commercial honey sold in stores is heated to high temperatures and pasteurized, getting rid of most of the beneficial enzymes, antioxidants and other nutrients that are heat-sensitive," reports All Self Sustained on its website.

Beware of commercial honey

Much of the honey on the commercial market – as much as 76 percent, according to one independent researcher – has been ultra-filtered and contains no pollen at all.

This pseudo-honey is not only devoid of any healthful properties, but it may also contain pesticides, along with other toxins.

As reported by Canada's The Organic Prepper:

"Ultrafiltering removes the pollen so that the source of the honey cannot be determined. Providers of cheap honey do this so that consumers cannot discover the origin. Often the cheap honey is tainted with pesticides, illegal antibiotics, and heavy metals. Some of the cheap honey is watered down with High Fructose Corn Syrup. Much of the questionable honey originates in China."

The best way to obtain raw honey is to find a local supplier that you can trust. Buy your honey directly from a beekeeper if possible, or from a farmer's market.

Health and nutritional benefits of raw, unfiltered honey

Honey is considered to be "one of the most healing substances on earth." It's been used for thousands of years to treat a wide range of ailments and conditions, both internal and external. It has antiviral, anti-fungal and antibacterial properties.

Among the myriad uses and benefits of honey:

Topical applications: Use honey on wounds, sunburn, rashes, acne or for almost any skin problem. Honey promotes fast healing and helps prevent scarring.

Internal health: Honey is useful in fighting sore throats, allergies, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, indigestion and more. It also promotes a healthy immune system.

Nutritional value: A true superfood, honey contains numerous vitamins and minerals. It's also an antioxidant and a great source of concentrated energy.

As with many natural remedies, health-promoting honey has been replaced by a range of other products and medicines that provide only questionable effectiveness.

And honey itself has been stripped of its healthy benefits through filtering and pasteurization. It's almost as if someone doesn't want us to have access to natural remedies that boost health and prevent disease.

The pharmaceutical industry doesn't make any profits from natural remedies, so perhaps it's no surprise that raw, unfiltered honey has become a scarce commodity.

At any rate, it is still possible to obtain the real thing and I recommend that everyone should do so. Natural honey offers an impressive number of valuable benefits – not only for survival in a SHTF scenario, but in everyday life as well.

Avoid being victimized by martial law with these helpful preparedness tips

 (NaturalNews) The concept of martial law is one that is often confusing. The textbook definition is a rule of law imposed by the highest-ranking military officer, either as a military governor or as the leader of the nation, in place of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. But many people think that, for our country, martial law occurs when the president, as commander-in-chief, declares him- or herself to be in charge completely, a declaration that would come with the suspension of most, if not all, constitutional rights.

Martial law has actually been implemented in the U.S. in the past. During the Civil War, President Lincoln not only suspended habeas corpus, but also appointed generals to head up military districts in some states – moves that the U.S. Supreme Court eventually approved due to the national emergency created by the conflict.

Some think that martial law is once again imminent. In fact, some Americans believe that President Obama, not satisified with leaving office in 2016, may use the occasion of a national emergency – say, due to terrorism – as the impetus, which would lead to a suspension of elections and the Constitution.

Would Congress allow that? That depends; if some candidate who is well outside the political establishment – like a Donald Trump – looks set to win the election, it's very possible this Congress, which has given Obama everything he wants, would simply go along with whatever he wanted to do.

That said, if martial law were to occur, it will become vital for Americans to learn how to navigate a dramatically changed social situation. And, as noted at Prepper Fortress, if that's our fate, the government – using cyber means, covert operations and other measures – is already putting the pieces in place to deal with the expected chaos.

Here are 10 ways to avoid becoming ensnared in the martial law net:

-- 1. Run early and often: At the first declaration of martial law, run, don't walk to the countryside, preferably a pre-determined "bugout" location that you have already scoped out and stocked with supplies. Make sure to bring a radio – solar- or crank-powered (or both) so you don't have to worry about an electrical source – to monitor the situation and to receive intelligence and updates about what's going on. From there you can plan your next move.

-- 2. Hide and seek: The government will likely be scouring the countryside for stragglers, so the best thing you can do to avoid satellite surveillance, being spotted by a drone or being rolled up on by a government agent or soldier is to remain out-of-sight. Camouflage is your friend, but cannot hide your heat signature; only earth can do that. Caves are great bugout hideaways, and so are underground basements. Stay off hilltops so you don't silhouette yourself and be prepared to low-crawl and move slowly if there are people in the area. Avoid trails.

-- 3. Be difficult: That is, be difficult to track or anticipate. If you're heading into a wooded area, take the most difficult, but still passable, option, unless you're actively being pursued. It'll take you longer to get where you're going but you'll be increasing your odds that you won't be found.

-- 4. Cover your tracks: Chances are you won't be followed by a trained tracker, but some signs are not hard to spot, such as footprints in moist soil, broken branches and flattened grass. If you make tracks try to cover them as best you can. And police up your trash so you leave nothing behind.

-- 5. Fool them: Take and leave false trails. Start on one side of the road, but then double back down the road and cross over, heading to your predetermined location.

-- 6. Essentials only: Just take only what you need to survive for at least 72 hours. That will lighten your load and make it easier to escape.

-- 7. Silence is golden: Don't tell anyone you meet what your plans are, where you're going or who you are. You won't know who you can trust (which means you shouldn't trust anyone).

-- 8. Don't fear the dogs: Some government officials may use tracking dogs to round up people, but they won't be widespread.

-- 9. Go, then go some more: Don't ever think you've put "enough" distance between yourself and the authorities. If you need to spend extra days bugging out, then do so. And don't ever relax.

-- 10. Teach your kids: They will have trouble understanding what is going on if you don't tell your kids beforehand that someday you all may need to leave your home and seek refuge. Also, teach them the survival skills that you will be learning.

 

Huge Scientific Discovery: Coconut Oil Kills 93% Colon Cancer Cells In Just Two Days (Videos)??

http://beforeitsnews.com/health/2016/01/huge-scientific-discovery-coconut-oil-kills-93-colon-cancer-cells-in-just-two-days-video-2606608.html

 

Meet This Third-Generation Farmer Who Converted His 1,400 Acres to Growing Organic Food

http://ecowatch.com/2015/12/27/klaas-martens-organic-farm/

 

This is Incredible! The Self Watering Grow Bag Grow System! 

Grow bags are made of breathable fabric which means superior drainage and aeration. It is the aeration that makes them superior to other garden containers. If a container has no aeration and the roots reach the walls of the container, they give a signal to the plant to make more roots, resulting in a root bound plant. Eventually the plant just kills itself with a mass of roots going round and round in the container. 

Don’t wait until food becomes scarce; start preparing for the future now by becoming as self-reliant as possible. Your long-term chances of survival could very well depend on your ability to feed yourself and your family without relying on someone else.

Soil for grow bags

Soil is the heart of any container gardening.  It is a great mixture for any gardening, also container gardening. The mix is 1/3 moss, 1/3 compost mixture (for example chicken manure, horse manure, and mushroom composts), and 1/3 vermiculite. This mix preserves moisture which is very important for grow bag gardening.

Watering grow bags

Watering  is always a challenge in container gardening. To much makes the plants sit in water, too little makes them dry out. It also depends on what the container is made of. Grow bags do dry out much faster than pots. The drainage and aeration of the grow bag leads to more frequent watering needs. Also it is difficult to really soak a grow bag, the water will come right out. Two things can be helpful.

Drip system

Install a drip system, so the grow bags get a constant moisture supply. We tried the bottle drip system. It did not do so well for us, even though many have great success with it. A pipe drip system would work well, too.

Self watering system

Have a container underneath the grow bag that you can fill with water so it can be wicked up. Any container would work, we got the idea from the  Kiddie pool grow system. But if the container is too deep, you will need an overflow. You want most of the roots to be in air.



Here a build box out of styrofoam, it is not very deep, so an overflow is not needed. It looks like a raised bed. In this we planted cucumbers. Cucumber like water a lot.(source)

 

Essential Skills: Learning What Not to Do…

One has to be living under a rock to not have heard about the tragic events that have unfolded in Oregon, vis a’ vis the Hammond Ranch court case,  the Bundy led occupation of a Wild Life Refuge ‘headquarters’ building, subsequent death of one of the leaders during a police stop, and continued ‘hold out’ by four people, who are currently either under arrest or about to be, depending on what the responding FBI, Oregon State, and Malheur County teams on site determine as the way to end the ‘occupation’.  The only hope concerned folks have is that the situation ends without any more fatalities.
An astute person may learn some of the many things ‘not‘ to do by examining the actions of the people who chose to protest in a way that has now cost them plenty with no return on that investment.  The internet and blogosphere is replete with actions taken and subsequent critique.  Our purpose here is not to ‘damn’ the people involved, but to try to learn from their situation.
No matter what your feelings are on the situation, the situation is a superb opportunity to see how various actions have worked for or against a small group of people when applied to the NPT operating scenario.
Here’s a list of just a few things you may want to consider for your NPT planning and training from a ‘lessons learned’ perspective from the Oregon situation against the day that SHTF when you’re suddenly faced with defending your NPA from lawless entities trying to take it from you.

1.  Failing to plan is planning to fail:  Old axiom, but true nevertheless.  Acting out of emotion with no ‘cold eye’ approach to contemplated actions or activity only plays into the hands of your opposing force.  End State Objective, Strategy, Planning, Execution, and Post Execution Actions all need to be logically dealt with and have all associated questions addressed.  If it doesn’t occur, prepare to have whatever was not addressed jump up and bite you in your ass.
2. Perception is reality:  If you allow yourself and your NPT to be perceived as ‘arm chair warriors’ who are known to repeat various meme’s while dressed as imitation soldiers (especially in situations where field gear isn’t necessary, like, say, when helping dig out your NPA after a serious storm) when a concealed pistol (with license) is appropriate for the defense of self and others, chances are than you won’t be well received and will be avoided by the people you’re trying to help.
3. Organization is imperative:  In any group from the local chapter of the Boy Scouts to our best ‘elite’ units in the US military and Tier 1 corporations, organizational structure is crucial.  Committees will fail.  Whomever draws the short straw and is designated as the ‘leader’ has an awfully difficult task ahead of them, and at many times, it’s ‘lonely at the top time,’ because the leader has to make hard decisions and then get the group to do what has been decided.  Leaders aren’t necessarily indispensable, either.  If your NPT leader goes ‘rogue’ or ‘high and right’, you can certainly, for cause, replace that leader with someone else.  Be judicious in how that occurs; ’cause’ is not defined as, ‘crass presentation or not liking the decisions’, rather, ’cause’ is something that can be quantified as being dangerous to the group or using his/her position for their own personal benefit.
4. Followers must follow with 100% dedication:  Not everyone can be ‘the man/woman.’  Some have to be subordinate leaders (if your NPT is large enough) and some have to be the workers.  If you have people on board your NPT who aren’t happy with where they are, and they’re performing where they need to be at, skill level wise, so long as they don’t cause problems, they should stick around.  If he, she, or they start causing issues by demonstrating dissension without cause, they need to be dealt with by either censure or expulsion.
5. Training is the cornerstone upon which actions will succeed or fail:  Whether it’s moving to a water source for resupply, communications checks, applying first aid, keeping a log of NPT actions during a SHTF situation, determining child care for NPT members in a training session, or gathering for a planned meeting, training (read that as being taught the most effective way to do a thing and then practicing it until it becomes muscle memory) trumps all else.  Training also may (and should) include constant study of topics relevant to the NPT vision/mission statement.  NPT leaders and members must become ‘professional students’ and constantly strive to increase their knowledge of all things NPT related, which, by the way, could include things such as food preservation, local community emergency response participation, neighborhood outreach programs, etc).

The Parmesan Cheese You Sprinkle on Your Penne Could Be Wood

Some brands promising 100 percent purity contained no Parmesan at all.

The cheese police are on the case.
Acting on a tip, agents of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration paid a surprise visit to a cheese factory in rural Pennsylvania on a cold November day in 2012.
They found what they were looking for: evidence that Castle Cheese Inc. was doctoring its 100 percent real parmesan with cut-rate substitutes and such fillers as wood pulp and distributing it to some of the country’s biggest grocery chains.
One might be tempted to think of this as a ripped-from-the-headlines episode of “NYPD Bleu,” except that the FDA wasn’t playing. Some grated Parmesan suppliers have been mislabeling products by filling them with too much cellulose, a common anti-clumping agent made from wood pulp, or using cheaper cheddar, instead of real Romano. Someone had to pay. Castle President Michelle Myrter is scheduled to plead guilty this month to criminal charges. She faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
German brewers protect their reputations with Reinheitsgebot, a series of purity laws first drawn up 500 years ago, and Champagne makers prohibit most vineyards outside their turf from using the name. Now the full force of the U.S. government has been brought to bear defending the authenticity of grated hard Italian cheeses. Which is good news for Neal Schuman.
For years, Schuman has been a one-man Reinheitsgebot, insisting that the fragrant granules Americans sprinkle on their pizza and penne ought to be the real thing; if not, the label should say so.
The stakes are 100 percent real for him. Schuman’s Fairfield, New Jersey-based company, Arthur Schuman Inc., is the biggest seller of hard Italian cheeses in the U.S., with 33 percent of the domestic market. He estimates that 20 percent of U.S. production — worth $375 million in sales — is mislabeled.
“The tipping point was grated cheese, where less than 40 percent of the product was actually a cheese product,” Schuman said. “Consumers are innocent, and they’re not getting what they bargained for. And that’s just wrong.”
How serious is the problem? Bloomberg News had store-bought grated cheese tested for wood-pulp content by an independent laboratory.
Cellulose is a safe additive, and an acceptable level is 2 percent to 4 percent, according to Dean Sommer, a cheese technologist at the Center for Dairy Research in Madison, Wisconsin. Essential Everyday 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, from Jewel-Osco, was 8.8 percent cellulose, while Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Great Value 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese registered 7.8 percent, according to test results. Whole Foods 365 brand didn’t list cellulose as an ingredient on the label, but still tested at 0.3 percent. Kraft had 3.8 percent.
“We remain committed to the quality of our products,” Michael Mullen, a Kraft Heinz Co. spokesman, said in an e-mail. John Forrest Ales, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said he questioned the reliability of testing a single sample and that Wal-Mart’s “compliance team is looking into these findings.”
Jewel-Osco is also investigating, spokeswoman Mary Frances Trucco said in an e-mail. “We pride ourselves on the quality of products we deliver for our customers,” Trucco said.
“We strongly believe that there is no cellulose present,” Blaire Kniffin, a Whole Foods Market Inc. spokeswoman, said in an e-mail, adding that it could have been a false positive. “But we are investigating this matter.”
According to the FDA’s report on Castle, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, “no parmesan cheese was used to manufacture” the Market Pantry brand 100% grated Parmesan Cheese, sold at Target Corp. stores, and Always Save Grated Parmesan Cheese and Best Choice 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, sold by Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc., which along with its subsidiaries supplies 3,400 retail stores in 30 states. Instead, there was a mixture of Swiss, mozzarella, white cheddar and cellulose, according to the FDA.
Castle has never been an authorized Target vendor, according to Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder. “We are investigating the information provided in the report,” she said in an e-mail. Jeff Pedersen, an executive vice president of Associated Wholesale Grocers, had no comment.
DairiConcepts, a Springfield, Missouri-based cheese maker that’s a subsidiary of Dairy Farmers of America, said on its website that in a test of 28 brands, only one-third of label claims about protein levels in grated parmesan were accurate. The company blamed fillers such as cellulose.
Until recently, there was little incentive to follow labeling rules. Criminal cases are rare. That’s because the FDA, which enforces the country’s food laws, prioritizes health hazards, said John Spink, director of the Food Fraud Initiative at Michigan State University. But civil lawsuits abound. A Jan. 29 complaint accuses McDonald’s Corp. of selling pure mozzarella sticks that contain starch, considered a filler, a claim the company denies.
 

Cheese makers commit adulteration because it saves money.
Marty Wilson, chief executive officer of New York-based Sugar Foods, which buys cheese from Schuman and supplies major pizza chains with to-go packets of parmesan, said whenever his contracts come up for renewal, competitors peddling ersatz cheeses surface. And he has lost business to them. “We’re constantly battling cheap imitators across all of our product lines,” Wilson said.
Bob Greco of Cheese Merchants of America said competitors hawking bastardized products have underbid him by as much as 30 percent. “The bad guys win and the rule-followers lose,” Greco said.
The FDA regulates what can legally be called Parmesan or Romano according to standards established in the 1950s to ensure that manufacturers wouldn’t sell cheeses wildly different in composition.
Americans love their hard Italian cheeses. Last year, U.S. Parmesan output rose 11 percent from 2014 to around 336 million pounds, while Romano production grew 20 percent, to 54 million pounds, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Italian producers, however, aren’t loving it as much. The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, a trade group based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, asked the European Union in December to protect its manufacturers against U.S. companies that were using the names of their cheeses and Italian flags on their packaging. “A deceit” is how the organization’s president, Giuseppe Alai, characterized Americans’ use of Italian names and symbols.
Of all the popular cheeses in the U.S., the hard Italian varieties are the most likely to have fillers because of their expense. Parmesan wheels sit in curing rooms for months, losing moisture, which results in a smaller yield than other cheeses offer. While 100 pounds of milk might produce 10 pounds of cheddar, it makes only eight pounds of Parmesan. That two-pound difference means millions of dollars to manufacturers, according to Sommer.
Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania-based Castle produced mainly imitation cheeses for nearly 30 years. The company, whose factory was adorned with crenelated battlements and curved archways to look like a medieval castle, had $19 million in sales in 2013.
The trouble started in 2010 when it began making what it called 100 percent grated Parmesan. A plant manager designed flawed recipes, and after Castle fired him in 2012, he alerted the FDA, the company said in a December 2012 letter to the agency, obtained through the FOIA.
The FDA accused Castle Cheese of marketing as real grated Parmesan what was in fact a mixture of imitation cheese and trimmings of Swiss, white cheddar, Havarti and mozzarella. After the probe, Castle stopped production of the problematic cheeses and dumped inventories. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2014.
A lawyer for Michelle Myrter and Castle Cheese didn’t respond to requests for comment. In the 2012 letter to the FDA, Castle said there was inadequate documentation, and the FDA could note only the potential that the products weren’t 100 percent pure.
Lauren E. Sucher, an FDA spokeswoman, said the agency couldn’t comment on pending legal cases. “The FDA takes economic fraud very seriously,” she said in an e-mail.
The FDA’s investigation may be the spark that changes things, said John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.
“The industry wants to be known for a wholesome, safe, honest product — it’s what’s kept the industry growing for 100 years,” he said. “The wholesomeness of dairy products is a treasured part of our story.”

Medicinal clay used by Native Americans shown to be more effective than overused antibiotics

(NaturalNews) For thousands of years, indigenous people throughout the world have used clay for and dirt for their powerful health benefits. Even animals are drawn to clay, especially in the form of mud. Whenever they are wounded, animals instinctively lick the mud and roll in it to obtain relief. They also tend to ingest it if they have recently ingested a toxic substance.

In our times, bentonite clay has made a name for itself as a perfect detoxifying agent with a handful of impressive health benefits. Even more recently, a type of naturally-occurring clay found in Kisameet Bay, British Columbia, and used by the Heiltsuk Nation has demonstrated antibacterial activity more potent than that of modern-day antibiotics.

The Heiltsuk Nation have used it for thousands of years

Today, the Heiltsuk Nation can be found in the communities of Bella Bella and Klemtu, on the Central Coast of modern-day British Columbia. The indigenous inhabitants that form the Heiltsuk or Bella Bella culture are descendants of a few tribal groups that settled in the area during the 19th century, while their older ancestors called British Columbia their home as early as 7190 BC.

With a notorious reputation for their artistic and fighting skills, as well as for their spiritual depth and the complexity of their rituals, the Heiltsuk discovered the grey-green clay known as kisolite thousands of years ago. Ever since, they've used it to cure ulcerative colitis, arthritis, neuritis, phlebitis, skin irritations and burns. Although the European occupation of the Americas brought new diseases to the indigenous tribes and drastically reduced their numbers, the Bella Bella's knowledge of natural medicine has survived the ages and found a place in modern times.

Their clay is more powerful than antibiotics

When researchers from the University of British Columbia discovered the potential antibacterial uses of Kisolite, alternative medicine demonstrated its potency once again. The in vitro tests conducted by UBC microbiologist Julian Davies and Shekooh Behroozian indicated that, when suspended in water, the naturally occurring clay can kill 16 strains of "ESKAPE" bacteria, which "cause the majority of US hospital infections and effectively "escape" the effects of antibacterial drugs," according to a research paper published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

In other words, this ancient clay could be a natural cure for some bacteria that escape the effect of antibiotics and are therefore potentially deadly. At this time, infections caused by ESKAPE strains of bacteria cannot be cured by modern medicine and significantly contribute to the rate of mortality in hospitals. Researchers hope to study the newly identified type of clay and turn it into an effective weapon against multi-drug-resistant pathogens.

It's about time, too!

Ever since 1928 and the discovery of penicillin, antibiotics have helped billions of people fight infections and therefore live longer, apparently healthier lives. However, as soon as we began to cure disease using antibiotics, we became too reliant on their help. The more we used them, the more resistant bacteria became. Now, treating an infection can be a serious challenge.

What's worse, we did not use antibiotics only in the treatment of human infections. Instead, we started feeding them to animals that were bred in improper conditions in order to avoid disease and increase profits. This led to the emergence of a series of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can be transmitted to any human eating infected meat. According to the Environmental Working Group, most of the ground beef and ground turkey sold across the United States contains this type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

What happens next is that when we get sick, we can no longer be treated with antibiotics. This is why it is so important to avoid the use of antibiotics and develop natural cures to our illnesses. Given our situation, the clay recently discovered in Kisameet Bay is a support-worthy effort in the right direction.

Cold feet & hands? How to solve the problem of poor blood circulation

 People from all ages can experience circulation problems, and although poor circulation affects the entire blood flow, it usually first manifests in the extremities.

In most cases, poor circulation comes as a result of weakened blood vessels and too much sitting. It may not signify that you are having some serious health issues, but it definitely is a warning sign that you must change something in your lifestyle.

Comment: Sitting for too long can do harm to your body

First, you need to increase your physical activity, but if you do not have enough time and energy to exercise regularly, the following pieces of advice will be of extremely benefit:

Garlic

Garlic is an amazing vegetable with an endless list of health benefits. It improves blood circulation, reduces blood pressure and prevents blood platelet accumulation. A study study published in The Journal of Nutrition in 2006 found that garlic is extremely beneficial for cardiovascular health. Moreover, it prevents the formation of plaque buildup in the arteries thus reducing the risk of atherosclerosis.

Water

Adequate water intake is essential for proper body function. It hydrates your entire body, stimulates digestion, and improves nutrient supply to the cells. Water also alleviates elimination. If you've been working out, you may need to increase your regular water intake. According to nutritionists, an adult should drink between 1.5 and 2 liters of water a day.

Ginger

Ginger is a common kitchen ingredient which is highly beneficial for stimulating blood circulation. The regular consumption of ginger prevents the formation of blood clots in the body, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. This remarkable root contains gingerols and zingerone, which have a warming effect on the body, and consequently improves blood circulation.

Cayenne pepper

Cayenne pepper contains an active ingredient called capsaicin, which stimulates blood flow throughout your body and organs. Capsaicin also strengthens the walls of your arteries and capillaries. In addition, it alleviates symptoms linked to poor blood circulation, such as pain, headaches, cold feet and tingling sensations in the legs.

Essential ginger, cinnamon and rosemary oil

Essential oils expand the capillaries and in that way they alleviate blood flow to the surface of the skin. The oil has a thermogenic effect on your body. However, note that you should read the instructions on the bottle before you start using the oils for massage.

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba is extremely efficient in improving blood flow through capillaries, especially in the brain, which makes it an amazing brain enhancer. It is in fact a counter you can buy in the form of capsules or pills.

Fish oil

Fish oil is another healthy and natural way to solve your circulation problems. It can be of great help as it removes fat deposits off the arterial walls, which leads to proper blood circulation. Furthermore, fish oil raises HDL or good cholesterol in the body. You can consume it by eating fish once a week, or you can take dietary supplements.

Horse chestnut

Horse chestnut is a popular herb due to its numerous health benefits. However, it is particularly effective in the case of poor blood circulation. Namely, the active ingredients it contains, aescin or escin, reduce inflammation and strengthen the capillary walls. 

6 Old Time Forgotten Survival Skills Your Great Grandparents Used Everyday

 http://beforeitsnews.com/self-sufficiency/2016/01/6-old-time-forgotten-survival-skills-your-great-grandparents-used-everyday-2499534.html

Water Purification Tips Everyone Needs to Know

Water purification is important whether you’re planning a family camping trip or your municipal water supply to your house has been tainted. Understanding how to properly and safely purify drinking water is an essential life skill. Tainted drinking water can carry bacteria and microorganisms that can make you suffer terribly. Some of these contaminants cause diarrhea and vomiting, which will only serve to dehydrate you. Here are some tips to keep in mind when purifying water.

Boiling Water for Drinking
It’s important to note that boiling water does not purify it, it sterilizes it. If there is silt, sand or other particulates in the water, they will remain after boiling. However, sterilizing the water will kill microorganisms and bacteria, making the water safe if not tasty and clear. For elevations under 2000 meters, bring the water to a high, rolling boil for one full minute. At higher elevations, three minutes is recommended. The method of boiling, whether via home stove or campfire, has no effect on boiling time.

Household Bleach as a Sterilizer
From the time we’re babies, we are conditioned to think that household bleach is deadly poison that should never pass our lips. As a general rule, this is true. Drinking undiluted bleach can be deadly or, at the very least, leave you with nasty chemical burns. However, household bleach can be used to make tainted water safe for drinking. The difference lies in the quantity used. Just eight drops of unscented household bleach in a gallon of water is all you need. Shake it up, wait ten minutes and you can drink it without concern. Never use bleaches scented for laundry use, such as lemon scent or lavender, as this can make you quite sick. Store a small bottle of unscented household bleach with your emergency supplies so you can make drinking water and cook emergency food with confidence.

Store-Bought Purification Filters
If you are planning to go camping or hiking, a store-bought purification filter is an excellent choice. They are available in small and large varieties for different purposes. Some are tiny enough to be snapped onto a water bottle while others are large enough to purify gallons upon gallons of water for a large campfire meal for the whole family. Filters do what boiling and bleach can’t; they remove particulates as well as bacteria and microorganisms. You will need to be comfortable with using the filter, back-flushing it and changing out the filter components before leaving for your trip. Once you have the skill to use it, a water purification filter is quick and easy. Make sure you carry a backup method of purifying water, in case your filter breaks or is lost. You don’t want to rely on just one method for a long trip.

Avoiding Re-contamination

One of the worst mistakes people make when purifying water is re-contamination. As you’re processing your water, keep in mind what containers are contaminated and which are not. For example, don’t collect water from a stream with a bottle, boil the water and then pour it back into the dirty bottle. Don’t dump purified water into a contaminated vessel, it will completely negate all your work. Before you pour purified water, ask yourself if the receiving vessel is clean. This will soon become second nature to you, but it’s an important habit to form.
Learning to purify drinking water is a skill you may be called on to use at some point in your life, and you don’t want to be caught unprepared. By keeping these tips in mind, you will be able to sterilize or purify drinking water for yourself and your family in an emergency or out in the wilderness.

Hardcore Survival: What To Wear in the Harshest Conditions

This article is going to give you some pointers on dressing for the winter weather to maximize your heat, minimize your moisture, and to enable you to be ready if the SHTF.  The article’s title holds the word “tactical,” and in this New Year I feel it is important to make this emphasis to you:

Every situation is either tactical or has the potential to become tactical in the blink of an eye.

Needs and Capabilities

Your needs and capabilities in this regard are going to vary in accordance with where you live (geographical/climate locale), and what you do during the course of the day.  Some may have an easier time with this, as they may be employed where they can wear what they want…few and far in-between as this may seem.  Others must wear a uniform or a suit and tie/business apparel.  No matter.  The first group (to paraphrase the band “Nirvana”) can “come as you are…as I want you to be.”  The second group will have to rely on the telephone booth akin to Clark Kent as he did when he “changed” into Superman.

Footwear

Footwear is as varied as the imagination.  I prefer military footwear and wear it all the time.  I have a pair of desert winter boots with Vibram soles that I switch up with a pair of Rocky Gore-Tex issue boots.  The majority of the time these days, I have a good pair of rubberized boots with leather instep, Kamin waterproofs, a necessity here in Montana where it snows about every day.  With socks, I like a thin pair of cotton, covered over with a thick pair of wool.  The cotton absorbs the moisture from your foot, and the wool wicks it away.

Essential Layers

I layer with long johns, a decent synthetic type by Russell, and over these I wear nylon jogging-type/sports pants with a thin cotton underlining.  They lock in the heat and they do breathe.  Over this are the pants, and as I mentioned in previous articles, only cargo pants will do for me, my preference being Riggs by Wrangler.  This triple layer keeps layers of air circulating between them and also insulates me thoroughly from the cold.  Here it has been about 20 degrees F during the day, and 0 – 7 degrees F at night.
Topside I wear a cotton t-shirt with a synthetic/polypro long sleeve undershirt.  If you can find shirts with wicking ability, it can help your body maintain your core body temperature. Over this I have a sweatshirt with hood, and I wear an Army issue uniform top: they’re durable, and I like the newer generation tops because of the amount of pockets.  Over this I throw a nice Marmot Gore-Tex jacket, and then it’s just my gloves and a hat. Remember, folks: wearing a hat will keep warm heat from escaping on your head. This is very important! When I’m all suited up, JJ’s ready to go!

The Doctrine of Contrasting Colors

You all know about the importance of layering, and now let’s cover a few things from a tactical perspective: the doctrine of contrasting colors.
What if “big daddy government” morphs into that totalitarian state we can all foresee and dread?  You are on the run.  Here’s the principle: they’re looking for a guy with a red jacket, and he disappears into a public restroom.  As people come out, there is nobody with a red jacket, but you went right by them…because you stripped off your top layer, discarded it (hopefully you can recover it!), and emerged in a gray sweat top.  The key here is to be able to alter your appearance and “change up” on the target they are looking for…and expecting.  The mind and eyes tend to focus on a target and keep it in mind.  This is our honing instinct, and it is as old as mankind.
If you’re wearing tan khaki cargoes and a red jacket (does that classify you as a SF ’49er fan?), how much better if you emerge wearing black nylon sweats and a gray sweatshirt?  The colors must contrast; that is, bear a marked difference to one another in the combination you’re wearing them both before you’re followed and after you give them the slip.
Now I’m sure a lot are going to comment that it “doesn’t matter with infrared,” and “you can’t avoid the cameras.”  No, actually, it does matter.  The goons that are on the ground do not have all of that equipment in their hands and right in front of them.  Not yet.  There’s a disconnect between what Stanley the Tech-guy is reporting to him in his ear and what he sees on the ground.
In addition, you want to wear hats and gloves, maybe a good scarf or a balaclava to keep warm and also to break up your outline that gives a signature.  I want to put in a word about the Gore-Tex.  It is the best thing since sliced bread in my opinion.  I wear the civilian Gore-Tex jacket so as not to be so obsequious, although here in Montana camouflage is a year-round sight and in some areas can be easily confused with evening formal wear.
The important tactical consideration here with the Gore-Tex is that you want to stay warm and dry, and a fire may be “inconvenient” for you until the initial fervor of the disaster passes.  A good acid test is to dress in the manner I outlined and then lay in the snow for about 15 minutes with no ground pad or insulation between you and the snow.  If you can say you’re still warm even after 15 minutes, then you may have found a winning combination for yourself.  Layers also help enable your skin to breathe and to reduce heat that could potentially be trapped and elevate your temperature too high.
The cargo pants and Army top help you with the pockets to store things that are essential to you…small tools, fire starting equipment, and the like.  You want your ensemble to be as rugged and durable as it can be.  When it hits the fan, you don’t know when you’re going to have a change of clothing.  You’ll start it out “as is,” so to speak: what you’re carrying and wearing is what you’ll have, at least initially.  Remember: when you have to hide, a lot of times you’ll be hunkered down or in the prone.  You have to keep warm, dry, and insulated, especially if you must lay on the ground.
So whatever your environment, dress accordingly for that environment.  Remember this doctrine of contrasting colors, and choose your garments for their utilitarian functions rather than for style or appearance.  Take the time to consider any physical limitations and plan your wardrobe accordingly.  Always take the time to assess the situations in the news and what is happening around you, and be ready to do the Clark Kent to Superman change as soon as the balloon goes up and you have determined it’s genuine.  Have a great day, Guys and Gals, be prepared, and stay warmly-dressed, and “frosty” in your mind!  God bless! 

This One Fruit Kills Malignant Cells of 12 Different Types of Cancer

What would you do if you found out that the extract from a single fruit could keep the rogue cells of 12 different types of cancer in check?

Mainstream media reports that the fruit known as graviola, also known as soursop fruit, guanabana, or guyabano, is not a noteworthy cancer-fighter, but there are studies showing it effectively fights ovarian, colon, breast, prostate, lung, liver, cervical, lymphoma, and pancreatic cancers.

For pancreatic cancer, graviola was shown to be effective at “inhibiting tumorigenicity,” as well as “altering pancreatic tumor cell metabolism,” found one pathologist at the University of Nebraska.

Laboratory research also showed it to be 10,000 times stronger in killing colon cancer cells than Adriamycin, a commonly used chemotherapy drug. And Graviola, unlike chemotherapy, can kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells.

What about cervical cancer? Soursop was beneficial in treating this cancer, too, as evidenced in this scientific journal.
Yet another study showed that graviola extract inhibited breast cancer cell growth:

“These data showed that dietary GFE induced significant growth inhibition of MDA-MB-468 cells in vitro and in vivo through a mechanism involving the EGFR/ERK signaling pathway, suggesting that GFE may have a protective effect for women against EGFR-overexpressing BC.”

And there are indeed more studies. Graviola contains potent anticancerous agents called acetogenins which play a key role towards many varieties of cancer. Acetogenins are potent inhibitors of NADH oxidase of the plasma membranes of cancer cells.

Graviola also contains phytochemicals such as Anonaine, Friedelin, Isolaureline, Annonamine, Anomurine, Kaempferol, Asimilobine, Quercetin, and Xylopine well as compounds such as Annonamine, and Kaempferol.

The Spice That Prevents Fluoride From Destroying Your Brain

 http://beforeitsnews.com/blogging-citizen-journalism/2016/01/the-spice-that-prevents-fluoride-from-destroying-your-brain-2527972.html

 

GMOs used as gene-altering superweapons could make humanity extinct

 (NaturalNews) The future of weaponry won't necessarily involve higher capacity firearms, more advanced bombs or better fighter jets. It will encompass an entirely new realm of genetically-modified (GM) bioweapons that threaten to destroy the human brain and cause irreversible genetic-level damage to the planet.

This is the prediction of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations, which recently issued a warning about the threat of geophysical and genetic weapons that it says will have the capacity to intercept virtually all levels of life, from microscopic atoms to large-scale systems. A combination of energy, electromagnetic, radiological, geophysical and even genetic weapons will have the capacity to literally change the way people think, which is a much more powerful weapon than simply trying to kill them.

At the geophysical level, such weapons will have the ability to alter weather patterns, which we are already seeing in the form of geoengineering and "chemtrails." Geophysical weapons will also have the ability to both create and redirect major weather events like hurricanes and earthquakes, which many have long speculated about considering the government's controversial "HAARP" program (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program).

According to reports, these weapons of the future will disrupt not only economic activities like human movement and commerce, but also human bodily function. Assuming everything goes as planned, future weapons systems will have the capacity to literally alter human DNA, invoking genetic mutations that ultimately lead to chronic disease and death.

"According to the Emergency Situations Ministry, this [future weapons systems] will allow an attacker to interrupt a victim's entire control of the economy and administrative functions, as well as cause irreversible long-term destruction of territories and populations living in these territories," reports Sputnik News.

After shunning GMO foods, Russia shifts focus to GMO weapons

Russia, in particular, is concerned about its more than 4,500 "critically important" objects, many of which are located in major population centers. It sees future GMO weaponry as a threat to its long-term viability, and is in the process of developing combative technologies to protect itself against a possible attack.

The eastern bloc country has already taken steps to thwart genetic attacks via crop GMOs, which were recently banned in Russia due to safety concerns. Unlike the U.S., Russia has a problem with untested, patented food crops being introduced into its food supply without substantive evidence showing their safety or necessity.

"The question is complicated, but the decisions was made: We are not going to produce any food products using genetically modified organisms," stated Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich in a press conference last fall.

With GMO foods now banned, Russia has decided to set its sights on GMO weapons, which it worries may be easier for terrorists to obtain than nuclear weapons. It's only a matter of time, say some, before militant groups like al-Qaeda gain access to GMO weapons, which it will likely use against political targets that it deems a threat to its perpetuity.

"This is everybody's big fear," says Professor Paul Cornish, director of the research group Defense, Security and Infrastructure at the RAND think-tank. "[W]hen does al-Qaeda get to have the money and labs?"

What the West sees as "progress," Russia sees as a major threat to humanity. And this same sentiment is shared by many freedom-minded thinkers, who see genetic terrorism as a digression rather than progression.

"The technology of tomorrow, designed to carry out that behavior which is fitting of primal animals, not an 'evolved being,' is just another nail in the coffin of human civilization," wrote one Sputnik News commenter.

Raising the Root Cellar: Crops for Winter Storage

On January first, the seed catalogs come out of hiding. They have been flowing in for several weeks, but I like to keep them back until the holidays are almost over, giving me something to look forward to in early January, when the world is still dark and muddy. The back garden is the low spot for the entire block. It is often flooded during heavy winter rains and not always accessible in January, so it is a good time to start planning for next year’s garden.
My garden consists of nine raised beds, four-by-ten feet, which hold annual crops. There are also three raised beds for permanent plantings: blueberries, asparagus, and herbs. We supplement the space using large black nursery pots, which move into the front driveway for tomato plants in the spring, and wine barrels, which hold currants, a bay tree, and an apple.
We just added a greenhouse, which has one three by eight foot bed and space for various tubs and planters. And we are about to build a bed on the south side of the house, which will replace the three barrels there at the moment, giving us a little more planting space and the chance for roots to touch earth. When it is all planted, I am able to harvest our dinner vegetables from the back yard from June until October and supplement for another month on either side. With careful planning, there is also some space for storage crops.
I expect to raise all of the potatoes we will eat for the year — about 95 pounds, minus what I put aside for next year’s seed. I raise five varieties — 'Yukon Gold', 'All Blue', 'Desiree', and 'Kennebec', plus a fingerling — so they take up two and a half beds from early March until mid-August. Last year, I cleared one bed early and replanted to fall greens, which I plan to do again. It is comforting to know that there are potatoes in the bins in the basement under the stairs.
This year, I want to grow more winter squash. I need twelve fruits to make it through the winter as we eat one every other week. This will mean planting some 'Delicata' seed for early eating along with the 'Baby Blue Hubbards' and 'Sweet Meats' that last until late March in the larder. They like warm sun, so I will try planting them in the new bed along the south wall of the house, running them up the wall with the beans and tomatoes to provide afternoon shade inside. If I start them in the greenhouse in late April, they should have enough warm weather to produce a good crop.
I also want to grow some solid cabbages for January consumption. So far, my cabbages have been heading up in July and August, right when the aphids and hot weather hit. We eat a lot of cole slaw — but I would rather be eating it now, in January, when there is little else fresh in the world, than in July, when everything is brimming over. Timing and varieties are key.
Territorial Seed is offering a 'January King' that is both winter-hardy and tasty (160-220 days) as well as 'Mandy', which promises tight, large heads that stand high (105 days). I am tempted to try both, started in April and planted in a empty potato bed in late July.
Finally, I want to turn one garden bed — the one nearest the greenhouse — into a Three Sisters Garden. The corn stalks will shade the shower from the backyard and I can run the vines up the wall and fence. 'Indian Woman' beans have a climbing habit, even if they are “bush” beans; 'Winter Luxury' pumpkins will be thrilled to be off of the ground. I am considering popcorn, rather than sweet corn, both for cornmeal and decoration. Right now, I am eyeing 'Painted Gem' and 'Painted Mountain' — the 'Painted Mountain' ripens faster.
With all of this new planning, what will have to go to make space? Probably a few kale and collard plants, those early cabbages, and the radishes that go to seed every year. Or, maybe, we will just grow up and over. I have been thinking about some arches over the pathways for several years — it may be time to build them.

The 5 Seeds That You Need to Stockpile in Your Pantry

The world is already struggling with food supply and managing crops. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted a general warming of the world climate over the next several decades. Growing our own food gives us control over our lives and independence.
The best seeds for you to store are those that are most suitable for the particular environment you find yourself in. And of course environments vary widely across the USA, from wet and warm, to cold and very dry. You should do some research for your particular area and work out what fits with your local weather systems. One of the best ways to do this is to observe what grows best around you and use that.
This article will give you some general advice on the types of seeds that you should think about storing, these are generalist plants but will develop a baseline for you to work from.
Seeds need to come from a good originating stock. One of the modern day issues we have to deal with is to find seeds that do not come from genetically modified (GMO) crops. Monsanto, GMO advocates, have deliberately bought up a large proportion of the world’s seed companies.  In addition, Monsanto are working with several other companies to build the ‘doomsday seed bank’ known as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault with the express task of retaining ‘crop diversity’ assuming world events will conspire to impact the production of crops. With this in mind you need to find the right seeds to build your own doomsday seed bank.
Heirloom seeds come from original cultivar plants and often have disease resistance from hybridization with other plant species. They are hardy and don’t contain modified genes – however a warning. Monsanto are also buying up many heirloom seed companies, so you need to either create your own, or find Monsanto free heirloom seed companies. Seeds Now is a company that can supply heirloom seeds and does not trade with companies that support GMO. There are several others, check out their ‘about us’ section that usually details if they are GMO free.

Squash Seeds

Depending on your climate, squash is a really easy one to grow and it provides good grub. Squash has lots of carbohydrates and a great nutrient list, including Vitamins A and C, as well as magnesium and potassium. They can be used to cook both savory and sweet dishes too.
I live in a temperate, occasionally cold, but always wet, climate and can grow zucchini very easily from seed. In fact, I can grow so much of the stuff I can’t even give it away. Other warmer climates will have good luck with other squash varieties such as Pumpkin. Pumpkin and butternut squash both love the sun, but they also are thirsty plants and need decent amounts of water.
If you are using your own seeds direct from a pumpkin, you’ll need to dry them out. Follow these instructions to get storable seeds:

1. Open the pumpkin (or other squash) and pull out the seed mass along with some pulp.
2. Put the mass into a colander or sieve and run water over, pulling the pulp away from the seeds.
3. Continue to run cold water over the seeds until you have pulp free seeds.
4. Place the seeds onto an absorbent paper or cloth towel – spread them out so they aren’t touching.
5. Dry them out in a cool dry place for about 1 week.
6. The biggest seeds are the ones most likely to germinate.
7. Store them in a cool, dark place, ideally keeping them in a paper envelope.

Green Beans

Green beans contain high levels of vitamin A and anti-oxidants so they are very good for general health, including heart health. They also have B12, B6 and vitamin C. Green beans are really easy to grow and crop well. They do need to have cane support, as they grow tall (even the dwarf varieties need some support).
If you want to store your own home grown green bean seeds you should follow these instructions:

1. Once you stop watering your green beans (around September) the pods will continue to grow. The larger pods are the ones your after for future seeds.
2. Once the leaves of the plant start to die off, remove the larger pods for seed production.
3. Gently open the pod down the edge.
4. Very carefully (without damaging the delicate skin) remove the seeds.
5. Place the seeds on a paper lined tray, spreading them out so they don’t touch.
6. Leave to dry in a cool, dry place for 1-2 weeks.
7. Store in a jar in a cool, dark place.

Spinach

Spinach is a very versatile and easy to eat food. You can eat it raw, to bulk up salads, or cook with it. It is has loads of vitamin A and C, as well as iron and minerals such as potassium and magnesium. It is best grown in spring and fall (some types are annual rather than biennial) and I’ve had lots of success with spinach, I can’t seem to stop it growing. Spinach seeds are a little more difficult to get at and keep than the previous two types of seeds we’ve mentioned. To obtain the seed you need to let some of your spinach grow on to flower. It won’t be edible at this point (it’ll taste quite bitter), so it really is only good for seed collection. To collect and store spinach seeds, follow these steps:
NOTE: Baby spinach is the best type of spinach for seed collection

1. Let your spinach continue to grow until it flowers.
2. You will get two types of plant, a male ad a female. They can be differentiated by the colour of the little balls that grow under the leaves. The female has only green balls, whereas the male has yellow ones.
3. Usually the spinach wind pollinates between the male and female plants, but to give nature a helping hand you can give the male plants a ‘flick’ to get them to release their pollen.
4. Once the plants start to turn yellow they are ready (the color shows they have given up all of their nutrients into the seed stage).
5. Pull them up and discard the male plants.
6. Hang the female plants upside down in a cool, dry place.
7. Leave for about 2 weeks until the whole plant dries up. The seeds will now be dry too and usually they can be simply shaken onto paper to collect (they are very small).
8. Keep them in a jar in a cool, dry place – they usually only store till the next season.

Potato

Potatoes are a staple diet of many of the world’s peoples, especially those in the west. The contain potassium, copper and B6 and are really good to ‘fill you up’ at mealtime. They are also usually pretty easy to grow, although some varieties are very disease prone. I have lost whole crops to blight when growing during wet years; it’s very disheartening when that happens. So to avoid it, choose your starter variety with good disease resistance. You can find them in any good store. I have used a variety called ‘Charlotte’ which I’ve never lost to blight yet, and they taste delicious. Other disease resistant varieties include Caribe, Purple Peruvian and Prince Hairy (very good against potato beetle).
To produce potatoes direct from the seed:
You can grow potatoes from the seed. The seeds can be found in small, round pods once the potatoes have started to die off. However, not all potatoes grow these pods, especially potatoes that are created for the mass market as their pollen is no longer fertile. But if you do find the little green balls on your plant, you can try and use the seeds inside to grow potatoes. However – warning. It takes at least two seasons to grow edible tubers directly from the seed. The first year you end up with ‘tuberlets’ which become your ‘seed potatoes’ which ultimately become your first true crop.
To extract the seeds out of the balls:

1. Harvest the balls when feel soft and ripe.
2. It’s hard to get the tightly packed seeds out of the pod, so you can cover the pods with water and smash them up using a rolling pin or similar.
3. Leave this smash in the water overnight.
4. The seeds should start to pull away from the pod and sink to the bottom of the container.
5. The seeds are very small, like tomato seeds.
6. Rinse the seeds and place on an absorbent cloth or towel to dry out.
7. Store in a cool, dry place.

Using seed potatoes
Not to confuse the ‘potato seed’ with ‘seed potatoes’. If you have a crop from the previous year, keep those potatoes that start to sprout as these will become your seed potatoes.
To prepare seed potatoes for planting, I usually have a supply of eggs boxes, or similar, that I use to ‘chit’ the potatoes out in. Egg boxes are good because they naturally keep the potatoes apart from one another. Place each seed potato, sprout end up into the box and leave in a light place away from frosts for about 6 weeks until you have about 1 inch of sprout. They are then ready to plant out.
Related: Preserving Potatoes Year Round – A Solid Choice for Preppers

Corn

If you live somewhere sunny, corn is a really good crop to grow. It has iron, vitamin B6 and is a great source of carbohydrate. You can use it to make all sorts of other foods, like corn bread. Corn is wind pollinated, so you need two crops, a mile apart, is good, but then can be closer and they’ll cross pollinate. If you want to harvest your own corn seeds from your corn crop, follow these instructions:
IMPORTANT: Corn can suffer from too much inbreeding. You really need to minimize this happening by having a good supply of plants to take seeds from, upwards of 100 plants is recommended to have a large enough gene pool.
Corn HAS to be pollinated for the seed to form a kernel and germinate into a new plant. Growing corn in blocks rather than long rows helps pollination.

1. Leave the plants for up to 6 weeks after normal harvesting of the ears.
2. The ears should be allowed to mature and dry on the stalk (try to avoid the ears getting wet in rain during this stage). When they are dry, the kernels will feel hard and can’t be dented by a thumbnail.
3. Once dried, rub kernels off the ears off with your hands.
4. Lay the kernels onto paper and allow to dry for a further 1-2 weeks.
5. Pull any bits of silk or debris from the kernels.
6. Store in a cool, dry place

You may also like:
37 Items That You Should Hoard

 

A single dose of antibiotics can cause long-term gut damage

 (NaturalNews) The statistics are sobering: in the United States alone, antibiotic-resistant bacteria cause 23,000 fatalities and at least 2 million new cases of disease annually. But if you think antibiotic resistance only comes about with massive and repeated rounds of antibiotics, think again.

Science shows that just one dose of antibiotic 'therapy' not only contributes to antibiotic resistance, but also brings about long-term damage to the microbes living in the gut. Many of the intestinal bacteria destroyed by antibiotics play a significant role in the body's natural defense system against cancer and other disease conditions.

Take control of your health, naturally, with INSTANT access to over 300 programs focused on natural solutions for disease from the best integrative healthcare providers, oncologists and naturopaths in the world.

Just one dose: Science reveals the true danger of antibiotics inside the gut

European researchers recently reported study results showing even a single course of antibiotics is capable of disrupting the healthy population of microorganisms in the gut. Just as disturbing, the results can last up to a year and contribute to antibiotic resistance.

In their study, 66 healthy adults from the United Kingdom and Sweden were randomly assigned to receive a full course of one of four antibiotics - ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, amoxicillin or minocycline - or a placebo. The researchers did not know which antibiotic any given participant took throughout the course of the study.

Fecal and saliva samples were collected from the subjects at the start of the study, then again immediately after beginning the study drugs. Additional samples were taken at one, two, four and 12-month intervals after finishing a single course of antibiotics.

Results showed the drugs caused a notable increase in genes associated with antibiotic resistance, while seriously impacting the diversity of microbes in the gut and causing changes still evident months after initial exposure.

Eliminate the need for antibiotics and discover how to REVERSE disease symptoms naturally from over 200 integrative medical doctors, naturopaths and cancer specialists teaching you detoxification techniques, immune boosting strategies plus anti-aging protocols.

Subscribe to the NaturalHealth365 INNER CIRCLE – today: http://www.naturalnews.com/innercirclespecial.html

All antibiotics are NOT created equal and the results can be devastating

Researchers have reported differences among the various antibiotics utilized in the study. Specifically, the health-related bacteria in the gut were significantly reduced for up to four months in participants taking clindamycin and up to 12 months in those taking ciprofloxacin. Amoxicillin showed a less dramatic shift in microbial populations, but was the largest contributor to increased antibiotic resistance.

Researchers noted that participants from the UK came into the study with more antibiotic resistance than did the subjects from Sweden. This could be due to cultural differences and the significant decline in antibiotic use in Sweden over the past 15 or 20 years.

Lead author Egija Zaura, PhD, an associate professor in oral microbial ecology at the Academic Centre for Dentistry in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, wrote that microorganisms in study participants' feces were severely affected by most of the antibiotics, with changes lasting for months. More specifically, researchers reported a decrease in the number of desirable microbes that produce butyrate, which inhibits inflammation, combats cancer and reduces stress in the gut.

Lifesaving question: How do antibiotics increase the risk of disease?

While antibiotic resistance may be at the center of the research results, the affects on microbial populations in the gut have other far-reaching impacts. Earlier research has shown that antibiotics can alter critical gut microbiota that affect the body's vulnerability to contracting a number of infectious diseases.

These differences in intestinal flora may have a far-reaching impact on overall health and wellbeing. For example, did you know that changes in the gut's microbe population can leave the body vulnerable to infection, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, obesity, inflammation of the gut, malabsorption and food allergies?

Don't become a victim of poor medical advice. Take control of your health, naturally, with INSTANT access to over 300 programs plus 200 integrative healthcare providers talking about the best ways to REVERSE disease symptoms without the need for toxic drugs or risky surgical procedures.

Why Prepping is Hard (and How to Make it Easier)

Why Prepping Is Hard

Why it’s so hard to be serious about prepping is up for debate, but in my opinion, two simple factors make prepping as hard as it is:

• Prepping encompasses a lot of different topics (outdoor skills, first aid, personal finance, self-sufficiency, etc.), and
• We’re limited. Limited by a lack of time time, energy, funds, ability to concentrate, and a slew of other things.

While, for me, it’s easy to pinpoint why prepping is so hard, it’s another story taking this knowledge of the difficult aspects of prepping to turn them on their head and try to make prepping easier.
See it’s not like acknowledging that prepping encompasses a heck of a lot of different topics helps us to be able to gain experience or knowledge in those different fields.
Similarly, acknowledging the fact that we’re limited doesn’t help make us any less limited. We still have budgets, time constraints, energy drains, and all that other annoying stuff to worry about, no matter the fact that we understand these limitations are actively working toward making prepping harder.
So how can we make prepping easier? Is it even possible? Well, I’d argue that it is.

How to Make Prepping Easier

These are not shortcuts to becoming a successful prepper. Realistically, unless you win the lottery – are awarded with a heck of a lot of cash, use that money to build up a stockpile, get to quit your day job and use the extra time to devote yourself fully to learning new things about prepping – sad to say there really aren’t any shortcuts.
These are not tips that will make prepping so easy that your neighbour, who’s been prepper shaming you for “wasting” all your hard earned money and all the extra free time you’ve got, will now change her mind about the whole damn thing and want to join you in prepping.
These methods of making prepping easier don’t take away the fact that you have to see value in prepping and really have the motivation to try to become a better prepper/survivalist in order to succed.
And these methods definitely don’t take away from the fact that preparedness is a lifestyle, and not simply something that can be “completed” ever, only something that you will be able to improve upon more and more as time, energy, effort, and funds are poured into your prepper projects.
Now that that’s out of the way, what are these methods of making prepping easier?
Here are my ideas;

1. Teach yourself the things you’re most interested and passionate about first.

It helps you to keep momentum. Trying to get Thomas to learn about starting a prepper garden would be like pulling a tooth. Encouraging him to look at gear that could make prepping easier – now that’s something he’d jump on doing, even during his downtime.
There are so many different aspects to prepping that it really should be easy to find at least one that you’d be fascinated in starting to learn about first. Don’t try forcing yourself to start prepping by doing the “hard stuff” before the “easy stuff.” Start with those things that come naturally to you, and feel more fun, and prepping will become much easier to do.

2. If you’re prepping in a group, divide up tasks.

Sort of in line with the last example – Thomas is the gear guy between the two of us. I don’t need to worry about researching gear because if I did it and he did it, we’d, in my opinion, be wasting our efforts on both doing the same task.
I’m into gardening and he hates it – clear who’s going to be doing what there. And since he knows so much about first aid, he’ll continue to learn more about it and be able to teach me what’s important for me to know along the way.
Dividing up tasks if you’re prepping in a group is an absolutely wonderful way to cover more ground, get more done, and not get burned out as easily. Each person has their own unique interests and excels at different things – divvy up the responsibilities based on that and you’ll be feeling your preps are doing a lot smoother sailing.

3. Start with easy preps.

Again along similar lines, start with prepping what’s easiest for you to do first. Not only do I mean this in terms of starting with what you find more fun and interesting, as I said in point #1 before, but if there’s a prep you can quickly knock out of the way – do it! You’ll gain momentum from the little wins, as it’s encouraging to see a large amount of progress made over a short amount of time and with minimal energy and funds. The little wins will help you to keep going, and will make prepping feel a lot easier than if you’re working on huge, difficult projects to start with.
If you’re not a beginner, try doing some easier or more fun preps alongside the hard ones. If you’re working on a single large, difficult prepper project that’s pretty draining, doing more quick, short, and fun tasks simultaneously can really help take the bite out of the frustration you might feel for having to work on such a huge, daunting prepper project where you won’t be seeing results quickly.

4. Find a group of people who will encourage you and help congratulate you on your success at prepping.

Prepping is so much harder to do alone than it is in a group, but if no one around you is interested in prepping and sees the value in it, it can be difficult to reap the benefits from prepping in a group.
Your group doesn’t have to be large, but if you find even one or two people who can encourage you and help to congratulate you on your successes, help teach you new things and spur you on to continue progressing with regards to your preps, it can be an enormous boon to your motivation and can make prepping feel one heck of a lot easier.
If you don’t know any of these types of people yet – don’t stress. You’re online, and that means you’re open to a world of possibilities when it comes to finding the right people to help you on your journey toward becoming a better prepper. Find the kind of community you’d like to be a part of (shameless plug – you can always start off your search on our community forum, Survival Threads), introduce yourself to the already formed group, start sharing your knowledge and success stories, and in no time I’m sure you’ll find that you’ve formed a group of cheerleaders around you who can help you when you’re down and be sincerely happy for your success when you’ve accomplished your goals with regards to prepping.
A good group will help the good times feel even better and will make the hard times a lot easier to weather.

5. When you first start prepping, start by investing in cheaper products.

Don’t break the bank – not ever. There are a lot of affordable ways to go about prepping, from buying cheap and affordable priced survival gear, to stockpiling for free or next to nothing – hell there are many ways to even build up your gear and household goods stockpile or food stockpile frugally. When you’re on a budget, don’t dip into your emergency funds in order to prep. Those emergency savings are an important prep in themselves and indubitably will prove to be quite valuable one day. Stick to buying cheaper gear until you’ve got your basic ground covered when it comes to prepping.
Once your basic preps are covered, you can begin to replace the cheaper products you bought with higher quality items as time goes buy. If you even need to that is. If your $15 Mora Companion is working out for you (which it should be; Moras are excellent pieces of kit albeit the low price tag), don’t bother to upgrade. Replace your cheaper survival gear with more expensive survival gear down the road, as you have more funds to work with and, like I keep saying, after you’ve covered all your bases with cheap gear first. That way, you won’t be stressing out over money, and stockpiling survival gear will feel a lot easier than if you were to have to splurge on the more expensive gear first. You’ll also cover many more bases this way, as saving up for one very expensive piece of kit will prevent you from getting other gear that might come in handy even thought it might not last you forever or be the kind of gear you’ll keep for an eternity.

Conclusion

There are so many reasons to prep, though even if you know all the great perks to prepping, that doesn’t make prepping any easier. These tips, however, I think will really help to make prepping feel a lot less like a chore that needs to get done, and a lot more like the completely doable lifestyle choice that it is.
It’s not impossible to be a prepper, it’s just hard. And if you can make the hard a little less hard, there’s absolutely no harm in that.
Make prepping a little easier and you’re likely to have a lot more success as a prepper. Learning and growing as a survivalist doesn’t have to be as difficult as it sometimes looks!
Do you find prepping hard?
Can you think of any more ways to make prepping easier?

Survival Skills To Learn From Eskimo People

http://www.survivopedia.com/survival-skills-to-learn-from-eskimo-people/#

 

Research continues to confirm that high doses of vitamin C injections destroy cancer, but don’t expect to hear that from Big Pharma

Medical research continues to confirm the cancer-fighting effects of vitamin C. According to a new study published in Science, high doses of vitamin C were able to destroy human colorectal cancers cells harboring specific genetic mutations that are present in half of these cancers.
The researchers used a cell culture and previous experiments in mice to investigate the effects of high injections of vitamin C on cancer cells. The original data came from an application of vitamin C and metabolized types of vitamin C to a cell culture that contained mutated cancer cells and wild type control cells. The cancerous cells had two mutations that are often present in colorectal cancers.⁽¹⁾

The results of the study suggested that colorectal cancer cells were more likely to soak up the vitamin C metabolite than cells devoid of those mutations. This is because of an upregulation of the protein that draws vitamin C and its metabolites into cells. These cells bring in so much of these chemicals that they self-destruct.

Vitamin C kicks Big C to the curve

The researchers then grafted the tumors with these mutations into mice to investigate whether the results could be replicated in a living animal. Scientists often experiment on mice to determine whether a specific treatment would be effective or ineffective for people. Once again, the researchers found that vitamin C annihilated the cells carrying the mutations common in colorectal cancers cells.
Further research on the impact of vitamin C found that it minimized the availability of intracellular energy units known as ATP, leading to a hazardous lack of energy in these cells.⁽¹⁾
The results of the study are significant because they highlight the cellular steps involved in destroying cancer cells. The scientists discovered that the therapeutically active chemical is the vitamin C metabolite dehydroascorbate. The spike in vitamin C uptake was due to the upregulation of a specific kind of transporter in mutated cells that don’t take place in normal cells.⁽¹⁾
This isn’t the first time vitamin C has been shown to annihilate cancer. According to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine last February, people who receive high-dose injections of vitamin C can boost the cancer killing effects of chemotherapy and could potentially be a safe, low-cost treatment for ovarian cancers and other cancers.⁽²⁾
According to BBC News, the scientists injected vitamin C into human ovarian cancer cells in the lab, into mice and into patients with advanced ovarian cancer. They found ovarian cancer cells were sensitive to vitamin C treatment but normal cells were unharmed.
The treatment also worked alongside chemotherapy drugs to slow the growth of tumors in mice. In addition, a small group of patients claimed to have experienced fewer side effects of chemotherapy given vitamin C, than patients who were not given vitamin C.

Human trials unlikely because drug companies cannot patent vitamins

Although the case for the cancer-fighting effects of vitamin C continues to grow, don’t expect a large-scale clinical human trial funded by the federal government to replicate these results. The reason? Because drug companies can’t patent vitamins.
Such trials require major funding that usually includes pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of a patented drug. Obviously, Big Pharma would not be interested in promoting the medicinal benefits of natural substances like vitamin C, which would otherwise destroy the multi-billion dollar cancer industry.
“Because vitamin C has no patent potential, its development will not be supported by pharmaceutical companies,” says Qi Chen, lead author of the new study. “We believe that the time has arrived for research agencies to vigorously support thoughtful and meticulous clinical trials with intravenous vitamin C,” he added.⁽²⁾
In the meantime, let’s just wait and see until vitamin C fully kicks the Big C to the curb.

“After Armageddon”: Marine Shows How to Survive An Urban Disaster

Metropolitan areas can change in an instant with a major catastrophe. Hundreds of thousands of people could be gone just as quickly.
Society could be unraveled by any number of scenarios, and it could leave you stranded, without loved ones and desperate to secure food, water and shelter. Escape to the countryside or a remote location may not be feasible. Could you survive in an urban environment if the SHTF and everything you knew was gone?
Rudy Reyes, a veteran Recon Marine, lends his expertise and shows how to survive an urban environment, find resources inside a broken city, all while avoiding other survivors whose interests can’t be assumed to align with yours.