Prepper: BEST BARTERING ITEMS WHEN DISASTERS STRIKE
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Conrad Novak
Catastrophic disasters can occur at any time of the day – whether it is a hurricane that wipes out the shoreline or a storm that destroys your home. You could also be at the receiving end of an explosion and not know how to deal with it. Hopefully, you survive it with your limbs intact.
However, irrespective of who or what we attribute these disasters to, the conclusion remains that in today’s world the possibility of disaster striking looms large over our heads and hence, the need to prepare yourself to face such situations is the need of the hour.
To protect and defend yourself against such catastrophes, you should always have a stockpile of certain necessities at hand at all times so that they can be traded in exchange for other items.
After all, when money becomes useless or worthless, people will rely on trade to get their hands on basic essentials to survive. Hence, stockpiling some necessary items will enable you to be as prepared as you possibly can while at the same time allowing you to barter these essential items in exchange for things you need but don’t have.
BEST BARTERING ITEMS TO FACE DISASTERS
Here are some of the things you should stockpile in your home so that you are equipped to deal with the situation if ever a disaster strikes.
NON-PERISHABLE FOODS
When grabbing food to stockpile, you need to keep in mind the calories contained in it, the shelf life, mode of preparation, and other such factors. For instance, if you have to evacuate on foot, having tins of canned food in your backpacks will certainly weigh down on you. Keeping all this in mind, here are a few food items that it will serve you well to carry.
Brown Rice – Having proteins, calories, vitamins and minerals, this non-perishable food has a long shelf life of about three to six months, making it an effective survival food. However, it does take a while to boil so it may not always be feasible.
Dried Beans – Whether it is black beans, kidney beans, or any other kind, beans contain large amounts of calories, vitamins, and minerals. Although they usually come in a big package, they do not weigh much and hence, are a better alternative to canned beans.
Energy Bars – Since there are numerous types of energy bars for you to choose from, it isn’t hard to stock high-calorie bars. These energy bars contain large amounts of nutrients and proteins. At the same time, you can also stock up on chocolate bars as these are known for perennially boosting a person’s mood as well as being a good source of energy and loaded with calories. You will need your energy during a bug out situation or disaster and you can be certain that in a crisis situation, the bars will be in high demand.
Sea Vegetables – At the time of a disaster, it will not be easy to get your hands on fresh produce. This is why sea vegetables are a good alternative. They come in the form of powder or pills and are very beneficial for your immune system. They are loaded with vitamins and nutrients and possess antifungal and antibacterial properties. So you want them in your stockpile as they help in healing wounds and tissue repair. Imagine how sought-after they will be!
Not only will you be able to use these foods yourself, but you can also barter some of them to get your hands on items you may need at that moment.
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ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO
While this isn’t really an essential, it is highly likely that in the case of a disaster, people addicted to nicotine or those that use it as a stress buster will desperately want to get their hands on it. However, if the markets have collapsed, there will be a scarcity and nicotine addicts will be willing to trade essential items just so they can have a smoke to calm themselves down.
RELATED : HOW TO MAKE ALCOHOL AT HOME
At the same time, any crisis situation will create a greater demand for alcohol, particularly at the time of an economic collapse as people will be flocking onto the streets looking for ways to drown their worries and stress away. So stockpiling liquor will be a good bartering choice. Remember, getting hard liquor is smarter than wine or beer as you will have to give out lesser amounts due to the higher alcohol content
ESSENTIAL ANTIBIOTICS
Most people don’t stock up antibiotics as they may not always be aware just what medication they will need. While this is certainly true, here are some of the best survival antibiotics that you should stockpile.
Metronidazole – This antibiotic is useful in treating anaerobic bacteria that is found in theintestine. It is also useful in tackling bacterial vaginosis, diabetic foot ulcer, ulcers on the joints of feet, meningitis and other infections. However, this treatment should be avoided by pregnant women and children as well as nursing mothers.
Ciprofloxacin – If you get a urinary tract infection, respiratory tract or prostate infection, this is the antibiotic to come to your rescue. It is also the best antibiotic in case of an anthrax attack. Even the treatment of infectious colitis involves this antibiotic in combination with Metronidazole. Click here for more info.
TOOLS
If you have had an EMP attack or a massive earthquake, your power grid will be down for a while. Your ability to survive during this time will depend not just on bare necessities, but on having ‘long-term’ essentials. Tools are an essential component that you should be looking to stockpile. Whether it is blades, hatchets, or axe heads, you need to stock for the long haul, and people will need these tools to get their places back in shape or build emergency shelters. You can benefit by trading your tools for other essential commodities that you may be in need of.
WATER
However, don’t just rely on your stockpiles for your water source. Also, stock up water filters, water purification tablets and household bleach that you use to purify water if your stock runs out. After all, in a disaster, there will be no way to get purified water from a faucet!
Discover The Amazing Device That Turns Air Into Water
TOILET PAPER
While everything is going down around you, you would certainly want to hold on to your dignity by maintaining some level of hygiene. After some time, people will run out of toilet paper and the moment this item becomes difficult to find, people will start to give almost anything in exchange for a roll of toilet paper. So stocking up this commodity will allow you to barter it for more important items.
OTHER ESSENTIALS
Some other essentials that you should stockpile to barter in times of catastrophes would include:
Batteries – These can be AA and AAA batteries as these are used for a large number of purposes. By buying a large package of these and storing them well, you can barter individual units in exchange for other items.
Candles, matches, and lighters – When disaster strikes, the first thing that will go out will be the power grid. Also, if you have to shift to a bug out shelter, you may not have electricity there. So, it is prudent to have a stock of candles, matches, and lighters. You can even use these items, particularly waterproof matches and lighters, to start campfires for cooking and water purification. Hence, having an inventory of these items will put you in a position of power!
Fuel – When the grid is down, everything that you could once do with electricity will now need to be worked in a old-fashioned way. So whether it is wood for the fire or gas for the stove, people’s demand for these things will increase. Similarly, the demand for gasoline for vehicles will also increase exponentially. Having these items during a disaster will make you the king of the land!
Soaps – Whether it is a bar, a gel or a liquid soap, in times of disasters, people will try their hardest to follow their daily routine to give them some semblance of control over their lives. Even if it’s jumping into a shallow creek to clean themselves, there will be a demand for soap, making it a valuable bartering item.
Shampoos – Just like soaps, shampoos too will be in high demand. People will want to maintain their everyday hygiene even during a disaster. So pile up sachets and bottles of shampoos that you can barter for things that you really need.
Guns & ammo – Some people do not have this in their home but they will soon realize they made a drastic mistake when police services break down and 911 calls go unanswered. If you have extra guns and ammo, if there is such a thing, you should be able to trade this for food, clothing, and water and so on. Nothing wrong with having a bullet proof vest and night vision as well.
Given that the possibility of a disaster taking place in the near future is quite high, you should start to prepare right away. Finding you are unable to cope with the situation later will not help. By getting your hands on these survival items and stockpiling them for the future, you should manage to make it out of any catastrophe that comes your way. Just make sure you keep a close watch on the expiration dates and keep replenishing the items that go past their use-by dates.
Lindsey Williams – Warning to Prepare for an Emergency. Stock up on Food, Water and Supplies Now! It Is 5 Days Before the Economic Collapse.” So, what Do You Do?
Here is the scenario. “Government agencies are having difficulty making their payments. State governments are issuing vouchers to pay their bills. US Social Security is late in issuing its payments to retirees and the disabled. Many banks are issuing warnings about liquidity. The prices of food are escalating by the hour. Instead of talking about the latest inane reality TV show, everyone is talking about inflation, money, mass layoffs, etc. It is 5 days before the economic collapse.” So, what do you do?
Our current recession/depression is slow creeping at this point towards a bad outcome. Although I believe US and Canada are still 3 to 5 years away from an economic collapse, I woefully believe that the collapse is coming. Euro will collapse first. Greece and Spain have already collapsed. Italy and Portugal are soon to collapse next. Having this insight, I have been preparing vigorously for the past 2 years. During these past 2 years, I have often thought about what the last 5 days would look like before a collapse. Because governments will do everything and anything to delay the onset of an economic collapse, as they should, I believe the problem will build to a dramatic point, where the economy will fall off a ledge very quickly. With the US Federal Government running $1 trillion dollar deficits for the past 3 years, how long can that continue? As some point in time, no foreign government or domestic entity will want to buy US Federal debt. Then the only option is for the US Federal Reserve to generate artificial money, not backed by tax revenues nor by any tangible assets, in order for the Fed to buy US Federal debt. At some point in time, the continual injection of fiat currencies will trigger a hyper-inflation period. At that point in time, the spiral towards economic collapse will accelerate.
There are 5 key foods that should be part of every long-term food storage plan.
Wheat — Properly stored, wheat has the best long-term storage potential for common foods. Hard Red Wheat berries have a 30+ storage life. Be store to store the pre-ground wheat, which are called wheat berries. Once ground into flour, it last only about one year. Soft red wheat berries stores up to 20 years. The white soft and hard wheat berries stores for 10 or less years. For your critical long-term preps, stick with hard red wheat. Be sure to have a wheat grind on hand, so that may flour from the stored wheat berries. If you allergic to wheat, consider oats or quinoa instead.
Salt — This is not so much a food, but rather an essential mineral needed by your body. If kept dry and sealed, salt has an endless storage life. I store two types of salt. Pure salt, or often called canning salt, has no iodine. I reserve the canning salt for food preservation. Before refrigeration, meat, fish and cheese were storable due to salt preservation. And I store several pounds of salt with iodine added for cooking and table usage. Salt is an item that is often overlooked in food storage. Yet is has so many usage and is vital to good health. Both too much and too little salt is bad for your health.
Sugar (or honey) — Pure white sugar and honey, if properly stored, never expires. Keep sugar in a sealed container, and it never goes bad. For more preps, I storeDomino’s sugar that is already pre-sealed in 4 pound plastic canisters. Honey is best stored in glass jars in a cool, dark place. If honey crystallizes over time, just warm it a bit to become fluid again. Honey has a lot of micro-nutrients, and is my preferred way to store sugar for the long-term. Occasionally, my local drug store, CVS, has the Dominos 4 pound canisters on sale or I might buy with CVS extra-bucks.
Rice — White rice, if sealed in cans with oxygen absorbers, can have a 20 year storage life. Brown rice has a storage life of around 5 years. White rice is simply brown rice with the husk removed. Brown rice has more flavor and more nutrition. But white rice stores longer, since the husk of brown rice has small amounts of oil within that go bad much quicker. What I like about storing rice is the amount of dense calories it provides. Rice is easier to prepare versus grinding wheat berries. A cups of white rice plus of vegetables from your garden makes a filling meal. Many people don’t realize the rice has some protein. Rice combined with beans provides all the protein your body needs.
Powdered milk — If you have children, this is a key food to store. Regular powdered milk has a shelf life of 2 years. If packed in meal cans by a reliable vendor, powdered milk can be stored for 5 or more years. Fat free powdered milk stores a bit long. Most baking recipes call for milk, of which powdered milk is an adequate substitute. My favorite powdered milk for long-term storage is Future Essentials Canned Powdered Homestyle Creamery Milk Substitute and Honeyville’s powdered milk.
A couple honorable mentions are dried beans, TVP (textured vegetable protein typically made from soy beans), dried pasta, freeze-dried meats, dehydrated vegetables, dehydrated fruits.
The truly best long-term food plan is your own garden.
With Summer harvests coming in, now is the time to start home canning. The canning season is upon us. I’m a big gruff city boy who learned how to do home canning. My blueberry jam is fabulous. If I can learn, anyone can learn to do home canning.
In good times and bad, many your family always have enough to eat.
No Rescue Is Coming After A Natural Disaster! Prepare For More Climate Chaos
Cooking When the Grid Goes Down and There’s No Conventional Kitchen
Many of you are familiar with the nearly famous books “Where There Is No Doctor” and “Where There Is No Dentist” that are the most widely used health education books in tropical and sub-tropical developing countries. These are great references that you can download from our Resources page that cover basic medicine and dental care from a perspective of a people who aren’t able to drive to the doctor or see the dentist whenever they have a tooth ache.
The concept of “Where there is no” popped into my mind as I was preparing to write this post. In a grid-down scenario we may not have the easy access to our kitchen tools that we have relied on in the past. Most kitchen appliances are powered by electricity or gas and if those both go out due to an emergency you could find yourself living “where there is no kitchen”.
Not having access to your microwave shouldn’t cause you any panic though, because people have been living pretty well without these conveniences for a very long time. Even if you have stored 30 days worth of dehydrated food and water, chances are you will want to eat something warm before it is all over. Even in the military we only ate MRE’s once a day when we were out in the field. MRE’s will keep you alive but eventually you get tired of that and want something hot and delicious. I know that MRE’s can be heated up too, but the contents of a regular bag of MRE’s can’t hold a candle to a nice venison stew that has been cooking slowly over a fire all day.
With some simple planning and preparation you can cook just about anything you need to keep you alive and healthy through any disruption. There are a few considerations and lots of options for cooking that we will discuss below.
Cooking Options
We are going to assume that any cooking that you will be doing is outside in this grid-down scenario. No cooking with open flame should be done indoors and that includes using your big stainless steel propane grill. Fumes are toxic and can hurt you so keep it outside for safety.
Wood stoves – These are about the closest you can come to the power and convenience of a range or oven inside your house or retreat location. Yes I know that I just said to cook outside, but your stove is vented outside already. This is a winter solution though because you won’t likely want to fire up the big wood-stove in the living room in the middle of August. In much older homes, the kitchen was in a different part of the house because the heat would stifle everyone else. During the winter a wood stove is a perfect solution for cooking and you can easily fit a couple of pans on the top and regulate the heat easily. You can cook on a wood-stove with your regular pans without any problem.
Backyard Grill – This is my personal first line of defense if the power goes out. It is simple to use and already set up outside. The main drawback is the need for propane but I keep an extra 50lb. canister of propane at all times so that if my main source runs out I still have a spare. This spare propane would be on my list of basic household items that you need to stock up on also. Some people use charcoal so an extra bag or two would be wise. It won’t last as long as a can of propane but having the ability to cook for a few days is always a smart idea. Optionally, if your house is heated with propane, you can purchase an adapter to run your grill but you probably are already using your oven in the house. It’s nice to have options.
TripodCampfire – Since the dawn of time people have been cooking over an open fire on the ground. This would be my fallback option after the propane was gone or if I had something that was larger and needed to cook for a long time. Campfires don’t need to be fancy but having a pit surrounded with rocks to contain the fire is preferred. To cook on a campfire, you will want to invest in at least one piece of cast iron cookware. Two would be the best giving you the option to fry or cook a big stew. You will also want to have a method to suspend your cookware over the flames. This is where a great tripod like the one on the left here or a grate you can set on the ground over the coals. I prefer the tripod, but the grate is much simpler when you are using a skillet.
Camping stoves – These are a great solution too and use the same type of Coleman propane cylinders your lanterns take. They do have the drawback that the grill does though, and once your fuel is gone, they are worthless. You can use the grill grating itself over a regular campfire so don’t throw that away. We will talk about that more later. Backpacker stoves also come in handy in a pinch, but that would not be ideal for cooking larger meals. It will heat up single portions nicely though, and there are a lot of fuel options for the short-term emergency.
Rocket Stove – Rocket stoves are simple to build using materials you may have lying around or in the shed. These can be fueled with sticks and twigs and make a great surface that produces a lot of heat without a big footprint. There is an article about how to make a rocket stove out of a few cans that you should check out also.
Lanterns – Anything that produces heat can warm your food and some lanterns give you the ability to use the heat escaping from the top to boil water or heat soup. This is yet another good option that may work for some people. Candles can also be used but this would be my last resort. They take forever but you are already using your candle so this is a way to get two uses out of your preparations.Lantern
Solar – I saved this one for last but solar cooking shouldn’t be discounted at all. If you have sun and dry weather this is a great way to heat up and cook meals if you have time to wait. You will want to build your own solar oven which is fairly simple or there are several you can buy online. If you just need to warm up a can of soup you can sit that in the sun on the driveway for 30 minutes and voila!
Solar ovens can be made in numerous ways with lots of material. Here is a video for a funnel solar oven by LDSPrepper that cost only $5.
Cooking Necessities
The first place we look is to our cooking containers, or what we are going to hold over our source of heat to contain this wonderful food you are getting ready to cook. Cast iron is my personal favorite but that isn’t practical if you are on the move. You can also cook with #10 cans if needed, just be sure that the plastic coating on the interior melts out first.
Aluminum foil is not only useful for creating a solar oven, but you can form bowls out of this to cook with or boil water in a pinch. Aluminum foil is a second cousin to Duct tape I believe, because it has so many uses and should be on your list of supplies for your household. Can and bottle openers are nice. They aren’t necessary because if you are hungry enough, you will get that can open, but they are very convenient and do not cost anything at all. You will also want to have plenty of capacity for making fire in the first place. Lighters are simple and cheap, but flint and strikers should be in your survival kits also.
Other tools you could use are oven mitt or pot holders to handle the pots on these cooking surfaces. Wooden spoons and spatulas won’t melt like plastic and you can even make these yourself if you have plenty of time on your hands and a sharp knife.
Cleanup
Now that the group has been fed how do you clean up? Sanitation is something that becomes more important… READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.jbbardot.com/where-there-is-no-kitchen-cooking-when-the-grid-goes-down/
The Miracle of Tea Tree Oil: 80 Amazing Uses for Survival
Essential oils have been used for healing and medicinal purposes for centuries and most certainly long before we had pills, capsules and big pharma to take care of our medical woes. And while there is a place for manufactured pharmaceuticals in our survival medicine kit, there exists the possibility that none will be available or that they will be in such scarce supply that they should be reserved for only the most dire of circumstances.
For that reason, many preppers and individuals seeking self-reliance are learning to use essential oils to manage the both routine and not-so-routine maladies that occur in daily life. There are about a dozen or so essential oils that belong in every survival kit including tea tree, peppermint, lavender, clove, rosemary and lemon among others. All of these essential oils have healing properties but today I would like to focus on just one, tea tree oil.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TEA TREE OIL
It is believed that the Aborigines of Australia have been using the leaves of the indigenous Malaleuca Tree (whose leaves are used to make tea tree oil) in their medications for centuries. They inhaled the oils from the crushed leaves to treat coughs and colds, sprinkled crushed leaves on their wounds and used an infusion of soaked leaves to treat sore throats or skin ailments.
Use of the oil itself, as opposed to the un-extracted plant material, did not become common practice until researcher Arthur Penfold published the first reports of its antimicrobial activity in a series of papers in the 1920s and 1930s. In evaluating the antimicrobial activity, he found that tea tree oil was 11 times more active than phenol.
The commercial tea tree oil industry was born shortly thereafter although interest in tea tree oil ebbed after World War II, presumably due to the development of effective antibiotics and the waning image of natural products. Interest was rekindled in the 1970s as part of the general renaissance of interest in natural products.
80 USES OF TEA TREE OIL FOR SURVIVAL
For thousands of years, the derivatives of the Malaleuca Tree have been effective in treating a wide variety of ailments. Here are 80 reasons why you should use it, too!
Abrasions & Minor Cuts: After cleaning the area well, apply a few drops of the oil directly. If a bandage is needed, allow a few drops of the oil to penetrate a cotton ball, then lay it face down on the wound with a bandage on top.
Acne: Add a drop to your normal cleansing routine or dab a very small amount on acne breakouts. You can also add 20 – 40 drops of the oil to your regular face wash.
Air Freshener: Keep a supply of cotton balls soaked in tea tree oil packed away in a plastic bag or tin. When confronted with foul smells from cooking, musty orders from dampness or even the medicinal smell in a sick room, take a few out the freshen the air and remove the nasty smell
Allergies: Use topically by massaging into the chest, abdomen or the reflex points of the feet.
Arthritis: To help reduce pain associated with the swelling of arthritis, add 20 drops of tea tree oil to 2 ounces of grapeseed or other carrier oil. Massage into affected area 2-3 times a day.
Asthma: Add a few drops of oil to a pan of water and heat on stove. When cooling, drape a towel over head and breath in for a few minutes.
Athletes Foot: Clean feet thoroughly, especially between toes. Add oil directly to feet every two weeks, dusting with corn starch after. Or add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp of grapeseed or other carrier oil and massage on feet and between toes daily.
Baby Care: Keep your diaper pail clean and fresh with a spray of tea tree oil mixed with water.
Bacterial Infections: Use topically, either massaging into the reflex points of the feet, adding several drops to a bath or cautiously applying over an infected site.
Bad Breath: Rinse with 1 ounce water and 1 drop oil. Do not swallow!
Bladder Infection: In a shallow bath, add 10 – 15 drops of oil. Sit and wash area carefully.
Blisters: Wash area carefully, then apply as for cuts and wounds.
Boils: Apply a warm washcloth for a few minutes. Then apply a drop or two of oil to the area – the infection should rise to surface and eventually be released.
Bronchial Congestion: Use as directed for Asthma. Add 5 – 10 drops to 1 ounce of carrier oil, and massage into chest and throat 2 – 3 times daily.
Bronchitis: Add 1-2 drops to a pan of hot water and breath in the steam, or massage the oil over the chest.
Bruises: After icing, apply oil as directed for Arthritis.
Bunions: Massage area with 5 drops oil to 1 tbsp. of carrier oil.
Burns: Run icy cold water on area. After a few minutes, add a mix of 5 drops oil with 1 tsp. raw honey. Repeat 3 – 5 times daily.
Calluses & Corns: Massage area with 5 drops oil to 1 tbsp. of carrier oil. Repeat 2 times daily. Once the corn or calluses have become soft use tweezers to remove, and apply a few drops of tea tree oil and cover with bandage.
Canker Sores: Apply a drop or two of oil directly to infected area with a cotton swab, 2 times daily. Also, rinse as directed for bad breath.
Carbuncles: Add a drop or two of oil to cotton swab and apply directly to carbuncle. Repeat twice daily.
Chapped Lips: Add 1 or 2 drops of oil to lip balm. Apply to lips as necessary.
Chicken Pox: Apply a drop of oil directly to blisters. Allow to dry, then dust with corn starch. Repeat every few hours or until blisters disappear.
Chigger Bites: Apply a drop of oil directly to bites.
Cold Sores: Apply a drop or two of oil directly to the sore with a cotton swab. Re-apply 2 – 3 times daily.
Coughs: Use as directed for bronchial infections. For a vaporizer, add 10 drops to steamer and leave on 5 – 10 minutes.
Dandruff: Add 20 – 30 drops oil to any shampoo. Apply a few drops to scalp and massage after washing.
Dermatitis: Add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp of grapeseed or other oil and massage into affected areas. Repeat 2-3 times daily.
Dry Skin: Add 5 drops oil to 1 tbsp sweet almond oil. Massage into skin.
Earache and Infection: Add 2 – 3 drops of oil to 2 tbsp warm olive oil. With a dropper, drop a small amount into aching ear, tilting head to one side for a moment. Use cotton swab to absorb oil. Repeat 2 – 3 times daily.
Eczema: Add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp grapeseed oil or coconut oil and massage into affected areas. Repeat 2-3 times daily. Also can be applied undiluted.
Emphysema: Use as directed for bronchial infections. For a vaporizer, add 10 drops to steamer and leave on 5 – 10 minutes.
Flea Bites: Apply a drop of oil directly to bites.
Gout: Add 10 drops of oil to 2 tbsp of carrier oil; massage into affected area 2-3 times a day.
Gum Disease: Create a mouthwash with purified water, 1 drop of peppermint and 1 drop of tea tree oil.
Head Lice: Add 20 drops of oil to 2 tbsp shampoo. Massage into scalp and hair, leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse. Repeat 3 – 4 times daily, until eggs are gone.
Hives: Add 10 drops of oil to 4 tbsp of witch hazel. Apply with cotton ball. Or, mix with coconut oil (which is naturally healing and soothing itself) and gently apply to the infected areas.
Homemade Mouthwash: Make a simple homemade mouthwash with purified water and tea tree oil.
Household Cleaning: Can be used aromatically or added to homemade cleaners to kill germs and prevent the spread of colds and flus. You can make a general tea tree cleaner by combining 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake to blend and use for household cleaning tasks. This is especially good in the bathroom and in toilets.
Immune System: To stimulate the immune system, diffuse through the air on a regular basis, massage into the soles of the feet to increase your immune response.
Infected Wounds: Adding the oil to steaming water, hold the infected area over the steam. Or dilute 1 drop of tea tree with 1 cup of water and rinse the infected area 1-2 times a day, as needed.
Inflammation: Massage over the inflamed areas, gently and always toward the heart, or diffuse and inhale the tea tree oil directly or indirectly.
Ingrown Hairs: Add 1 – 2 drops of oil directly to area. Repeat every 2 hours or until signs of infection disappear.
Insect Repellant: Add 15 drops to a quart of water and use as an effective insect repellent.
Jock Itch: Apply 10 – 15 drops of oil to 2 tbsp of carrier oil. Apply 2 times daily. Dust with corn starch, to reduce chapping.
Laryngitis: Add 5 – 10 drops of oil and pinch of sea salt to 1 cup of warm water, gargle 2-3 times a day. Do not swallow!
Laundry Helper: Add 1/2 teaspoon tea tree oil to your laundry for towels and other fabric prone to getting moldy.
Mildew and Mold Remover: Spray an all-purpose cleaner made with 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil and 2 cups of water on growing mold and mildew. Shake well before using and do not rinse.
Mosquito Bites: Apply a drop of oil directly to bites.
Muscle Aches and Pains: Add 10-15 drops of oil to half cup Epsom salts, and dissolve in bath. Add 10 drops of oil to 2 tbsp of carrier oil. Massage well.
Mumps: Massage over the body and into the feet, and diffuse through the home.
Nail Fungus: Add 1 – 2 drops of oil directly to nail and the surrounding tissue. Allow to dry completely on hands before touching anything. Repeat morning and night for a week.
Pest Control: Household ants and other pests dislike Tea Tree Oil, so a few drops put at the point of entry will deter them. Wipe cupboards out with an oil and water solution to keep ants away.
Plantar Warts: Apply oil undiluted to affected area 2-3 times daily.
Psoriasis: Add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp carrier oil and massage into affected areas. Repeat 2-3 times daily. Also can be applied undiluted.
Rashes: Mix with coconut oil and massage over the affected areas.
Rheumatism: To help reduce pain associated with rheumatism, add 20 drops of tea tree oil to 2 ounces of carrier oil. Massage into affected are 2-3 times a day.
Ringworm: Apply a drop or two of oil undiluted, repeat 2 times daily. Can also mix 1 drop of tea tree oil with 1 drop of lavender oil for added benefit.
Rubella: Dilute as needed and massage into the affected areas.
Scabies: Apply 1 – 2 drops of oil directly to area in the morning and at night.
Sciatica: Add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp carrier oil and massage into affected areas. Repeat 2-3 times daily. Also can be applied undiluted.
Seborrhea: For skin: Add 10 drops oil to 1 tbsp of carrier oil and massage into affected areas. Repeat 2-3 times daily. For scalp: Add 10 drops of oil to 2 tbsp shampoo. Massage into scalp and hair, leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse. Repeat 3 – 4 times daily. Bath: Add 10-15 drops of oil to bath.
Shingles: Add 10-15 drops of oil to half cup Epsom salts, and dissolve in bath. Add 10 drops of oil to 2 tbsp of grapeseed oil or coconut oil and massage well.
Shock: Massage tea tree oil into the soles of the feet as needed.
Sinusitis: Use as directed for bronchial infections. For a vaporizer, add 10 drops to steamer and leave on 5 – 10 minutes. Also add 2 drops to a neti pot.
Sore muscles. Fill your bathtub with warm water. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to the water to relax tight muscles.
Sore Throat: Add 2 drops of oil to 1 cup of warm water with pinch of sea salt, gargle 2-3 times a day. Do not swallow!
Staph Infection: Best used topically, rubbed into the soles of the feet to increase the immune response and fight infection.
Stye: Add 5 drops oil to a pan of steaming water. Drape towel over head and steam 5 minutes. Apply warm compresses directly to stye.
Sunburn: Mix 1 TB coconut oil with 1 drop of tea tree and 1 drop of lavender and gently apply to to sunburned areas.
Tattoos: Apply after tattoos to avoid infection. Use undiluted, diluted with coconut oil or as a spray with purified water.
Thrush: Gargle with sea salt, warm water and 1 drop of tea tree.
Ticks: Apply a drop or two directly to the tick and the surrounding area.
Toenail fungus: Rub the tea tree oil directly onto the affected toenail and underneath the tip of the nail. Apply 1 to 2 drops of tea tree oil. Apply the oil once a day, preferably at bedtime.
Toothbrush Cleaner: Apply oil directly to toothbrush 1-2 times a week to kill bacteria.
Tonsillitis: Inhale from steaming water with tea tree, gargle, and massage into neck and soles of feet.
Vaginal Infection: Add several drops to the bath water.
Viral Infections: Diffuse tea tree oil throughout the home or inhale from steaming water.
Warts: Apply undiluted directly to wart. Use morning and night, until wart begins to disappear. Dilute if necessary for sensitive skin.
Wounds: Soak wounded area in water with tea tree oil, or spritz from a bottle of water with several drops of oil. Depending on the wound and your own sensitivity you may be able to apply directly.
A NOTE ABOUT CARRIER OILS
In order to effectively use essential oils – not just tea tree oil – it is often necessary to dilute the essential oil in another oil so that it can be easily spread or massaged on the affected area. These oils are called “carrier” oils. Common carrier oils include coconut oil, grapeseed oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil, olive oil and others.
Fractionated coconut oil and grapeseed oil are favorites because they are odorless and in the case of fractionated coconut oil, immune to rancidity. In practical use, any oil can be used if you do not have one of these more therapeutic oils on hand.
The properties of the various carrier oils is beyond the scope of this article but my favorite? Easy. Fractionated coconut oil. Is is relatively inexpensive, odorless and has a long shelf life making it perfect for the survival kit.
THE FINAL WORD
My first experience with tea tree oil occurred in the 80s when I was faced with a nail fungus that would not go away. The pharmaceutical solutions at the time (and for all I know, even now) were harsh and required frequent monitoring of liver enzymes. For a simple, non-life threatening nail fungus, I chose to pass. After using a topical application of tea tree oil for three months, the fungus was all but gone.
I then became interested in aromatherapy (which uses essential oils). I read every book I could get my hands on and dabbled at creating synergy’s (a combination of two or more oils that create a chemical compound that is greater than the sum of its individual components). My bible then, and even now, is The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood.
Since then I have used essential oils off and on for a variety of woes and have never been disappointed. My recommendation is that you pick up a few essential oils – and especially some tea tree oil – and start to use them now to supplement any other remedies that you are using to keep your family and your home in tip top shape.
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Top 7 alarming food modifications you should avoid at ALL COSTS
There are many ways corporations modify food products with chemicals in order to increase sales. They use toxic chemicals to extend shelf life, make food look more attractive, kill bugs in the fields, stave off mold and mildew, kill fungus and bacteria, add flavor back in after chemicals kill the taste, and actually make people depressed and anxious to fuel the chemical medicine industry. Most of it's nothing new, and has been going on since WWII. GMOs have been in existence for 30 years now, though few people are aware of that.
The cumulative effect of poisons in the body is something you can't sue one food manufacturer for, or one doctor, or one chemical company. The corporate food industry in America is sinister and insidious. They know they can't be held accountable for long-term chronic sicknesses from which so many Americans suffer. The FDA could care less about Americans' health and well-being.
The CDC is a criminal organization too, that invests in the demise of children. Just look at all the toxic vaccines and crazy medicines advertised on TV. It's crazy that people are stupid enough to take these chemical-based, unproven and unsafe medications for the ills they suffer from the toxic meals they consume, one after another, after another. You are what you eat, so how genetically modified, man-made, and artificially-induced are your health problems? You be the judge.
Here are the top 7 alarming food modifications you should avoid at all costs.
#1. Artificial Food Dyes: Did you know that some dyes are used to mask filth and rot in food and candy? You see them listed on just about every non-natural food item that has those colors of the rainbow, and they come from petroleum, an industrial chemical by-product that affects allergies, behavior, cells and brain function. Watch out for Citrus Red 2, Red 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2 and Green 3 – these are all contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals and trigger allergic reactions.
#2. Food-grade shellac (petroleum): Makes fruit and vegetables shiny. Have you seen this sign at a supermarket yet? It reads, "These Fruits and Vegetables have been coated with FDA-approved food-grade Vegetable-, Petroleum-, Beeswax-, and/or Shellac-based wax or resin to maintain freshness." Produce is often coated like a new surfboard with shellac and resin, including apples, avocados, oranges, parsnips, pineapples, squash, tomatoes and turnips. Signs say happy stuff like "To maintain freshness," and "FDA-approved." Nobody should ever eat shellac or petroleum, no matter what they do in a lab to "verify" its safety for food use.
#3. Chemical pesticides growing inside the produce (GMO): Molecular engineers working in biotechnology laboratories are gene-splicing fruit and vegetable seedlings with poisonous pesticides and herbicides so the plants are inherently protected from the insects and worms that might damage them. The majority of products Americans eat daily contain some form of GMO soy, corn, canola (rapeseed) oil or cotton seed oil. Research shows that consuming GMOs and the popular herbicide Roundup leads to the mutation of cells in the human body, in turn fueling the development of malignant tumors and other various forms of cancer.
#4. Aged red meat turns brown but is dyed back to red with carcinogenic nitrates and nitrites: Cured with toxic chemicals to make it look fresh, red meat like steak and hamburger, as well as most processed meats, usually contain synthetic cancer-causing nitroso compounds to keep them from spoiling so quickly. The FDA has known since the 1970s that nitrites cause leukemia when they turn into nitrosamines in the body. Routinely added to hot dogs, beef jerky, bacon and breakfast sausage, tiny tablets of nitrites the size of a nickel are also used by the USDA to kill wild hogs, which die within a couple of hours after consuming even just one.
#5. Sodium benzoate: This is a chemical used to preserve most jarred and canned foods that strangulates mitochondria (brain cells) and eventually causes cancer. Usually followed by the friendly-sounding words, "as a preservative" or "to preserve freshness," sodium benzoate extends the life of food while shortening the life of the humans who consume it. Commonly found in pickles, dressings, sauces, fruit cans, jarred vegetables and thousands of shelved food products found in those middle aisles of just about every supermarket in America.
#6. Carrageenan: An emulsifier, gelling and thickening agent that coagulates over time and can cause dangerous lesions in the digestive tract and excretive systems of humans. Permitted even in organic products, carrageenan is derived from a red seaweed compound in products like yogurt, coffee creamer, sour cream, cottage cheese, ice creams, soy milk, almond milk and coconut milk. Research shows that degraded carrageenan triggers inflammation, causes ulceration, and leads to malignancies in the gastrointestinal tract, including lesions, cancer and digestive disorders.
#7. Decaffeination process for coffee: Often involves soaking coffee beans in the toxic chemical benzene to dissolve the caffeine. Continual benzene exposure leads to neurological symptoms. Symptoms include dizziness, drowsiness, headaches and loss of consciousness. Larger doses cause vomiting, dizziness and convulsions, and can eventually lead to death. Dermal exposure leads to reddening and blistering of the skin, and exposure to vapor leads to respiratory problems.
What's the solution? Start filtering toxins from your daily intake. Where's the best guide for this? It's being published next month! View the trailer to the new book Food Forensics by the Health Ranger, that's available for pre-sale now right here.
"Food Forensics threatens to change the entire future of the food industry" – Mike Adams, scientist, author, editor of Natural News.
Family Medical Bag With Nurse Amy Alton
We all generally have some sort of first aid kit or emergency supplies, especially if you have children. When preparing your medical bag, you try to think of everything you can add to it that would be beneficial in some way.
Preparing a medical bag you want to take with you in a grid down situation can be tricky as well. Nurse Amy Alton and Dr. Joseph Alton have found one of the best bags I have seen in a long while. In the video below Nurse Amy walks you through hundreds of items and what they can be used for.
According to the description on their website the total weight of the bag and everything in it is 19 lbs. including the military-grade padded and comfortable backpack made by Voodoo Tactical. After watching the video you can make that even less buy removing outer packaging of certain items like boxed medicines/items.
Their Stomp Plus Trauma Survival Bag is a little pricey but I believe with all the items you get PLUS that awesome bag it is worth it. Especially if you would rather buy a product first and add what you need. Although I doubt you could need anything after getting this.
To top that off, according to their website you will also get “The Survival Medicine Handbook“. This is a must have book for any prepper. Their book is written as if the grid is down. It is in laymen terms for those of us not familiar with medical definitions which make this book very much sought after.
Grid Down: Heart & Blood Pressure Care
It is important to realize and understand that if we ever have a grid down situation or some sort of natural disaster that prevented us from getting our medication, a lot of people will die. Diabetics, epileptics, anyone with heart disease. You name it. So what can you learn and put into play that will help you with the disability that you have?
Well we can help with that! Below we have another cheerful video by ThePatriotNurse. She talks about what sorts of herbal medicine will help with your heart health and in possible emergencies. She gives a brief crash course on how the heart works and all the vessels. Her description simplifies the basic way the heart works.
Neglect of the body over time can manifest into high blood pressure and different kinds of arrhythmia. So what happens if we no longer have pills and medicine to help us out? She talks about different herbs you can incorporate into your daily routine easily and store some for grid down. Cayenne, Garlic, Hawthorn Berries, and Ginger plus tons more than can help you all through life.
Patriot Nurse shares with us her four “must have” books. (Listed at the bottom of the page.) Reference books can always be helpful and beneficial in assisting you in an emergency.
We hope you enjoy watching ThePatriotNurse. Please feel free to comment and share your knowledge with fellow preppers
The Reality of 2 Weeks of Food Storage
The thought of food storage can be very overwhelming, especially if you are new to being self sufficient. You have just realized the need for food-storage and the dangers of what is happening in the world. So now what are you going to do about it? You may find some very good answers in the video below.
The best answer that I have is research and lots of it. You Tuber ObessivePrepperAz shares her thoughts on an easy and affordable way to start off making sure you have two weeks’ worth of food. She walks you through how to calculate food storage for your family and points out some very helpful hints.
However, ObsessivePrepperAZ is just touching on the bare minimum you will need in her video, but by adding things like rice or noodles to some of your storage you can turn one can of soup into a pot of stew. Her tips and secrets are very helpful for a beginner prepper.
She focuses on how many cans of Campbell Chunky Soup you would need for one meal a day. One of her viewers suggested a very effective way to stretch those cans to feed four people 2 or 3 meals per day. That is a LOT more than one can of soup for one person.
“Tip: Double that food storage with one bag of rice, one bag of dried potatoes, and two packs of cubed bullion. Take two cans of that chunky soup, add I cup rice OR potatoes, and a bullion, add at least 3 cups water; make it into a large pot of stew. Feeds four, 2-3 meals per day. Stew is salvation.”
We hope you enjoy her suggestions and please feel free to comment some of your tips and advice to help the newbies!! We all have to help each other become reliant on ourselves.
7 Unusual Home Security Tips You Probably Didn’t Know
Whether you’re an experienced home defense guru or a complete amateur, the best way to prepare against a burglary or home invasion is to prevent it from happening in the first place. But no matter how watchful you are, sometimes you have to sleep, and some thieves know how to get around the standard home security measures. In case that happens, there are many unusual methods to protect your family and valuables–methods that don’t involve moving out of your 3-bedroom house and into a fortified castle.
Here are 7 unusual home security tips you probably didn’t know.
1. Use Dowell Rods in Sliding Glass Door Tracks
You’ll be hard pressed to find a home that doesn’t feature an aesthetically pleasing sliding glass door. They provide a great view and allow natural light to flood the house. However, they’re not very secure. A well-prepared and knowledgeable burglar has ways of getting around the average sliding glass door. And if the door is improperly installed, they can easily lift it off the tracks, so be sure to check your sliding glass doors for base line security.
The best way to secure a sliding glass door is to put a dowel rod or something similar on the tracks, and lodge it between the door and the wall. If a burglar manages to unlock the sliding door, they still won’t be able to slide it open if a dowel rod is in the way.
2. Move Your Alarm Keypad
Installing a home security system is a fantastic way to deter potential burglars, but it’s not fool-proof. Most alarm pads are plac