SCP Survival

Best Survival Gear and Supplies

Flu Shots Might Actually Be Good For Your Heart

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flu shot

You might have already talked to your doctor about getting a flu shot this year in an effort to combat seasonal illness. Now, this vaccine is readily available in places like health clubs, neighborhood pharmacies and community clinics, too. On a related note, the Women’s College Hospital and University of Toronto collaborated on a study, which found that influenza vaccine could reduce the risk of heart attacks, whether or not a person who received the vaccine had a prior cardiovascular risk.

During the study, researchers looked at clinical trials from the 1960s to the current time and noticed that the vaccine cut down on deaths of all types by approximately 40 percent, and that people reduced their probability of a major cardiac problem by half. Also, the study analyzed over 3,000 patients, and the pool was split almost evenly between people who had prior cardiac problems, and those who did not.

Helpful with Cardiac Implants?

There was also a study at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, which looked at the effects of the influenza vaccine on patients who had cardiac defibrillators implanted inside of them. The study was inspired when lead researchers discovered that their patients tended to have more incidents of needing assistance from their defibrillator during flu season.

The results showed that individuals with implanted defibrillators who received the flu vaccine were about three percent less likely to be reliant on their defibrillator. Researchers seemed optimistic at this evidence, and said that it could be good news for people who have already potentially compromised their lifespan.

Shots for the Needle-Phobic

If one of the reasons why you’ve been putting off your flu shot is because of the needle, there’s a new method to explore. Fluzone intradermal offers a new way to administer the flu vaccination. It uses a very short needle that’s less than 1/10 of an inch long, and only about as thick as a strand of hair. In an article on ABCNews.com, Dr William Schaffner, the chairman of preventive medicine at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine also mentioned that the vaccine might also help patients avoid the persistent deep muscle aches that are common with standard flu shots. That’s because the intradermal versions go just under the skin’s surface.

Things to Ask Your Doctor

The possibility of a flu shot reducing the risk of heart problems adds to the already established recommendations that certain groups of the population, such as young children and women who are pregnant, should receive the flu vaccination. It’s also suggested for people who have prior health problems, because when flu strikes, symptoms can be worse for these individuals. If you work in the healthcare field, it’s particularly important to get vaccinated, especially since your potential level of exposure to the flu is so much higher than that of the general population.

However, if you have an allergy to eggs, tell your doctor. Some versions of the flu vaccine include a type of egg protein. Also, speak up if you’ve had a suspected adverse reaction to the flu vaccine before. It might not have been connected to receiving the shot, but it’s good for your doctor to be informed, anyway.

Thanks to advancing technology, the flu is no longer something that you automatically have to start worrying about whenever winter approaches. Although there are many people that prefer not to vaccinate for the flu, it could be a great option for you.

Kerosene Lamps – An Awesome Gift

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Time’s running out, and if you haven’t found that hard to get person a gift yet, you could be in potential trouble!

Here’s an idea that will hopefully help. Try giving a Prepping gift, like a kerosene lamp! Wally World has a nice selection of kerosene lamps at prices that should fit into any budget. There are various decorative glass styles, but they even have the old outside barn style too.

This, with a bottle of lamp oil, would make the perfect Prepping gift without breaking the bank. The lamp oils even come in various scents if you want add a special touch.

If the time comes when it is needed in a power outage, you’ll be thanked many times over! Kerosene lamps are much safer than candles, and were used in our recent past for many years. Good common sense must prevail in their use though, as with any item that uses fire.

For a long while they were the only source of night time light that there was. The Amish still use them to light their homes to this day.

Most of the lamps come with instructions on how to trim the wick. Remind the gift recipient to pay close attention to it and do it for the best lighting results.

Should I Go To Urgent Care? [5 considerations]

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If you’re like many people, you avoid the emergency room like the plague; not because you’re afraid, but because you don’t want it to turn into an all-day event.

If you ask emergency staff, they’ll tell you that it’s not unusual to have to wait up to eight hours to be seen. This is because anyone more critical than you will be pushed to the front of the line. If you need to be seen for an illness or injury that isn’t life threatening, don’t ignore your problem; take a trip to urgent care.

1. When You Can’t See Your Physician

If you have a family doctor and your illness or injury isn’t life threatening, he or she should always be your first call. In the event that you can’t get an appointment in a satisfactory amount of time, or your doctor’s office is closed, your nearest urgent care center can be a fantastic option. Rather than sitting idly and suffering with your issue, have someone take you to an urgent care center for proper medical attention.

2. Who Will Treat You?

Many people are concerned that they won’t see a “real” physician if they visit an urgent care center. According to Dr. Sarah Holder of the Quick Care Clinic at Methodist Charlton Medical Center in Dallas, most urgent care centers are staffed by physicians, nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants. These are often the same types of professionals who would see you in an emergency room or in your doctor’s office.

3. What You Can Get Treated For?

There are very few regulations when it comes to urgent care centers in terms of what they can and can’t treat you for. What this means is that you can often find the same type of care at an urgent care center as you would in an emergency room. Most urgent care centers offer imaging, lab work, urine and fecal tests, and other routine screenings. If you find an urgent care facility that doesn’t offer these things, it’s not because they aren’t permitted to do so, it’s because they’ve chosen not to do so. Your urgent care center will be able to treat you for almost every minor illness and injury.

4. Urgent Care versus Retail Clinics

If you are sick, it’s important to understand the difference between the type of clinic you can find in your local pharmacy and an urgent care clinic. Retail clinics are staffed by nurse practitioners and treat common, minor illnesses and injuries. If you have something a bit more serious, like pneumonia or a broken bone, these retail clinics will refer you to an emergency room or urgent care center.

5. Insurance

Just like hospitals and your doctor’s office, urgent care centers accept most major medical insurance plans. If you have insurance, it’s always a good idea to find out whether there are restrictions in your policy as to where you can be treated. If you can’t find this information in your insurance packet, call your local urgent care center and find out if they accept your medical insurance. If your insurance provider will not cover your visit, you’ll need to be able to pay your bill in full on your own.

Urgent care centers can be a great source for treatment of your illnesses and injuries. While it’s not unusual to wait for hours on end in an emergency room, you’ll never have to sit for hours in an urgent care facility. Don’t suffer with an illness when you don’t have to; you can receive proper, caring attention at your local urgent care center.

How To Assemble A Survival Binder

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Way back in the ‘70s I started my own 3 ring survival binder, which became binders over the years. Well, my house burned two years ago and poof, a lifetime of information collecting gone. Two strokes and my memory leaves something to be desired.  Such is life…

We all have different families, challenges, live in different areas under different circumstances, but we all believe in being prepared or we wouldn’t be here. And we are all preparing for different scenarios. Some of us are preparing for floods, earthquakes, and tornadoes, while others for a nuclear catastrophe or economic collapse.

No matter how extensive your library, no one book will cover this all! And there is so much valuable information out there, but how do you remember where it all is and what if the electricity goes off and the library is not available? A personalized survival binder is the answer.

When I started mine, the personal computer was science fiction! I hand copied information, cut and pasted magazine articles and photocopied from books. Today, most information you need is available on the internet and can be easily printed, or copied and pasted into a document. And there are so many excellent websites and resources available it can be mind boggling!

Three ring binders are inexpensive, especially if you shop at your local Salvation Army or Goodwill. I use a hole punch and just the computer paper I am printing on, or photocopying onto. If I’m handwriting things, I like the pre-punched ruled notebook paper. You can also create a digital survival library, by downloading pdf copies of survival guides and handbooks, which can then be stored on a thumb drive, external hard drive, cloud drive or even emailed to yourself so you always have access from any computer.

I divided mine into categories like: First Aid, Water, Alternative Fuel and Energy, Recipes (beans and rice), Wild Edibles, Natural Remedies, you get the idea. Gardening and Food Preservation are separate binders for me. But you could easily have individual binders for all of your categories.

So, as you are wandering the Net and see good information, consider creating your own Survival Binder!

What Do You Need For Seven Days of Self-Reliance? [List]

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Natural or manmade disasters can occur!

What are the basics for you to survive without electricity, water service, heat, cooling, or sewage disposal for seven days in your home?

If you have your Bug Out Bag stocked and ready to go and have a 72 hour In-Home Survival Box prepared, along with a Get Home Bag in your vehicle you are almost there!

Now it is up to you to decide how comfortable you (and your family) want to be for a week without power.

Here’s what you need to add to the 72 Hour Box for In-Home Survival:

  • Toilet paper—at least two rolls per person.
  • Additional water—at least one gallon per person per day.
  • More paper plates, plastic utensils and paper towels.
  • Four more days of canned and/or non-perishable foods. Your BOB and Get Home Bag probably only contain energy bars.
  • More sturdy garbage bags for sanitation.
  • Another roll of heavy duty aluminum foil.
  • More replacement batteries for radio, flashlight and lantern.
  • A box of baby wipes for sponge baths.
  • Baby powder for a dry hair wash and general freshener.
  • One reusable emergency blanket per person if in a climate that gets below freezing.

Comfortable Self-Reliance for One Week

  • A portable heater with enough fuel for a week. Be sure to have a working carbon monoxide detector.
  • An extra bottle of propane for your grill for three seasons of cooking outside. A camp stove with extra fuel for inside cooking.
  • Add comfort food to your supplies—chocolate, popcorn, mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, marshmallows… Whatever will store well and taste good to you and your family. A good quality manual can opener.
  • A popup tent for “camping” in your living room or outside if the weather is nice.
  • A plastic, passive solar camp shower.
  • Two coolers in case you can access ice to keep your refrigerated goods from spoiling and dry ice to keep your frozen foods from spoiling. If not, have a block party!
  • More flashlights and lanterns.
  • Decks of cards and games.
  • Some wine or spirits to relax with.

Thriving Off-Grid for One Week

  • If you have a natural gas furnace, a natural gas garage heater mounted in the basement or upstairs – will it work without electricity? Heat rises and there will a comfortable area near the heater—these usually cost less than $300 installed. Be sure to have a working carbon monoxide detector.
  • Upgrade to a gas range and you will have burners, and, check before you buy, an oven to back in or use as an extra space heater.
  • A generator of at least 3500 watts

So it is your choice! Survive, be comfortable, or thrive and potentially be able to help others during a disaster!

How To Create Your 72 Hour Kit or Bug Out Bag

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Even Ready.gov recommends that every American should have a go bag packed and ready to leave at a moment’s notice if told to evacuate.

Why would you ever have to evacuate? Consider what we have seen on the national news recently:

  • Wild fires
  • Hurricanes
  • Earthquakes
  • Natural gas explosions
  • Hazardous waste truck and train accidents
  • Floods
  • Industry and warehouse fires

This pack is meant for you, and your family, to survive on your own for 3 days. It could happen to you!

Every BOB is individual. It could be a backpack, a carry bag, or a small rolling suitcase with handle. It must be easy for you to carry! And it should be set next to the doorway or at least near it so that if police or National Guard comes to your door you can just grab and go.

What it contains should also be individualized for you, your family and your pets. Essentially it should have food, water and supplies to allow you to survive for at least 72 hours.

Here is a basic list for you to consider:

  • Prescription medications and spare glasses
  • Copies of important family documents like identification (copy of your driver’s license or birth certificate and social security card), insurance policy declaration pages, and bank account records. Family phone numbers and emails. Create a survival binder and put it in a waterproof container or bag.
  • Enough cash and change to pay for gasoline, tolls, motel and food for three days.
  • A small first aid kit.
  • A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. If in a cold climate especially, consider adding the Mylar emergency blankets.
  • One complete change of utilitarian clothing, including sturdy shoes, per person. Rotate seasonally for appropriate wear.
  • Water AND a portable water filter—like a Life Straw.
  • A survival whistle (compass, waterproof match holder with matches and flint, signal mirror). SOS in Morse code simplified version: short/long/short.
  • A pack of wet wipes, antiseptic wipes, and zip lock baggies for personal hygiene.
  • Paper and pencil/pen for leaving notes.
  • Food: Consider energy bars or MREs (meals ready to eat). It has to be portable and you can eat it without cooking it.

Auxiliary Considerations:

  • Children or Infants?
  • Formula and infant food.
  • Disposable diapers.
  • Entertainment for the kids and food they will eat.
  • Toddlers plus can carry their own backpacks.

Pets?

  • Pet food, water, and portable dishes.
  • Pet carrier (small dogs and cats).
  • Leash and muzzle (Even for the most well behaved dog to protect the dog! Some people fear dogs and if you encounter an aggressive dog yours is less likely to be shot if muzzled).
  • Doggie potty bags and scooper.
  • A dog can carry its own pack as well. Practice with the dog!

This is a VERY BASIC list! So much can be added. But if you have this minimum and shelter, you can SURVIVE! Practice with your family at least twice a year!