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  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Preparedness
    • Where to begin
    • Bug-Out Bags
    • Basic Disaster Supplies
    • Car Preparedness
    • Medical Issues >
      • Medical Supplies
      • Health Preparedness
      • Disaster First Aid
    • Water Storage
    • Long Term Food Storage >
      • Food Shelf Life
      • Stocking Up
      • Food Preservation
      • How to Store Food
      • Where to Store Food
  • Survival
    • Cooking without Electricity
    • Gardening Basics
    • Sanitation & Laundry
    • Personal Hygiene
    • Security
    • Outdoor Survival
    • Starting a Fire
  • RESOURCES
  • SHOP
    • Books
    • Cooking Supplies
    • Emergency Kits
    • Food & Water Storage
    • Food Preserving
    • Sanitation
    • Medical Supplies
    • Gardening Supplies
    • Security

Health Preparedness

5 Steps to Health-Related Emergency Preparedness
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 If SHTF and the doctors are busy saving peoples’ lives then many of the issues noted below will become low-priority, but they will definitely matter to you! Prepare now so you’re all set, health-wise, for societally-impacting disasters!
STEP 1: GET YOUR SHOTS
Vaccine-preventable illnesses are just that – preventable! In places where public health is impacted by war or other disasters these illnesses invariably crop up .
Childhood vaccines
  • Vaccines were one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century, and have saved and prolonged millions of lives.
  • Recommended childhood vaccines can be given one-by-one or sometimes in combination (less pokes) and include: Diptheria, Haemophilus Influenza, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Human Pappilomavirus, Measles, Meningitis, Mumps, Pertussis (whooping cough), Pneumonia , Polio, Rotavirus, Rubella and Tetanus.​
  • Unless they are proven to be allergic or cannot receive live virus vaccines because they are immune suppressed, ALL CHILDREN should be vaccinated against vaccine-preventable diseases.
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  • ​The vaccines that are approved and recommended by the CDC have been tested up down and sideways and have been deemed to be effective and safe.
  • Sorry to be blunt, but in my opinion refusing or forgetting to get your child vaccinated is basically akin to child neglect.
Yearly influenza vaccine
  • True, they are not always effective.
  • True, they wear off in one year
  • BUT – if you get your shot, and get it early in the season (ie – October) then you’ll be way better off than everyone who didn’t get the shot.
  • Just get the shot.

Hepatitis A & B vaccines
  • Hepatitis A is a foodborne illness that can be transmitted by eating fruit, veggies or other foods that have been contaminated with germs in manure/stool. It is, unfortunately, more common than you would think. Getting Hepatitis A can cause severe jaundice, abdominal pain, illness and even death.
  • Hepatitis B is a blood-borne illness transmitted via body fluids (blood, mostly) and can lead to chronic liver disease and death.
  • These diseases are preventable if you get the vaccine series (2 shots for Hepatitis A, 3 shots for Hepatitis B).
  • Just get the shots.
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  • Tdap (tetanus, whooping cough, diphtheria)
Tetanus can get into your bloodstream after exposure to dirt in a wound (not just from a rusty nail), and cause a life-threating reaction that leads not just to “lock jaw” but potentially also to paralysis of your diaphragm and respiratory failure. Tetanus can be prevented with a vaccination once every 10 years.
  • Whooping cough is a prolonged illness which usually doesn’t kill adults but can be fatal in children, and is very contagious. Immunity after getting the vaccination only lasts 5-10 years.
Diphtheria is a super rare but potentially fatal bacterial infection and it’s part of the combination vaccine and there’s not really any downside to getting protected against it.

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Shingles vaccine
  • The new 2-shot series (Shingrix) is very effective and is recommended for adults age 50+
Pneumonia vaccine
  • Kids get this vaccine series during early childhood (see above).
  • For adults there are two shots -- the Prevnar-13 and Pneumovax 23 vaccines
  • Recommended for adults age 65+, and for certain immune-suppressed patients of any age.

STEP 2: PREVENTATIVE CARE
Don’t put it off! What if a major disaster is headed your way and your body is brewing something bad that will eventually kill you? Better to take care of it now instead of becoming a cautionary tale!

Colonoscopy: This procedures, although rated “not fun” by many, not only diagnoses colon cancer but can also prevent it by removing pre-cancerous polyps at the time of the exam.
  • Recommended every 10 years for low-risk adults after age 50
  • Recommended every 3-5 years for adults in higher-risk categories (ie., those with a personal or family history of colon cancer or pre-cancerous polyps)
Mammogram: This exam screens for breast cancer.
  • Many breast cancers are very treatable if caught in the early stages.
  • Recommended every 1-2 years in women ages 45-74.
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Pap smear: This exam screens for cervical cancer and pre-cancer in women who are or have ever been sexually active.
  • Recommended every 2-3 years in low-risk women age 21-65
  • Recommended every year in women with recent history of abnormal pap smear
Prostate exam: A physical exam and/or a PSA blood test screen for prostate cancer – the most common cancer in men. Sometimes cancer can be present for years before it becomes apparent.
  • Get yearly prostate physical exams starting at age 50.
  • Talk to your doctor about whether a PSA blood test is recommended for you.
STEP 3: DON’T PUT THINGS OFF
I totally GET procrastination and empathize with the human tendency to put things off for tomorrow. But what if the world literally falls apart tomorrow – then it will be TOO LATE!!

Stop Smoking!! It’s easier to quit now, when help is available.
  • Cold turkey is an option, but there are lots of quit aides available, too.
  • Use the nicotine patch or nicotine gum, a nicotine vape, or take doctor-prescribed medication to help reduce your cravings (Chantix is by far the most effective option).
  • I know it’s SO hard. But maybe it’s finally time.
Get those elective procedures scheduled.
  • Fix those hernias – they can potentially kill you!
  • Get your gallbladder removed if you have known gallstones (cholelithiasis). A gallbladder attack can also kill you.
  • Get an IUD, vasectomy or a tubal ligation if you don’t want more babies.
STEP 4: TAKE CARE OF YOUR EYES
If you can’t see, you’re at a major disadvantage. What if you lose your glasses in a storm, flood or earthquake. Imagine how helpless you will be if you can’t see!

Cataracts: If you have been diagnosed with cataracts - get them fixed!
  • This surgery is quick, easy, effective and covered by most insurance plans!
Near-sightedness: Get regular eye exams and make sure that your glasses or contact prescription is up to date. Consider Lasik surgery if your distance vision is poor.
  • True, Lasik is is not covered by many insurance plans, or at least not fully, but you can consider it an investment in yourself.
  • Yes,  you’ll still need readers for up-close vision, someday, but reading glasses are easy to find while a prescription for distance vision in exactly your required range will be VERY tough to find if the Optometrist is no longer available! 
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STEP 5: TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH
What if you could never find a dentist ever again?? It would be really good to at least have had a recent cleaning, had any broken or problem teeth dealt with, and/or to have dentures that fit. Bad teeth and lack of dental care can lead to misery, infection and early death!
  • Get your teeth cleaned every 6 months
  • Get those wisdom teeth removed if that has been recommended. I’m talking to you, 20-somethings!!
  • Deal with broken teeth, lost fillings and cavities ASAP.
  • Make sure your dentures or partials fit you well.
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