Pandemics. In 2018 did we even consider one? I wrote this about a year and a half ago. Take a read and compare certain parts to today. And compare to this post a few weeks ago.
Pandemics. The Media Food and YOU.
Say What?
Pandemics have been part of man kinds existence since we first climbed out of trees and figured out that if we put a seed in the ground a plant grew in the same spot. The term pandemic is tossed around by people every year that the seasonal flu comes out. We have been hit by Flu, TB, Measles Hanta Cholera, Pertussis you name it and we’ve had it. Prior to the mid 20th century most pandemic outbreaks have killed millions of people. By the middle of the 1950’s we learned about antibiotics. More importantly we learned about transmission vectors and how to break the chain. By the 1960’s it was thought that world devastating pandemics were a thing of the past. We were lulled into a false sense of security.
By the 1980’s new and more deadly bugs were gathering strength. No not HIV. It was TB. The first of the SARS viruses. Bird flu, MRSA and the grandparents of the drug resistant bacteria.
Enter the early 21st century. HIV is on the back burner, but drug resistant TB. Mutated flus and SARS and now MERS. Measles. The childhood disease is back with a vengeance.
Currently things are semi under control. Resistant TB and Flu bugs are held at bay with huge doses of the best antibiotics we can make.
The Last Straw
Until the last straw is laid on the frail back of our society. The complex drug cocktails that have kept the bugs at bay are running out. And the resistant bacteria marches across our land with the ferocity of the Mongols invading the steppes of Russia. People say that back in the 18th 19th and 20th century that used herbal medicine failed to stop the bacteria and viruses of the time. What chance does it have against the super bugs WE created of the 21st century?
A lot. We have learned HOW they work. How the live. What the need to live and what will kill them. Modern herbal healers have taken the knowledge of the past. Centuries of herbal knowledge have been combined with what we have learned in the last 50 years of modern medicine.
Berberine is an effective antibiotic. Used correctly.
That was from 3 years ago.
.
And looking at today I see what I talked about getting worse. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a bit on Typhus in the US. 3 years ago it was barely on the radar. The talk of the town was Ebola. It is making a guest appearance in Congo. Oh guess what. There is a bit of a civil war going on there. What happens when war and deadly communicable disease meet? People leaving to escape the war. And bringing the little friends with them. Cat Ellis The Herbal Prepper and I talked about the dangers of modern air travel and the rapid spread of violent viruses. What we didn’t talk about then was our family car.
Right now Typhus is having a resurgence in California and in Texas. And its coming on the winter travel season. OMG DO WE NEED TO SEAL OUR STATE BORDERS TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF THE PURPLE CREEPING FUNGUS???????ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!
OK. A little melodramatic. But a valid concern.
NO we are not going to start bouncing about in a panic like a fork dropped into a garbage disposal.
Can we REALLY have a pandemic in the 21st Century
Fact is is if a pandemic is going to start there is not much in the 21st century way of life that will stop it. Until we get “Star Trek level Bio Scanners” that will screen and kill pathogens, we need to be smart about protecting ourselves and family
Last year was the deadliest flu season in decades. @ 80,000 deaths were attributed to the flu. CDC Brief on Flu Deaths 2017-2018 (Also NO I am not going to get into the pros and cons of flu shots) I’m just using it as an example of how bad a virus spread can be.
Viruses are not the only “bugs” that can kill us. For people who do not live in the desert southwest or mountain west have not heard much about Bubonic Plague. Except out of history books. My son Jake’s boss at the local blood bank in Anchorage thought he was joking when he talked about how plague kills people every year. Until he showed them the stats.
So how do we prevent the spread of disease or the start of a pandemic when things go bad if the technology of the 21st century can not do it?
Do we isolate ourselves behind walls and barriers? Or do we learn how to stop or at least slow down the spread of disease.
Quarantine.
It is one of, and in all reality the best way to stop the spread of disease. In todays world it is a “dirty word” We say that we need to quarantine Fido for a few days before bringing him to the summer retreat in Hawaii its all good. But when we say we need to quarantine a group of people from Outer LithuUnitedia because the Purple People Eating Fungus is running rampant there. People get up in arms and the cries of discrimination and racism fly though out social media and the 24/7 news outlets
In 2017 The NY Times posted this story:
Why the C.D.C.’s Power to Quarantine Should Worry Us
The article talks about the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new regulations that give it broad authority to quarantine Americans. The article tells about the 1900 bubonic plague out break in San Francisco where “The quarantine applied only to Chinese residents, and lacked any scientific basis. It was fueled by little more than naked fear and racism.”
That is totally true. In 1900 the transmission vectors were still unknown. We had a clue it was rats that brought the disease but the actual bacteria was still shrouded in mystery and well ignorance. Now I will go out on a limb and say that the today, The CDC would use science to decide on the quarantine if a person or persons to protect the general public. Governments………. On the other hand…….
Seriously we can’t let personal fell good feelings control us. Common sense needs to dictate our actions.
Next on the agenda on combating disease is. Drum roll please………………… Staying healthy!
Eating Healthy is not a fad
Yup that nagging little thing I talk about all the time. Eating healthy is the first on the list. If you do not fuel your body with healthy food then all the herbs oils and medicine you take, will not work. Once again with feeling. IT WILL NOT WORK. You can pump your body with every known supplement or Big Pharma medication and if you do not eat properly it will not work. Now in a SHTF situation the local Fred Meyers or Safeway may not be there.
But that is no reason to not at least TRY maintain some health in your diet. One way is in the foods that you store. Another is in the foods you grow. And the foods you harvest. My friend Daisy The Organic Prepper has LOADS of tips on how to eat healthy on a low budget. Check her out and SUBSCRIBE!
Now I’ll be brutally honest. Most of the “Designer Diets” or diets that restrict you to 1 food group are not life sustainable. (Hmm a news letter sounds in the making with that idea!)
To be clear diets that limit you to eating only vegetables. Or diets that limit you to only meat can not sustain you. There are certain minerals vitamins fats proteins that can not be gotten from only 1 food.
To fight disease it takes energy, Living rough takes 2 to 3 times the energy of our modern lives.
Food is fuel
Take the time now to put away sustainable foods. Whole grains Dried legumes. Canned fruits, meats and vegetables. Preserved fats. I’ll pair up with some friends on a better nutrition news letter. And include tips for the newer diets that are sustainable in a SHTF situation.
This go round I am not going to go over specific remedies. First for a few, namely Hanta and Ebola there is none. ( There are a few things that show promise but nothing that will stop it cold) Plague takes antibiotics. As does typhus typhoid cholera and a host others. Influenza. Stay tuned for the obligatory Cold and Flu news letter! Colloidal Silver. I advise to keep it on hand .
And further more:
This article is one of those that was and is tough to write. In reality it needs to be broken into a host of smaller articles detailing different facets. This one is written to provoke. Not promote discussion. Please take the time to converse with me or with anyone about the different scenarios.
Pandemics are real. Not the product of imagination. Time is way past to learn how to protect ourselves from them. The first link of the chain, and one that is ALWAYS broken, is. Communication. There is no real, concise, and most of all believable source. But wait! What about the CDC? Yes they send out warnings. But are dependent on the national and local media. Ok so what about the local or national media? Good question. What is the general media talking about. When there is something on the news about illness it is sandwiched between politics, hate crimes and the Hollywood Who’s Who. Do a news site search for the current Ebola outbreak in the Congo. See what you find in the news.
As I said earlier. I have no intention of doing the fork in the garbage disposal routine of panic. I am just wanting to pass on information. The most powerful weapon we have is not our weapons. Its our mind. We need to employ it. And to employ it we need to arm it. Knowledge is ammunition. And used correctly it is the most powerful weapon and more importantly, the best tool for survival.
Cat Ellis The Herbal Prepper has written a book on pandemics. Its called Prepping for a Pandemic and its on Amazon. Get a copy and read it.