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Fire Cider: How to Make a Fast, Effective Remedy for the Flu
Fire Cider: How to Make a Fast, Effective Remedy for the Flu
One of my favorite remedies for cold and flu season is fire cider. It’s loaded with anti-inflammatory, immune-supporting, and decongestant herbs. Best of all, it’s super simple to make. Even though the combination sounds bizarre, it’s actually tasty in a sweet and sour kind of way.
Fire cider can be made entirely with items from the grocery store, or customized with more exotic herbs from an herb shop. I even have an “instant” version to share with you.
The 2018 flu season is a rough one
Flu season here in the US is from October through May, with the peak in February. We haven’t even hit peak flu season yet, and already Alabama has declared a state of emergency and California is running out of Tamiflu. According to the CDC’s flu map for the week ending January 6, 2018, the flu is widespread in 49 states, and active in all 50 states.
In general, most flu cases do not require hospitalization. Sometimes, it may not even be the flu, but a bad cold instead. While the symptoms are similar, this guide can help you sort out the difference.
Why Fire Cider Makes Us Feel Better
When we have the flu, we feel congested, achy, feverish, and have a bad cough. The traditional recipe for fire cider is loaded with simple, familiar, yet potent, ingredients which address each of those complaints.
Garlic
Garlic is well-known for its immune-supporting effects. It also acts as an expectorant and an anti-inflammatory, which helps those painful coughs and body aches. It is also known as a diaphoretic, which means it causes the body to sweat. This helps to reduce fevers naturally. Thankfully, fresh garlic is a common ingredient in most grocery stores.
Onion
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
So Cold It Hurts: 6 Cold Weather Injuries and How to Deal with Them
So Cold It Hurts: 6 Cold Weather Injuries and How to Deal with Them
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It has been just over a week since Snowmageddon hit the east coast. The northeast was struck especially hard. We had a “bomb cyclone” snow storm followed by blistering cold from a “polar vortex”. Temperatures were hovering in the single digits. The wind chill brought us well below zero for days. The time was ripe for cold weather injuries.
Plus, there were half-frozen waves flooding downtown Boston and surrounding towns. There was tons of property damage, and people trapped in their vehicles. Luckily, there were no major injuries from the flooding.
Winter brings its own special set of common injuries. Here is what you need to know to recognize and prevent a serious, cold-related injury.
Cold Weather Injuries
Think of exposure to cold in a similar way as to exposure to the sun. You can only take so much until eventually, the skin will burn (think freezer burn) and blister.
There are a number of common injuries that emergency rooms see each year when the temperature drops. These include:
- Chilblains
- Trench foot
- Frostnip
- Frostbite
- Hypothermia
- Heart attacks
These can be broken down into three types: non-frozen injuries, frozen injuries, and cardiovascular injuries.
Non-Frozen Injuries
Two common cold weather injuries are chilblains and trench foot. Both occur in cold, wet conditions and affect the extremities. Because moisture can wick away heat from the body, you can end up with chilblains or trench foot even in 60°F weather.
Chilblains
You come in from the cold and wet, knowing that you need to warm up. You wrap up in blankets, snuggle up to a wood stove or heater, and you start to feel better. Next thing you know, you have blisters forming on your extremities. This is chilblains.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Why (And How) EVERYONE Should Make a Survival Shelter Plan (+ Printable Checklist)
Why (And How) EVERYONE Should Make a Survival Shelter Plan (+ Printable Checklist)
The false alarm in Hawaii yesterday should be an enormous wake-up call. It should inspire everyone, everywhere to make a survival shelter plan.
While people who panicked are busy pointing fingers at the person who allegedly “hit the wrong button” and sent out a message warning of an incoming missile and to seek immediate shelter, where should that finger really point?
Hardly anyone had a plan for where they would take shelter.
For 38 minutes, hysteria reigned supreme across the island state after Hawaiians awoke to this message on their cell phones.
On the television, the following warning was issued:
I can’t even imagine how it must have felt to think that your life was about to end in the next 15 minutes. In some places, sirens were blaring. People were screaming and crying. Stories across social media spoke of the terror.
Social media users posted videos, photos, and testimonials about residents hurriedly taking up shelter while thinking they were under attack.
‘I was sitting in the bathtub with my children, saying our prayers,’ Hawaii state representative Matt LoPresti told CNN in emotional interview after false missile alert.
One Twitter user wrote: ‘My family was hiding in the garage. My mom and sister were crying. It was a false alarm, but betting a lot of people are shaken.’ (source)
Visitors were also left reeling.
California resident Elizabeth Fong is in Hawaii looking to buy a house and received the alert. She said she didn’t receive a correction alert stating it was a false alarm until 8:46 a.m., 39 minutes after the initial alert.
The aftermath of the false alert was “crazy,” she told NBC Bay Area, and prompted people to run around on the streets “crying and screaming,” wondering what to do.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Alabama Declares State of Emergency for the Flu Epidemic as the US Death Toll Rises
Alabama Declares State of Emergency for the Flu Epidemic as the US Death Toll Rises
Citing a strain on “overwhelmed” health resources, Governor Kay Ivey declared an official State of Emergency in Alabama on Thursday due to the rapidly spreading flu epidemic.
WHEREAS the State Health Officer has reported that an outbreak of the influenza virus has occurred in the State of Alabama; and
WHEREAS this outbreak poses a high probability of widespread exposure to an infectious agent that poses significant risk of substantial harm to a large number of people in the affected population; and
WHEREAS the health care facilities and personnel of the State are overwhelmed by the number of ill patients and taxed to such an extent that care of patients may now no longer be provided in the traditional, normal, and customary manner nor is the utilization of traditional, normal, and customary standards of care possible.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Kay Ivey, Governor of the State of Alabama, pursuant to relevant provisions of the Alabama Emergency Management Act of 1955, section 31-9-1 et seq., Code of Alabama (1975), on the recommendation of the State Health Officer, do hereby declare that a State Public Health Emergency exists in the State of Alabama. I direct the appropriate state agencies to exercise their statutory and regulatory authority to assist the communities and entities affected. I also direct the Alabama Department of Public Health and Alabama Emergency Management Agency to seek federal assistance as may be available.
FURTHER, I direct the following:
1. Health care facilities that have invoked their emergency operation plans in response to this public health emergency may implement the “alternative standards of care” plans provided therein, and such are declared to be the state approved standard of care in health care facilities to be executed by health care professionals and allied professions and occupations providing services in response to this outbreak.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Entire East Coast Needs to Get Ready for “Snow Bombogenesis”
The Entire East Coast Needs to Get Ready for “Snow Bombogenesis”
We’re starting the New Year off with a bang in the form of Winter Storm Grayson. The next weather threat heading our way is a phenomenon called a “bombogenesis.” This occurs when a system’s central pressure plummets dramatically — “24 millibars or more — in 24 hours” according to Bloomberg.
Basically, it’s a hurricane. A winter hurricane. The same high winds (up to 80 mph) and the same precipitation, but with snow instead of rain.
Because what could be more exciting than a hurricane and a blizzard all rolled into one kick-bootie storm?
The entire East Coast is at risk, from the northern part of Florida all the way up into Canada. The Southern US will get some snow and wind on Wednesday, and New England will be hit hard on Thursday.
…ice has already formed on fountains in some southern cities, including Savannah, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
In northern Florida and southern Georgia, a dangerous mix of snow and ice are in the forecast for Wednesday morning.
Residents of cities including Tallahassee, Florida, and Valdosta, Georgia, may see up to an inch of snow on the roadways during the Wednesday morning commute…
Through Wednesday the low pressure will ride up the East Coast, bringing a wintry mix of snow and ice through Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Georgia and the Carolinas may see 1 to 3 inches of snow…
The storm will strengthen as it moves north overnight Wednesday. By Thursday morning, there will be heavy snow across the Mid-Atlantic coast, including Philadelphia and the New Jersey shore.
The Mid-Atlantic is forecast to have about 3 to 6 inches of snow, with lower amounts inland and higher amounts near the coast.
The snow will continue north Thursday. Long Island and New England — especially Maine — may get over 6 inches of snow. (source)
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
VIDEO: What Everyday Life Is Like in Puerto Rico Now
VIDEO: What Everyday Life Is Like in Puerto Rico Now
In Puerto Rico, everything has changed since Hurricane Maria struck nearly 3 months ago.
Many people have no running water. And if they do, it can’t be consumed without boiling.
There’s no electricity in many regions.
Supplies are scarce.
I’ve written about the SHTF aftermath in Puerto Rico, both the day after the storm, a week after, and a couple of months later. But while there is a lot of good information in all those articles, it’s just words on a page.
The video below brings it to life. This is what life looks like for people who have just watched everything be turned upside down by Mother Nature.
These 8 Places Around the World Are Actively Preparing for Nuclear War
These 8 Places Around the World Are Actively Preparing for Nuclear War
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Everywhere, it seems like officials are actively preparing for the possibility of nuclear war.
Tensions are high in practically every corner of the world but somehow, despite the proliferation of imminent threats, many people are still blithely unaware of the hell that could be unleashed.
Due to tensions between the US and North Korea, the world is frantically preparing for the possibility of a nuclear attack. The US, China, Russia, North Korea, and South Korea have all shown force with bombers and destroyers, and it seems that it will only be a matter of time before one incident sparks a cascading explosion.
The governments of these 8 places are making preparations, but they’ll be to little avail if people don’t participate and just expect to be rescued.
1) South Korea
In South Korea, their government has urged citizens to get prepared for war, and prepping is becoming mainstream for North Korea’s nearest neighbor and sworn enemy.
The government of South Korea is making every effort to turn its citizens into a country of survivalists. With the ever-increasing threats from the North, South Korean preppers are becoming mainstream, instead of a quirky fringe element…
The South Korean President isn’t taking this lying down. “In case North Korea undertakes provocations against us or our ally, we have the power to destroy (the North) beyond recovery.” This threat most likely will not please the Dear Leader of North Korea, so it’s probably safe to predict even greater hostilities on the horizon.
The South Korean Ministry of Public Administration and Security has issued guidelines for a variety of attacks to their citizens due to the ever-increasing risk of an attack by North Korea…
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
What Life Is Like for a Million People in Puerto Rico Who STILL Don’t Have Power
What Life Is Like for a Million People in Puerto Rico Who STILL Don’t Have Power
If you ever wondered what it would look like if the grid collapsed here on the mainland, the island of Puerto Rico is a tragic, real-life case study. These stories show us what life is like for more than a million people who STILL don’t have power and running water nearly 3 months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated their communities.
According to a website showing the status of utilities on the island, four months after two hurricanes wrought havoc, 32% of Puerto Ricans are still without power and nearly 10% are still without running water. However, even those who have running water must boil it.
But statistics don’t tell the real story.
At first, it was a war zone.
In the first days after the grid went down, chaos ruled. I vetted as many of the stories as I could and concluded:
…there is very little food, no fresh water, 97% are still without power, limited cell signals have stymied communications, and hospitals are struggling to keep people alive. There is no 911. Help is not on the way. If you have no cash, you can’t buy anything. As people get more desperate, violence increases. (source)
A friend wrote this post about her family on Puerto Rico:
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Reader’s Choice Survival and Preparedness Library
The Reader’s Choice Survival and Preparedness Library
Last week, I showed you the list of my personal favorite preparedness books and asked you for your favorites. Many of these, I hadn’t heard of, while others, I just hadn’t read or overlooked. But what we have here is an amazing list of books to add to your survival and preparedness library.
For some, I was able to provide links so that you can get them. Others weren’t as easy to find, but you can be on the lookout for them when you hit thrift stores, libraries, and yard sales. The listings below all have the reasons that the reader recommended them.
Happy reading!
The Reader’s Choice Survival and Preparedness Library – Non-Fiction
General Preparedness
- The LDS Preparedness Manual (Note: If you aren’t looking for a hard copy, you can download it free at this link.)
- Just in Case
- Survival Theory: A Preparedness Guide
- How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It
- The Prepper’s Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for an Emergency
- How to Prepare for Most Emergencies on a $50 a Month Budget
- US Army FM 21-76 Field Survival Manual
- Boy Scout Handbook
Food
- The Foragers Harvest
- Stocking Up
- The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times
- Sonoran Desert Food Plants
- Southwest Foraging: 117 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Barrel Cactus to Wild Oregano
- Foraging the Rocky Mountains
- Foraging New England
(If your region isn’t listed here, I strongly recommend you search for a local guide to foraging)
Health
- Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine
- Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health
- The Bathroom Key
- Essential Oils Natural Remedies
- PDR for Herbal Medicines
- Herbal Medicine for Pets
- EMT textbook (Very expensive but potentially great information)
- Herbal Antibiotics
- Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest
Self-sufficiency
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Consumer Debt Roulette: Debt Is Up $605 Billion BEFORE $682 Billion Is Spent on Christmas
Consumer Debt Roulette: Debt Is Up $605 Billion BEFORE $682 Billion Is Spent on Christmas
The last time American consumer debt was this high was.. well…NEVER. But now, it seems we are engaged in a high stakes game of consumer debt roulette. And the House is the only one who will win this game.
Last summer, it was reported that people owed more on loans, credit cards, and payment plans than ever in history. The country surpassed the spike that led to the crash of 2008 back in March when debt reached a mind-boggling $12.73 trillion in the first quarter of the year.
Here’s the breakdown, via ZeroHedge:
- Total household indebtedness stood at $12.73 trillion as of March 31, 2017. This increase put overall household debt $50 billion above its previous peak set in the third quarter of 2008 and 14.1 percent above the trough set in the second quarter of 2013.
- Mortgage balances, the largest component of household debt, reached $8.63 trillion as of March 31, a $147 billion uptick from the fourth quarter of 2016.
- Balances on home equity lines of credit fell slightly in the first quarter, down $17 billion to $456 billion.
- Non-housing debt saw mixed changes—an increase of $10 billion in auto loans and $34 billion in student loan balances, and a $15 billion drop in credit card balances.
And we have exceeded the terrible record even more. This year, the debt for American households has grown by 605 billion dollars. THIS YEAR. That is on top of the insane numbers mentioned earlier.
And it’s causing serious issues.
From extended lines of cash-strapped consumers at New York food pantries to a rise in mental health problems, the latest New York quarterly Fed data paints a dire picture: US household debt has grown by $605 billion in the past 12 months, with $116 billion, or nearly 1 percent, hitting in the latest quarter. Debt is mushrooming everywhere — on mortgages, student loans, auto loans. Credit card debt, meanwhile, has jumped by 3.1 percent in the latest quarter. (source)
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Financial Problems: The Most Likely Disaster to Strike Anyone
Financial Problems: The Most Likely Disaster to Strike Anyone
Preppers think about a lot of doomy, gloomy stuff about various types of apocalypses. After all, disaster is everywhere.
We watch the spread of pandemics, like the pneumonic plague and Ebola. We prepare for hurricanesand wildfires. We keep our eye on events that could turn into episodes of civil unrest, watch the weather for pending snow storms, and have kits to see us through power outages. Every prepper knows about the terrifying threat of an EMP and many of us are well versed in what to do in case of a nuclear strike.
But, there is ONE major disaster that is the most likely to befall any of us at some point in our lives and it isn’t zombies, North Koreans, or the plague.
It’s financial problems.
You may be currently having this issue right now. Maybe you don’t make enough money. Maybe the primary breadwinner has lost his or her job. Maybe someone has massive medical expenses. Maybe there is some other epic expense that you never saw coming.
It doesn’t matter how it happens – it just matters that you see it as something for which you need to prepare. Financially stability is one of the most important preparations you can make.
There are 3 keys to surviving financial problems.
Financially stability doesn’t come from being wealthy. In fact, you can make a million dollars in a year but if you spend a million and one dollars, you aren’t really financially stable.
Instead, financial stability comes from being able to dial back your spending if necessary and deal with a monetary emergency. It comes from being able to pay your bills and have some money left over. It comes from being prepared for that rainy day that we all hope will never happen.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
In Just 5 Days Without Trucks, Chaos Would Erupt in America
In Just 5 Days Without Trucks, Chaos Would Erupt in America
Have you ever thought about how fast things could go sideways in America? What if we went 5 days without trucks moving supplies across the country? Have you considered how JUST ONE THING could change the world as we know it?
The video below has been around for several years, but if you haven’t seen it in a while, it is worth watching again.
Think for a moment about what would happen if the trucks stopped running. The trucking industry is the lifeblood of this country, and according to this, it would only take 5 days without trucks for all hell to break loose.
Watch.
In only 5 days without trucks, everything would change.
In only five days, with only one component of our economy missing, we could be without medication, food, gasoline, and sanitation. We would be unable to travel great distances easily, as airports would close.
Think about it:
- No toilet paper.
- No laundry detergent.
- No fresh fruits and vegetables.
- No fresh milk.
- No garbage trucks picking up waste and no way to get to the dump.
- The banks would close.
- No parts would be available for things that need repair.
- We couldn’t refill prescription medications.
- No gasoline would be available.
Panic would erupt.
It’s that easy for all hell to break loose. Five days without the regular delivery of supplies and our country could devolve into chaos. And if it was longer than 5 days without trucks, the initial panic would be a G-rated movie compared to what would come next.
We live in a just-in-time society.
Most retail stores no longer stock up on food but have a “just in time” ordering system that relies on regular shipments.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
15 Videos Show What It’s Really Like Trying to Survive the California Wildfires
15 Videos Show What It’s Really Like Trying to Survive the California Wildfires
The Northern California wildfires are fast-moving, unpredictable, and for some, unsurvivable. The videos below will show you what it’s really like, trying to survive an ever-changing inferno…and why you shouldn’t wait for the official evacuation order.
A lot of folks have been critical, saying blithely, “They knew there was a fire. They should have evacuated.” It’s important to understand that it doesn’t always work like that with wildfires. Armchair quarterbacking is easy. Fleeing when the car your driving literally catches on fire and the smoke is blinding you is not.
First of all, fires move rapidly. You can be in no danger whatsoever and just see a fire on the distant horizon, and then minutes later, it’s at your back door. Secondly, they change courses. Many times, the fire gets ahold of some new fuel – like a home, tall grass, or trees, and the course veers in that direction. Finally, high winds have propelled these fires rapidly and fanned them to new heights. Every fall, California has something called the “Diablo Winds.” These are seasonal gusts that can reach as high as 80 mph and cause extremely high fire danger. When coupled with existing fires, it’s nothing less than the perfect storm.
October is often the worst month of the year for wildfires in California. Not only is it the time when the Diablo winds (or Santa Ana winds in Southern California) kick up, but it’s also the driest month. California has a long dry season. It isn’t unusual to go without a single drop of rain from May through the end of October. Because of this, all the lush grass that grows during the spring rainy season is dried, crisp, and tragically perfect fuel.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
The Disaster Myth Narrative: No One Panics, No One Loots, No One Goes Hungry
The Disaster Myth Narrative: No One Panics, No One Loots, No One Goes Hungry
“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” ~ George Orwell
A few years back, I was doing some research about the aftermath of some natural disasters that took place here in America. I was shocked to find that the articles I was looking for – ones that I had read in the past – were pretty hard to find, but articles refuting the sought-for pieces were rampant. Not just one event, but every single crisis aftermath that I looked up, had articles that were written after the fact stating in no uncertain terms that the hunger, chaos, and unrest never happened.
Apparently we, the preparedness community, are all wrong when it comes to the belief that after a disaster, chaos erupts and civic disorder is the rule of the day. That is only a disaster myth, and the public narrative belies it all.
Listen to the “experts” and they will confirm, it never happens.
Panic? What panic?
According to newspaper articles written after Superstorm Sandy devastated the East Coast and after Hurricane Katrina caused countless billions in damage in New Orleans, people were calm, benevolent and peaceful. Heck, they were all standing around singing Kumbayah around a campfire, sharing their canned goods, calming frightened puppies, and helping the elderly.
Apparently, studies prove that the fear of anarchy, lawlessness, and chaos is nothing but the “disaster myth”. Reams of examples exist of the goodness and warmth of society as a whole after disaster strikes. All the stories you read at the time were just that – stories, according to the mainstream media:
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
