Survivalist Anthologies Volume 1

by George Shepherd

  Tea tree oil. This powerful antifungal and disinfectant is used topically (do not take internally) for skin infections, itchy scalp, and fungal infections such as athlete’s foot. This oil is very penetrating and will penetrate through the skin to heal sealed-over infections, boils, and pimples. Tea tree oil is one of the few liquids that can seep through toenails. I sometimes combine tea tree oil with other oils and herbs to lend its more penetrating properties to the rest of the concoction.

  Usnea. Another powerful herb with antibiotic, antiviral, and antibacterial properties, usnea is used internally or externally against bacterial, fungal, or viral infections. Usnea is often combined with spilanthes or echinacea.

  This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just a sampling of a few of the alternative medicines and herbs that I have found most effective in over thirty years of personal experience with herbs, alternative medications and treatments.

  I am not suggesting you turn your back on regular medical diagnosis and treatments. A wise course of action is to become familiar with several of the alternative therapies and herbs that have proven themselves by helping thousands of people to heal, many times only after high tech western pharmaceutical based medicine had failed to heal.

  Mat Stein is is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); where he majored in Mechanical Engineering. He’s the author of the acclaimed book: “When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability and Surviving the Long Emergency” (Chelsea Green 2008). He’s also an active mountain climber and serves as a guide trainer for blind skiers with the Ski for Light cross-country program. He can be reached at his website: www.whentechfails.com

  Daily Habits to Boost Your Immune Function

  by Brian Jones, PhD

  Infections are one of the most common medical problems. Fortunately modern medicine has significantly reduced the mortality associated with conditions such as wound infections, influenza, and pneumonia. In the First World at least, most people have ready access to physicians, nurses, and other health care providers. A wide variety of drugs such as antipyretics, antiemetics, analgesics, antidiarrheals, and antibiotics mean these conditions rarely prove fatal.

  In countries without effective healthcare systems all of these conditions can still be a death sentence. This could also be the case in our own country if our infrastructure were disrupted by a natural or man-made disaster. In austere conditions the most effective medicine is prevention. Our bodies have strong natural defenses against infectious microorganisms. The skin provides a boundary layer between the inside and outside of our bodies. Hair, cilia, and mucous prevent particles from entering the lungs. Hydrochloric acid waits to digest foreign particles that enter the stomach. If microorganisms do manage to enter our bloodstream immune cells are quickly mobilized.

  Immune function is extremely sensitive to lifestyle and environmental factors. The choices we make each day and how we choose to live can either optimize or hinder our immune function. It is vital that we maximize our bodies’ ability to defend itself and adopt daily habits that give us the best chance of avoiding infection when living in austere conditions or for disaster preparation.

  Exercise

  Without a doubt exercise is good for you. It is associated with a reduced risk of almost every chronic disease. However, the relationship between exercise and immune function is not as simple as it would seem. The average modern person gets little to no exercise. For all the benefits that technology has given us it has taken its toll on our health by removing the necessity of manual labor for most people. We must carefully plan to integrate exercise into their daily routines with structured workouts or by adding in more daily activity in the form of walking or biking. In an austere environment many of our modern conveniences will be unavailable. Walking or biking will become the norm as gasoline becomes scarce. The lack of grocery stores and fast food restaurants will mean that people will have to grow, hunt, and prepare their own food. Exercise then will naturally come back into our lives.

  In addition to pedestrianism and manual labor, it will be a good idea to develop enough fitness to run for extended periods, maintain a forced march, climb hills, and fight to defend yourself. This can be accomplished by well-designed workout routines. What is important is that exercise be kept to moderate levels. It is well-documented that fit people have more robust immune systems. So we can say that exercise training improves immune function in the long term. However, exercise stresses the body and can cause a short-term drop in immune function, particularly after extremely high-intensity workouts or those of extreme durations. This is compounded if this type of training is performed regularly.

  What we see then is known as the U-shaped relationship between immune function and exercise volume (figure 1). Those who do too much high-intensity exercise without enough recovery can compromise their immune systems just as those who do too little. The goal is to find some middle ground. There are no hard and fast rules about how much training to do, but keep in mind that you must include all of your daily activity when determining total exercise volume rather than just structured workout.

  Nutrition

  In any large-scale disaster or situation of long-term austere living, obtaining proper nutrition will become a major problem. In the developed world we see very little starvation, as inexpensive, high-calorie foods are readily available. An infrastructural disruption would quickly change this situation. Simply look to any war-torn country at the present time and you will find that a great deal of the population struggles to get enough food to live.

  It is beyond the scope of this article to focus on nutritional specifics. Modern Americans’ nutritional concerns typically focus on the proper amounts of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. We are concerned about immune function but ask ourselves what antioxidant supplements to purchase, not if we will have enough food. In an austere environment the primary focus will be on getting enough calories to sustain oneself. The primary method of optimizing immune function in a disaster or austere environment is to maintain proper energy (calorie) intake.

  For purposes of infection prevention under-nutrition, or inadequate energy intake, is much more of a problem than any specific ratio of macronutrients. Consider that it may take an adult male 3500 cal per day of 8 hour physical labor simply to maintain a positive energy balance. In austere conditions one can expect to have to perform manual labor and getting the requisite number of calories can prove challenging. Thus the first key to optimizing resistance to infection is calorie intake. If a sustainable food source is discovered or developed, then one can worry about the specific macro- and micronutrients in that food.

  Sleep

  Sleep is an extremely important modulator of immune system function. It is during sleep that our body gets an opportunity to recover and repair itself, growth hormone is released, and the mind gets a much needed break. Research in both animals and humans suggests that sleep disruption can compromise the immune system and make infection more likely.

  Studies show that even acute sleep disruption of a few hours can decrease biochemical markers of immune function. People kept awake from 22:00 – 03:00 showed symptoms of lowered immunity and increased inflammation. Research on longer duration sleep deprivation found that 64 hours of sleep deprivation lowered antibody activity.

  Very little research has been done on the long-term effects of sleep deprivation but the existing evidence paints a rather grim picture of its effects on the body. Those whose jobs require regularly rotating 8 hour shifts (particularly those working at night) have significantly higher rates of breast, colon, and prostate cancer, and show a lowered overall immune capacity. Additionally, one study found that people who regularly slept less than 7 hours per night were three times as likely to get an upper respiratory tract infection when exposed to the rhinovirus as those who slept 8 hours or more.

  The initial stages of any disaster or situation that might lead to austere living will likely be stressful and may involve periods of
sleep disruption or deprivation. This is unavoidable as there are more pressing survival issues. However, it is advisable to settle in to a normal and adequate sleep schedule as soon as possible to help your body defend itself from infection.

  Smoking

  It is well-known that tobacco smoking harms the body. Scientific, clinical, and empirical evidence have confirmed that smoking is a major cause of such diseases as cancer and emphysema. It is estimated that smoking may play a part in half of all deaths from cardiovascular or pulmonary disease. However, many people continue with the habit despite the risk. Smokers are willing, it seems, to trade long-term costs (disease) for what they perceive as the short-term benefits (pleasure, stress relief, or social acceptance).

  From the standpoint of immune function and infection in a disaster or austere environment smoking may have more immediate consequences. Research demonstrates that smoking causes damage to macrophages, small cells in the lungs that are the first line of defense against microorganisms and pollutants. Within the blood itself smokers’ white blood cells, responsible for fighting infection, die at a faster rate than those of nonsmokers and that inflammatory markers are much higher.

  Most smokers have heard countless times that they should quit. At the risk of sounding repetitive let me stress the importance of quitting for the sake of preparedness. We all have the basic physiological needs of shelter, water, and food. It makes little sense to compound the problem by adding the artificially created need of addiction to the list. This is especially true when the addictive substance is immunosuppressive. You will be much better off whether or not you ever have to survive a disaster by quitting smoking.

  Conclusion

  Take a minute to consider your lifestyle versus your goal of preparedness. Austere environments are unforgiving and If your body is ill-prepared to deal with the viruses and bacteria that constantly besiege it, you will die. None of your other preparations will matter. Make the necessary changes to optimize your immune system so that if and when disaster strikes you will have the capacity to do what needs to be done.

  Dr. Brian Jones has a PhD in exercise science and is a full-time college professor. He holds black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo and is the owner of Valhalla Grappling Academy (www.valhallaacademy.com) in Frankfort, KY. Dr. Jones trains and consults for civilians, military personnel, and law enforcement regarding physical fitness and defensive tactics. He can be contacted at info@valhallaacademy.com.

  References

  Calle, MC, and ML Fernandez. Effects of resistance training on the inflammatory response. Nutr Res Pract. 2010;4(4):259-269.

  Domagala-Kulawik, J. Effects of cigarette smoke on the lung and systemic immunity. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2008;59(S6):19-34.

  Fang, CY, DK Reibel, ML Longacre, S Rosenzweig, DE Campbell, and SD Douglas. Enhanced psychosocial well-being following participation in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program is associated with increased natural killer cell activity. J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(5);531-538.

  Nash, NP, M Gleeson, RJ Shephard, M Gleeson, JA Woods, MC Bishop, M Fleshner, C Green, BK Pedersen, L Hoffman-Goetz, CJ Rogers, H Northoff, A Abbasi, and P Simon. Position statement part one: immune function and exercise. Exerc Immunol Rev. 2011;17;6-63.

  Vane, EAP, TG Winthrop, and LM Martinez. Implementing basic infection control practices in disaster situations. Nurs Clin N Amer. 2010;45;219-231.

  Walsh, NP, M Gleeson, DB Pyne, DC Nieman, FS Dhabhar, RJ Shephard, SJ Oliver, S Bermon, and A Kajeniene. Position statement part two: maintaining immune health. Exerc Immunol Rev. 2011;17;64-103.

  Basic Survival Hygiene

  by Chance Sanders

  If you have spent any time away from the modern conveniences of life then you know how quickly you start to miss the things that we take for granted. Shelter, fire, food and water are all things we give our immediate attention. This makes sense because those are the things we need to survive. However after we secure those basic needs, it’s not long before other issues arise that require some thought and action.

  Even in the most basic wilderness or urban self-reliance scenario (particularly if municipal sanitation services like trash removal and water treatment have stopped), proper sanitation is key to staying healthy. Keeping clean will not only help prevent sickness it will also help boost morale. Having spent a considerable amount of time in the field while serving in the Marine Corps, I was instructed on proper field sanitation and we were routinely inspected by our unit corpsman. There was one time in Jordan where half our unit was down with what we referred to as “ass and hand disease”. This was due to Marines not properly sanitizing their hands when coming in contact with the dirt or waste. It was not something you wanted to catch.

  Everything works better when clean!

  It is important to keep yourself as clean as possible in a survival situation. Without the access to showers and toilets, this can be a challenge. Always consider how you are going to achieve this before the situation occurs, or before you set out on that weekend trek. Just the simple act of getting rid of the days grime will help you feel and sleep better. Try to establish a hygiene routine to take care of your body and gear. This will give you the opportunity to examine your feet and treat any blisters or trench foot. I like to carry at least two pairs of socks so I can wash one and dry it over the fire. We should also think of how we will keep our clothes clean. I know of at least one Survival Instructor who goes “commando” when out in the woods. His reasoning is that underwear traps heat and sweat. I suppose this would also eliminate one more piece of gear that you had to carry and clean in the woods.

  Clothing starts to lose its ability to protect you from the elements if it is dirty. Fabrics cannot breath right if they are coated with dirt and mud or clogged with bodily oils and fluids. This also presents a breeding ground for bacteria. Most of us think that a garment is clean if it looks clean - without any obvious stains or dirt - but what you can’t see can eventually lead to hygiene related problems. In a situation where you cannot wash your clothes, the next best thing you can do is shake or beat your garments against a rock to free any loose dirt and lay them out in the sunlight. The UV rays from the sun will kill any bacteria that’s building up on the fabric.

  Although often saved for inter-office relationships, the term “don’t crap where you eat” is something we need to adhere to. Any camp should contain at least one designated latrine, well away from any water source. If the group is large enough or you plan on being in that location more than a day or so, go ahead and dig a sluice trench as well. If you are in an urban environment then you can use a 5 gallon bucket lined with a heavy duty trash bag and tight fitting lid. In both cases it is great to have some wood ash to throw in after every use to keep down the flies. If you are using a trench in the woods then keep a shovel nearby to throw in some dirt on top of your contribution. There are commercial potties sold complete with a seat, lid and a bag that contains a chemical compound that solidifies waste. This would be a great addition to anyone’s preps, especially you urbanites.

  Washing in the field can be achieved in several ways. If water is at a premium you may want to pack some wet wipes. Any Marine will tell you it’s the last thing he wants to forget when going out in the field. I often use them instead of toilet paper, because they do a better job of cleaning down there. I would suggest you carry them in a hard, resealable container, as the alcohol will evaporate if left exposed to the air, leaving you with a bunch of rough napkins.

  Hand sanitizer is great to have along, as it is multi-use. Not only can you use it to sterilize your hands, but it can also be used as a fire accelerant. Keep this in mind before starting your next fire! These are sold pretty much everywhere and take up little space in your kit if you buy a small bottle. This is important for those times when water is not readily available.

  You can also save on water and protect your hands from germs by using disposable (latex or vinyl) gloves. If you’re dealing with disease or death, they’re a
bsolutely essential. Just make sure to dispose of them properly when you’re done with them.

  If water for washing is available, then keep some 2-in-1 dish detergent that is also antibacterial hand soap. This is good for both dishes and hands, and I bet you could use it on your clothes in a pinch. Baking soda is another great multi-use item to keep around for cleaning and personal hygiene. When I was a child, we used a combination of hydrogen peroxide, salt, and baking soda for brushing our teeth. These components by themselves are useful for many things and combined, they are great for your teeth. Baking soda can also be used as a foot/body powder.

  Solar showers like those sold in box stores rely on an elevated position to work correctly. I prefer another method if you have the space. Pick up a new garden sprayer from any hardware store and paint it black. Then attach a longer hose between the sprayer and the container. Fill with water and leave it out in the sun for a while. When you’re ready to shower or wash anything just pump up the pressure in the bottle and use. This gives you an “on demand” pressurized water source that does not waste water. In a long term situation you may find it easier to put a plastic drum up and fill it with water, then screw a length of garden hose to it with a scavenged spray nozzle.

  A fellow survival instructor recently showed me what he does for washing up in the woods. He leaves a little slack on the backside of his tarp and keeps a small bar of soap up there. When it rains he has a nice little elevated container of soapy water with which to bathe.

  As I said before, keeping yourself and your gear clean in the woods is probably the best thing you can do to stave off sickness. Try to develop a routine that allows you to accomplish this. Make sure to always wash your hands before eating or preparing meals, and immediately after handling raw meat, poultry or eggs (or after using the toilet). Also, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth until you can properly sanitize your hands. This can be difficult, as we often touch our faces without thinking, but this is the primary way in which germs (and the diseases they cause) are spread. If you’re deliberate and mindful of what you do with your hands, it will soon develop into a habit.