Quarantine and Isolation, Part 1--Quarantine

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on an item you might wish to have available if needed so that a physician can treat you and your family as best as possible.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care.  A qualified, licensed physician or other medical provider should be consulted before beginning any herbal or conventional treatment.


There is a substantial difference between quarantine and isolation; these terms are not synonyms.    Isolation is for those known to be ill with a contagious disease, to separate individuals who are sick from those who are not.  Quarantine is practiced in relation to people exposed to a contagious disease but who may or may not become ill.  In theory, it separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a disease, to see if they become sick.  Both actions are taken to protect the group or community.

Today's post will address quarantine only.  Next week's post will address isolation.

Federal law authorizes quarantine for following diseases:

• cholera
• diphtheria
• infectious tuberculosis
• plague
• smallpox
• yellow fever
• viral hemorrhagic fevers
• SARS
• pandemic flu

Note that ebola is not on the list.  Neither is measles.  A federal quarantine was last enforced in the United States during the 1918-1920 influenza epidemic. 

The above diseases are basically the only ones that the government screens for at our borders, ports, and airports.  (If that, but that's for another post.)  All of those diseases have the potential to be fatal.  Beyond these diseases, however,  there are a whole lot more illnesses you might be concerned about and which you wish to prevent from coming into your home, afflicting your family, and using up your medical supplies.  I'm especially leery of coming into contact with anyone with strep throat, vomiting, or lice.  Been there, done that.

I would hope that anyone with hepatitis, MRSA, pneumonia, fevers, or any other disease or symptoms would have the decency to stay away from others and practice self-isolation and self-quarantine.  But in our society, that's nothing more than a pipe dream.  Parents put sick children into the nursery at church all the time right now.  They pressure doctors for antibiotic prescriptions so that they can send their children back to daycare ASAP, even though the disease is probably viral so the antibiotic won't work anyway.  (My daughter saw this in the upper middle class daycare she worked at for two or three weeks.  She couldn't take it any longer than that and quit.)  When we're sick, we take cold remedies or other things to feel better, so that we can go to work.  Public schools have attendance laws, so if students aren't completely well but are doing ok, they go back to school, still contagious, and spread disease further.  And then, when people are sick, they're more susceptible to catching other illnesses and spreading the joy even more.  Americans are idiots that way. 

Of course, there are a whole lot of other communicable diseases to be aware of and screen for than those listed above.

• everything for which we have immunizations right now, because a lot of people are not immunized;
• STDs;
• parasites like lice, scabies, fleas, and bedbugs; 
• vector borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever;
• and the list goes on.

How do you practice quarantine now?  Do you?  What will change in a societal collapse or TEOTWAWKI?  What if the people at your door are family or close friends?  What if they all appear healthy?  Or what if no one shows any signs of illness, but xyz disease has been going around?

Is the runny nose or cough or itchy eyes really just allergies?  Is the rash contact dermatitis, or something a bit more ominous?  Does the toddler really have only a cold, which probably won't have serious consequences for anyone who catches it, or is it infectious mononucleosis, which only causes a runny nose in small children for a few days (and has an incubation period lasting up to five to six weeks), but which can be extremely debilitating in an older teen or adult?

It's best to determine in advance how you are going to handle quarantine of any outsiders, and that includes family and close friends.  If society has collapsed, and it's been more than a few weeks, even a few days, the potential for all kinds of nasty diseases is out there.  And the lack of advanced medical care if someone does fall sick is concern enough to practice quarantine.

Are you letting them into your house?  Do you have a barn they can use?  What about a nice size tent and other camping equipment they can use?  Maybe an RV?  Determine how long you're going to enforce this quarantine.  According to Dr. Koelker, even five days of quarantine will decrease the transmission risk for disease by 90%.  But some of those nasties have much longer incubation periods.  Are you prepared to keep the quarantine in place for up to ten days, or three weeks, or better yet, five weeks?  It's your call.  But prepare yourself.  Your "guests" will probably be angry.  

Remind people that if someone breaks quarantine, the quarantine period starts over from the very beginning.

If however, the people at your door do not look healthy and/or something nasty is circulating, you definitely don't want to let them in.  Maybe the barn or a tent, but not with the rest of your family.  Remember, your first responsibility is your family.  That means keeping them and you healthy. 

Even if people appear healthy and if you decide to admit them, complete physical checks are warranted to be sure.  Lice?  While they make adults itch, often children do not itch, and it's only when some spies the bugs crawling around that they realize they've got an issue.  Scabies and bedbugs can also be difficult to identify, and a lot of people aren't easily going to 'fess up about having them.

By the same token, if you have something going around your house, it would be a kindness to advise anyone coming to your house.

"Hey guys, great to see you, long time no see.  How's it going?  Oh, you're just dropping by for a visit?  Well, gee, I'd love to have you in.  No one comes to see us anymore since I got leprosy and my sweetie here got tuberculosis.  Wait, DON'T GO!"


For further reading:
https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/aboutlawsregulationsquarantineisolation.html
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/2/12-0312_article
Armageddon Medicine, pp 94-98.

 2 october 2019

Wrapping Instruments and Other Items for Sterilization

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on knowledge and understanding you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher care is available.  As long as our society is functioning, you should leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the professionals.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care. 


When you look at Youtubes or read instructions for preparing medical items for sterilization in an autoclave, most of what you see being wrapped are the usual instruments--clamps, needle drivers, forceps and the like.  And this may not be necessary information for a lot of people.  Hopefully our lives do not deteriorate to that degree.  But you never know, and that's why we prepare.

However, even some low-level, low-tech, or daily maintenance supplies for some of us need to be sterilized.  Hmmm.... Not sure that made sense.  Try again.

It's not just surgeons and ER docs that need sterile supplies, but also diabetics and others whose lives depend on regular injections or the use of catheters and other items.  Maybe someone in your family had some kind of traumatic injury and dressings need to be changed frequently--and you don't have an inexhaustible supply of those dressings.  Needles, syringes (glass--the plastic won't hold up to the high heat of the autoclave/pressure canner), rayon gauze dressings, etc., also need to be sterilized.  And if you are using a pressure canner, these supplies and instruments need to be properly wrapped.  Items sterilized in an oven using dry heat are generally not wrapped because the wrappings may incinerate at oven temperatures.

In an ideal world we would have autoclave paper or sterilization pouches.  They're not that expensive and you can get them on Amazon.  But in an ideal world we'd also have hospitals and someone else doing this job.  In an austere situation, we'll have to do with clean towels and paper or foil.

Here's what you need:

• autoclave or sterilization indicator tape (also available through Amazon)
• tightly woven towel, like a flour sack dish towel, or other fabric
• paper (parchment, kraft, newsprint) or aluminum foil
• cotton gauze

Before we start wrapping, it is important to remember to maintain the proper balance in wrapping the items being sterilized.  If the wrap is too loose, the package will come undone.  If the wrap is too tight, the steam will not penetrate to achieve sterilization.

Gather all the supplies, including the washed and disinfected items to be sterilized, to your work area.  Lay a square of paper or foil down in front of you in the diamond orientation--so that the bottom corner is pointing at your belly and the top corner is pointed away from you.  Lay the towel or other fabric on top of the paper in the same diamond orientation.

Take any sharp or pointed instruments, including hinged items, and wrap each point (like for a pair of scissors or forceps--tweezers for us non-medical people) or blade with a piece of sterile gauze to prevent these items from puncturing the package.  Set the wrapped item horizontally in the center of the diamond.  All hinged instruments are to be completely open.  Set those down horizontally next, but not touching any other items.  Also set down a small strip of indicator tape.  Each package will contain only a few items.

Pick up the bottom corner of the sterile towel, the one pointing at your belly, and fold it over the instruments, almost touching the top corner of the towel, but short by about two inches.  Then fold this top corner that is short from meeting the other corner back down halfway towards you again.

Fold the left corner to the right corner, again leaving it short by about two inches.  Then fold that left corner back again to the left, leaving it short from meeting the side by about one inch.  Do the same for the right side, but when the right corner gets folded back, it overhangs the right side by about an inch.

Now pull the top corner down over the package.  It may wrap to the other side.  Fasten it securely with indicator tape so that it does not come loose while being processed.  Write the date and the contents of the package on the tape.

The sterilization tape is temperature sensitive and shows only that the proper temperature was reached.  It does not prove sterilization actually occurred because it doesn't indicate how long that temperature was maintained or whether it was sufficient for actual sterilization.  Some instructions you come across may state that the pressure canner only needs to run for 15 minutes to sterilize the instruments.  That would be true if you were using autoclave paper or sterilization bags.  When using paper or foil and cloth, it takes longer for the steam to penetrate and sterilize and will require at least 30-40 minutes.

For further information:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Wrapping-Surgical-Tools-for-the-Autoclave/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQbq4EMAmFA
https://www.research.psu.edu/arp/surgery/instrument-preparation-and-sterilization.html

21 october 2019

Eating the Trash--Don't Waste the Bacon Grease!

I was raised in a family that always saved the bacon grease.  And for good reason!  There are so many ways to use it that there is no reason to ever throw it away.

My mother and grandmother most commonly used bacon grease to make flour tortillas.  The bacon grease adds a wonderful depth of flavor.  My children won't eat plain homemade tortillas anymore.  They've been spoiled, I guess.  Anyway, substitute bacon grease 1:1 for the shortening or lard in your recipe. 

Bacon grease can also be used in place of the fat in other breads like cornbread and biscuits.  Of course, your product will have a bacon flavor to it.  Also, remember to cut back on the salt.

Some people use it to season dried beans.  My grandmother often added it to her refried beans.  

Use bacon grease instead of cooking oil to pop popcorn on the stove.

Bacon grease adds great flavor to sauteed potatoes and onions.  The absolute best Brussels sprouts I ever had were sauteed in bacon fat, and also included bits of bacon.  They were served at my husband's company Christmas party a few years back.  After having thirds on them, I was too embarrassed to go back for more.  So I sent my sweet husband instead.

Bacon grease makes a great gravy for biscuits.

Bacon Gravy
1/4 cup bacon grease
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2-3 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 slices bacon, crumbled

In a medium skillet, combine bacon grease and flour over medium heat.  Whisk until smooth and thickened, about five minutes.  Add milk in 1/2 cup at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth.  When you've got the desired consistency, add in the salt, pepper, and bacon.  Serve hot over fresh biscuits.


Bacon grease makes a really great salad dressing for wilted spinach or lettuce.  All the ingredients are food storage items, and it mixes together pretty quickly.  It's easy to make for a single serving as well as for the family dinner. 

Wilted Spinach Salad Dressing
(single serving)
1 tablespoon bacon grease
1 tablespoon salad oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/8 teaspoon onion salt
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

(4-6 servings)
1/4 cup bacon grease
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1 tablespoon dry mustard

Combine the bacon grease and oil, and then mix in the remaining ingredients.  Serve warm.

If you have an excess of bacon grease that you just don't want to hang onto, it can always be used to make dog biscuits or drizzled over dog food.  Or let it solidify in a shallow tuna or meat can and then hang it in a tree to feed the birds. 


To safely save your bacon grease for future use, let it cool in the pan.  When cool enough to handle safely, pour it into a canning jar.  While most people can use their bacon grease quickly enough that leaving it on the counter is perfectly safe, I prefer to keep mine in the refrigerator and off the counters.  Pressure canning bacon grease is not recommended.  However, in the refrigerator it seems to have just about an indefinite shelf life.  Keeping it in a root cellar or other cool, dark place should work quite well also.

Links to related posts:
Flour Tortillas
Dog Biscuits
Refried Beans

 23 november 2019

The Ten Stages of Genocide

Last year I posted a book review of The Science of Liberty by Timothy Ferris.  Published over a decade ago, and dealing with the world of science in the 1700s as it related to the drive for American independence from England, it wasn’t really a prepping topic.  However, it was a unique discussion of the relationship between scientific progress and freedom in our nation’s history.  As one who understands that history repeats (or rhymes, whatever verb you want to use), this eleven-year-old book should be enjoying new attention.  I can’t recommend it highly enough. 

Advances in science and liberty were possible because people were free to experiment, to communicate, to share the results of their experiments and their observations.  They were free to question and to act.  They could report results without fear of punishment from the authorities. 

Where are we now?  What happens with any real discussion of the COVID “vaccines”?  What do Twitter and Youtube do with videos from medical professionals that seek to present information and observations suggesting that the jab may not be all that safe?  Why do medical associations threaten to revoke physician licenses?  Why are nurses and doctors being terminated from their jobs for refusing the jab?

In the Soviet Union of the mid-1900s, a horticulturalist (and we’re using that term very loosely) named Lysenko rose to prominence and became the director of the Soviet Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Genetics.  He said the words Stalin wanted to hear.  The agricultural practices he advocated were ridiculous and without scientific support of any kind, but that was irrelevant.  If farmers couldn’t get good harvests by implementing these practices, it was because they weren’t doing it right.  Off with their heads.  The people starved. 

And that leads into today’s topic, genocide.  I first came across the following list of the ten stages of genocide a few weeks ago and have been pondering it ever since.  I accepted the fact years ago that there really are supremely evil people on this planet who want us dead.  But it was a little disconcerting to read through the list of stages and recognize our awful situation.  This list was compiled by Professor Gregory H. Stanton, vice-president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars and the summary comes from the Montreal Holocaust Museum. 

THE TEN STAGES OF GENOCIDE

According to academic and activist Gregory H. Stanton, genocide is a process that develops in ten stages, described here. The stages do not necessarily follow a linear progression and may coexist.

Classification.  Groups in a position of power will categorize people according to ethnicity, race, religion or nationality employing an us versus them mentality.

Symbolization.  People are identified as Jews, Roma or Tutsis, etc., and made to stand out from others with certain colors or symbolic articles of clothing.

Discrimination.  A dominant group uses laws, customs, and political power to deny the rights of other groups. The powerless group may not be granted full civil rights or even citizenship.

Dehumanization.  The diminished value of the discriminated group is communicated through propaganda. Parallels are drawn with animals, insects or diseases.

Organization.  A state, its army or militia design genocidal killing plans.

Polarization.  Propaganda is employed to amplify the differences between groups. Interactions between groups are prohibited, and the moderate members of the group in power are killed.

Preparation.  The victims are identified, separated and forced to wear symbols. Deportations, isolation and forcible starvation. Death lists are drawn up.

Persecution.  Victims are identified and isolated based on their ethnic or religious identity. Death lists are drawn up. In state sponsored genocides, members of victim groups may be forced to wear identifying symbols. Their property is often expropriated.

Extermination.  The massacres begin. The perpetrators see their actions as “extermination” since they do not consider their victims to be entirely human.

Denial.  The perpetrators of the genocide deny having committed their crimes. Victims are often blamed. Evidence is hidden and witnesses are intimidated.

 

Now, apply this list to the issue of the COVID “vaccine.”  Where are we as a nation?  I’ll leave that for you to decide. 

For those who say it can’t happen here, it most definitely can.  It has.  It will again.  It’s history. Ask the Native Americans who were driven from their homes and murdered with smallpox-contaminated blankets.  Ask the Mormons who were driven from their homes numerous times.  Governor Lilburn Boggs’ Extermination Order against them wasn’t rescinded until 1976.  Ask the Japanese who had their homes and property confiscated following Pearl Harbor and who were relocated to internment camps. 

It’s my hope that my neighbors won’t become Germans who allowed the Jews to be murdered.  It’s my hope that my neighbors won’t become Jews who allowed themselves to be murdered.  It’s my hope that my neighbors will have learned lessons of history and that they won’t make the same awful choices. 

But I can’t plan on that.  I have to prepare to experience discrimination, persecution, and much more for refusing the COVID jab.  I have to prepare to not be able to shop.  I’ve got to have food, medicine, and other essentials on hand.  Regardless of where we stand, I think we can all agree that respect for the choices of others on this issue is falling and our country, communities, and even families are divided.  The situation just doesn’t look good, does it?

Links to related posts:

The Science of Liberty

For further reading:

https://museeholocauste.ca/en/resources-training/ten-stages-genocide/

https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2018/09/01/missouri-executive-order-44-mormon-war/1147461002/

 

 03.27.24

Managing Erysipelas When There Is No Doctor

Erysipelas, also known as St. Anthony’s fire, is another illness to become aware of.  Here’s what The Ship’s Medicine Chest and Medical Aid at Sea has to say about it:

The term erysipelas comes from two Greek words meaning red skin.  The infection is a type of superficial cellulitis caused by specific bacteria (streptococci).  There is a marked involvement of lymphatic vessels.  Erysipelas may develop in skin injured by scratches, abrasions, or other wounds, and in apparently normal skin by the seeding of bacteria usually from the nose or upper respiratory tract.  Most often the onset is sudden with chills, fever, headache, occasional nausea and vomiting, rapid pulse, and a typical local skin inflammation usually on the face (especially nose and cheeks).  However, erysipelas may appear on other parts of the body usually when related to wound injury.  The affected skin area is painful, red, hot, and swollen.  Unlike cellulitis, the lesion has a sharply defined elevated advancing border.  The surface of the patch is at first smooth and shiny and later becomes covered with small blisters.

Treatment

Prompt treatment of erysipelas is necessary because the disease can lead to serious complications as abscesses, even death.

Initially for the infection, 500 mg penicillin V potassium should be given by mouth on an empty stomach, followed by 250 mg also by mouth every six hours for ten days.  If the patient is allergic to penicillin, erythromycin 500 mg can be given by mouth every six hours for four days, followed by 250 mg every six hours for six more days.

Local treatment of the inflamed area consists of continuous warm soaks of saline solution (two level teaspoonfuls of table salt to 1000 ml of water) applied for 20 minutes at a time to the involved area every three to four hours.[1]

Additional information from other sources:

Aspirin may be administered for pain.[2]  The antibiotic should be continued for at least two days after all signs of infection are gone. [3]

Alternative treatment options:

Buckwheat (leaf infusion)[4]

Cow parsnip (root infusion)[5]

Elderberry[6]

Isatis (leaves)[7]

Forsythia suspensa (dried fruit)[8]

Links to related posts:

Elderberry

Isatis

Forsythia

 

---

[1] The Ship’s Medicine Chest and Medical Aid at Sea, 1978, 237-38.

[2] David Werner, Where There Is No Doctor, 1992, 212.

[3] David Werner, Where There Is No Doctor, 1992, 212.

[4] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 85.

[5] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 68.

[6] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 2013, 164.

[7] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 2013, 205.

[8] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antivirals, 2013, 245.

 19 september 2023