A (Possible) Influenza Prep You Already Have and Didn't Even Know It

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.

A few years back as I was eating lunch, I came across an article suggesting that naproxen sodium (Aleve) could be a valuable OTC pharmaceutical in treating influenza.  It's cool and intriguing idea, even if it hasn't undergone clinical trials yet.  It's really worth knowing and won't cost you any extra money.  And because it's so potentially valuable, being as it's the beginning of flu season and all that, it's worth mentioning again.

The study was published by researchers in China in 2019.   Some of the authors disclosed a loosely related financial interest, but being as the topic of this study was naproxen sodium and its efficacy as an antiviral, it appears that their financial interest would have no real bearing on the results of the study.

I highly recommend taking a look-see at the study yourself, at least at the summary (which is near the top of the page) and the discussion (which is just below the halfway mark for me) if you're scientifically inclined.  If not, it will be a bit of an overload on the data.

The researchers studied naproxen's antiviral activity against influenza A and influenza B.  It had previously been reported that naproxen had some effect against influenza A.  What was found in this study is that naproxen inhibited virus replication both in the culture medium (in vitro) as well as in mice (in vivo).  And as you know, mice and rats are common guinea pigs for medical experiments.

Not only that, the researchers also found that naproxen was more effective than oseltamivir (Tamiflu) in mice.  And naproxen is more effective against influenza B than influenza A.  (If the flu viruses would now just identify themselves when they infect, that would be super helpful.) 

The authors conclude, "If naproxen is an effective anti-influenza drug for humans, it could be implemented into influenza treatment protocols more quickly than other antivirals in development."

In a nutshell, their preliminary research shows that Aleve is more effective than Tamiflu.  In mice.  Like the disclaimer above says, I'm not a doctor and this isn't medical advice.  You need to talk to your doctor before using any medication.

I do, however, find this research very intriguing.  If anyone around here dares to start exhibiting flu symptoms, we'll break out the Aleve, along with everything else.  

Links to related posts:
Influenza--Diamond V XPC Yeast
OTC Pain Relievers
Elderberry
Gloves and Masks  

For further reading:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124719305261?via%3Dihub
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27884765 

Alternative Uses of Green Tomatoes--Green Tomato Sauce

Winter’s sudden arrival brings with it a return to my preferred daily schedule which begins the day by sitting in bed and writing.  No one else is awake and interrupting my thoughts. 

The longer than usual gardening season meant I had a lot of green tomatoes to pick after harvesting all the red ones.  I think there are at least 30 pounds of them in the dining room right now.  And I got to wondering if there was anything else I could do with them, besides the pies, jam, and salsa I’ve already tried and posted about. 

Turns out there are quite a few uses for green tomatoes, but I’m not sure all of them are good.

One suggestion that caught my eye was green tomato sauce.  I read the articles posted at the addresses listed in the References section below.  Their odes to the wonders of green tomato sauce persuaded me to give this a try.  However, I’ve learned a little bit over the years and decided it would be best to begin with a batch that used only 5 pounds of green tomatoes instead of the one that called for 30 pounds.  Good call.  But I thought that the larger batch looked a little yummier, so I just scaled it down. 

Green Tomato Sauce

5 pounds green tomatoes, quartered

2.5 tablespoons chopped onions

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oregano

½ dried bay leaf

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon pepper

Bottled lemon juice

Place everything except the bottled lemon juice in a large pot and stir well to combine.  Cook over medium-low heat for 45-50 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.

Blend the mixture with a stick blender or standing blender until smooth.  Strain out the seeds if desired.

The directions posted for processing state to fill the jars, leaving ½” headspace and add 1 tablespoon of commercial lemon juice per pint jar and then process for 40 minutes in a boiling water bath, adjusting processing times for altitude, of course. 

I wasn’t confident that the green tomato sauce would be acidic enough for boiling water bath processing to be safe.  Before the lemon juice was added, the green tomato sauce registered 4.7 with my pH meter.  After I added the lemon juice, the tomato sauce reached 3.9 pH, still not low enough to be safely processed by water bath canning.  So keep that in mind if you decide to make this sauce.

Now, Farm Girl in the Making states that this sauce can be served as is.  My decidedly non-scientific dips of the finger into the sauce said, “No way.” 

I was already pretty nervous that this whole venture was a complete waste of time and tomatoes, but decided to follow Farm Girl’s suggestion of stirring in some heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.  And then I added a little crumbled bacon since it was begging to be used and served the sauce over some angel hair pasta. 

Family reviews:  Aaron said it was a hard pass and definitely did not want the leftovers for his lunch the next day.  I would call it a soft pass, and Becky was somewhere between the two of us.  I was still hungry after my first helping, so I had some more, but sadly, it would take a lot more cream, cheese, and bacon to make this desirable, and by that point it’s easier to just omit the green tomato sauce altogether.  While I could have eaten the leftovers, I knew I’d be looking to eat anything else first.  Easier to just give it to the dogs directly.  They appreciated it.  They scarfed down all the sauce on both the regular pasta and the zoodles. 

I don’t want to waste the green tomato sauce I already made, so I figure on freeze-drying it.  I can add a little powdered sauce to soups over the next few months.  I think times would have to be really desperate for me to can any green tomato sauce in the future—like the canning tumbleweeds kind of desperate experienced during the first Great Depression. 

There are other ways to preserve green tomatoes, and I’ll be giving them a try over the next week.

Links to related posts:

Alternative Uses for Green Tomatoes—Pies!  

Alternative Uses for Green Tomatoes--Almost Raspberry Jam 

Protecting the Garden from Early Fall Frosts 

pH Test Strips or Meter? 

Green Tomato Salsa

References:

https://afarmgirlinthemaking.com/canning-pomodori-verdi-a-green-tomato-pasta-sauce/

https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/pomodori-verdi-green-tomato-sauce/571554

Gallstones, Cholecystitis, and Cholangitis

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. 

 
GALLSTONES
Gallstones are something 85-90% of people will never experience.  However, because the other 10-15% of people do get the totally unforgettable opportunity to be in pain described as worse than childbirth, it's a good idea to learn all we can about it now.

Gallstones are solid deposits that form in the gallbladder and block the passage of bile.  Attacks are often triggered by eating a fatty meal.  For most patients, the pain is constant.  Other symptoms include jaundice, gray or gray-white stools, nausea, and vomiting.  (I had none of those other symptoms.)  In a grid-down situation if you're not sure the patient's pain is due to gallstones, have the patient eat some fatty foods.  That will generally make the pain worse.

The pain is generally in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen.  Classic onset of gallstone pain occurs over 30-60 minutes, lasts several hours, and then slowly dissipates.  While the patient is in pain, s/he can't get comfortable in any way and often paces the floor.

The classic risk factors for gallstones are the four F's:

• fat
• fertile (has had children)
• female
• forty (over the age of forty)

That was certainly the case with me--I was twenty pounds overweight, still able to have children, and almost forty years old.  The only factor that can be controlled there is the weight.  And it should be noted that while most patients have the classic risk factors, gallstones can affect either sex at any age.  Other risk factors include diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, and anemia. 

Unfortunately, the only sure treatment is surgical removal of the gallbladder, which requires a functioning society.  Herbal remedies may prevent future attacks.  These include:

• apple cider vinegar
• peppermint
• turmeric
• ginger
• dandelion root
• beet, carrot, lemon, and grape juices

Gallstones are excruciating.  (At least, they were for me--much worse than labor and delivery of all my children, including the breech baby.)  However, they are not life-threatening (unless infection develops--that's another topic).  If you're female, you may not be able to do much about some of your risk factors, but you can lose weight.  If you've got a family history of gallstones, consider taking some of the above listed herbal remedies to prevent a future attack.

CHOLECYSTITIS
Gallstones may trigger an infection or inflammation called cholecystitis.  The symptoms are pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen and fever, and sometimes nausea, vomiting, and jaundice.  Treatment in challenging circumstances is as per other abdominal infections, to wit:

• fluids
• pain relievers and fever reducers
• Augmentin, intravenous (preferred)

However, intravenous Augmentin may be hard to come by.  Dr. Koelker suggests an alternative that may work would be to administer an anti-nausea drug such as meclizine (OTC) or ondansetron (prescription) to help the patient keep down oral antibiotics, such as Augmentin, cephalexin, ciprofloxacin, or TMP-SMX plus metronidazole.

CHOLANGITIS
This condition results from a stone lodged in the bile duct and is difficult to differentiate from cholecystitis without a functioning laboratory as the symptoms are basically the same.  Cholangitis is a medical emergency.  The gallbladder needs to be removed, but it is beyond the scope of care in an austere environment.  A doctor will administer pain relievers, fluids, and high doses of the antibiotics, but these are unlikely to be effective.   

For further reading:
Armageddon Medicine 
Survival and Austere Medicine, 3rd Edition, pp 166
The Survival Medicine Handbook, pp 400-402

25 march 2020

Grow Hydroponic Lettuce Easily Using the Kratky Method

Like many of you, I’ve got a little setup for starting vegetable seedlings each spring.  I started dozens of tomatoes and peppers and a little less in the way of broccoli and cabbage earlier this year.  And while I was testing out some older seed and trying new varieties in the garden this year, it became readily apparent that I did not need quite so many tomatoes or peppers. 

And that’s good, because I really want to use two of the shelves for growing some hydroponic lettuce. 

I’d never paid much attention to hydroponics.  It seemed a little complicated, and I just knew my husband would not be interested in giving up a room or half the garage to growing plants.  And even though I never researched the cost, I was pretty sure he wouldn’t be open to the expense, either. 

But then I learned about people using Kratky hydroponics, a simple method to grow lettuce in milk jugs. 

I love salads.  I could eat them every day and never get tired.  Unfortunately, the price of lettuce keeps rising even as the quality of lettuce offered in grocery stores deteriorates.  I have always grown what I could during garden season, but that still left out winter and most of spring here.  Being able to grow it indoors would be a huge blessing.  Not to mention that it would save a lot of money.

I already had the grow lights and shelves and a nearly limitless supply of milk jugs thanks to the kids.  And I’ve got plenty of lettuce seed.  An article on the supplies needed for growing lettuce hydroponically posted earlier this month and is linked below, so those supplies won’t be discussed again here.  This article will cover how to start your own hydroponic lettuce. 

• Invert a plastic mesh net pot over the opening of each milk jug and trace around the net pot.  Next, cut inside the marked line.  Now, take the jugs outside to spray paint black or cover with aluminum foil.  This step is optional.  Both the spray paint and the foil serve to prevent the sun’s rays from causing a massive amount of algae to develop.  If algae doesn’t bother you, you can skip this step. 
• Soak the rockwool cubes in water, one cube per plastic mesh net pot.  (I’ve read that peat moss, potting mix, and/or clay pebbles may also be used, but I haven’t tried those.)
• Drop 2-3 seeds into the hole in each rockwool cube and then pinch the top of the hole closed. 
• Place the seeded rockwool cubes in the plastic mesh net pots. 
• Add hydroponic nutrients to the milk jugs directly or make a solution if you are using smaller containers—½ teaspoon MasterBlend, ½ teaspoon Calcinit, and ¼ teaspoon Epsom salts per gallon.  (I have also read that some people just use Miracle-Gro.  I haven’t tried that either, but I will note that the N-P-K balance is much different and I suspect results wouldn’t be as good.)
• Add water, filling the jug if making a solution for using with smaller containers, or to within about 1.5 inches from the top if growing directly in the milk jugs. 
• Test the pH using a pH meter or strips.  Lettuce grows best at a pH of about 5.9.  (Some people do not test the pH and are happy with their results.  It is my guess that their tap water has a much lower pH than mine.)
• Add pH up or down if necessary.*  Make a note of how many drops are needed so that you don’t have to stop every few drops to check.
• Place milk jugs under grow lights and keep lights on for about 12 hours each day.
• The seeds should germinate within 3-5 days.  Thin to remove excess seedlings, if necessary.
• Lettuce leaves may be harvested at any time.  Just pick off what you want for your meal and the plant will continue to grow more.
• After the first two weeks, check water levels weekly, adding more water as necessary.  
  

*Yes, it is necessary for best results.  I started lettuce as described above, but didn’t add pH down to some of the lettuce.  Those plants are about 20% of the size of the lettuce that did have pH down added to it.

Links to related posts:

Intro to DIY Hydroponics for Growing Lettuce (and Other Veggies) Indoors on a Budget   

pH Strips or Meter?

The Medicinal Uses of Epsom Salts

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deqSxUT1pbE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT1SJ38dQ6M

Calcium Hypochlorite for Cleaning--An Alternative to Bleach

A previous article focused on using calcium hypochlorite, also known as pool shock, for water purification.  To achieve the correct dilutions for the various cleaning solutions, you must use the same strength of calcium hypochlorite (68-73%) as is used for purifying water.  Calcium hypochlorite is closely related to sodium hypochlorite, common household bleach.  However, it has a couple of distinct advantages.  As a powder, it has a dramatically longer shelf life than bleach.  It takes far less space to store and costs less.  Instead of dashing from one store to the next in a panic to find some bleach, for a few dollars you can have an extremely generous supply stored safely at home.  And you don't have to lug all those bottles.  

With the quantities indicated in the table below, use the calcium hypochlorite powder you purchased to produce a 5% stock solution.  When making the solution, always add the calcium hypochlorite powder to the water.  Never add the water to the calcium hypochlorite.

5% Calcium Hypochlorite Stock Solution
1 ½ cups water	1 teaspoon calcium hypochlorite powder
1 quart	2 ¾ teaspoons
2 quarts	5 ½ teaspoons
1 gallon	10 ¾ teaspoons

This is your bleach equivalent.  It is used just like bleach for laundry or cleaning.  But if you want to be more specific in how to use it, or just want to mix some up for a particular usage, here are some other options:

Sanitizing solution for non-porous food contact surfaces (metal, glass):  Add 1 1/2 teaspoons calcium hypochlorite to 5 gallons of water and mix well.  Solution must maintain contact with surface for at least 2 minutes to sanitize.  Do not rinse with water.  Do not soak overnight.

Sanitizing solution for porous food contact surfaces (wood, plastic):  Add 1 1/2 tablespoons calcium hypochlorite to 5 gallons of water and mix well.  Solution must maintain contact with surface for at least 2 minutes to sanitize.  Do not rinse with water.  Do not soak overnight.

Sanitizing solution for non-food non-porous surfaces:  Add 1 1/2 teaspoons calcium hypochlorite to 5 gallons of water and mix well.  Solution must maintain contact with surface for at least 2 minutes to sanitize.  Do not rinse with water.  Do not soak overnight.

Sanitizing solution for non-food porous surfaces: Add 1 1/2 tablespoons calcium hypochlorite to 5 gallons of water and mix well.  Solution must maintain contact with surface for at least 2 minutes to sanitize.  Do not rinse with water.  Do not soak overnight.

Laundry sanitizer:  Add 1 1/2 teaspoons calcium hypochlorite to 5 gallons wash water and mix well.  Wait 5 minutes, and then add the soap or detergent and mix well.  Add the laundry and let soak for 15 minutes before starting wash cycle in washer. 

Links to related posts:

Calcium Hypochlorite for Water Purification 

References:

https://www.westlake.com/safety_guidelines/WTP_Safety_Guidelines/Label%20EpaML%20748-296%20Zappit%2073%20Service%20Bulletin%20approved%2002-14-2014.pdf
https://theprovidentprepper.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/calcium-hypochlorite-instructions.pdf
https://www.who.int/ihr/publications/Annex7.pdf

 10.19.20