The Problem with Zebras

"When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras."

That was one of the gems that Dr. Steve shared in his off-grid medicine course.  It's something taught to all students in medical school.  And what is means is this:  Common things happen commonly.  The child in the waiting room is more likely to have an ear infection than appendicitis.  The young adult is more likely to have type-2 diabetes than a gunshot. 

We naturally gravitate toward the sensationalized rather the common.  If we decide to learn something new, it has to be something cool, different, unique.  Quick and easy would be really good, too.  Macho survivalists want to learn how to DIY an appendectomy on themselves, sans anesthesia.  But learning to satisfy the essentials of good nutrition to stay healthy in the first place?  Leave that to the grannies. They want to be able to stitch up that GSW or finish off an amputation or place a tourniquet (and argue about which tourniquet is best).  They want to be able to treat the rare injuries, the zebras, that likely aren't even once in a lifetime or once in a family's lifetime, but can't manage the common problems (the horses).  They don't know which OTC meds are best for which conditions or when to suture and which wounds must be left open.

Spending money on stuff is easier than learning a new skill. The acquisition of that box of ammo, bottle of fish antibiotics, or solar rechargeable penlight provides an immediate reward of having accomplished something.  And with online shopping, you receive that reward twice--once when you purchase, and again when it arrives.

Learning a new skill takes time. It's not glamorous or sensational.  On top of that, the macho guys are even ridiculing your choices, which makes it harder.  They're sure the hoof beats coming are zebras, and it's silly to waste time preparing for horses, mules, or donkeys.  So you just have to put your head down and plow on.

Which brings us back to the problem with zebras.  For a very long time the US, figuratively, has been a nation of horses treated by horse doctors, horse doctors that have been trained to treat only horses.  Not zebras.  Even though zebras bear some physical resemblance, there are significant differences.  Because the zebras carry some vastly different diseases.  And those diseases have symptoms and presentations that are quite similar to those for horses, but the treatments may be totally different.  The horse doctors might have read about these zebra diseases, but they have never seen them.  Most American doctors have never seen even one case of the following:

• diphtheria
• tetanus
• rabies
• scabies
• mumps
• German measles
• cholera
• yellow fever
• typhus
• tularemia
• plague
• anthrax
• botulism
• measles (though this is changing with increasing numbers of people who are not immunized)

When American doctors hear hoof beats, they think horses. Scabies gets diagnosed as psoriasis.  Improperly diagnosed rabies patients are given steroids for pain and sent home.  Is it influenza, or anthrax?  The symptoms are very similar. What about plague or tularemia?  Even with experience, these can be hard to differentiate.  Without experience? You probably don't want to go there.

Unfortunately, many of those hoof beats in the distance are in fact coming from zebras.  Most physicians in US have never seen the actual zebras making a comeback and crossing our borders.  Measles is only the beginning.  Lots of other communicable diseases are on their way.   We currently have the problem of physicians unable to identify more exotic diseases now, while the technology is available to help them.  What happens when our society collapses?  They will not have their technology to help them diagnose anything.

Now, there are a few horse doctors who hear the hoof beats of zebras in the distance.  Some of them teach off-grid medicine to preppers.  Some write books or blogs.  No one physician covers everything, so it's best to acquire at least two or three different sources--hard copies.  Make sure you're prepared to deal with the ailments common to horses.  That's what you'll see the most of.  But it would also be wise to have the means of dealing with communicable diseases, parasites, and infectious diseases of third world countries, as well as bioweapons.  Zebras can be heard in the distance.

Links to related posts:
Cholera
Rabies
Scabies
Tularemia 
Typhus
Armageddon Medicine  
Survival and Austere Medicine, 3rd Edition  
The Survival Medicine Handbook 

For further reading:
https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900041016/utahn-dies-from-rabies-a-first-since-1944.html
https://www.healthline.com/health/psoriasis/psoriasis-vs-scabies

 © 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com  04.23.24

Lice and TEOTWAWKI

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.

None of my children has ever had lice, for which I am really grateful.  I'm not bragging, and I'm not asking for it.  But whenever I got a phone call saying that apparently my children might have been exposed to lice, it was like TEOTWAWKI, at least for a day or two.  All social plans got canceled.  Everybody in the house got treated and all the linens were washed, even though all the medical profession says this is unnecessary.  Whatever.  I can be open-minded and reasonable with colds, strep, influenza, maybe even smallpox.  But lice?  Oh, heck, no. 

(It's gonna sound gross, but I think my favorite "illness" as a child was lice.  I didn't feel sick. I got to stay home from school.  And my mom bought me a brand new bead set to keep me occupied making bracelets and necklaces and such.  What's not to love?  I was banned from playing with the girl across the street anymore, but she moved pretty soon anyway.)

We've got three kinds of lice to talk about here, and they have some things in common, but some aspects that are unique to each.

Head lice are what most of us are at least familiar with.  They're about the size of a small sesame seed.  They do not typically carry disease, but the scratching can compromise the skin and introduce infections.  Children are less bothered by lice; the bites don't cause them to itch like they do in adults, so they can become pretty infested before anyone notices.  Unfortunately, lice are pretty easily passed from one child to another, whether it's just in playing together or in sharing toys or combs and brushes.  If you happen to notice something suspicious and are wondering whether it's lice or dandruff, here's your quick and foolproof test:  Dandruff will flake and shake off; lice will not.  If you're still unsure, and you happen to have a black light available (not likely, but you never know), nits will fluoresce as blue dots attached to hair near the scalp. 

Body lice appear very similar to head lice, but they generally confine themselves to the body.  Body lice differ from head lice and pubic lice in that they live in and lay eggs on bedding and/or clothing, especially the seams, and only come out to feed.  Body lice are larger than head lice and can live thirty days between feedings.  They cause severe itching in an area of infestation, with small red, swollen bumps or welts often found at the base of the neck or torso where they feed.  Unlike head lice, body lice can spread disease.  They may spread typhus and are also associated with trench fever. (The recent outbreak of typhus in Los Angeles is attributed to fleas and not body lice.)  Left unchecked, they can actually bleed a person to death.

Pubic lice are difficult to see because of their smaller size and their preferred habitat, pubic hair.  However, while pubic hair is home base, they're open to checking out new locations like mustache or armpit hair or eyelashes and eyebrows.  They spread primarily through sexual intimacy and are considered an STD that is not prevented by using condoms.  Pubic lice do not transmit other STDs.  They can also be spread sometimes through sharing hairbrushes, towels, or clothing.  And they cause severe itching.

What are your treatment options post-collapse?  Commercial products available OTC include:

• RID 
• Active ingredients are piperonyl butoxide and pyrethrum extract
• Designed only for head lice, but physicians recommend for crabs and body lice as well
• Kills lice only, not eggs, so retreatment is required in seven days
• Do not use on individuals allergic to ragweeds
• Nix
• Permethrin-based
• Like RID, it is designed only for head lice, but physicians recommend it for crabs and body lice as well
• Kills both lice and their eggs

Natural remedies from The Survival Medicine Handbook:

• Mix salt, vinegar, tea tree oil, and neem oil (you're on your own for quantities) and apply daily for 21 days for head lice.
• Witch hazel and tea tree oil, applied daily after showering for 21 days for head lice and pubic lice.  
• Bathing with 1/2 cup borax and 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide for 21 days.  

The authors of Survival and Austere Medicine, 3rd Edition suggest that if there is nothing else available, hair conditioner or some sort of oil (olive, coconut) can be used to smother lice and nits, and then a nit comb used to remove lice and nits.  This will take a very long time.  (This would not make me happy.  My daughters have waist-length hair.)  And it needs to be repeated a few times a week for a few weeks.

A clinical trial in Australia in 2010 showed that tea tree (10%) and lavender (1%) essential oils in a carrier oil with a shower cap were much more effective than commercial treatments.  Storing essential oils and shower caps may be less expensive than storing commercial products. 

Shaving works for eliminating all lice.  For body lice, an overall shave followed by several hot baths over half a day is most effective.

All linens must be washed in hot water--at least 140 degrees. Burning would be better, if it's an option.   Items that cannot be washed should be placed in plastic bags for two weeks (head and pubic lice) to five weeks (body lice).  Combs and brushes should be soaked in alcohol or hot water (140 degrees) for an hour.

Physicians often recommend Benadryl to relieve the itching.

The best prevention option, beyond strict hygiene and keeping clothes clean, especially when working among people who have lice, is to use permethrin.  Permethrin kills lice, but not the eggs.  However, it is long-lasting and will thus kill any newly hatched lice.  Permethrin is available commercially (Sawyer brand) in sporting goods stores where camping equipment is sold.  It comes in spray bottles to easily apply it to clothing and gear and lasts several weeks.  It is both a repellent and an insecticide and is effective for ticks as well.  It's also available in bulk quantities in feed stores.  How much do you want?  One doctor I know stores two to three quarts of this for his family alone.

(This article is the second in a series of posts on things that bite and treatments for them, beginning with the small bugs and working our way up.  Last week began the series with a post on scabies.  Next week will be bedbugs, followed by ticks, spiders, snakes, dogs and cats.  Apparently, I left out mosquitoes, so I'll have to remedy that and squeeze them in.)

Links to related posts:  
Scabies
Ticks
Bed Bugs 

For further reading:
https://www.webmd.com/children/ss/slideshow-lice-overview
https://www.emedicinehealth.com/lice/article_em.htm#what_medications_treat_lice
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lice/symptoms-causes/syc-20374399
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933647/ (tea tree and lavender essential oils)

© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com   

8.6.24