# Why First Aid Be Important Now



## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Why first aid be important now an in the future.

We been busy workin on the yard here seeins the weather been cooperatin more. Lots a projects, buildin raised beds, layin retainin walls, trimmin hedges an such. 

My youngest boy has been helpin a lot cause I cant do all the thins I used ta. Arthritis, bone spurs an bad discs in my neck be takin there toll on me. Its been good havin the help. Taday was hedge trimmin day. He an his mother decided they needed electric hedge trimmers. I've never used em. Always used the good old hand ones. Well we bought em. I was workin on other chores while he trimmed. I had ta take a break cause my back was killin me. I heard a familiar sound of a ladder crash an hollard at momma ta check on the boy. Sure nough, there he were on the ground. He used a old beat up ladder (didn't wanna get the good one outa the shed) an it collapsed on him. He hurt his pride more then anythin. So after a bit a rest we went back ta what we were all doin. Next thin I know I hear him hollerin ta grab the first aid kit an knew from the way he was hollerin it weren't good.

Well, he went ta pull the cord an managed ta get his finger in the blades. He was bleedin like a stuck hog. Got him inside an washed it off. It's deep but no serious damage ta the bone, or other important parts. Momma was in a panic but I gave her jobs ta do to settle her down. Lots a pads an vet wrap an got the bleedin stopped. I would a got stiches but he refuses ta go get them. It's gonna take time ta heal, but I'm perty sure it's gonna be fine. Everthin still works like it should but he's gonna be in pain fer a spell. He will have ta come over each day so we can keep it clean an bandage it.

So the point a all this? Have a good first aid kit an get the skills ta use it. Durin a disaster, medical services be the first thin ta be overrun. Learn ta help yerself as much as ya can.

I need a beer.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> I need a beer.


I hear yea!

I had a day much like your boy ... And we did use our first aid/herbal bag..

:beercheer:

Here is to us ...

Ouch! :gaah:

Healing thought to your boy.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

Speaking of bleeding… Yarrow is blooming here. Sort of funny, my dog went strolling with a couple of strays. I went looking and stopped at a neighbors house. They had seen my sheppard that morning but he was no longer there. What was there… a huge patch of yarrow in bloom.

With their permission I went back yesterday and harvested a bunch of it. I tinctured a quart and tossed some in the dehydrator. Some of you may remember my post of saving my donkeys life with yarrow tincture back in the winter.

Yarrow will stop bleeding, internal or external. It's latin genus is Achillea, after Achilles from the Greek and Trojan wars. The story goes he used yarrow to bind the wounds of his soldiers. Old but effective medicine.


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

I was recently at target and they had free first aid kits if you bought 3 products. So now I have kits in all the cars and one for the house. Very useful so far, especially the over the counter meds. It didn't do me any good to have a ton of meds at home only and always paying way more for single doses of meds at convenience stores. I also bought some celox for serious cuts and wounds. Thankfully I haven't had to use it yet but it had great reviews from less fortunate souls!


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## kemps (Jun 1, 2015)

mojo4 said:


> I was recently at target and they had free first aid kits if you bought 3 products. So now I have kits in all the cars and one for the house. Very useful so far, especially the over the counter meds. It didn't do me any good to have a ton of meds at home only and always paying way more for single doses of meds at convenience stores. I also bought some celox for serious cuts and wounds. Thankfully I haven't had to use it yet but it had great reviews from less fortunate souls!


I just looked at the Target ad and saw that deal. I normally don't go to Target but am for sure thinking of doing so to get that. Can I ask if it is a good kit? Like what size is it? Thanks so much. I do so love the word free


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Cotton said:


> Yarrow will stop bleeding, internal or external. It's latin genus is Achillea, after Achilles from the Greek and Trojan wars. The story goes he used yarrow to bind the wounds of his soldiers. Old but effective medicine.


My friend gave me three yarrow plants to put out at the property last weekend, now I know what it's used for. Thank you!


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

tsrwivey said:


> My friend gave me three yarrow plants to put out at the property last weekend, now I know what it's used for. Thank you!


Yarrow does much more than stop bleeding, a very complex plant. For the ladies it will regulate menstruation. If blood flow is excessive it will slow it. If periods are missed it will dislodge stagnant blood.

Yarrow is great for severe bruises, again, it will dislodge stagnant blood. In some ways yarrow should be thought of as a blood "regulator". It puts our blood stream back in balance whether from injury or with the ladies, naturally occurring imbalances.

It can also be thought of as a heat regulator. Yarrow is great for deep seated fevers, or more to the point how the blood stream deals with fevers. Matthew Wood has written a great deal about yarrow in his books and on the net.

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f49/book-book-herbal-wisdom-26614/

Another plant blooming right now is fantastic for fevers (going to tincture it this week) Monarda fistulosa. Personally I use Monarda for headaches, an excellent remedy for many health problems.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Cotton said:


> For the ladies it will regulate menstruation. If blood flow is excessive it will slow it. If periods are missed it will dislodge stagnant blood.


Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Yarrow is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth during pregnancy as it can affect the menstrual cycle and might cause miscarriage. .

There is not enough reliable information about the safety of taking yarrow if you are breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use...

Just so folks know.


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## lovetogrow (Jan 25, 2011)

Yarrow

"Contraindications, Interactions, and Side Effects (Yarrow) - Class 2b. Emmenagogue and uterotonic (AHP), hence contraindicated in pregnancy (PH2; WAM). "Hazards and/or side effects not known for proper therapeutic dosages" (PH2). Commission E reports hypersensitivity to milfoil and other Asteraceae (KOM). Other sources report hypersensitivity to sesquiterpene lactones. Rare contact allergy (AEH). CAN reports that the sesquiterpene lactones are allergenic and can cause dermatosis. Because the thujone in the oil is reputed to be abortifacient and to affect the menstrual cycle, its use in pregnancy and lactation is to be avoided (CAN). Contrain- dicated in allergies dermatosis, and epilepsy. Excessive doses may interfere with or augment anticoagulant, blood pressure, diuretic, and sedative medications (CAN)."

http://www.prepperlinks.net/uploads/9/0/4/0/9040002/handbookofmedicinalherbs.pdf


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Got the book, should be here in a few days. Thanks Cotton!


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

tsrwivey said:


> Got the book, should be here in a few days. Thanks Cotton!


It's a great book. I have two others by him, A Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants and, A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants. Both are great books that I believe are necessary for a prepper.

I post about plants sometimes but always try to link to a book or comprehensive knowledge. In a shtf situation a couple of print outs from a forum would be of little use. However a few great books could be the difference between life and death. They would at least give you a chance.

The book I referenced in this case covers contradictions and related concerns for yarrow. I think you'll enjoy it tsrwivey.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Cotton said:


> The book I referenced in this case covers contradictions and related concerns for yarrow. I think you'll enjoy it tsrwivey.


Contradictions for yarrow ... care to share?


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

*Andi said:


> Contradictions for yarrow ... care to share?


I already shared&#8230; buy the book! Mathew Wood is one the greatest herbalists of our age. Even better&#8230; he is a great writer. He explains plants in a way that a beginner, someone studied and even an expert with plants can learn something. Even you!

If he isn't good enough for you try Sam Coffman, Henriette Kress, Darryl Patton, Phyllis D. Light, Michael Cottingham or Patricia Kyritrsi Howell. Surely some of their writings will answer your questions! I've posted all their books in one way or another.

I'm not the teacher&#8230;. The people above are my teachers. I simply try to direct preppers and homesteaders to their world of infinite plant wisdom. Wisdom that in hard times can save lives.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Cotton said:


> I already shared&#8230; buy the book!


Well alright then ... but I'll pass on the book.
Thanks...


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> ...a lot cause I cant do all the thins I used ta. Arthritis, bone spurs an bad discs in my neck be takin there toll on me. Its been good havin the help.... He was bleedin like a stuck hog. Got him inside an washed it off. It's deep but no serious damage ta the bone, or other important parts...Lots a pads an vet wrap an got the bleedin stopped. ... He will have ta come over each day so we can keep it clean an bandage it...


I read this a bit different.

Just because a person doesn't have a Rambo build and training doesn't mean they aren't a valuable asset to a MAG.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

TheLazyL said:


> I read this a bit different.
> 
> Just because a person doesn't have a Rambo build and training doesn't mean they aren't a valuable asset to a MAG.


That be true. I've always said nearly everbody has somthin ta offer.


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

*i have a app on my nook,in which it's called herbal21.in which it has yarrow in it.and it says.a tonic for run-down conditions and indigestion.if taken at the beginning of a cold.it will break it up in 24 hours.has soothing and healing action on mucus membranes..*


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## Axelight (Apr 21, 2012)

So true, Old Coot, first aid kit(s) and knowing how to use them are critical. I had an accident the other day which exposed several weaknesses in my preps, as well as drove home for me the importance of stocking up on meds, in particular antibiotics.

I fell off a water tank and landed on/in a wrought iron fence. Thought I was ok until I saw blood gushing like a faucet. Turns out I had taken a 1/4" thick dirty metal pole in the foot at an angle, went in about an inch and a half. I managed to stop the bleeding after a while with help from my wife, went to the emergency room, got x-rays, a washout of the wound, a tetanus shot, put on a course of antibiotics and sent home.

3 days later the foot was badly discolored and swollen, doctors had to perform surgery to cut out the infected area on top the foot (there was only an initial entry wound, the pole didn't exit the top). I went home, now with a new wound on top my foot and still on antibiotics. A week later I had to be re-admitted to the nursing home for 8 days on IV antibiotics cuz the infection had gotten worse. After that, following the doctors' advice I had to go into a hyperbaric chamber for two hours a day for 10 days.

So here I am 7 weeks after the fall, with the swelling on the foot now going down and the wound just starting to fill in, and still on antibiotics. The doctors tell me now that if I hadn't gotten a handle on the infection, they were seriously at the point of considering amputating the foot below the knee.

The point to my story is that even with all the medical expertise, meds, equipment, etc. I just managed to keep my foot, thank God, and am now heading into week 8 on a slow, slow recovery. If this injury had happened in the middle of a SHTF situation where I would not have had help or access to doctors and proper medication, I feel I would have certainly lost my leg, and possibly my life. It was a real eye-opener for me on many levels, and I now fully intend to keep a stock of good antibiotics on hand along with my first aid preps.


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

kemps said:


> I just looked at the Target ad and saw that deal. I normally don't go to Target but am for sure thinking of doing so to get that. Can I ask if it is a good kit? Like what size is it? Thanks so much. I do so love the word free


Yes it's a great product and a great size. I was able to fill it with the usuals.... bandaids, neosporin, and sting free wound wash (the kids absolutely hate peroxide and alcohol.... little cowards! ) and I filled up snack baggies with OTC meds. Plenty of Tylenol, Advil and aspirin along with cold n flu meds. Add in celox and spray bandaids and some alcohol hand gel and it all fits in nicely. The kit is the size of of a book and it's my best and most used prep I have put together recently.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Axelight said:


> It was a real eye-opener for me on many levels, and I now fully intend to keep a stock of good antibiotics on hand along with my first aid preps.


The pill form wouldn't have cleared up the infection, without IV antibiotics that wound would've been fatal. Without the ability to clean that wound by a trained professional with the proper supplies, that wound would've been fatal. Without the correct IV antibiotic, you'd have died. You could've taken fistfuls of antibiotics by mouth & it wouldn't have mattered.

In a SHTF situation, we'd better know how to get a job done without major injury or be wise enough to not do it. Proper safety equipment, clothing, & shoes will be necessary. Harnesses & work boots will be life saving devices. It would be a good idea to acquire & learn how to use them now.


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## Axelight (Apr 21, 2012)

You're right TSRWivey. Things that we might survive in normal times can kill us in a SHTF situation. I for one will certainly be more mindful of my surroundings going forward


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