Preparing for the worst: How to ensure your family can stay healthy in emergency situations.
"Prepping" isn't just about shelter and protection. Should the worst happen, you also need to take care of your health.
Back in the day, a pantry, a true pantry was essential. Grocery runs weren’t a daily occurrence. Most folks were busy with gardens, canning, and feeding the family. Browsing leisurely through store aisles? Who had time for that?
The solution was a month’s supply of basic food stashed in a small, dark, and hopefully cool room. Don’t forget the root cellar—a farm home's best friend for preserving veggies and fruits long after the winter winds howled, and the harvest was a memory.
I know, some of you think I’m going down memory lane and romanticizing a past that is very different from the way we live our lives today. “But come on, this is 2024! Food shortages in America will not occur.”
That’s one perspective, I suppose. To me it seems an awful lot like you’re betting on that particular outcome. I’m not much of a betting man. I prefer to have insurance. Why do you have car insurance, home insurance, life insurance? You hope to never need them, but it’s a huge peace-of-mind to know they are there.
Here some other words we hope to never say in real life: pandemic, riots, supply chain problems, hoarding, government interference, power grid attack, water system attack, internet infrastructure attacks, terrorism, war.
How many of those have you experienced in your lifetime? And while you may have gotten lucky so far, the fact of the matter is that any one of those things could trigger a food shortage.
My wife is more into “doomsday prepping” than I am. (Her protective instincts may run differently than mine!) She might suggest we head to Montana and live in the mountains. Should we buy a shack in the Florida swamps?
My perspective is that bugging out to the middle of nowhere is probably not the best place to start. Instead, start at home and consider your immediate needs.
If you’re still reading, I know you’re interested in building yourself some insurance, and maybe need a little nudge. Here are some steps you may want to consider to take care of your health and wellness in the future:
Get Out of Credit Card Debt: Build up a 6-month savings cushion. Some say it's wise to keep some cash at home. (Or gold and silver, but that’s a topic for another day.)
Get Into Good Health: Exercise, eat right, and minimize medications. A continuous glucose monitor is a valuable tool, along with tracking what you eat, especially if you’re overweight or have glucose issues.
Overstock Necessary Meds: We have a son with Down syndrome who needs anti-seizure meds. We max out his prescriptions and stash the extras. We also keep plenty of ivermectin (yes, the “horse de-wormer” is cheap and available), plus a couple of courses of antibiotics.
Fight Disease Naturally: We have a nebulizer to help treat respiratory infections, using hydrogen peroxide and water. We also use silver, red light therapy, and ozone. These are all treatments designed to boost the body’s natural healing abilities.
Plan for Power Outages: Think about what food you’re stocking up on. If you have a freezer full of meat, you need a backup power plan. Even if you don’t, having a way to generate electricity is smart. We have a power pack that runs on solar. In our last house I had a gas-powered generator and a way to hook up our essentials.
Now, let’s talk groceries and supplies. During COVID, when supply chains went haywire, we saw empty shelves in Florida—especially for paper products. “Toilet paper will be in tomorrow,” they said. So, there we were at 7 AM, standing in line for our single pack of TP. Collectively, we went mad hoarding toilet paper, because we recognized that relying on that supply chain wasn’t wise.
So ask yourself: Do you want to store food (and paper products) for a week? A month? Decide how much you need, then start doubling up on the food you regularly use. Have a well-stocked pantry, and consider what you REALLY need in an emergency. There are a ton of places to get ready-made kits too… even Costco sells emergency food packs.
Having a decent pantry can save you a lot of time. If fast food and eating out are your go-to practices, imagine a world where that’s not an option. Being a good cook can make a huge difference for your family. It’s usually more nutritious, rewarding, and creates something invaluable—family mealtime.
Check out “prepping” websites for guidance on your decision-making, and consider how a healthy lifestyle (even in dire circumstances) can help you stay well in the future.
Blessings,
The Medical Maverick