The Doomsday Book of Medicine by John Steele

As outlined in a new book by Peter Turchin, Ages of Discord, (Beresta Books, 2016), the West is entering an age of discord, a time of severe social crisis, the second such age in modern times. It is difficult to predict with any accuracy when, but hit the fan it will. I have already written about how the super-rich see it coming and are using their money to become survivalists, big time; http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/01/doomsday-prep-for-the-super-rich?currentPage=all.

One aspect of prepping often neglected by the survivalist movement is medicine. The usual position taken is that one should attempt to stockpile medications needed, such as antibiotics, blood pressure meds and the like. But, one can only get so much of prescribed drugs, they have a shelf life (longer than that stated on the pack, but still a shelf life), so much of the prescribed medicine will run out in any grid down situation.

A more sustainable approach is advocated by Dr. Ralph La Guardia in The Doomsday Book of Medicine: What Will You Do When There Are No Doctors or Medicine? (2015) Unlike most of the books which I have read on this topic, La Guardia is strongly pro-organic food and holistic health based. He argues that many of the diseases of modernity are a product of a mechanistic civilisation that is rolling out of control. He embraces early authorities such as Dr. Weston Price (http://www.westonaprice.org/), who saw the ill-health effects of modern Western diets upon peoples’ teeth and general dental hygiene. La Guardia generalizes from this and proposes that the core element of survival health is diet; organic vegetables and fruits grown in microbe-rich soils is the answer.

From there he recommends stress reduction and exercise. Hence, rather than using either a Big Pharma pill, or even some alternative health nutritional supplement, herb or vitamin, he advocates healthy soil, contact with the soil in gardening your food, and fresh organic home grown food. In short, good old fashion clean living.

That is his starting point, and he then sets out in hundreds of pages to deal with numerous topics from treating infections and gunshot wounds (packing honey into the wound apparently kills even superbugs) to snake bites.

For its Amazon price of US$ 49, this 900 + page book (plus postage) is excellent value. Everyone needs a copy, to begin to prepare for the coming anarchy.