Dealing with chronic pain
If you're suffering from chronic pain, your condition can affect your range of motion and prevent you from accomplishing important tasks around your homestead. Chronic pain can also affect your mood, which can make bad things worse when SHTF.
Chronic pain can also cause:
- Decreased appetite
- Disturbance of sleep cycle
- Fatigue
- Mood swings
- Reduced strength and flexibility
These factors affect your overall health on a normal day. But when SHTF, not having access to prescription medication for chronic pain may lower your chances of survival.
The good news is, you can manage chronic pain naturally with remedies like cannabidiol (CBD) oil. Alternatively, you can combine CBD oil with over-the-counter painkillers in your survival stockpile.
Other lifestyle remedies for chronic pain include:
- Following a well-balanced diet
- Massage
- Meditation
- Pet therapy
- Regular physical therapy to maintain your flexibility
- Tai chi
- Yoga
Addressing dental emergencies
Prevention is better than cure, and the same goes for dental emergencies. Maintain proper oral hygiene to minimize problems that can be difficult to address when SHTF.
Pulling your problem tooth should only be a last resort because this isn't just an unpleasant experience, it could also have lasting negative impacts on your teeth.
If you or a family member has previous dental work such as crowns or fillings that have come loose, temporary filling kits are an option during survival scenarios. Stock up on these kits before SHTF and learn how to use them properly to avoid complications caused by improper use.
You should also stock up on dental floss, mouth wash, toothpaste, and toothbrushes. Have a reference book that outlines dental procedures and a dental first aid kit with the following supplies:
- Clove oil (an antimicrobial for toothaches)
- Cotton balls
- Dental mirrors
- Dental picks
- Dental surgical tools (one full set)
- Gauze pads
- Headlamp
- Instant ice packs
- An oral pain reliever (e.g., Orabase with Benzocaine)
- Salt (rinse with saltwater to keep the mouth clean and promote wound healing)
- Suture needles
- Suture thread
- Temporary cap filler
Women's health and pregnancies
Handling a pregnancy during a "normal" scenario is already nerve-wracking, but dealing with it when SHTF can be more difficult and even dangerous for both mother and child. Even before the due date, a fetus in utero may face health risks while the mother is at risk of serious prenatal conditions like placenta complications or pregnancy infections.
Home births are rather common, but these births are handled by an experienced midwife or other trained healthcare providers under very specific conditions.
If you don't know someone who is qualified to oversee a home birth, delivering a baby at home can have dangerous consequences. However, if SHTF and the labor isn’t progressing, the baby seems to be in great pain, or if the mother has high blood pressure or is experiencing heavy bleeding, you may need to perform first aid to prevent injuries or loss of life. (Related: Crucial first aid skills you need to learn before going off grid.)
Normal first aid techniques like knowing how to stop heavy bleeding will be useful during these kinds of emergencies, but it is better to wait until you have access to appropriate medical facilities to prevent complications.
Before SHTF, maintain your overall well-being to prevent these medical emergencies. But if disaster strikes and there are no trained medical professionals in your area, knowing basic first aid techniques and how to handle chronic pain, dental emergencies, or pregnancies can save a life.
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