Survival Medicine

If you’re reading the headlines, you’re probably hearing that, as the country slowly reopens, we’re seeing many more people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s getting coronavirus and a lot of fear about second waves. What does this mean for second and third waves? Are hospitals going to be overwhelmed? Maybe not, say the Altons. Hear why in this episode. Plus, wound closure is a basic skill needed by any medic in areas without modern medical facilities. Suturing is just one of the way you can close a wound, and judicious use can help accelerate the healing process. Learn more about suture needles with Dr. Joe Alton and Nurse Amy Alton. Also, when you think of protester-police confrontation, you think of tear gas. What do you do to protect yourself if you're in an area of civil unrest to deal with tear gas exposure? Dr. Alton tells you what to do, plus some myths and misconceptions about treatment. All this and more in the latest Survival Medicine Podcast with Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy! Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, The Altons Fill those holes in your medical supplies with kits and individual items from Nurse Amy's store at store.doomandbloom.net!

In the news, COVID-19 cases are again on the rise as a second wave of infections coincide with the reopening of many businesses throughout the United States. Perhaps the first thing I should mention is that a second wave occurring as society reopened is an inevitable event. Regardless of the timing or the measures taken, pandemics commonly have this pattern. Health officials and political policy can do little to stop it from happening, but do their best to lessen or delay its effect. Also, important facts about immunity, plus how something we call COVID Fatigue and mass demonstrations are fueling the second and third waves of SARS-CoV2 in the United States. All this and more on the latest Survival Medicine Podcast with Joe and Amy Alton! Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, The Altons Hey, be prepared for any number of waves of infectious disease, civil unrest, or other disasters with medical kits and supplies from store.doomandbloom.net!

The Altons are happy to welcome author Terry Blackmore of the Pandemic Series, the first book of which (called "Antigenic Shift") is receiving good notices. Unlike most post-apocalyptic fiction, "Antigenic Shift" is set in Canada! Also, if we didn’t have enough reasons TO social distance as it is, now we have rioting in dozens of major cities, makes you want to live outside the city, or maybe outside the planet might be safer. Well, if you live in Minneapolis, interesting things are going on there, like the majority of the city council wanting to dismantle the police department. Interesting to know that the majority is a veto-proof majority, even if the mayor is against it and vetoes it, he can be voted down. Mayors in LA and NYC are also cutting band funding for police departments. Great idea? Good idea? Terrible idea? In COVID news, the country of new zealand has declared that its last case of coronavirus has recovered, making it the first country to have no active COVID cases and declare the pandemic in the country to be over.  The nation of 5 million is opening sports stadiums, scheduling concerts, weddings, retail commerce, and hospitality without restrictions.  Plus, Choloquines have been controversial since the moment they were mentioned by President Trump, with some studies reporting positive effects and others declaring the drug family downright dangerous. Now, some negative studies are being retracted, including one in the prestigious British medical journal "The Lancet". What's the deal? Dr. Joe Alton gives his thoughts. All this and more in the latest Survival Medicine Podcast with Joe Alton MD and Amy Alton ARNP Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, The Altons Fill those holes in your medical supplies with kits and individual items from store.doomandbloom.net

As Free Speech advocates, we support the people’s right to protest and make their opinions heard. Unfortunately, demonstrations in the U.S. these days are becoming more frequent and violent. After a short break due to the pandemic, people are again out in the streets. Some have legitimate concerns; others, however, have bad intentions. How can you stay safe if you get caught in the middle of civil unrest? Dr. Joe Alton gives his thoughts. With the violence we’ve seen in major cities, I’m sure there are quite a few people, especially law enforcement officers, that wound up getting hit by a brick or other projectile, and wound needing stitches. Lacerations of the skin can occur off the grid in survival scenarios, too, but there’s no hospital ready to close the wound. It’s up to the family medic, and that person needs to have a working knowledge of, not just how to throw a stitch, but when a wound should stay open due to risk of infection, and what type of suture materials would be best for the purpose. Some basics from the Altons. Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, Joe and Amy Alton Hey, don't forget to check out Nurse Amy's entire line of medical kits and supplies at store.doomandbloom.net. You'll be glad you did.

As we reopen, some words will have permanently entered our vocabulary: Social distancing. Telemedicine. Self-quarantine. These are all words you didn’t hear just a few months ago, but now we are all hearing and using them daily. There is no denying that the coronavirus outbreak has dramatically changed just about every facet of life around the world. Amy Alton ARNP and Joe Alton MD discuss what you can expect in part 1 of a series on permanent societal changes due to COVID-19 Also, studies on chloroquines are turning up claiming it is ineffective or perhaps even deadly, but are they missing the most important ingredient? Zinc is an important mineral second only to iron in our body, and chloroquines only act to potentiate its anti-viral action. Yet, studies seem to not include zinc in their protocols, leading to results that you could predict would show chloroquine isn't effective on its own. Is there an agenda here rooted in politics rather than public health. The Altons discuss a controversial topic. All this and more in the latest Survival Medicine Podcast with Joe Alton MD and Amy Alton ARNP! Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, thanks for listening. Joe and Amy Alton We still have a limited supply of masks and other personal protection gear in addition to our entire line of medical kits and supplies at store.doomandbloom.net...

Recently, we came across an article about coronavirus myths on, guess where, the AARP website, where old folks like Dr. Joe Alton get their news (just kidding). There are quite a number of misconceptions about COVID-19 disease and the virus that causes it, SARS-CoV2. Joe and Amy Alton, aka Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy, discuss what people think about coronavirus and pets, weather, vectors, and a troubling tendency for people to avoid hospitals even if they have significant medical issues. Also, Dr. Alton talks you through what you need to know about broken bones. 6.3 million fractures are evaluated in ERs, urgent care centers, and hospitals every year in the U.S., and in survival scenarios, the numbers will be greater. Learn about how bones heals, sprains vs fractures, casts vs splints, bone "setting", traction, and the materials used in placing casts. There's a lot more to learn, but this is a great start! Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, Joe Alton MD    Amy Alton ARNP Hey, be better prepared for disasters, epidemics, and other times of trouble with books, medical supplies, and full kits from Nurse Amy's entire line at store.doomandbloom.net. Sign up at our website for our semi-monthly newsletter and get special discounts!

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to steamroll populations of many countries, and drive efforts to find a treatment, cure, or vaccine. The drug most recently approved by the FDA for emergency use is Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug Remdesivir. What is Remdesivir and why is it considered to have potential against the SARS-CoV2 virus? Dr. Joe Alton and Nurse Amy Alton tell you all about it. Vitamin D is made in the body when the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit the skin. Vitamin D is important for many bodily function, including the absorption of calcium for bones, nerve conduction, and immune function as well. Now, it’s becoming clear that the worst COVID-19 patients seem to have more likelihood to be deficient in Vitamin D than other people. Recent studies are discussed by the Altons about whether Vitamin D makes a difference. Also, let's say you just got a blood test to see if you have had Covid-19. Many people don’t get symptoms, and so it’s possible you had it and didn’t even know, or maybe had some mild cough or GI complaints that went away after a week or so. There are a number of tests that can give you information about COVID-19 and you, but what do they mean? It's possible that they mean less than you think. Dr. Alton discusses antibody blood tests, swab tests, and much more.   Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, Joe and Amy Alton Learn more about viral epidemic and pandemic disease with the Altons' latest book "Alton's Pandemic Preparedness Guide", available at Amazon or in a special color version at store.doomandbloom.net!

Survival Medicine Podcast The daily headlines are chock-full of stories about the COVID-19 pandemic. If you read them, you’re probably left with the impression that society was unready for the ravages of the SARS-CoV2 virus. Surprise, Surprise…Yet, epidemic outbreaks of viral infectious diseases are relatively common: In the last few years, we’ve seen Ebola in West Africa, Zika in South America, and Chikungunya throughout the Caribbean. Tropical countries experience yearly malarial outbreaks, just as nations in cooler climates experience influenza every winter. A contagious and, sometimes, lethal disease that infects almost every country on the planet, however, is much rarer.  Dr. Joe Alton welcomes Amy Alton ARNP back to the podcast to discuss various origin theories for the current pandemic, plus the idea that people may wind up getting reinfected a lot more often than previously thought. All this and more in the latest Survival Medicine Podcast with Joe and Amy Alton! Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, Joe Alton MD        Amy Alton ARNP Hey, fill those holes in your preparedness plan with kits, personal protection items, and more from Nurse Amy's entire line at store.doomandbloom.net!

In the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, extreme shortages of personal protection equipment (PPE) have been a major issue for medical workers and home caregivers. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognize the problem, publishing guidelines for the extended use and limited reuse of disposable face masks and other materials. For those who didn’t include masks in their medical preps, the government says that homemade cloth masks or bandannas are acceptable, all after first saying that they weren’t effective a while ago. In this episode, Dr. Joe Alton discusses the use of UV germicidal irradiation to battle COVID-19. Also, Dr. Alton takes a break from COVID-19 to discuss natural disasters. Every year in the United States, we go through various natural disasters. During Spring, tornadoes become some of the most common deadly events in certain parts of the country. In Lee county, Alabama, a violent storm took the lives of 23 people. Unlike hurricanes, tornadoes are unpredictable and always a possibility. All this and more on the latest Survival Medicine Podcast with Joe Alton MD Check out Nurse Amy's entire line of medical kits, personal protection gear, and individual supplies at store.doomandbloom.net. You'll be glad you did.

Survival Medicine Podcast Are you going to survive this pandemic? If I asked America this question a month ago, I would have gotten more than 27000 people saying yes that, well, were wrong. They are no longer with us. In order to succeed in situations where everything else is failing, you gotta have training, knowledge, and supplies. You must also have a mindset that is, perhaps, the opposite of what you were taught in your first responder course: That some disaster or epidemic has overwhelmed conventional medical resources and you are now the highest medical asset left to your family. Joe Alton MD discusses some important aspects in staying healthy in times of trouble. PLus, social distancing is the main strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but is 6 feet enough? It's been reported that coughs can throw 3000 droplets with virus loads up to 19 feet, and sneezes 40000 droplets all the way to 26 feet away. Dr. Alton gives his thoughts. Lastly, the lab accident theory from Wuhan's Biosatety level 4 lab is gaining more and more currency as time goes on. What do they think happen and how does that compare with the live market theory? All this and more in the latest survival medicine podcast with Joe Alton MD Learn more about viral diseases with a copy of the Altons' latest book: Alton's Pandemic Preparedness Guide: Dealing with Current and Emergency viral threats, available at amazon and a special color limited edition at  store.doomandbloom.net.