Survival Medicine

In any long term survival setting, somebody’s  going to get pregnant at one point or another. Even if you daughter is 7 years old right now, a decade or so into an EMP strike that knocks us off the grid once and for all, she’s gonna be 17 and you might end up a grandparent in a world with power. You’ll need some equipment that will increase your chances of having a successful birth and a healthy mother afterward. This isn’t something to laugh at; during the era of the civil war, maternal deaths approached 1-2% per pregnancy. With women having an average of 10 pregnancies back then, that adds up to 10-20 percent. That’s a lot of heartbreak and tragedy when things have to running smoothly to survive.  Now, Certified Nurse Midwife Amy has put together a one-of-a kind kit that puts all the other ob kits to shame. This is pretty much what the hospitals use minus the fetal monitor machine. Listen in as Amy describes her latest brainchild and gives valuable tips on pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum care.

The person that’s responsible for the health of their family isn’t just there to stop a bleeding wound or set a broken leg. Poorly cooked or contaminated food will kill more people in survival settings than gunfights at the OK corral. Infectious disease might run rampant if you’re not vigilant about food safety. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one in six Americans will get sick from food poisoning this year alone, with over 100,000 hospitalizations nationwide. Dr. Joe Alton discusses one microbe that has sickened more than 1,100 people this quarter alone called "CYCLOSPORA". Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention. Plus, principles of food safety to guard against feeding your people contaminated food in good times or bad. Plus, a short rant about COVID statistics and the idea put forth by health officials that only 9% of the US population has been exposed to COVID so far, making herd immunity impossible without a widespread (probably miulti-year) vaccination program. Dr. Alt

Hey, today we’ve invited our old friend Leon Pantenburg of Survival Common Sense to the show. Leon Pantenburg is a wilderness enthusiast and journalist, and also the author of “Bushcraft Basics: A common sense guide to wilderness survival”. As an award-winning newspaperman for four decades covering stories about search and rescue events, Leon has seen his share of floods and forest fires, hurricane and tornadoes, earthquakes, mud slides and other natural disasters. He’s also reported on too many tragic outcomes from wilderness emergencies. It’s unfortunate that people die unnecessarily from outdoor accidents and emergency situations when simple, common sense actions can help. Leon teaches such common sense techniques to the average person in order to avert potential disasters. His emphasis is to apply thoroughly tested and practiced, simple techniques of wilderness survival. Plus, we've talked a lot about property defense and avoiding burn injuries, but today we'll talk about burn injuries in general regar

The CDC has recommended that Americans wear masks “in public”, but are vague on what to do in many situations. From the CDC website:  “CDC recommends that people wear masks in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.” The Cleveland Clinic is a little more lenient: ": If you’re unlikely to be around anyone or will have the option of maintaining a safe distance from anyone you encounter, then a mask likely isn’t necessary but having one handy is a good idea just in case." What's the history of social distancing defined as six feet? Distancing from sick individuals, for better or worse, has a long history. In ancient times, people stayed away from “leper” colonies (leprosy is now known as “Hansen’s Disease”).  No one really knew, however, how much distance was required. The Altons try to make sense of it all. Also, millions of tons of plastic refuse have entered our oceans annually since about 1950, fo

Recently, Dr. Alton was asked to write an article on tourniquets for the highly popular Survivor’s Edge magazine, a great read if ever there was one. Most people know at this point how to place a tourniquet, but there are some principles you may not know about hemorrhage and how to stop it using this life-saving device. The risk of hemorrhage from traumatic injury is always a possibility, whether it’s due to a motor vehicle accident, a work mishap, civil unrest, or the zombie apocalypse. A major arterial bleed, if untreated, can cause a victim to be beyond medical help in just a few short minutes. The bleeding may be so severe that emergency medical personnel arrive too late to help.  Dr. Alton outlines more than a dozen important points that must be understand to properly stop hemorrhage with tourniquets. Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, Joe Alton MD    Amy Alton APRN Learn more about bleeding and 150 other medical topics with a copy of the Survival Medicine Handbook's award-winning

Today on the Survival Medicine Podcast, we welcome good friend Charley Hogwood. Charley is the author of THE SURVIVAL GROUP HANDBOOK: How To Plan, Organize and Lead People for Short and Long Term Survival, the foremost guide, in the world probably, to planning, organizing and building a survival group for any situation.  He's also an accomplished post-apocalyptic fiction novelist, with Book 1 of his Bound To Survive series, the Unraveling, at Amazon and Book 2, Road Trials, being released in the near future. Also, some news updates on COVID treatments Remdesivir, Beta-Interferon, and....Pepcid-AC! All this and more on this episode of the Survival Medicine Podcast with Joe Alton MD and Amy Alton ARNP! Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, The Altons Hey, we know you could use some more personal protecion gear, individual medical supplies, and maybe an entire quality kit that will help in any disaster. Check out our entire line at store.doomandbloom.net! Also, please follow us on Twitter @P

The podcast is not going to talk just about COVID today, but  it’s a good idea to keep a running update and how Dr. and Ms. Alton's views are evolving based on what seems to be happening these days. So the Altons throw a few stats at you and tell you what they mean, if they're believable, and how it affects, or should affect, peoples’ activity. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that the country has approved a coronavirus vaccine despite not having completed crucial clinical trials to determine its efficacy and safety. What are clinical trials and why are they required in most cases for a new drug or vaccine? Plus, a listeners of our friend Jack Spirko's Survival Podcast asks about strategies to prevent Alzheimer's dementia even if you have the genetic markers and a family history. Dr. Joe Alton tells you what you need to know about this devastating disease. All this and more on the latest Survival Medicine Podcast with Joe and Amy Alton! Don't forget to check out Nurse Amy's entire line o

You know, we get dozens of questions from folks every week, and we do our darndest to answer as many as we can. You’re always welcome to send your questions to drbonespodcast@aol.com, we answer as many of them as we can. Sometimes, we answer them on the air, and that’s what we do with a few today. By the way, questions don't have to just be about COVID-19. Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, Joe and Amy Alton Don't forget to check out Nurse Amy's entire line of medical kits and supplies at store.doomandbloom.net!

Man, it’s hot. Summer is here with a vengeance and parts of the Midwest and Southern U.S. are experiencing record high temperatures in major heat waves. Officials predict a high-risk situation for 200 million citizens in the U.S. Joe Alton MD and Amy Alton ARNP discuss heat-related emergencies and what you can do to save lives this summer. Also, what do you do about keeping tabs on family and friends during the COVID pandemic? Dr. Alton answers some common questions that listeners are anxious about, with his own specific take on the subject. Plus, Chinese officials report 1700 deaths from a mysterious pneumonia in the neighboring country of Kazakhstan. Health officials there say that their report doesn't "conform to reality". Is there a new virus or is it all a bunch of hooey? The Altons give their opinion... Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, Joe Alton MD     Amy Alton ARNP\ Become more medically prepared by checking out Nurse Amy's entire line of medical kits and supplies at https://s

Many people are concerned about what appears to be a second wave of COVID-19, the pandemic disease caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus. Indeed, some states that were relatively unaffected by the virus are now reporting high numbers of cases and people are getting concerned about hospitals’ abilities to deal with the more severe cases. Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy discuss what goes into pandemic waves and discuss a brief history of the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919. To forget history is to repeat its mistakes! Regardless of municipalities closing pubic beaches and pools, In warm weather, many folks head to the waterfront for recreation. Some wind up getting in trouble, and I’m not talking about Jaws, We're talking about something just as scary though: Drowning. Dr. Alton tells you what you need to know to stay safe this summer. Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, Joe and Amy Alton Show you support of Joe and Amy's mission by getting your family medically prepared with kits and individual items from store.

    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

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

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 ba

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 t

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 prepa

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

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

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 possib

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