By Kellene Bishop

While I usually love talking about the merits of these invaluable additions to my medical preparedness, I feel that it’s also important to point out some dangers and cautions as well.

For starters, let’s be clear that you really need to listen to your body when it comes to using essential oils.  Some oils act completely different on a person who is pregnant or who struggles with epilepsy than they do on others who aren’t in the same position.  For example, in pregnant women, ylang ylang could cause blood pressure to drop. It’s not one that I would put on my “no no when pregnant list” but it should definitely be viewed with caution.

There are a few oils that I don’t believe anyone should use singularly, regardless of their state of health. Those oils are bitter almond, boldo leaf, yellow campho, horseradish, jaborandi leaf, mugwort, mustard, pennyroyal, thuja, tansy, rue, sassafras, savin, southernwood, wormseed and wormwood.  Finding these in an essential oil blend may make them less harmful, but for the most part, these botanical are better if used in their herbal form, not in a concentrated one.

When you use an oil, understand that each drop you use is usually the equivalent of an entire pound of botanicals, if they are pure and unadulterated.  Some quality of oils are more like and ounce of botanicals, but regardless, they shouldn’t be taken lightly.  Sure there are some essential oils that seem to do no wrong such as lavender, eucalyptus, lemon, and grapefruit, but all essential oils have a cleansing effect on the body. Drastic cleansing in an epileptic patient can bring on a seizure, so the essential oils must be used with care and caution.

When it comes to knowing how much oil to use, understand that for the most part, if you’re using pure therapeutic grade oils, one drop is all you need. In fact, in most cases the essential oils wont’ increase the effectiveness if you only use one drop vs. 5. If you must use more oil in order to have any noticeable impact, then chances are you’re using a weaker concentration of oil. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, so long as other lesser oils aren’t cut into the essential oil you’re relying on for aid.  However, obviously if more than one drop of oil is necessary, then it certainly should be taken into consideration when you purchase your oils.  The price may be less, but if the effectiveness is watered down at all, then your money may be better spent on a more concentrated oil.

Many essential oils are a bit “spicy” meaning that they will actually burn if they are applied directly on the skin. Such oils should be combined with a mild, pure carrier oil such as coconut oil, grapeseed oil, or almond oil. You can also get the same result if you use a bit of KY Jelly to apply the oil. Appropriate cautions should be noted on the containers of oil you purchase, or at least with accompanying marketing information. Since the molecules of essential oils are extremely small, it poses a challenge to get them to spread evenly over an area of the body before they absorb all at once in one small drop of an area. A carrier oil is ideal to help you get the most surface benefit of an essential oil. If you don’t have a carrier oil, you can also use water (preferably distilled) to help cover a larger area with just one drop of essential oil. Understand, though; that water actually amplifies the effects of the oils and carries it more quickly into the body.

Bottom line, begin with a small amount of oil and increase as your body sees fit.

When it comes to using essential oils on children and infants, they always should be diluted with a carrier oil. Remember that some of the essential oils smell really yummy to a child.  So be sure that you keep them out of reach of children so that they don’t decide to take a chug. (Remember doing that with Vanilla Extract when you were a kid?)  If you ever find that a child has dumped a bunch of essential oil on themselves, quickly apply a vegetable protein oil to the spilled areas such as olive, almond, grapeseed, or safflower. This will slow down the absorption rate of the oil.  Remember, do not use water—even if the oil gets into the eyes. Water will only intensify the effect. Use a petroleum jelly or something similar that is safe to be around the eyes.  Once you have applied the carrier oil, then you can begin wiping away as much of the excess with a soft, dry cloth.

Lastly, there are some essential oils which are considered phototoxic, which means that if they are on your skin and then exposed directly to the sun, it will actually absorb more of the UV radiation faster.  So, pay attention to where you are applying your oils so that they aren’t in the direct sunlight on your person or at least make sure that you’re mindful of the oils which are inherently phototoxic.  These oils are angelica, bergamot, orange bitter, grapefruit, lemon, lime, petitgrain, and rue. Some caution should be used when applying fennel, aniseseed, and cumin if they will be exposed to direct sunlight.  Again, remember that direct sunlight is key to the unpleasant effect. If you apply the oil where the sun doesn’t shine *grin* then you’ll be fine.

Lastly, I want to reiterate that I have found NO cases in which the use of essential oils has caused serious injuries or death. On the other hand the American Medical Association has reported the hundreds of persons who die every year while correctly using prescribed pharmaceuticals. Again, this is where the spiritual preparedness comes in. Listen to your gut and act accordingly. Essential oils are generally safe even in the hands of amateurs, but too much of any good thing could still be harmful. It is for this purpose that I share this information with you today, that you may all be appropriately cautious as well as anxious to jump in to this world of independent medicine.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

In my previous article about essential oils I addressed some of the scientific reasons why essential oils work on our body. Today I’m going to continue that bit of information and also address how best to use essential oils.

First of all, I think I should make it clear that essential oils are not oils at all.  They are simply the extraction of a cold expeller process (which IS commonly used for extracting oils.) But essential oils—if they are pure and haven’t been contaminated by cutting in other ingredients such as genuine oils—should not leave a stain on your clothes, clog up your humidifier, waterfall, etc.  I’m not sure who the person was who started using the “oil” terminology, but the term oil is misleading in this case. Mind you, the contents in a pure essential oil are not the same consistency as water. Most weigh more than water, actually.

As I shared a bit in the last article, all of our bodies consist of frequencies. As such they house an electrical charge. As you no doubt are aware, not all electrical charges are equal. Even though plants have an electrical charge, we are not “shocked” when we touch them. However, were we to touch a live power line or to be struck by lightening, we would definitely feel the power of such a charge.

As I shared earlier, the more healthy your body is, the stronger the frequency is. Since there is opposition in all things, we can appreciate that if there are positive charges in the world, there are also negative charges. The frequencies in plants consist of a positive charge. Whereas disease, anger, depression, viruses, etc. consist of a negative, frequency-sucking, charge. I realize that there are some out there who may read this and think I’m getting into the crazy, hippy world of things. I promise you that I’m not.  I stay far away from such premises or artificial truths. Having dealt with such cancerous philosophies in the past, I consider myself to be highly sensitive to such misleading, although perhaps well-intentioned premises. Anyway, rest assured that what I’m sharing with you thus far can be scientifically verified. Every living thing has an electrical current running through it. This is part of the reason why defibrillators are used so successfully in emergency medical treatments for the heart. The electrical current gets things running again when the frequencies have stopped functioning. So keep that in mind and then stay with me here a moment.  Ok. so where do essential oils come in to all of this?

As I shared previously, all plants have a positive charge/frequency in them. Now, understand that one single drop of an essential oil is extracted from an entire pound of positively charged botanical resources.  That’s right. If you are using rosemary oil, every single drop you use is the harvest of an entire pound of rosemary—that’s one of the reasons why pure essential oils don’t come cheaply.  When you are able to condense all of the frequency and positive charge of an entire pound of live plants into one drop of oil, it’s bound to make an impact on your own body’s frequency—for the etter. The key is to use it in or on your body in its most effective manner. So next, I will discuss how best to use essential oils.

There are actually several schools of thought that have been handed down through the ages. Some say that the French initiated the learning of essential oils, when in fact, it originated with native American Indians. As you may recall from your history books, the French were once close allies of the Indians. As such, the French were first exposed to the use of botanical oils to cure all types of ailments—even those that many of us would go to the emergency room for today—through their dealings with the native Indians. However, the French elected to take their newfound knowledge and break it down into a science in hopes that they could better understand it. Parts of Asia also used this method of medicine as well. Eventually, England and Europe embraces the use of essential oils and even included it into their mainstream medicine. The various ways that you hear about using essential oils today are all rooted in the thought process of these few nations. Unfortunately though, when their initial research was done, it didn’t have the benefit of the scientific advances that we have today. It’s been quite a while since a major study has been led on essential oils on the same level that they were researched in the early 1900’s.

Inhalation: The school of though for Germany was that the inhalation of the essential oils was the best way to get them into your body. This premise holds a lot of weight when we recognize that some of our favorite smells usually bring about a strong physical or emotional reaction in us.  I find merit in using essential oils by diffusing them into the air, but not usually for an immediate medical need. Again, as a reminder, ALL essential oils have an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-virus component to them. Thus releasing them in the air is sure to make your breathing better and improve the amount of bacteria and mold that you may have in your home. Weber State University did an extensive study on this fact when they were commissioned to study the Thieves oil blend from Young Living Oils. While the science does prove that the essential oils can gain a less obstructed access to the blood stream in this manner, when the essential oils are diffused in the air they run into a whole lot of obstacles that hinder their maximum efficacy in entering your lungs and nasal passages. Think about it. Even if you were to diffuse the essential oils as close as two feet away, the essence would still need to get by millions of negatively charged particles before accessing your system. While that’s great for diffusing the negatively charged dust and mold particles, it only produces a small amount of benefit that accesses your system. I have discovered in reading the writings of many experts, that the inhalation method is a great supplement to other, more effective methods of using essential oils, but for the reasons I’ve outlines is not the preferred option.  Also keep in mind that when heat is used to infuse an oil, it can compromise the positive effect of that oil by rendering it rancid. So infusing it with air, water, or a spray into the air are much more effective methods of infusion.

Consumption: The French advocate using essential oils in every possible way, but they lean heavily on taking the essential oils orally. While there is still benefit done to the body through this manner, it’s still not the most effective manner, thanks to the liver which works so hard for our bodies. Anything that is eaten is metabolized by the liver, thus the liver cleans out  as much as 90% of  medicines, vitamins etc. While essential oils are more friendly to the body than chemical compounds, a portion of their efficacy is lost during the metabolization process. This problem is much more prevalent if you are using oils that have other ingredients cut into them such as almond oil, olive oil, and other herbs or foods.  While essential oils have a much better “security clearance” in your body than do these other ingredients, the other ingredients compromise the ability of the essential oils being able to pass through the cellular walls easily without obstacles. So, if you can tolerate using a pure, unadulterated essential oil bilingually, meaning holding it under your tongue for 30 seconds or more, it will better enter your bloodstream and get to the cellular level faster and with a higher frequency still in tact.

Topically: This is by far the best way to get the essential oil directly into the blood stream. There are many areas of the body in which the blood vessels are closer to the surface or which lead directly to other vital areas of the body faster, but applying the essential oils topically certainly eliminates some of the other obstacles which I’ve shared. When you apply an essential oil topically, you are increasing the medicinal effect by 10 times as opposed to taking it orally. In other words, any medicine you can use topically will have ten times the impact on your body that taking it orally. This is primarily because you are bypassing the “health sentries” known as the stomach acids and the liver. Instead of waiting for the sentries to give the essential oil “permission” to go into the blood stream—after losing a lot of its efficacy while traveling throughout the body—you get to apply it directly into the blood stream where your most vital living cells are.  This means that you can get more benefit for your buck when you are able to apply them topically. For example, I have one oil blend that I drink during the day—about 5 drops per 20 ounces of water. I started applying it to the bottoms of my feet at night and I discovered that I could feel the benefits in the morning the same as if I had been drinking water all night.

There are many stories in which persons believe they’ve had a negative reaction to topically applied essential oils.  In such a case, I remind persons that moderation and common sense are critical—especially when applying essential oils. Essential oils are POWERFUL folks. You can’t put apply an entire pounds worth of a tingly oil such as cinnamon on your hand without experiencing a healing crisis. For example, the essential oil, Clove, is quite powerful. When applied to the body directly and without any other oils it can cause an uncomfortable burning sensation. While it won’t irritate the skin, per se, it can certainly deter a person from using it properly. When you have oils that are strong, like the clove oil, you may want to consider weakening the initial impact that the oil may have on one particular area of your body. This can easily be done by mixing the oil with a bit of water and then rubbed onto your skin. The water evaporates while the oil makes its way into the blood stream. This subdues the initial reaction of your skin coming in contact with a powerful herb like clove or cinnamon. This can also be done with healthy carrier oils such as coconut or almond oil.

Ok. So we’ve talked about the positive charge of essential oils. As you well know, there is opposition in all things. We have positive charged frequencies and we have negatively charged frequencies all around us. Disease, depression, anger, viruses, bacteria, etc. are all negatively charged.  As such, in the body’s effort to neutralize these invaders, it uses positive frequencies in an attempt to neutralize the negative charge.  What the net balance is at the end of the duel is what indicates your overall health. Think of this like your checking account. When you have money in your account you’re in the positive until withdrawals take from that positive balance. At some point, if you make too many withdrawals you can end up in the negative.  When your body is in the negative, then you have a health problem that manifests itself physically and emotionally. There are obviously numerous ‘anti-frequency agents in our life that we are exposed to on a daily basis. At the very least, these negatively charged exposure translate into stress in our body. Stress is a physical compromise in our body. Some other well-known offenders are caffeine, pain killers, processed sugars, molds, mildew, pollution, loud/threatening noises, as well as processed starches. All of these things actually have a negative frequency, meaning that when we put them in or on our body, they diminish the positive frequency of our bodies.  When this happens, the frequency levels of our body are compromised—kind of like when the Imperial Falcon had its force shield down and was taking all of those damaging hits. This leaves us wide open for a myriad of diseases, unexplained  mood swings, bacteria, and viruses that surround us.  It also compromises our emotional and mental strength as well.  So, in order to keep yourself fully charged and not live your life in an unrealistic bubble, I suggest that you regularly use pure essential oils on a dailybasis, even possiblymany times a day, to put the odds in your favor.

When using essential oils, just picture them being part of the daily “force shield” you and your body needs to get through the day.  Since we have so much negative garbage that flies at us everyday, I cannot say with enough emphasis just how important it is for you to do something proactive every day in order to maintain your positive frequency charge. Yes, I am saying to PLEASE apply at least one essential oil daily. I can think of nothing easier or more effective than applying a drop or two of essential oils to the bottom of your feet. Why the bottom of your feet? Because the nerves which end at your feet is where the buck stops with all of the nerves of every other vital organ in your body. You want to access the bladder, apply oil to the feet. You want to access the heart, apply the oil to your feet. On, and it doesn’t hurt the smell of your feet any either, hee hee.

I suggest that once you start experiencing the wonderful physical and emotional benefits to using essential oils properly, you’ll want to incorporate them abundantly in your life.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

Here’s your emergency drill. Can you handle it?

As you know emergencies can never come at an opportune time.  They are always sudden. No music lingering in the background to tell you that they are just about to pounce on you, right? So here you are, having an ordinary day, when some lady on the internet tells you “Ok. It’s time for you to put on your big girl/boy pants and see just how serious you are about preparedness.”  So, are you ready?  Can you commit? Can you lengthen your stride and see just what kind of a mental, physical, and tangible state of preparedness you are in? Don’t worry though. This particular challenge will only affect that food area of your preparedness efforts. Ready?

Thirty days. No restaurants. No deli food. No pre-made stuff to purchase. Oh, and stay out of Costco’s sample section. You’ve got to cook it all your own based on what you’ve got right now? Ok. Ok. I’ll give you ONE day to prepare—but that’s it!

Are you scared? Are you yelling and swearing at the computer screen right now telling me there is NO way you’re going to do this?  If not now, then WHEN?  You have all of the rest of your comforts in life still.  You still get your car, electricity, Facebook, etc.  All you’re doing is living off of what you’ve got ready for yourself right now.

Here’s how you will benefit from this challenge.

1)      You will use what you’ve got and help cycle through it.

2)      You will force yourself to be creative and use what you’ve got on hand to make great meals.

3)      You will better learn the art of “waste not” living.

4)      You will learn what physical strength you need to monitor so that you have the strength to plan and cook each day.  Keep in mind that during this challenge you’ll still have access to a microwave, etc. So let’s not start whining yet, please.  But you will realize just how much physical energy it takes to have every morsel of food received come about only because of work.

5)      You will learn whether or not you’ve been storing items in which your family can actually live and thrive.

6)      You’ll learn the reality of the need for comfort foods and a variety of foods. I can’t stress this lesson enough. So many folks tell me that they have a years supply and then they tick off staples that you nor I would ever eat for a week, let alone  year—at least not if there was a Baskin-Robbins open.

7)      You’ll be more wise in the future in what you stock up on and you’ll learn that you can’t afford NOT to stock up when a good deal/sale comes your way.  This experience will definitely put things in their proper perspective.

8)      You’ll learn how to better organize your foods so that they are accessible and require the least amount of physical effort as possible or realistic. I find it strange that one of the first things people think about when they think about survival is oft times the most inaccessible supply to reach.

9)      Your family (particularly the little ones) will learn the value of “work to have” instead of just asking for it and “Voila! It’s there.”

10)  Lastly, you’ll learn “I can do it!” and that’s a lesson that no one else but yourself can teach you.

So why am I kicking up a new challenge for myself for the next 30 days? I know it won’t be easy, but I’m positive that it’s necessary. Here’s why I’m doing this for my own good.

My blasted health challenges have been annoying lately—to say the least. Additionally I’m married to a man that loathes to cook—even if it’s a box of macaroni and cheese. As a result of the two scenarios combined, I feel like we’ve been spending way too much money going out to eat. Even last night, when he got a steak burrito and I got a yummy mahi-mahi burrito, chips, beans, and a soda all for only $1.70 (thank you, coupons) I still felt guilty. I know that eating out isn’t healthy—no matter how great the food may be. Each time a person eats out they increase their chances of getting the “flu du jour” by over 50%. While that may seem like a safe bet to some, I don’t like the odds.

The other aspect that’s bothering me is that it’s likely that regardless of what survival scenario may ever come my way, I doubt I’ll be feeling any better than normal. So then what’s a girl to do? How will I eat when I’m married to “Lucille Ball in the kitchen”? I decided I didn’t like that vulnerability. It’s VERY likely that the primary caregiver in a family will get ill or injured at some point in a troubling time. For goodness sake, I burned my hand doing something that I do all the time and that about sent me over the edge. Yet burns, accidents, injuries and illnesses are much more pervasive in a “disaster” type of scenario. As such, I decided I had to engage in some Mental Preparedness and draw a line in the sand.

So, design this challenge to fit your needs, but don’t be wimpy about it. Worst case scenario make yourself refrain from non-do-it-yourself- foods all but once a week. Whatever you do PLEASE make it a REAL challenge. It shouldn’t be that hard knowing that you can go back to normal at the end of 30 days. You could just do a trial run and see just how long you could manage with what you’ve got on hands. If you are willing to give the trial a go, but run into an obstacle, go ahead, fix the problem and then proceed. Keep a list of what you run out of and when. Then you have a new hot spot to focus on in your preparedness efforts.

Here are my personal rules for this challenge. I will be independent in my food preparation and supplies. I will cook for myself over the next 30 days strictly from what I have on hand. And my Prince Charming is actually on board with me on this too (because he loves saving money more than he hates cooking—hee hee) and he has agreed to take care of some of the load as well. I will  have to live off of what I’ve got right now.  Yup. Right at this very minute I will create meals based on what I’ve got on hand and nothing else. So yes, that means when I’ve got company coming next month, I’ve got to get creative and confident so that I can feed them, too, the old fashioned way, for the entire time they are here. But isn’t that what I’ve been planning to do in my Food Preparedness efforts anyway?  So why not start now?  One caveat I will be giving myself however. Since I believe in working while the sun shines, I will still be making purchases via coupons—however, I am not allowed to use my purchases to accomplish this challenge AND I can only purchase items that are 75% or better off for this entire 30 days.

Some time ago we did a 14 day challenge similar to this.  But I think it needs to go longer—to be more of a push and a strengthening challenge.  After all, if I believe in preparing for a year, wouldn’t it be a good barometer reading to make sure that I can handle 30 days?

Keep in mind that this means no morning coffee or soda from the gas station. No bakery or deli items purchased at the store. And no free hot dog for the promotion at the car dealership either. *grin*  Use what you know is safe, is cooked properly, and is the best bang for your buck.

So, who’s going to give this a shot?  Think of this as taking control rather than giving up things that you think you love or need right now. Think of this as another step in reaching your goal of independence.  Oh, and did I mention that there’s a prize for one of you?

On July 25^th we will be taking all of the persons who made comments regarding THIS CHALLENGE on our blog or on Facebook and entering them to win one SUPER prize! What is it?  Its unlimited access to any of the live webinars I teach for the next 3 months!  –However many you want on whichever topic you want.  So feel free to let the rest of us know how the challenge is going for you because the more you comment, the more chances you have at winning. But know that the best prize is that which you will personally gain by going through this experience!

Onward, ever onward in our efforts of preparedness!

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If you would like to host a preparedness party for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky at preparednesspro.com

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

You may be too young to know this, but a long time ago, coconut oil (and some palm oils) was in virtually everything you ate.  Your French fries were cooked in it, your mayonnaise was made with it, and it was used in many of your processed foods as well.  So what changed? How did coconut oil fall from grace in the food industry? Well, like most instances such as this, the secret behind this switch has to do with money, power, and greed.

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely hate to be manipulated in any way. In fact, I’m so stubborn in that regard, that you may find me to be the only one still sitting at the end of a play while everyone else is giving out standing ovations. I simply refuse to do it just because everyone else does. If a performer deserves a standing ovation, or a laugh, or applause I will enthusiastically do so. Otherwise, I will hold my position. Well, when I started researching all that I could find about coconut oil, I discovered that once again, I would be sitting while everyone else was lavishing praise on the wrong kinds of oil.  So, for those of you who also detest being manipulated by money instead of facts, this article is for you.

In order for the soybean industry to advance as the first choice for oil, it had to squeeze out the primary leader—coconut oil. It did so by publicizing half-truths to the medical industry and then on to the general consumers.  In the mid 1980’s, with billions of dollars at stake, the American Soybean Association launched an aggressive, widespread smear campaign that painted coconut oil as the evil, artery clogging oil that everyone needed to run away from. As a result of this campaign, Americans can now thank the ASA for a great deal of the health problems which they experience including the very diseases which the ASA tried to paint coconut oil as causing. They can also thank the ASA for introducing harmful hydrogenated oils into our regular diet as well. Nonetheless, as you know, I don’t believe in the victim mentality so I thought I’d share with you some vital facts about the merits of coconut oil today. This way you can start deliberate and informed efforts towards better health as well as using an oil which won’t compromise its healthy foundation even after spending a couple of years on your pantry shelf.

Many years ago, a nutritional specialist, Bruce Fife, was addressing a group of doctors. He opened his speech with this statement, “Coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils one can use.” He was immediately corrected by one of the doctors in attendance who said, “Coconut oil is unhealthy; it causes heart disease.” Mr. Fife wisely responded by saying “that must be why all of the Pacific Islanders died off hundred of years ago.”

It’s true. Pacific Islanders have long used every part of the coconut for their nutritional mainstays.  Coconut oil is no exception. And yet dozens of studies have shown these groups of people to possess NO heart disease, diabetes, and many other ailments common in our “more progressive” soybean and vegetable oil society. In fact, the countries with the palm oil intakes in the world are Costa Rica and Malaysia. Their heart disease rates and cholesterol levels are much lower than in the western nations. Why? Well, it all boils down to the fact that all saturated fats are not created equal.

Yes, it’s true that coconut oil is a saturated fat. And thanks to a very successful indoctrination campaign, we usually associate the words saturated fat as being unhealthy. But what most people don’t realize is that there are three types of saturated fats; differentiated by the chain length of the fatty acids. There’s short, medium, and long chain fatty acids inherent in any saturated fat food.  It’s actually the long chain fatty acids that are very bad for our bodies. Long chain fatty acids are not easily digested in our bodies, as such they leave behind residues that help clog up arteries. Whereas medium chain fatty acids are easily digested in the body and leave no harmful residue.  Coconut oil has the most percent of saturated fats of most any oil, however, it’s the only oil that has NO affect on the cholesterol levels and arteries in our body—this is because it consists of medium-chain fatty acids which are easily digested and used in the body.  In fact, instead of causing heart disease like hydrogenated oils do (which come primarily from soybean oil) coconut oil actually prevents the development of heart disease!  Medium-chain fatty acids also have the added benefit of producing energy in our bodies instead of fat like other oils do.

Understand that not all coconut oils are the same either. Heat, light, and oxygen are bad for most oils. By the time you even purchase olive oil at your grocery store it’s already been subjected to heat and light and as such has already begun to go rancid.  In order to avoid this problem with your coconut oil, be sure that you buy only cold-pressed (or expeller pressed) coconut oil. Any oil that has been heat expelled has already started going rancid.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but ALL conventionally processed and refined vegetable oils are rancid to some extent by the time they reach the store, folks. This rancid state is hard to detect but is ripe for developing disease-causing free radicals in our body. When we cook with them, adding more heat to the process, we are simply compounding the unhealthy effects it will have in our body.  On the other hand, cold-pressed coconut oil is so dependable and shelf-stable that many food manufacturers will use coconut oil in order to prevent their products from going rancid on the shelves.

Unlike other oils, coconut oil has a double-carbon bond, making it much more stable even under heated conditions. Because of this bonding, coconut oil can be exposed to heat, light, and oxygen without promoting free-radical formation and oxidation. This means that the medium-chain fatty acids can remain stable even when you’re cooking with it. In spite of all of this, coconut oil isn’t just ideal for storage and cooking. It’s actually a great preventative food, chocked full of great health benefits.

Not only is coconut oil not harmful to our bodies, but it’s actually great at countering the negative effects that other oils have on our body.  Several studies have been conducted which provided participants a small amount of coconut oil in addition to their standard oil found in a typical meal.  Those who added coconut oil to their diet in addition to their normal fare had a decreased negative affect on their cholesterol levels as opposed to those participants who had no coconut oil in their diet.  Coconut oil is also being researched as an aid for curing heart disease, gingivitis, HIV, herpes, cancer, and a myriad of other diseases readily found in western civilizations.  Coconut oil also counteracts many of the effects of hydrogenated oils such as memory loss, asthma, allergies, diabetes, suppressed immune systems, constipation, colitis, and senility. Coconut oil is so resistant to a free-radical attack that it actually acts as an anti-oxidant, helping to prevent the oxidation of other oils.  It’s also been found to promote healing after surgery or even of sprain joints in our body.  In his book, “The Coconut Oil Miracle”, Bruce Fife had an entire list of ways to use coconut oil as a disease prevention and treatment resource including killing fungus and harmful yeasts, healing skin infections, killing bacteria that causes pneumonia and meningitis, and in aiding in the loss of excess weight. I have to say, I’ve looked, but I’ve not found any vegetable, soy, or corn oil that does any of that.

So, here’s a little bit of information for you. I hope that you will do a bit more research on your own to discover the merits of this great resource. I plan on stocking up on more of it as my primary source of cooking and baking oil.  I love that it has an indefinite shelf-life as well as the great health benefits.  Regardless of the fact that the other oils are less expensive, in my mind it doesn’t matter what they do or don’t cost if they are harmful to my health.  I consider preventative medicine practiced now to be my best asset in Medical and Physical Principles of Preparedness.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

So, here’s the rub.  You want to be independent and stabilize your costs for vital supplies, but some supplies just don’t line up very well with your plans.  They don’t tolerate storage conditions that you have available, or they don’t retain their taste, color, and nutrition or a myriad of other problems.  I don’t know about you, but I use a lot of oil for cooking, frying, baking, etc.  However, like you, the shelf-life issue has been a challenge for me as well. There’s nothing worse than making a great batch of some yummy baked goods, only to be confronted with an awful, rancid smell of the shortening.  You can bet that when there’s a dilemma that threatens to conquer my strategy of thriving in all circumstances, I’m going to find a solution. So, here are my solutions for oil that I use at present.

First of all, understand that a container of shortening will actually last approximately 5 years if it’s stored in a cool, dry place. Yes, I realize that in some parts of the U.S., such places are hard to come by. But considering how much you pay for shortening and oils, I would prioritize some of the best “cool, dry” areas in your home to make room for the oil.  It’s definitely a priority.

Next, let’s make sure that you focus on the right kinds of oils that are great to use everyday now, and that will also store well for you in the long-term. 

The asset of olive oil tends to be underestimated.  Yes, it’s true that you need to be mindful of how the olive oil is packaged and you want to make sure that it’s cold-pressed and impelled.  Focus on the extra virgin oils that do not use any chemically refined processes in the extraction.  Interesting to note is that it can be called “pure” but still use chemicals.  Also, extra virgin olive oil can be as little as 10% “extra virgin” mixed in with the less shelf-stable ingredients of light or so-called “pure” olive oil.  Try to purchase your olive oils that are from Italy, Spain, or Greece which are labeled as “100% extra virgin olive oil. In the long run, the pricier olive oils will be worth the peace of mind and taste.  That’s not to say you don’t come across great deals on the good stuff periodically. I lucked out by getting several one-gallon, sealed, metal cans of great olive oil that will store indefinitely in cool, dry circumstances.  Ironically, I found this great deal at a local hardware store.  I also purchase it in the smaller containers when I have coupons.  When I get them home, I wrap up the glass bottles in newspaper and then put them in a four-gallon square bucket to protect them against breakage in the event of an earthquake or flooding.  Keep in mind that olive oil also has medicinal and cosmetic benefits as well.  Don’t you just love multipurpose products?

Cold-pressed, expelled coconut oil is one of my favorite finds over the last several years.  While there are some loud, misinformed voices claiming that coconut oil is bad for you, I assure you it’s just a bunch of hype orchestrated by the American Soybean Association.  Yes, coconut oil contains saturated fats, but all saturated fats are not created equally.  There’s a difference between a medium and a long-chain fatty acids. Coconut oil contains a medium-chain fatty acid in it which means it’s easily digestible so it doesn’t just get stored somewhere in your body. 

Coconut oil can be used in place of any oil or shortening—baking, deep-frying, everyday cooking, etc. When you cook with it, your foods do not take on a coconut flavor at all.  Additionally, coconut oil really is good for you (which I’ll have to get into in another article) and it’s the only plant-derived saturated fat that exists.  This is why is does not go rancid.  In fact, it takes to sitting on a shelf with the utmost of good behavior, storing indefinitely.  My goal is to convert all of my oils in my household to primarily coconut oil.  I use it for my pie crusts, my fried eggs, and my deep-fried wheat meatballs. Yes, coconut oil can be pricier than your mainstream counter parts, but I feel a heck of a lot better investing in oil that I know won’t deteriorate in its taste or nutritional benefits whatsoever after several years. As an added benefit, when I use coconut oil to cook things with, the foods themselves last a lot longer in the refrigerator since they don’t contain any volatile polyunsaturated oils.  Besides, finding good deals on coconut oil is possible.  Be sure you purchase cold-pressed, expelled coconut oil, though. (I believe that Five Star Preparedness—also carries this product.) As an aside, I love taking a smidge of the coconut oil and putting it in my dry hair to sit for about 30 minutes prior to a good, hot shower.  It’s better than any commercial conditioner I’ve found and is great for the health of my scalp. I just finished reading “The Coconut Oil Miracle” by Bruce Fife, C.N., N.D. which also has a great deal of other contributing information by other medical professionals.  You might enjoy this book as well. 

Lastly, applesauce. Yes, I said applesauce.  Applesauce is an excellent substitute for oils in baking. Considering that it costs so much less than most oils, it’s healthier, and is even available in a freeze-dried form, applesauce is another oil solution that’s at the top of my list.  I purchase it freeze-dried regularly in a #10 can.  In that condition it will store for 30 years easily. I can use it for it’s obvious uses such as a side dish with a little bit of cinnamon, or in a slow-cooked pork recipe—yum!  But I love the strategy of using it in lieu of oil in a cookie or cake recipe. Both turn out so wonderfully moist and tasty. (By the way, Five Star Preparedness  is having a killer sale on #10 cans of freeze-dried applesauce which regularly retail for over $30.  Their price on a limited supply is only $16.97!) I love the freeze-dried version because I get so tired of the applesauce that I buy in jars going brown before I have a chance to use it.

Hopefully this will help you all in solving this oily dilemma.  I know these few little lessons have made a huge difference on eliminating expensive frustrations for me.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

Today’s article is brought to us by one of my favorites in the world of practical preparedness, Wendy Dewitt. I am posting her tutorial information on rocket stoves with her permission.

Admittedly, I haven’t jumped on the rocket stove band wagon primarily because I really do have plenty of options already. I have the butane stove that I use with my pressure cooker.  I have charcoals and a three-tiered Dutch oven cooking system. I have two solar ovens which I love to use.  And I also have a Volcano Stove that has some similarities to the rocket stove. But having researched more on the rocket stove, I believe it does have merit for those of you who are just starting out or who would like some more alternatives.  So here you go today, courtesy of Wendy. Thanks, Wendy!

Rocket stoves, because of their design, allow you to use 75% less fuel (wood) than a normal fire and will be invaluable in your food storage. I was able to boil 2 cups of water for 20 minutes using just a handful of small sticks and a match. Rocket stoves come in all sizes but the idea is the same. You can buy them or make your own. Making your own will cost under $20. A version of the one pictured in the center can be made for almost nothing. (Notice the large flame being created with just a few sticks.)

You will need:

• A number 10 can (#10 can)
• 4 (10 ounce) soup cans…like chicken noodle or tomato soup
• Ashes or vermiculite for insulation
• A small grate or rack
• Tin snips and gloves

Using a can opener, open the #10 can and empty the contents, keeping the lid you cut off. Cut a hole the exact size of the soup can into the side of your #10 can near the bottom. (This is where the elbow will come out.) Make all of these holes as exact as you can.

To make the elbow, take a soup can and cut off the top. Take a 2nd soup can and cut off the top and bottom. Carefully cut a hole in the side of the 1st can (at the bottom) and slip the 2nd can into the hole. Put your elbow inside the #10 can and bring the end of the elbow (2nd can) out of the hole you have cut into the side.

To extend the elbow upwards, take a 3rd soup can, remove the top and bottom, cut it completely up the side and squeeze it together to fit it into the top of the 1st can. Adjust it so it comes to an inch from the top of the #10 can.

Fill the can around the elbow with your insulation to about 2 inches from the top.

Take the lid that you cut from the #10 can and cut a hole in the center just large enough for your soup can to come through. Push this lid over the soup can and onto the insulation.

To make the “shelf” for your wood, take your 4th soup can and cut off the top and the bottom.

Cut it up the side, flatten it out and cut it into a 3” x 3 3/4” piece. Shape this piece into a small “T”, making the top of the T 3” wide and the bottom 2 ¼” inch wide so it can just fit inside your 2nd soup can. Making it into a “T” keeps the shelf from going all the way into the soup can.

The small grate or rack goes on top of your #10 can to hold your pots or pans as you cook.

To start your fire, push a small amount of paper under the shelf and place twigs on top of the shelf. Light the paper with a match. When the twigs start to burn, put your larger sticks on top of the twigs. Push them through as they burn and add more wood as necessary. You may want to make a larger rocket stove or more than one so you can cook several things at once. Unlimited ideas can be found online if you Google rocket stove.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

Can you imagine walking along the shores of a fresh water lake, seeing some fossilized algae and saying to yourself, “Hmmmm. I think I’m going to try and eat this?”  Or worse, how about someone who notices that this fossilized algae kills insects and then decides to eat it?  Crazy, huh?  I don’t know how things like Diatomaceous Earth ever get discovered, but I sure am glad they do.

Diatomaceous Earth--a microscopic view. photo c/o www.holocaust-history.org

With Diatomaceous earth, you have one of the most wonderful natural remedies for removing all kinds of toxins in your body AND a highly effective remedy at eliminating pesky bugs from your home, garden, and stored grains.  Allow me to take you into the world of Diatomaceous earth today.

For starters, let’s talk about the vital benefits that Diatomaceous earth has on your body. Personally, I drink about 2 teaspoons of it daily in my water bottle.  (I follow that with 2 teaspoons of Redmond Clay in the next water bottle I fill, but that’s another story.) Why? Because like everyone else who is reading this, I have parasites, tapeworms, bacteria, viruses, and toxins in my body.  Diatomaceous earth is HIGHLY effective at completely removing them from your body.  Since we accumulate these kinds of undesirables in our body every day, I’ve incorporated daily doses of DE in my water every day in order to win the long term battle. If you refuse to take DE regularly, at least give small amounts to your pets and cattle every day. I give my small dogs ½ teaspoon daily for maintenance, and a bit more if they ever get an ear infection or are throwing up. They readily eat it and in fact, when I started them on it, it caused one of the dogs to stop getting into the soil of my plants.

Parasites, tape worm, and weevils--oh my! photo c/o historyfilms.net

How do we get parasites, tape worms, e-coli, etc? Kind of a yucky topic, but let’s put our iron stomachs in for a moment and learn a little bit.  First of all, you can easily get parasites/worms from the foods you eat. For example, if you eat wheat or other whole grains, you are consuming weevils.  It doesn’t matter how often that wheat was cleaned or how much you paid for it, you’ve got weevils. If you consume regular commercial red meat you also have parasites, and most likely some e-coli in your body as well. There are internal and external parasites associated with cattle.  If you eat pork, regardless of how long you cook it, you definitely have parasites and bacteria in your body. The fat in the  pork is made up primarily of the toxins and waste that the pig eats. It’s just a fact of life, folks. Lungworms, which are rampant in the intestines of cattle, cause viral and bacterial pneumonia.  Sushi also houses parasites, salmonella, and a myriad of other bacteria.  The raw fish is the least of my worries.

Dogs, Cats, and most pets carry parasites, which can be transferred to humans. photo c/o www.javno.com

Secondly, if you have pets such as dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, etc. you have parasites as well—that is if you ever pet them, let them sit on you, lick your face, etc. Parasites from pets particularly dwell in your intestines leaching the nutrition that you had otherwise intended for your own body. It is virtually impossible to have pets and not have parasites as a result—unless you use DE in your body and in there’s another story. (I’ll get to that later.)  In fact, just  one kind of internal round worm known as Toxocara, has infected 14 percent of our population according to the CDC. Toxocara comes specifically from dogs and cats. Toxocara is particularly predatory among children. This doesn’t mean that 14 percent of the population has pets. It means that there are sufficient  number of pets in our surroundings. Even those without pets are exposed to parasites that originate from them. Toxocara is easily accessible simply by playing in a sandbox or a playground of dirt or mulch.

Soil is another source of such body invaders. If we work with it in our gardening, we’re going to get it in our bodies.  Hanging out at a farm which uses pesticides and herbicides also brings unwanted toxins in our body.

Giardia and other water-born parasites photo c/o physorg.com

Unfortunately, water, whether it’s treated by the city or not, is one of the biggest culprits of introducing unwanted bacteria and viruses into our bodies.  In a disaster scenario in which we would have to forage for water, we are likely to consume even more. This is another reason why I’m grateful for the existence of Diatomaceous earth.  Not only can I use it to filter any questionable water, but even if I use other methods, I can also consume the DE regularly to help counteract anything I may have missed in my water filtration or cooking.  DE is a very effective water filter!  All you need to do is take a bucket and drape a tight-knitted cloth on top of the bucket, then a cup or two of DE on top of the fabric in a small mound. Slowly pour the questionable water through the DE into the bucket. Not only will you have drinkable water, but you will also have mineral and vitamin enriched water. This is why I often refer to preparedness as a source of peace in my life as opposed to panic. I can’t help but look at DE and say to myself, “Wow, Heavenly Father. You’re just full of nice little miracles all over the place.” I mean really, a substance that kills unwanted bugs of all kinds, but is good for humans and cattle! Cool!

So, what are the consequences of parasites and other like critters in your body? Blindness, obesity, anemia, frequent headaches, weakened immune system, irregular bowel movements, depression, stunted growth, autism, and even death  (although the benefits are so vast and innumerable that it requires a whole “nother article). That’s just what can happen to humans. Imagine what is taking place inside the animals we love or are trying to raise.  The great thing, though, is that de-worming doesn’t need to be an unpleasant one-time event that you hope you’re doing often enough. Keep your body optimal by paying attention to extracting toxins from your body every day by incorporating DE in your daily regime. After watching a medical video about what parasites can do in my body after only 72 hours, I’m definitely converted to the every day approach. Ugh!  Besides, wouldn’t you rather use an organic method of de-worming you and your pets/cattle etc. instead of nasty chemicals?! I know I would. When I teach about water consumption, I teach that adding flavoring to your water changes the chemical make-up and causes the body to have to work harder to process the water into a distilled state so that it can use it. However, when you’re adding the DE, all you’re adding is organic vitamins and minerals that your body will readily assimilate and not have to work hard to extract from the water.  If you must, you can consume the DE in juice or something else like that, but I have found that I seriously don’t notice the taste in the water at all.  Besides, is there anything that can taste bad enough to prevent me from trying to fight THIS? (yuck alert!)

Colonoscopy Demonstrating a Moving Worm

or THIS?!

2008-11-22 – BBC News – Worm removed from woman’s brain

Bacteria can thwarted by minerals and diatomaceous earth. photo c/o www.hubtesting.net

Let’s leave the parasites alone for just a moment. One of the other assets to DE is that is also absorbs bacteria AND viruses.  Bacteria and viruses are essentially the tiniest of little critters. They are no match for DE’s effectiveness.  The fact that you have something that will absorb and get rid of both in your body is great. Even modern medicine isn’t effective at fighting viruses. One of the reasons why bacteria is no match for DE is because of the vast amount of minerals found in DE. Bacteria simply can NOT survive amidst minerals. (This is why I love using mineral make-up. It doesn’t go bad because of bacteria, because the bacteria can’t survive in minerals. Thus I may pay a bit more for my make-up initially but it lasts me a lot longer.) So the more that minerals make up your organs and blood, the less of a happy home it is for the bad guys trying to infect you.

How can DE kills bugs but not people? It’s all about the water content. Suppose that you needed to thicken 5 gallons of a very brothy soup. You wouldn’t expect to accomplish this using only a ¼ teaspoon of corn starch would you? (For those of you who really don’t know you way around the kitchen, the answer is NO WAY! hee hee) So the benefit in using DE  has to do with the overwhelming amount of water content we have in our bodies as opposed to insects. Insects have very little moisture (contrary to what you may believe when you step on a cockroach), whereas our bodies are made up mostly of water.  This is also why DE doesn’t absorb all of the water that it inevitably grows near.  DE has also been used to help clean up toxins and oil spills.

So, what kind of DE do you need to obtain and where can you get it?  Well, that is the most important question.  You must use only FOOD GRADE DE.  If the manufacturer or seller of the product cannot tell you it’s food grade unequivocally, do not purchase it. For the longest time there were only two kinds of DE, pool grade and food grade. However, in an attempt to avoid paying the FDA the necessary fees to call DE “food grade” some manufacturers have started labeling their DE as “filter grade.”  Again, I implore you to accept no substitutes for FOOD grade DE. While you can do just about everything you want with the other forms of DE such as killing insects, detracting flies, using it in your garden etc. you should not consume any DE that isn’t food grade.  The reason is how it is processed. Just like grains intended for animals should not be consumed by humans due to the regulations that permit chemical additives in order to get more out of the product per package, so too should we humans not consume DE that isn’t labeled as food grade.

diatomaceous earth perma guard food grade

You can purchase food grade DE at most health food stores. However, I found that it’s pretty pricey that route. I prefer to get it in larger quantities and save a boat load of money.  I do know that Five Star Preparedness offers DE in two different formats. They offer it in 5 and 10 pound increments that’s simply “food grade” DE. However, for those who want to be extra sure in their internal consumption, they also offer it in as “fossilized phytoplankton powder” (FPP) format.  This is in a 10 ounce jar that runs about $18.00. But I wouldn’t recommend you wasting your money on it since it’s the exact same thing that you can get in the 10 and 20 pound increments,  just with a more friendly “food” label for those who need that kind of reassurance, because for only $25 you can get the 10 pounds (that’s what I use daily). Both are food-grade.  And please don’t buy into the whopper of a lie of a company telling you that the FDA won’t “let” them label their DE food grade. The FDA is all too happy to allow someone to label something food-grade so long as that company pays for the licensing and testing to do so.

I wish that we didn’t need something like DE as a result of our surroundings. But this is just how things are, folks. If it’s there, we get to inhale it, absorb it, or eat it. But I’m sure grateful that there’s a very economical solution out in the world. To see more on what DE can do for the world around you, check out the previous article I wrote about it here Diatomaceous Earth.

Remember, being physically prepared for the future also means being as healthy as you can now. So, let’s have a little DE sprinkled in our life. Cheers.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

Do you have enough toilet paper in your storage? photo c/o scrapetv.com/

Yesterday I came across an “emergency preparedness blog” that was alarmingly incorrect. It was a basic topic, but it was addressed in a very misguided manner. The author wrote about what she plans to use in an emergency for her toilet hygiene—rags instead of toilet paper. So as not to risk educating anyone incorrectly, rather than providing a link to the article I will instead provide a few summations of the article which she posted on this national “preppers” site.

First of all, she was a big advocate of NOT using toilet paper during an occasion in which you had to rely on an outhouse, a hole in the ground, or some other such scenario. She labeled such a premise as useless, expensive, and unrealistic.  Instead she offered up a suggestion of using old rags and then storing the “used rages” in a lidded bucket filled with borax, bleach, water and laundry detergent.  She believes that such an option is “more eco-friendly” than toilet paper is.

While I read the article, I could sense the enthusiasm that this person had for sharing her knowledge with the rest of the world. I believe she was also trying to make the alternative solution as easy as possible for others. I certainly don’t believe that she was attempting to mislead anyone. However, I physically cringed while I was reading it, realizing that she was setting up herself and anyone else who bought into her instructions, for a major sanitation problem—even a deadly one.

To understand why planning on using a rag as opposed to TP or another like product, I think I should first point out a few things about feces and urine that some folks may not realize. First of all, sewer treatment employees receive HAZARD PAY because of the danger of their work. In fact, sewer treatment employees receive more “disaster prevention training” annually than police officers do to improve their firearm skills.  In other words, working with urine and feces is not a task to be taken lightly. The hazard in working with sewage isn’t just about the chemicals used to treat the sewers, but it’s also about working with the unavoidable—the waste itself.

Sanitation...a necessary preparedenss topic! photo c/o www.corecentre.co.in/

Urine contains compounded amounts of toxins, nitrogen, nitrates, and ammonia. As such, it is NOT recommended that it is simply thrown out somewhere uncontained or unprotected.  For those of you who are considering having two containers for solid and liquid waste in a worst case scenario, I beg you to rethink that plan. Solid matter actually needs the liquid to help it break down. Plus, it’s simply not realistic from a physiological standpoint to perfectly separate the two while someone is heeding a call from Mother Nature.  Separating the two compounds will only create more problems which I don’t have room to address in this post.

As urine and feces sit—especially in a heated environment—it develops deadly pathogens, dangerous combinations of microbes, bacteria, and viruses—including the well-known e-coli.  This compound attracts flies which feed on it and then spread it from one location to another. The point being that handling such a compound in any way is not a wise decision.  Staying away from it and disposing of it in all cases is critical.

Ye Old Outhouse photo c/o www.thegreenestdollar.com

Let’s also understand that a scenario that’s accompanied by the symptom of limited access toilet comforts that we’re presently used to is indicative of a serious scenario. Think about what would have to take place in order for a rationing of toilet paper to take place. (Other than the toilet paper shortage caused in 1973 by Johnny Carson jokingly telling his audience that there was a TP shortage. As a result, he actually CAUSED a shortage because millions of people cleaned off the shelves of TP that night. *grin*) Perhaps a natural disaster, a financial collapse, or act of war would cause such consequences.  Any of these scenarios would mean that we could no longer take our present state of sanitation for granted. 

One of most important aspects of establishing a society is to provide a community with reliable sanitation solutions. The reason is because poor sanitation can literally kill an entire community within a 50 meter radius in as little as 30 days. Bacteria, disease, and viruses are no respecter of persons, borders, or bank accounts.  Thus preventing the spread of such must be diligently practiced at the root of its origins. If sanitation is not practiced with the utmost of our capabilities during everyday or dire circumstances, then disease and death will speedily run rampant.  Remember disease is not easily curtailed to a specific environment. Disease is no respecter of persons, boundaries, or social positions Keep in mind that due to our easy methods of travel, disease can spread faster than it ever has in history.  That’s a significant statement considering that the Spanish Flu spread to over one-third of the earth in a matter of only three months—this prior to the availability of speedy international travel.

Anyone want a corn husk? Anyone? photo c/o thefuntimesguide.com

Preparing for alternative sanitation solutions can be practical, comfortable, and realistic.  The use of toilet paper should not be viewed as a luxury that can be easily dismissed.  While we should be aware of alternative options such as corn husks, phone book pages, or newspapers, it’s important that we recognize the need to provide us with a safe distance, minimal exposure, and safe disposal of our hazardous waste. Seaweed is also a good alternative as it’s got healing properties with it as well. The fact of the matter is ALL of these aforementioned alternative options are much safer options for you versus you planning on using rags and cleaning them as you go.

To be blunt, planning on using cloth or rags is not an ideal “plan B.” Just by nature of the rag method you are more prone to come into contact with the fecal matter. The longer it “hangs around,” being stored in buckets, being washed, etc, the more likely that contact is.  Additionally, the rag method requires storage of the fecal covered rags until you wash them. The storage—especially with any heat involved, will compound the hazardous toxins as the bucket of used rags sit. Something else I think we underestimate is that smells, especially unpleasant ones, strongly affect our morale. Unpleasant smells are not simply an affront on the senses. They are also an inhalation of dangerous microbes and airborne bacteria. If you’re storing the used rags, the smell lingers throughout your entire living environment. Instead it should be burned or broken down with something like Chemisan. It would definitely stink (excuse the pun) if you couldn’t enjoy the smells of sautéed garlic and onion because the wafting aroma of the outhouse overpowered it.

Use Thieves essential oil, or other essential oils instead of chemicals. photo c/o www.ylessentialoils.com

Lastly, in order to use rags for this particular hygiene care, most believe they need to use heavy chemicals such as borax or chlorine—neither of which are eco-friendly.  Where can you safely dispose of those chemicals?? If you absolutely HAVE to use rags, consider instead using essential oils to clean the rags with such as lavender, Thieves, and tea tree oil.  Exposing yourself to potential contact with fecal matter is such a bad idea, that even the reusable toilet wipe companies don’t recommend their product for use for anything else except straight urine. Additionally, it requires much more physical energy and water to take care of than does TP. You can never underestimate the importance of conserving physical energy and maintaining as much “normalcy” as possible during a crisis scenario.

On the other side of the debate, toilet paper can easily be broken down or safely disposed of.  It can easily be burned or buried. My favorite method of breaking down fecal matter and TP is the use of Chemisan. Chemisan eliminates a great deal of the smell, deadly pathogens and breaks it down completely in as little as two weeks leaving behind the equivalent of a soil.

Portable toilets use Chemisan photo c/o www.fivestarpreparedness.com

Contrary to some opinions, toilet paper does not have to be expensive.  For over a year now, thanks to coupons, I have put my mandatory price point on toilet paper at 25 cents a roll.  I don’t pay any more than that, ever.  But when I get it at that price, I do purchase as much as my budget that week will permit me.  I also use that same strategy on anything else I purchase and bring into my home. I set a price point and stick to it. This means that I don’t have to choose BETWEEN having wheat or toilet paper. I get to have what I and my loved ones need for every anticipated event. Planning well everyday means that you don’t have to choose between one vital necessity and another. Knowing you have all of the bases covered means more mental strength for you to deal with the other aspects of a survival scenario which may test you.

Also as an alternative view of the blog I’m referencing, toilet paper is a multi-purpose product. It’s often used by cost conscious individuals in lieu of facial tissue. It’s also used by some as a source of cooking fuel (along with isopropyl alcohol)—a waste to me considering so many other cooking alternatives, but to each his own. And hey, TP has even been used by the US. Military as camouflage during the Gulf War!

The comfort factor of toilet paper should not be underestimated either.  Promoting familiarity during a crisis scenario is as important as your medical supplies. This is why a survey two years ago revealed that over half of all of the respondents said that they would choose food first, then water, and then toilet paper as their supplies on a deserted island. In other words, it’s more important to peoples psyche and comfort than perhaps this author realized. I suspect more people didn’t mention toilet paper simply because it was off their radar. Perhaps a gorgeous companion and their favorite rock band made the list instead. When there is any kind of an “ick” factor involved, it’s much harder to expect persons to change their habits, even in a survival scenario. Trying to do so will inevitably bring about stress. If you’re using moss and leaves right now everyday, then you won’t have any problem with those items in the future—unless you don’t stock up. Otherwise, having what you’re familiar with for such an inevitable part of life is critical to your mental health.

Bottom line, in the event of true emergency scenario, having ample toilet paper will NOT be the least of your concerns. It falls in line with the Physical and Medical aspects of preparedness which puts it in the position of priority number 3 and 4 out of the Ten Areas of Preparedness.  So, watch for the sales, know how much your family uses in a week, and plan accordingly.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

by Kellene Bishop

Water storage--do you have enough?

As you know, I’ve strongly recommended in the past that you store at least one gallon of water per person, per day in order to be prepared for unforeseen events. However, what if you don’t have the luxury of benefiting from that which you have stored in your home?  Well, here are a few “plan B” options for you.

1)      Dry Creek Bed:  If you see a dry creek bed, you’re most likely in luck.  Follow the creek bed down-slope until you come to a bend in which the flow “s-curves” to the outside. Dig a hole about 2 feet away from that external part of the s-curve. You should only need to dig about a foot down. Voila. There should be water there, and you should be able to drink it due to the soil cleaning it. When in doubt though, always filter your water prior to drinking it.

Standing water is still an option--just follow procedures photo c/o redbaron.bishops.k12.nf.ca

2)      Standing Water Pond: Chances are if you see a standing water pond that water is NOT safe to drink.  It very likely has animal feces, a little dash of West Nile Virus, and a sprinkling of other lovely bacteria.  So, dig a hole about 2 feet down, two to three feet outside of the standing water spot.  That water will also be filtered from the soil. Grant it, it will be dirty, but it won’t have the feces and other bacteria.

3)      Leafy Tree Limbs: If you’ve got leafy trees, you’ve got filtered water.  Simply take a piece of plastic and secure it tightly around the leafy tree limbs. You can use rope, or rubber tie downs.  Allow the plastic wrap to rest around the limb during the sunny part of the day. This will create a solar still for you, thus extracting the water from the leaves. You can then carefully take the bag off of the limbs, and consume the collected water.

Find water photo c/o www.dralisyed.com

4)      Moisture in the Air- Yup. It can be yours if you simply capture it. This bodes true even if you’re out in the middle of the desert. Dig a 6-19 inch deep hole in the ground. Place an open container (i.e. bucket, can, pan, etc) in the middle of the hole. This will be collecting your water.  Place a plastic sheet securely over the top of your hole. Secure and “seal” the outside perimeter of the sheeting with heavy rocks and even some dirt and sand.  Place a rock in the center of your plastic sheeting directly about your collection container. This will concave the sheeting a bit so that as water condensation occurs, it will naturally drip into your container. After about 12 hours, you will have drinking water.

While this last strategy may not be a water source help to you, it may be useful if you have access to water but no fuel with which to clean it.  Simply fill a clear 2 liter pop bottle with strained water (to get rid of the big stuff.) You can simply run the water through a cloth or a sieve, etc. You just want to get the big pieces out of it such as sand, silt, leaves, etc.  Set your pop bottle out in the sun for 6 hours. The UV in the sun will kill all of the virus’ and bacteria after 6 hours.

Once again, I hope this information puts you more in the driver’s seat of any curve balls life may throw at you.

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Copyright 2010 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to www.PreparednessPro.com & Kellene Bishop.

by Kellene Bishop

You might be surprised to learn what is made from corn. photo c/o www.faqs.org/

Did you know that batteries, diapers, cheese, peanut butter, Coco-cola, Motrin, vanilla extract, baking powder, white vinegar, saccharin, Sweet and Low, charcoal, a slew of household cleaners, drinking alcohol, condiments, toothpaste, dental floss, toilet paper, iodide salt, finger paint, crayons,  and margarine all have corn products in them? This list is in addition to the obvious corn products that you are already no doubt familiar with.  Corn is in a slew of food additives as well such as maltodextrin, pumaric acid, di-glycerides, Ethel acetate, xanathan gum, semolina, absorbic acid, gluten, citrus cloud emulsion, saccharin, calcium stearate, xylitol, and sorbitol as well as a litany of other “ides, ites, and tols.”  Did you also know that fish, meat, poultry, and pork usually contain corn and have been fed the cheap food of corn? In fact, it’s nearly impossible for anyone to completely avoid contact with CORN nowadays!  Corn starch is dusted on your frozen vegetables, corn wax is coated on your fresh vegetables, fish is washed in a corn-derived citric acid, and even when you make that homemade bread from scratch, you’ve still got corn because the baking yeasts often feed on corn based ethanol.  (As a bigger eye opener, you may want to view the movie “King Corn” or enjoy blogs authored by Chris Ellis)

So, OK. Our life is permeated with corn. It’s come to be such thanks to the fact that corn has historically been a cheap commodity. But what happens when corn stops becoming cheap but we find ourselves in a society that’s wholly dependent on corn?  You see, the price of your diapers are what they are today based in part on the easy and cheap access to corn. What happens when the price of corn goes way up or corn becomes hard to come by?

Corn crops: 2009. Too wet to plant until late in the season. Too wet to properly fertilize to get a greater yield. Too wet to harvest. Harvested corn repeatedly tested as too wet for dietary corn and storage. And finally there’s also the demand to meet the standard ethanol productions. While drying portions of the crop is possible, it’s also very costly. Corn is typically sold at 10-15% moisture. However this year some of the largest corn growing areas are harvesting it at an average of 22% moisture.  (Remember, the more moisture, the more expense to either dry it, or the faster it will go rancid, thus causing a loss of product.  Ironically, there have also been some spotty bouts of shortages on propane which is necessary for the drying process.  Hmmm…(*note to me, get more propane tanks filled.*) All of this following a 2008 growing season that experienced dramatic rise and drops in harvest prices and expensive fuel prices making harvesting nearly 12% more expensive than previous years. In the first week of January, USDA estimated that 29% of the Midwestern corn crops were STILL in the fields. That is the demise of our nation’s corn crops this year resulting in anticipated high prices with high demand. http://www.commodityonline.com/crops-weather/IowaIllinois-corn-harvests-extend-to-December-2009-12-03-23491-3-1.html The domino effect continues as late corn and soybean harvests delay winter planting as well.

Have your food pantry stocked and ready to go!

So, how does all of this translate into for your preparedness efforts?  Understand how your food production is reliant on a system as equally tenable as a tightrope act. Pay attention to how the key players are affected so that you can strategically acquire necessary goods before the price hikes come into affect.  Attempt to eliminate any food scenarios in which you’re wholly reliant on what is given to you as opposed to what you really want for your family. Become as self-reliant for your nutrition and medical needs as possible. It’s primarily a matter of education and planning.

In parting, I just had another thought.  What if 90% of our corn crop were infiltrated solely with genetically modified seed like the soy crops have been? Hmm…

Copyright 2010 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to www.PreparednessPro.com & Kellene Bishop.

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