The Secondary Kill

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By Kellene Bishop

Sumatra, Indonesia, was hit hard by the December 2005 tsunami. (U.S. Navy photo by Jennifer Rivera.)

A true disaster brings with it much death and destruction. Whether the disaster is an earthquake, hurricane, tsunami, or a long-term power outage, preparedness is not about standing up to the impact of such an event. After all, you will die or you won’t. There’s not much you can do against the forces of Mother Nature or a nuclear warhead right in your midst. But what we must prepare against and CAN prepare for is what is called the “Secondary Kill.”

I first heard of the apt term, Secondary Kill, in a novel by George R. Stewart, “Earth Abide.” While I felt this story was slow and generally very unrealistic, I did appreciate the author’s label of what happens to a society after the climax of the disasters impact has been felt. The wave that kills people immediately as a result of the impact of the earthquake or other disaster isn’t something that we can necessary defend against. Rather, our preparedness is for the duration of what we usually do have control over—the aftermath. And yet our history books show time and time again that the aftermath of the disaster does more to take the lives of unprepared citizens than the original disaster itself. This period of time is described by Stewart as the Secondary Kill.

The Spanish Flu photo c/o acenturyofnovember.com

The time of Secondary Kill danger reminds me of what happened to the soldiers who returned home from the Great War, safe and sound, only to find themselves battling the deadly Spanish Flu. Indeed the virus killed more individuals in a handful of months than the entire Great War did in four years! Talk about a Secondary Kill! This is exactly the same type of danger that we are confronted by in the aftermath of any disaster.

After the full impact of a disaster, there is much that can unnecessarily take additional lives. A lack of medical care for something as simple as a cut. A lack of food and water. Violence of desperate individuals. Insufficient clothing and shelter. A lack of heat or fuel. Even severe shock can kill someone as it renders them incapable of making sound decisions for their survival. Ironically, the absence of light can enhance the impact of shock and physical illness as well. These are all common causes of death after a full-fledged disaster during the time of Secondary Kill. And yet, these are all circumstances that we can learn to overcome now—in the comfort of our own homes. Wouldn’t you rather learn and prepare now while your family is well; you can alter your environmental comfort with the flip of a switch, or find the information you seek with just a few keystrokes? Our lack of preparedness now will simply intensify the impact of any disaster which comes at us. And the aftermath may be what kills us. I’d much rather die due to the powerful hand of God in the form of a tornado than die by my own ignorance and disbelief afterwards. Wouldn’t you?

PS: Preparedness Pro is giving away one of my favorite food storage items, Morning Moo’s chocolate and vanilla milk! To enter to win, simply comment on a Preparedness Pro article—any one of our articles on www.preparednesspro.com before Saturday, October 3rd. If you think about saying something, do!

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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Pandemic or Not, It Doesn’t Matter

By Kellene Bishop

Pandemic or not, the time to prepare is now. Photo c/o ehow.com/

A lot of folks are e-mailing me or commenting that they don’t buy into all of this “hoopla” about the Swine Flu. My response is that it doesn’t matter whether or not the Swine flu amounts to anything at this moment, you STILL need to prepare for it. The point is that you should be preparing for the Swine Flu, Avian Flu, or Alien flu (yes, I made that up) the same way that you prepare for any other “disaster.” The only significance of the Swine Flu is the matter of timing. Due to the flu season and school starting back up, we MAY be looking at an imminent pandemic threat very soon. The fact of the matter is, you all still have a lot to do to get prepared to survive without all of your niceties that you’re used to. Just because the Swine Flu flurry may be perpetuated unnecessarily doesn’t make it any less of a circumstance to reckon ourselves with. I think that the issue with the Swine Flu being so pervasive in our minds is simply that it’s something that’s a bit more real to us. The timing of it is more visible. No one (who’s willing to admit it anyway) saw 9/11 coming. No one saw the damage that the tsunami was going to bring with it, and no one saw the complete disaster and horrible aftermath that Hurricane Katrina let loose on Louisiana either. Ask yourself, if you had a major earthquake tomorrow, would you be prepared? If your children all came down with some nasty flu and you were quarantined, would you be prepared?

Whether or not the Swine Flu ends up being equivalent to the Spanish Flu of 1918 is irrelevant. Yes, the Spanish Flu killed hundreds of millions of people. Yes, it affected virtually every part of the earth, even the Arctic and remote islands of the Pacific. But its biggest danger was that it came to people who were unaware, unlearned, and unprepared for such an instance. Thus what’s truly important is that you prepare for a pandemic situation like it right now while you can.

Here is a list of items for you that I recommend you have on hand in case you do end up having a patient who’s ill with a highly contagious flu virus. You will want to cordon off a room in your home for the care of such a person in order to avoid the unnecessary spreading of the virus. This list takes into consideration that you may or may not have electricity. (Obviously, this list is not all inclusive)

Items to Cordon Off a Sick Room

• Air filter                     
• Fan                                         
• Plastic sheeting
• Shower Curtain        
• Sheets/pillow cases               
• Heavy blankets          
• Cot/bed                      
• Bleach                                    
• Rubber gloves            
• Air masks                   
• Hair ties                                 
• Shower caps              
• Thermometers           
• Multiple sets of sheets                       
• Ways to keep sick room dark           
• Washcloths                
• Portable water bins               
• Capacity to heat water w/o electricity
• Towels (paper and cloth)

 Items Necessary for the Comfort of Patient

• Fabric for bandages (sanitize) 
• Baby wipes
• Anti-diarrhea meds
• Anbesol                                      
• Listerine
• Chloraseptic
• Whiskey
• Honey
• Lemon juice
• Water, water, water
• Salt
• Multi-vitamins
• Herbal teas
• Essential oils
• Lotions
• Washcloths
•  Towels
• Multiple sets of sheets
  

  Thieves Oil photo c/o aromatherapyliving.com

• Air flow
• Visine
• Hot packs
• Cold packs 
• Lavender
• Garlic/garlic oil
• Thieves Oil/products
• Lanacane
• Pain/fever relievers*
• Vaporizers (battery operated)
• Oversized T-shirts 
• Gowns
• Vicks Vaporub
• Icy Hot
• SOFT facial tissues
• SOFT toilet paper
• Gauze            
• Medical tape
• Neosporin                           
• Hot water bottle
• Straws
• Allergy meds                          
• Ensure               
• Band-aids
• Q-tips                         
• Cotton balls 
• Meal-in-bed tray
• Eye dropper               
• Mouth dropper
• Books
• Juice                        
• Baby monitor
• Pen/notebook for records
• Anti-bacterial soap    
• Olive leaf extract
• Yarrow root
• Goldenseal                 
• 

  Hot Toddy

  Red sage

• Raspberry leaves
• Catnip                                  
• Oregano oil
• Sage oil
• Bragg’s Amino acids                         
• Scar therapy pads      
• Hemorrhoid ointment
• Baby bottle                                        
• Rubbing alcohol        
• Bed pans
• Deodorizer                                         
• Walker                                   
• Sleep aids          
• Crackers                     
• Cough medicine* (or makings for a hot toddy: 1 T of whiskey, 1 T honey, 1 T lemon, 1 C. of hot water)
• Pain relievers (aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen)*                     
• Simple proteins (peanut butter, canned chicken)
• Pedialyte ( Recipe: 1 liter H2O, 2 T sugar or honey, 1/4 t salt, 1/4 t baking soda)
• Hot cereals (cream of wheat and oatmeal are best on the stomach)
• Anti-Nausea treatment (crystallized ginger, chamomile, mint tea, crackers)

*Remember infant versions too

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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Why I Won’t Be Taking the Swine Flu Vaccination

This blog has moved. Please visit us at www.preparednesspro.com.

By Kellene Bishop

Swine Flu Vaccination photo c/o swineflutips.com

I’m sure I won’t earn any popularity points with this post today. But I do get asked my opinion on this issue regularly. So I’m going to post my OPINION on it today. Mind you, I will share with you why I have such an opinion, but obviously this is a decision that you’ll need to make for yourself.

1)     Why I Won’t Be Taking the Swine Flu Vaccination Reason #1: Dangerous Side Effects. In a study in Britain, over half of all children who have had Tamiflu have had side effects to it.  (The current vaccination that’s being developed is based in part on Tamiflu.) Additionally, doctors STILL do not know why the vaccinations given in 1976 caused paralysis. Also, since the flu of 1918, the vaccination has killed more people than the disease itself. Um…I’m thinking I don’t like those odds. 

2)     Why I Won’t Be Taking the Swine Flu Vaccination Reason #2: Improper Testing. Since the 1980’s, vaccine manufacturers have been made legally immune to lawsuits in the event that their vaccine harms children. However, recently our U.S. administration has given blanket legal immunity to the manufacturers for the H1N1 vaccine. In other words, the manufacturers will simply make a whole lot of money with no motivation to actually test and make sure that their vaccine is safe. Given the history of the side effects of vaccines in the past, I’m also not liking those odds, folks.

3)     Why I Won’t Be Taking the Swine Flu Vaccination Reason #3: Illegal and Immoral. There have been rumors that the vaccination may become mandatory. When WHO made their Pandemic Declaration in June, they stated that all children under the age of 6 were to be immunized. Um, not only NO, but &%$# NO. Our laws prevent such actions. Additionally a government even conceiving of such a plan, is completely immoral. If women can decide whether or not to abort a baby, I sure as heck can decide for myself whether to put a foreign substance in me that is created by individuals who have no legal compunction to ensure its safety.

Photo c/o nworeport.com

4)     Why I Won’t Be Taking the Swine Flu Vaccination Reason #4: Known Dangerous Components. The base of the H1N1 vaccination is Thimerosal. This is a mercury base and is known to be a neurotoxin. It also contains Aluminum adjuvant: an aluminum-containing compound. This releases the antigen causing strong, enhanced antibody response. However, this component has specifically been linked to Gulf War Syndrome that has caused tremendous permanent damage to thousands of military. Aluminum is a known cause of cognitive dysfunction. It also contains Disodium phosphate: a white powder, water-soluble salt. It is used as an anti-caking additive in powdered products. This inorganic chemical is also used as a fungicide and microbiocide. Let’s also add a little bit of Formaldehyde—you know, that substance that you’re embalmed with when you’re dead. It’s also a known carcinogen and reproductive or developmental toxicant. According to PANNA, in 2007, California used 30,328 pounds of this carcinogen, as a microbiocide (a drug or other agent that can kill microbes) on the top 50 crops grown in the state.  And let’s also add a dash of Octoxynol 10: (Also known as Triton X-100) a detergent, emulsifier, wetting and defoaming agent. (Octoxynol-9 is a spermatocide.) It can alter metabolic activity, damage membranes, and cause a rapid decline in cell function.

Lastly, let’s sprinkle in a little Polysorbate 80, also known as “Tween 80.” It is used as an emulsifier in cosmetics, and is one of the ingredients in Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine that is being mandated/promoted for teenage girls. This ingredient is known to cause infertility, grand mal convulsions, spontaneous abortions, and life-threatening anaphylactic shock. So far, 28 Gardasil deaths have been reported.

 Thanks, but no thanks. I like my medical cocktails a little more refreshing. 

A good read on this topic is the following medical report: http://www.rense.com/general86/dngers.htm

5)     Why I Won’t Be Taking the Swine Flu Vaccination Reason #5: Too Much Speculation Involved—Not Science. Let’s face it. You can’t predict the future, folks. The planned H1N1 vaccination has not even been finished yet, let alone tested. I’m not about to be a guinea pig. I’ll do what I am already comfortable and knowledgeable about in order to ensure my health. This H1N1 strain has shown that it’s still evolving and resistant to vaccinations. We’re not even in the peak flu season as of yet. So who knows what the flu strain will evolve to by mid-October when the vaccination is expected to be available? Presently they are creating the vaccination based on the “1918 Spanish flu.” As you know, vaccinations have a portion of the flu strain in them in hopes that your body builds up an immunity to it. Ummm…I’m sorry. But I’m not interested in putting even a small portion of the most deadly flu outbreak ever into my body—especially one that has been festering in laboratories for over a hundred years.

Photo c/o magickdragonfly.com

6)     Why I Won’t Be Taking the Swine Flu Vaccination Reason #6: Suspicious. There have been a lot of rumors circulating about whether or not this virus was purposely released, etc.—after all, we’ve stored samples of all of the known outbreaks, and a whole lot of our own making. I’m not going to give any of that credence at this juncture. However, I do find it suspicious that the drug companies have been indemnified by the government for any potential physical harm the vaccines may cause—why would they do that if they were safe? And it’s very suspicious that one of the largest drug companies, Baxter, filed a patent for the H1N1 an entire year BEFORE the virus manifested itself. They also admitted sending contaminated flu viruses to subcontractors. And let’s not forget that it was Baxter that distributed tainted vaccine for the avian flu!  Hmmm…setting a stage? I’m thinking that they can make their bazillions on someone else’s body, not mine. And what’s with this “requirement” to the media to no longer calling it “the swine flu?” Instead we are going to call it the “H1N1 virus.” That’s like putting lipstick on a pig, in my opinion. (Excuse the pun)

7)     Why I Won’t Be Taking the Swine Flu Vaccination Reason #7: Mathematics. On a lighter note, I figure that if the vaccine does work as well as it was supposed to, then all I really have to do is encourage people around me who I don’t like to get vaccinated. And that should be sufficient. 🙂 Just kidding 

So, there is obviously a decision to be made here. But I think I’ve clearly shared with you the main reasons why I will NOT be getting the H1N1 vaccine. I trust alternative health methods and my faith a heck of a lot more than what my current medical options are out there. Perhaps you should make it a matter of a prayerful decision for yourself and your family—or at least a well researched one.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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