Medical Disclaimer: We are not doctors. Please consult a medical professional if you are seeking medical advice.

When the SHTF, everyone, for the most part, has the same top three priorities: finding and securing shelter/ensuring your family's safety, obtaining food, and most of all, acquiring water.

A fourth priority, however, is attaining and procuring any medicines required by you or your family members.

Unfortunately, this is sometimes forgotten about until its too late.

We're not necessarily talking about having your bottle of ibuprofen or Tylenol on hand either--although those will come in handy, no doubt!

We're talking about prescriptions.

Odds are better than average that you or someone you know is currently taking prescription medications.

For context, in the U.S., 51% of insured children and adults are currently taking a prescription medication.

That's quite a few.

This isn't a bad thing per se, as medicine was created to help us in the first place, yet, it can be very annoying having to rely on a third party for your wellbeing.

So what's scary about this?

If civilization breaks down--coming from the perspective of a western country--you'll most likely only have a 30 day supply or so on hand.

Maybe 90 days if your provider allows it.

As of now, western governments don't allow you to stockpile large quantities of any prescribed drugs that you're regularly taking. 

There is some logic to this caution, however, in essence, our governments are telling us that they do not trust us with our own health and that they, 'know best.'

'Just-In-Time' Inventory Practices

Not only does the average person have to put up with 'just-in-time' inventory practices, that is, only having a 30 day supply or so of their prescription available at a time, but this practice is also unfortunately implemented at nursing homes.

If supply transportation is disrupted or some type of disaster wipes out a pharmacy, it won't take long for people to start dying.

It would behoove you to ensure that you and your family require the least amount of prescription medication possible.

Obviously, this is easier said than done, however, if you are in a position where you can possibly wean off your medication or substitute it for something else, it may be worth your while.

While this isn't going to be a possibility for every individual or health condition, if it is or appears that it can be done, at least do some investigation.

It may save your life.

On the flip side, if you are not in a position to forgo your medication and likewise cannot get more than a 30 day supply, we'd advise that you research if there are any possible ways to build up an emergency nest egg.

So aside from minimizing your prescription medication usage, what else can you do to protect your health?

Let's find out...

7 Medical Tips to Protect Your Health Before a Crisis

1. Get in Shape - NOW!

I hate to say it, but if you're a pre-diabetic, extremely overweight, and very lacking in the athletic department, your odds of survival are grim in a bug-out scenario.

Whatever your current fitness starting point, you must get or improve your physical fitness now!

As of today--March 5th, 2020--we've experienced a plethora of coverage on the Coronavirus.

While odds are it won't turn into a global pandemic that eliminates the majority of the human race, it has brought some good with it: awareness.

Many, many people have suddenly become interested in prepping.

Costco is sold out of toilet paper, Amazon is sold out of hand sanitizer, and many grocery stores are sold out of canned foods.

But, ironically, gym memberships haven't sold out.

In this day and age, it'll probably be unlikely that you'll starve to death amidst some sort of crisis like this.

Don't get us wrong here, it could happen, and stockpiling food should always be a top priority.

You should not neglect this task.

Heck, it would be even MORE likely if the 'crisis' you find yourself in is a plane crash in the desert or getting marooned on an island--food definitely would be scarce--although prepping would not be an option in this scenario.

In the case of something like the Coronavirus, however, it appears that a weak immune system and poor physical health may be what ultimately 'does you in.'

And the best time to get in shape and build-up strong health?

Before the crisis or epidemic starts.

So if you're overweight or out of shape, this is something you can no longer ignore.

Obesity puts you at risk of a myriad of cancers and health problems, a list too long to bother writing, and likewise will slow you down when walking long distances.

Finally, if you're being chased by an angry mob, who gets caught first?

The fat guy, that's who.

Note: If you're not sure where to start fitness-wise, here is an easy program you can do at home.

-50 Push-ups every other day--as many sets as it takes to reach 50

-50 Full Squats every other day--as many sets as it takes to reach 50

-10 Pull-ups or Assisted Pull-ups every other day--as many sets as it takes to reach 10

2. Change Your Diet.

This goes hand in hand with getting in shape.

If you're just starting to work out or already work out regularly, changing your diet is something that immediately comes to mind.

In the same way, if you're busting your ass in the gym, the last thing you want to do is put all your hard work to waste by binging on crappy food.

Albeit, cheating on your diet can happen easily when you come home from the gym totally famished.

So we understand if it happens occasionally--that doesn't mean you should do this though.

It's worth noting that, overall, 'healthy eating' is a fickle matter as everyone has their own philosophy as to what constitutes a healthy diet.

We may delve into this further at a later time, but for now, we'll leave it at 'eat healthily' and then do whatever that means to you.

If you're struggling with weight loss or would just like a simple framework to stick with, we've had great success with the paleo diet and if you're looking for a suggestion, that's ours.

3. Don't get too Skinny.

If your new fitness endeavors have made you suddenly realize you want to get as thin as Christian Bale in The Machinist, don't.

Although 'getting too skinny' may appear to be a good problem to have, it really isn't.

For you 'hard gainer' types that are into bodybuilding, you know exactly what we're talking about.

In other words, if you're dieting, don't let yourself get freakishly thin if your body type leans that way. On the flip side, if you already have trouble putting on weight or you're already very skinny, eat a caloric surplus and consider also implementing a bulking bodybuilding routine.

If you have no idea where to start, Mike Matthews has some excellent weight training guides.

So why is it good to have some fat on your body?

A pound of body fat is roughly 3,500 calories.

Provided you're drinking water and taking vitamins, you can be just fine not eating for several days if you have some type of fat storage to delve into.

To sum up, unless you're really starving yourself, getting too skinny shouldn't be much of a concern for the average person--unless you're already having trouble putting on weight to begin with.

Also, if you simply cut carbs but continue to eat until you're full, your body will most likely reach a healthy and reasonable body fat percentage on its own accord.

Again, our two cents!

If you have a different style of 'dieting' or 'healthy eating' that you prefer, then do that.

4. Stop Smoking.

Smoking is an activity that will offer nothing but benefits when you give it up.

Saved money, a greater lung capacity, and fewer interruptions to your day!

That saved cash will probably result in several thousand dollars. Smoking costs more than you think.

Aside from lung cancer, smoking is also linked to arterial wall damage, high blood pressure, asthma, and a myriad of other illnesses.

Protect your health and give it up.

We have it on good authority that if you're struggling to give up smoking on your own, the prescription medication Chantix may help you immensely.

We recommend that you research it if you're interested.

Besides, on a closing note, do you really want to be thinking about how to get your next nicotine fix if you're bugging out during a disaster?

5. Get a Medical Checkup.

Not to sound overly morbid or condescending, but don't be that guy or gal that finds out he or she has terminal stage four cancer that could have easily been prevented if they stuck with a regular doctor's check-up.

Yes, we had a friend that this happened to, and yes, it's very sad.

Not only did they lose their life, but it would have been totally preventable had they taken the necessary precautions.

In addition, you'll find out what state of overall health your body is in and what the baseline targets you should aim for are.

6. Get CPR / First-Aid Training.

Paramedics won't always be on time.

It's an unfortunate fact of reality we must face.

They can even get the address wrong or not even answer the dang phone!

When that happens, it is up to you. 

A CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) class will teach you everything you need to know about this critical, life-saving skill.

In such a class, you'll learn the infamous ABC method, which we will briefly illustrate below:

A = Airway: Check that the person is breathing and that their airway is not obstructed in any way.

B = Breathing: If the person is breathing, great! If not, prepare to begin artificial respiration or rescue breathing.

C = Circulation: Do they have a pulse? If not, begin performing CPR.

The Red Cross offers inexpensive CPR and First-Aid courses that can teach you the needed techniques to perform this procedure when needed.

Whatever you choose to do, ensure that you're learning from a trained professional.

You need more than just a few YouTube videos to make sure your execution is correctly performed.

7. Get Medications for Your Pets.

If you have any furry, four-legged friends living in your home, this is for you!

Fortunately, obtaining and stocking up on medicine for your pet is usually quite painless and easy to do.

Moreover, if push comes to shove, you can use your pet's medication for yourself.

We're not endorsing this, but we'd be amiss if we didn't mention it.

So stock up!

8. Optional: Wean off of any prescription medications and/or replace them with natural alternatives.

As we discussed above, now is the time to decide if you can and should wean off of any prescription medications.

It will be convenient to no longer have to rely on a government-regulated pharmacy, however, as we said before, this may not be an option depending on your health condition.

If that's the case, continue to investigate how you could secure an emergency stockpile of your needed medications.

Finally, depending on your condition and what you're prescribed, amino acid therapy appears to be a potentially promising alternative to some prescription medications.

Two books that discuss the subject in-depth are The Mood Cure by Julia Ross and The Depression Cure by Stephen Ilardi.

Pour Conclure

If you're already in shape and have all these bases generally covered, we salute you.

If not, now is the time to get started, especially with the 'forewarning' of the Coronavirus.

While the Cornovirus will most likely not turn into something absolutely crazy, it is a good reminder that the best time to protect your health is before the crisis starts.

If you have any comments or health tips you'd like to share, we'd love to hear from you below!

Stay tuned for more.

Cheers,

Miles

--

Some of the information presented to you here today is from Sean Brodrick's book, The Ultimate Suburban Survivalist Guide: The Smartest Money Moves to Prepare for Any Crisis.

For a full list of recommended resources, you can check out this page.

P.S.

If you're gearing up for your next adventure or prepping for your future security, take a peek at our catalog and see if there is anything that will suit your current needs.