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Survival Doc Says
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Digestive System Pointers for Preppers
Activate Your Digestion with Enzymes
I Lesson Six I recommended an enzyme supplement to help people digest their food to help avoid many of the problems commonly associated with digestion. What if the normal supply system is down and you can't find an enzyme supplement? Remember that your body secretes its own enzymes. This process starts in the mouth with the secretion of saliva. The problem is that most people do not chew their food well enough for their enzymes to have their best effect. So slow down and chew your food well! It should be liquid before you swallow it. I recommend that you do not drink when eating your meals to break the bad habit of "washing your food down," which discourages proper mastication. Drink beverages (preferably mint teas) either before or after your meals and never consume drinks containing sugar or artificial sweeteners. (Sweeten with stevia, an herb easily grown in your windowsill or garden, or don't sweeten at all!)
Even with proper mastication some of us do not secrete enough enzymes to properly digest our food. This is caused by chronically poor nutrition, by stress, or by aging, since all of us experience decreasing enzyme production as we age. As I mentioned in my last supplement, live sprouts naturally contain many of the enzymes that are contained in the enzyme supplement that I recommended. Sprouting also gives you another way to use the dried beans and seeds that you have in storage, adding enzyme-rich greens to your diet that are packed with nutrition. You should eat some sprouts raw, but most of the time you will want to lightly cook them to make them more easily digestible. But don't overcook your sprouts or you will destroy most of their enzymes.
As I mentioned in this lesson, aromatic herbs, such as the mints, also aid digestion by improving the secretion of enzymes. If you suffer from a lot of digestive system complaints, grow mint herbs in your garden, enjoy mint teas and add some mint leaves to your salads.
Another Word About Wheat Intolerances
I mentioned this before, but it is so important that it deserves mentioning again, because the condition is so common and it is likely to be a problem that preppers and survivalists will see at some point because we have stored up a lot of wheat berries for when the supply system goes down. Wheat berries contain gluten, which is a difficult protein to digest. Many individuals develop an intolerance to gluten and must avoid it entirely. Often, the more wheat you eat, the more intolerant your body grows to it. So even if you don't have a lot of trouble eating products that contain gluten now, you can develop the problem in the future if you increase your intake of wheat, like after a collapse when you break out your wheat storage. This problem is greatly exaggerated by the fact that most of the wheat we find today, sometimes even that which is "organically-grown," is Genetically Modified (GMO.)
Sprouting your wheat berries will go a long way in adding additional nutrition and variety to your wheat berries, and will help prevent (but will not totally eliminate) wheat or gluten intolerances that will surely occur if people are ever forced to rely on stored wheat as a primary source of food.
Activated Charcoal
I recommend that you store Activated Charcoal capsules for poisoning emergencies and that you learn how to make your own activated charcoal. (I plan to do a video soon on how to make it. Subscribe to my Youtube channel to be notified when it comes out. I'll also post it on this page.) Charcoal absorbs and helps remove toxins and other irritants in the digestive tract. It is an excellent remedy for food poisoning and for diarrhea, two problems that I expect to see more of when the normal supply system goes down. People will be drinking contaminated water, which can cause life-threatening diarrhea; and will likely be consuming questionable foods. I keep activated charcoal capsules in all my emergency kits and bug out bags. I consider it to be one of the most important items to have on hand for emergencies. It is also a good remedy for gas.
Other remedies for diarrhea include blackberry leaves, raspberry leaves and slippery elm bark, taken internally: and essential oil of Roman Chamomile massaged on the abdomen.
What About Vomiting?
Natural remedies for vomiting include bentonite clay and ginger root. (Ginger root is a very effective remedy for any kind of nausea, including motion sickness and morning sickness.) Ginger is easy to grow in a large flower pot. Take a piece of the natural root that you buy in the produce section of your grocery store and plant it in the soil. If you have trouble keeping your vomiting remedy down long enough for it to work use it as a suppository.
(Note: The "Survival Doc Says" supplements are under construction and are not yet available for all lessons. I will add them as they are completed.)
Where to Next?
Complete the Self Evaluation for Lesson 6, or
Go to the Home Page and Click on Lesson 7.
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