Reminds me of the advice my Dad gave me in high school: "Look, you're wasting your life with too much wine, women and song." So I quit singing.Originally Posted by colorado_rob
Better hiking through pharmacology...if I didn't dope I'd never be able to don a pack.
What pills are in my medical kit? I carry more stuff than is typical, because I also wind up helping out other people. I'm a pretty fair jackleg medic.
200 mg ibuprofen tablets - enough that I can go a couple of days at the prescription dose of 600 mg qid. I've only once or twice actually dosed that level on the trail, and that was for serious injury (serious as in go from the trailhead to the ER - but I needed to get to the trailhead!) Normally, my rule is, if I need it to sleep, I go ahead. If I need it to hike, I need to adjust my style, or get off the trail and heal up.
About 8 7.5/325 hydrocodone/acetaminophen tablets to use in case of severe pain. I've never needed them Out There, but I'm sure I will someday.
A five-day course of Cipro - against the possibility of shigellosis or some other bacterial dysentery. I carry these only on long roadless sections. I've only ever once started it, after treating a foot wound in conditions where I knew I'd be getting my feet wet repeatedly in filthy water.
Bismuth subsalicylate tablets, 262 mg - again against the possibility of severe diarrhoea. Again, I carry these only on long roadless sections. NOT TO BE TAKEN WITH NSAIDS, ESPECIALLY ASPIRIN.
20 mg famotidine tablets - two per day. Even in town I take one with supper, but when I'm carrying a heavy pack and eating trail food, I may need another in the morning. (I've had chronic gastritis for about twenty years, a surgical complication, and simply need medication to tame it.)
25 mg diphenhydramine HCl - a few, to be taken (25-50 mg q6-8hr) in case of allergic reactions, as an antinauseal, or as a sleeping pill. The famotidine potentiates it, so I dose them carefully if taking them together. (On the other hand, if someone is having asthma or an anaphylactoid reaction, I'll hit it with all I've got - 50 mg of diphenhydramine and 20 mg of famotidine q6hr, plus epinephrine if the patient carries it.)
2 mg loperamide - 4 tablets. Taken only as a last resort - for instance, if I need to ride on a bus or something when suffering from diarrhoea. Otherwise, "better out than in."
I probably ought to carry the salts for oral rehydration therapy, and zinc gluconate, but I really begrudge the weight, since it's about an ounce per litre and several litres per day during a GI episode. I almost always have rice in my food bag, so I could at least brew up a couple of litres of rice water if I have to.
To continue with topical meds:
The smallest tube I can find of triple-antibiotic ointment.
The smallest tube I can find of cyanoacrylate cement. (Superglue often works better than sutures! Also for gear repairs.)
An old-school film can or little pill bottle with some Boudreaux Butt Paste. (Very strong zinc oxide ointment - for monkey butt, but could also be used to make an emergency tooth filling)
A tube of Gurney Goo (on me, it works better than Body Glide).
On the long roadless sections, a tiny vial of clove oil (Eugenol) - for topical anaesthesia while debriding an injury or to make zinc oxide eugenol for a temporary tooth filling.
With all the pills in little plastic envelopes, wrapped up in a pill bottle, it's not a big package at all. That, plus my gauze pads, Band-Aids and Ace wrap, all fit in a stuff sack a little smaller than a soda can. Also in that sack are a few alcohol swabs (which seem to get used mostly for cleaning eyeglasses), a tick key, a paperclip (I have had to burn through a nail on the trail to relieve pressure from bleeding in the nail bed), a card with duct tape wrapped on it and a needle taped inside a fold, a couple of adhesive patches for my sleeping pad, a couple of zip ties, the spare batteries for my headlamp, and in season, a couple of screws, nuts and washers in case my snowshoes lose a rivet.
That little kit, plus stuff from the rest of my pack (such as my Leatherman tool), equip me to do quite a lot of emergency gear repairs or field medicine.
I'm always eager to hear how I might improve my preparedness.
I always know where I am. I'm right here.
Another kevin if you have a dollar store near you many first aid kits have tiny packets of antibiotic. The ER even gave me a few packets once.
Gotcha and totally agree.Yes there are components - various factors - that contribute to well being. Absolutely!I'm NOT saying just suck it up. Just the contrary. I'm saying DO NOT just throw up your hands ignoring your actions...at any stage. There's action, accountability, and responsibility for our own well being...our decisions....at any stage. There's a often repeated theme here that one shouldn't be personally responsible for the life they experience or that others experience as a result. Did you miss this part, "We have a hand in how and what we experience in life. Our behavior has consequences proactively and going forward? NEVER said they(diet and lifestyle!!!) are the ONLY(absolute) components of our well being which might be what's being mistakenly assumed!"
Don't confuse my ability to understand your condition and feelings, to be able to see things from your perspective, being empathetic, with disagreeing with or questioning them. Nor should anyone else.
Diseases often, most often, have lifestyle causational components. Even IF you disagree with this, which would be disagreeing with medical science, what you experience going forward can, and likely will, be affected by diet and lifestyle choices. This can be likened to a form of treatment. Yes or No?
PLEASE consider where this belief comes from: "Masking symptoms...yeah...when you cannot treat or cure the underlying disease - (autoimmune disease) what the FREAK else do you propose to do?" This is a GREAT question but with profound assumptions! That belief about autoimmune disease not being able to be treated or reversed or possibly cured not all in medicine adhere! That's a conventional medicine scientific dogmatic approach. Change the assumptions the quality of the answers change. PLEASE consider what IF this disease could be treated or reversed. You haven't been exposed to this approach though because of the medical educational approach your health care practitioners learned was something different.
If you want to consider other medicinal system approaches, observations, results, and beliefs I urge you to read through these not overly lengthy articles from MDs:
http://www.amymyersmd.com/2016/03/co...ne-autoimmune/
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/07/30/h...mmune-disease/
I've personally seen the positive results in two family members once suffering from autoimmune disease. My father, who suffered for years with diagnosed Rheumatoid arthritis caused by an autoimmune disorder was one of them. Both, after gaining some additional different opinions from Integrative Medicinal Practitioners, MD's trained to treat the WHOLE PERSON, taking into advice a wider spectrum of medical approaches, while not ignoring the best of western medicine, have led symptom and medication free lives for many yrs. My cousin has been off immune system depressing pharmaceutical meds(drugs!) for more than 10 yrs and my father, who was said by some MDs would always have Rheumatoid Arthritis, no longer is diagnosed with it.
I sincerely hope you read and at least consider this information in context.
Wish you well.
+1 for Immodium. If you find yourself 10 or 15 miles from the nearest road crossing and you get the *****s, you will be happy to have spent 1 or 2 grams of weight on Immodium. I have carried it for years and never needed it. But nearly every year in town, I get the *****s at some point. When I am blowing air on the throne, I give thanks that it's not happening on a beautiful thu-hike.
I too sometimes take ibuprophin, but much less than I used to.
Not only does it contribute to heart attacks and a-fib (Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, online, April 25, 2014; ttp://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d3450.long) but it also can "counteract the heart-healthy effects of low-dose aspirin" (Thrombosis and Haemostasis, online, Dec. 13, 2012). That's a double hit.
(info from Peoplespharmacy.com)
I took lots of ibuprofin at times. Not sure why folks are so opposed to it. I fell a few times and got a bit swollen. Vitamin I made everything ok. Never got off the trail. Some things that will slow you down in real life can't slow you down on the trail.
I also took a few Perkocets with me from a surgery. I figured that there could be a scenario where I would be glad to have them. Well, I fell in the 100M. A nice soft fall. When I put my hand out to push myself up I placed it on a small branch which then flipped up and hit me in the eye. That night the pain was unbearable. Took a perk and don't regret having them. Was fine by the time I got to Katahdin. If do another long distance hike you can bet I'll have a few more of these with me.
It's not always a just matter of pain. Ibuprofen is great at combating general inflammation. A little inflammation is fine, is a trigger to start the healing process. But extended inflammation hinders healing.
Keep some ibuprofen on hand even for small aches that last more than 2-3 days.
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Here are the drugs I carry on the trail:
15 Ibuprofen 200mg - I take one or two each night
4 Immodium
4 Benedryl
2 zantac
vaseline sealed in a drinking straw - use for skin irritation, burns etc. or as a fire starter
1 0.9g antibiotic ointment packet
1 0.9g hydrocortisone packet
If you don't like drugs, don't take them. If someone believes in alternative medicine, don't argue with them because you won't change their mind. It is a belief system that involves more than science. Invite them to go hiking instead and be friends who agree to disagree.
Last edited by TexasBob; 03-12-2017 at 16:35. Reason: spelling
If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.
+1 hike your hike, and enjoy with others.
Poor digestion/digestive disorders(linked to diets high in fatty foods -lifestyle choices), poor diet(sugar, trans fats - lifestyle choices), and insulin resistance(significantly correlated with obesity in Type 2/adult onset Diabetics - highly correlated with lifestyle choices) are leading causes of inflammation. All are rampant issues in the west/U.S.
Many pharmaceutical drugs are marketed specifically to people who will not change their behavior. Easier to take a magic bullet pill is often the preferred mindset.
I don't expect many fan points for pointing this out.
Not pushing alternative medicine. All science - all medicine - is inextricably intertwined with belief systems. But not pushing drugs to mask symptoms, which inflammation commonly is, either. Would certainly think it reasonable to address causes of inflammation rather than just mask ongoing symptoms when it could be in one's power to do so.
http://health.facty.com/ailments/inf...-inflammation/
Hey what is good enough for the Olympian Michael Phelps should be good enough for hikers. We are offering expert cupping therapy along the trail in Troutdale Virginia. It cleans the body of dead blood cells and toxins and provides a huge boost of energy by oxygenating the entire body. Sort of like flushing your cars radiator. Special discounts for hikers and we also provide a sliding scale. Give it a try, you will not be sorry. http://www.TraditionalCupping.com
Do you need a license to cup?
Very true. Most natural medicines take a bit longer but do not come with the many adverse side effects that molecularity altered pharma drugs have. They rob shamans and medicine men of their knowledge and then alter the drugs to be able to profit off of them.
Similar to a Jewish Mohel in circumcision procedure who can walk into any hospital and effectively perform a surgery on an infant. We also use a religious exemption and adhere to much higher standards. All healing comes from God Almighty and the cleaner a person is the better conduit for that healing can take place. This is something forgotten in the medical field with a total emphasis on intelect and nothing on spiritual purity. More and more studies are proving the effects our negative and positive energy has on others. I am the leading expert in this field and have an Ijaaz to both practice and teach. A much higher standard than most of these frauds learning off the Internet and claiming an expertise.
Similar to a Jewish Mohel in a circumcision procedure - who can walk into any hospital and effectively perform a surgery on an infant. We also use a religious exemption and adhere to much higher standards than certification provides. All healing comes from God Almighty and the cleaner a person is the better conduit for that healing can take place. This is something forgotten in the medical field with a total emphasis on intellect and nothing on spiritual purity. More and more studies are proving the effects our negative and positive energy has on others. I am the leading expert in this field and have an Ijaaza to both practice and teach. A much higher standard than most of these frauds learning off the Internet and claiming an expertise. We really are the best and are focused on serving others. It is a miracle cure for many illnesses simply allowing the body to be clean and heal itself.
swimming---olympics-day-3-d013a1176f21fced.jpg
Much of this can be attributed to the Glysophates in wheat and other staples. Believe it or not the elite wish to eliminate 90% of the population now and are using several means to cull the populations. Most desease today is in fact intentional. They have their robots now, they no longer need slaves.
Ooooooooh...a global elite conspiracy theorist.
Yeah, I am just dying to stay somewhere and be treated by someone who believes the "elite" are out to cull the populations and eliminate 90 percent of the population from the face of this Earth....
I, and many others, look forward to trusting our safety and health to somebody who holds such...paranoid delusions...
Not a good business model, shaman dude.....
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