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Women have followed their husbands into uncharted territory for
thousands of years. They learned from their mothers, or grandmothers,
what they needed to know about keeping their family healthy and safe.
Now, we go to the closest pharmacy and get what we need without a
thought about where the materials came from, or what they really do. In
search of shiny rocks or treasure, you will often find yourself in
isolated country. When you are standing on a mountain top and looking
out over the surrounding countryside that is largely unmarked by
humanity, it is a good thing to have a some knowledge of what we now
call 'wilderness skills'.
My focus for the moment will be on the small things that you can take
with you that may potentially make your next trip a little better. You are what you eat and I am definitely a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.
![[bandaid]](http://www.bovagems.com/eclectic/gfx/97_Feb/bandaid.jpg)
Now this is a comforting thought for me, but it won't help me if I'm out
in the desert. What will help is honey. Honey is to my knowledge the
only food substance that does not spoil. They have taken samples of
honey from tombs and reconstituted it to its original form. Why
doesn't it rot? Because honey has natural anti-bacterial properties.
The next time you eat out, save one or two of those little plastic honey
packets for your trekking supplies. If you get a minor scrape, don't
rush to squeeze some triple acting antibiotic stuff on it. Simply
smear a little honey on it and cover with a bandaid.
Now, what happens if that scrape becomes infected any way? Cut a piece of bacon fat to
cover the infected spot and put a bandaid on it. Change the bacon fat
2-3 times a day. Don't look at the old stuff that you take off, it's
yucky looking. Don't use any of the meat either, it's useless in this
application. Why does it work? Bacon fat is like a sponge. It is soft
tissue filled with huge cells. In the process of becoming bacon, the
tissue is impregnated with salt. What you have is a salt-filled sponge.
Salt leaches moisture...right? It doesn't care what the moisture is.
The bacon fat absorbs the infection that the salt pulls out of the
infected area. It works. The last time I used it on myself was to cure
an infected spot on my wrist that had developed blood poisoning...red
streaks and all. I gave myself 24 hours to get it under control before
running to the hospital. Well, I didn't need to go to the hospital and
I still have my arm.
One of my favorite almost mishaps occurred when I caught my husband
spreading a sandwich with one of my hand creams. I had used a wide
mouth mayo jar to mix it up in, and as luck would have it, the stuff
curdled on the spot. Well, it was an expensive batch of stuff, so I
capped it and put it in the back of the refrigerator...and forgot it.
After a week, the stuff aged into a delightfully smooth cream. Well, I
got to him before he ate any of it, and then I used the cream on myself.
Thereafter, we agreed that no one would use anything out of the refrigerator that wasn't in an originally labeled/packaged jar. When my first child arrived 21 years ago, at least 50% of all baby products contained things that the AMA [American Medical
Association] had banned for use on adults. Scary thought.
Well, I ended up making all of my baby powders, ointments, and other stuff. One useful thing that came my way was zinc oxide. You can get it at the drug store, sometimes you have to ask for it. But, you can use it almost with regard to quantity. Zinc
oxide is a gritty white powder that you can grind up in a mortar to make into a finer powder. Then you can add it to any thing you like, your favorite cream, or even butter. You only need half an ounce, or so, to take with you so it doesn't take up space
or add weight in your pack. If you have
get a skin irritation, simply spread it on and cover. It worked wonders
for diaper rash, too.
You're out in the high country and you feel a cold coming on. What do
you do? Wimp out and take decongestant? No! You make a cup of mint tea and drink it. Use real mint tea, not mint-flavored black tea. Mint
helps with upper respiratory things, and it has anti-bacterial properties as well as being great for an upset tummy. Keep drinking the tea for a week, it does help. And, it tastes like a liquid candy cane.
What you have to remember is that natural things may take a bit longer
to kick in, but they do work very well. Save the powerful stuff for
when you really need it. I never travel without antibiotic cream and a
small supply of other high tech medicinal drugs. But, I also don't use
them unless I really need them. We are so concerned with killing bugs
on the spot that we often don't realize that we are shooting ourselves
in both feet for our long term health. Be kind to yourself. I intend
to go out and hunt rocks for a long time to come and my home stuff will
always go with me.
Enjoy!
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Copyright, 1997 by Jan Noble
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Writer, traveler, contract E/M designer, rockhound and Mom are only a few of the descriptions that apply to Jan Noble. When not on assignment, she lives in Atlanta with her
husband, two daughters, ten cats and two dogs.
Jan is a genuine lover of geology and enjoys taking her
children with her on field trips when ever time permits. She
always has rocks in her pockets and time to hear a good story.
Besides filling her time with rock hunting, writing and work,
she tutors her youngest daughter in home school. She's a
loving mother and talented writer.
Jan is back online after a recent move. Her new email address is inthewind@mindspring.com
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