CYNTHIA J KOELKER , MD is a board-certified family physician with over twenty years of clinical experience. A member of American Mensa, Dr. Koelker holds degrees in biology, humanities, medicine, and music from M.I.T., Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the University of Akron. She served in the National Health Service Corps to finance her medical education. The author continues to practice medicine in Akron, Ohio where she resides with her family and beloved golden-doodles.
To contact the author, leave a comment in the box below.
Re your article, “What Happens When Government Controls Your Medical Records?” all I have to say is:
Revelation 13: 16-17.
[From Doc Cindy: Here are the verses from Revelation 13 from the New King James Version:
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or[f] the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.]
Hi just a question about people who have autoimmune diseases any advice on how to cope with Crohn’s disease, lupus, colitis. What if anything can replace prednisone? What if you need a bowel resection?
[All good questions. In developing countries, where the population is infested with worms, Crohn's is rare - seems to affect the immunity somehow. A study was done treating patients with pig whipworms for Crohn's and they did improve. I'm not sure if you could extract enough steroids from adrenal glands to replace prednisone. A skilled surgeon may be able to do a bowel resection "on the kitchen table" but it would be challenging. - Doc Cindy]
Hi Dr. Koelker,
My password is no longer working. How do I reset it? Thanks for all your phenomenal work!
Dawn
Hi Dawn,
I believe you just have to sign up again and get a new PW.
Doc Cindy
Great site, I ordered your newest book, Armageddon Medicine, and cannot wait to review it. I have a question I wish you would cover. What about those with chronic infections like otitis media? If it is already antibiotic-resistant what can you do if you are in a “grid down” scenario where normal medical channels are not available?
[Great question, David. A quick answer is to try a complementary antibiotic, which I discuss at length in the CD "What to do when antibiotics don't work." Or for, say, a persistent otitis media, older remedies may work, such as lancing the ear drum (which helps a little like an ear tube). Oral steroids or decongestants sometimes help, to decrease the swelling and allow the infection to drain. Being prepared ahead of time with an assortment of antibiotics is also a good idea (ask your doctor or check out info on fish antibiotics). Sometimes what appears to be infection is actually inflammation or allergy. Occasionally fungal infection is a consideration. Your question could lead to hours of discussion. I hope this quick answer helps. - Doc Cindy]
I just ordered a copy of Armageddon Medicine and requested an autographed copy along with the offer for free CD. Is this a hardbound copy? I wanted to get a hardbound copy and am willing to pay the difference if what I ordered is not a hardbound copy. Can you please confirm and let me know what I need to do? I just ordered so I’m sure it hasn’t been shipped yet. Thank you for making this valuable resource available to us.
What a great web site!
I have been enjoying it, and learning from it, for the past several months.
I just tried to order a copy of your book “Armageddon Medicine”. I am not sure if the order went through. Could you please confirm? Also, could you please autograph my copy?
Thanks, Mark
[Hi Mark - sorry I can't autograph books ordered directly through the publisher, but I do sign books included in the Armageddon Medicine Resource Kit , and sometimes in other special offers. Thanks for asking. - Doc Cindy]
Good evening Dr K. On Survivalblog.com, there have been a few articles written lately on Silver Spoons, the use of colloidal silver. Some opinions state it is OK to swallow it while others say do NOT swallow any. Could you offer your advice on its use for us? I have been thinking of making it but I want to know the risks besides the benefits. Thank you.
M. Palumbo
A few places to start . . .
I wrote earlier articles on colloidal silver at:
Use of silver preparations to treat infection – Part I and
Use of silver preparations to treat infection – Part II.
Another useful link is: http://silver-colloids.com/, which also features a free downloadable book at http://silver-colloids.com/Book/SilverColloids-s.pdf.
Hi Cindy,
I have a question. A lot of data sheets I have seen for medicines in tablet form say something along the lines of “Do not halve the tablet. Dose equivalence when the tablet is divided has not been established.”
How accurate is this statement? Would dividing tablets with this warning be acceptable in a TEOTWAWKI situation?
Many thanks,
Craig
Good question, and one worthy of a full reply. The short answer – it depends.
I will post a more complete answer as a full article soon, so keep posted.
Hello Doctor,
Thanks for the great articles. Do you know what places sell minor surgery kits?
Both Moore Medical and Henry Schein offer such kits, but I’m not sure if they’ll sell them to non-professionals. You can find them online and give it a try, though.
I get a lot of my medical kit from http://www.chinookmed.com/
Good evening Dr. Koelker. You have posted a few articles on obtaining prescriptions from our physicians for prepping purposes. If obtained, does storing them in the freezer (at least until there is no electricity), prolong life expectancy of the drug?
Though I can find few published studies on the topic, there is at least some evidence that freezing actually decreases the shelf life of certain drugs. Every medication has optimal storage temperature printed on the label, usually in the “room temperature” range. A few list lower temperatures and some refrigerator-level temps. I’ve had readers from tropical countries write to say they need to keep their medications refrigerated in their hot, humid environments.
For any specific drug you may be able to contact the manufacturer for an unpublished study. It does make most sense, however, that stability would be optimized for room temperature conditions, with typical levels of humidity.
Wonderful site! Getting reliable, credible medical information from a survival/preppers perspective has been much needed. I’ll be sure to mention you on my site, http://www.SHTFblog.com. I think readers will also find your site valuable. Keep up the good work.
RM
I was reading your article about antibiotics on SurvivalBlog and found it very informative and to the point. Again thank you for a very informative and useful article.