How They Attack You When You Give Useful Information

I try to give useful information on my web site. Apparently that scares some people.

A web site can be attacked directly or indirectly. My web site site was attacked directly and indirectly.

My web site was attacked directly and my article on cold weather survival was deleted. It is back up now. Direct attacks are easy to see. This has happened to several very high volume web sites like George Ure’s Urban Survival (www.urbansurvival.com) Stan Deyo’s web site (www.standeyo.com), and Steve Quayle ‘s web site (www.stevequayle.com).

The indirect attack on my web site was very sneaky. My article Principles of Accurate Analysis and Synthesis was the DI-Daily Insight link on the web site www.codenameinsight.com for the date 04-25-11. When I last clicked that link it took me to the following web address:

www.hancinema.net/watch-stream-korean-drama-Really_Really_like_you_full_episode-4-english-subtitled.html

In simple terms, someone hacked the Code Name Insight website and redirected that link. Someone did not want that article to be read. It’s also worth noting that the redirected link mentions Korea, because it has a personal meaning from a time in my past. In case you’re wondering, I’m not Korean. I’m basically a European mixed breed-English-Irish-German-French.

So what’s the lesson to other bloggers and writers? If you get your writing linked on web sites, go back periodically and check the link’s to make sure they have not been redirected.

So who would do this? Probably government. Read the article Principles of Accurate Analysis and Synthesis and ask yourself is there anything in it government might not want you to know.

By the time you see this, the person(s) who did this might fix the link. I’ve tried to get in touch with the webmaster at Code Name Insight to fix the link but either the webmaster is very busy, or my e-mails to the webmaster are being blocked.

Perhaps you the reader could send the Code Name Insight webmaster the link to this article? The webmaster’s e-mail address is webmaster@codenameinsight.com

A word to all the white hat hackers out there: It would be very nice if you could come up with a system to trace attacks such as this back to their source that is relatively easy for the non-computer professional to use. Perhaps it could be built directly into web sites.

Readers please forward the link to this article to your friends and ask them to forward it to their friends. Knowledge IS the killer of fear.

Principles of Accurate Analysis and Synthesis

Principles of Accurate Analysis and Synthesis

This article is about making predictions. Predictions are just best guesses of what is going to happen in the future based on known intelligence (information). This article can be useful for any type of prediction including military prediction, business prediction, and science prediction

Analysis is the process of breaking down known pieces of information into smaller pieces of information so that the details can be studied.

Synthesis is the process of putting the studied small pieces of information together in a way that will paint a picture of possible future events.

Data analysis and synthesis should be based on facts or data that has a high order of probability of being accurate.

1. Avoid preconceived notions. Just because an event happened a certain way in the past does not mean it will happen the same way at this point in time. By repeating the same action over and over again, a good enemy can lull you into believing that he will never change tactics. Then he kills you.

View every situation as a blank slate, even if that situation is similar to a past situation. Enemies that don’t change their tactics from time to time do not survive long. This means change will come at some point even though the situation’s are similar to past ones.

2. Think cause and effect. If you want to understand an effect, study the effect’s cause. If you want to understand a cause, study the effect produced by that cause.

3. Do not rely on just a few sources of information. Get your information (intelligence) from as many sources as possible-internet-books-magazines-libraries-talking to people. Also, don’t be an intelligence snob. Get your information from the good. Get your information from the bad. Get your information from the ugly. Don’t be afraid of getting information from sources that are so low they can sky-dive off a piece of paper.

4. Listen to the dissenting opinions. The majority is often wrong. Why? Because the majority is made up of individuals who fall into that broad and general category known as “average.” How do average individuals behave? Average. This means they are susceptible to peer pressure (cause) and to group-think (effect).

At this point lets be clear: groups do not think. Only individuals think. What group-think really refers to is a situation where a few individuals in a group (usually the more popular or charismatic individuals) do the thinking and everyone else in the group just goes along.

Truth is not determined by consensus. At one time, not so long ago, you could go to the greatest universities on this planet and talk to the most learned men of science, and they would tell you, with a straight face that if you sailed your ship too far out to sea you would fall off the earth because the earth was flat. The fact that they had a consensus did not make their idea true.

5. Remember that big changes for better or worse happen extremely fast. If something big happens, it is going to happen fast. Think Pearl Harbor for example. Think stock market crashes’.

6. You don’t have all the information. In fact, you’re lucky if you have half of it. And, if and when you get the other half, the half you have now will be out of date.

7. The universe we live in is a chaotic, non-linear system. This means that some things cannot be predicted, yet via observation patterns can be detected. Always look for patterns in data that seems totally chaotic. Often patterns will appear.

8. Small details matter. By observing small details, you may catch a pattern that you would otherwise miss.

9. Be on guard for disinformation. Enemies will put out false data. More dangerous enemies will put out false data mixed with true data. Sometimes the false data mixed with the true data will be something crazy. This is done to make the person looking at the data have a knee jerk psychological reaction. The person looking at the data thinks that if the source of the information can come up with something this crazy, the source is crazy, and one should believe none of that source’s data.

When looking at data and you come across something crazy, study it just as you would study any other data. Then move onto the next piece of data.

It’s worth noting that the disinformation an enemy puts out can tell you as much about that enemy as true data. The nature of the disinformation will often tell you what your enemy is trying to hide and what your enemy fears.

Cold Weather Survival

Cold Weather Survival-I had to re-post this as a hacker deleted it.

Cold kills. That’s a fact. Cold kills via hypothermia. Hypothermia is the term given to the condition when the amount of body heat lost to the environment exceeds the heat produced by the body.

The symptoms of hypothermia include: Shivering, confusion, decreased activity, clumsiness, shallow breathing, and slow heart rate.

Wet cold is defined as cold that goes down to 14 degrees farenheight. In wet cold, the ground freezes at night and thaws out during the day. Dry cold is defined as cold that goes below 14 degrees farenheight and rarely goes above this temperature. Since water freezes at 32 degrees’ farenheight, in dry cold the ground stays frozen all the time. This is important as being wet increases the loss of body heat.

There are 4 basic rules about clothing for cold weather.

keep it-------Clean
avoid--------Overheating
wear it-------Loose and in layers
keep it-------Dry

Keep it Clean-Dirt clogs up the air spaces in your clothing and reduce their insulating ability. The same is true for soap, so make sure washed clothes are completely rinsed out.

Avoid Overheating-If you overheat in very cold weather you will sweat. The sweat will then freeze and make you even colder.

Wear it Loose and in layers-This also helps prevent overheating. Wearing several thin layers of clothing can produce a lot more insulation than a single layer of thicker clothing.

Keep it Dry-The previous two rules have a lot to do with this. The human body cools itself to a large extent by a process called evaporative cooling. In everyday terms we call that process sweating. Being wet in a cold environment creates the same effect, even if the liquid is not sweat.

Consider the 50-50-50-50 rule: A normal adult without specialized cold water protective clothing has a 50-50 chance of surviving for 50 minutes in water that is 50 degrees farenheight.

Keep as dry as possible at all cost. One modern way to keep dry when overheating is to wear clothing made of Gore-Tex material. This material has pores in it large enough to let sweat evaporate out, but small enough to keep out water in the form of rain and melted snow.

Wool is another good clothing material for cold weather because it wicks water away from the body to the outside of the clothing. Traditional wool is very scratchy and uncomfortable, however, a modern form of wool called Moreno Wool is a lot more comfortable and has all the benefits of standard wool.

FROSTBITE-Frostbite occurs when body tissue freezes and thaws out. The hands, feet and head are particularly vulnerable to frostbite. For the feet, I suggest socks made out of Moreno Wool. If your feet get wet, this material will wick the moisture away from your skin. These socks are available in the hunting department of your Wal-Mart type establishments and at dedicated outdoor supply stores.

For the hands, gloves are essential. Ideally, the gloves should be waterproof and provide good insulation without having a major effect on manual dexterity, so you can do things like shooting a gun. I like the neoprene gloves as they meet all those criteria.

Protecting your head from the cold is important because 20 percent of your body heat is lost through your head. In cold weather the hat should be considered mandatory. If the cold is severe with high wind, your also going to need to protect your face, ears, and neck from frostbite. If you look at your local Wal-Mart type establishment or in outdoor catalogs catalog’s like Cabella’s you will find garments that you pull over your head. These garments cover everything except your eyes, nose, and mouth. However, in extreme cold with high wind, these areas will have to be covered as well. For gear to cover these areas, look to military supply catalogs like Brigade Quartermaster.

Snowblindness is a factor to consider if your going to be in the cold for long periods in areas where it snows. Snowblindness is caused by light reflecting off of the snow. A pair of sunglasses with polarized lenses will prevent snowblindness. In a pinch, one can cut two small slits in a piece of cardboard or wood and attach it around your head with a piece of string.


Why do so many people die from cold via hypothermia? In his book Survival Psychology, psychologist Dr. John Leach Ph.D. cites the work of J. Bligh to find the reasons. They are:

1. Misfortune-This refers to events like airplanes crashing, boats capsizing, or even failure of home heating equipment. The Lesson: If you are flying over Alaska or boating in Canada, bring along the appropriate protective clothing. If your home is in a region that get’s extremely cold, have a backup method of heating your home AND some very good cold weather clothing that is rated to protect you to the lowest outdoor winter temperature in your area. (The worst case scenario is you might have to leave your home and be in the outdoors).

2. Miscalculation-Inaccurate assessment of one’s situation. For example, you underestimate how cold it is. The Lesson: Get correct information about the weather situation before you go out. For example, your going hunting and you believe, incorrectly, that the temperature is going to 40 degrees farenheight with a 5 mile per hour wind when in reality the temperature is going to 15 degrees farenheight with a 20 mile per hour wind. If you dress for the 40 degrees and 5 mile per hour wind, your going to have problems. If you do not have accurate weather data, you cannot plan and dress accordingly.

3. Misplaced confidence-Inaccurate assessment of one’s ability to survive in cold weather or believing, incorrectly, that if you do get hypothermia there will be someone to come to your rescue. The Lesson: You are not Superman, and Superman will not be there to rescue you. DO NOT OVERESTIMATE YOUR OWN ABILITY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IN COLD WEATHER.

4. Logistic failure-Not bringing adequate cold weather clothing and survival gear with you. The Lesson: This one ties in with # 1,2, and 3. WHEN IN DOUBT, OVERESTIMATE THE SEVERITY OF THE COLD AND BRING MORE GEAR THAN YOU NEED.

5. Individual pathophysiological susceptibility-This refers to individuals who have medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to the cold. The Lesson: If you have medical problems like hypothyroidism (low thyroid), heart disease, diabetes, problems with mobility, etc. you are going to be much more vulnerable to the effects of the cold. As such, PLAN ACCORDINGLY.


My state, Alabama, is not usually thought of as a cold state. However, Alabama has some of the largest extremes in temperature in the U.S.A. Summers often reach temperatures of over 100 degrees farenheight, and in winter nighttime temperatures go below 20 degrees farenheight. Some of you have winters much colder than that, but I doubt many of you have temperature ranges that extreme.

I’m often amazed how some people will go out in the middle of winter, say to the store, with nothing but a shirt on. The thought process is something like this: The store is only 3 miles away, I’ll only be out of my car as I walk from the parking lot into the store. What could happen?

In answer to that question, my reply is: “A damn lot!”

What if your car breaks down on a rural road, and your out of cell phone range? What if you have to change a tire? What if the weather changes dramatically for the worst while you are in the store shopping?

My solution to these potential problems is to keep the following items in your car:

1. A light, compact jacket that gives you some rain/snow protection.
2. An emergency space blanket or bag. These are made of metal foil and they reflect heat back to your body. The bags are better than the blankets. Ideally you would have one of each.
3. An emergency poncho for extra weather protection and extra warmth. These are available at Wal-Mart type establishments for around $1.99. Orange is the best color for visibility-choose this color if it is available.
4. 3 disposable Bic type lighters left in the plastic package until needed.
5. 4 boxes of waterproof matches.
6. 1 Zippo type lighter with extra flints and a small can of lighter fluid.
7. Kindling material for starting fires. Cotton balls smeared with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly kept in a nalgane bottle are a good choice.
8. A good flashlight, ideally and LED flashlight, to help you find your way and signal for rescue.
9. A signal mirror-to signal for rescue.
10. A whistle-it’s sound can go much farther than a human voice

The best warning about cold weather survival is this: Don’t get caught with your pants down. Be prepared.

Some Basic Survival Questions

This is and article I wrote in the now defunct Idaho Observer.

From the December 2006 Idaho Observer:

Some basic survival questions

by Kevin Swindle

Following is by no means a comprehensive list of survival questions. This is simply a bare bones list of questions to get you thinking about survival and your own situation.

1. How much potable (drinkable) water do I have stored and how long would it last if all sources of water were cut off? Ideally, you should have 2 gallons per person per day. (3 gallons per person per day if your stored food is freeze dried or dehydrated.)

2. How much food do I have stored and how long would it last if all sources of food were cut off and all electric power were cut? (Hint: this means all your frozen food and foods requiring refrigeration are gone.)

3. How much essential medication for myself and my other family members do I have on hand and how long would they last if there was no way to get refills or if there was a medical emergency?

4. How much emergency medical supplies do I have? Do I have enough for every family member?

5. Do I have a firearm for each adult family member? Do I have enough ammunition for each firearm (The minimum should be at least 1,000 rounds of ammunition per firearm)?

6. Are the firearms I have in good working order? (This means old guns that have not been shot in 50 years should be considered unreliable until proven otherwise. Also, guns like a .22 caliber pistol probably won’t help much in defending your home from a group of intruders). Ideally the caliber of all handguns you have should begin with the number 4. (Notable exceptions to this rule are the 9mm, 10mm, .357 magnum, the .38 special, and the .22 magnum.) Ideally, all shotguns should be either 10, 12, or 20 gauge. When choosing rifles, reliability should be the # 1 consideration in survival situations. The AK-47 and its many variants are best in this area, but they are not as accurate as other military type rifles such as the AR-15, FN-FAL, and SKS carbine. Most deer rifles are excellent in this area as well.

NOTE: HAVING ANY FIREARM EVEN IF IT IS LESS THAN IDEAL IS BETTER THAN HAVING NO FIREARM.

7. If I live in a cold weather climate, do I have proper clothing to survive assuming all energy sources were cut off? In simple terms this means its cold and you have no heat. (Space blankets and space bags, which are made of metal foil which reflects body heat, are a low priced way to give yourself protection in this area).

8. How much CASH money do I have stockpiled for emergencies? In survival situations, you should work off the assumption that checks and credit cards will not be honored. You should have at least $200stockpiled in case of emergencies.

NOTE: HAVING ANY AMOUNT OF CASH STOCKPILED EVEN IF IT IS LESS THAN $200 IS BETTER THAN HAVING NO CASH STOCKPILED.

9. Do I have any books on survival in my personal library? If the answer is no, get some. Delta Press and Paladin Press are two of the best sources for books on survival. I recommend that you read every book you can get your hands on by Duncan Long and Ragnar Benson. These two gentlemen are, in my opinion, the best writers on survival topics on this planet.

10. Do I really know what’s going on in the world? If you don’t know what’s going on, you cannot plan for emergencies effectively. (Hint: If you get all your news from the mainstream media, you DO NOT know what is going on. That’s a fact.)

The First Lesson in Survival: Humility

From the November 2006 Idaho Observer: An article I wrote for their print and online edition with an introduction by the late Don Harkins, publisher of The Idaho Observer


The first lesson in survival: Humility


We are in the middle of perilous times. If surviving our uncertain future is your goal, when presumed expertise may or may not help you, then our first lesson is humility. Kevin Swindle is a survivalist who intends to begin publishing "Kevin Swindle’s Preparedness Newsletter" early next year. Because there has been a merger of our respect for Swindle’s sincerity in providing (potential) readers with vital, cutting-edge material and our desire to perpare our (existing) readers to survive the coming storms, Swindle has provided us all with THE "point-A" perspective on the subject of survival.

by Kevin Swindle

What is humility? First of all, lets define what it is not. Humility is not shame, as the guilt merchants of the world would have you believe. HUMILITY IS THE REALIZATION THAT YOU ARE JUST ONE OF MANY IN THIS GREAT BIG WORLD, AND THAT NO MATTER HOW STRONG, INTELLIGENT, OR TALENTED YOU MAY BE, YOUR ABILITIES HAVE A DEFINITE LIMIT. To put it another way, you are not Superman.

You might be thinking, "Yeah Kevin, no kidding, that’s obvious." But is it? If you look at most people’s behavior you will quickly conclude it is not obvious. Graveyards are full of people who did not know their limits.

Here are some points to ponder on the topic of humility.

1. JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE AN EXPERT IN 1 FIELD DOES NOT MAKE YOU AN EXPERT IN EVERYTHING.

Individuals in the medical, scientific, and legal fields are particularly bad about making this mistake. They think because they are in a highly technical field this somehow makes them experts in everything. It does not.

I recently visited with my tax accountant and we talked about this topic. He told me of a medical doctor who decided he was smart enough to do his own taxes. The doctor took about a day and a half to do the taxes. He brought it in to show my accountant. My accountant reviewed the return and calmly informed the doctor he could have saved him an additional $6000.00. This doctor would not have gone to his accountant for surgery, so why did he go to himself for tax preparation? Arrogance, or more precisely, LACK OF HUMILITY.

In his excellent book Deep Survival, author Laurence Gonzalez tells of a U.S. Army Ranger who was killed on a white water rafting trip. Despite all of the survival training this Ranger had, he did not have training in white water rafting. His expert status did him no good, because his expertise did not extend to white water rafting.

Understand and know what you are an expert in, but more importantly UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE NOT AN EXPERT IN. If you are going into an area in which you are not an expert GET TRAINING through self-education, the classroom, or find someone who is an expert in the area you are going into and consult them.

2. YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING. IN MOST SITUATIONS YOUR LUCKY IF YOU KNOW HALF OF IT.

OVERCONFIDENCE KILLS. If you enter into a situation thinking you have all the information, all the relevant data, you may at best be in for shock, at worst it can cost you your life.

Military history, from ancient times to the present is filled with examples of where overconfidence cost men their lives. Sometimes it caused empires to fall.

Survival situations are the most dangerous places for the overconfident person. Nature can throw things and situations at you that you could not foresee in a million years. If you face nature with the attitude that you know it all, that you’ve got all your bases covered, nature will embarrass you and maybe even kill you.

Note: CONFIDENCE is a good thing. FEAR is a killer every bit as deadly as OVERCONFIDENCE. You should not be afraid. Just avoid OVERCONFIDENCE.

OVERCONFIDENCE = LACK OF HUMILITY

Always keep this fact in your mind, especially in survival situations, whether they occur in the woods, ocean, or corporate boardroom: IN MOST SITUATIONS, YOU WILL BE LUCKY TO HAVE 50 PERCENT OF THE RELEVANT FACTS. This means that half of the facts that are relevant are unknown to you. If that doesn’t make you humble it’s likely nothing ever will.

3. ASK FOR HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT

There is nothing more stupid than to err or fail OR DIE when there are people around who are willing and able to offer you assistance. All you have to do is ask them.

LACK OF HUMILITY however, keeps many from asking for the help that is readily available. Some people just don’t like to admit they need help.

People have died, and do die on a routine basis simply because they refuse to ask for help. So the next time you find yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, and you don’t want to ask for help, you may want to ask yourself if your stupid pride (LACK OF HUMILITY) is worth dying for. Trust me, it is not.

Create your own seed vault; bypass terminator technology!

This article originally appeared in both the print and online version of the October 2008 Idaho Observer

From the October 2008 Idaho Observer:
Create your own seed vault; bypass terminator technology!
By Kevin Swindle

In early 2008, the Svalbard seed vault in Norway opened. It is approximately 620 miles from the North Pole. Operated by NorGen, a gene bank, the seed vault is allegedly there to protect millions of varieties of food crops from being wiped out in wars, man-made or natural disasters. It is far more likely that giant agribusiness is using this facility to advance its genetic modification (GM) technology.

There is both anecdotal and scientific evidence supporting claims that genetically modified foods are harmful to humans and animals. Plus, a component of GM research is the propagation of "terminator seeds."

Farmers, for thousands of years, have traditionally collected seeds from the crops they grow for planting the following year. Terminator seeds are seeds genetically engineered to produce sterile seeds in the plants they produce, making farmers dependent upon agribusiness to supply seeds each year.

This would be an excellent mechanism for controlling the world’s food supply, a means of using food as a weapon. Food control could be used as a means of people control.

This terminator technology is created by inserting one plant gene and two bacterial genes into the seeds. Before sale, the seeds are soaked in the antibiotic tetracycline which activates a molecular switch in one of the bacterial genes. The inserted plant gene does not activate until the seed in the plant is near maturity. The inserted plant gene produces a toxic protein that kills the seed in it’s late stages of development.

Some scientists have speculated that the sterility trait produced by the terminator gene sequence might get into plants in the wild via cross-pollination. If such a thing did occur, over a period of centuries, "heirloom" varieties of plant life could disappear.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Mississippi-based Delta Pine and Land Company received U.S. patent number 5,723,765 for the terminator technology. Delta Pine and Land is now owned by agribusiness giant Monsanto.

Creating your own seed vault:

You may not know it, but most of you reading this article already have your own seed vault: Your freezer. At the temperatures inside most freezers, seeds will stay viable for about one hundred years.

While not absolutely necessary, some of you may want to purchase a dedicated freezer for your own seed vault, especially if the freezer you have now is extremely full. There are small chest type freezers that take up little space and are available for less than two hundred dollars.
So what seeds should you put in your own personal seed vault?

First, select non-hybrid varieties. Hybrids are the first generation (F1) offspring of two different varieties of the same species. Hybrid seeds will express the desired genetic traits of the parent plants for only one generation. As such, hybrids are not a good choice for long-term survival food production.

Second, purchase seeds from reputable sources that state in their catalogs that they do not use GM seeds. If possible purchase your seeds from heirloom sources.

Third, purchase seeds for a wide variety of food crops, both foods you like and foods you don’t like (remember, you are not just doing this for yourself, but for every person on the planet).

Even if the worse case scenarios regarding terminator seeds do not occur, having your own seed vault will be beneficial. You will have a supply of viable seeds to grow for food and you can make a contribution to agriculture by saving rare and heirloom varieties of seeds in your seed vault.

Fight the future! Just because a group of madmen want to control this planet by controlling the food, that does not mean we have to just go along with it! Teach your children the importance of food security. In the process of teaching you can introduce them to a wonderful hobby called gardening, a hobby that could potentially save their lives at some point in our increasingly uncertain future.

Kevin Swindle’s Preparedness Network

If you would like to get e-mails with data and updates on preparedness and survival issues, information and products, join Kevin Swindle’s Preparedness Network. Send an email to:
kevinswindlepreparedness@yahoo.com and type the word "subscribe."
There is no charge for this service. However I may ask you for your thoughts and input from time to time.

Understanding and Treating Anaphylactic Shock

Emergency Medicine

Understanding and Treating Anaphylactic Shock

1. While I do have a fair amount of medical knowledge, I am not a medical doctor. You should not attempt self-medication or self-treatment when professional medical care is available. However, for the purposes of this post, it is assumed that professional medical care will be delayed or outright unavailable. The treatments I recommend are the treatments I would give to myself and my family if professional medical care were delayed or outright unavailable.

2. Anaphylactic shock is a life threatening condition that can kill in minutes. Never, ever attempt self-treatment or improvised treatment for this condition when professional medical care is available. However, for the purposes of this article it is assumed that professional medical care will be delayed or outright unavailable.

3. For those of you with professional medical training, you will notice that I have over-simplified some of the material in this article, as it is not written for medical professional but for those with little or no medical training.


Anaphylactic shock is a life threatening condition that can be described as a system wide type 1 allergic reaction. It is most commonly caused by bee stings. Without quick treatment, this type of allergic reaction can kill in minutes.

Symptoms-flushing and itching of the skin, hives, feeling of warmth, swelling of the tongue and throat making breathing difficult, nasal congestion, throat tightness, wheezing, shortness of breath, cough, hoarseness, dizziness, low blood pressure, weakness, fainting, chest pain, feeling of doom, heart palpitations, nausea, vomiting diarrhea, bloating and cramps

Common sensitizing antigens come from the following: Bee stings, wasp stings, hornet stings, yellow jacket stings, ant stings (especially fire ants), penicillin type antibiotics, peanuts and food containing peanuts, tree nuts and food containing tree nuts, fish and foods containing fish, shellfish and foods containing shellfish, eggs and egg products, soy and soy products, milk and milk products, aspirin, ibuprofen, and other NSAIDS (non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs).

The insects listed above are Hymenoptera type insects and between 0.5 and 3 percent of the population experience system wide allergic reactions after being stung by these insects.

In the foods listed above, peanuts and foods containing peanuts are thought to be responsible for 62 percent of the deaths caused by anaphylactic reactions to food.

COMMENT: Even if you have been stung by one of the listed insects in the past and not had an anaphylactic reaction does not mean you cannot have an anaphylactic reaction the next time you are stung. The last time you were stung could have been the sting that sensitizes you immune system to that particular antigen.

TREATMENT-Most of the items for standard medical treatment are prescription drugs. We’ll look at the standard medical treatment, then address how you can get those prescription drugs, the look at over the counter items you can use for improvised treatment.

STANDARD TREATMENT FOR ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK


1. The first line treatment for anaphylactic shock is epinephrine (also called adrenaline chloride) injected intramuscularly (into the muscle).

Adult Dose: 0.3 to 0.5 milliliters (0.3 to 0.5 milligrams) of 1:1000 epinephrine solution injected intramuscularly (IM). For more critical situations inject 1 to 2 milliliters (0.1 to 0.2 milligrams) of 1:10,000 epinephrine solution intramuscularly (IM).

Child Dose: 0.01 milligram of epinephrine solution per kilogram of body weight ? 1:1000 or 1:10,000

COMMENT: Epinephrine treatment of anaphylactic shock is essential. The injectable form of this drug requires a prescription. The inhaleable form of this drug is available over the counter in as Primeatine Mist. The tablet form of this drug, ephedrine, is available over the counter as Primeatine Tablets and as the white cross or mini-thin tablets in convenience stores. INHALEABLE EPINEPHRINE AND EPHEDRINE TABLETS ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR INJECTABLE EPINEPHRINE IN THE TREATMENT OF ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK. However, we will look at how they can be used as an improvised treatment if standard treatments are delayed or outright unavailable.



There are three ways to get injectable epinephrine from your doctor.

1. The multi-dose vial-This is a good option to keep around the house IF you have medical training and are comfortable giving injections to yourself and others.

2. The Ana-Kit-This is a kit that you can keep at home or keep on your person. (You could probably keep it in your car in a small cooler. Heat causes epinephrine to deteriorate.) I like the Ana-Kit because it has enough epinephrine for a second injection if necessary.

3. The Epi-Pen-This is a good option for people with little or no medical training and for people who are not comfortable giving injections to themselves or others. The Epi-Pen is an auto injector. You simply place it against your skin and activate it. When activated a spring loaded needle deploys penetrating the skin and injecting the epinephrine. If your really afraid of shots, this is the best option.

If you have never had an anaphylactic reaction, tell your doctor you simply want to be prepared just in case. Some doctors will say yes and give you the prescription, others will not. If your doctor will not write the prescription, consider asking your dentist or veterinarian. (I often find veterinarians are some of the most down to earth medical professionals. It’s hard to develop a God complex working on animals. Many times veterinarians will give you prescriptions for drugs like this, if you only ask. However, for liability and legal reasons, the prescription will have to be written for a pet, real or made up.)

2. In addition to the epinephrine, treatment with an antihistamine that blocks histamine 1 receptors, while not absolutely necessary, is highly desirable. The best drug of this type to use is diphenhydramine (Benadryl). The adult dose is 10 to 50 milligrams injected intravenously (IV) or intramuscularly (IM) every 4 hours as needed. If injected intravenously (IV) the IV rate should not exceed 25 milligrams per minute. The child dose is 12.5 to 25 milligrams by mouth 4 times per day.

COMMENT: diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is available over the counter in the form of syrup, capsules, and tablets. The injectable form of this drug requires a prescription.

If diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is not available, other antihistamines can be used, such as:

chlorpheniramine maleate (Chlor-Trimeton)-over the counter
promethazine (Phenergan)-prescription only in U.S., over the counter in Great Britian
triloprolidine-over the counter
meclizine (Antivert)-over the counter, also sold as Dramamine Less Drowsy Formula
cyclizine (Marezine)-over the counter

3. If possible, in addition to epinephrine treatment plus an antihistamine that blocks histamine 1 receptors, treatment with an antihistamine that blocks histamine 2 receptors can be useful. A common drug of this type, available over the counter is ranitidine (Zantac). The dosage is 150 milligrams by mouth twice per day. Cimetidine (Tagamet) is another drug of this type.

COMMENT: In the professional medical setting these drugs are almost always given by the intravenous (IV) route for the treatment of anaphylactic shock.

Optional #1. For breathing difficulties caused by anaphylactic shock that do not respond to epinephrine, inhaleable bronchodilators are useful. Albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin) is a drug of choice for this. The adult dose is 1 to 2 inhaled puffs every 4 to 6 hours.

Optional # 2. For very severe anaphylactic reactions or for the treatment of delayed effects of anaphylactic reactions, corticosteroids can be used. Methylprednisolone (Medrol Dosepack) or dexamethasone (Decadron) can be given by mouth in the form of tablet. These drugs can also be given intramuscularly (IM) or intravenously (IV).

Optional # 3. The drug glucagon (GlucaGen) and dopamine (Intropin) also have use in treating low blood pressure caused by anaphylactic shock that does not respond to epinephrine treatment.


Glucagon (GlucaGen) is for use in anaphylactic shock patients who are taking the non-selective beta-blockers like propranolol (Inderall) for blood high blood pressure. In these patients, glucagon should be used in addition to epinephrine, not in place of epinephrine.

SUMMARY OF STANDARD MEDICAL TREATMENT OF ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK

1. Injectable epinephrine solution-absolutely essential
2. Injectable or oral diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or other anti-histamine-highly desirable but not essential
3. Oral ranitidine (Zantac)-desirable but not essential
4. Inhaleable albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin) for breathing difficulties that persist despite epinephrine treatment.
5. Injectable or oral corticosteroid treatment for delayed anaphylactic symptoms.



IMPROVISED TREATMENT USING OVER THE COUNTER DRUGS

Anaphylactic shock is a life threatening condition that can kill in minutes. Never, ever attempt self-treatment or improvised treatment for this condition when professional medical care is available. However, for the purposes of this article it is assumed that professional medical care will be delayed or outright unavailable.

1. Epinephrine inhalers such as Primeatine Mist-These inhalers ARE NOT a substitute for epinephrine injection, however, if injectable epinephrine is delayed or outright unavailable, these inhalers are certainly better than nothing. Use according to directions on the box. The goal of this improvised treatment is to prevent airway constriction and to get some epinephrine into the bloodstream via absorption through the lungs.

2. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) Syrup-Take 2 capfuls of diphenhydramine syrup and gargle for 1 minute then swallow. The goal of this improvised treatment is to keep the throat from swelling shut due to the anaphylactic reaction and to get the antihistamine into the bloodstream. If you do not have the syrup but have tablets or capsules, you can still make use of the drug. Chew the tablets and then put some water into your mouth and gargle the drug and water solution. If you have capsules, open them and mix them with water or any available liquid and gargle the solution.

3. Ephedrine tablets’ such as the white cross or mini-thin tablets sold in convenience stores. These tablets are also sold as Primeatine Tablets. Take 1 or 2 of these 25 milligram tablets. If ephedrine tablets are unavailable you can take pseudo-ephedrine (Sudafed) tablets or phenylephrine tablets (Sudafed PE). These are also beta-agonist like ephedrine and will give some degree of relief. The goal of this improvised treatment is to get epinephrine like oral drugs into the blood stream.

4. While not technically a drug, hot tea contains the drug theophylline, which is used to treat asthma and can be used to treat anaphylactic shock if other drugs are not available. If hot tea is available, drink two cups of it.

5. Mormon Tea is a herb that contains ephedrine. The seeds for it are available from Richters Herbs. The dried leaves make a good addition to a herbal medical kit. Drink the tea hot to release the ephedrine.