Survival Doctor has helped many loyal readers of The Homestead Survival by messaging, posting questions or emailing him with questions. Dr. James Hubbard has always taken time out of his day to help others. Family doctor James Hubbard, aka “The Survival Doctor,” is the author of the new book Living Ready Pocket Manual: First Aid. Here, Dr. Hubbard, the publisher of TheSurvivalDoctor.com tells us more about the book—and some special holiday offers.
I asked him a few questions about his newest book, Living Ready Pocket Manual: First Aid.
What first-aid skills does this book teach?
JH: They run the gamut. The book is compact—at 5-by-7 inches, it’s designed to be easily stored in a backpack, car, or first-aid kit. But its almost 200 pages are packed with information. It covers life-threatening problems like what to do when someone stops breathing; gives practical tips including five ways to disinfect water; and goes over all kinds of weather-related, wound-related, and critter-related problems.
Are first-aid skills common knowledge these days? What does “first aid” really mean, beyond applying an adhesive bandage and antibiotic ointment?
JH: There are some great hands-on first aid classes that I highly recommend everyone attend. But unless you use the skills regularly, it’s hard to remember all you learn. That’s why even medical personnel take refresher courses regularly. Fortunately, many injuries and illnesses have easy-to-remember initial treatments that can get you through the immediate life-threatening phase, giving you time to look up the rest, which is where this book especially comes in handy.
To me, first aid is the emergency care you first give any injury or illness. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed. If not, I extend first aid to mean the best you can do before you get expert help or it gets to you.
What makes this book different from other first-aid manuals out there?
JH: It does include step-by-step guidance for what to do initially, but it also goes further by covering what to if expert medical help is delayed for hours or days or not coming at all.
As a doctor, have you ever seen someone really mess up a first-aid attempt? Have you seen bad results because they didn’t know what to do?
JH: It can happen to the best of us. In my over thirty years of practice, I’ve just about seen it all. Many people don’t know the basics, or they think they know, but they’ve received the wrong information.
I’ve seen people come in with a bleeding cut because they don’t know how to properly stop the bleeding. I’ve seen people make burns, sprains, broken bones, and illnesses worse because of what they were or were not doing. It really doesn’t matter how intelligent you are; if you haven’t been taught proper treatment, it’s hard to know what to do. It’s just like if my television broke down or if I need to start a fire with no matches or lighter. Somehow, somewhere, I have to learn how to do it properly, or I’m up the proverbial creek. And our bodies are a lot more complex than a TV set.
What got you into survival medicine? And what is survival medicine?
JH: My own particular definition of survival medicine is what to do for medical problems during disasters or in the wilderness or any time expert help is not available. Initially I became interested in it as I started learning about what to do for the nonmedical aspects of such situations, and I realized the medical information part is often cut short. This was my way I could help others.
Tell us about your special holiday offer.
You can preorder the book as a gift, but it’s fun to have something to put under the tree, and the book doesn’t officially come out until December 31. So right now, if you buy the print book and e-book from my publisher, Living Ready, they’ll give you the e-book in PDF form for free. That way, you can print a sample of it, for example, for under the tree. At Living Ready’s online store, just put both the print book and the PDF in your cart, and enter the code “FIRSTAID.”
Also, no matter where you purchase, I’m offering a gift certificate you can print out to let your recipient know the book is on its way. That’s available for free at my blog.
The book is a great gift for backpackers, campers, and hunters, but also for friends and family members to keep on hand in case of a disaster. My mission is to spread life-saving medical knowledge to everyone so we all have the best chance of surviving whatever comes.
Survival Doctor website can be found here: http://www.thesurvivaldoctor.com/
Living Ready Pocket Manual – First Aid: Fundamentals for Survival
