Health is an issue that preppers usually have on a secondary list of items. Survival 101 is all about finding shelter safe from the storm, plenty of clean water to drink, foods to last "x" weeks, months, or years. Then there are defensive capabilities, as well as a power supply. And don't we all love our gadgets!

We usually rank health at about the 85-115 range of the most important needs. But…we are all getting older, and every new decade it seems like our bodies tell us of new shortcomings. While a health scare can be stressful, it can also help you to get better prepared.

My own health scare

Personally about three years ago, I had a heart attack completely out of the blue.

My father had heart troubles, but that was from playing around in a live electric panel box and frying out part of his heart, which became weaker and weaker. So heart problems were of secondary concern for me. I didn't really expect it would happen to me.

Once this happened, everything changed in my perspective. Being a prepper for troubles of life, from the economy, the weather, as well as health issues, I always looked for cures. Symptoms to be treated today would need to be treated again tomorrow. Therefore my reliance on pills or other special health Band-Aids were of shocking concern.

How I became better prepared and healthier.

What could I do to find answers to alleviate the repeat of these dependencies?

The first year or so I kept to the doctor-approved regimen of pills and appointments. This was something that kept us broke all the time, as we were very self-reliant and paid for healthcare out of pocket.

Trial and Error

I started reading, signing up for health newsletters, trying lots of what our fathers of the west referred to as snake oil, cure-all herbs, and other promises that this new fluid could heal anything but death. And, yes – I spent more hard earned monies. I found out I am allergic to many of the far-east cure-all herbs in the process.