Only a Combat Medic Would Know This

Jimmy Royce3 hours ago

0 493 8 minutes read

When things go wrong in the field—when there’s no hospital nearby, no ambulance on the way, and no sterile equipment to lean on—you’re left with your instincts, your prep, and your grit. What separates those who survive from those who don’t isn’t always luck—it’s knowledge.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical training. Always seek out certified first-aid and trauma response courses if you want to be truly prepared.

Here’s what combat medics know that most folks don’t, and why this wisdom could mean the difference between life and death in a post-collapse world.

Stopping Arterial Bleeding Without a Tourniquet

Arterial bleeding is fast and deadly. The bright red blood spurts with every heartbeat, and if you don’t act quickly, you’re watching someone bleed out in minutes. While a commercial tourniquet like the CAT is ideal, most of us won’t have that luxury in a grid-down situation.

Use a strong strip of cloth, a belt, backpack strap, or even a bra strap in an emergency. Tie it a few inches above the wound—never on a joint—and crank it down tight. If you can’t stop the bleed with that, shove clean cloth, gauze, or even a tampon deep into the wound and apply firm, direct pressure.

This is called wound packing, and it saves lives. If available, use a hemostatic agent like Celox or QuikClot.

Reassess every few minutes. If the bleeding resumes, tighten again. Mark the time the tourniquet was applied. And remember, it’s better to have a limb amputated than to bleed out.

The Six-Hour Golden Rule of Wound Care

Clean wounds within the first six hours. After that, bacteria starts breeding, and infection becomes likely.

Wash the area with boiled and cooled water or purified water. Pure water is extremely, extremely important not only for regular drinking, but also for disinfecting wounds.

Any contamination in your water can make even a minor wound much worse. And you know what? Most of the “filters” these days are a double-edged sword anyways.

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Back to would care, if you have antiseptics like iodine or betadine, use them. Scrub out any dirt or debris using sterilized tools—yes, it’s painful, but it’s better than sepsis.

If the wound edges are clean and bleeding has stopped, you can close it with sutures, strips, or glue.

But never close a dirty wound—you’ll trap bacteria inside. For ragged or contaminated wounds, leave them open and clean them daily until they show signs of healing.

Why You Shouldn’t Remove Embedded Objects

It’s tempting to pull out a shard of metal, a bullet, or a piece of glass—but don’t. That object could be plugging a damaged artery. Remove it, and your patient could bleed out before you can stop it.

Stabilize the object using gauze, tape, or cloth. Build padding around it if needed, then wrap it snugly to prevent movement. Focus on controlling external bleeding and preventing further damage. Transport the injured as carefully as possible.

When to Let Someone Go

Triage is brutal, but it’s necessary. In a crisis with limited supplies, you have to decide who lives and who doesn’t. Someone who’s pulseless, not breathing, and has suffered major trauma may be beyond help. If you spend your time trying to resuscitate them, others may die waiting.

Prioritize those who are conscious, breathing, and have bleeding you can control. Even if it feels heartless, saving one life instead of losing three is sometimes the choice you must make.

Cleanliness Is Survival

“Never Do This When You're Bleeding!” HMD Infection is the silent killer of every survival scenario. Even a small cut can become deadly if not kept clean. Wash your hands thoroughly before treating anyone. If no soap is available, use hand sanitizer or alcohol. Boil tools before and after use. Reuse bandages only if you have to—and boil them before reuse.

Create a clean station for treating wounds. Lay out a tarp or clean cloth. Wear gloves if you have them. If not, use sandwich bags or wrap your hands in plastic. Keep wounds dry, change dressings daily, and never ignore swelling, redness, or discharge.

How to Spot a Deadly Infection—Without Labs

In the field, you won’t have blood tests. You’ll have to go by what you see and smell. Signs of infection include:

Redness that spreads from the wound
Swelling and heat around the injury
Foul-smelling drainage
Fever, chills, or sweating
Red streaks moving up the limb (a sign of blood poisoning)
Mental confusion, which can indicate sepsis

If you see any of these, act fast. Flush the wound, remove dead tissue, and if you have antibiotics, start them immediately. Keep the person warm and hydrated.

Recognizing these symptoms might be the only thing standing between life and death. But knowing what to do next—step by step—without hospitals or supplies is just as critical.

That’s exactly what The Home Doctor: Practical Medicine for Every Household teaches you. Inside this 304-page, doctor-written guide, you’ll learn:

How to treat infections when antibiotics are scarce
Which expired medications are still safe to use
The 4 antibiotics you can legally stockpile now
Proven, crisis-tested treatments for wounds, burns, and more

What Pain Sounds (and Silence) Really Mean

People who scream are usually stable. Their nervous system is still functioning. But if someone suddenly goes quiet, becomes glassy-eyed, or unresponsive, that’s a red flag. They may be going into shock, or they may have suffered internal injuries.

Watch for shallow breathing, a weak or rapid pulse, pale or bluish skin, and confusion. Treat for shock by keeping them warm, elevating their legs (unless there’s head or spine trauma), and comforting them until help—or the next step—arrives.

Suture Secrets That Actually Work

Suturing isn’t as simple as poking a needle through skin. Done wrong, it traps infection or tears the wound further. Clean the wound thoroughly before closing. Sterilize your needle and thread by boiling or using a flame. Use a curved needle if possible. Space stitches close enough to bring the edges together without puckering.

Only suture wounds that are clean, under 6 hours old, and not jagged. Avoid closing animal bites, deep punctures, or abscesses. For those, leave the wound open, packed with clean gauze, and flushed daily.

Butterfly bandages and super glue can work for minor cuts. Duct tape, in a pinch, can also keep a wound closed temporarily.

Efficient Natural Alternatives

When your first-aid kit runs dry, nature becomes your pharmacy. For thousands of years, people relied on the land to heal everything from battle wounds to illness—and many of those remedies still work today if you know how to use them. Here are some of the most effective natural alternatives to keep in mind:

Honey: Raw, unfiltered honey is more than just food. It’s a natural antibacterial that keeps wounds moist while blocking contaminants. Spread it over a clean wound and cover it with a sterile bandage. It also soothes sore throats and can be used internally to support the immune system. For burns or abrasions, applying honey under a breathable bandage helps keep the area moist and reduces scarring.
Garlic: This kitchen staple doubles as a powerful antimicrobial. Crush fresh garlic cloves into a paste and apply it directly to infected wounds as a poultice. Be cautious—garlic can irritate or even burn skin if left too long. Use it in short intervals and cover with a barrier like clean gauze. Consumed raw, garlic can help boost the immune system and may fight internal infections. It’s also very interesting to learn why you should put garlic in your ear before going to sleep.
Yarrow: Often found in fields and along roadsides, yarrow has a long history of battlefield use. Chew the leaves to activate their clotting agents, then press the mass into a bleeding cut. Yarrow also has anti-inflammatory properties and can be brewed into a tea to reduce fevers, ease digestive upset, or help calm a restless body during illness.
Plantain: Not the banana-like fruit, but the broadleaf weed you step over in your yard. Plantain is great at pulling out toxins and drawing infection to the surface. Crush or chew the leaves and place them on insect bites, boils, or minor wounds. It’s also a natural antihistamine and can help relieve allergic skin reactions.
Pine sap: That sticky substance leaking from trees? It’s nature’s antiseptic. Apply pine sap to small wounds to seal and disinfect them. It hardens into a protective barrier and can help stop minor bleeding. You can also melt it slightly to spread it more easily. It’s even flammable and can be used in fire-starting, so save every bit.
Willow bark: Found on the white willow tree, this bark contains salicin—the same compound found in aspirin. Strip and dry the bark, then steep it in hot water to make a tea that eases pain, lowers fever, and reduces inflammation. It’s not as fast-acting as modern meds, but in a long-term survival situation, it’s a game changer.

A field guide to medicinal plants like The Forager’s Guide is one of the most underrated survival tools. You can use this to start learning to identify these plants in your local area. In a true emergency, these natural allies could mean the difference between infection and healing, or between unbearable pain and survival.

Get The Forager’s Guide Here

The members of the Amish community are also experts in natural medicine, and they’ve have managed to independently discover the so-called Amish Ibuprofen.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons turmeric powder (organic if possible)
2 teaspoons ground ginger (or 2 tablespoons freshly grated)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (helps activate curcumin in turmeric)
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional, for extra circulation boost)
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (with the “mother”)
2 cups water

Why it Works

Turmeric: Curcumin has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Ginger: Natural pain relief and digestive aid.
Cinnamon: Improves circulation and helps regulate blood sugar.
Black pepper: Increases curcumin absorption by up to 2000%.
Cayenne: Stimulates blood flow and eases pain.
Honey & vinegar: Anti-bacterial, soothing, and help balance body pH.

It can be used for general aches & inflammation, for sore throats or colds, but also for joint pain. Besides the ingredients, it is very important to know how to combine them. You can find all the necessary steps to produce Amish Ibuprofen, as well as many other natural remedies in The Amish Ways Book!

Grab your copy while it’s still available (Only a Few Left!)

Know Your Limits—And When to Ask for Help

Even the best-trained combat medic can’t save everyone alone. The key to survival is knowing your limits. Practice first-aid regularly. Learn from EMT courses, military field manuals, and survival guides. Stock your kit with supplies, but more importantly, stock your brain with the knowledge to use them.

If you’re part of a survival group, make sure at least one person has deep medical knowledge. Train together. Run drills. In a real emergency, teamwork saves lives.

You don’t have to be a combat medic to save a life—but knowing what they know could save yours. When the world goes dark, and help isn’t coming, you’ll want to be the person others turn to—not the one waiting for a miracle. Learn now, practice often, and remember: in survival, knowledge is your best weapon.

In a crisis, infections, food poisoning, and respiratory illness can turn deadly fast. Learn natural, self-reliant protocols to handle these—plus remedies for 42 other conditions—from The Holistic Guide to Wellness.