There has been a medicine shortage in the US for the last few years and the US medicine shortages have been progressively getting worse. Now that a tornado has destroyed a Pfizer site, they’re warning there may be even more medicine shortages. Not to mention, there have been talks of war and more pandemics. So what do we do in the face of medicine shortages? What does a medicine shortage mean to you and how can you prepare for it?
US Medicine Shortages
Shortages of medication is not a new story. Like I said before, we’ve had shortages since before Covid and they’ve progressively gotten worse and they’re going to get much worse. I’m not trying to fear-monger, but I’m just reporting what is being said in the news.
Let’s take a look:
- American Hospital Association– The active shortages have hit a new peak this year.
- PBS– Drug shortage shave increased 30% since 2021-2022.
- Bloomberg– Pfizer warns of supply disruption for medicine.
Those are just a few of the news articles about the shortages, but the news articles about medicine shortages are ample, unfortunately.
Eu Medicine Shortages
The US is not the only place with medicine shortages. Rather, Europe is also experiencing a shortage in many medications as well. According to Euronews,
“…EU countries found that shortage duration could amount to between 72-130 days for certain pharmaceutical products“
Euronews
Worldwide Medicine Shortages
According to BMC Health Service Research the US and EU are not the only country with shortages. It appears a number of countries in Asia and even South America are also having drug shortages.
What Caused The Medicine Shortages?
They can happen for a many of reasons. These can include:
- Manufactoring
- Delays
- Discontinuations
- Quality Problems
- Natural Disaster
- Wars
But why is there a shortage now? Which of these reasons are to blame? Well it looks like the pandemic stretched a lot of medications thin, not to mention the shut downs didn’t help. But it seems that the US was already struggling to keep up with medications for much longer than that.
But that isn’t the only case, certain drugs like penicillin are low due to discontinuation, a lot more of syphilis cases, and whatever Pfizer calls “…competitive shortages.”
Did you also know that most of our medications are also made outside of the country? I believe 80% of our medicine is made outside of our country. And so when pharmaceutical plants outside out country shut down, that also means no medicine for us.
And we cannot forget about the tornado that tore through the Pfizer warehouse.
Which brings us to our next question.
Which Medicines Are In Shortage?
Which medicines are in short supply? A lot… To keep up with medicine shortages look at websites like Drugs.com and ASHP. I was going to list them here, but there are literally 25 pages worth of medications in short supply. So check out those websites because there are over 300 medications in the shortages.
So, I Guess The Big Question Is…How Do We Even Prepare For Medicine Shortages?
That’s a good question, because honestly, you should have been prepared beforehand. I know none of us can see the future, but it’s always good to have extra medication on hand. Because things happen. But, if you’re just now starting to pay attention to the writing on the wall and are feeling a little panicky, I got you.
There are some medications that are man made that can’t be replicated. But for some illnesses, there are remedies and preventive measures and some other things we can do to help keep our family healthy or help them heal quicker without the aid of allopathy medicine.
So let’s start with that. We need to start educating ourselves. What do we need to know? We need to know about:
- The Human Body
- How The Body Works
- Common Illnesses
- Not So Common Illnesses
- Nutrition
- Gut Biome
- How Medicine Affects Our Bodies
- Herbs
- What Herbs Do In Our Bodies
- How Herbs Interact With Each Other and Other Medications
- Herbal Remedies
- Exercise
- History Of Medicine
- History Of Natural Medicine
- The Sun
- Probiotics
- Alternative Medicines In An Emergency
- First Aid
- Free Classes
- How To Build A Medicine Cabinet
But where do you even begin to learn all that.
How To Start Preparing For Medicine Shortages
My friends, books and the internet is your friend. Now, I’m not saying every single thing you read is going to be true. There are a lot of crazy and dangerous “remedies” out there and that’s why natural medicine have such a bad rap.
But, there are plenty of good sources of information. And I’ll post some of them here. Another good source is reach out to local and online herbalists and start taking courses or talking to them. There is a plethora of information out there and some here! I am trying my best to get content out when I can to help teach you all how to take care of you and your families as well.
But some of the other sources I follow or you can take their classes are:
- The Patriot Nurse
- Dark Angel Medical
- Mountain Mother Medicinals
- Science With Nature
- Barbara O’Neill (I am not sure about everything she teaches, but overall she is a smart cookie.)
I follow a lot more people, but these are just a few. Down below you’ll find more of the posts I’ve written to help you prepare for upcoming medical shortages.
Posts To Help You Learn About Health and Basic Home Remedies
1. Books On Natural Healing and Home Remedies
These are best best books about natural healing and home remedies. I’ve used these for years…these are old country remedies, remedies used by Native Americans, books about herbs, about how we are supposed to be eating, and even books about the human body. These are just some of the books I have in my personal library.
2. A List Of Home Remedies For Mild Ailments And Injuries
Not sure where to find some natural remedies for simple things like a cough, a scratch, or minor burn? I got you! We all have to start somewhere and this list of home remedies is the perfect place to start.
3. The Best Uncommon Medicines and Remedies To Keep In Your Medicine Cabinet
Most of us have the basics at home: Ibuprofen, allergy medicine, Neosporin. But there are a lot of uncommon medicines, herbs, teas, and the such to keep on hand. They may or may not be uncommon to you, but they’re all super useful one way or another.
It’s Not To Late To Prepare For Medicine Shortages
It’s not too late to get your family prepared. I’m not saying rush out and buy every single box of Benadryl and cough syrup. But making sure you have the basics on hand, some of the uncommon medicine, and making sure you know about diet and nutrition can make a big difference in whether your family is healthy or sick. So take some time, start educating yourself and slowly start building up your medicine cabinet and natural medicine repertoire and in no time you’ll find you’re a little more at peace. And being healthier never hurt anyone either.
More Great Posts From Homemaking From God About Health and Home Remedies
- Recognizing and Knowing How To Treat Heat Illness
- How To Make Baking Soda Paste and Ways To Use It
- What Is Cinnamon Good For Health Wise?
- Here Is Why You Should Spend Time In The Sun and The Benefits It Has On Your Health
- Why Do We Need Probiotics In Our Diet?
- Is Oregano Oil A Natural Antibiotic?
- How To Deal With Ear Infections
- Is Red Yeast Rice Really Good For High Cholesterol?
- The Wonderful Health Benefits Of Clove
- Old Timey Home Remedy: Hot Toddy Recipe
- The Amazing Health Benefits Of Hibiscus Tea
- Check Out These Awesome Health Benefits Of Raw Garlic
- Learn About The Health Benefits Of Ginger
How have you been preparing for the medicine shortages? Do you have any advice for people who haven’t been preparing?