[Rod_Cloutier]

I was stitting at the drug store yesterday waiting for a prescription to be filled for my wife, when my mind started to wander. I thought, how much of modern medicine, pharmaceauticals, hospitalization stays, and doctor visits will be available in a post peak world?

I came to the conclusion, sitting there, that medicine would probally collapse back to something like what the western world had in the 1920's. I can remember elderly family members saying that living in the 20's, and 30's doctors and medical care were very rare. Most people relied on home based medical treatment for aiments.

In the 1920's doctors were well able to treat orthopediac injuries, sprains, fractures, ect. X-ray clinics, and chemotheraphy for cancer care were available. Hospitals were aware of the dangers of germs and took sanitary precautions, antiseptics were in common use. Basic surgery, denitstry, gynecology were well in practice. Assuming we don't lose the knowledge we've gained over the last 200 or so years of scientific medicine circumstances might be somewhat better.

I would think, however, that many things will be unavailable or cost prohibitive in a post peak world. Most pharmaceauticals are already overpriced and unaffordable for people who do not have medical insurance. At post peak, many, many things now on the market will simply be unavailable, while innovation in pharmaceauticals will likely grind to a halt for lack of investment.

Common place surgeries will become the license for the rich. I would also think 5 minute responce time, 24hour a day, 911 emergency paramedic care will also become a thing of the past. Many people will die before ever reaching a hospital or a doctor for care.

On the other hand, accidental deaths will probally drop. When people either can't afford cars, or can't fuel them, then automobile accidents and injuries will likely come down substantially. The same goes for recreational injuries. If people are spending more of their time working, there will be less time for sports, and dangerous, expensive recreation like sky diving, travel related downhill ski trips ect. will result in a coresponding drop in the rate of accidental injuries.

Surely the most expensive, optional, and labour intensive types of medicine are going to go out of practice. Less facelifts, less lyposuctions, less triple coronary bi-passes. People will have to adapt, painfully. The transition period is likely going to be ugly, unpleasant and long term.

[pedalling_faster]

one of the primary forms of post-peak medicine will be EXERCISE.

one of the SF Bay Area papers had an article this morning about some
guy who's on medication for blood pressure & diabetes going to a free
clinic because that's what he can afford.

old-fashioned farming & walking can help to resolve a lot of medical
complaints people go to see doctors for.

[Hermes]

http://www.medicalcorps.org/

These guys teach classes on exactly what you're concerned about. The classes generally fill up within a few days though - so if you see an available class and are interested you'd better jump quick.

I took the class a while ago. I didn't like the teacher - and his teaching method was dry and kind of put me to sleep. But the subject matter was spot on, and at the end of the class I did feel VERY capable and ready for the task at hand.

[hope_full]

The Christian Science church experienced explosive growth during the early years of the 20th Century. Post WW2, when medical care and "science" became the new deities to be worshiped, the church's numbers began to shrink. Today, the teachings of Joel Osteen, Wayne Dyer (author, There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem) and Deepak Chopra (author, Quantum Healing) and their ilk are the modern ancillaries to the Christian Science teachings of the early 1900s.

As the access to medical care starts to decline, I think there'll be an impressive resurgence of spiritual solutions and prayer-based healing, which, if you go back through the millennia, was the treatment of choice for our ancestors.

The male-imposed appellation of "witches" simply describes the women healers, who (way back in the day) utilized metaphysical and spiritual systems (sometimes together with herbs) for their healing work. Today, in our modern times, we're so far removed from this world that it's hard to imagine relying on anything other than big fancy machinery and intellectual types with their white coats and dandy vocabulary.


Hope_Full

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('hope_full', '
')As the access to medical care starts to decline, I think there'll be an impressive resurgence of spiritual solutions and prayer-based healing, which, if you go back through the millennia, was the treatment of choice for our ancestors.

[UltraViciousBudgie]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pedalling_faster', 'o')ne of the primary forms of post-peak medicine will be EXERCISE.