A mile from town is a mile from the doctor. That arithmetic should settle the question of whether a homesteading family needs to know basic medicine. It is not a matter of rejecting professional care. It is a matter of being competent when professional care is not available.
The eight natural remedies
Ellen White identified eight simple remedies that form the foundation of health: “Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in divine power — these are the true remedies” (The Ministry of Healing, p. 127). Notice that none of them require a prescription. All of them are available in the country in abundance.
These are not alternatives to medicine. They are the foundation upon which all health rests. A family living by these principles will need a doctor far less often than one that ignores them.
Herbal knowledge
God placed medicinal plants in every climate. “And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine” (Ezekiel 47:12, KJV).
Every homestead should cultivate and know how to use at least a core set of medicinal herbs: chamomile for calming and digestion, plantain for wounds and stings, elderberry for immune support, peppermint for nausea and headache, garlic as a natural antibiotic, and charcoal for poisoning and digestive distress.
Activated charcoal, in particular, was valued by Ellen White and has a long history in natural healing. Keep it in powder and poultice form.
First aid skills
Beyond herbs, every adult on the homestead should know how to stop bleeding, splint a fracture, treat burns, recognize signs of infection, and perform CPR. A well-stocked first aid kit is essential. So is the knowledge to use every item in it.
Hydrotherapy — the use of water at different temperatures for healing — is one of the most powerful and most neglected of the natural remedies. Hot and cold fomentations can reduce fever, relieve congestion, ease pain, and promote circulation. The materials needed are simple: towels, hot water, cold water, and knowledge.
Prevention over cure
The best medicine is the life that does not require it. “If they would eat less, and exercise more in the open air, they might avoid sickness” (Counsels on Health, p. 156). A country life built on fresh air, hard work, clean water, whole food, and regular rest is itself the greatest remedy. When illness does come, the body conditioned by such a life recovers faster and fights harder.
Build your knowledge now. Grow your medicinal garden. Stock your supplies. The day you need them is not the day to learn.
