Idaho is considered one of the safest places to live. The chance of having a catastrophic emergency is rare. However, we are not immune.

If you go to the government website, www.FEMA.gov, the first page says "Are you prepared?" Prepared for what? On a sister website www.ready.gov it lists the following answer: Natural Disasters (floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms, lightning, winter storms and extreme cold, extreme heat, earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, tsunamis and wildfires), Pandemic, Technological and Accidental Hazards (blackouts, hazardous materials incidents, home fires, household chemical emergencies, nuclear power plants), Terrorist Hazards (explosions, biological threats, chemical threats, nuclear blast, radiological dispersion device).

In Idaho, we are relatively disaster free. Our greatest concerns are flooding, wildfires and earthquakes. Volcano eruptions at Yellowstone or in Washington could have a significant impact on us, as well as a nuclear event from a nearby nuclear power plant. Of course everyone could be subject to Pandemic, Technological/Accidental and Terrorist events.

What I didn't see mentioned, was interruption of access to medical care or medications. It doesn't take a disaster to disrupt our access to supplies. Road closures, transportation strikes, government or financial collapse, civil unrest, port closures, etc. can impact our ability to access necessities.

While the FEMA website says "Being prepared makes good business sense" and is urging businesses as well as individuals to be prepared, we should also look deeper into our family's needs. Being prepared for medical emergencies also "makes good sense."

Are you prepared to handle your family's medical needs if required to? If we had a pandemic, for instance, and we couldn't get (enough) medical supplies, having knowledge could mean the difference between life and death - literally.

There are other concerns: if we had a devastating disaster, such as Japan, Haiti or Indonesia had recently, how would you handle the weariness, depression, anxiety, mental exhaustion, insomnia and post-traumatic stress that would accompany it? Did you know that there are herbs and other remedies that you could have available (before you need it) in your home? What about nuclear contamination? There are remedies to protect you.

The CDC lists the following (and more) Bioterrorism Threats: Anthrax, Botulism, Brucellosis, Chlamydia, Cholera, Botulism, Ebola, Food safety threats (Salmonella, E. coli, Shigella), Plague, Smallpox, Staph, Typhoid fever, Typhus, Viral encephalitis. Not a bioterrorism threat but should be listed as problematic is MRSA and antibiotic resistance.

Are you prepared to handle some of these? While there are few natural remedies for some of these, there are solutions for most, and other helps (i.e. lessening diarrhea, controlling fever or keeping hydrated).

The best way we can be prepared is by having a strong immune system. There are many things in our lifestyle that compromises our immunity that we can mitigate now. In addition to that, having an herbal medicine chest, with the knowledge of how to use them can prove to be of immeasurable worth.

Learn more by attending our upcoming class, Nutritional Essentials in a Crisis, from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, April 25 in Coeur d'Alene. Fee: $10. RSVP: (208) 765-1994.

Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with more than 32 years of experience. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d'Alene clinic. Visit Carling's website at www.vitalhealthandfitness.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at (208) 765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.