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Additional pages dealing with:
Breathing
& Severe Bleeding Lifesaving
Techniques Bones
and joint injuries
Back to survival
trips
Common Serious
Ailments
That Befall the Active Person.
Heatstroke, hypothermia, diarrhea, and intestinal parasites are
common environmental injuries you could face.
The advise given here in is what the author would do in the
given situations and is not to be construed as professional
medical advice. See legal
Heatstroke
(Hyperthermia) See how to Prevent
Heatstroke
Who is at risk?
Anyone exposed to high temperatures, heavy exertion, or dehydrated.
Overweight people are more likely to suffer from heatstroke
than are underweight.
The breakdown of the body's heat regulatory system (body temperature
more than 40.5 degrees C [105 degrees F]) causes a heatstroke. Other
heat injuries, such as cramps or dehydration, do not always precede a
heatstroke. Signs and symptoms of heatstroke are--
- Puffy, beet-red face.
- Reddened whites of eyes.
- Victim not sweating.
- Lack of urination.
- Unconsciousness or delirium, which can cause pallor, a bluish
color to lips and nail beds (cyanosis), and cool skin (this is not
an indication that the victim is cool but the exact
opposite).
Note: By this time the victim is in severe shock. Cool the victim as
rapidly as possible. Cool by dipping him in a cool stream. If one
is not available, douse the victim with water, urine, or at the very
least, apply cool wet compresses to all the joints, especially the
neck, armpits, and crotch. Be sure to wet the victim's head. Heat loss
through the scalp is great. Place victim in a shade breezy location.
Lay directly on cool earthen floor of a cave or rock out cropping, If
available administer IVs and provide drinking
fluids. You may fan the individual.
These conditions are to be expected as the victim
cool down--
- Vomiting.
- Diarrhea.
- Struggling.
- Shivering.
- Shouting.
- Prolonged unconsciousness.
- Rebound heatstroke within 48 hours.
Use extreme care to prevent a 2nd
heatstroke during the following 48 hour,
as this is highly possible)
- Cardiac arrest; be ready to perform CPR.
Replace the fluids lost during the the recovery by giving
fluids in small amounts (1 ounce) every 5 minutes until they
have taken in and held 150% of what they lost by vomiting or
Diarrhea.
Note: Treat for dehydration with lightly salted water or a sports
drink containing salts or electrolytes. This in it's self can cause a
problem if done in excess and needs to be supplemented with purified
water.
The victim should consume enough fluids to cause the need for
urination. If after consuming and holding 2 quarts, the victims does
not feel the need to urinate, encourage it and if there is no
urination, you need to seek professional medical assistance
immediately.
Hypothermia (Dangerously Low body
temperature)
Who is at risk? Any one exposed to low temperature
for extended periods of time and more so when they are wet, underweight,
tired or ill.
Defined as the body's failure to maintain a temperature of 36 degrees
C (97 degrees F) through exposure, low metabolism (caused by lack
of food or fat storage), or
immobility. Dehydration and lack of food and rest
predisposes the survivor to hypothermia. Survival at sea or in any body
of water is greatly hampered by the
conductive loss of body temperature
through water contact , even in tropical
regions (rain included).
Editor's note: A light rain is commonly
tolerated during outdoor activities, but
when you combine this with a wind and
duration of the exposure it can become a
serious situation and may be difficult for
you to overcome if you are remote and
alone.
Early symptoms of hypothermia---
- Shivering.
- Skin is cold and pale.
- Exhibits apathy (lack of concern)
- Slurred or stuttered speech.
- Lack of balance
- Poor judgment
- Difficulty in performing task or using
hands
Recognize these symptoms and take
preventative measure and you may not have to witness or
experience the sever symptoms that follow
Severe symptoms:
- Shivering stops (providing the victim hasn't been
warmed the this is sure sign that the core
temperature of the body is below 90 degrees - very
serious)
- The body feels cold to the touch
- Rigidity sets in
- Breathing becomes slow and shallow
- Pulse slows to less than 60 per minute
- Person becomes confused
- Unconsciousness. This indicate extreme Hypothermia
and must be dealt with immediately- send for
professional medical help if possible.
For even a mild case of hypothermia
follow the instructions below.
If possible place the victim in a warm
area and not exposed to wind, (do the best
you can).
You must gradually warm the hypothermia victim.
Get the victim into dry clothing. Replace lost fluids (essential - use
warm beverages with nutritional
value-broths, hot toddies etc or even warm
water), and warm them.
If available wrap in a warm wool blanket
directly against their skin.
Encourage movement to aid in metabolic
thermal release.
Rub their skin vigorously (use a
cotton or wool cloth if available) to help
circulation and friction.
In remote situations where the luxuries of
warmth and medical facilities are not
available, cover the victim and yourself
using whatever materials are available.
Snuggle tightly, making as much body
contact as possible and if under a
blanket, cover your heads to retain the
heat from your breathing and to reduce the
lung's exposure to cold air.
You must not let yourself as the rescuer
become a victim of the same circumstances
or you may not be able to assist the
primary victim.
Unfortunately when in a body of water you
are limited as to what actions you can
take. Do this before hypothermia sets in.
Get out of the water if at all possible by climbing up on a
capsized hull ( climb on from the stern, not the side) or
debris. Follow as many of the procedure that follow with the
adaptation to being out of the water.
If stuck in the water:
Try to float. Treading water, moves water across the skin
removing your surface thermal energy and also burn precious
energy. ( note you may need to rapidly tread water from time
to time just to help raise your temperature by muscular
exertion but this will drain your energy reserves quickly.
Recall how drained you feel after a day at the beach)
Keep the top of the head covered
Pad the areas of the midsection (kidneys and live region)
with debris, seaweed or what ever) to help keep these organs
warm.
Gather as much floating material as may be available to
stuff in your clothing to provide floatation and insulation.
Make sure you don't cause an imbalance in your floatation and
cause you to wind up face down.
Resist urinating to only once per day.
Eat and drink enough (if available) to keep up you
metabolic energy levels.
Turn your body so it can capture as much warmth from the
sun's rays through the water during daylight hours. Rotate
back to front. (protect you face and exposed skin from the
suns ray above the water by pulling your shirt over your head,
or covering with seaweed)
If the sun is not strong enough to be beneficial as
described above (and at night) then pull your legs up toward
your chest.
If you are with another person/s then huddle by holding the other
person/s closely. (forget all the macho tendencies and do it,
you can make a pact not to tell anyone about it, if it makes
you feel better)
Diarrhea
A common, debilitating ailment caused by a change of water and food,
drinking contaminated water, eating spoiled food, becoming fatigued, and
using dirty dishes. You can avoid most of these causes by practicing
preventive medicine. If you get diarrhea, however, and do not have anti-diarrheal medicine, one of the following treatments may be
effective:
- Continue to take fluids but in
small amounts. Purified water or
sports drink (2oz) at a time.
- Drink one cup of a strong tea solution every 2 hours until the
diarrhea slows or stops. The tannic acid in the tea helps to control
the diarrhea. Boil the inner bark of leaves of some hardwood trees
(Oak not Willows) for 2 hours or
more to release the tannic acid. If the tea turn brown and will
stain your skin then it likely
contains tannic acid.
- Limit exertion.
- Don't stop eating but be
selective ( nothing high in acids,
fats or sugars). If available eat
Bananas
Intestinal Parasites
You can usually avoid worm infestations and other intestinal
parasites if you take preventive measures. For example, never go
barefoot. The most effective way to prevent intestinal parasites is to
avoid uncooked meat and raw vegetables contaminated by raw sewage or
human waste used as a fertilizer. However, should you become infested
and lack proper medicine, you can use home remedies. Keep in mind that
these home remedies work on the principle of changing the environment of
the gastrointestinal tract. The following are home remedies you could
use:
- Salt water.
Dissolve 4 tablespoons of salt in 1 liter of water
and drink. Do not repeat this treatment. You will likely get a flushed
feeling.
- Tobacco.
Eat 1 to
1 1/2 cigarettes. The nicotine in the
cigarettes will kill or stun the worms long enough for your system to
pass them. If the infestation is severe, repeat the treatment in 24 to
48 hours, but no sooner. (this may give you an ill feeling)
- Kerosene.
Drink 2 tablespoons of kerosene but no more.
If necessary, you can repeat this treatment in 24 to 48 hours. Be
careful not to inhale the fumes. They may cause lung irritation.
- Hot peppers.
Peppers are effective only if they are a steady
part of your diet. You can eat them raw or put them in soups or rice
and meat dishes. They create an environment that is prohibitive to
parasitic attachment.
- Eat 1/2 to 1 cup of mashed
fresh Garlic or 2 cups of wild
leeks if available. The taste and
smell is caused by a sulfur
content and is helpful for many
problems. Repeat daily for one
week.
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