The Recovery Sock

"Compression" shows up commonly in medical conversations. It's uses have been well known for more years than even I have. Compression prevents, or at least significantly reduces, venous stasis (blood pooling in areas where you don't want blood to pool). It, in other words, promotes healthy circulation. The use of compression in athletics to encourage healthy blood flow and thereby reduce lactic acid buildup and, more than likely, increase performance to some degree is relatively new technology. Enter the Recovery Sock (http://recoverysock.com) and I wore a pair on my last adventure. They are padded in the high impact areas, and the compression they provide decreases gradually, and appropriately, from toe toward knee. It has literally been years since my feet have felt as good after a bout of use. Some of you know I have a fused ankle, and a puffy right foot and ankle are among the prices I pay for staying on the trail. I removed the socks each night to find a greatly reduced amount of swelling. Do they do what they claim to do? I can't say for sure about everything, but I can say that Recovery Socks will be on my feet in the foreseeable future. They are pricey at about $35 per pair, but the benefits as I see them are worth the dough.

Numb of Toe

"Numb toe," most often the big toe, and even more often the outside of the big toe, is a pretty common complaint I hear from hikers. The cause, again most often, is an improper boot fit. Or maybe those same boots are not laced snugly enough. Either way, on the downhill leg of trails, the part where toes are smushed against the toe end of the boot, this happens: the nerves of the toe are crushed and/or the circulation gets cut off too long--and the toe gets numb and stays numb. If it happens occasionally, it's not a big deal. But if it happens all the time, and especially if the toe does have enough recovery time before the next hike, you should try to find a boot that alleviates the problem and/or try lacing up more snugly. Go for boots that are wider in the toe box and/or boots that are a bit longer than the offending footwear. If that doesn't work, custom insoles may alter the pressure on your toes enough to keep numb toe away. And if that doesn't work, a visit to a foot specialist is recommended. Persistent toe numbness may lead to permanent damage.

Adios Iodine

The European Union has banned the sale of iodine as a water disinfectant as of 25 October 2009, a decision that will affect all 27 countries that are members of the EU. Will this decision lap over into the United States? Who knows? The potential for a global impact certainly exists. The use of iodine in field water treatment has been questioned by some authorities for years, primarily due to the lack of definitive info--is it safe? or is it not safe?--and so far I have not found any reasons clarifying why the EU made their decision. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) still approves use of iodine but warns the use should be limited to no more than "a few weeks." Consumption of iodinated water remains contra-indicated for pregnant women, anyone with a history of thyroid disease, and anyone with a known allergic response to iodine. You can find a few more details at www.outdoorindustry.org.

Ticked Off

Recently a disease transmitted by a tick developed into encephalitits (an inflammation of the brain) and a human being died. The case was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine (http://content.nejm.org). It is not usual for an encephalitis to be the end result of a tickborne illness--the disease can, in fact, produce very few symptoms--but obviously death does sometimes occur. Ticks may also be carrying other diseases, such as babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Lyme disease, that occasionally become a serious threat to life. The bottom line: it is that time of year to be wary of ticks. Most insect repellents, despite the knowledge that ticks are not insects, repel ticks. Wear light-colored clothing, allowing you to see free-ranging ticks and pick them off before they embed. After a walk outside, a careful inspection for ticks on your body is highly recommended. Remember ticks like to embed in well-hidden spots, and ticks in the nymph stage, when they are incredibly tiny, can pass germs--you will do well, therefore, to have a friend help you with the inspection. Remove all embedded ticks immediately with sharp-pointed tweezers, grasping the tick perpendicular to its long axis, and gently pulling it straight out. If an illness develops after removing an embedded tick, seek a physician's evaluation ASAP.

Don't Get Sunburned

And now for a moment (or two) of blatant self-promotion: my new book is out and available for purchase. The title is Don't Get Sunburned: 50 Ways to Save Your Skin. It's all about how ultraviolet light damages your skin, how ozone depletion increases the chance of damage, and about how to keep from getting damaged. In case you didn't know, there's a new UVA rating system for sunscreens (the old system only rated protection from UVB) and I cover the new system and things like the effects of UV light when altitude, wind, latitude, season, and skin wetness are added to the equation. There's info on skin types, baby skin, already-sunburned skin, and skin cancer. The price: $7.95--and the cover is as pink as burned epithelial tissue. You can see more at www.mountaineersbooks.org.

A Death in the Family

On 28 April John Evans, a complete mountaineer and rescue ranger on Denali, a wonderful gentleman, and a great friend died in a climbing accident in Wales. I had the immense privilege of working several patrols on Denali with John, the last in the spring of 2008. In past years, we had taught together, climbed together, and sipped quite a few fine drams of single malt together. He was the kind of man you could not help loving, and I will miss him tremendously. I chose to post the news here, knowing many of you never had the pleasure of meeting John Evans, but feeling the need to send out a few words in quiet celebration of his life. Thank you for listening.

The Sunglasses Myth

Tod Schimelpfenig over at NOLS has been investigating the notion that cheap sunglasses can keep your pupils dilated and cause sunburn of the retina. Experts questioned by Tod agree this is a myth. Simply stated, not enough radiation is going to reach the retina to cause a burn, even with intensely reflected light from snow, and even with really inexpensive sunglasses. But there's more at risk than your retina! If your cheap sunglasses have low UV protection you most likely will increase your risk of injury to the cornea--the risk of snowblindness. And, over time, the risk of cataracts, macular degeneration, and even eye cancer. Cheap sunglasses, however, can have high UV protection, which is, of course, what you want--and need. Bottom line: Your sunglasses need to provide protection as complete as possible from all ultraviolet light, and they need to wrap around to keep UV light from creeping in from the side. You don't have to pay a lot of money for protection, but you do have to pay a lot of attention to what you're purchasing.