Off to Denali

Early tomorrow, May 28, I fly to Alaska where I'll, once again, be a volunteer on the snowy slopes of Denali (www.nps.gov/dena/). The work: Hang out at base camp near 7000 feet elevation on the Kahiltna Glacier in case a climber needs wilderness medicine and/or rescue. I will be hanging out with Daryl Miller, the ranger who has made more contributions to mountain search and rescue than any other person, living or dead. With no access to the wonders of blogging, it will be about three weeks before you see from me. In the meantime, stay well.

Burns: The Sweet Truth

Bee better faster after a burn. How? The International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds, in a review of 15 studies, gives the answer: honey (http://ijl.sagepub.com). Burned skin recovered faster, up to four times faster, covered with honey instead of antibiotic creams and modern burn dressings. A natural anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory, honey eases the ouch while it promotes healing. The process: Cool the burn, smear honey on gauze, apply it to the burn, change the sweet dressing twice a day. Find a doc if the burn is serious. And, if you don't spread the honey on gauze, you can spread it on a cracker.

Nose Knowledge

How do you fix, someone recently asked, a broken nose out there in the wild places. Here is the short answer: Don't even try. When a fractured snoze reaches an emergency room, there is typically too much swelling to allow the doc to act. Waiting five days, even up to ten days, for the swelling to subside is not uncommon. And a hard blow, so to speak, to the nose might break other parts of the face. If the accident shifted the nose off to one side, attempting to move it back could cause greater harm. Apply cold to the nose, suggest some painkilling pills, and find a doctor--and it's highly unlikely you will need to rush. You'll find lots more nose knowledge in Wilderness Medicine, Fifth Edition, published by Mosby (www.us.elsevierhealth.com).