An Abrasive Thought

New evidence suggests a long-held belief might not be as worthy of being held onto as we have thought. I just returned from a short trip to Dallas (actually Irving, TX) where a group met to discuss wilderness first aid (and I hope to report more on that later). One topic was abrasions, a wound typically causing the patient pain--sometimes more than a little--when it is scrubbed clean. According to Dr. William Forgey, an application of an antibiotic ointment applied liberally within 10-15 minutes of the injury and you do not need to scrub. The ointment penetrates the skin, promoting the resistance of infection while protecting the site--and patient's so treated may actually develop an infection less often than when scrubbed. Doc Forgey did recommend removing large particles contaminating the wound prior to applying the ointment. You can brush those particles out with sterile gauze. And he further noted that we need to be ready to scrub if the wound is older than the 15 minutes (or so) time limit.

Two People and One Bag

The temp dropped to zero again in Lander, and that might help explain the return of an annual winter question: are two people in one sleeping bag effective when one person is hypothermic? Despite the popularity of this proposal, snuggling is not a great warming method. The warm person adds very little heat, certainly not enough to reverse significant hypothermia quickly--and there are possible negative results. Two people seldom fit into one bag, and if you can't close the bag, heat retention is lost. If the heat donor wants out, much of the heat that has been retained is lost when the bag is opened. The warm person might be more useful making hot water bottles for the cold person, building a fire, or carrying out a message asking for help. It is not necessarily "wrong" to put two people in one bag, but neither is it the "standard of care," and there are usually better things to do.

Holiday Greetings

Just a quick but heartfelt message here: I hope your Christmas was the merriest and brightest, and your New Year is the best ever!

Cold Tolerance

This question crosses my screen fairly often: Is it possible to increase your tolerance for cold? This is really two questions. If you're wondering if individuals can "feel" cold less if they are acclimatized to cold, the answer is a big YES. People who spend a lot of time outside in the cold definitely feel the stress of cold less, so they tolerate cold better. If you're wondering if you can become more resistant to frostbite and hypothermia, the answer is probably no. Eskimos, for instance, who spend much of their lives in extremes of cold, and who are very tolerate of cold, can freeze just as fast as those who spend most of their lives in Figi. I say "probably no" because there does exist a small but growing body of evidence suggesting some people can become more resistant to cold injury. If it becomes fact that some people are more resistant to cold injury, the fact will likely remain academic, not much use to most outdoor enthusiasts. This remains a fact: people who avoid frostbite and hypothermia know how to dress and act properly in the cold outdoors.

Of Little Broken Arms

Bo, my five-year old daughter, held her left arm tightly to her chest, refusing to let me see it, while she wailed with pain. Assessment point one: guarding. When she calmed down enough for a gentle palpation, I found point tenderness just below the elbow, and that was assessment point two. And point three: there was a little swelling at the site. I took her to the hospital where an X-ray revealed fractures to both radius and ulna, and now she wears a bright pink cast immobilizing her arm from mid-humerus to fingers. Signed by her classmates in kindergarten, she bears it proudly, something like a pink badge of courage. The mechanism was landing on her outstretched arm while bouncing on a neighbor's trampoline, and she was added to a long list. During a recent six-year period, the number of children injured on trampolines has doubled. The number has reached to more than 60,000. For more trampoline stats, check out www.sciencedaily.com. Based on the stats, some experts are calling for a ban on the devices.

Back To It

Hard to believe, it is, that almost a month has zipped past--and I apologize for being away so long (just in case anyone is reading this). Here is part of my excuse: picking up Bo, my littlest and youngest daughter, pain shot through my lower back. I could walk, hunched over, and it felt better to sit still. No pain radiated down either leg. My self-assessment: pulled muscle. And I was correct, I learned, after a visit to the doc. Cold packs were indicated, and they helped, as did gentle stretches from a seated position. The doc recommended putting one ankle on the opposite knee and leaning forward slowly for the stretch. I now recommend the same stretch for easing tension in the lumbar region. Two chiropractic adjustments have been worth the time. Sleeping has been easiest on my side. Despite my preference for sitting still, slow walks have helped circulation and, therefore, healing. But it remains important to forego any lifting and toting. After a week, life has become much better--though stiffness and some soreness nag. If this happened on the trail, I'd do the same thing . . . excepting, of course, the chiropractor.

Naked or Not

With the temps decreasing, the questions concerning sleeping warm are on the rise. Lately, this has been the most common one: Should I sleep naked in my bag or in clothes? As with so much in life, no answer addresses all situations. If your sleeping bag contains adequate insulation for the temperature, and if your bag contains the proper amount of room inside for you, most people sleep better, and warmer, in long underwear or at least a layer of light clothing--and your bag stays cleaner. What you never want to do is dress in extra layers that compress your bag's insulation. You need the dead air created by insulation to hold in your body's heat. If you have a roomy bag, you can safely sleep in extra layers for extra warmth. If you find yourself in a chilly bag without extra room, you might sleep warmer naked. You won't know for sure without experimentation.