Desert Medicine Conference Notes

I had the good fortune of being asked to teach at the Wilderness Medicine Society's Desert Medicine Conference in Tucson last month. In addition to teaching several workshops on basic desert survival, I sat in on lectures by the leading physiologists, MDs, toxiclogogists, and sports-trainers in the world today. Most of these are folks who literally wrote the chapters on venomous creatures, heat-stress, and dehydration in wilderness medical manuals on the market today. 

Following are some (scattered) notes from different lectures. This is not intended as medical advice so do your own homework before heading out to the desert or working in the heat and talk to the locals and resident physicians who live in those parts for the most current info as this material is constantly changing as research progresses. 

Desert Medicine Notes, November 2011

Dehydration and Heat-Stress Issues

At 70% humidity or higher, sweating stops and is ineffective for heat dissipation.

Heat Stroke- 80% fatal if delayed more than 2 hours. Cool First, then transport, but avoid getting them hypothermic by cooling for too long! Lessons learned- if your kid/hiking partner has  heat-stroke, cool them NOW and then deal with getting them out or transporting as the damage is considerable and potentially fatal the longer you wait.

Sunburn/Solar Radiation issue

A person will be more photo-sensitive if they are taking:

NSAIDS

Antibiotics

Retinoids

Diuretics

For every 1000 feet of elevation, there is a 4-7% increase in UVB.  Clouds absorb only 30% UV rays.

Maximum SPF needed for protection is 30 SPF. Vitamin C ointment is excellent for sunburns and tissue recovery.

Venomous Creatures

From a single rattlesnake bite, you may get 1-4 fang marks (maybe you got bit twice, maybe the snake had another fang growing in, etc...)

Most bites nowadays are middle-aged men (out barbecuing in backyard) or women (out gardening in backyard).

Treatmen in field: Immobilize limb (put arm in sling) to avoid lymphatic pumping and walk/get out. Anti-venom is critical, especially for kids. Time = Tissue so don't waste precious time with John Wayne methods or gimmicks on the market, just get them to the ER.

Bee Stings

Bees attack because of visual and olfactory factors so reducing these will help in your survival- Breathing and waving arms is what draws bees to you so run out of area, don’t swat them- just RUN, and cover eyes/mouth/nose while retreating. Once safe, pull stinger out any way you can, use poultice of wet salt. It’s a myth that you shouldn’t grab the stinger in your skin and pull out. Just get it out/scrape it, pull it, whatever.

3 million people or 1% of population are hypersensitive and there are around 50 deaths per year in US.

Yellowjackets are not found in the Sonoran Desert.

Scorpions

500,000 stings/year in Mexico

15,000/year in US

250 stings are severe, especially in childrens under 5 years of age. Anti-venom is key in treating so get kids (or adult who is not responding well) to hospital. Most people use ice/Ibuprofen. Kids and those with pre-exisiting health issues are at the greatest risk so don’t waste time if you suspect they were stung and call 911 and get them to the ER.

All this being said, have fun in the Land of Little Water.

Tony

Mantracking Class AAR

This past weekend we hosted a 3-day Mantracking Course in Flagstaff. It was taught by the staff of the renowned David Scott-Donelan School out of Sierra Vista. We had a full house of students, many were former survival students of mine along with several several LEOs present and some of my instructors.

The initial phase focused on the basics of tracking, terminology, stride, straddle, determining how many people walked through an area, and plenty of spoor-pit demonstrations and interpretation exercises.

After this, we focused on micro-tracking and then macro-tracking exercises where we tracked groups over long-distances and varied terrain. The emphasis was on the tracker formation using flankers which was the key to picking up the trail when it was lost and catching up with our quarry. We spent our days afield rotating duties as trackers and quarry, debriefing, and then heading out again. We ended with a major thunderstorm pounding down on us as we trekked back in from the wilds.

The instructor, Cornelius Nash, had tremendous command of his skill-set and topics and added in plenty of real-world examples. I can't speak highly enough of his teaching abilities and field experience with bringing the science of tracking to life.

I will be hosting this course again in the Spring but I'd highly recommend checking out their class offerings as they teach throughout the world- http://www.trackingoperations.com -they also run one-day events near Tucson and Sierra Vista.

Tony

When You Meet a Bear

This article is taken from one of my recent survival columns at Outside Magazine. To read additional articles, visit http://www.outsideonline.com   -Many thanks to colleague and friend David Cronenwett for sharing his wealth of backcountry know-how and insight into bears. 

What's the most dangerous animal in the lower 48? How do I protect myself from it?

In my experience, other than running into a shady two-legged, the bear is the most dangerous large animal in the backcountry. Given much-publicized attacks by grizzly bears in recent years, I thought I would focus on them and spoke with wildlife educator and northern-skills expert David Cronenwett who lives in the heart of bear country in Montana where his job regularly takes him in sight of these amazing creatures.

This is the right, front foot of an adult black bear.

 David recommends, that if you run into a Griz at close range and they are not aware of your presence, then it’s generally best to quietly leave the area. He says that “if you bump into one that knows you are there, turn sideways slightly and avert your stare, since bears recognize a full-frontal gaze as a threat (predatory stare).  Talk to the animal in an unthreatening voice and pull your pepper spray from its holster....do not arm the can unless a charge is in progress.” 

Cronenwett, also states that “bears generally do not want to fight; it’s a dangerous waste of energy and most Grizzlies by far do not recognize humans as prey.  Sure there are exceptions, but most of the recent incidents have involved mothers with young and defensive actions.”  The vast majority of the time, a Grizzly will go the other way if given a chance. 

The top plaster cast is from an adult black bear. The bottom is from a black bear cub. Both are front feet.

 His advice from many years on the trail: “Keep a clean camp, make noise around blind corners and in brushy spots, hang/bear box your food, be alert (hugely important), understand how to recognize bear sign (rub trees, scat, tracks) avoid camping near carcasses, camp away from trails (since critters use them for the same reasons we do) and carry pepper spray.  The effectiveness of pepper spray is undisputed; practice "drawing" and arming it regularly.  This device isn't perfect but far more effective and easier to use than firearms.  Taking a snoutful of pepper spray is a powerful deterrant to a charge.”

David’s wilderness skills training school that focuses on bear ecology can be seen at http://www.wildernessartsinstitute.com