It is a beautiful, bright, summer day, with a gentle breeze, just cool enough to be comfortable while hiking up a steep mountain trail. Your group is well above tree line, and even though it is mid summer, there are still remnants of the past winter’s snow along the trail. In a steep ravine, this stretch of trail switchbacks across the headwall for about 1000 feet. Several hundred feet from the top of the ravine, a large patch of deep snow stretches across the trail. Suddenly, one of your fellow hikers slips in the snow and rapidly slides off the trail. After continuing to slide for 20 feet, she falls off a six-foot drop and lands on another patch of snow that also slopes downhill. Her slide continues down the snow, which also ends abruptly. She then drops another ten feet down onto a flat area in a small gully. She lands on her face and chest, hitting her face on a baseball-sized rock.
July/August 2008 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 21 Number 4
As has been mentioned several times in previous articles, waterborne diseases are some of the most common diseases known to man. Spread primarily via the oral-fecal route when a pathogen in human or animal waste contaminates the drinking water supply, the disease-causing pathogen is then transmitted to people when they drink the water, consume food that was washed in the contaminated water or handled by dirty hands that prepared their food, or by washing their hands in the contaminated water.
The exceptions to this mode of transmission are Schistosomiasis and Naegleriasis. A common parasitic disease, Schistosomiasis is contracted by swimming in contaminated water instead of drinking it. Once the parasite is on your skin, it will make its way into your body by burrowing through your skin—in the process causing a rash known as swimmer’s itch or duck itch.
https://www.wildernessmedicinenewsletter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/wmnlogo20151.png00WMN Editorshttps://www.wildernessmedicinenewsletter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/wmnlogo20151.pngWMN Editors2008-07-10 19:38:122011-12-06 16:10:28Waterborne Diseases and Water Purification
July/August 2008 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 21 Number 4
PAIN CONTROL
Pain in and of itself is not life threatening, but it can be a distraction to patient care. One of the primary goals of providing patient care is to treat the underlying injuries; to control bleeding, minimize swelling, and protect the injury—and thus, to minimize pain.
July/August 2008 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 21 Number 4
SPINAL CORD INJURY MANAGEMENT
Pre-hospital personnel are trained to treat all possible spinal cord injuries based primarily on the Mechanism of Injury (MOI), as well as signs and symptoms.
It is equally important in the wild environment for rescue personnel and responders not only to be able to recognize a possible back injury based on MOI, but to be able to rule it out (to “clear the spine”) by a taking a proper history and performing a physical exam. Clearing the spine allows the patient to get up, walk out, and avoid an unnecessary litter evacuation.
This is the story about what powers the engine of life. In order to survive from second-to-second, minute-to-minute, and carry out the daily activities of life, you have to have energy, and you have to be able to extract that energy from the world around you. For most of life (with the exception of the creatures that live in the deep oceans next to the thermal vents) that energy ultimately comes from the sun, and that is where the story begins.
Facial Trauma
/in Face, Head/by WMN EditorsIt is a beautiful, bright, summer day, with a gentle breeze, just cool enough to be comfortable while hiking up a steep mountain trail. Your group is well above tree line, and even though it is mid summer, there are still remnants of the past winter’s snow along the trail. In a steep ravine, this stretch of trail switchbacks across the headwall for about 1000 feet. Several hundred feet from the top of the ravine, a large patch of deep snow stretches across the trail. Suddenly, one of your fellow hikers slips in the snow and rapidly slides off the trail. After continuing to slide for 20 feet, she falls off a six-foot drop and lands on another patch of snow that also slopes downhill. Her slide continues down the snow, which also ends abruptly. She then drops another ten feet down onto a flat area in a small gully. She lands on her face and chest, hitting her face on a baseball-sized rock.
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Waterborne Diseases and Water Purification
/in Disease, Hydration, Infection, Parasites, prevention, Schistosomiasis, Survival, Travel Medicine, Water disinfection/by WMN EditorsJuly/August 2008 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 21 Number 4
As has been mentioned several times in previous articles, waterborne diseases are some of the most common diseases known to man. Spread primarily via the oral-fecal route when a pathogen in human or animal waste contaminates the drinking water supply, the disease-causing pathogen is then transmitted to people when they drink the water, consume food that was washed in the contaminated water or handled by dirty hands that prepared their food, or by washing their hands in the contaminated water.
The exceptions to this mode of transmission are Schistosomiasis and Naegleriasis. A common parasitic disease, Schistosomiasis is contracted by swimming in contaminated water instead of drinking it. Once the parasite is on your skin, it will make its way into your body by burrowing through your skin—in the process causing a rash known as swimmer’s itch or duck itch.
Read more
Hot Spots
/in Blisters, prevention/by WMN EditorsJuly/August 2008 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 21 Number 4
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Pain Control
/in NSAIDs, Pain control/by WMN EditorsJuly/August 2008 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 21 Number 4
PAIN CONTROL
Pain in and of itself is not life threatening, but it can be a distraction to patient care. One of the primary goals of providing patient care is to treat the underlying injuries; to control bleeding, minimize swelling, and protect the injury—and thus, to minimize pain.
Read more
Spinal Cord Injury Management
/in Musculoskeletal, Patient Assessment, Spine/by WMN EditorsJuly/August 2008 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 21 Number 4
SPINAL CORD INJURY MANAGEMENT
It is equally important in the wild environment for rescue personnel and responders not only to be able to recognize a possible back injury based on MOI, but to be able to rule it out (to “clear the spine”) by a taking a proper history and performing a physical exam. Clearing the spine allows the patient to get up, walk out, and avoid an unnecessary litter evacuation.
Read more
Diabetes
/in Diabetes/by WMN EditorsThis is the story about what powers the engine of life. In order to survive from second-to-second, minute-to-minute, and carry out the daily activities of life, you have to have energy, and you have to be able to extract that energy from the world around you. For most of life (with the exception of the creatures that live in the deep oceans next to the thermal vents) that energy ultimately comes from the sun, and that is where the story begins.
ISSN-1059-6518
Read more