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In this day and age, survival in the traditional sense of the word is no longer a thing. Or, at the very least, its meaning has shifted from what hunter-gatherers considered it to mean to a less extreme version of getting by in the world.
But it is by no means gone as a concept. There is always a non-zero chance of any of us finding ourselves in situations that would require survival skills.
So, just to be safe, folks in this viral r/ask thread shared random first aid and survival facts.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Had an elderly neighbor pass out in his yard last summer at the age of 96. Ran over while calling 911 and checked vitals, then ran back home after remembering from 30 years back in boyscouts that if someone is possibly heat strokin, stuff ice packs in their armpits and growing area. Paramedics said it probably saved his life and kept his heart from stopping. He was back home from the hospital 2 days later and back out mowing his lawn in 98 degree weather. He's a stubborn old man with a good heart
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#2
Trust your instincts. Don’t worry about “looking dumb” or “offending” someone by crossing the street, not getting into a lift, doing something because others dare you and a whole lot of other things.
Breadcrumb. 11 months ago
Trust your gut! If it says that person is a creep they likely are and you don't owe them s**t. To much is on the line babe, so get!
#3
if your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, or in a snowstorm, stay with the car. It is a shelter and easy to see from the air. Whereas people who walk off to get help end up lost or frozen, fall into ditches, get covered up by snow, etc.
Also, in an emergency situations, do not take shortcuts through unfamiliar territory. If you know a sure way to get somewhere, use that.
BK BigFish 11 months ago (edited)
Good advice. Google "Kim Family lost in Oregon." 1) They took a "shortcut" that ended up in dead-end logging trails, 2) the father got out of the car and tried to find help and died, 3) his wife and young daughter and baby (!) survived by staying in the car for nine days.
Survival can mean a lot of things. Seriously, Wikipedia’s segment on survival alone suggests everything from survival of individuals, societies and civilizations as living organisms to physical, non-living things like engineering structures as well as concepts like legal interest holding, and political succession and even things like the soul and spirit.
#4
Honey is a natural anti-biotic and can be applied directly to a wound.
DarkViolet 11 months ago
Manuka honey is medical-grade honey, used to support autolytic debridment for traumatic wounds. I presently have a leg injury that resulted in a hematoma. The honey is helping the wound to debride and drain. Much better than going to a wound clinic to have a nurse physically cut away the dead tissue.
#5
I went to medical school so I have a plethora of knowledge in this subject but here’s one thing that everyone EVERYONE gets wrong: you cannot shock someone who has no heart beat. That does not cause someone’s heart to start beating. Everything you learned on TV is a lie.
#6
this is pretty well known, but if you get stabbed/impaled by something, leave it in until you can get proper medical attention!
This is besides side-concepts like reproductive success, i.e. survival of particular genes and even nominal terminology for a genre of film, video games, and other aspects of media entertainment.
So, you can imagine why the traditional concept of survival—as in a person just trying to stay alive—is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind.
#7
Keep away from idiots.
Pieter LeGrande 11 months ago
They will drag you down to their level, and beat you with experience.
#8
This isn't physical first aid, but if you experience a traumatic event, play Tetris as soon as possible. It helps to block the formation of memories that can lead to post-traumatic symptoms and flashbacks.
#9
People have been found dead of dehydration with drinking water on them. If you end up lost or stranded don’t try to ration water yourself to make it last longer, your body is best at utilizing whatever reserves it has. Dehydration symptoms can come on quickly and it may already be too late before you realize.
In an article by StudyFinds, it says that the average American thinks they can survive in the wilderness for roughly 16 days. This, however, seems very questionable because only 17% of folks are very confident about their ability to start a fire, let alone identify edible plants and berries (14%).
#10
When encountering bears, remember this:
Brown = lay down (play dead)
Black = fight back
White = goodnight (you're f****d no matter what)
#11
pine tree sap is highly flammable, and a ripped shirt soaked in it and wrapped around a pole is a fantastic torch
#12
Take a first aid class. They're inexpensive and could help you save a life.
Louise Clarke 11 months ago
All parents and parents to be should know first aid and how to do CPR on infants and children
The upside of this is that nearly 2 of 3 people experienced a newfound appreciation for the great outdoors because of the pandemic. Nearly 80% of them started thinking more critically about their eco-friendliness with another near 80-percentile claiming that this appreciation also boosted their willingness to take more action about said eco-friendliness.
#13
If you are bitten by a cat and it breaks skin, it is advised to go to urgent care immediately. This is not because of rabies but rather the nasty bacteria in a cat's mouth. Cats' teeth are so sharp and small that it is essentially taking a hypodermic needle of bacteria and injecting you. The puncture wound is usually so small that the skin heals very quickly and the bacteria in deeply, making it hard to clean properly. These bites more often than not result in nasty fast-spreading infections.
Getting bitten in the hand or finger are the worst spots.
Look for red streaks.
Luckily, oral antibiotics that are started on right away usually clear the infection...but sometimes you will need IV antibiotics.
The oddly cool thing, and I can speak from experience, when you get IV antibiotics for this kind of bite you can basically start feeling the infection stop spreading and your swollen wound site beginning to shrink. It was like instant relief. My cat bit me (by mistake, he was trying to bite a brush). I didn't think anything of it. The next day the infection was spreading up my arm and my finger looked like a cocktail sausage. The ER doc said I could have lost my hand if I waited just a little bit longer to go somewhere.
Alpha_Snail 11 months ago
Same with humans, we have tons of bacteria in our mouths. If you get bit and it breaks skin then go to the doctor
#14
I know lots of them, but my favorite?
Doritos. You can light then on fire and they burn a long time. They make great fire tender.
#15
If you have to do chest compressions, do them to the beat of (ironically) Another One Bites the Dust at 114 bpm. Also, if you ain’t breaking ribs you ain’t doing any good.
Journalist and author Beth Winegarner discussed the idea of survival within the context of modern-day society.
A book that she read, but did not disclose, on survival essentially claims that today’s individual is generally not equipped with the skills needed in order to survive, say, a climate change driven apocalypse.
#16
If you feel like you are going to throw up, get an alcohol swab or a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol on it and breath in the fumes. It takes away the need to hurl long enough to get some Gravol on board, or at least to get to a bathroom. 17 years as a nurse. Still use this trick all the time. Have seen it stop people from throwing up mid hurl(but it’s not long lasting and you don’t want to be breathing and alcohol fumes for hours so it’s just a temporary fix).
LaserBrain 11 months ago
If your body is telling you that it wants to hurl, it's quite possible there's something in your stomach that needs to be gotten rid of. Give in to the urge...
#17
Super glue can be a band aid in desperation
Alison Hobbs 11 months ago
My face was glued following a dog attack 65 years ago. I have no scars.
#18
Cobwebs contain coagulants. You can use cobwebs to stop a wound from bleeding
According to the book, the skills needed to survive include building structures, hunting and foraging, cooking food, and making as well as repairing clothing, among other things. Now, it would spell trouble in cases when the person is alone or, even worse, becomes ill or injured. However, if things do become so dire, i.e. there’s an apocalypse, being alone was never a long-term strategy.
#19
Don't trust air pockets. Like you swim underwater and then pop out on the other side in a small cave with air. There's no way for new oxygen to get in there so it could just be full of basically poison. The oxygen may have already been used up leaving only something bad for you
Story of some kids who swam just 15 feet to reach one. But there wasnt enough air left inside the pocket for them to get a good enough breath to swim back out. All four drowned
Zander Porbanda 11 months ago
In some instances all that is left is the carbon dioxide expelled by previous breathers.
#20
The needles from a white pine tree are very high in vit A and C, and you can make tea out of it if you're at risk of a vitamin deficiency
Louise Clarke 11 months ago
That's how the Canadian natives fought scurvy during winter. It was also said that they saved new settlers by giving them white pine needle tea.
#21
If you vomit looks like coffee grounds, go to the hospital immediately because that means you're internally bleeding somewhere in your upper GI tract.
Being alone won’t be the case this time around—folks have historically formed communities, and so communities will continue to form, no matter the calamity. So, in that sense, you don’t need to know everything, just enough for everyone within your group of survivalists to be able to fill in the gaps with their YouTube tutorial experience.
#22
Not so much of a tip as dispelling a myth, but you definitely don't have to run zig zag away from an alligator or crocodile. Just run straight and fast.
#23
If you punch a bear in the nose. You can say you did something cool before you die.
#24
Before trying to administer first aid or CPR, the scene MUST be safe for you to do so.
Louise Clarke 11 months ago
No fire, no wire, no gas, no glass, no thugs, no drugs there are no dangers here. I was taught that in Highschool more than 15 years ago. It being in rhyme helped me remember.
Moreover, being disabled herself, Winegarner remembers how early in the pandemic, disabled and chronically ill folks showed an example through proper masking, socializing online and mutual aid. Besides that, disability activist Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha also put out a guide that essentially walked folks through storing two weeks of water, food, power and fuel, sanitation and medical supplies, among other things.
#25
Three of anything is a universal signal for SOS/Mayday.
Three rocks in a row. Three marks on a rock. Three sounds in succession.
Louise Clarke 11 months ago (edited)
...---... is SOS in Morse code Edit: correction thanks to Zaphod😊
#26
If someone is very dehydrated and vomiting, stop giving them water. They will just continue to vomit it up losing even more fluids. They need electrolytes fast.
#27
If you are about to get buried by an avalanche, put your hands over your mouth forming a little pocket in front. It gives you room to breath and also you can spit to find out which direction is up to start digging.
This in turn means that, if anything, most if not all disabled folks are more or less already ready for the apocalypse. Mayhaps even more than the average healthy person. Now, it won’t hurt to scroll through this list (especially if you’ve come this far and have already committed), so keep it up and internalize it.
#28
If you have asthma and without an inhaler nearby you can drink a strong cup of coffee to lessen the symptoms temporarily
Stephanie Did It 11 months ago
It may help some for a minor asthma attack, but don't bet your life on it. Source: I'm a severe asthmatic and have had too many ER visits, even with a rescue inhaler.
#29
You can tell the difference between a fracture and a sprain if the subject is nauseous when you apply pressure to the wound. Nausea is a symptom of a fracture
#30
Stay on designated trails/paths. There's a good reason they tell you to do that. 🐍
Stephanie Did It 11 months ago
Stephen King's novel, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, is an excellent tutorial on why.
So, don’t worry, in case of a calamity, just stay smart, get the basics down, and don’t forget that people are by nature social beings whose survival is mostly based on staying together.
Speaking of which, why don’t you also stay for the comment section and share some of your insights on survival down below!
#31
If you find yourself in a situation where you might drown; stop thrashing, control your breathing, lean back and use gentle movements, and try to float before making your next decision. Saw so many PSAs about it growing up
Deborah Clark 11 months ago
If you're panicking you're not breathing. If you’re not breathing you're not thinking. If you're not thinking you can’t solve the problem.
#32
Don't immediately offer water to burn victims until checked out by an EMT or authorized medical personnel. They could choke if their throat is swollen from breathing smoke.
Racing Tadpole 11 months ago
You'll hear wheezing If they have throat swelling.. water will help wash and cool the mouth and oesophagus
#33
If you sustain a serious (LIFE THREATENING) cut on your arms or legs and are bleeding heavily, tie a tourniquet tight above the wound (tourniquet should be closer to your body than the wound) and try to raise the injured limb above chest level to decrease the blood flow. The more quickly you lose blood the less likely you are to be able to take any further measures to ensure your safety. If you don't have a string, rope, belt to hand, use your shirt, pants, underwear, whatever you can effectively use to tie on your limb. In a life or death situation, it's better to be alive than "decent"
Scarlett O'Hara's Ghost 11 months ago
Be sure though. If a tourniquet is applied to stop bleeding, it will also stop blood flow to that part of the body below it. So if you don't get to a hospital very soon, it's likely you'll lose that part of your body. It's much better to lose an arm below the elbow than to die from blood loss, but that's the kind of emergency that requires a tourniquet. Life or death
#34
If your blood pressure drops use caffeine and salty snacks to help raise it to more normal levels
#36
I have used duct tape and electrical tape as a band aid. Just don't use carpet seam tape. I knew a carpet installer once that did that, and ended up with blood poisoning that almost killed him.
#37
Turmeric is really good to stop bleeding, and help a wound clot. It does stain but it's widely used in Asia aside from cooking, for medical purposes.
Louise Clarke 11 months ago
It's also very healthy to eat, and is being used as a natural food dye due to its brilliant golden yellow colour.
#38
Do not trust stagnant water in the wild if it's clear. The lack of life means it's likely poisoned.
#39
You can eat all parts of all warm blooded arctic animals except their liver, which contains a lethal amount of vitamin A.
#40
If you're choking and no one's around to give you a heimlich, fall on your stomach. It's the same principle and a lot easier to pull off than a self-heimlich.
Stephanie Did It 11 months ago
Leaning over a chair back, quick and hard against your diaphragm, can work and is way easier than falling on your stomach.
#41
Rubbing Vaseline or some type of lip balm up your nose can help with nose bleeds when in dry climates or high altitude.
Any time I travel out west I do this. I also do it basically when I turn on the heat in my house for the first time. I do it before bed and keep the practice up until I quit running the heat. It also helps me be less congested when I wake up. I use Blistex.
#42
If you find a plant with berries, purple are your best bet, white or yellow are not. Roughly 80% of purple berries are edible, 50/50 on red, only about 10-20% of yellow or white berries are edible.
#43
If somebody comes from behind and tries to strangle you, raise your hands high and twirl around
#44
Birch tree bark makes great fire starter.
ILoveMySon 11 months ago (edited)
If you have a roaring fire in a woodstove don't put in birch as it can cause a chimney fire. After telling my friend NOT to do this in mine, I had to call the fire department.
#45
You can do the heimlich on yourself using the back on a chair.
Thee8thsense 11 months ago
In my case, a wall did the trick. Shot a piece of raw carrot across the room.
#46
Stay low escaping a fire smoke will up so stay low and get out asap
TheDarkestRaven 11 months ago
‘Stay low when trying to escape a fire. Smoke rises up, so stay low and get out asap’ for my friends who would have as much trouble reading that as I did.
#47
If you cut off your finger put it in a baggy with milk not ice. Ice will kill your nerves milk will preserve it
TheDarkestRaven 11 months ago
Eh, not to be a Bluejay, but if I cut off a limb of my body, I’m going to scream bloody murder, not put it in a baggie with some milk.
#48
You can get limited water by placing a bag over a branches full of leaves but keep it closed around the branch. Then after a little while you accumulate a gulp of pure water. Also, dig a hole with a cup in the center and place a similar film/wrap over the hole with a rock over the cup on the plastic. it will fill the cup over time due to humidity. It will only prolong the inevitable, but it's something.
#49
If you're trying to keep a fire stoked or need to turn an ember into a fire, pinch your thumbs and pointer fingers together to create a diamond, press your lips against it and blow into the lower part of the fire or directly at the embers. This directed, powerful air will do wonders and keep you from wearing yourself out trying to get it going.
#50
Never ever eat a bear's liver. Their livers contain so much vitamin a that you will quickly and painfully die of poisoning.
In a similar vein, if you suspect you've just ingested Deadly Nightshade, you need to quickly drink about 1 liter of vinegar to give you enough time to make it to the hospital.
Stephanie Did It 11 months ago
OP is referring to the liver of polar bears. Seal livers have high levels of Vitamin A too, but polar bear livers have the highest level of any animal.
What do you think ?
The Problem With Censorship Is ******* 11 months ago
I hate threads like this, because there's always solid sounding advice, but the first comment is always (also solid sounding) counter-advice, and then I feel lost and stupid. I can only pray that I'll stay out of trouble...
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het 11 months ago
Don't worry, you are not stupid. The advice with some of these scenarios is totally impractical. For example, if you're in a situation where you might "accidentally " eat deadly nightshade, how likely are you to be able to quickly find a litre of vinegar? Also, as for the first aid advice, it is constantly being updated and revised, so it will often depend upon where and when you were taught it. Please don't be so hard on yourself. My advice would be to download a reputable first aid app. Personally, I have the British Red Cross app on my phone.
Load More Replies...
Lydsylou (she/her) 11 months ago
I have some: 1) if you are deep underwater and don't know which way is up then blow bubbles. Same with being buried by an avalanche you must dribble the spit will go down and the bubbles go up so you know which way is the surface. 2) if you need to start a fire and you have nothing else use a tampon they are highly flammable and it's so easy to light a fire with them.
Patty Panda 11 months ago
A good metal whistle like what sports officials use. Carry one with you whenever you are on trails. If you are lost, or if you fall and break your leg, for example, use the whistle. Should be hiking 101, IMO
Ace 11 months ago
Not sure why you want a metal one - plastic ones just as effective, lighter and much better for cold weather. Some mountaineering rucksacks have them built in to the chest strap fastener,
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The Problem With Censorship Is ******* 11 months ago
I hate threads like this, because there's always solid sounding advice, but the first comment is always (also solid sounding) counter-advice, and then I feel lost and stupid. I can only pray that I'll stay out of trouble...
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het 11 months ago
Don't worry, you are not stupid. The advice with some of these scenarios is totally impractical. For example, if you're in a situation where you might "accidentally " eat deadly nightshade, how likely are you to be able to quickly find a litre of vinegar? Also, as for the first aid advice, it is constantly being updated and revised, so it will often depend upon where and when you were taught it. Please don't be so hard on yourself. My advice would be to download a reputable first aid app. Personally, I have the British Red Cross app on my phone.
Load More Replies... Lydsylou (she/her) 11 months ago
I have some: 1) if you are deep underwater and don't know which way is up then blow bubbles. Same with being buried by an avalanche you must dribble the spit will go down and the bubbles go up so you know which way is the surface. 2) if you need to start a fire and you have nothing else use a tampon they are highly flammable and it's so easy to light a fire with them.
Patty Panda 11 months ago
A good metal whistle like what sports officials use. Carry one with you whenever you are on trails. If you are lost, or if you fall and break your leg, for example, use the whistle. Should be hiking 101, IMO
Ace 11 months ago
Not sure why you want a metal one - plastic ones just as effective, lighter and much better for cold weather. Some mountaineering rucksacks have them built in to the chest strap fastener,
Load More Replies...
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