Basic first aid information

First lesson in basic first aid information, know what your basic needs to survive are. Knowing what is essential to maintain health is vital in a survival situation.

Lesson number two; know how to treat each injury or illness.

Medical problems are the biggest problems that you will face in a survival situation. That is why basic first aid information is something that you should learn. Whether it is a small cut or a broken bone, you better know how to deal with the problem or things will go downhill fast. Even a small cut can get infected and create big problems.

A look at the basic needs to survive that are essential to maintain health.

You must have water and food to survive and high personal hygiene standards.

Water:
Your body loses water through normal body processes (sweating, defecating and urination). During your daily routine when the temperature is 68º F or 20ºC your body will lose 2-3 liter of water. There are other factors that contribute such as; heat and cold exposure, intense activity, burns and other things. All that water must be replaced.

Dehydration is a direct result of not replacing those lost fluids. It will decrease your efficiency and, if injured, your susceptibility to severe shock. Here are just a few examples:

Common signs and symptoms of dehydration:

One of the most important things in basic first aid information is knowing how to prevent some of the problems in the first place. Here are some things that you need to do to prevent dehydration.

You need to replace the fluid you lose as you lose it, not after dehydration starts setting in. It is very difficult to make up the difference when you are in a survival situation. Drink small amounts of water every hour to sustain the level of moisture in you body. If you are in a stressful situation then drink more. You should have a urine output of at least ½ liter every 24 hrs.

If you don't have a lot of food to eat then you need to drink 6-8 liters every day. In a dry climate you can lose 2 ½ to 3 ½ liter every hour. You will need to drink even more, anywhere from 8-12 ounces every hour. You need to be careful that you don't drink to much because if you drink more than 1 ½ quarts per hour then you can over-hydrate which can lead to death.

When you lose water you lose electrolytes (body salt). If you have something to eat that will usually be enough to keep up with those losses. If you don't have enough to eat then you need something to replace the lost salt. Salt tablets work well here.

Always drink water when you eat and conserve sweat, not water. Limit your activity to only what is necessary

You can tell how much water you have lost by how soaked you shirt is. A soaked t-shirt will hold ½ to ¾ liter of water.

Now some basic first aid information about food, the second thing that is essential to maintain health.

You can live a couple of weeks without food but your mental and physical capabilities will be reduced as time goes on. Food gives you energy and also provides vitamins, minerals, salts and other essentials to maintain health and it will boost your morale. The average person needs 2,000 calories per day to function at a minimum level. Be careful though, eating to many carbohydrates, fats and proteins without enough calories will cause the body to starve because it will use its own tissues for energy to burn those.

Food:
There are three main sources of food in a survival situation. Plants, animals and what you brought with you.

Wilderness survival tip:
Don't wait to try to catch some food until your own food runs out. Start catching or finding food immediately and use what you brought as a backup in case you don't catch any food. You don't know how long you are going to be out there.

Plants provide carbohydrates, your main source of energy. Many plants will provide enough protein to keep the body at normal operating levels. Many nuts and seeds give enough protein and oils to sustain normal levels. Roots, green vegetables and other plants that contain natural sugar will provide the calories and carbohydrates to give you natural energy.

Meats are more nourishing than plants since it is a more complete food source. However it is usually harder to come by. You need to know the habits of the animals in the area and how to capture them. The knowledge of how to use traps and snares is essential. Start with the small game first, insects, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, etc. while you set your traps and snares to catch the bigger game.

Personal Hygiene
The third and final thing on basic first aid information is personal hygiene. Having excellent personal hygiene reduces the risk of infections and disease. Try to take a bath in water every day, if there is no water take a air bath. Remove as much of your clothing as you feel comfortable with and expose your body to the sun and air for an hour. In either case pay close attention to the nooks and crannies such as your armpits, between the toes, hair, etc. The are the prime areas for infection and infestation.

You can scrub yourself with ashes or sand if you don't have soap. Or you can make you own soap out of animal fat and ashes.

Keeping your hands, feet, teeth, hair and clothing clean will lower the chances of infestation and infection. Wash your hands after handling anything that may carry germs, after urination and defecating and before eating. Wash you feet daily to lower the risk of infection and blisters. Breaking in your hiking boots before you go is essential. Wear dry socks if possible.

Brush your teeth once a day if possible. If you don't have a toothbrush you can use a twig and chew the end to separate the fibers. Makes a good toothbrush. Or use a strip of cloth around your fingers to rub off the food particles. Floss if possible.

Hair is a popular place for fleas, lice and other parasites. Wash it every day. Clean your clothing if it gets dirty. You can air clean it by shaking it, airing it out and sunning it for a couple of hours.

Doing all this will naturally lead to a clean campsite which is a vital component of personal hygiene. It will also lead to better rest. It is easier to sleep if you are clean and rest is key to surviving. You should be resting roughly 10 minutes of every hour that your are active. That may not always be possible but is essential to maintain health.

That is the basic first aid information that you need to know. All this will be broken down in the rest of this chapter and book. Practicing these methods and using this knowledge will make it much easier to survive in the wilderness.

Back to the top of Basic first aid information