MAINTAIN YOUR HEALTH
To survive, you need water and food and your health.
You must also have and apply high
personal hygiene standards. If you don't take care of your body you may
not make it back out to civilization, that is if you want to..
Your body loses water through normal body processes (sweating,
urinating, and defecating). During average daily exertion when the
atmospheric temperature is 20 degrees Celsius (C) (68 degrees
Fahrenheit), the average adult loses and therefore requires 2 to 3
liters of water daily. Other factors, such as heat exposure, cold
exposure, intense activity, high altitude, burns, or illness, can cause
your body to lose more water. You must replace this water.
Dehydration results from inadequate replacement of lost body fluids.
It decreases your efficiency and, if injured, increases your
susceptibility to severe shock. Consider the following results of body
fluid loss:
- A 5 percent loss of body fluids results in thirst, irritability,
nausea, and weakness.
- A 10 percent loss results in dizziness, headache, inability to
walk, and a tingling sensation in the limbs.
- A 15 percent loss results in dim vision, painful urination,
swollen tongue, deafness, and a numb feeling in the skin.
- A loss greater than 15 percent of body fluids may result in death.
The most common signs and symptoms of dehydration
are:
- If you pinch the skin (with your finger tips not
finger nails) and it stays white for more than a
couple of seconds after releasing.
- Dark urine with a very strong odor.
- Low urine output.
- Dark, sunken eyes.
- Fatigue.
- Emotional instability.
- Loss of skin elasticity.
- Delayed capillary refill in fingernail beds.
- Trench line down center of tongue.
- Thirst. Last on the list because you are already 2 percent
dehydrated by the time you crave fluids.
You replace the water as you lose it. Trying to make up a deficit is
difficult in a survival situation, and thirst is not a sign of how much
water you need.
Most people cannot comfortably drink more than 1 liter of water at a
time. So, even when not thirsty, drink small amounts of water at regular
intervals each hour to prevent dehydration.
If you are under physical and mental stress or subject to severe
conditions, increase your water intake. Drink enough liquids to maintain
a urine output of at least 0.5 liter every 24 hours.
In any situation where food intake is low, drink 6 to 8 liters of
water per day. In an extreme climate, especially an arid one, the
average person can lose 2.5 to 3.5 liters of water per hour. In
this type of climate, you should drink 14 to 30 liters of water per day.
With the loss of water there is also a loss of electrolytes (body
salts). The average diet can usually keep up with these losses but in an
extreme situation or illness, additional sources need to be provided. A
mixture of 0.25 teaspoon of salt to 1 liter of water will provide a
concentration that the body tissues can readily absorb.
Of all the physical problems encountered in a survival situation, the
loss of water is the most preventable. The following are basic
guidelines for the prevention of dehydration:
- Always drink water when eating.
Water is used and consumed as
a part of the digestion process and can lead to dehydration.
- Acclimatize.
The body performs more efficiently in extreme
conditions when acclimatized.
- Conserve sweat not water.
Limit sweat-producing activities but
drink water.
- Ration water.
Until you find a suitable source, ration your
water sensibly. A daily intake of 500 cubic centimeter (0.5 liter) of
a sugar-water mixture (2 teaspoons per liter) will suffice to prevent
severe dehydration for at least a week, provided you keep water losses
to a minimum by limiting activity and heat gain or loss.
You can estimate fluid loss by several means. A standard field
dressing holds about 0.25 liter (one-fourth canteen) of blood. A soaked
T-shirt holds 0.5 to 0.75 liter.
You can also use the pulse and breathing rate to estimate fluid loss.
Use the following as a guide:
- With a 0.75 liter loss the wrist pulse rate will be under 100
beats per minute and the breathing rate 12 to 20 breaths per minute.
- With a 0.75 to 1.5 liter loss the pulse rate will be 100 to 120
beats per minute and 20 to 30 breaths per minute.
- With a 1.5 to 2 liter loss the pulse rate will be 120 to 140 beats
per minute and 30 to 40 breaths per minute. Vital signs above these
rates require more advanced care.
To see more pages in this site regarding dehydration
and how it pertains to particular activities follow these
links and when you close out you will return here to continue
exploring what we have on this subject: Hiking
- Caving
Canyoneering
- Stranded
in a desert - Mountain
Climbing - Rock
climbing - Survival
skills - general
ailments of the active person - Giardia
Although you can live several weeks without food, you need an
adequate amount to stay healthy. Without food your mental and physical
capabilities will deteriorate rapidly, and you will become weak. Food
replenishes the substances that your body burns and provides energy. It
provides vitamins, minerals, salts, and other elements essential to good
health. Possibly more important, it helps morale.
The two basic sources of food are plants and animals (including
fish). In varying degrees both provide the calories, carbohydrates,
fats, and proteins needed for normal daily body functions.
Calories are a measure of heat and potential energy. The average
person needs 2,000 calories per day to function at a minimum level. An
adequate amount of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins without an adequate
caloric intake will lead to starvation and cannibalism of the body's own
tissue for energy.
Vegetative
These foods provide carbohydrates--the main source of energy. Many
plants provide enough protein to keep the body at normal efficiency.
Although plants may not provide a balanced diet, they will sustain you
even in the arctic, where meat's heat-producing qualities are normally
essential. Many plant foods such as nuts and seeds will give you enough
protein and oils for normal efficiency. Roots, green vegetables, and
plant food containing natural sugar will provide calories and
carbohydrates that give the body natural energy.
The food value of plants becomes more and more important if you are in an area where wildlife is
scarce:
- You can dry plants by wind, air, sun, or fire. This retards
spoilage so that you can store or carry the plant food with you to
use when needed.
- You can obtain plants more easily and more quietly than meat. This
is extremely important when the enemy is near.
Meat
Meat is more nourishing than plant food. In fact, it may even be more
readily available in some places. However, to get meat, you need to know
the habits of, and how to capture, the various wildlife.
To satisfy your immediate food needs, first seek the more abundant
and more easily obtained wildlife, such as insects, crustaceans,
mollusks, fish, and reptiles. These can satisfy your immediate hunger
while you are preparing traps and snares for larger game.
Personal Hygiene
In any situation, cleanliness is an important factor in preventing
infection and disease. It becomes even more important in a survival
situation. Poor hygiene can reduce your chances of survival.
A daily shower with hot water and soap is ideal, but you can stay
clean without this luxury. Use a cloth and soapy water to wash yourself.
Pay special attention to the feet, armpits, crotch, hands, and hair as
these are prime areas for infestation and infection. If water is scarce,
take an "air" bath. Remove as much of your clothing as
practical and expose your body to the sun and air for at least 1 hour.
Be careful not to sunburn.
If you don't have soap, use ashes or sand, or make soap from animal
fat and wood ashes, if your situation allows. To make soap:
- Extract grease from animal fat by cutting the fat into small
pieces and cooking them in a pot.
- Add enough water to the pot to keep the fat from sticking as it
cooks.
- Cook the fat slowly, stirring frequently.
- After the fat is rendered, pour the grease into a container to
harden.
- Place ashes in a container with a spout near the bottom.
- Pour water over the ashes and collect the liquid that drips out of
the spout in a separate container. This liquid is the potash or lye.
Another way to get the lye is to pour the slurry (the mixture of
ashes and water) through a straining cloth.
- In a cooking pot, mix two parts grease to one part potash.
- Place this mixture over a fire and boil it until it thickens.
After the mixture--the soap--cools, you can use it in the
semi-liquid
state directly from the pot. You can also pour it into a pan, allow it
to harden, and cut it into bars for later use.
Keep Your Hands Clean
Germs on your hands can infect food and wounds. Wash your hands after
handling any material that is likely to carry germs, after visiting the
latrine, after caring for the sick, and before handling any food, food
utensils, or drinking water. Keep your fingernails closely trimmed and
clean, and keep your fingers out of your mouth.
Keep Your Hair Clean
Your hair can become a haven for bacteria or fleas, lice, and other
parasites. Keeping your hair clean, combed, and trimmed helps you avoid
this danger.
Keep Your Clothing Clean
Keep your clothing and bedding as clean as possible to reduce the
chance of skin infection as well as to decrease the danger of parasitic
infestation. Clean your outer clothing whenever it becomes soiled. Wear
clean underclothing and socks each day. If water is scarce,
"air" clean your clothing by shaking, airing, and sunning it
for 2 hours. If you are using a sleeping bag, turn it inside out after
each use, fluff it, and air it.
Keep Your Teeth Clean
Thoroughly clean your mouth and teeth with a toothbrush at least once
each day. If you don't have a toothbrush, make a chewing stick. Find a
twig about 20 centimeters long and 1 centimeter wide. Chew one end of
the stick to separate the fibers. Now brush your teeth thoroughly.
Another way is to wrap a clean strip of cloth around your fingers and
rub your teeth with it to wipe away food particles. You can also brush
your teeth with small amounts of sand, baking soda, salt, or soap. Then
rinse your mouth with water, salt water, or willow bark tea. Also,
flossing your teeth with string or fiber helps oral hygiene.
If you have cavities, you can make temporary fillings by placing
candle wax, tobacco, aspirin, hot pepper, tooth paste or powder, or
portions of a ginger root into the cavity. Make sure you clean the
cavity by rinsing or picking the particles out of the cavity before
placing a filling in the cavity.
Take Care of Your Feet
To prevent serious foot problems, break in your shoes before wearing
them on any mission. Wash and massage your feet daily. Trim your
toenails straight across. Wear an insole and the proper size of dry
socks. Powder and check your feet daily for blisters.
If you get a small blister, do not open it. An intact blister is safe
from infection. Apply a padding material around the blister to relieve
pressure and reduce friction. If the blister bursts, treat it as an open
wound. Clean and dress it daily and pad around it. Leave large blisters
intact. To avoid having the blister burst or tear under pressure and
cause a painful and open sore, do the following:
- Obtain a sewing-type needle and a clean or sterilized thread.
- Run the needle and thread through the blister after cleaning the
blister.
- Detach the needle and leave both ends of the thread hanging out of
the blister. The thread will absorb the liquid inside. This reduces
the size of the hole and ensures that the hole does not close up.
- Pad around the blister.
Get Sufficient Rest
You need a certain amount of rest to keep going. Plan for regular
rest periods of at least 10 minutes per hour during your daily
activities. Learn to make yourself comfortable under less than ideal
conditions. A change from mental to physical activity or vice versa can
be refreshing when time or situation does not permit total relaxation.
Keep Camp Site Clean
Do not soil the ground in the camp site area with urine or feces. Use
latrines, if available. When latrines are not available, dig "cat
holes" and cover the waste. Collect drinking water upstream from
the camp site. Purify all water.
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