spectr17
10-16-2001, 08:57 AM
Healing the wounds of war
By George Hulsey, Transcript Outdoor Editor.
October 07, 2001
On 11 September being an American ceased being a spectator sport. Any lingering innocence I may have enjoyed was snuffed out. The naive thought “it could never happen in America” was doomed forever. Any notion that my membership in a privileged nation that brought protection was dashed. My children and grandchildren would become targets, the potential prey, of fundamentalist fanatics.
After days of shock, sadness, thought and prayer, I come to a least one positive of individual action. What I recommend to you can bring a sense of security and comfort in a frightening time. It offers each of us the opportunity to bring comfort to family, friends and even an unfortunate stranger. It can give you the skills to save a life.
As an outdoorsman and a physician, I have taught wilderness medicine. This rendering care with less than might be ideal. Every American should know basic first aid and survival skills.
Disaster, natural or man made may mean professional medical care may be out of reach. If the telephones are out it is hard to dial 911.
These skills are especially important for the outdoorsman who is often in remote areas. We have long taught our kids to carry a whistle, snack and space blanket in their day pack. If lost they were to hug a tree, stay put and blow the whistle until help comes.
Gaining first aid and survival skills can be a family affair. A child should be trained to clean and dress minor wounds. CPR can save a life in event of drowning or lightning strike The Heimlich maneuver can be life saving for someone choking on a chunk of meat.
Stanching bleeding and splints arms and legs are things that may be timely skills in the twenty-first century. Knowing the basics of attending the birth of a baby is a true blessing, especially if you are the only one around.
How do you treat an eye injury or bandage a burn? Learning the techniques for transpiration of a fallen friend may proven further damage particularly with injuries to neck or spine.
The skills that are needed are a combination of CPR for both adults and children, first aid and wilderness medicine. The latter is the medical skills of making do with less than might be desired.
Where do you learn these skills? Though certain skills can be learned from a book or on line, many skills are best learned in a hands on class. Check out the Red Cross, your local hospital, and regional technology centers.
Often instructors can come to your school, church, business, and even your sportsman club.
Start simply. A basic first aid and CPR class may take four to nine hours. Make this a family affair. If you are the one struck down it is your comrades who is tasked with saving you.
These classes would be great group activities for scouts, 4-H, and even church groups. Though hands-on training is best some of these practices could be taught on cable TV.
Next, you might consider first responder training. This might be a reasonable goal for any adult. It takes forty hours.
The ultimate training for the committed would be the EMT-B program. A minimum of 110 hours or about a semester is required. This instruction takes considerable commitment but expands the skills to deal with wide range of problem that you can deal with comfortably.
Without getting to gas mask and millennium style survivalism there is some basic “wilderness” skills we should all know. How do you receive communications when the cable is out? How do you get safe drinking water when the tap is dry? And how do you open a can of food when the electric can opener is out of juice?
Now let’s get specific about one book that is a must buy and a bargain to boot. Go to the Wilderness Medical Society web site http://www.wms.org or call 800-243-0495 and order the Practice Guidelines for Wilderness Emergency Care. Cost is $13.
A book that I have used for years in wilderness medicine classed is the orange book. Emergency Care Transportation of the Sick and Injured. This is the manual used to train EMT-B. It cost about $60 but it is worth it, order it from www.emtb.com (http://www.emtb.com) or 800-71-orange.
To be prepared for the times a certain amount of mental and spiritual toughness is essential. Depending on your beliefs visit your minister, priest, rabbi or mullah and ask for suggestions that will increase your spiritual fitness. Starting the day with prayer and mediation seem to help in good time and bad.
George Hulsey, M.D., is a Norman physician and serves as Transcript outdoor editor. He can be reached at geohulsey@aol.com
By George Hulsey, Transcript Outdoor Editor.
October 07, 2001
On 11 September being an American ceased being a spectator sport. Any lingering innocence I may have enjoyed was snuffed out. The naive thought “it could never happen in America” was doomed forever. Any notion that my membership in a privileged nation that brought protection was dashed. My children and grandchildren would become targets, the potential prey, of fundamentalist fanatics.
After days of shock, sadness, thought and prayer, I come to a least one positive of individual action. What I recommend to you can bring a sense of security and comfort in a frightening time. It offers each of us the opportunity to bring comfort to family, friends and even an unfortunate stranger. It can give you the skills to save a life.
As an outdoorsman and a physician, I have taught wilderness medicine. This rendering care with less than might be ideal. Every American should know basic first aid and survival skills.
Disaster, natural or man made may mean professional medical care may be out of reach. If the telephones are out it is hard to dial 911.
These skills are especially important for the outdoorsman who is often in remote areas. We have long taught our kids to carry a whistle, snack and space blanket in their day pack. If lost they were to hug a tree, stay put and blow the whistle until help comes.
Gaining first aid and survival skills can be a family affair. A child should be trained to clean and dress minor wounds. CPR can save a life in event of drowning or lightning strike The Heimlich maneuver can be life saving for someone choking on a chunk of meat.
Stanching bleeding and splints arms and legs are things that may be timely skills in the twenty-first century. Knowing the basics of attending the birth of a baby is a true blessing, especially if you are the only one around.
How do you treat an eye injury or bandage a burn? Learning the techniques for transpiration of a fallen friend may proven further damage particularly with injuries to neck or spine.
The skills that are needed are a combination of CPR for both adults and children, first aid and wilderness medicine. The latter is the medical skills of making do with less than might be desired.
Where do you learn these skills? Though certain skills can be learned from a book or on line, many skills are best learned in a hands on class. Check out the Red Cross, your local hospital, and regional technology centers.
Often instructors can come to your school, church, business, and even your sportsman club.
Start simply. A basic first aid and CPR class may take four to nine hours. Make this a family affair. If you are the one struck down it is your comrades who is tasked with saving you.
These classes would be great group activities for scouts, 4-H, and even church groups. Though hands-on training is best some of these practices could be taught on cable TV.
Next, you might consider first responder training. This might be a reasonable goal for any adult. It takes forty hours.
The ultimate training for the committed would be the EMT-B program. A minimum of 110 hours or about a semester is required. This instruction takes considerable commitment but expands the skills to deal with wide range of problem that you can deal with comfortably.
Without getting to gas mask and millennium style survivalism there is some basic “wilderness” skills we should all know. How do you receive communications when the cable is out? How do you get safe drinking water when the tap is dry? And how do you open a can of food when the electric can opener is out of juice?
Now let’s get specific about one book that is a must buy and a bargain to boot. Go to the Wilderness Medical Society web site http://www.wms.org or call 800-243-0495 and order the Practice Guidelines for Wilderness Emergency Care. Cost is $13.
A book that I have used for years in wilderness medicine classed is the orange book. Emergency Care Transportation of the Sick and Injured. This is the manual used to train EMT-B. It cost about $60 but it is worth it, order it from www.emtb.com (http://www.emtb.com) or 800-71-orange.
To be prepared for the times a certain amount of mental and spiritual toughness is essential. Depending on your beliefs visit your minister, priest, rabbi or mullah and ask for suggestions that will increase your spiritual fitness. Starting the day with prayer and mediation seem to help in good time and bad.
George Hulsey, M.D., is a Norman physician and serves as Transcript outdoor editor. He can be reached at geohulsey@aol.com