People who didn’t live through the 80’s and 90’s probably look back and say “how did they ever survive”. Kids drank from garden hoses, we played cowboys and Indians, and when you needed to learn about something, you went to what was called a library and read a book.
These days because of YouTube University and Social Media you can “learn” just about anything. While it’s great that the answer to almost any question is right at our finger tips (don’t believe me? Google it) it’s our responsibility to make sure we are getting the correct answer.
In the 90’s “going viral” meant something totally different than it does today. Today anything can go viral on social media, and how true it is becomes an afterthought. As the saying often attributed to Nazi Joseph Goebbels goes “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”.
While Goebbels was talking about propaganda, the same holds true on a smaller level when people are passing on information that they just learned. It’s much easier to hit the share button and move on, than it is to do a little research on that topic.
SPP260 Medical Prepping Myths Part 1
This week in the show Lisa and I have Kevin Reiter on with us going over some medical myths that have made their way throughout the preparedness community. We had such a great conversation that we had to split the show into 2 parts.
This week we go over 7 medical myths, and next week we cover the final 9 we had on our lists. Actually, Kevin had quite a few more, so we may have him on in the future to finish things off.
Snake Bite Myths
It seems that there are more snake bite myths that I thought there were. So many in fact, that we forgot about a couple, and talked about them in part 2 of the podcast. This week we went over why you shouldn’t suck the venom out if someone is bitten, why using a tourniquet is a bad idea, and what to do if you are bit.
Should You Pop That Blister?
Lisa talked about why it’s important to keep a blister intact to prevent possible infection. While this is true, it’s easier said than done to keep a blister from popping. The reason behind this is that the “roof” of a blister is a barrier from outside contaminants.
Silvasorb VS Triple Antibiotics
Anyone who has listened to our show has probably heard Lisa talk about why we shouldn’t rely on triple antibiotics. The main reason is the overuse of antibiotics, and because it is so widely used it’s becoming ineffective. In the show She talked about how Silvasorb works. Silvasorb is a little expensive, and Lisa also mentioned how the lower cost silver jels work just fine.
Dead Bodies & Disease
When we think about large scale disaster we think about disease and sanitation. The truth is, a living body is more dangerous than a dead body. The issues arise when that dead body is allowed to decompose, bringing in pests and other microorganisms. As Selco mentioned in this podcast, he was more worried about the people that were still alive.
Do You Urinate on a Jelly Fish Sting?
It came as a surprise to me that this is actually NOT a myth. Kevin talked about how when he was a dive instructor they carried vinegar with them, because the acidity neutralizes the jellyfish sting. While this isn’t a large concern for me because I live in the middle of the U.S., it’s good info for people living on the coast.
Putting Heat on an Injury
Applying heat to an injury such as a sprains and fractures is never a good idea. Applying heat will increase the swelling. We also talked about the myth that you should alternate hot and cold. Ti me this is like drinking coffee, and then taking a sleeping pill because you can’t sleep.
When is Suturing a Good Idea?
This one is not so much a myth, but some bad advice going around the internet for suturing in a SHTF scenario. While there is a time and place for suturing, most of the time it is unnecessary. Suturing is usually done in sterile environments, and quite often for cosmetic reasons.
Suturing should only be done to a fresh clean wound because closing up a wound means you are sealing in the good and the bad. There are several options to suturing, one of which is Steri-Strips.
Coming Up Next Week…
Next week we have 9 more medical myths making their way around the preparedness community such as tampons for a bullet wound and drinking your own urine, and eating snow. If you want to get an email update every time we put out a new podcast, just put your best email in the sidebar on the right.
2 replies to "Medical Prepping Myths Part 1"
Thanks for adding this issue as I am the designated doctor/ nurse in our partnership!
Hi Dale, first let me say that you have a great show going on, I listen to all episodes and enjoy them a lot. This one puzzled me though. Although I do not question the skills of Kevin, I was a bit disappointed that many answers and advise stopped with “call 911”. It seemed to me like as if he didn’t know that this was a podcast for survival and prepping, and it got a bit out of context. While calling 911 is a good idea if a response can be expected, I would have loved to hear his opinion what do do when there is no 911 to call. Also, I was a little disappointed with the suturing advise.The podcast basically says “never do it” because you should not seal a wound, and then recommend steristrips, which also seals the wound. I would have loved to hear some basic ways to make sure the wound is clean enough for suturing, outside a hospital. They did it in the world wars and they did it in the wild west. The success may have been low, but there should be a way to do it today that are at least plausible in a shtf situation. Maybe I can wish for a future revisit to the topic of shtf suture? Apart from that, this was one of the best episodes so far. Keep up the good work. And best wishes from Sweden.