Today, people have the opportunity to travel. Moreover, the popularity of extreme tours has increased. However, traveling to distant places, one should be concerned about safety. The tips that can be heard in various TV shows about survival not always prove to be really helpful. In this review, we will bust harmful survival myths.
Given that the post-apocalyptic theme has recently become a popular topic and that it is widely believed a nuclear disaster could happen at any moment, it is not surprising that people are more interested in the issue of survival. In fact, the most common survival myths are more likely to harm than help you.
1. It is necessary to immediately find food
A person can survive without food for a few weeks, relying on the fat reserves of the body. At this point, one surely can die from many other causes, including trauma, radiation exposure, poisoning or illnesses. In fact, people usually do not die from hunger in the situations where they need to survive.
2. One just needs 2 sticks to make a fire
It is incredibly difficult to make a fire in such a way, even if the conditions are favorable. It is best to immediately think about waterproof matches.
3. Watching TV shows about survival
It is interesting to watch such shows, but they are pretty much focused on a particular scenario. Although one can learn some useful tips, it is better not to rely on the show and not to trust what is shown there.
4. It is necessary to suck the poison from the wound after being bitten by a snake
Clinical tests, conducted by the researchers from Arizona State University, have shown that sucking poison causes more damage to the tissues surrounding the bite. Ice and tight bandaging can cause more harm than benefit. It is best to wash the affected area, cover it with a bandage and try to get to the hospital as quickly as possible.
5. You can get away from a bear
It is impossible. Even famous sprinter Usain Bolt would not be able to do it. It is impossible to imagine a situation in which one would manage to outrun a bear.
6. It is necessary to pretend to be dead when you encounter a bear
In fact, everything depends on the type of bear. If it is a grizzly, it is better to fall, cover the vital organs and pretend to be dead even if the bear attacks you directly. If it is a brown bear, such tricks are pointless. One should try to seem as large and threatening as possible, unbutton the coat, clap and stomp. In any case, you cannot look into the bear’s eyes.
7. The best way to stop a shark’s attack is to hit it in the nose
Although this method works, many do not even imagine how hard it is to hit the shark’s nose under the water during the attack. It is more likely that your hand will get immediately into the shark’s mouth. It is better to try and grab her gills or hit it in the eyes, which is easier to accomplish.
8. You need to immediately find water in the desert
It is better to sit in the shade and try not to sweat heavily during the day. If you want to move, it is better to do this during the night, when the temperature is cooler. Some people have died of thirst just after 4 hours of wandering through the desert under the hot sun, while others survived for two days, moving only at night.
9. It is necessary to drink urine to quench thirst
Although one can do this just once without any significant consequences, drinking urine leads to overheating of the body, so it will be necessary to choose between the two dangerous things. For more efficient use of the urine (without side effects), one needs to filter it through a cloth (at the same time, it will cool down).
10. You can drink from a cactus
It will most probably lead to unpleasant consequences. By analogy with the urine, the body will find it difficult to handle all the poisons that could potentially lead to a thermal shock. There is, however, a cactus from which you can drink without consequences – Ferocactus Vislizena.
11. No need to worry about survival during short trips
Always be prepared for unexpected situations. Even if a person is going on a one-day tourist trip to the desert, he/she should take a minimum survival kit.
12. A helicopter can rescue you from anywhere
In many cases this is not so. There are numerous places where helicopters simply cannot reach, especially in the mountains.
13. Boiling makes water 100% clean
Boiling only kills germs and bacteria. If there is dirt in the water, it must be filtered. Boiling will not help get rid of dirt. You can make a filter and pour the water through a cloth (for example, through a shirt) before you boil it.
14. Eating snow is a good way to fight dehydration
If you eat snow, the body will need a lot of valuable energy to heat it. It is better to first melt the snow and then drink the water.
15. Shelter means having a roof over your head
Most people think that the first thing to do is to construct some sort of a hut. According to survival experts, first of all you need to worry about what to lie on rather than about what is going on above your head. When it comes to making a shelter, you must first build bedding that will prevent the loss of valuable heat from the body into the ground and then bother about a roof.
16. If the body is pierced by a foreign object, you need to pull it out
This will only cause a more rapid loss of blood. Instead, you need to wrap something around the wounded area and seek help immediately.
17. You need to use a bandage in case of bleeding
Of course, a bandage can save your life, but it should be used only as the last resort because the chance of limb loss will be higher. In addition, once the bandage is applied, you should not remove it under any circumstances. This will lead to the renewed release of toxins back into the blood stream, which the body can fail to cope with. The bandage can only be removed in the hospital.
18. During an earthquake, you need to stand in the doorway
If the building is not old enough, it can cause death. In the past, the door frames were extremely strong, but in modern structures there is a much better place to hide: for example, under a sturdy table.
19. Eating plants is safe
In fact, it is not. If there is no time and opportunity to carry out the universal edibility test, there is a big chance that a person may swallow something poisonous. Furthermore, even if we find the plants that are not toxic, they are likely to contain few nutrients.
20. Moss grows only on the north side of trees
This is not true. In the northern hemisphere, it really often grows on the north side of the tree only because this side is less likely to get under direct sunlight and the environment is more humid. The sun is a much better factor to be guided by.
21. Alcohol retains heat
This myth is actually very dangerous. Alcohol just makes a person feel the heat, but it actually reduces the internal temperature of the body.
22. It is cold at the bottom of the valley, so you need to move to a higher point
While it is true that the temperature is a few degrees warmer on the slopes of the valley than on its bottom, it is worth remembering that the wind will blow on top of the hill. You need to consider all the circumstances.
23. If you are in a current, you need to swim parallel to the shore
While this is true for the currents that lead directly into the sea, not all currents behave this way. The basic rule is that you need to swim perpendicular to the current in the same direction as the wind blows.
24. A sudden unexpected situation
Survival situations usually do not occur suddenly. They are usually the result of a series of wrong decisions. For example, if a thunderstorm begins while fishing on the lake, it is necessary to get out of the water.
25. It is easy to survive if you know what to do
No! Survival situations are much less glamorous than they seem to be. It is not enough just to have some basic knowledge of what to do. It is much better to avoid such situations.
