Diarrhea
Diarrhea is common in survival situations and is another minor sickness
that can become major.
There are two important things to understand about diarrhea. First,
diarrhea is your body’s way of ridding itself of an irritant. Let it run its
course for 6 to 12 hours. However, diarrhea can also rapidly lead to dehy
dration. Through it, you lose valuable water and electrolytes, which need
to be replenished.
The best way to replenish yourself is to drink some water, preferably
clean and purified. Drink small amounts frequently (which will help your
bowel absorb the fluid) rather than drinking a huge amount at one sitting
(which will overwhelm your stomach and trigger more diarrhea).
If you’re in a group, keep in mind that diarrhea can be embarrassing
for the person who has it, so try to create an environment of understand
ing and comfort. You might also designate a private place for that person
to go, to reduce awkwardness.
Charcoal is an effective remedy for diarrhea because it is highly
absorbent, and will absorb drugs and toxins from the gastrointestinal tract.
Grind a teaspoon of charcoal from your fire and mix it with water. Con
sume this a few times a day, as necessary.
If you have electrolyte replacement powders in your firstaid kit, they
will help replace the electrolytes lost through diarrhea. Loperamide is also
useful to have in your kit; it can plug you up in cases where the diarrhea
just won’t stop. I’d let the diarrhea run its course for at least a day before
resorting to loperamide.
Blisters
Blisters also rank high on the list of problems that start out minor but can
become major. The best way to treat blisters is to prevent them from hap
pening in the first place, by keeping your socks and feet dry and clean.
If you do develop a blister—particularly on your foot—do not punc
ture it or otherwise open it, as this makes it susceptible to infection. Rather,
apply some sort of padding to relieve pressure and reduce friction. Stay off
your feet as much as possible until the blister subsides. If you have a blister
that breaks open, treat it as an open wound.
Survival First Aid (^) | 315