Interesting FactsDEC 30, 2023

Person Asks “What Is A Random First Aid Or Survival Fact That You Know?”, 50 Folks Deliver

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In this day and age, survival in the traditional sense of the word is no longer a thing. Or, at the very least, its meaning has shifted from what hunter-gatherers considered it to mean to a less extreme version of getting by in the world.

But it is by no means gone as a concept. There is always a non-zero chance of any of us finding ourselves in situations that would require survival skills.

So, just to be safe, folks in this viral r/ask thread shared random first aid and survival facts.

#1

Person Asks “What Is A Random First Aid Or Survival Fact That You Know?”, 50 Folks Deliver

Had an elderly neighbor pass out in his yard last summer at the age of 96. Ran over while calling 911 and checked vitals, then ran back home after remembering from 30 years back in boyscouts that if someone is possibly heat strokin, stuff ice packs in their armpits and growing area. Paramedics said it probably saved his life and kept his heart from stopping. He was back home from the hospital 2 days later and back out mowing his lawn in 98 degree weather. He's a stubborn old man with a good heart

CantFeelMyLegs78, HS You

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260points

#2

Trust your instincts. Don’t worry about “looking dumb” or “offending” someone by crossing the street, not getting into a lift, doing something because others dare you and a whole lot of other things.

Baaastet, anait film

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241points

#3

if your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, or in a snowstorm, stay with the car. It is a shelter and easy to see from the air. Whereas people who walk off to get help end up lost or frozen, fall into ditches, get covered up by snow, etc.

Also, in an emergency situations, do not take shortcuts through unfamiliar territory. If you know a sure way to get somewhere, use that.

BaldBear_13, Gül Işık

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229points

Survival can mean a lot of things. Seriously, Wikipedia’s segment on survival alone suggests everything from survival of individuals, societies and civilizations as living organisms to physical, non-living things like engineering structures as well as concepts like legal interest holding, and political succession and even things like the soul and spirit.

#4

Honey is a natural anti-biotic and can be applied directly to a wound.

mrxexon, ROMAN ODINTSOV

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201points

#5

I went to medical school so I have a plethora of knowledge in this subject but here’s one thing that everyone EVERYONE gets wrong: you cannot shock someone who has no heart beat. That does not cause someone’s heart to start beating. Everything you learned on TV is a lie.

Aggressive-Scheme986

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201points

#6

this is pretty well known, but if you get stabbed/impaled by something, leave it in until you can get proper medical attention!

Jaderiss, Mikhail Nilov

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191points

This is besides side-concepts like reproductive success, i.e. survival of particular genes and even nominal terminology for a genre of film, video games, and other aspects of media entertainment.

So, you can imagine why the traditional concept of survival—as in a person just trying to stay alive—is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind.

#7

Keep away from idiots.

Altruistic-Pin8578, Monstera Production

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187points

#8

This isn't physical first aid, but if you experience a traumatic event, play Tetris as soon as possible. It helps to block the formation of memories that can lead to post-traumatic symptoms and flashbacks.

dangerousfeather, cottonbro studio

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175points

#9

People have been found dead of dehydration with drinking water on them. If you end up lost or stranded don’t try to ration water yourself to make it last longer, your body is best at utilizing whatever reserves it has. Dehydration symptoms can come on quickly and it may already be too late before you realize.

Carl_In_Charge, Ketut Subiyanto

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164points

In an article by StudyFinds, it says that the average American thinks they can survive in the wilderness for roughly 16 days. This, however, seems very questionable because only 17% of folks are very confident about their ability to start a fire, let alone identify edible plants and berries (14%).

#10

When encountering bears, remember this:

Brown = lay down (play dead)

Black = fight back

White = goodnight (you're f****d no matter what)

souleaterevans626, Gregory Rogers

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163points

#11

pine tree sap is highly flammable, and a ripped shirt soaked in it and wrapped around a pole is a fantastic torch

EmployeeRadiant, Osman Arabacı

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161points

#12

Take a first aid class. They're inexpensive and could help you save a life.

spalted_maple_syrup

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149points

The upside of this is that nearly 2 of 3 people experienced a newfound appreciation for the great outdoors because of the pandemic. Nearly 80% of them started thinking more critically about their eco-friendliness with another near 80-percentile claiming that this appreciation also boosted their willingness to take more action about said eco-friendliness.

#13

If you are bitten by a cat and it breaks skin, it is advised to go to urgent care immediately. This is not because of rabies but rather the nasty bacteria in a cat's mouth. Cats' teeth are so sharp and small that it is essentially taking a hypodermic needle of bacteria and injecting you. The puncture wound is usually so small that the skin heals very quickly and the bacteria in deeply, making it hard to clean properly. These bites more often than not result in nasty fast-spreading infections.

Getting bitten in the hand or finger are the worst spots.

Look for red streaks.

Luckily, oral antibiotics that are started on right away usually clear the infection...but sometimes you will need IV antibiotics.

The oddly cool thing, and I can speak from experience, when you get IV antibiotics for this kind of bite you can basically start feeling the infection stop spreading and your swollen wound site beginning to shrink. It was like instant relief. My cat bit me (by mistake, he was trying to bite a brush). I didn't think anything of it. The next day the infection was spreading up my arm and my finger looked like a cocktail sausage. The ER doc said I could have lost my hand if I waited just a little bit longer to go somewhere.

AcidCatfish___, Büşranur Aydın

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147points

#14

I know lots of them, but my favorite?

Doritos. You can light then on fire and they burn a long time. They make great fire tender.

Wolfman01a

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145points

#15

If you have to do chest compressions, do them to the beat of (ironically) Another One Bites the Dust at 114 bpm. Also, if you ain’t breaking ribs you ain’t doing any good.

PoliteCanadian2, Raven Domingo

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144points

Journalist and author Beth Winegarner discussed the idea of survival within the context of modern-day society.

A book that she read, but did not disclose, on survival essentially claims that today’s individual is generally not equipped with the skills needed in order to survive, say, a climate change driven apocalypse.

#16

If you feel like you are going to throw up, get an alcohol swab or a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol on it and breath in the fumes. It takes away the need to hurl long enough to get some Gravol on board, or at least to get to a bathroom. 17 years as a nurse. Still use this trick all the time. Have seen it stop people from throwing up mid hurl(but it’s not long lasting and you don’t want to be breathing and alcohol fumes for hours so it’s just a temporary fix).

Joygernaut, Lara Jameson

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132points

#17

Super glue can be a band aid in desperation

Beneficial-Guest2105, Andrew Gustar

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128points

#18

Cobwebs contain coagulants. You can use cobwebs to stop a wound from bleeding

Spirited-Law7316, NastyaSensei

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128points

According to the book, the skills needed to survive include building structures, hunting and foraging, cooking food, and making as well as repairing clothing, among other things. Now, it would spell trouble in cases when the person is alone or, even worse, becomes ill or injured. However, if things do become so dire, i.e. there’s an apocalypse, being alone was never a long-term strategy.

#19

Don't trust air pockets. Like you swim underwater and then pop out on the other side in a small cave with air. There's no way for new oxygen to get in there so it could just be full of basically poison. The oxygen may have already been used up leaving only something bad for you

Story of some kids who swam just 15 feet to reach one. But there wasnt enough air left inside the pocket for them to get a good enough breath to swim back out. All four drowned

AccurateMeet1407

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124points

#20

The needles from a white pine tree are very high in vit A and C, and you can make tea out of it if you're at risk of a vitamin deficiency

Eureka05, Erik Mclean

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119points

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