Most common wilderness first aid advice is myth which can be deadly or at best, severely debilitating. In time for the upcoming big game hunting season, the Gazette is happy to dispel some of the more dangerous wilderness first aid myths.

TOURNIQUETS: It can be fatal to use a tourniquet to stop serious bleeding. Unless you've cut an artery, eventually all bleeding stops. The problem is that it doesn't always stop soon enough to save your life. However, serious blood loss can frequently be stopped without using a tourniquet, which can crush blood vessels and tissue, cutting off all blood flow, and leading to the loss of a hand, arm, leg or foot due to loss of blood circulation. If you do use a tourniquet, the absolute maximum it should only be left on is 45 minutes.

When out in the wild, small bleeding wounds are best left to stop on their own. The reason being that bleeding is a form of cleansing of the wound, flushing out any infectious bacteria.

If the wound is larger, you should apply direct pressure to the wound site to encourage the blood flow to stop. Use any handy clean cloth for this purpose, such as a shirt, handkerchief, or towel. Cover the wound and press hard directly where the blood is flowing.

It also helps to elevate the wound above the heart to assist the in reducing blood pressure. This reduces the flow of blood to the wound. You should continue direct pressure and elevation until the wound stops bleeding, then clean it, dress it, and apply a bandage, but not tightly enough to act like a tourniquet.

HYPOTHERMIA: A common and favored myth is that a shot of booze will help to warm up a cold or hypothermic person. The truth is that alcohol will have the opposite effect. It causes blood vessels to dilate, which causes the familiar "warming" effect, but it actually increases heat lass from the skin. Alcohol also negatively affects your sense of judgment and interferes with coordination; conditions which can be deadly in a cold wilderness situation.

Hypothermia is a dangerous and complicated condition and the victim needs professional medical attention as soon as possible. Be careful handling a hypothermic person as violent or quick movements can cause sudden death as the heart is very weak when the body is cold.

Insulate the victim with any available covering (i.e., blankets, sleeping bag, additional clothing). Do not attempt to rewarm the victim with a roaring campfire, hot water, etc., nor should any attempt be made to give food or drink.

If the person is unconscious, do not raise their feet, which will cause blood from the legs to flow into the body "core" and further depress the body temperature. As soon as possible seek assistance to evacuate the person to a place where they can receive immediate medical treatment.

FROSTBITE: There is a perpetual myth that you should rub snow on frostbitten body parts. This is similar to using gasoline to put out a fire. In truth, body parts which are frozen hard should be wrapped in any dry, insulating material, then evacuate the person immediately to a place where they can receive medical treatment. Don't waste time attempting to rewarming the victim.

Frozen parts which are still soft and somewhat pliable should be rewarmed gently with skin-to-skin contact. Do not use fires or rubbing as this will cause severe pain as thawing occurs rapidly. Once the body part is thawed, it should be carefully protected against refreezing. Do not try to "tough it out", but rather seek additional medical treatment to assure there is no permanent damage.

BURNS: It is another old and faithful myth that you should put butter on burns. The truth is that any type of oil is bad for a burn since the oil traps heat and adds to the burning process itself. The best burn treatment is plunging the offended part into cool water or wrap it in water-soaked cloth. The intent is to cool the burned area for several minutes (to remove any residual heat which will continue to burn the tissue). This is one time when it may be helpful to put the burned part into snow. After the wound is cooled, cover it with a sterile gauze dressing and, depending on the severity of the burn, seek medical assistance.

SPRAINS: The old myth is to soak a sprained part in warm water. The truth is that heat increases the swelling, adds to the pain and slows healing. The best way to treat a sprain is to apply cold (ice, cold packs, cold water, evaporation from a wet cloth, etc.), which slows the circulation and reduces swelling. The injured limb should be wrapped to provide some form of compression, then rested and elevated (to further reduce blood flow.) Continue the above treatment for about half an hour, then let the sprained part rewarm naturally before trying to use it. This treatment should be applied several times during the day for a couple of days if possible.