10/16/2018 / By Rhonda Johansson
Time for a healthy serving of the truth: Many of the survival tips you know are completely inaccurate. Unfortunately, these aren’t your standard myths that are fun to debunk; misconceptions about survival could literally get you killed.
We’ve listed some of the most dangerous common survival myths below. (h/t to BackdoorSurvival.com)
We do not share the same digestive system as animals and birds, so please be careful what you put in your mouth. This is especially true of berries. Pokeweed berries, for example, are extremely poisonous for humans (unless they are cooked and prepared properly) but are completely benign for birds.
Follow these steps to determine if a wild berry is edible:
If you get bitten by a snake, do NOT suck the wound. This just spreads bacteria from your mouth into the wound. Try not to move around and immediately seek medical attention. It helps to know what kind of snake bit you so that the hospital will know what type of antivenom you need.
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If you find yourself out in the wild, Red Cross guidelines state that you should apply a pressure immobilization bandage to the area. Do NOT cut off blood flow, or apply a tourniquet as this makes the venom stay in one place. This can make the area swell and lead to amputation. However, you need to keep the venom contained in one area.
Urine is waste. Your body expels urine as a means of cleansing itself. It makes no sense to re-ingest it. Drinking urine can actually dehydrate you.
If your skin is frostbitten, it is already severely damaged. At this point, rubbing will only worsen symptoms. What you should do instead is raise the frostbitten area to minimize swelling and immediately attempt to go to a warm area. Cover the area with a dry, sterile bandage.
Do not consume alcohol as a means of warming yourself up. It can make you feel warmer, but alcohol actually lowers your core body temperature. Drinking alcohol increases your chances of dying from hypothermia and exposure.
In general, playing dead is not a good strategy and only works on certain types of bears. If a bear approaches you or is charging at you, stand your ground, make noise, and make yourself look big but spreading your arms or jacket. Sure, this is frightening but if the bear is intent to kill you, it probably will.
By running, you activate its predator instinct. Remember that bears are excellent tree climbers as well.
As preppers, it is critically important that you are able to separate fact from fiction. Do not depend on Hollywood movies as sources of reliable information. Remember to stay realistic about the many situations you may find yourself in and be smart – always. Your life will depend on it!
Read more survival tips at Preparedness.news.
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Tagged Under: chaos, debunked myths, Myths, off the grid, preparedness, prepping, survival, survival myths
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