Not-So-Wise Tales
If you think ringworms crawl or chewing poison ivy
prevents the itch, you're obviously a fan of medical
fiction.
By Buck Tilton, BACKPACKER Contributing Editor,
February 1998
Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill have been around more
campfires than perhaps any two men in history. Not in
a literal, flesh-and-blood sense, of course, but in
the form of tall tales that have fascinated young and
old alike for many a generation. Mind-stretching,
imaginary stuff with no harm done.
Tale-spinning isn't reserved solely for blue oxen or
cowboys who ride tornadoes, though. There are some
camp yarns that can harm-medical myths and
misconceptions spun from the spool of ignorance and
passed down, frayed ends and all, as backwoods gospel.
It's time to set the record straight.
The stinging truth: How many times have you heard that
the best way to remove a bee stinger and the attached
venom sac is to scrape the sting site, but don't
squeeze and pull? Too many times, I bet.
One thing is certain: You need to remove the stinger
as soon as possible since it continues to pump venom
into your body even after the bee has buzzed away.
Left in too long, the stinger can also cause
infection. As for the best method of removal, tests
have shown that scraping with a stiff object like a
fingernail or credit card may work in some cases, but
grabbing the stinger with your fingers works just as
well and won't make the injury worse.
Don't give the sun any lip: It surprises me how often
I hear this one: Gradually exposing your lips to
longer and longer periods of sun will make them
tougher and less likely to burn. It's usually uttered
by people who forgot to bring lip balm.
The truth of the matter is that when outdoors, you
must pucker up and smear on sunscreen. That's because
lips are not true skin. They're mucous membranes and
lack melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color
and provides a brief degree of natural sunscreening.
So actually, your lips will burn easier than your
skin. There's also the matter of lip cancer, so be
safe and wear a protective coating whenever you're
outside.
Itching to take vitamins: Some vitamin manufacturer
probably started telling folks that taking large doses
of vitamin B1 will protect you from mosquitoes. And
there's no harm in trying, but get ready to scratch.
Vitamin B1 (thiamin) is essential for your body to
metabolize carbohydrates and fats properly, and you
need only 1?2 milligram per 1,000 calories of food for
good nutrition. As for repelling mosquitoes, tests
were conducted on volunteers who took a whopping 200
milligrams of B1 three times per day and then were
exposed to hungry 'skeeters. They got just as many
bites as volunteers who didn't take supplemental
vitamin B1.
Pass the salt: Taking salt tablets during physical
exertion will help prevent and treat heat-related
problems like heat exhaustion.
How can a gastric irritant help you? That's what salt
tablets are and that's why they're not recommended for
human consumption, especially when you're hot and
thirsty. What you need to prevent and to treat
heat-related problems, of course, is water. Adding
salt to water, by the way, won't increase the rate
your body will absorb the fluid, although cold water
is absorbed faster than warm. Don't discount the value
of salt completely, however. A pinch (too little to
taste) added to a liter of water may help prevent and
treat heat cramps. The old maxim still holds: Clear
and copious urine indicates a well-hydrated hiker, and
one less prone to heat problems.
DEET way and dat: DEET-less bug repellents don't offer
much protection.
That one has a legion of true believers. DEET deserves
its reputation as the most effective insect repellent.
No argument there. But natural citronella-based
repellents in concentrations of 10 percent have been
shown to effectively repel insects for up to 2
hours-as long as 10 percent DEET products. More and
more people, especially those with young children, are
concerned about the potentially harmful side effects
of DEET, so if you're one of them, try one of the
natural products. Although other herbal products have
repelling qualities attributed to them, citronella is
thus far the most effective herbal product for
repelling mosquitoes approved by the Environmental
Protection Agency.
Ring around the worm: Did your mother ever tell you
that walking barefoot in summer increases the risk of
a ringworm burrowing into your skin? Mine did.
You can& contract certain skin conditions while going
shoeless. For instance, the fungus that causes
athlete's foot can be picked up from soil, typically
in warm, humid climates, although more often you get
it in public shower stalls.
As for "ringworm," that's the popular term for several
fungal infections caused by dermatophytes ("skin
plants"). The name ringworm comes from the fact that
the resulting inflammation is wavy, wormlike, and
sometimes circular. "Ringworm" of the foot is
athlete's foot; on the groin it's referred to as jock
itch; it can also show up on the scalp, the bearded
area in men, and basically anywhere there's skin. Most
cases are passed human-to-human or
furry-animal-to-human. Dermatophytes like it warm,
wet, and dark and are encouraged by poor skin hygiene,
skin chafed by tight clothing, and skin puffy from
long exposure to moisture. Over-the-counter antifungal
medications usually whip fungal infections into
submission.
There's the rub: Here's one that goes waaaaay back:
Eating small pieces of poison ivy leaves will give you
immunity to the plant and the nasty rash it causes.
About 400 years ago Captain John Smith noted that he'd
seen Indians chewing poison ivy leaves as protection
against the rash. Even if that were true, the agony of
such a practice would be worse than the typical
reaction. Today's guideline is simple: Avoid the
plant. Leaves of three, let it be.
There are several other poison ivy-related myths that
need debunking: 1) "Scratching open, watery blisters
will spread the rash." Contact with urushiol, the oily
sap of the plant, is the only thing that will cause a
skin reaction. To prevent a reaction, immediately wash
the area in question with cold water and soap. 2)
"Poison ivy isn't poisonous in the winter." Urushiol
is present throughout the plant, including the roots,
and remains active all year. 3) "The super-sensitive
need only stand downwind of the plant to suffer its
itchy wrath." Urushiol cannot be carried on the wind
but can be transported on particles in smoke if the
plant is burned. 4) "Urushiol flows inside the plant,
so the leaves or stem must be broken for it to leak
out and get on you." All you have to do is brush
against the leaves to come in contact with urushiol
and to have a reaction.
Leave me aloe: Aloe vera has no medicinal qualities.
True or false.
As far back as 1935, topical applications of aloe vera
taken directly from the plant's leaves were being
tested and found to enhance healing. In modern-day
research, abrasions treated with ointment containing
as little as 5 percent aloe vera healed two to three
times faster than those that weren't treated with
anything. Products with concentrations greater than 90
percent can rub out some bacteria, and the
moisturizing effect of aloe vera helps burned skin
feel better and heal. Aloe is a relatively hardy plant
that grows easily in homes. Its leaves can be broken
off, stored in a plastic bag and carried in your
first-aid kit. Or you can opt for an over-the-counter
product; look for one with an aloe concentration of at
least 90 percent.
Fit to be fried: To reduce your chances of heat
stroke, stay in top physical condition.
At first, this one sounds like it has merit, right?
But in reality, those in top condition are actually
more likely to suffer heat stroke. Sounds odd, I know,
but think about it. Your run-of-the-mill hiker gets
tired, starts to feel bad, stops and rests. Highly fit
hikers, on the other hand, have a tendency to push
harder and go past the point where their bodies can
adequately shed the heat being generated. The result
is usually an exertional heat stroke. Symptoms include
red, hot, wet skin (instead of dry skin) and
irrational behavior. Unless rapid cooling is
undertaken, as many as eight out of 10 heat stroke
patients die. Regardless of your fitness level,
prevent heat-related problems by staying well hydrated
and by maintaining a comfortable pace with regular
rest breaks.
Looks clean to me: Minor cuts and scratches can be
safely cleaned in any natural water source.
Don't be so sure about that. Although many backcountry
streams and rivers-especially those at higher
elevations-contain little that can infect a wound,
some seemingly clean water sources are polluted and
can lead to bacterial infections. Warm, still,
algae-laden waters are especially ripe with dangerous
organisms. Flowing waters, while safer, can harbor a
variety of human and/or animal-borne pathogens that
would love to get under your skin. It's better to
clean all wounds with water that has been treated with
iodine or filtered.
In the tick of time: Ticks are the objects of more
than a fair share of misinformation. For instance:
Once you find one embedded in your skin, you're
already the recipient of its nasty pathogens.
Estimates on how long a tick must be attached to give
you enough germs to cause sickness vary with the
disease and species of tick. To transmit Lyme disease,
a tick must stay in place and feed for 36 to 48 hours.
Ticks that carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever take 6
to 10 hours to pass along germs. If you check yourself
immediately after tromping through brush and properly
remove all the little buggers, chances are you'll
avoid illness. (See Body Language, May 1997.)
Meanwhile, two U.S. drug companies have developed Lyme
vaccines. The products will be reviewed by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration.
www.backpacker.com
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