WMIG March Meeting

Our faculty advisor, Dr. Rebecca Bowers, from the department of Emergency Medicine, will be joining us on Thursday, March 12th to discuss marine envenomations. This should be a very helpful talk for those heading to warmer climates during spring break. Does peeing on a jellyfish sting really work? Come find out, and learn much more at the next WMIG meeting.


Please RSVP to Stacey Gutman slgutm2@uky.edu by Tuesday, 3/10
Lunch will be provided; you may want to bring a drink.



Who: Dr. Rebecca Bowers from Emergency Medicine
What: Marine Envenomations
When: Thursday, March 12th at noon
Where: MN-563

HERE is a great reading source from Dr. Paul Auerbach

Get your roll on

Have any interest in learning how to roll a kayak? If you want to learn from trained instructors in a controlled environment, then the Bluegrass Wildwater Association's Roll Sessions are for you.
Hosted at the North Lexington Family YMCA at 381 W Loudon Ave, clinics are scheduled nearly every Sunday night from 7pm to 9pm. It costs $5 for BWA members, and $10 for non-members. Bring your own gear if you have it, but BWA usually provides extra boats, spray skirts, and paddles.
Check out their web-site for more information.

http://www.surfky-bwa.org/index.html

Bear Country

Traveling in bear country always leaves me with a lingering sense of unease.  Perhaps it is the fact that I’ve entered into a space governed by a different set of rules and a different balance of power.  In most cases, this unease is unwarranted.  Most bears tend to avoid people. In most situations, if you give a bear the opportunity to do the right thing, it will.  The bear-encounter tactics on display in the video below are a great example of how NOT to respond to these large predators. 

With the help of the sensationalized media attention that human-bear encounters garner,  bears often suffer the repercussions of our irrational fears and misconceptions.  

Bears are curious and intelligent animals that deserve our respect and attention.  Some basic knowledge of bear behavior and an awareness of your surroundings keeps the likelihood of an encounter at a minimum.  According to Dr. Steve French, the guy who authored the chapter on bear behavior and attacks in the textbook Wilderness Medicine, there are a set of basic rules for avoiding a bear attack in the wilderness:

1. Do not corner or provoke a bear. 

2. Never approach an animal when it is with young.

3. Do not disturb a feeding animal. Do not explore into its feeding territory or disrupt mating patterns.

4. In bear country, hang all food off the ground in trees away from the campsite. Never keep food or captured game inside a tent. Use proper food storage to keep food away from bears. Cook at a site away from the sleeping area. Do not sleep in clothes worn while cooking or eating. 

5. Make noise when hiking, particularly on narrow paths or through tall grass. If you confront a brown (grizzly) bear, avoid eye contact and try to slowly back away. If you confront a black bear, shout, yell, throw rocks or sticks, or do whatever you can to frighten off the animal.

6. If attacked by a bear, do not try to outrun it - you can’t. Cover your head and the back of your neck with your arms and curl into a fetal position or lay flat on the ground, face down, in order to protect your abdomen. If you are wearing a backpack, keep it on for additional protection. Use your elbows to cover your face if a bear turns you over. After a bear attack, remain on the ground until you are certain that the bear has left the area. More than one victim has successfully protected himself during the initial attack, only to arise too soon (before the bear has lost interest and left the area) and be mauled during the second attack.  

Most people who see a bear in the wild consider it the highlight of their trip.  Armed with some basic knowledge of bear behavior and how to handle an encounter, the presence of a bear need only be a reminder of how privileged we are to share wild spaces with these animals.

To Build a Fire - Jack London

Due to the ice storms this week and the delayed class schedule, the WMIG January meeting will be postponed.

In anticipation of Dr. Greg Davis' talk about hypothermia, he invites everyone to read the Jack London short story "To Build a Fire" published in 1908. This story, in its entirety, can be found here.

WMIG Jan. Meeting

We are honored to have Dr. Greg Davis join us on Jan. 29th to talk to the club about the pathological changes seen when a person is exposed to extremes in temperature. He will discuss some of the physiological injuries that occur and improvised treatment techniques we can apply. Whether it's hyperthermia or hypothermia, the body does its best to retain full function and homeostasis. Come hear what happens when temperature homestasis gets pushed past its breaking point.

Beck Weathers Following His 1996 Everest Attempt

Who: Dr. Greg Davis, Medical Examiner and Forensic Pathologist
What: Exposure to Extremes in Temperature
When: Thursday, Jan. 29th, 12:00pm - 12:50pm
Where: MN-263

Please RSVP to Stacey Gutman slgutm2@uky.edu by Tuesday, 1/27
Lunch will be provided; you may want to bring a drink.

Adventure Medics, like Indiana Jones with a stethoscope

While drooling over my notes for hours on end, I like to occasionally drift away on the internet and imagine what life could be like a few years from now. I came across this great web-site: http://www.adventuremedics.com/ where doctors and groups going on expeditions can connect to each other. I've seen requests for doctors to travel to Everest, the Amazon rain forest, and even accompany a small group of sailors going trans-Atlantic without food or water (or course the doc could eat though)!  

Minor Sugery on Arctic Expedition

Also, there is an insightful article written by a cruise ship physician. While it may sound like a dream job, it is apparently one of the easiest ways to get a lawsuit. People think that because they pay big bucks to sit on a boat for a week, they should be untouchable from Norovirus or any other vacation-ruining bugs. Regardless of where your medical career takes you, hopefully you can mix your passion for the outdoors and your care for people.

Aaavalaaanche!

With a luxurious holiday break on the horizon, some of us may be headed towards the mountains in search of snow. Having traveled into the snowy backcountry on several occasions, I've learned that ignorance is not bliss in regards to avalanche safety. Avalanche accidents don't happen due to bizarre quirks of fate. There are physical and human factors that underpin each accident.

Before you venture "off-piste", a lot can be learned about the factors that lead to avalanche accidents. It starts with some basic awareness. The video below offers valuable insight into the importance of managing avalanche risk in the backcountry...

I also came across a a FREE Avalanche First Response Course....

http://access.jibc.bc.ca/avalancheFirstResponse/course.htm

Enjoy the holidays and always listen for the WUMPHF...