7 Survival Myths That Could Get You Killed

文/瑪麗·馬丁 譯/肖偉

With the advent of the Internet, everyone is an expert when it comes to everything from medicine to outward bound survival skills. Unfortunately,modern lore1lore（尤指口頭流傳的）某一方面的學(xué)問；（某一群體的）傳說，傳統(tǒng)。spread through the Web and pop culture can actually get you killed.

That’s particularly true when it comes to survival strategies hawked2hawk散布（消息等）,傳播（謠言等）。by less-than-expert Web posters.

[2] Here are some of the most common myths about surviving in the wild, and the facts that could save your life.

Myth 1: Rub frostbitten3 frostbitten受霜害的；凍傷的。 skin

[3] Every winter, this old saw makes the rounds4make the rounds（故事、觀點或疾病）傳播，流傳，又作go the rounds。. But, in fact, rubbing frostbitten skin is precisely the wrong thing to do, because it can cause tissue damage and harm. Instead, slowly warm frostbitten skin in a heated room, using blankets and warm water bottles, if possible.

隨著互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的出現(xiàn)，每個人都成了從醫(yī)學(xué)到戶外生存技能等各個領(lǐng)域的專家。不幸的是，借助網(wǎng)絡(luò)和流行文化所傳播的現(xiàn)代常識可能會讓你喪命。

涉及外行在網(wǎng)絡(luò)發(fā)帖散播生存技能時，尤其如此。

[2]下面列出一些野外生存最常見的誤區(qū)以及正確的救命方法。

誤區(qū)一：揉搓凍傷的皮膚

[3]一到冬天，這句老話便廣為流傳。但事實上，揉搓凍傷的皮膚恰恰是錯誤的做法，因為這會造成皮膚組織的損傷。相反，應(yīng)該待在暖氣房里，讓凍傷的皮膚逐漸變暖，如果有條件的話，裹好毛毯、敷上暖水袋。

[4] Survival expert Cory Lundin,founder and director of Aboriginal Living Skills School in Prescott, Ariz., tells Newsmax Health5美國知名的新聞網(wǎng)站Newsmax提供生活健康常識和醫(yī)療指導(dǎo)的板塊。that the treatment for frostbite often depends heavily on the scenario.

“If someone has frostbite and cannot safely rewarm the affected body part without the possibility of it refreezing,the general rule is to leave it alone until safely rewarming the part can be accomplished,” Lundin says.

[5] Frostbite means that cells within the body are essentially frozen.

“Sharp, microscopic ice crystals can cause further cellular damage as they move back and forth due to the rubbing of the af flicted person’s skin,” Lundin says.

Myth 2: Warm up with liquor

[6] The truth is that, in a cold-weather survival scenario, alcohol is actually the last thing you want to drink, experts say. Alcohol dilates6dilate擴張；擴大。the blood vessels and capillaries7capillary〈醫(yī)〉毛細血管,微血管。, so even though you may feel warmer you will actually chill even faster.

That could put you at greater risk for hypothermia8hypothermia低體溫。.

[4] 生存專家、亞利桑那州普雷斯科特原始生存技能學(xué)校的創(chuàng)始人兼校長科里·倫丁告訴美國健康醫(yī)療指南網(wǎng)，治療凍傷主要還是取決于當(dāng)時的具體情況。

倫丁說：“如果凍傷了，卻又無法確保凍傷部位平穩(wěn)復(fù)溫、不再受凍，那么常規(guī)做法就是先不去管它，直到患處的溫度能夠平穩(wěn)回升。”

[5]凍傷意味著體內(nèi)細胞實質(zhì)上被冷凍了。

倫丁表示：“尖銳而微小的冰晶，因凍傷者揉搓皮膚而來回移動，會進一步加重細胞的損傷?！?/p>

誤區(qū)二：飲酒取暖

[6]事實真相是，專家認為在寒冷的生存環(huán)境里，酒是最不該喝的東西。酒精能夠擴張血管和毛細血管，因此，即便你可能感覺暖和了些，但實際上會冷得更快。

這還會加大你患上低體溫癥的風(fēng)險。

Myth 3: Cut and suck on a snakebite wound

[7] This Hollywood movie scenario,featured in many rattlesnake-bit westerns, can actually get you killed.

[8] Lundin explains that venom9venom（毒蛇、蜘蛛等分泌的）毒液。from a snake bite immediately enters the bloodstream, making it impossible to suck out. The act of cutting into a bit wound makes you vulnerable to a larger risk of infection.

[9] Instead, Lundin advises immobilizing the body part bitten to help decrease the spread of venom and staying as calm as possible to slow the spread of venom through the circulatory system—until you can get medical attention.

Myth 4: Drink your own urine to stay hydrated10 hydrate〈化〉進行水合反應(yīng)。

[10] Lundin’s has three words to say about this idea: Don’t do this.

[11] The pop culture myth of drinking your own urine to stay hydrated is pervasive11per-vasive遍布的；充斥各處的。but not proven. Urine contains the body’s waste products and may be contaminated12contaminated被污染的。with bacteria and shouldn’t be reintroduced to your system.

[12] The best way to stay hydrated when there’s a lack of available water supply is to moderate13moderate調(diào)節(jié)；控制。your sweat, not your water.

誤區(qū)三：切開蛇咬傷口并吸出毒液

[7]這種情節(jié)出現(xiàn)在多部好萊塢西部片響尾蛇咬人的場景中， 事實上可能會致命。

[8]倫丁解釋道，被毒蛇咬傷后，毒液會迅速進入到血流中，根本無法吸出。割開傷口，容易讓你面臨更大的感染危險。

[9]相反，倫丁建議不要活動被咬傷的部位，以減緩毒液的蔓延，并在得到醫(yī)療救治前，盡可能保持鎮(zhèn)定，來降低毒液在循環(huán)系統(tǒng)中的擴散速度。

誤區(qū)四：喝自己的尿來保持體內(nèi)水分

[10]針對這種觀點，倫丁用三個字表明態(tài)度：“不要做。”

[11]流行文化中有關(guān)喝尿補水的謠傳無處不在，但尚未得到證實。尿液含有人體的排泄廢物，還可能受到細菌的感染，不應(yīng)讓其再進入到人體系統(tǒng)中。

[12]在水源缺乏的情況下，保持體內(nèi)水分的最佳方法就是減少出汗，而不是調(diào)節(jié)體內(nèi)水分。

“What this means is to conserve the metabolic water already contained within the body,” Lundin says. “Staying in the shade, limiting body movement, and creating a cooler micro-climate dealing with the physics of heat loss and gain will all save the body’s water and increase survival time.”

Myth 5: Play dead if attacked by a bear

[13] The notion that you should play dead if you’re attacked by a bear is a popular one. But if you do this during an encounter with some species of bear,you could end up becoming a quick and easy lunch.

“In the case of the grizzly14grizzly灰色的。bear, the general rule of thumb15rule of thumb經(jīng)驗法則。is to play dead.For the common black bear, it is advised to fight back if possible,” says Lundin.

[14] Other bear-battling tips:

If a bear is in your immediate area,like your backyard or campsite, the best thing you can do is make yourself large and loud, which will hopefully scare the bear off.

If you encounter a bear in its natural habitat, such as the woods, try to quietly back away.

If a bear tries to attack you, you should always fight back.

[15] Keep in mind that brown and grizzly bears normally attack in order to defend their cubs16cub〈美〉小熊。. Before an attack,the bear will make noise and pretend to charge in order to warn someone off.Try backing away slowly. If the bear is able to make contact, it’s at that point that you should play dead by lying on your stomach flat on the ground with your hands over your neck.

倫丁說：“這就意味著要保存體內(nèi)已有的代謝水分。待在陰涼處，限制肢體運動，創(chuàng)造一個更為涼爽的微氣候環(huán)境來應(yīng)對熱量耗損和增益的物理特性，這些做法都能節(jié)省體內(nèi)水分，延長存活時間?！?/p>

誤區(qū)五：被熊攻擊時裝死

[13]被熊攻擊時裝死也是一種很流行的說法。但如果你遇到某些種類的熊，那裝死會讓你最終成為一頓便捷的午餐。

倫丁說：“如果是灰熊，一般的經(jīng)驗法則就是裝死。但如果是常見的黑熊，建議盡可能反擊。”

[14]其他與熊搏斗的小竅門：

如果一只熊在你附近，比如在你的后院或露營地，最佳做法就是扮高大、大聲吼，才有希望把熊嚇跑。

如果在自然棲息地比如樹林里遇到熊，你要設(shè)法悄悄后退。

如果熊試圖攻擊你，一般情況下你必須反擊。

[15]切記，棕熊和灰熊通常是為了保護它們的幼崽才攻擊人。襲擊前，熊會發(fā)出聲響并假裝進攻來警告人離開。要試著慢慢往后退。假如熊能觸碰到你，那時那刻，你就應(yīng)該雙手捂住脖子，平趴在地上裝死。

Myth 6: Moss grows on the north side of a tree

[16] This falsehood is often spread as a way to help hikers lost in a wood or forest to find their direction. But, in reality, moss can grow on all sides of a tree depending on the environment.As a result, relying on this navigational myth could get you lost.

Myth 7: Punch a shark in the nose

[17] This is bad advice for warding off a shark attack. For one thing, the odds are slim that you can land a punch squarely on the nose of a shark trying to attack you in the water. For another,a punch isn’t likely to deter17deter制止；威懾。a hungry shark.

Instead, if a shark tries to bite you,use your fingers to claw at its eyes and gills or try and put a solid object—a surf board, life preserver, anything you can—between you and the shark. ■

誤區(qū)六：苔蘚生長在樹的北側(cè)

[16]這種虛假的說法，往往被傳播成一種幫助在小樹林或森林里迷路的徒步旅行者辨明方向的途徑。但現(xiàn)實中，苔蘚因環(huán)境而異，可生長在樹的任何一側(cè)。因此，靠這種荒誕的說法導(dǎo)航可能會讓你迷路。

誤區(qū)七：用拳猛擊鯊魚的鼻子

[17]這是一條抵御鯊魚襲擊的餿主意。首先，要想在水中一拳擊中試圖要襲擊你的鯊魚的鼻子，可能性微乎其微。其次，一拳也不可能嚇走一條饑餓的鯊魚。

如果鯊魚試圖咬你，你反而可以用手指摳抓它的眼睛和腮部，或者嘗試用堅固的物體——沖浪板、救生用具或是其他任何你手邊的物品——擋在你和鯊魚之間。 □