Does anyone have any good recommendations for books that discuss herbs or measures for treating illnesses and injuries in the wild? I really dont want one of those books that simply says stabilize then wait for the ambulance, I want something that will be of more use in case the wait for an ambulance is longer than a couple days. Thanks

Refer to some of the posts under "Nose Bleed." In addition to those already listed, there is a fairly extensive medical self-help literature for cruising sailors that would be available from specialty booksellers. I am not as familiar with these references as I am with those pertaining to climbing.<br><br>Get as much training as you can, even the conventional "the ambulance is always just around the corner" type. It will still be helpful when you are out in the boondocks. First aid is a practical skill, and canot be learned entirely from a book, even a very good one.

A standard medical textbook is Wilderness Medicine (4th Edition). At 1910 pages it is hardly portable (or cheap), but the writing is clear and the topics covered are comprehensive. Even if you can't afford it, it's worth taking a peek at it at your local university library.<br><br>Here's a review:<br>http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v287n4/ffull/jbk0123-2.html<br><br>Here is the Amazon listing, although you can usually pick up a used one for much less:<br>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0323009506/qid=1033492887/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/104-4143012-1808711

I've recently heard good things about "Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine", the companion book to "Wilderness Medicine" mentioned in the previous post.<br><br>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0815109261/qid=1033495335/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-1769262-8264069?v=glance

I really like the "St. John Ambulance Official Wilderness First Aid Guide" published by McClelland & Stewart Inc. (ISBN 0-7710-8250-9). This is the one that we use as the textbook for our First Aid in the Wilderness course. It's available through Amazon for $14.99, which I presume is US$. (My copy has a list price of $19.99 Cdn.)<br><br>IME, Most First Aid books will not discuss traditional or herbal medicine. You should look for a specialized book on the subject, something like "Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rocky Mountains" from Lone Pine Publishers (couldn't find it on Amazon, sorry). Check these out carefully, though; a lot of the authors of this type of publication are a little gullible IMO, and will parrot off any old wive's tale as if it were gospel truth.

I just picked up the "St. John Ambulance Official Wilderness First Aid Guide" and it's an excellent resource. But I wouldn't consider it a "first aid" book. Even "second aid," as the author self-describes it, is not quite on the mark. I would think "wilderness emergency medical lifesaving" would be closer to the mark. I've only just started reading it, but I can already tell that it's true strength would be as a text book in a class environment. Like many topics, reading "how to" doesn't equal actually "doing it." Are the courses only available in Canada?<br><br>>>>look for a specialized book on the subject, something like "Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rocky Mountains" ... Check these out carefully, though; a lot of the authors of this type of publication are a little gullible IMO<<<<br><br>I have the Peterson field guide to madicinal plants and it's not what you're looking for. I use it a source to ID non-flowering plants or plants that are out of season for flowering (most flwering plants guides key on flower color, which is useless if it's not in flower). Anyway, I would nor recommend it as a herbal guide though. Every entry lists perported uses, from native american, settlers and so forth, but almost all of them seem to be used for 2 -3 dozen ailments. Hence the practical use is little more than snale oil. FWIW, the authors state the guide is for ID and info only and not a guide to practice medicine. Along that line, there's also not instructions on preparation and use.<br><br>

<Are the courses only available in Canada?><br><br>SOLO schools are considered very good for those of us in the North Eastern US.<br><br>

Wow its been a long time since I have logged on here. But, back to the question at hand "Mountaineering Medicine" by Wilkerson is an excellent resource. Covers advanced techniques and pharmacology for the laymen in an easy to understand approach.

Vann;<br><br>The Saint John Ambulance courses are only available in Canada, as far as I know. There is (or was) a Saint John Ambulance in the USA but I believe it is purely a fund-raising charitable group. <br>Not every Saint John Ambulance section in Canada offers the courses, either (unfortunately) and sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get enough students to make it worthwhile running the course. (Most of the courses we run here in Calgary are commissioned by the oil companies and survey companies, who need to train their personnel who are going out into the boonies.) We make sure to work in at least 4 practical scenarios over the course of a weekend, and we use the rescue carries portion to break up the (necessary) classroom work. (That, of course, is in addition to the hands-on practice in basic First Aid that the student is expected to have as a pre-requisite.)<br><br>There's a list of schools on Doug's main site that offer Wilderness First Aid training, if that's what you're after.<br><br>I'd also be interested in hearing any thoughts you have on how the book could be improved, if you think it could. Feel free to e-mail me directly; add "@telusplanet.net" to my username, aardwolfe.

I've put the book aside for a bit right now as I focus my efforts on saving the scout camp of my youth, Owasippe, as I mentioned in a campfire forum post 2 weeks ago. But hear a few early thoughts.<br><br>I've read the first few chapters and soon realized that the material really needs face-to-face training and practice to be truly totaly efective. I've already forgotten the acronym used to check the patient's status. Although I do remember working from the head down to the toes. So without practice and only reading the text once through, I will likely miss several important points. I have, however, greatly improved the odds in retaining the points I do remember, as well as recognizing the difference between wilderness first aid and the first aid we teach scouts. <br><br>Other techniques that should be practice are the moves. Actions such as rolling a victem onto a tarp or a stretcher are best done several times before they are actually required in a true emergency. Some of the techniques I'm imiliar with but others were new. The rope coil sling is interesting and would make a great relay race at a scout meeting some time!<br><br>I think the checklists in the appendix are truly wonderful. I plan on scanning those pages and printing out copies for my personal and troop first aid kits. The inclusion of the lists will also help me remember the steps through evaluating the victem. I'm going to recommend the book as reading for the other leaders before inserting the sheets into the troop kit otherwise thy'll be worthless pieces of scrap paper.<br><br>I think the books explanation of shock is the best I've read. It's easy to understand and visually. And the it also gives one the tools to treat a victem based upon circumstances. Most references provide short, rote definitions of shock. Most scout first aid instructions usually end with "and treat for shock." But most scouts would likely be unable to tell you exactly why they're doing it.<br><br>I'll pass along more comments as I work through the book again.