Bear Grylls: Man vs. Enema

Bear gives himself an enema, referencing the Robinsons' use of the tactic during their ordeal. I didn't go pull my copy of their book off the shelf to check but IIRC they used the technique with good water that had been slightly fouled with salt, not rancid water from the bottom of their lifeboat.

Comments?

That's a mental image I didn't need.

But you are correct Glock, it was brackish water that the mother used. BTW, she was a trained nurse.

He's losing it out there on the ocean. Somebody needs to remind him that sometimes it's just better to die in the lifeboat. Learn to go gracefully Bear!!! :-)

The thing I like about Bear is his positive mental attitude. Maybe we're only seeing the positive comments that they record during filming of the TV series. But it seems like it is his psychology to stay "up" ... so he's a great example of remaining optimistic when in a tough situation.

I have to admire his spirit - because he broke his back in three places during a parachute accident. There must be some mornings when he gets out of bed and his body really hurts. He really keeps a good attitude about life if you think about it.

other Pete

I'm not saying Bear is out in left field on this, because the rectal delivery of fluids (proctoclysis) is a valid technique that while "icky" (which I believe is the technical term!) can be quite the lifesaver if its all you have left to you. However from my research it is most useful for people who are sick/nauseated and can't drink, or for people who need fluid resuscitation but there are no IV supplies or medical expertise.

Case in point, check out this story of a Nepali man suffering from shock in a remote mountain environment. The doctors had no IV fluids to administer, so they turned to proctoclysis and in their words "we believe it is unlikely that he would have survived without this intervention". It took their medical expertise, though, to know that the guy even needed resuscitation.

Of course there is the question of what will and won't pass through the intestinal tissue. From my reading, salt does pass this barrier (per the excellent book "Essentials of Sea Survival") . So while a fluid that is mildly stronger than normal saline will probably be OK (i.e. the Robertson's slightly tainted rainwater), you can't just shoot seawater through there and expect to be fine.

I was actually watching that clown up until he said "I'm gonna give myself an enema", then I changed the channel.

While this is an accepted medical practice, you should be very carefull how much salt is in the water you are using. The wall of the large intestine passes water easyly, that is its main function; BUT if the salt level in the water you use is higher than the salt level in your blood you end up loosing water due to the difference in osmotic pressure.

Water always moves towards the greater concentration of salt in this sort of thing.

In some situations an enema may be the only effective way to maintain minimum hydration and get nutrients or drugs into the system. People have at times been so seasick that they weaken simply from lack of food and water. An enema of weak oatmeal gruel can get them the calories and water necessary to keep them alive. Likewise many pills can be ground up, mixed with water and administered as an enema.

Extreme nausea is the most common reason for seeking out other ways but esophageal swelling or burns, and the chance they might choke on what you try to feed them, can be reason enough.

It isn't the most convenient, or pleasant way of serving, or receiving, a meal but it works and should be kept in mind when considering options.

Thinking about the point that Bear is trying to make ... I think you'd have to use a fair amount of caution if trying to do an enema with contaminated water. I could see using the enema as a last-ditch approach (esp. with water and electrolytes) - just as they did in Nepal. That makes sense. However, I'm not sure that introducing contaminated water into the lower intestines wouldn't add a risk of bowel infection or some type of bowel upset. You could be trading a standard stomach upset (if drinking contaminated water) against a bowel upset (if using an enema). I suppose it all depends on how contaminated the water is - and with what.

other Pete

Personally, I would prefer not to let myself get in the condition that would require this treatment, if at all possible.

It reminds me of an incident mentioned in one of the diaries kept by women traveling west in the gold rush days (1849-1852), where the author mentioned a woman who was traveling with a group of men. She came down with cholera (terrible diarrhea) and to prevent the embarrassment of having to have the men take care of her, she committed suicide. What a choice to have to make!

Sue

It is important to keep the priorities straight and not allow embarrassment or unnecessary social norms stop you from doing what you need to do. It is also important to maintain the best of humanity.

That said ... you can always avoid any embarrassment by eating the witnesses. What happens in the wilderness, stays in the wilderness.

Actually saw that episode. The putrid (green) water he used was from a small island covered with bird droppings. Can you not get sick from bird dropping filled water?

I am now convinced that in reality Man Vs Wild is actually a TV comedy of some kind just presented as a real survival show. I think we have all been fooled into thinking it is all serious which it obviously is not.

Bingo ... I thought the water that Bear was using looked pretty putrid. I can't imagine putting yellow or green water into my intestines. He's really pushing his luck with that stunt.

Maybe the only people who are laughing - are the ER doctors who treat people who try to copy these survival antics :-)

other Pete

Read the disclaimers. He gets support from the crew as required by OSHA regulations (or something to that effect). He is presented with survival challenges so he can demonstrate survival techniques. In fact one episode on this marathon showed a crew member reaching out a hand to keep Bear from falling off a cliff he came upon suddenly. Personally, based on the way the show progresses, I think he maps a route ahead of time and knows beforehand if a route is safe or not and where it will take him. That is he knows he can make a raft and travel, say, north for five miles to reach an inhabited island, travel inland through this or that terrain to reach a stream, that will in turn lead him to a river that leads to the village where his pickup awaits. Not 100% certain Les Stroud doesn't do this on Survivorman but his show seems to be a bit more genuine although some of his techniques are more drama and less practical, such as making a fire from your incandescent - I'm sure I mispelled that word - flashlight. Great at destroying flashlights, not so good for firestarting.
As far as the enema goes, I will quote Glockaroo - "icky." Also hard to administer with the size tube he was using and no mention of any lube. Definitely last resort stuff here, and not for the squeamish or untrained. Yuck. i'm glad someone answered my question about using salt water before I asked. Good to know.

I must have missed the chapters on enemas in all my survival books...

Ha! I guess you better add one - especially with your family medical background!

Imagine what would happen if SAR showed up right in the middle of that procedure. They'd probably leave you there!

You know ... I don't really have a problem if they map out the route that Bear takes ahead of time. If you stop to think about it, it's really the only practical way to do a TV series like that. Otherwise, you would waste tons of video footage while Bear walks round and round trying to find a route that actually works. They've got to keep things moving along so that the viewers will stay interested.

Here are the things I wonder about in Man vs. Wild. First, there are quite a few times when Bear winds up needing to spend the night in an improvised shelter under less-than-ideal conditions. For example, his clothes are soaking wet, it's getting dark, and it's getting cold. OK ... so he lights a small fire. That helps a bit. But with wet, cold clothes it's still a miserable night - 12 hours of freezing darkness lasts a long time! Does he actually DO the whole night out? Or do they just cut the film making, and then everyone goes back to the hotel to drink a lot of beers?

Also, he will occasionally demonstrate how to get liquids for drinking, such as by squeezing bits of cactus or chopping the ends of a jungle creeper. But either way, if you see how much water he gets from this operation - it's really minimal. Just a small trickle of water at best. It's not even close to what he would need to survive while trekking energetically across rough country or paddling a raft across a stretch of ocean. So again - what do they do? Just cut film making for 20 minutes so Bear can quaff down a quart of gatorade??

Those are the parts of the show where I have some serious doubts about what's going on.

Having voiced these complaints ... I still think that Bear is an excellent individual, and a great example of how to keep a positive mental attitude under harsh conditions.

other Pete

Les Stroud does extensive research. I'm sure there is a link, but he's mentioned a few times in Survivorman that he uses local guides to get a lay of the land, especially for plant life. Every place is unique, and he needs someone to tell him what is good and what is lethal. If I recall, in his shows, you'll hear stuff like "XYZ plant is plentiful in this region, it provides...can be cooked/eaten raw...". I believe he also has a pretty good idea of which way is out. The point is to show surviving for 7 days, not necessarily what to do if you get lost!

But, since Les is his own boss, he doesn't need to follow OSHA regulations ( well, maybe he does, but he'll be the only one dying. Can you imagine the backlash if OSHA goes after him for something he does during his show? The EPA on the other hand.... )

I saw some parts of the show with Bear Grylls in the German version. At the start they clearly state that it is a show and especially the more dangerous scenes are staged. So it would not be a real problem as long as people keep that in mind.
When watching carefully there are some points that are suspicious. For example he finds a rotting carcass of a goat in bear country. He states that he wouldn´t want be there when whatever ate there is back but still takes parts of the skin and fat in his backpack. On several occassions he jumps into pools from considerable height (about 20 feet) after claiming that he cannot judge whether the water is deep enough and just hopes he will not get injured.
In conclusion I would think that most of that show should be taken with a liberal dose of salt. No matter how well trained and competent Bear Grylls may be it is just a show.

I happened across a short video that shows some of the production crew involved in filming a Man vs. Wild episode. Reinforces the fact that this is a tv show filmed on location.

http://bit.ly/ZJDX9

For me the MvW scenes that are most noteworthy are the various cold water sequences -- too heart-stoppingly freezing for me.

P.S. Kudos to the OP for a funny thread title.

Other Pete, I agree with most of what you have said. And for the purposes of the show mapping out a route ahead of time to keep the show moving is probably a good idea. My concern is that others with less common sense may take away from the show that they can just wing it in a survival situation. I can imagine someone saying to themselves "I'm stranded on an island with no idea how far it is to any other land mass but, hey, Bear built a raft and did ok so I'll do it even though I have no idea where I'll end up." That's a scary thought and I am sure that is not what he is intending for people to take away from the show but it is a possibility. There was a story about someone who survived using techniques they saw on his show. I am afraid it is only a matter of time before those same techniques get somebody killed.


From what I have heard that is exactly what Bear does in between takes. Throwing on an extra coat, changing into dry cloths, standing by heaters, quaffing down water or other fluids, even going back to the motel to wait for more favorable weather conditions. Other times I would guess they edit out some of the more tedious parts like water collection, although it does leave you wondering how much was actually collected and how much was just poured from a bottle.
Like you, I still watch the show even though I know these things. He is entertaining and the techniques he uses are less drama than Les Stroud's sometimes (the enema thing seems to have upped the ante some though). He does do a good job of showing how to keep an upbeat attitude in a survival situation (as does Les Stroud). Again my only concern is for the viewers with less common sense that think a survival situation is winging it. Especially impressionable younger viewers.


And he should do research, as anyone should, before entering an unfamiliar area. I am sure Bear does as well. I wouldn't dare hike in an Arizona desert or enter a Peruvian jungle without first doing extensive research on the area. I don't have a problem with that. And Les does know the way out; like you said his show is more to demonstrate survival skills. However he seems more genuine because he doesn't accept immediate support from his crew while filming (although I did watch one show where he had to call for rescue on day 6 due to lack of water). They are always there for support in an emergency but he can't quaff a bottle of water or put on an extra coat between takes.
That being said I still like both shows for the techniques they present. But like Max said , take it with a liberal dose of salt.

For the squeamish, don't forget that our colons and digestive tracts are normally teeming with billions and billions of bacteria anyway so it's not like we're fouling some sterile environment in our bodies. And the lining of the colon is essentially the same thing as the semi-permeable membrane from a reverse osmosis filter. So, whatever nasty water you introduce using an enema, in all likelihood, whatever shouldn't get into your body will just get left behind in the colon and then expelled in short order.

Those who suffer from constipation see similar effects--moist digested matter moves slowly through the colon, the colon continues to extract more and more moisture, until the final form is rather dry and hard.

Of course, introducing the wrong little bugs into our digestive tracts, could lead to a sort of "food poisoning" or infection but then again, maybe not.

I'd say that it's a physiologically logical method at extracting desperately needed water from certain sources, although not necessarily the most appealing idea. And there some risks, too, like from a contaminant in the water and the risk of injury from performing an enema out in the field.

It seems that each Bear episode features something beyond the pale to stir up viewer interest. The fact we are discussing this stunt here is evidence that it works!

The colon is already colonized (no pun intended lol), with billions of bacteria that compete for space and resources. I would not worry too much (if at all) about how contaminated the water might be, unless you had a perforation - in which case you would be in deep doo-doo anyhow. However, I would be extremely concerned about the osmolality of sea-water, as some one else pointed out, water follows salt, so if the salt-water enema had a higher concentration of salt than the blood (quite possible), you would end up becoming even more dehydrated.

Not to mention the damage that could be done without lube. Torn tissue AND bacteria laden water. That could turn deadly real quick.

Hmmmm, another use for cotton balls and petroleum jelly??????


This enema stuff all goes back to that family adrift for weeks in a liferaft. Mom was a nurse, some of the water was contaminated, and Jr was too sick/nauseated/seasick to drink. She rigged up an enema for him.

Now, everybody thinks KY and a rubber hose should be in every overwater kit.

Ok, I saw the episode finally. Re-ran last nite. I saw the water we are talking about. I think when Bear hurt his shoulder the drugs they gave him affected his cognitive reasoning centers.

Of course, we are taking it on faith that he used the vile, nasty, evil looking, bird poopy ridden, water we saw him scooping out of the hollow in the rock - the same water he contamnated a canteen cup and canteen with. Why, Bear would not lie to us would he?

Let's take what we saw with a grain of salt (pun intended) and file it away as a just another virtually useless survival fact.

What really got me was when he was recovering the ship's rope. He wondered if it would float. Well freaking duh... if it didn't float how did it come to be at the island and not on the sea bottom. I swear, sometimes common sense totally escapes that man.

Exactly. The screen was censored anyway, who knows if he really performed the deed. I handed the clicker to DW when this came on again.