Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS)

Its fantastic to take your dog outdoors into the wild.  But you watch as they swallow water you would not drink. They sniff and eat things you would not touch. And then you wonder if they will get sick?  Giardia is everywhere.  Do dogs get it?.  How do you know if your pet has it?   What do you  do to treat it?  Can you get  a Giardia infection from them?  Listen and learn about doggie Giardia.

People know to where a personal flotation device  (PFD) when in and around water.  But how can a tiny thing support me?   What types of PFD's are there and which ones are  the best?  Listen to his important podcast about the essentials of the PFD and me.  

Broken legs are common skiing injuries.  But this one was a race against the cold and  pain.  Life lessons learned come from hindsight.  Let's listen and learn how to be better prepared when a great day turns bad. 

So many things can cause pain in the knee when we are outside recreating.  Trail runners  and  backpackers frequently feel the strain on their knees for sure.  Surpirsingly, some of the problems can be corrected by a simple change to our shoes.  Listen and find out about the Gooses's Foot and other knee problems caused by our feet. 

These worms go back and forth from humans to pigs and back to humans again.  They live in human intestines as tape worms, but can find themselves in our muscles, eyes and even our brains.  Listen and learn about the crazy life of the pork tapeworm. 

Few people do this beautiful sport but most people know about it.  When done safely it is not as extreme a sport as once thought.  Listen and learn about the medicine and safety of ice climbing.  

Ice fishing is one of the most beautiful outdoor sports possible.  It has its own unique medical issues that most people don't think about.  Listen and learn about fishing on ice - just not on thin ice.

A common name for this disease implies it causes illness in the winter time.  It actually is called Norovirus and happens all year round.  It poses a special risk to backcountry travelers because, it can be spread in the air by vomit and is resistant to hand sanitizers.  Listen and learn about the most common cause of vomiting and diarrhea  in the world. 

While not recognized as a true medical diagnosis, its effects are very real.  Many people are not going outside and experiencing nature, and this is causing problems, particularly in children. Listen and learn about the growing school of thought  that describes nature deficit disorder. 

So they've earned the nickname “the murder hornet,” but really they're known as the Asian giant hornet.  Raiding parties of several dozen of these can kill whole hives containing thousands of bees in a few hours!  In the last of this series, here is the untold and dramatic story of this new insects that stings us by Dr. Matt Gunderson . 

In July of 2021 a family suffered  the ultimate tragedy when their dad, Wil Lundberg died while riding  his electric skate board. For the first time ever, he did not wear a helmet. Turning sadness into hope, his wife created a foundation to encourage people to wear helmets.  Listen to this amazing story and help her in her mission to save lives. The foundation she started is named after him,  WILS...

We all know the feeling of being colder when the wind blows across our skin, and we have heard of the charts that measure that effect.  Listen and learn about the wind chill factor. 

In what is an incredible survival and recovery story, listen as climber Ben Eder recounts his  horrific fall in Grand Teton National Park in the United States. Through telling his story, we learn lessons in traumatic brain injury recovery and a new perspective on life.

Their demeanor has earned them the terrifying nickname of 'killer bees.'  Africanized honey bees are dangerous stinging insects that have been known to chase people for more than a quarter of a mile once they get excited and aggressive.  Listen to Dr. Matt Gunderson teach us about another thing that stings us. 

The University of Utah School of Medicine provides free resources for students of wilderness medicine.  We are developing a program to help keep children safe in the backcountry.  Will you help us make all this possible?  Everyone who works for this program does so free of charge.   Give by clicking on the link below.  Bless you. https://ugive.app.utah.edu/designation/2787specialInstructions=Appea...

Have you ever wanted to see Mt. Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe?  Well, the Univeristy of Utah  teaches wilderness medicine right there in Chamonix-Mt. Blanc.   Take a minute and listen as  Dylan Beattie talks about this incredible  course in the spectacular  mountains of southern France.  See:  www.chamonixwilded.org

Just when you thought you knew how to treat a cut or an abrasion!   With this, there is definently more than meets the eye.  Listen as Dr. Thomas Cartwright enlightens us about how to wrap it  up.

When you are done with a ride your bottom hurts.  Normally we don't pay much attention to what we sit on, but with bike seats, it is important.  They not only cause discomfort, but also  having the proper seat helps provide much needed power.  Listen as Justin Allen tells us what we need to know about bike seats.

Everyone knows to wear dark glasses.  But are you wearing the right ones, what are you guarding against, and what are the long term problems of sun hitting our eyes?  Do dogs need to wear dark glasses?  The answers are not what you think.  Listen and find out about your eyes in the outdoors. 

Born in the USA.  This incredible and fun sport has its own history and its own set of injuries.  Listen and learn about what was originally two sets of skis glued together. 

Two horrible disease are out there when you travel into the wilderness.  Now we have vaccines for both.  There already is a vaccine for Dengue Fever. Now there is  a new vaccine for  painful Chikungunya.  They once thought these two diseases were the same.  So what is the difference between them?  Listen and find out about how to stay healthy in your travels. 

It is not the end of malaria by a long shot, but the second vaccine is coming out.  If your wilderness travel takes you into malaria country,  then you need to listen to this podcast. 

Just when you thought it was safe to go outdoors in the USA! So diseases that were thought to exist only in tropical countries or localized in the USA are now spreading.   Listen as we talk about three diseases that can affect us as we recreate in the USA. 

As the temperature of the earth rises,  mosquitos are moving to new areas.  And with them the diseases they carry.  Dengue Fever is now in Europe and the USA.   Vaccines are limited. But a new and effective treatment is being tested.  Listen as we talk about the spread and new treatment for this dangerous virus. 

How well did you do on the last quiz?   Again we challenge your knowledge of wilderness medicine.