7 Survival Myths That Could Get You Killed

文/玛丽·马丁 译/肖伟

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（尤指口头流传的）某一方面的学问；（某一群体的）传说，传统。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）,传播（谣言等）。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；冻伤的。 skin

[3] Every winter, this old saw makes the rounds4make the rounds（故事、观点或疾病）传播，流传，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.

随着互联网的出现，每个人都成了从医学到户外生存技能等各个领域的专家。不幸的是，借助网络和流行文化所传播的现代常识可能会让你丧命。

涉及外行在网络发帖散播生存技能时，尤其如此。

[2]下面列出一些野外生存最常见的误区以及正确的救命方法。

误区一：揉搓冻伤的皮肤

[3]一到冬天，这句老话便广为流传。但事实上，揉搓冻伤的皮肤恰恰是错误的做法，因为这会造成皮肤组织的损伤。相反，应该待在暖气房里，让冻伤的皮肤逐渐变暖，如果有条件的话，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美国知名的新闻网站Newsmax提供生活健康常识和医疗指导的板块。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扩张；扩大。the blood vessels and capillaries7capillary〈医〉毛细血管,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低体温。.

[4] 生存专家、亚利桑那州普雷斯科特原始生存技能学校的创始人兼校长科里·伦丁告诉美国健康医疗指南网，治疗冻伤主要还是取决于当时的具体情况。

伦丁说：“如果冻伤了，却又无法确保冻伤部位平稳复温、不再受冻，那么常规做法就是先不去管它，直到患处的温度能够平稳回升。”

[5]冻伤意味着体内细胞实质上被冷冻了。

伦丁表示：“尖锐而微小的冰晶，因冻伤者揉搓皮肤而来回移动，会进一步加重细胞的损伤。”

误区二：饮酒取暖

[6]事实真相是，专家认为在寒冷的生存环境里，酒是最不该喝的东西。酒精能够扩张血管和毛细血管，因此，即便你可能感觉暖和了些，但实际上会冷得更快。

这还会加大你患上低体温症的风险。

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〉进行水合反应。

[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；充斥各处的。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调节；控制。your sweat, not your water.

误区三：切开蛇咬伤口并吸出毒液

[7]这种情节出现在多部好莱坞西部片响尾蛇咬人的场景中， 事实上可能会致命。

[8]伦丁解释道，被毒蛇咬伤后，毒液会迅速进入到血流中，根本无法吸出。割开伤口，容易让你面临更大的感染危险。

[9]相反，伦丁建议不要活动被咬伤的部位，以减缓毒液的蔓延，并在得到医疗救治前，尽可能保持镇定，来降低毒液在循环系统中的扩散速度。

误区四：喝自己的尿来保持体内水分

[10]针对这种观点，伦丁用三个字表明态度：“不要做。”

[11]流行文化中有关喝尿补水的谣传无处不在，但尚未得到证实。尿液含有人体的排泄废物，还可能受到细菌的感染，不应让其再进入到人体系统中。

[12]在水源缺乏的情况下，保持体内水分的最佳方法就是减少出汗，而不是调节体内水分。

“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经验法则。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.

伦丁说：“这就意味着要保存体内已有的代谢水分。待在阴凉处，限制肢体运动，创造一个更为凉爽的微气候环境来应对热量耗损和增益的物理特性，这些做法都能节省体内水分，延长存活时间。”

误区五：被熊攻击时装死

[13]被熊攻击时装死也是一种很流行的说法。但如果你遇到某些种类的熊，那装死会让你最终成为一顿便捷的午餐。

伦丁说：“如果是灰熊，一般的经验法则就是装死。但如果是常见的黑熊，建议尽可能反击。”

[14]其他与熊搏斗的小窍门：

如果一只熊在你附近，比如在你的后院或露营地，最佳做法就是扮高大、大声吼，才有希望把熊吓跑。

如果在自然栖息地比如树林里遇到熊，你要设法悄悄后退。

如果熊试图攻击你，一般情况下你必须反击。

[15]切记，棕熊和灰熊通常是为了保护它们的幼崽才攻击人。袭击前，熊会发出声响并假装进攻来警告人离开。要试着慢慢往后退。假如熊能触碰到你，那时那刻，你就应该双手捂住脖子，平趴在地上装死。

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；威慑。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. ■

误区六：苔藓生长在树的北侧

[16]这种虚假的说法，往往被传播成一种帮助在小树林或森林里迷路的徒步旅行者辨明方向的途径。但现实中，苔藓因环境而异，可生长在树的任何一侧。因此，靠这种荒诞的说法导航可能会让你迷路。

误区七：用拳猛击鲨鱼的鼻子

[17]这是一条抵御鲨鱼袭击的馊主意。首先，要想在水中一拳击中试图要袭击你的鲨鱼的鼻子，可能性微乎其微。其次，一拳也不可能吓走一条饥饿的鲨鱼。

如果鲨鱼试图咬你，你反而可以用手指抠抓它的眼睛和腮部，或者尝试用坚固的物体——冲浪板、救生用具或是其他任何你手边的物品——挡在你和鲨鱼之间。 □