Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS)

What causes back pain when backpacking? How do you prevent it?  Do trekking poles help prevent injury?  The equipment you choose when hiking, backpacking and trekking  has significant ramifications f…

When we go fast we get hurt.  What are the most common biking injuries?  What is the appropriate set up for a bike to prevent these injuries?  How are snowboarders injured?  How do you treat injuries…

Taking children into the wilderness is important.  But, it poses a number of special problems.  Let's talk about taking children in the wilderness with Dr. Trahern W.  (TW) Jones.  

There are few parts of the human body that are more delicate than the human eye.  Yet it is frequently involved with minor or major trauma.  Let's talk about it.  

Abdominal pain can be scary in the backcountry.   Allergic reactions are completely annoying but can also be severe.  Do they need to be evacuated?  Medicine in the backcountry is discussed. 

What is the best way to evacuate someone with chest pain?  How do you treat an asthma attack in the wilderness?  Here the basics of medicine for the backcountry are discussed. 

Putting the correct supplies and medicines in a kit for your adventure is essential for appropriate medical management.  

Do you know the single most important initial treatment for someone who has been involved with a drowning incident?  Do you know what 'drowning: means?   This podcast covers these and other essential…

How quickly and to what temperature should frostbite be warmed?  Is frostnip dangerous?  What happens if skin is kept wet for a long time? And can cool moisture damage skin, even on a hot day?  You w…

You don't need to know how to be a  diver in order to treat someone who has developed diving problems.  This podcast outlines what happens to the body when it is subjected to pressures as a diver goe…

Once a patient who has been injured in the wilderness  has been stabilized, critical decisions must now be made.  Let's go through them by listening to this podcast. 

Blisters are  common for sure in outdoor activities.  Do you pop them?  What is the best way to prevent them?  What do you put on a wound under the bandage?  How about honey?  This podcast reviews th…

Fear and sometimes panic overcomes a rescuer when they come across someone who has been injured.  What is done first?  What is the MARCH protocol?   The concepts covered in this podcast outline the c…

Why don't snakes have teeth and how does that affect the treatment of snakebites?   There are a lot of snakes  in the world, but which ones are most concerning?  What do you do if you are camping and…

There is no more common injury than damage to the skin while in the backcountry.   There are many ways and methods to manage the different types of wounds.  Let's go over them. 

What are the ways that heat leaves the body?  What happens if heat is trapped in a human?  How is heat illness classified?  This important podcast outlines the prevention and treatment  of illnesses …

There are hundreds of species of mosquitos but only a few spread disease to humans.  What are they, which diseases and how do you avoid and treat them?   Which spiders cause problems to the wildernes…

When and where does lightning strike?  How does lighting injure?  How do you avoid lightning when you are on a multiday trip in the backcountry?  It all can be a little scary.  But this podcast cover…

Treating stinging nettle is not as easy as it seems!  Are you allergic to poison ivy?  How about others you are with?  What do you do if they are exposed?  What is the best way to treat a sunburn?   …

There are several methods used to treat water while in the wilderness and it can be confusing. What methods should someone use?  What are common illnesses a person can contract?  These questions and …