Dr. Paul Auerbach is the world's leading outdoor health expert. His blog offers tips on outdoor safety and advice on how to handle wilderness emergencies.
Counterfeit Versions of Petzl Products
Outdoorspersons, rescuers and medical professionals count on equipment to be genuine and fully functional, particularly in the event of an emergency. Unfortunately, unscrupulous persons will make and distribute counterfeit equipment, drugs, and...
Feb 24 2011
Parapoxvirus Infection in Deer Hunters
Just when you thought it was safe to go out in the woods comes a report from Amira Roess and colleagues (New England Journal of Medicine 363;27:2621-7) about a poxvirus that one can contract from handling infected deer. After an incubation perio...
Feb 22 2011
Corticosteroid Treatment for Sore Throats
group A streptococcus bacteriaSore throat (pharyngitis, or inflammation of the pharynx) is a very common complaint. It’s usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection, and less commonly by a fungal infection or other problem. One of the more...
Feb 17 2011
Amazon Conservation Team: Mapping the Amazon
members of the Ipkeng tribeMedicine for the outdoors is predicated on there being healthy and thriving outdoor environments, including wilderness. There are many organizations that support conservation and preservation. One of my favorites is ...
Feb 14 2011
New Drugs for Treating Severe Frostbite
Chemical structure of prostacyclinProstacyclin (a derived form of a prostaglandin) is a bioactive compound that is believed to have beneficial effects in treating frostbite. It works by inhibiting a certain type of blood clotting caused by pla...
Feb 10 2011
New Head Lice Treatment for Children and Adults: Natroba
Outdoor adventures sometimes take us to locations where the sleeping arrangements create exposure to mites and lice. While some may think of this as a problem more common to lower socioeconomic classes and third world countries, the fact is th...
Feb 07 2011
Wilderness Medicine Campus for NOLS
photo by Melissa Gray/WMI of NOLSThis news release is just in to me from Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin on behalf of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): Generous donations from Swiss biomedical entrepreneur Hansjörg Wyss and a Wyoming ...
Feb 03 2011
The Origin of the Haitian Cholera Outbreak Strain
When I was traveling in Nepal this past November to assist in creating the Nepal Ambulance Service, cholera was beginning to appear in Haiti. It had long been predicted that infectious diarrhea of some sort would become epidemic in Haiti, given...
Jan 27 2011
Cornell Wilderness Medicine: Alaska Adventure
This announcement is just in from my friends at Cornell Wilderness Medicine:Learn practical wilderness medicine skills in the ultimate wilderness—Alaska! Raft the stunningly beautiful Copper River, past bears, moose, eagles, seals, calving gla...
Jan 24 2011
microscopic image of Vibrio choleraeCholera is not a common cause of infectious diarrhea in the United States, but it can certainly be a problem for travellers to non-U.S. countries, particularly those in South Asia with contaminated water sup...