16 Sep 2007, ST
It takes more than sheer will to stay alive - knowing what to do in a testing situation is important, too
By Huang Xueling
CALL it a miracle or the never-say-die determination to survive.
Recently, newspapers have run stories about people hanging on to dear life in adverse situations and who were eventually rescued.
Take the case of brothers Meng Xian- chen and Xianyou, both in their 40s. They stunned everyone when they dug their way out of a caved-in coal mine in China, using only bare hands and a small pick, 130 hours after the incident which occurred about a month ago.
Or Ora Doris Anderson, 76, who was found alive, albeit with a hip injury, in the Oregon wilderness 13 days after the American had gone missing on Aug 24.
Further back in April 2005, good friends Troy Driscoll and Josh Long, now 17 and 20, were found six days after the Americans were stranded at sea on a 15ft boat off North Carolina, with no food or water.
The general consensus among medical experts is that humans can survive for several weeks without food and three days without water.
In any extreme situation, the most important factor for survival, apart from oxygen, is water.
According to Dr Bryan Chua, deputy director of Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Health Sciences, water constitutes a major component of the human body and has several important functions, 'including acting as a solvent and a medium for chemical reactions'.
Indeed, in the above three cases, all the survivors found a way to hydrate themselves.
The Meng brothers drank their own urine.
Mrs Anderson was said to have taken water from a stream near where she was found.
Driscoll and Long sipped rain water off the bow of the boat and gargled their mouths with seawater.
But sea water should never be drunk as it causes electrolyte imbalance in the body, which together with dehydration, can be fatal, says Dr Chua.
'Rain water and stream water would be the best alternatives. Look for running water, and observe if other animals are drinking from this source,' he advises.
Dew collected on plants is also a viable alternative.
Food, while not as essential as water, is important as extreme hunger can induce irritability and low morale.
'We've energy reserves in our bodies which can be utilised during times of starvation. As the reserves are depleted, the person will experience physical and psychological symptoms such as weakness, lethargy, irritability and confusion,' says Dr Chua.
The Mengs had no food and it is not known if Mrs Anderson ate anything, but Driscoll and Long ate about a hundred jellyfish.
Dr Chua says mammals and birds are generally safe for consumption if they can be caught or trapped. Some fish and reptiles are also edible.
'Some fruit and seeds can also be eaten but wild berries and mushrooms may be poisonous,'' he reveals.
It is best to observe what the animals eat.
Survival books give this tip: When you are consuming unfamiliar foods, start with a small quantity and observe over the next few hours for any reactions like rashes, vomiting, abdominal pain or breathing difficulties.
'For individuals intending to go on adventurous expeditions, it is advisable for them to learn about basic survival skills and carry a survival guide with them,' Dr Chua says.
Experts say holding out in extreme conditions depends on the person's state of fitness and health, as well as environmental conditions such as temperature, cloud cover and rainfall.
A person should try to maintain a normal body temperature as it is essential for metabolic processes to function optimally.
In a cold environment, the body may not be able to produce sufficient heat and risk suffering from hypothermia.
As the body temperature falls, vital functions such as breathing and heart beat slow down, and may lead to unconsciousness and death.
Still, however dire the situation is, the person has perhaps one last card to play - the emotional and mental strength, or will, to fight to the last.
Driscoll and Long, who were stranded in the middle of the ocean, had no shelter from cold winds at night, pouring rain and hot sun in the day.
Driscoll's body was reportedly so badly sunburnt that he had second-degree burns and his feet suffered from hypothermia, which left all the nerves in them dead.
But they hung on.
And that explains why you continue to read stories about people beating seemingly insurmountable odds to live and fight another day.
It takes more than sheer will to stay alive - knowing what to do in a testing situation is important, too
By Huang Xueling
CALL it a miracle or the never-say-die determination to survive.
Recently, newspapers have run stories about people hanging on to dear life in adverse situations and who were eventually rescued.
Take the case of brothers Meng Xian- chen and Xianyou, both in their 40s. They stunned everyone when they dug their way out of a caved-in coal mine in China, using only bare hands and a small pick, 130 hours after the incident which occurred about a month ago.
Or Ora Doris Anderson, 76, who was found alive, albeit with a hip injury, in the Oregon wilderness 13 days after the American had gone missing on Aug 24.
Further back in April 2005, good friends Troy Driscoll and Josh Long, now 17 and 20, were found six days after the Americans were stranded at sea on a 15ft boat off North Carolina, with no food or water.
The general consensus among medical experts is that humans can survive for several weeks without food and three days without water.
In any extreme situation, the most important factor for survival, apart from oxygen, is water.
According to Dr Bryan Chua, deputy director of Nanyang Polytechnic's School of Health Sciences, water constitutes a major component of the human body and has several important functions, 'including acting as a solvent and a medium for chemical reactions'.
Indeed, in the above three cases, all the survivors found a way to hydrate themselves.
The Meng brothers drank their own urine.
Mrs Anderson was said to have taken water from a stream near where she was found.
Driscoll and Long sipped rain water off the bow of the boat and gargled their mouths with seawater.
But sea water should never be drunk as it causes electrolyte imbalance in the body, which together with dehydration, can be fatal, says Dr Chua.
'Rain water and stream water would be the best alternatives. Look for running water, and observe if other animals are drinking from this source,' he advises.
Dew collected on plants is also a viable alternative.
Food, while not as essential as water, is important as extreme hunger can induce irritability and low morale.
'We've energy reserves in our bodies which can be utilised during times of starvation. As the reserves are depleted, the person will experience physical and psychological symptoms such as weakness, lethargy, irritability and confusion,' says Dr Chua.
The Mengs had no food and it is not known if Mrs Anderson ate anything, but Driscoll and Long ate about a hundred jellyfish.
Dr Chua says mammals and birds are generally safe for consumption if they can be caught or trapped. Some fish and reptiles are also edible.
'Some fruit and seeds can also be eaten but wild berries and mushrooms may be poisonous,'' he reveals.
It is best to observe what the animals eat.
Survival books give this tip: When you are consuming unfamiliar foods, start with a small quantity and observe over the next few hours for any reactions like rashes, vomiting, abdominal pain or breathing difficulties.
'For individuals intending to go on adventurous expeditions, it is advisable for them to learn about basic survival skills and carry a survival guide with them,' Dr Chua says.
Experts say holding out in extreme conditions depends on the person's state of fitness and health, as well as environmental conditions such as temperature, cloud cover and rainfall.
A person should try to maintain a normal body temperature as it is essential for metabolic processes to function optimally.
In a cold environment, the body may not be able to produce sufficient heat and risk suffering from hypothermia.
As the body temperature falls, vital functions such as breathing and heart beat slow down, and may lead to unconsciousness and death.
Still, however dire the situation is, the person has perhaps one last card to play - the emotional and mental strength, or will, to fight to the last.
Driscoll and Long, who were stranded in the middle of the ocean, had no shelter from cold winds at night, pouring rain and hot sun in the day.
Driscoll's body was reportedly so badly sunburnt that he had second-degree burns and his feet suffered from hypothermia, which left all the nerves in them dead.
But they hung on.
And that explains why you continue to read stories about people beating seemingly insurmountable odds to live and fight another day.
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