Electrolytes for Survival
5/25/2009 5:56:23 AM by (radishfarmer)

Electrolytes for Survival
by Kevin Reeve

Having lived in the East for 10 years now, I take water for granted. I can
pick up a rock and hit water from just about anywhere here. However, the time
I spent in the desert a few years ago was a wakeup call. I knew it would be
hot and I expected "dry", but nothing prepared me for what I encountered that
first day.

I experienced daytime temps close to the 130s and a bone dry landscape which required extreme water conservation techniques. I went out at 8:30 am and by 11:00 am I had already put a gallon and a half of H2O through my system, and I was already feeling dehydrated. On top of that, I had sweated an enormous amount. By
11:00 I had stopped sweating, a bad sign. With the humidity level about
10%, sweat evaporated almost immediately. It helped keep me cool, but my
shirt was stained with salts, an indication that my electrolytes were out of
whack.

By noon, I was feeling pretty woozy. The 18 Delta in the Team took one look
at me and retrieved Oral Rehydration Salts. ORS is a foil packet full of
nasty tasting powder that is mixed with a 16 oz bottle of water. The medic
had me mix a bottle and watched as I drank it. He laughed at my reaction.
He told me ³It tastes like A**, but that it will do you good.² So I choked
it down. Fifteen minutes later I was a new man.

It prevented a repeat of that situation the rest of my time in the desert.
I used it in the morning before heading out, another midday, and sometimes a
third in the evening after the day¹s mission. I still had to drink a LOT of
water, but no repeat of the symptoms of dehydration.

This is a link to the product I used, manufactured by Jainus Bros., however
there are two additional products that I also recommend.

http://www.chinookmed.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=18120&source=froogle

This is the Cerra brand, but I have no experience with it.

http://www.amazon.com/Oral-Rehydration-Salts-set-packets/dp/B000N2YU38/ref=s
r_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1242487978&sr=8-1

I have used and like Emergen C. It certainly tastes better that ORS.

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/AC010/ItemDetail;jsessionid=DE36800BC2E9B4BB7
458D473DD25473F.node1?n=4294967196

There are also lots of resources on the internet for making your own mix.
Make sure it is more than salt / sugar / water however, as your body will
need to replenish potassium and other trace minerals.

I have done research on hydration since this occurred and have come to
appreciate that I could have become very sick, perhaps deathly ill from a
condition related to sodium buildup in the cells. I was fortunate to have
been under the watchful eye of someone who knew the symptoms. I had a
severe headache. My mouth was dry. I was not sweating. My shirt was
stained with salty sweat stains. The skin on the back of my hand tented up
when I pinched and released it (it had lost elasticity). Water alone was not
the cure. In fact, it may have contributed to the situation.

I have not been back to the desert since then, but you can count on the fact
that when I do go back, in addition to water, I will be carrying lots of
electrolyte replacements.