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The Hype of Dehydration and Heatstroke
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Apr 11, 2013 at 4:54 pm #1975462
"I add salt to my water and have to be very careful to stay dehydrated due to a health issue."
Jason, why do you want to stay dehydrated? That doesn't sound very healthy.
–B.G.–
Apr 11, 2013 at 5:11 pm #1975470AnonymousInactive"Hmm… is it a good idea to kill the good germs with alcohol? Might it get rid of the germs that protect us? Does soap and water do a better job of cleaning?"
On a small area for a few days at a time, I suspect it is not an issue. I still have all my fingers and all my skin on same in good condition. ;)
Soap and water do a better job of physically removing material, including the good bacteria, but alcohol sure does a number on bacteria, at least IME. I would think this makes for a good argument for using alcohol in areas where water is at a premium and should be conserved for drinking, especially if you have to carry your entire supply. That said, I certainly wouldn't recommend it for year in/year out use. My 2 cents
Apr 11, 2013 at 5:28 pm #1975477I've been drinking a daily concoction of ~1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 20 oz. of water, and a lemon, lime, or orange wedge squeezed into it immediately when I wake up.
I'm usually up at 4:45 AM to surf before work and a few months ago I realized that consuming nothing but coffee until after my session wasn't doing me any favors for performance, recovery, or energy later in the day. So I started this drink, combined with a bowl of steel cut oats with a good handful of blueberries in it (sometimes with a big glob of plain Greek yogurt as well), and it has made a HUGE difference in how I've felt over the last two months. I don't drink my coffee (only a cup) until after I've had my drink and breakfast. I've never been much of a breakfast person until now.
Will probably take this same routine backpacking from now on.
Tom, you're dead on about salt and water. No need to get fancy with things. Added benefit, it's very economical.
Apr 11, 2013 at 6:24 pm #1975488AnonymousInactive"I wish they would sneak a little magnesium in there."
According to what I have read, it doesn't get depleted as fast. I just make sure to take a magnesium tablet at either end of the day, along with calcium. If you would rather take it in "on the fly", just pick up an OTC magnesium supplement and take one, or more according to your need, during the day. They are easiest to find in a 250 mg dose, IME.
Apr 11, 2013 at 6:59 pm #1975509A great snack to have on hand during a hike: Trader Joe's Plantain Chips
http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/trader-joes/roasted-plantain-chips
Note: I only link to this site b/c it came up on a google search for the nutrition label; I'm not a regular on "fatsecret.com", honest.
Apr 11, 2013 at 7:23 pm #1975527Jason, why do you want to stay dehydrated?
Typo corrected – must be dehydrated today.
Apr 12, 2013 at 6:24 pm #1976004AnonymousInactive"Inquiring minds want to know."
Always a good policy. I did a little inquiring on both our behalfs and came up with an interesting report from the Berkeley Wellness Center on just this subject:
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/self-care/preventive-care/article/6-tips-smart-handwashing
The gist of the article is that washing the hands with soap and water is still regarded as the most effective way of sanitizing one's hands. Alcohol based gels are effective at killing bacteria and viruses, but not bacterial spores, and less so if the hands are dirty. Alcohol can also irritate tender hands, although I have not experienced this problem so far. They also specifically recommend washing with soap and water after pooping. So, if you can spare the water it would seem that is the way to go. Still, I have been using alcohol based sanitizer for years with no apparent ill effects. Go figure. Anyway, I thought it would be good to mention this as a follow up to our dialogue.
Apr 12, 2013 at 7:30 pm #1976035Wrt alcohol vs hand-washing, it's worth pointing out that alcohol-based hand sanitizers seem to be particularly ineffective against norovirus, something you *really* don't wanna get when you're out in the middle of the wilderness.
Bill S.
Apr 12, 2013 at 8:14 pm #1976062AnonymousInactive"it's worth pointing out that alcohol-based hand sanitizers seem to be particularly ineffective against norovirus, something you *really* don't wanna get when you're out in the middle of the wilderness."
I doubt this would be an issue for most backpackers.
According to the link below, the sources of norovirus are: "Produce, shellfish, ready-to-eat foods touched by infected food workers (salads, sandwiches, ice, cookies, fruit), or any other foods contaminated with vomit or feces from an infected person."
http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/norovirus/
That said, hand washing is still considered by most medical authorities to be the most effective way to eliminate pathogens on your hands.
Apr 12, 2013 at 9:13 pm #1976075Of course the comment was "tongue -in-cheek."
But we have become such a risk adverse society. I see hand sanitizer available to the public for free in so many places these days — supermarkets, department stores, etc. This has got to be a bad idea. Soon we won't have an immune system.
When I was a kid we were always dirty from playing outside. My mother made us wash our hands before meals and we took a bath once a week. We never got sick.
A good friend of mine grew up in rural India. He told me the local water sources usually had greenish water. He never got sick. I am sure some health expert here will point out the dangers and provide case studies to disprove all of this. I think we are all a bunch of sissys ;)
Apr 12, 2013 at 9:35 pm #1976083AnonymousInactiveThe Dos Equis Man of men, "You ask, how do i wash my hands? Well, i will tell chtoo, i pee on them."
A real man, and next in line after Nick G., the most interesting man in the world.
Apr 13, 2013 at 7:41 pm #1976358AnonymousInactive"Of course the comment was "tongue -in-cheek."
:)
"But we have become such a risk adverse society.
+1
"I see hand sanitizer available to the public for free in so many places these days — supermarkets, department stores, etc. This has got to be a bad idea. Soon we won't have an immune system."
Americans have never been known for moderation. If a limited amount of something is good, then more must be better. :( That said, I do believe there are public situations where using hand sanitizer makes sense, physicians offices and hospitals for instance, particularly during flu season, as they are concentrators of sick people by definition. I believe the same applies to the back country. but CYOH is the operative phrase here, just like HYOH.
+1 to supermarkets, department stores, etc.
That said, I doubt very much that using hand sanitizer has any more of a lasting impact on one's immune system than washing the hands. Both effectively remove pathogens from the affected area, which will soon be repopulated from adjacent skin areas in the course of the hundreds of touching motions that occur every day, scratching, rubbing, etc.
"When I was a kid we were always dirty from playing outside. My mother made us wash our hands before meals and we took a bath once a week. We never got sick."
I grew up under the same conditions, and heartily concur. Numerous conversations I have had with docs I know socially reinforce my opinion on this one. The real problems with our immune systems start early on, beginning with the increasing frequency of cesarean births, which deprive the newborn of its first exposure to immune system stimulants.
"A good friend of mine grew up in rural India. He told me the local water sources usually had greenish water. He never got sick."
This one is a bit more complicated than that. My wife was born in what is now Bangladesh and spent the first 12 years of her life in what is now West Bengal, under similar conditions. She survived, as did your friend, but millions of other Indian kids didn't and don't. It is a harsh environment and many do not make the cut. Those who do have very strong immune systems indeed, a phenomenon I have discussed with medical professionals on site in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. An interesting related aspect of this involves Indians who emigrate to the West and spend years here, then go back to India and get sick just like a lot of Western tourists do, because their immune systems are no longer primed to resist the local pathogens. It a battle that requires constant stimulation to keep up resistance, a lot like having to get booster shots for typhoid, tetanus, etc. I always "self inoculate" when visiting India by eating lots of yogurt. It is not a cure all, but it jump starts the process of adjusting to the local flora by stimulating my immune system and introducing some local allies into my gut.
"I am sure some health expert here will point out the dangers and provide case studies to disprove all of this. I think we are all a bunch of sissys ;)"
+1 to both statements. :)
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