Heat stroke isn't cool...

[Rch]

Re: Heat stroke isn\'t cool...

The glucose/sucrose in a sports drink maybe appropiate during a high and prolonged energy expendature situation such as a marathon (one advantage is it is metabolize to(more) water and CO2,which is easily exhaled- so you get the calories fast with a helpful by product,H2O). For most of us we should let the body get those calories from that spare tire around our middle. I'd tend to use a drink that uses a non caloric sweetener or is light on the sugur if keeping off weight is an issue; if you're skinny and/or working like a marathoner use a drink with sugar in it.

RCH

 

[Rowski]

Re: Heat stroke isn\'t cool...

Rch,

Thanks for the formula. Could it be made without Karo syrup? I am a diabetic, insulin dependent, on an pump. I usually do not use sport drinks because I would have to bolus some insulin to cover it, that gets tricky during moderate to heavy working to balance this all out. So I would basically drink lots of water, try to eat healthier for the nutrients and hope for the best! My mom has always said put a little more salt on your food during the heat. I will have to ask my wife to translate some of your post in english. Thanks again.

By the way, for other diabetics, an insulin pump is the best thing. Made my life the most flexiable it has ever been. Ask your doctor about it. I can give some web links to the pump companies.

Derek

 

[MChalkley]

Re: Heat stroke isn\'t cool...

Thanks Doc!

Now, for us laypersons, what is NaHC03 and where can it be purchased?

Is there any magnesium in this formula you mentioned, or is it necessary?

Is there any harm in using as little Karo as is possible? Or is it necessary for the minerals to be absorbed properly?

Thanks again for your detailed response - I'm planning on "rolling my own" "tractor drink" based on your info.

Mark

 

[Rch]

Re: Heat stroke isn\'t cool...

NaHCO3 is sodium bicarbonate-Arm & Hammer baking soda- that stuff kids mix with acetic acid[vinager] and launch a million rockets.
Mg or magnesium shouldn't be a problem for the short haul, a day or two, assuming a varied diet is part of the equation.
Diabetes mellitus is a whole other matter, varying from minor to major adjustments. Diabetes is like a triangle with calories on one point, exercise on the second point and insulin[or pills] on the third one- you change one factor and you got to adjust the other two in order to keep the blood glucose in a normal range. This can be relatively easy in maturity-onset(type 1-over 30)with lots of exceptions and usually more difficult in juvenile diabetes,also with lots of exceptions.
As discussed Karo syrup(sugar/glucose/dextrose/sucrose, pretty much the same)can be left out if you don't need the calories. Lightly sweetened(artificially or with sugar) lemonade fortified with a little Morton Lyte Salt, NaHCO3 drank a little bit often so that the urine is alway pale is the way to go. A 7-11 52 ounce insulated container sounds like just the ticket- like 3 or 4 or even more a day. Kidneys can deal with excess-they just pee it out. What they can't deal with is shortage.

Say, what about "KUBOTADE" or "JD POWER DRINK" or"NH LYTE" or "GREY! DRINK".With some food coloring,a bath tub and a snake oil marketing campaign it could be the next AMZOIL.
RCH<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Rch on 8/31/00 00:16 AM.</FONT></P>

 

[TomG]

Re: Heat stroke isn\'t cool...

I'm not claiming any expertise here, but I am aware that there are different opinions about the value of sugar supplements to sustain any type of abnormally strenuous activity.

I think it's important to distinguish between sustaining performance and sustaining health. They aren't always the same. Many of the popularized approaches are designed for use by competitive athletes. Athletes may be more concerned with immediate athletic performance than long term health. I'd check things out real carefully before concocting some home-brew that is intended to allow persons to undertake some activity that otherwise would be injurious to health. I mean after all, electrolyte balance in an individual is pretty complex. A better approach probably is to avoid things where an extreme intervention is needed just to keep going. Even drinking a lot of plain water is extreme.

I'm talking as a person whose recreational athletics went competitive. I stayed in competitive training eight years for soccer. Here, I'll keep myself from whining about the eventual benefits from my former supposedly healthy life style. I mean, it's really a good idea to try and take it easy--especially if your livelihood doesn't depend on keeping going. A sports drink isn't going to make a recreation person into an athlete just like having a tractor doesn't make a person like me into a farmer. Besides, athletes tend to retire early into a life of aches and pains--same with farmers. Even so, I suppose I might use a little 'lite-salt' or 'half n half' if I was sweating a lot and drinking water, although sitting in the shade until evening is probably a better idea. Another approach is just have fun with the idea of a 'Botadrink' and not take any of this too seriously.

 

[MarkV]

Re: Heat stroke isn\'t cool...

Tom,

Your point is well taken and I wish I could sit in the shade until things cooled down. Lets see, that would be May 15 til Sept. 30 here in Georgia./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif OK by me but the wife still wants a pay check coming in. The nature of my work keeps me pushing pretty hard and now that I am pushing that Big 50 I watch thing pretty close.

I don't look at "Bota-Aid" as a performance enhancer just a body saver. Sounds like the home brew cuts through the sports drink hype and gets to the basic needs for the body.

All that said, your point of moderation is for sure the best solution. I also have some of the aches and pains left over from my younger superman days. Now if we can keep MarkC from adding a shot of Amisol to his mix so he can run smoother, last longer and change fluids less often.

Guess the best lesson we can learn from this, is don't take the heat lightly. It can hurt you bad and poor MarkC took the hit to remind us all. Thanks to everyone for the education I have gotten from all the information offered.

MarkV

 

[MChalkley]

Re: Heat stroke isn\'t cool...

RCH - Thanks again for all the info! It's great having a tractor-operator-physician on the staff.

My problem (well, the one relevant to this discussion) is that I sweat profusely, and don't want anything to eat when it's that hot. So, both things aggravated the situation. As I mentioned before, I drank over 20 half-liters of water that Wednesday and didn't urinate once between 6:30 AM and 9 PM. Perhaps, in addition to making up some "Trac-lyte", I'll make sure I take a multi-vitamin and mineral tablet to insure that I get the magnesium and other stuff.

Mark

 

[MChalkley]

Re: Heat stroke isn\'t cool...

TomG & MarkV - I understand the sentiments about "performance enhancers", I think. But as MarkV mentioned, I'm not worried so much about performance as I am survival. I'd like to just not work in those conditions, too, but it's not possible. When I've got a project scheduled, there's a lot of people depending on that schedule and it getting done when it's supposed to. Of course, nothing is worth killing yourself over, but other people were out there working (and some of them doing more consistently strenuous physical things than I was) who didn't get sick. That doesn't necessarily mean, of course, that just because they can do it, I can, too. But I'd like to think that if I replace the stuff I lose to sweating by drinking a sufficient quantity of the right solution, I could avoid killing myself. That's the objective, anyway. I just think I made some stupid mistakes (not counting "not staying in the house") that, if corrected, could keep it from happening again. I'm going to find out, anyway. I'm going to make up some packets of the dry ingredients and try it, taking care to monitor myself a lot more carefully than I did last time. I don't want to go through that again, that's for sure.

MarkV, I tried the Amsoil, but I just can't get past the taste. If I have to start drinking that, TomG's suggestion of just staying home will be all I've got left.

MarkC

 

[Rch]

Re: Heat stroke isn\'t cool...

A little correction on my 8-31-00 post; juvenile diabetes is type 1,maturity onset is type 2.--RCH

RCH

 

[TomG]

Re: Heat stroke isn\'t cool...

My wife commented that on her 'Outward Bound' trip, the leaders insisted that everybody drink water and eat 'gorp' during strenuous portions of the trip. Sounds like you might have gone beyond what that type of general-purpose approach can accomplish. It also sounds like you went beyond what a general approach like a sports drink can accomplish. I did mention a preparation intended to sustain persons through dysentery or until medical attention can be obtained. It sounds like your fluid losses might have been in the range of severe dysentery. However, such preparations still are general-purpose tools, and are intended for use in emergency situations.

OK, here's my point. If you are in unavoidable situations where the demands start pushing the ability of general approaches to cope, then you're at risk. In such conditions, individual differences start to play a major role in what works and what doesn't. Reliance on general approaches may not remove the risks. It might be worth seeing if your doc will get you to a appropriate specialist who can define an approach specifically for your needs. Severe fluid loss is a killer. I believe that thousands, or even tens of thousands, of children die each day from the effects of dysentery.

Don't take such situations lightly or think that self-monitoring is a reliable control. I experienced the symptoms you described for several hours after running marathon distances. By the time I recognized I had a problem it was too late for corrective measures.