http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/04/cnn25.tan.ralston/

Mr Ralston's lawyer rattled his sword at ETS when the post event publicity was turning from white newsprint to green pieces of paper. Doug, rattled his survival knife back. It seems everyone was sharp but Aron <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> I went to a motivational seminar once. It was a cross between an UP WITH PEOPLE concert and a military recruiting office. I personally wish him well and hope he mentions his mistakes to his audiences. Sometimes this subject requires, uh, twisting people's arms to get their attention <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Sigh.

And all the idiots reading that article will probably remember only one thing: "he drank his urine to stay hydrated". Why don't they put a disclaimer when they publish that crap, saying it DOESN'T hydrate you, it DEHYDRATES you?

Grrrrr,,,, <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

Sue

Actually there are several well documented cases of someone living by drinking their own urine while others died of dehydration. How long ago was it when that man was found in (Iranian?) earthquake rubble something like 9 days later, still alive while his wife an daughters who were with him and refused to drink their urine all died of dehydration. I remeber after I first read that story is several articles from various newspapers I did a lot of reasearch (reading, not actual experimentation with my urine <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) and found that drinking urine is a heck of a lot more common than I ever would have guessed. It's not poisonous and it's not dirty. It's actually quite sterile and in most cases it does not increase dehydration (though this depends on what is actually in your urine). That being said, I'm not testing first hand the information I gathered <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> and I'd drink from the nastiest stream first.

Brian, I don't want to be argumentative, but I'd like to know the source for such "well documented" cases. Perhaps I don't understand what I've read and heard from medical experts here and in other survival sources, but my understanding was that the excreted salts present in urine did increase rather than decrease dehydration. Bacterial concerns were not important, just the salts/electrolytes.

The problem with these incidents are their anecdotal nature. If somebody survives is it due , in spite of , or irrelevant because the individual drank urine? The man's survival could very well be because of his different physiology and fitness vs his female family members. The inherent mistake here is one I see in many survival strategies. I am not prepared, but I will improvise. Knowing how to make a bowdrill fire is usefull and subconsciously romantic with Rousseau images of Noble Savage that carries more ego value than a flannel grey,plebian $1 disposable lighter. 50 years ago men had suits tailored for cigar cases, pocket watches and even handguns. Today it's cellphones or other whirling, noisome gizmos from some demented descendant of out of work samurais. My stategem EVERY day is to hydrate myself at every opportunity, carry several of the thin water envelopes in those pockets along with a water bottle in hand ( almost standard wear in modern California attire anyway) , avoid the midday sun, idiots, badly lit buildings with poor access ( biker bars that ask me to leave anyway) and PRAY frequently <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Are you referring to the British SAS guy in Iraq from Bravo 2 Zero ?? I believe it's mentioned in their Escape & Evade effort the SAS team peed into their canteens and filtered it.

He said that he used the straw from his Camel Pack. So one has to wonder just how long he actually went without water? How big was the pack? How much water was left when he fell? How many times did he drink his own urine before amputation? How thankful he is that God favors fools <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />????? Guess some of this information is in his book (that I haven't read) But one good thing, it does show the importance of the WILL to survive. The mind can be your best friend or worst enemy.

I agree Chris. I think that anectodotal evidence can often be dangerous, not just misleading. Heck, we (as of today) don't even know what the scientific evidence actually is regarding NSAID pain medication..

I checked into this urine thing with a Nephrologist I know. Here's what he said:
Urine is simply a filtrate of blood. As the blood goes through the nephrons of the kidney the blood is filtered, then some of the filtrate is reabsorbed and then materials are secreted into the urine by active transport. So basically, anything that the blood contains that is small enough to go through the pores of the capsule and capillaries will wind up in the filtrate. Some things, like glucose, are reabsorbed actively back into the blood. Water is passively reabsorbed along with some electrolytes etc. Some materials that are not found in the blood are manufactured (secreted) by the kidney tubules so that they can be excreted. These include urea and uric acid, some(salt) water and other waste products. Nothing whatsoever that is good for you, according to mainstream medicine. That's the body's wisdom in getting rid of it. The major waste product from cells in the body is ammonia, and the major waste product from blood is a broken form of heme called bilirubin.

Drinking urine will increase the osmolarity of blood. This will INCREASE transport of water from all the other cells in the body into the bloodstream. This will INCREASE the rate at which (absent adequate potable water) the cells shrink and malfunction. The blood's elevated concentration of sodium and chloride ions will cause the kidneys to work harder to get rid of the excess by attempting to produce more urine. It would seem that drinking urine not only fails to provide fluid in a form the body wants, but also causes the body to increase the rate dehydration with respect to other fluids on-board. That would result in degradation of mentation, taccycardia, and muscle weakening.

Common water filters and purification tablets are not able to filter out these waste products. Osmotic (desal) membranes may help with the salts. Distillation of urine may recover a water fraction, but probably not worth the effort. Best advice: don't drink urine. If you're in a hot climate and you're ABLE to pee.... pee on your shirt. You may reduce fluid loss by perspiration/transpiration a tiny bit.

....unfortunately now I can't ask my Nephrologist friend any further questions: he asks that I never again approach him at the nursing station or anywhere else with any questions whatsoever, and that I seek counseling.


Now... I'm washing my hands of this issue <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I have heard of people extending their water buy mixing it with urine or seawater. Is there any truth to this?