I was wondering if the drink mixes in MREs labeled carbohydrate and electrolyte are as good as ORS or if they work at all. If so is there a shelflife for these things. I aquired alot of them when FEMA was giving them out after hurricane Rita slammed us and i'd like to put them to good use

ORS has a fixed concentration of sodium, sugar, bicarbonate and most importantly the osmolality (concentration) etc. Used mainly in diarrhoeal diseases where there are losses of a combination of electrolytes, these help to prevent hyponatremia/ hypokalemia.

See this link for the contents ORS pdf

You could compare the contents of the MRE drink mixes with the standard list and see.

As long as the contents stay in their powdered form and do not congeal together from moisture seeping into the package, the contents should be fine.
Was FEMA giving these out in anticipation of acute diarrhoeal diseases, cholera because of water contamination from the hurricane hit areas ?

Without knowing the contents of the electrolyte powder you're referring to, this is only an educated guess, but I would say no, they're not the same because their intended uses are different. That drink mix is probably meant to be consumed daily and despite its "electrolyte replacement" label, it won't contain much electrolytes and its main purpose for being in an MRE is probably to encourage drinking by making water (especially chemically treated water) taste better. In contrast, I wouldn't recommend drinking ORS on a daily basis. Too much sodium, for one thing. Try drinking some Pedialyte you get from the drug store some time and see if you would want that with your meals every day. No thank you.

Trusbx already made some good points, and that's a good article he links to. If you ever need to rehydrate someone who is stricken with serious diarrhea or vomiting, while an electrolyte drink may be better than plain water, it would not be the equivalent of a true ORS (oral rehydration solution). They have different concentrations of stuff, and even lack some things. For example, severe vomiting can lead to acidosis. If you've ever mixed up your own ORS, baking soda is usually a main ingredient. This acts to counter the acidosis and bring your pH back in line. On the other hand, your typical electrolyte powder won't help at all for acidosis. That's a good thing, since you wouldn't want to drink baking soda under normal circumstances anyway.

So, if you're concerned about serious rehydration situations, I would recommend that you keep some true ORS handy. You can mix your own inexpensive ORS from household ingredients when you need it. Ceralyte is one brand of prepackaged ORS powder. Bottles of Pedialyte will also work, but are bulky to store.

You might be interested in this old threat on Gatorade packets. If you're interested in some nitty-gritty on how our bodies absorb water, be sure to check out my "physiology of hydration" sub-thread. You'll also find out why I say that electrolyte drink may be better, but may not be, than plain water at rehydrating someone.

One simple question to the specialists:
Locally they are selling ORS-scoops.
The scoop has two sides: one side to scoop regular sugar and the other to scoop up some table salt. They sould both be put in a glass of water (? cl) and be taken after every diurethic (correct spelling?) discharge.

Are they even remotely usefull?
This solutions doesn't seem to be on the list in the article.
And in the suggestion about making ors yourself, there is a mention about baking soda.

So is the ors-scoop usefull, useless or even dangerous?

Greets,
Vince

tranx,

There are variations in the ingredients for an oral rehydration solution. The basics are clean water, salt, and table sugar. The correct salt/sugar ratio will maximize your body's absorption of water, replenish some lost sodium, and the sugar will provide some energy (important when you can't eat or keep food down).

One simple homemade solution I found here is:

* one liter of water
* eight level teaspoons of table sugar
* one level teaspoon of salt

That webpage also mentions a special measuring spoon to make 200 ml of sugar/salt solution, so that sounds similar to your "ORS scoop". Convenient for making one glass of ORS at a time.

An example of a more complicated home recipe (taken from the Kaiser Permanente Healthwise Handbook, pg 80) would be (not recommended for children under 12 years old):

* one quart water
* half teaspoon baking soda
* half teaspoon salt
* 3-4 tablespoons table sugar
* quarter teaspoon of salt substitue ("lite" salt, made of potasium chloride or KCl), if available

The baking soda supplies sodium bicarbonate, which helps counter acidosis, a potential problem with severe vomiting or diarrhea. The salt substitue provides potasium, an essential electrolyte. Sipping some dilute orange juice would also be a source of potasium if salt substitute were not available.

There are many variations you can find on the web. Some recipes may specifically state that they are inappropriate for children, so take note. Whichever recipe you use, make sure to measure the ingredients (including the water) carefully because it can make a difference.

I'm not a doctor, and this advice is no substitute for visiting your own doctor, but for occasional episodes of diarrhea or vomiting from the "stomach flu", the basic recipe above or your ORS scoop will do nicely. And ORS really does make a difference! From personal experience with diarrhea, plain water really does seem to just "run through you" whereas ORS seems to "stay inside". ORS won't necessarily make the diarrhea go away sooner, but you'll stay hydrated and hopefully feel more comfortable by avoiding dehydration. The more complicated ORS recipe may be more helpful when the diarrhea or vomiting is severe or prolonged, but by then, hopefully you will have sought some medical advice.

Hope that answers your question.