Originally Posted By: Jeanette_Isabelle
Originally Posted By: clearwater
Not sure why you are leaving out the oral rehydration salts? Are local salt and sugar available? Check out the Zinc Supplements too. Treatment for dysentery requires plenty of ORS. Just stopping someone up with Lomotil can be a hazard, especially in children.

As you read in Nurse Mike's post, “rehydration fluids [can be] fabricated from diluted fruit juice and salt.”

You said:

The "Simple Solution" - Home made Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) Recipe

Preparing 1 (one) Litre solution using Salt, Sugar and Water at Home

Mix an oral rehydration solution using the following recipe.

Ingredients:
Six (6) level teaspoons of Sugar

Half (1/2) level teaspoon of Salt

One Litre of clean drinking or boiled water and then cooled - 5 cupfuls (each cup about 200 ml.)
Preparation Method:
Stir the mixture till the salt and sugar dissolve.

While I do take what the World Health Organization says seriously, putting a bottle of zinc tablets in the first aid kit may not be an option. If we agree that including Oral Rehydration Salts in the kit is better than making something with what is on hand in a village, this is what I consider using:

http://www.chinookmed.com/cgi-bin/item/1...---------------

I can put two of these packets in a kit without removing anything. If I need more, I can remove the instant cold compress. At least six ORS packets can fit into that compartment, likely more. If diarrhea is a problem, I believe this would be a good tradeoff.

Jeanette Isabelle


I've known a lot of people on "water pills" due to heart failure. They all require supplementation with potassium. The DIY formula does not include potassium, but the Chinook packets linked to do. Lack of potassium can cause serious heart problems.

We use "salt substitute" which is potassium chloride, for our "table salt." Bananas (I know, not packable, but may be locally available) are a super source of potassium. Something to be kept in mind.

It seem to me that it would be simple to add the salt substitute/potassium chloride to the DIY formula, but in what amount is slightly confusing--- I think a bit less than 1/2 the amount of salt.

Note: standard sugar is 50% glucose, and the Chinook mix has 20 grams of glucose, so you would need 40 grams of table sugar to equal it. Glucose tablets (in the diabetic section at the pharmacy) typically have 4 grams of glucose per tablet. This might be another option to include in your considerations.

It might be a good thing to do. Salt substitute is not expensive, and small packets of the proper amounts of salt, sugar and potassium could be made up at home and sealed with a small vacuum sealer.

Another (or additional option) is to include several "recipes" for rehydration fluids. If it a problem, even for one person, they are going to need more than a few packets. Use of locally available DIY ORS components seems the best long term solution.


Edited by bws48 (07/13/13 05:07 PM)
Edit Reason: typo fix
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