Let's say you're stranded in the wilderness, it's been more than three days so the SAR stopped looking for you. It's hot and humid and you managed to collect enough water. But you didn't manage to find some adequate food and you finished all your jerky. And you got to get out of there since nobody is looking for you so you'll have to exert almost like an athlete. Then you start having minor symptoms of hyponatremia (low level of sodium in the blood) and you don't have pretzels and Gatorade available.
Since you have read the first chapter of the SAS survival handbook and some paragraphs of 98.6 degrees the art of keeping your ass alive! you are aware of the consequences of sodium depletion and you packed some kind of sodium replacement. Here are some products I found in older posts, in my books and in some stores:
Alka-Seltzer (without added Aspirin) (Cody Lundin's 98.6 degrees book)
Ceralyte 70 (rice-based oral electrolyte) available at MEC.ca for diarrhea?? (they talk about diarrhea but not about hyponatremia.)
http://www.ceralyte-usa.comtable salt packets or salt tablets
Thermotabs (buffered salt supplement) or something similar probably found in drogstores:
http://www.coradhealthcare.com/item/Thermo_TabsThe bottom line is that I'm not sure what to pack in a mess tin or FAK to treat an hyponatremia emergency (without becoming hypernatremic either) if it ever occurs in an unexpected extended off the land situation. I think just a pinch of salt added to your water will treat the first symptoms like "salt cramps" but I want to know what works best and also what packs best. I'm also aware that taking aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can make it worse. I guess it depends if it's acute, chronic or just minor and I guess I should take it up with a physician.
Do you think if you don't have any salt availabe, you can add some drops of your urine to your drinking water <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
Previous Topic
Index
