During a summer heat wave, reports water and health researcher Sharon Kleyne, nothing is more important in saving lives than the ability to recognize, prevent and treat dehydration. Dehydration defined as the loss of water content in the body, skin and eyes.
Sharon Kleyne is Founder of Bio-Logic Aqua Research, a water and health research and product development center. Kleyne hosts the globally syndicated Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water® radio show on Voice American and Apple iTunes.
According to Kleyne, dehydration affects nearly everyone, male or female, young or old, healthy or not, summer or winter, no matter where you live. Kleyne believes that all living organisms on Earth begin dehydrating at birth and that life cannot survive without adequate water. Kleyne has discovered that the best action a person can take to maintain good health is to pay attention to their personal hydration and dehydration.
Health consequences begin to occur after a loss of only 2% of the normal body water. During a summer heat wave, such as the one currently blanketing the Eastern United States, the dehydration process is accelerated and so are the consequences.
During an extreme summer heat wave, dehydration can become very dangerous very fast. Cold and clammy skin, shortness of breath and dizziness are the earliest indicators of heat stroke. The body is losing too much water and salt, and is working overtime to cool itself. The initial life saving treatment is to get out of the sum immediately and slowly sip water until you feel better. Sunburn makes the situation worse.
When the body actually does run out of water and salt, the body temperature will rise precariously, muscles become weak and the person may become delirious or pass out. This is an extremely dangerous situation that may result in death without immediate medical treatment.
Indicators of dehydration: Thirst, dry mouth, dry breathing passages, dry skin, dry and burning eyes, fatigue, perspiration, stress, loss of energy, dizziness, confusion, constipation, drop in blood pressure, loss of appetite, nausea, rapid heart rate, etc.
Prevention and treatment of dehydration during a summer heat wave: Stay out of the sun in the heat of the afternoon. Get out of the sum if you begin to burn of experience obvious dehydration indicators. Rest frequently. Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water each day, in addition to other fluids. Carry and drink water when you go outdoors. Eat âwetâ foods such as apples, oranges, salad, melons, etc. Take frequent cool showers and/or soaking baths. Eat healthy foods and do not overeat. Alcohol, which is itself dehydrating, should be avoided.
For immediate hydration of skin and eyes due to summer heat, Sharon Kleyne recommends a 100% water, all-natural, pH balanced mist applied to the dry eyes, facial skin and forearms with a personal, hand-held device. The only products meeting this description are Natureâs Tears® EyeMist® and Natures Mist®, developed and bottled by Bio-Logic Aqua Research.
More dehydration tips from Sharon Kleyne: During intense heat, popsicles can be immediately helpful in cooling and hydrating the body and providing a slight energy boost. However, they contain too much refined sugar with little nutrition. The ideal popsicle would contain Gatorade â sugar and salt â rather than just sugar water. Soup is a good âwaterâ food but cold is better than hot for summer dehydration. Large iced drinks are fantastic but pure water, or water with a slight twist of lemon, is preferable to lemonade.
The âuniversal dehydration antidote,â used worldwide, is 8 to 12 ounces of water with a tablespoon of sugar and a tablespoon of salt. This is also known as Gatorade.
