Basic medical needs

[Choles]

In every big SHTF scenario, inevitably what follows is a health crisis, such as cholera, typhoid, dysentary, etc. Much of it is derived from tainted water, either naturally or from the breakdown of infrastructure. Even if you have water filters or boil water, nothing is 100% guaranteed and everyone should be able to prepare a basic homemade electrolyte solution. The one I have memorized was obtained from the following excerpt. There are a host of substantively similar "recipes" out there. Find one you trust, print it out and keep a hard copy. A simple electrolyte solution can save lives. Good luck.

"One teaspoon of "Lite Salt"(by Morton, 1/2 iodized potassium chloride, 1/2 sodium chloride in a blue cylinder), 1/3 teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), 10 teaspoons of table sugar (sucrose), and one quart of water. That happens to be a life saving fluid replacement and partial electrolyte expedient replacement. At least it is expedient if you have had the foresight to purchase the above three items BEFORE an emergency happens while it is readily available and very cheap. Many people die in times of emergency because of fluid losses. This can be from burns, vomiting, or diarrhea. The body needs water and certain water soluble chemicals to function. If either or both of these drop below a certain level, you die. There are many non-fatal diseases like cholera that become fatal due to lack of simple things like proper fluid replacement."

[Shambler]

good stuff to know

[Christian for Israel]

this works great for treating radiation sickness also.

[PatriotMusic]

Hi,

I found a link at WebMD for the rehydration formula:

http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/rehydration-drinks

Rehydration drinks

Diarrhea and vomiting can cause your body to lose large amounts of water, nutrients, and essential minerals called electrolytes. This happens faster and is more serious in babies, young children, and older adults.

Rehydration drinks, (such as Pedialyte, Lytren, or Rehydrate) and sports drinks (such as Gatorade or Powerade) replace fluids and electrolytes. Plain water doesn't provide necessary nutrients or electrolytes and may not be absorbed with diarrhea. Note: Rehydration drinks, such as Pedialyte, are designed for children. Adult rehydration drinks and sports drinks should not be used for babies and young children.

Rehydration drinks don't make diarrhea or vomiting go away faster, but they can prevent serious dehydration from developing.

You can make an inexpensive rehydration drink at home. However, do not give this homemade drink to children younger than 12.

Measure all ingredients precisely. Small variations can make the drink less effective or even harmful. Mix the following:

1 quart (950 ml) water
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) table salt, or 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 g) salt substitute (such as "Lite Salt," which is potassium-based)
3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 g) sugar

Author Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Editor Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA
Associate Editor Tracy Landauer
Primary Medical Reviewer William M. Green, MD
- Emergency Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP
- Gastroenterology
Last Updated May 26, 2006

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Last Updated: May 26, 2006
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.
@ 1995-2007, Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.



PatriotMusic

[Fidel. MD]

this works great for treating radiation sickness also.

It will treat radiation-induced diarrhea, but thats all. High dose ionizing radiation will damage DNA replication in rapidly dividing cells, the cells lining the gut are some of the fastest replicating in the body (likewise the bone marrow, another target of radiation induced trauma).

During cellular replication the cells themselves have 'quality inspectors' built in that check to make certain that the DNA was copied correctly. If it was, it allows the cell to enter the next stage - if not, then it either tries to fix the damage or tells the cell to die (apoptosis). Cancer is almost always caused by damage to this repair process.

The cells lining the gut are, as I said, rapidly dividing because of damage they receive from the food inside. The original cells are lost normally, and the replacement cells are damaged so they die off. This causes the diarrhea and blood loss, and is quite serious: About 1/3 of the bodies immune system is located in the gut, aside from it's role in absorbing water and nutrients.

Unfortunately there isn't a lot that can be done to treat this problem other than provide symptomatic relief and try to keep the patient from developing an infection. Drugs that are commonly used for diarrhea (loperimide (Immodium) or lomotil) are not indicated in this type of diarrhea: You want to get the dead, necrotic tissue and blood out of the gut so it won't serve as a culture for bacteria.

The ORS will help a bit in treating the dehydration caused by the diarrhea, but either the patients system can rebuild itself, or not. If not, the patient will succumb to a secondary infection, or electrolyte imbalance.