Re: [Philmont]: Gatorade/electrolyte pros/cons

I don't disagree with the comments about Gatorade, however, I do take
Gatorade or similar products with me backpacking in the mountains. I use it
for people who are experiencing AMS. (Acute Mountain Sickness.)

High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) and High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)
are altitude illnesses that are deadly. AMS "may" contribute to lead to
HAPE/HACE but it is not proven. AMS is a pain in the butt. The studies by
the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) indicate that dehydration is a
contributing factor in AMS. There is no link yet between dehydration and
HAPE/HACE.

Rehydrating someone who is dehydrated or suffering AMS (two
similar/different things (any maybe the same thing) with similar cures) is
hard if you do not understand the problem. Both lead to nausea, headache
and general sluggishness. The headache is in the front of the head rotating
around the side. I use the Gatorade or similar product in step 2 of
dehydration.

Step 1, drink 1/2 liter of water.

Step 2. drink 1/2 liter of a 1/2 mixture of an electrolyte mixture. (I use
ERG seems to get good results without helping the nauseasnous) and take to
aspirin. (Big fan of Ibuprofen, but again, aspirin seems to work better.)
Also take a couple of antacids. A full dose of Gatorade/ERG is too much and
the people usually blow chunks losing the first 1/2 liter of water and you
are now farther behind.

Step 3. Keep drinking water. It is very rare to over drink water. The
studies in the Grand Canyon that occurred on this issue a couple of years
ago have been heavily discounted and about thrown out because of the testing
procedures. In fact the WMS is skeptical about the issue in exercise
situations really can exist. Possible just hard to do, differently hard to
study.

When you dehydrate your blood thickens and becomes acidic. Both then lead
to nauseanous and the headache. Drinking water seems to cure the AMS, but
does not make you feel better. Consequently the Aspirin, Antacids and
Electrolyte mixture work on the symptoms as well as a cure.

One additional point, there have been several good studies on using Ginkgo
Biloba instead of diamox. I am a big fan of Diamox. (At 20,000' it's nice
to know your fingers, toes and nose are not frozen when you get that tingly
feeling). However, if I were susceptible to altitude, I would take the
Ginkgo here in the states because it is easier. How to use the Ginkgo is
posted at this website:
http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/hot-topics.html. Dr. Peter Hackett
presented these findings and stated he would switch if he was susceptible. I
will see Peter this weekend and see if there is anything knew.

If you have someone with symptoms in addition to the headache and nausea,
then you have a get down situation. When I say get down, I mean fast and
now! I was dealing with a HAPE case here in the mountains last year and was
amazed at what a 4000 foot drop meant. Oxygen saturation of 82% on a
concentrator, lethargic, ill at 9500. 11,000 on the way down (Eisenhower
tunnel on I-70) unresponsive. 5400' oxygen sat of 98% not on a
concentrator. Up walking and 100% alert. These additional symptoms are not
sleeping, change in mental status, unable to heel toe walk, unable to close
eyes and stand upright (only do this if you have several people ready to
catch the person, they will fall down and not know it until they open their
eyes or hit the ground). This also means HACE and is bad!) narrowing of
eyesight.

However, it will be rare that you have someone experiencing any of the above
at Philmont, very rare.

I have not seen/found any studies on people who use electrolyte replacements
regularly if and the effects on increased exercise. I just got off an 18 day
Grand Canyon river trip and one person used a lot of Gatorade on the trip.
Every day. Besides rafting we did a lot of hiking. If she used those at
home everyday and did not use them when exercising strenuously, what would
happen? I don't know and I don't think it has been studied. Consequently,
if you all ready are using them regularly, I don't think I would stop at
Philmont, just because of the big ?

Short and sweet. Drink a lot of water. Take some electrolytes for those
hard days, if you use them a lot all ready, and/or if someone does not drink
enough water.

James H. Moss
PO Box 2656
Silverthorne, CO 80498
303-807-2275
JHMoss@Earthlink.net

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Received on Tue May 20 10:44:40 2003