The following article has been written by Mango following his experiences at WUC2000. It'll be particularly relevant for players travelling to Hawaii.
Nicola-Jane (NJ) UK Ultimate admin email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: 08451 202897 > -----Original Message----- > From: Smith, Nick G [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: 23 July 2002 14:26 > To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' > Subject: Fluid / hyponatremia article > > > FLUID INTAKE - Mango case study > > Please can all participants take notice of the following information > sent by Nick Smith (a.k.a. Mango, Catch 22 / Chevron Action Flash) > regarding fluid intake. This information will be particularly important > to those players taking part in WUCC, Hawaii this August. > > > Mango had a large seizure in Heilbron, Germany 1999 when representing > Great Britain. He was sedated in a coma, unconscious for 3 days, and > remained in intensive care for a week. By all accounts, he was very > lucky to come back from Germany. These events resulted from a condition > called "hyponatremia" > (please read below). It was a very long recovery process for Mango, > which took the best part of a year. > > Please can all players adhere the below advice on fluid intake, the > precautions and warning-signs of hyponatremia, and take responsibility > for their own well-being. We do not want this to happen again to any of > our players. > > > WHAT IS HYPONATREMIA? > > Hyponatremia (sometimes called water intoxication) is a potentially > fatal condition, in which blood levels of sodium sink dangerously low. > Full-blown cases of hyponatremia are relatively rare, occurring with > people who sweat steadily for hours in grueling, long-distance events. > > Typically, conscientious athletes get in trouble because they adhere too > diligently to one recommendation - drink lots of fluids - but ignore > another - keep electrolytes up. (Electrolytes are charged particles such > as > sodium, potassium, calcium and bicarbonate that must be kept in > near-perfect balance.) The real problem is drinking too much water, and > not failing to take in enough sodium. > > Normally, the body tries to keep positively and negatively charged > electrolytes in balance to keep cells electrically neutral. Though > sodium is probably the most important electrolyte for endurance athletes > to worry about, an imbalance of any one of the electrolytes can be > harmful. When the > concentration in the blood gets too low compared to the amount inside > cells - either because a person drank too much water, took in too little > sodium, or both - water rushes into cells. The result is dangerous > swelling, particularly in the brain, that can lead to brain damage, coma > and death. > > Curiously, hyponatremia can occur whether a person is dehydrated, > normally hydrated or overhydrated because any of those conditions can > happen while blood levels of sodium are too low.> > > OTHER RELATED ILLNESSES > > The symptoms of hyponatremia can be easily confused with those of heat > stroke and heat exhaustion. With heat exhaustion, people feel ill, get > nauseous, have muscle cramps and may feel dizzy standing up quickly. > With heat stroke, people have all those symptoms plus another one - > mental-status > changes; that is, confusion about who and where they are and what day it > is. People with genuine heat stroke also typically have extremely high > body temperatures. With hyponatremia, people also feel very ill and may > have mental-status changes, but don't have the high temperatures of heat > stroke. > They also vomit forcefully and repeatedly and, unlike those with heat > exhaustion, do not feel better by resting and cooling off. > > TREATMENT > > Treatment of hyponatremia may involve restricting fluid intake and > promoting urine production, but some people also need intravenous salt > water with a high concentration of salt, until blood electrolytes return > to normal. Resetting the water-salt balance must be done carefully and > slowly because > overly rapid correction of electrolyte imbalance can cause further > problems. > > PREVENTION > > To protect yourself against hyponatremia, start by paying attention to > how much you sweat. In general, women sweat less than men and their > ability to regulate core body temperature (and sweating) also may vary > with different phases of the menstrual cycle. > > > Individuals also vary considerably in how much sodium they lose in > sweat. You may be a heavy sodium loser if your sweat burns your eyes, > tastes salty or leaves a cakey-white residue on your skin. > > You can also make sure you're getting enough sodium by drinking sports > drinks such as Lucozade, Go, Gatorade, Accelerade, Cytomax, Gpush, and > instead of plain water, during long events (check the labels for sodium > content; some brands have twice the sodium of others). Sports drinks > also typically > contain carbohydrates as well, which provides energy and helps with > water and sodium absorption. > > If you don't like sports drinks, you could take salt tablets, but they > may make you nauseous. You can also mix your own drinks using > concentrate and salt (check nutrition information regarding the > suggested quantities involved). At the very least, you can eat salty > foods prior to and during a big > event. > > > > > > ********************************************************************** > This message may contain information which is confidential or > privileged. > If you are not the intended recipient, please advise the sender > immediately > by reply e-mail and delete this message and any attachments > without retaining a copy. > > ********************************************************************** > > ********************************************************************** This message may contain information which is confidential or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please advise the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete this message and any attachments without retaining a copy. ********************************************************************** __________________________________________________ BritDisc mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://pootle.near.me.uk/mailman/listinfo/britdisc
