Oral Rehydration Salts have been called the most important medical advance of the 20th century. Use of ORS has saved millions of lives, mostly infants and young children, whom otherwise would have died of diarrheal illness. ORS are a mix of glucose and some salts, and adding these to water facilitates absorbtion of the water.
Although ORS saves millions in the third world, just try finding some in your swanky suburb. No, no, you are to buy a brand named thing like Pedialyte or Gatorade at $4 a bottle.
I propose that ORS be sold over the counter in the USA. Directions would be included about how to mix it. Maybe this sounds too straightforward to be an idea, but if no-one thought of ORS in the first place until the 1960s, maybe not.
You English folks better not reply that you can easily buy ORS in your country. To save subsequent embarrassments, I would like to point out now that the Iron-Bru drink is not the same thing as ORS.-- bungston, Jun 16 2008 Dioralyte http://www.netdocto...ines/100000800.htmlTastes horrible, so it must be good for you. [8th of 7, Jun 16 2008] ORT http://en.wikipedia...rehydration_therapySimple but effective [8th of 7, Jun 16 2008] Sports drinks not ORS http://pediapharmai...view&id=20&Itemid=2 [bungston, Jun 16 2008] Pocari sweat http://www1.sphere....ci/mono/pocarie.htmSee, I'm not kidding. [Ling, Jun 17 2008] Strangely, in the UK, packets of ORT salts are sold over the couter under the brand name "Dioralyte".-- 8th of 7, Jun 16 2008 We use Pedialyte here, but it is free when prescribed by a doctor (whose service is free if the patient is a child). Targeted free healthcare: so crazy it just might work.-- Texticle, Jun 16 2008 I could see CocaCola or Pepsi marketing ORS in little envelopes adjacent to their bottled water products.-- bungston, Jun 16 2008 I'm not sure I follow this. In third world countries, where they are most needed and money is scarce, ORS are available as a cheap powder which probably tastes so- so. In wealthy countries, where the need for ORS is generally less and infrastructure and wealth are better, the same thing is available at a higher price, flavoured nicely, for a few dollars. Isn't this what you'd expect?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 16 2008 // tastes so- so. In wealthy countries.... the same thing is flavoured nicely //
No. It's disgusting. In both locations.-- 8th of 7, Jun 16 2008 I thought 'Gatorade' was sold as a beverage for the common folk?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 16 2008 ... and I thought that salt prevented water absorption.-- FlyingToaster, Jun 16 2008 // a beverage for the common folk? //
Possibly. We are unable to enlighten you further as we have no dealings with these "common folk" of which you speak.
// salt prevented water absorption //
Wrong, oh so very, fatally wrong.
One of the major hazards of gastro-intestinal infections is dehydration accompanied by loss of electrolytes, principally salt; but giving salted water is ineffective, due to disruption of the osmotic balance. However, ingesting fluids containing both salts and sugars in the correct proportion re-enables transfer across the membranes into the bloodstream, and reduces unpleasant effects of the condition, i.e. death.
<link>-- 8th of 7, Jun 16 2008 Yes. The sports drinks are heavy on sugar and low on salts. Plus the high potassium in ORS tastes nasty.
The fatally wrong thing from 8th is spot on. I always thought that those marathon runners who stooled themselves and acted weird did so as a result of all the exercise. Thus I have avoided exercise my entire life, wishing to retain whatever continence I have. But it seems that these marathoners might actually have had free water intoxication: not enough salt in what they were drinking.-- bungston, Jun 16 2008 <Cockney>'Ave a banana! </cockney>-- Jinbish, Jun 16 2008 They sell a kind of a sports drink for babys here in Japan. Its common knowledge that one should give it to dehydrated babies. On the stuped side of things, they'l give an IV (saline only) to a healthy (non-emergency) baby just to speed hydration.-- Voice, Jun 17 2008 Make it yourself for cheap. Step 1) Make Kool-Aid with real sugar (any flavor). Step 2) Add salt in small quantities until the Kool-Aid doesn’t quite taste right. Step 2a) Too nasty due to too much salt? Add a hint more sugar. Step 3) Drink up.-- CwP, Jun 17 2008 //They sell a kind of a sports drink for babys here in Japan// They also sell Pocari sweat. I don't know what type of animal that is, but it doesn't matter: there's no way I'm gonna drink that.-- Ling, Jun 17 2008 I am somewhat astonished that no-one has challenged the glaring error in your idea - English. Irn-Bru is, as we all know, Scottish, and Scotland is not England. How many Scots are there on the HB?-- nineteenthly, Jun 17 2008 // Scotland is not England //
For which we are truly thankful ....-- 8th of 7, Jun 17 2008 //How many Scots are there on the HB?//
Enough to make an impressive moonbeam if we lifted up our kilts.
Anyway, I didn't cry pedant because Barr's "Irn Bru" is to "Iron-Bru" what "Coke" is to "Cola". You can drink the latter, but they're not the same.
And [8th] is right. Diorylate is quite available, it does a great job, and it tastes absolutely terrible. Failing ORS, a bottle of juice, a banana, and a packet of salted crisps will do you the world of good...
Did anyone else just think banana & Irn-Bru & ready-salted potato chip smoothie!?-- Jinbish, Jun 17 2008 [8th]: For which we are *all* truly thankful.-- Jinbish, Jun 17 2008 Why just to sell it OTC in the USA? I guess I don't get that part of the idea. Pedialyte is available and a couple others to solve the problem of dehydration in kids and senior citizens. I see your point about the brand name but if this is going to be sold, and marketed, in the USA it's going to end up with a brand name. Cheaper because it's easier to buy in bulk?-- Noexit, Jun 17 2008 A great way to make money is to sell air and water to the American consumer. This is what pedialyte does. It irks me because it is so expensive - more expensive than sports drinks, which are suboptimal for this use and themselves not cheap. Many poor families are loaded with kids and might be tempted to skimp on something so expensive as pedialyte, or be irked at the kid when he barfs it right back up. One can buy gatorade powder mix, but not pedialyte powder. Really it is hard for me to figure out why this is the case.-- bungston, Jun 17 2008 About a year after posting this I obtained pharmaceutical grade salts and glucose and mixed up a batch of WHO rehydration salts. I swear I followed the recipe but what I made turned out to be a formidable cathartic. I saved the rest but did not get the courage to drink any more. Interestingly, a thing which I have since learned was a "vinegar mother" grew in the bottom of the jug.
As the memory fades I am getting motivated to make another batch. Fortunately salts do not spoil.-- bungston, May 13 2015 //Irn-Bru is, as we all know, Scottish, and Scotland is not England.// I thought they just had a referendum and decided to remain part of England?-- MaxwellBuchanan, May 13 2015 random, halfbakery