For the Western early season hunter who braves the mid-day heat , various heat related illnesses are a definite possibility. Heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke are the most commonly thought of heat related illnesses.  Seldom considered is the potentially harmful condition of Hyponatremia, or low blood sodium. 

Dehydration/Heat Cramps - an electrolyte imbalance causes abdominal or muscle cramps. Treat by drinking sodium containing fluids to restore fluid and electrolyte balance. 

Heat Exhaustion -The next step beyond dehydration where the body core temp reaches 102 to 104degrees fahrenheit.  Clammy skin and profuse sweating and nausea evident.  In addition to the fluid and electrolyte therapy, the body needs to be cooled .  Get in the shade, Ice the head and neck and/or get in cool water to bring down the core temperature.

Heat Stroke – a severe medical emergency where core temperature reaches 105 or higher.  Call emergency personnel, and take previous steps to cool the victim until help arrives.

Hyponatremia- When a person is sweating from exertion in the heat, and drinking large amounts of water without supplemental sodium, the body is excreting sodium in the sweat and the blood concentration of sodium gets low.  The sensation is similar to being drunk, with a clouding of consciousness, followed by vomiting and nausea, dizziness.  In mild cases the first sign is swelling of hands and feet.  In severe cases the brain can swell leading to unconsciousness, and seizures.  Medical attention is needed in these cases.

In hot weather many active folks like runners or hunters drink water, but don’t replace salt.   A good example is the guy or gal who drinks 8 oz. of water every 20 minutes during prolonged exertion.  without salt along with the water, they could be hyponatremic in a couple of hours.  The athlete is better off to use a sports drink with sodium, or even salt packets from a fast food restaurant to ensure that there is enough sodium in their system, as well as enough fluid.  Balance is as important as levels.

According to Dr.Lewis G. Maharam  in his blog column “Ask the Running Doc“, he encourages runners to take the following precautions to avoid over watering themselves.  For you active hunters out there substitute HUNT for everywhere it says RACE…

“ Follow the fluid recommendations….drink only when thirsty!

Include pretzels or a salted bagel in your pre-race meal.

Favor a sports drink that has some sodium in it over water, which has none.

In the days before the race, add salt to your foods (provided that you don’t have high blood pressure or your doctor has restricted your salt intake).

Eat salted pretzels during the last half of the race.

Do the salt! Carry two small salt packets with you (the kind found in fast food restaurants), and before the race and again during the last half of the race (marathon or half-marathon) consume a single packet under your tongue.

After the race, drink a sports drink that has sodium in it and eat some pretzels or a salted bagel.

Stop taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatories 24 hours before your race and do not start again until 6 hours post-race….Recent medical research has shown that non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) like Advil, Motrin, Aleve, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc. may be harmful to runners’ kidney function if taken within 24 hours of running; acetaminophen (Tylenol) has been shown to be safe. These NSAIDs are thought to increase the possibility of hyponatremia while running long distances due to their decreasing blood flow to the kidneys and interfering with a hormone that helps the body retain salt. Therefore it is recommended that on race day (specifically beginning midnight before you run) you do not use anything but acetaminophen (Tylenol) if needed until 6 hours after you have finished the race, are able to drink without any nausea or vomiting, have urinated once, and feel physically and mentally back to normal. Then, an NSAID would be of benefit in preventing post-event muscle soreness.”

I hope these recommendations will help you in your early season pursuits and conditioning for upcoming hunts.  Play it safe out there.  For more information on preventing Hyponatremia, check out the running doc’s articles “do the Salt” and “Do the salt Questions and clarifications”