TRAVERSE Issue 18 - June 2020 | Page 112

ture to an exotic location, with an exotic food culture, can often be the cause of an upset stomach. You lose a lot of water with each bowel movement. Do not take Imodium to resolve the issues. The problem with this drug is that it simply stops your bowel movement, it doesn't get rid of any poisons that you may have consumed, and you will continue to dehydrate into your bowel. It also allows the bug to enter your system further, as the whole reason you have a dodgy stomach in the first place is your system attempting to purge itself of the toxin. Vomiting is also a cause of fluid loss and if you suffer from seasickness it might be tricky to replace water by drinking if you are unable to keep anything down. Sweating is one way the body loses large amounts of water when it tries to cool itself down. Sun burn can be a contributing factor why you become dehydrated because the damaged skin allows fluid to seep from it. So how do we manage to stay hydrated? How do you know if you're drinking enough water? Some say there's only one way to know; “If you're not thirsty, your fluid intake is likely to be spot on". And that might be true … if you are a dog. The human body is not that good with estimating thirst. When you sweat you lose considerable volumes of water which means that the blood becomes more concentrated. This triggers our thirst mechanism however, by the time you feel thirsty you might already have lost TRAVERS