We talk a lot about how oral rehydration salts can help people with chronic illnesses.  This is true, especially for people who are chronically dehydrated.  But, what about acute illnesses like colds, covid, stomach bugs and other viruses?  The answer is yes!

Dehydration and Oral Rehydration Salts

Dehydration can happen to anyone at any point in their life.  It simply means that your body is losing more fluid than you’re putting into it.  Dehydration can be life threatening if it’s serious enough.  Your body relies on water to do its most basic functioning at the cellular level.

Oral rehydration salts (ORS), often called oral rehydration therapy, is a way to prevent and even treat dehydration.  Most often in a powder form that you would mix with water, ORS contains sugar, salt, and other electrolytes.

ORS and the WHO

In 2003 the World Health Organization and UNICEF released a new formula for oral rehydration.  The new formula allowed for a more rapid absorption through low osmolarity.  Low osmolarity refers to the amount of nutrients needed along with water to absorb into your bloodstream.  Being low in osmolarity means that you don’t need as many ingredients to effectively hydrate.

This has been a game changer in the world of hydration.  In fact, the discovery was hailed as the “greatest medical discovery of the 20th century.”

ORS and Vomiting/Diarrhea

Here in the United States we do not have a large problem with death from basic childhood illnesses like rotavirus.  However, in other parts of the world it is a very large problem that oral rehydration salts can manage.  In fact, according to a 2018 study over 54 million deaths have been prevented using ORS.  Since 1980, the death of children with diarrhea has been reduced by two thirds thanks to ORS therapies.

NormaLyte is safe for people of all ages over a year.  If your child has rotavirus or some other stomach bug, you may want to consider using an ORS like NormaLyte.  “My daughter started by throwing up her dinner shortly after it was eaten.  I thought to myself ,’oh no’.  She’s had stomach bugs in the past and it usually starts out that way.  Sure enough, the next day diarrhea started.  I know you’re supposed to keep kids hydrated but she won’t drink anything.  I keep NormaLyte on hand after a friend recommended it.  My daughter loves the grape flavor!  Sometimes I freeze it into little popsicles for her during the summer.”

Norovirus and rotavirus usually resolve on their own, but treating the dehydration that comes along with it is very important.  NormaLyte can manage symptoms of dehydration associated with rotavirus and norovirus while helping to reduce the output of vomiting and diarrhea.  

ORS Managing Other Illnesses

You’ve had a cold for what seems like three months at this point, but really it’s only been a few days.  You’re trying your best to push through but the brain fog and the exhaustion is making it difficult.  Are those symptoms from the virus or are you dehydrated?  

We tend not to think of dehydration as a problem in the United States.  After all, we all have access to clean running water.  But sometimes the symptoms of dehydration can be subtle.  When you’re sick, you are likely also dehydrated.  Anytime you have a virus it’s a good idea to keep an ORS around to include in your arsenal of medicine.  

“I couldn’t believe how much NormaLyte helped me when I was sick,” says Nikki.  Nikki runs a small photography business and caught covid during her peak season.  “I was at the point where all I needed to do was edit images at home so isolation wasn’t a problem, but the brain fog I was experiencing was not helping me get anything done.  A friend left some NormaLyte at my door and suggested I drink one right away.”  She admits, “I was skeptical.  How is a drink mix going to make that much of a difference?  But I figured I really wanted to feel better so I was willing to try anything at that point.  I’m here to tell you that I’m a believer.  This stuff turned my day around.  It wasn’t a magical unicorn or anything, but I was thinking more clearly, I was able to focus on my work, and the brain fog seemed to dissipate.”

Keep an ORS on Hand

Illnesses can happen at any time.  We recommend keeping NormaLyte on hand in your medicine cabinet for this exact reason.  Using the WHO’s perfect formula for oral rehydration, NormaLyte is made to help you stay hydrated so that you can perform at your best.  If you haven’t used it before, get a free sample box and give it a try.