I woke up this morning and saw a few links to this article about Oral IV. I found it interesting to read because a) SCIENCE!, and b) it mirrored my own experiences with Oral IV.
Last year, during the 24 Hour Sniper Adventure Challenge, I used a packet, or four tubes, of Oral IV. I also consumed at least twenty liters of water, most of which was infused with Squinchers electrolyte powder. I felt no immediate boost when I used the Oral IV tubes (which I did not mix with water but instead drank as a discrete unit), which I used rather randomly throughout the event. I did notice that I felt weaker at the end of the event, several hours after I had run out of Squinchers powder and was using water alone. This may also be partially due to the fact that I had just hiked 30+ miles without sleep over what was essentially mountainous terrain. Oh, and it was uphill both ways, although there was no snow.
Thus concludes my experiences with Oral IV.
When dealing with heat casualties as a Corpsman, I always preferred to have conscious patients who could keep fluids down drink water and/or Gatorade. I found that this was at least as effective in returning someone to near-full-health as spending the time to drop an IV in them – and the one time I had upwards of a dozen people badly needing fluid replacement out of twenty-six guys, I could only take the time to put a liter of LR (lactated ringers) in the most serious casualties.
In other words, my entirely anecdotal experiences have led me to believe that drinking water and keeping electrolytes in your system – giving your body the materials to replenish itself the way your genetic makeup intended – is the best way to keep yourself from being taken out of the fight or competition via dehydration. Other sciency-type articles have been written about this. Oral IV does not appear to aid this process in any material fashion.
But, it has what plants crave.
Haha, Andrew wants us to drink WATER! Like…from the toilet!!
Thank you Andrew – I have always maintained that Oral IV is homeopathic snakeoil. Their claims are based off the “research” of a naturopath with no published results. They use terms such as “bio-charged”, “nanotechnology” in reference to their ingredients “copper, iodine, manganese, zinc, potassium, cobalt, sodium, selenium, chromium, silica, boron and magnesium in purified water ” which makes no sense, at at levels (<1mg) consist with homeopathic dilutions. I fear someone may opt for this product rather than proven forms of hydration. They make big claims, no of which requires FDA approval because it is classed as a supplement.
The only thing Oral IV has is the backing/sponsorship/support of many industry heavyweights in the firearms community, many of whom I have great respect for. Unfortunately in this case, their words may be selling $12 worth of a 1/4 cup of what is basically distilled water.
Unpublished and non-peer reviewed research is not research, it is a nothing more than a claim.
Whenever I’m super dehydrated I drink pedialyte
I’ve had good luck using it to stay hydrated when fighting in martial arts tournaments. Works well, and doesn’t cause stomach cramps. I find it works faster than gatorade– I eliminate it faster.
As a herdsman, a veterinary profession dealing with dairy cattle who daily generate over eight gallons of milk a day, it’s infinitely easier to provide fresh water and free choice salt and sodium bicarbonate to ward off the stresses of high temperatures than it is to attempt to treat animals that fall out of balance. And those that do, even using a 12-gauge IV needle, require over 20 minutes of attention to mend- a liter takes three minutes to run into a cow with normal BP and heartrate.
Far easier to either throw flavored drink powders/syrups into the watering troughs, or esophageally intubate the animal and directly infuse 10-15 gallons of electrolyte drench.
And ’cause we’re farming, and stuff, there are also people around working and doing stuff, so I keep a cooler full of gatorade in the milkhouse and most of the guys wear a camelback or carry a gallon jug around with them.
Yes, the same applies to hydrating for a human during a strenuous activity. If you get behind on hydration, it is much harder to catch up than it would have been to simply stay hydrated in the first place. Interesting (but not surprising) that it is so similar with cattle.
I’d be interested to hear your opinion of learning the skill of of how to give yourself IV catheters. I’ve had heat exhaustion a number of times, where I just could not keep water down once I reached that state. It would take me almost a full day of drinking fluids …gatorade, whatever….to get back to normal. I would throw it up every hour.
I might be somewhat unique, but I bought some saline bags and IV stuff, even though I’m skittish about needles. I gave myself a…somewhat successful hand IV to practice. Good skill, or Junkie Habit? Your thoughts.
Or to put it another way…what is more useful, carrying saline and being prepared to stab yourself with a needle and inject foreign fluids into your body, or….. invest in 10 lb H&K steel AR Mags……I’m not sure which is more hardcore/less useful.
I watched a Marine draw blood from himself once. I was very impressed. But to answer your question, I think that if you still have the motor skills to put an IV in yourself, you will be able to drink and keep water down. Do you not drink much before you reach that point?
Once your osmolality is shot during severe dehydration you need water AND electrolytes to make it absorb through the stomach lining.
One ancient trick that actually works pretty good is to eat pickles. Pickles are salty, slow releasing as they digest, and tasty. Drink the juice too.
I have been getting emails directly from Oral IV on the subject. I can send them over to you. I think they are trying to do damage control. I guess, I didn’t really expect it to do a whole lot or be some magic vial to replace a real IV. Just thought of it as some type of scientifically developed mixture for ideal re-hydration (ideal for that size of vial that is). I have done ZERO research though…..
Andrew,
Thanks for the good words, I’m glad you liked the article!
Jim, I’d be keenly interested in seeing those emails as well.
The best exercise hydration mix I’ve found so far is Skratch. No miracle mystery ingredients or wild claims.
Rick Taylor uses Oral I.V.
If you’re not drinking it when you train, YOU’RE WRONG.
I live and play in central Texas (MX, Mtn Biking, etc…) and so I’m always in a search for hydration products (that work). I cam across this review of Oral I.V. some time ago, and scratched it off my list of products to try.
http://specialcircumstancesinc.blogspot.com/2011/08/tactical-snake-oil-or-why-you-should.html
No, I am not affiliated with the author or any other hydration recovery product. I’m just a sweaty old fat man trying to not pass out from the Texas heat.
Sorry, didn’t mean to post a duplicated link
I love the “….since 2009” captions….but “Wondering if these two are still together since 2009” implies you knew they would be together 2 years prior to them being together (since the bridge is too modern to have been been built in 1911).
Only Rick Taylor is THAT good. Wait…
As far as Oral IV goes, maybe they will improve it in Oral V or Oral VI. Until then, I’ll stick with H-2O.