RADIATION THERAPY, CHEMOTHERAPY AND DEHYDRATION.
By: Bill Gookin, No. 11 in a series of occasional reports on wellness and dehydration
Chemotherapy and radiation therapy cause a patient to become very dehydrated from the nausea and diarrhea that result from these treatments, and also because the therapy causes fluid losses into the tissues similar to what happens when you become sick from a virus as each cell becomes inflamed. Much of the inevitable malaise results from this dehydration, as well as the effects of the therapy on the cells and tissues.
During an outdoor activities expo in 1976, a runner friend, John Waller, told me about his recent experiences with what was then called “Gookinaid E.R.G.” He had been visiting his father who was in bed recovering from a chemotherapy session and his father was bemoaning the fact that he wanted to be working in his garden, but was too nauseous and just didn’t feel up to it. John recalled that when he had the flu a few weeks before he drank a lot of “Gookinaid,” starting with a few sips at a time, and that it had dispelled the feelings of nausea and lassitude. So, he made up a glassful and left it with his father while he straightened the house up a bit. After about 20 minutes he heard a noise in the backyard and went to see what it was. There was his father in his pajamas working in the garden! Since then, hundreds of people and their families have reported similar results. Some of the American Leukemia Society pediatric wards give VITALYTE™ to the children recovering from chemotherapy or radiation therapy. The kids are so pathetic lying listless in their beds, feeling “lousy” with the malaise, and have to be persuaded to drink anything, but after a few sips, they drink the VITALYTE down. Before the nurses get to the end of the ward, they have to go back and put some of the first children back in bed!
Mild, isotonic VITALYTE not only replaces the water and electrolytes rapidly, it does so without upsetting your stomach; actually, because of this mildness and isotonicity, VITALYTE is very effective in relieving an upset stomach. This formulation also ensures that most of the solution will be absorbed quickly into the circulatory system and stay there where it can keep you hydrated rather than being excreted, as happens with plain water.
Drink VITALYTE frequently to rehydrate and stay hydrated, to replace the vital electrolytes, to reduce the malaise and settle the gastrointestinal upset and to make you feel so much better!
* For 40 years athletes have known us as Gookinaid, but we are not just a drink for athletes. Now the world knows us as Vitalyte™, a drink for everyone. Same fast, effective formula...band new name!
** This article is the opinion, advice and testimonial of the author and your results may vary. If you have a medical condition involving dehydration or electrolyte imbalance, you should consult a physician before following this advice.
*** Documentation on file.
