Too Much Gatorade?
"Then Hall, of the Army's 1st Squadron, 167th Cavalry, learned that the medical staff is starting to notice an increase in kidney stones and gall stones in troops. They believe its because the guys — and gals — are drinking a lot of Gatorade and at the same time, not getting enough exercise. So soldiers are encouraged to either exercise more or drink water instead of Gatorade. Theyre also rationing the amount of Gatorade troops can pick up at the dining facility to two bottles per person, whereas in the past, troops could — and often did — fill up every pocket with a bottle of the green or orange liquid.
Cutting back on the amount of Gatorade also means fewer convoys on the highways bringing the stuff in and, as a result, fewer people dying from roadside bomb attacks. Hall said he didnt know whether it was the medical reasons or the aim of limiting convoys that originally led to the 2-bottles per person rule, but the end result has been a Gatorade crackdown. "Who would have thought that wed come to Iraq and my biggest problem would be too much Gatorade?" said Hall. "Little things that you would think never matter, are a big deal around here."
I think I'm going to be sending my soldiers those little flavor packages you can buy to "change up" the water bottles!
Hmmmm...I'm not sure that I'm willing to buy the fact that it's Gatorade causing the problem.
As a Desert Storm vet, I can speak to the fact that I drank a LOT of bottled water that I believe came from desalinization plants on the Persian Gulf. While I didn't have any problems with kidney or gall stones, I do remember that bodily eliminations didn't happen over time. It wasn't like it is now where I've been typing here for an hour or so without making a run for the throne. Over there...it came on like a mugger jumping you from behind out of an alley you just passed. It got so bad you had to treat yourself like a little kid heading to your Uncle Jim's house an hour away. You had to make yourself go or suffer the embarrassment of perhaps "not making it." (When I was just a captain I raised one helluva a ruckus when someone from either the artillery side or intel side peed all over my rucksack that I'd tucked under our truck. The next night as I was coming on shift I saw two of the cannon cockers (artillerymen) installing a brand new "piss tube" complete with a chem light a few trucks down from mine. Guess I'd made my point albeit not very eloquently I'm sure.)
So...before we get a little carried away with the Gatorade diagnosis, perhaps it might be all the bottled water (with high mineral content) that's really at fault. In any event, it sure can't be very comfortable dealing with something that painful in the given situation.
See you on the high ground.
MajorDad1984
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I have to go with Major Dad, seeing as I've not been there. I do know, however, that you can't drink the WATER in Mexico...
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I can say being a medic that spent a tour in Iraq and one that lost his gallbladder because of stones; I am concerned about the non-caring attitude from Gatorade and the Army. I was drinking bottled water long before I went to Iraq I had no problems. I went on a daily Gatorade regime for 6 months or more and I got the feeling of being cut in half with a chainsaw. Someone needs to find out what the problem is before the class-action lawsuits start and the Army gets the blame.
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I can say being a medic that spent a tour in Iraq and one that lost his gallbladder because of stones; I am concerned about the non-caring attitude from Gatorade and the Army. I was drinking bottled water long before I went to Iraq I had no problems. I went on a daily Gatorade regime for 6 months or more and I got the feeling of being cut in half with a chainsaw. Someone needs to find out what the problem is before the class-action lawsuits start and the Army gets the blame.
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