Drinking Water on a Summer Hike Prevents Sunburn and Skin Cancer as Well Dehydration Reports Sharon Kleyne

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Drinking Water on a Summer Hike Prevents Sunburn and Skin Cancer as Well Dehydration Reports Sharon Kleyne

Recent Discoveries by Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water Host

Hear the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water on World Talk Radio, Voice America, Green Talk Network and Apple iTunes

Summer is the hiking season in much of the United States and nearly every hiker knows to carry and drink plenty of water in warm summer weather. Hikers are also aware that drinking too little water on a hike can result in serious dehydration and even heat stroke. According to Sharon Kleyne, host of the radio show Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water, there is another reason to make sure one's body and skin have enough water on a summer hike: Well hydrated skin is less likely to develop sunburn or skin cancer as a result of sun exposure.

The globally syndicated Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water® radio show, with host Sharon Kleyne, is heard on VoiceAmerica and Apple iTunes. Kleyne is Founder of Bio-Logic Aqua Research, a research, technology and product development center and the only company in the world specializing in fresh water, atmosphere and health. Natures Tears® EyeMist® and Nature's Mist® Face of the Water® are the Research Center's signature products for dry skin and dry eyes.

People must realize when they go hiking, says Kleyne, or when they engage in any activity involving exposure to direct solar radiation, that sun exposure is cumulative and the less healthy the skin, the more susceptible to these cumulative effects the skin becomes.

In addition to drinking water, Kleyne recommends the liberal use of sunscreen with a high SPF when hiking or engaging in other outdoor activities. Sunscreen not only blocks damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation, it acts as a moisture barrier to prevent water within the skin from evaporating. Dry skin is more likely to burn and when skin burns, permanent genetic damage may occur that could lead, decades later, to the skin cancers malignant melanoma and basal or squamous cell carcinoma.

The best way to keep the skin hydrated, and to assure adequate production of cooling perspiration, according to Kleyne, is to keep the body hydrated. To achieve this, people should always carry water when hiking in summer and have a drink whenever they feel hot, tired or dehydrated. Also, rest frequently, get out of the sun occasionally, wear sun protective clothing and eat easily digested foods with a high water content such as fruits and vegetables.

Kleyne further recommends increasing water intake a couple days prior to a hike, having a large drink the morning of the hike, and continuing the increased water intake a couple days after returning. Cold water will lower the body temperature but warm water is better retained. The body can also become dehydrated from exposure to cold air, wind and indoor forced air heating or cooling.

Heat stroke begins to develops, according to Kleyne, when the body starts to run out of either water or salt to manufacture perspiration and therefore overheats. Heat stroke can be fatal but is easily reversed in the early stages.

Sunburned skin that is dehydrated, hot and inflamed does not cool as well as healthy skin and increases the potential for heat stroke. .

Perspiration cools when its water content evaporates into the atmosphere and loses heat energy. In warm, humid or stagnant air, Kleyne explains, perspiration cools less efficiently because its water evaporates more slowly. Warmer air is capable of holding far more water vapor than cooler air so it tends to be more humid. The worst place to hike on a hot summer day is a low elevation canyon bottom where there are no breezes and the humidity is increased due to the river.

The skin, like perspiration, obtains much of its water content from the blood. However, Kleyne notes, skin can also absorb water vapor directly from the air - provided the air is fairly humid and not too warm. When skin becomes dry, a hand held portable all-water humidifying device such as Nature's Tear® EyeMist® or Nature's Mist® Face of the Water® can be of significant benefit.

Kleyne advises against drinking untreated water directly from creeks or springs because one can never be certain that water in nature is free from Giardia intestinalis, a trophozoic parasite that attacks the stomach lining. H pylori infections from contaminated water are also increasingly common. H pylori bacteria can cause chronic acid reflux, esophageal cancer, ulcers and stomach cancer (MedicineNet, Jan 5, 2014; http://www.medicinenet.com/giardia_lamblia/article.htm).

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