Dehydration, by Medic (assigned essay)

Dehydration
What is dehydration? What are the symptoms of dehydration? Can a person die from dehydration? Other than drinking water, how can a person avoid dehydration/ how can a person stay hydrated if they don't drink water?

Dehydration

Dehydration is the cause of losing more water than you body can afford. Unfortunately, a person can die from dehydration. Your body requires water in order for your body to function properly. Most of your body systems need water like your brain, epidermal system, muscular system, and intestinal system. So in other words, your whole body.
There are different levels of dehydration. You can have mild to moderate dehydration and you can have severe dehydration which can lead to death if the water is not replaced promptly. You can see signs and symptoms of dehydration. Signs and symptoms of mild to moderate dehydration are dry mouth, feeling thirsty, headache, muscle spasms, increased respirations, increased heartrate, decrease in urine output, dark coloring of urine, constipation, tiredness, dry skin and lightheadedness. Being severely dehydrated can have any or all of the symptoms of mild to moderate dehydration. There are more signs and symptoms of severe dehydration like decreased blood pressure, skin turgor will tent and not smooth back in position, confusion and even unconsciousness, fever, tachycardia, mostly white on the inside of the bottom eyelid, sunken eyes, severe dry mouth, chapped lips, and no tears. Most infants can have the signs and symptoms found in the adult. The sunken soft spot is a sign that the infants will have.
The only real treatment is to replace fluids that have been lost. That also includes the salt and electrolytes. You can use Pedialyte for children. When my kids where sick, as a child, I would use Pedialyte. Water can be used, but it will not replace the salt and electrolytes needed. Vomiting, diarrhea, and fever will dehydrate a child quickly. For adults, people have been using sport drinks with electrolytes, to replace lost fluids. And this method can work for mild to moderate dehydration, so will water. But, severe dehydration is best treated with intravenous fluids and should be monitored by a doctor. You should avoid drinking caffeinated drinks, carbonated drinks, and fruit juices that have high contents of carbohydrates.
There are other ways to stay hydrated without drink water. If you can't stand drinking plain water, there are other drinks that will help hydrate you. Coffee, teas, coconut water, even added drink mixes like Crystal Lite can keep you hydrated. There are also foods that will help hydrate you. There are fruits and veggies that will help. Cantaloupe, oranges, watermelon, kiwi, spinach, celery, cucumbers, eating oatmeal, soups, and tomatoes. These will help you when you can not stand plain water.
Online References.
http://articles.mercola.com/dehydration-symptoms.as…
http://www.chopra.com/ccl/9-ways-to-stay-hydrated-w…
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehyd…