The Stroking Sun, a Parasol and an Onion.

Remember those slow roast days.  Frying an egg on the pavement kind of day.

First the gentle sun ray, the warm caress. The intensity mounting.
Too much, too fast, the sweats, the feeling faint.

Then the sweating stops. The skin is dry, radiating heat. Nausea. Vomiting.
The relentless sun strokes taking its toll.

We are surrounded by drinking water.
The kitchen tap, the garden hose, bottles of Aquafina, Dasani, Fiji, Evian everywhere.
We just forget to drink it, silly us. So spoiled are we.

But if you want to prevent sunstroke, you MUST remember to drink water.

Drink water (not coffee, tea or alcohol) BEFORE you go into the sun. Drink lemonade or sports drinks. (I prefer the natural varieties…see a recipe below) You must keep the body hydrated.

But if you forget to partake in the beverages that may save your life, and the sun strokes your body and renders you almost lifeless, you may be in trouble.

Sunstroke is very serious.

What to do? (There are lots of home remedies for sunstroke)

Seek the shade of a tall tree (do not rush into an air conditioned room right away.)

Sponge cool water on the neck and head.
Drink. Drench. Dunk.

If dunking is not an option, GET NAKED.
At least, ice pack head, neck, armpits, groin (not a time to play shy)

Try drinking sweet orange juice with a pinch of salt. (You need to replace the sodium chloride lost through dehydration)
Again Lemonade or the sports drink or sweet orange juice with the salt pinch.

Slurp watermelon and cucumber. Suck melon or papaya juices.

Take the onion out of your pocket. (If you really know about preventing sunstroke, yes, you would have an onion in your pocket.).

An ‘onion in the pocket’ wards off sunstroke, like garlic to vampires. Everyone knows that.  ;)  The trick is NOT to leave it there.

People really DID carry an onion in their pocket. If you feel the symptoms of sunstroke, you MUST remove the onion from the pocket, slice it open and then rub it on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Smell the onion. That alone will knock the sense back into you.

If you look at the medicinal value of an onion it makes sense. Since onion is almost all water it makes even more sense. Your skin needs the water. The watery onion acts as a toner, a refreshener, a skin ‘vivifiant’.

Of course IF you have NO water at all, you may want to eat some of the onion first.

Drink buttermilk. It cools the body. It is suggested that you drink 2-3 glasses daily until you feel better.

So, the next time the sun looms, fill your water thermos. Ice pack some buttermilk and watermelon in your backpack. Pocket an onion.

And remember to tote along an umbrella or a parasol. They do more than twirl.

The following ‘sports drink’ recipe provides a hydrating, mineral-filled source to prevent and help ease the discomforts of sunstroke.

(You may have to ask someone to mix this for you if the sun gets you first.)

Fill a tall glass with water and ice cubes
Squeeze in fresh organic lemon or lime
Add a dollop of Canadian Maple Syrup
and a pinch of sea salt. Sip, savour, survive.