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moonspots
Happy Curmudgeon



Joined: 03 Feb 2007
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moonspots
Happy Curmudgeon
PostFri Jun 15, 2018 5:18 am 
Grannyhiker wrote:
I've found it a good idea to put on that jacket just as soon as I stop, while still sweaty, before getting chilled!
I've climbed 3 peaks with guides, and this is their method. Now I see that there is probably more to it than just preventing getting chilled a bit. Indeed, may the deceased's family find comfort. May God be with them.

"Out, OUT you demons of Stupidity"! - St Dogbert, patron Saint of Technology
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Mikey
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Mikey
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PostFri Jun 15, 2018 7:44 am 
There is an article in the Dec 2017 issue of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine about Tyrosine being used to treat "Whole Body Cold Exposure in Older Adults". Apparently the use of Tyrosine is being considered for use by wilderness search and rescue personnel to treat hypothermia victims. Humans synthesize tyrosine C9H11NO3 from the essential amino acid phenyalanine. Thyroid hormones T4 and T3 are made using Tyrosine and iodine. Tyrosine is available as a supplement in 500 and 750 mg capsules. In the research an oral dose of 150 mg L-tyrosine /kg body weight of (68.09 mg/lb) was used. For a 100 lb person this is about a 6.8 gram dose of Tyrosine. This implies that if one was to have Tyrosine in their First Aid kit, some 20 grams might be the amount (40 500 mg caps). “Oral L-Tyrosine Supplementation Improved Core Temperature Maintenance to Whole-Body Cold Exposure in Older Adults” Wilderness and Environmental Medicine Dec 2017 Vol 28 Issue 4 pp 366 Des Moines University During cold exposure, an immediate and sustained increase in sympathetic nerve activity evokes vasoconstriction (VC) of cutaneous vessels to minimize heat loss and maintain body core temperature. In older adults, this reflex VC response is impaired, thereby increasing their susceptibility to excess heat loss and hypothermia. This may be explained in part by reduced bioavailability of the amino acid substrate, L-tyrosine, for catecholamine production. Thus, the thermoregulatory benefit of tyrosine supplementation in older adults is unknown. We hypothesize that oral L-tyrosine ingestion will augment the cutaneous VC response and thereby attenuate the decline in core temperature resulting from prolonged whole-body cooling in older adults. Methods: In a randomized, double-blind design, 8 older participants (aged 68±4 years) ingested either 150 mg/kg of L-tyrosine (68.09 mg/lb) or placebo before commencing 90 minutes of whole-body cooling to decrease skin temperature to ~30°C. Esophageal temperature (TES) and forearm laser Doppler flux was measured continuously throughout the protocol to provide an index of core temperature and skin blood flow, respectively. Cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) was calculated as CVC = laser Doppler flux / mean arterial pressure and expressed as a percent change from baseline (%ΔCVC). The change in esophageal temperature (ΔTES) was the difference in temperature at the end of cooling subtracted from baseline. Results: Oral tyrosine supplementation improved the reflex cutaneous VC response to cooling in older adults (placebo = 15.0±0.9, tyrosine = 29.6±0.7 %ΔCVC; P < .05). Additionally, tyrosine maintained body core temperature throughout cooling (placebo = –0.31±0.04, tyrosine = –0.09±0.03 ΔTES; P < .05). Conclusions: These results indicate that L-tyrosine supplementation may improve thermoregulatory function in response to acute cold exposure in an older population. When I was 19 yrs old, I experienced hypothermia from being exposed to wet snow and rain while packing out elk from below Minnie Peak (Cold Water Creek NW of Mt St Helens) and my body temperature decreased below the shiver stage and when we reached our truck, we had difficulty getting warm. For sure hypothermia is real!

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texasbb
Misplaced Texan



Joined: 30 Mar 2009
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texasbb
Misplaced Texan
PostFri Jun 15, 2018 12:09 pm 
If anything, my tolerance for cold has improved as I've aged (though my ability to shed heat during exertion in the summer seems noticeably worse every year). I'm sure the cold issues will hit me soon enough and I'll have to give more thought to keeping insulation accessible while hiking. I usually only have a wind jacket accessible because I rarely take breaks except for lunch or extraordinary views. That habit will also fade with age I'm sure.

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Mountainfisherman
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PostFri Jun 15, 2018 6:11 pm 
Only twice did I ever fear I was becoming hypothermic, both during rainstorms in the late summer and early fall when I got soaked. The first was during the High Hunt in the Alpine Lakes-an early snow was forecast and I was jacked-imagine an early snow storm to get high country bucks moving. I unwisely pitched my tent in a bowl amidst a grove of trees to protect from the snow, but instead it poured rain and I awoke in about two inches of water in my tent. Fortunately I had protected my wood supply covering it with bark and got a blaze roaring that I stood by all night buck naked to stay warm. (Sorry for the image) The other time was during a day hike in October into the WODWA from Summit Springs to fish Frying Pan Lake in a day long downpour. Realizing I was soaked after 5 miles or so, I stopped to build a fire and realized my hands barely worked and I couldn't even light a fire. I decided to keep moving, turned around and walked out. As a result I developed my rule of 3-having at least 3 ways of start fire, with at least two of the forms of ignition being usable with less responsive hands due to cold. As I've gotten older, I pay much more attention to my response to heat and cold and the part that being and staying well hydrated and fueled plays in that. My body is definitely not the same as it was in my 20's and 30's but neither is my mind-a little more thoughtful, more prepared and more aware of the reaction of my body to temperature.

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Eric Hansen
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PostFri Jun 15, 2018 7:33 pm 
fwiw, I'm about to be 70 and seem to chill easier than I used to. And, I'm mindful of that. A mantra might be "maintain the body core temperature, not the velocity". And, anticipating going into shade - or sunlight. Over the years I've developed a system of small adjustments that seem to do the trick. Partly that's a result of many years of winter trips in the Grand Canyon - and the exit, ascent, day a long grind in alternating patterns of sun and shade, and sometimes mixed precipitation or wind. I've put a lot of prep into being able to layer up, or down, without removing the pack. On my head is a thin balaclava, a mesh cap, and perhaps one or two layers of thin pile beanies (home made). A belly pack, or my pants pockets, holds all those if I'm peeling layers, or a pile or down balaclava to layer over all that if I'm stopping. Also in the belly pack is a wind vest. If needed I can pop that on in a minute or two by sitting the pack on a rock, alternatively shedding the shoulder straps. Actually taking the pack off is a big deal, exposes my damp back. I try to avoid it, or plan for it thoughtfully, since it calls for layering up and then layering down, pretty time consuming.

Off trail rambler
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Randito
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Joined: 27 Jul 2008
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Randito
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PostFri Jun 15, 2018 8:55 pm 
FWIW: Mazama Ridge is still totally snow covered. Skiers are still able to ski to the Paradise parking lot. I don't know if age was a factor in Otto's unfortunate death, but I sure hope no whippersnappers get the wrong idea that hypothermia that only happens to old folks. IME having a jacket is good, but on snow without something to sit on you lose heat fast. In the WRFA refresher course I recently took I was impressed by how much additional priority "environmental protection" had been given from the last time I took the course. Seems that the army's experience in Afghanistan has influenced this change in priorities.

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Randito
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Randito
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PostSat Jun 16, 2018 5:02 pm 
wamtngal wrote:
What are the odds of that happening?!
Apparently you are his guardian angels. Truth can be stranger than fiction-- since it doesn't need to make sense.

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