Thirsty? The summer sun blazes high in the sky.

Sweat beads up and begins to roll down your body. You feel hot and your mouth gets dry. Suddenly you feel thirsty. There are countless choices for liquid rehydration available. When you get to this point anything ice cold seems like it will do.

summerThirst is an interesting physiological mechanism. It isn't triggered by how hot you feel but by the concentration of chemicals or electrolytes in your blood. This portion of your blood is called plasma and osmolality refers to the concentration of substances such as sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium and magnesium. You get an increase of plasma osmolality when you lose liquid volume and the chemicals in your plasma become more concentrated. This loss of fluid can happen in a number of ways including sweating, blood loss, and diarrhea and or vomiting.

According to Dr. Mark Dedominco in an article posted on MSN Health & Fitness "Less than a 2 percent rise in plasma osmolality-that's not very much-will elicit thirst. However, it takes a 5 percent rise in your plasma osmolality to indicate true dehydration". Your body's thirst mechanism is an important indicator, much like the oil warning light in your car to take in more fluids. A loss of 2% of body fluids can result in a 20% drop in productivity and mental clarity. That is why those who get stranded in extreme conditions without adequate fluid replacement get confused and unable to perform the simplest of tasks which sometimes can result in death.

Hydration and rehydration are key concepts especially for athletes. The Chicago Blackhawks National Hockey League team recognized early on the overall improvement in cognition and physical performance when their athletes were properly hydrated. They found coconut water to offer the very best results for efficient and complete hydration. Mike Gapsky the Blackhawk's trainer insists on using Dr. Tim's ISO-5 which is powered by young green coconut water because of how well it provides complete hydration to his team. Gapsky commented on how the team members liked the flavors and that ISO-5 did not leave a heavy sticky feel in their mouths. In fact because the hydration is so complete with ISO-5 the Blackhawks never felt thirsty.

ISO-5 can be found in select Albertsons, Harmon's, Bally Total Fitness clubs and at www.brazilbotanicals.com.