In India 2500 have died in 2015 from excess heat.
But other places and times have got them beat.
At least 70,000 died in Europe in the 2003 heat wave.
From those In France 14,802 went to their grave.
In Chicago in 1995 there was a heat wave
That, in just five days, caused 739 lives to cave.
From 1979 to 1983 in the U.S. there were 4,523 heat related deaths.
In 1980 alone there were 1700 that took their last breaths.
Many without AC kept their windows shut which made it hotter,
And some, especially in India, didn't drink enough water.
I got it from dead doctors (who never lie)
That a lack of salt was one of the reasons why.
Many elderly were put on low salt diets by their physicians
Because of their hypertension and bad heart conditions.
There was not a single double-blind study that showed
a benefit of a low salt diet. An 8 year study disclosed
in New York City those on low-salt diets had more
heart attacks as those on normal-salt diets (times 4) !
Because of low iodine problems some salt has added iodine.
So if you have been on a low salt diet you should learn the signs.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Your poems are always so educational, and this one is no exception. At one summer job I had years ago at a gypsum plant, where we had to work outside in the hot sun, they had a supply of salt tablets right there by the work area that you could take as needed. At the time I thought it was stupid, but many of the men took them regularly.
They gave us salt tablets in the Army basic training after a 10 mile hike.