Insensible losses, in the world of medicine, are things your body loses which you simply don’t sense. A prime example is the water vapor you see coming out of your body when you exhale in cold weather, but aren’t aware of when it’s warmer out. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Insensible Losses”
I’ve mentioned before that I’m taking a wilderness basics course where I’m learning to go out into the wilderness and hike at altitude.
And I came across during a lecture last night by a physician who specializes in treating altitude sickness. He was talking about the term insensible losses.
Do you know what that is?
Insensible losses. I have some guesses, but go ahead and tell me.
Okay. It’s a medical term that refers to the loss of something from your body, like insensible water loss. One example of it is the vapor that comes out of your mouth that you see when it’s really cold, but we don’t see it otherwise.
But it’s an insensible loss. And I was thinking, my gosh, what a beautiful phrase. I got all distracted from the lecture he was giving because I was thinking insensible losses. Boy, if somebody hasn’t written a poetry collection titled Insensible Losses, they should, and send it to me.
So this is stuff that is happening to your body that you don’t notice?
Right, right. Sensible meaning you can’t sense it. You can’t sense it. Oh, really interesting. And moisture loss is a big one.
Oh, yeah, you’ve got to hydrate. Because our internal regulators for that are really inaccurate. We’re not thirsty automatically when our body needs moisture. Right, right, or hungry, right, when you need to, you know. Your body doesn’t have good signals for some things.
Right, right. So you have to be aware of those insensible losses. And I was thinking, what a metaphor, you know, the things in your life that seep out and you don’t realize until it really affects you cumulatively. I just thought it was a gorgeous phrase.
It is good. Yeah, I can think of when coworkers leave at a job and you didn’t realize how much you depended on them to brighten your day or something like that.
Oh, great. Another insensible loss. Beautiful. But I’m a little worried about you because you were so distracted. Does this mean that you’re going to get lost in the wilderness and we’re going to have to go find you with helicopters?
Probably not. They’re really good at teaching you to hike with a compass, which you have to do because there are no trails out there in the desert where we live or where we’re hiking. And, of course, you always go with other people.
Right. Smart. So not to worry.
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