Beer - it's a classic drink
Beer - it's a classic drinkIsrael news photo: (file)

Note: Arutz Sheva's comments and additions are italicized.

The largest health fund in Israel, Kupat Cholim Clalit, has come out with a letter with advice on how to beat the heat wave, even if you are spending the torrid summer in your housing protest tent.

Urging protestors to exercise heat wave caution regulations, Dr. Asi Sikurel suggests some specially suited protective measures.

First of all,  Dr. Sikurel recommends avoiding unnecessary movement. Bedouins, he says, endure the heat by sticking to minimal energy-consuming movement, and engaging in lots of idle conversation. That shouldn't be a problem, when one can take apart the PM's housing plan and try to understand how the members of the conservationist Greens can be present in the protest tents  for more housing while opposing using land for building.

Heatstroke happens when the body cannot dissipate the extra heat that builds up during physical activity, so just sit there, and if you must march, do it slowly.

Drinking is critical, stresses the doctor. Dehydration is really dangerous. Stick to cold, sweetened beverages. Arutz Sheva suggests that a bottle of real orange juice, expensive in Tel Aviv, where you may want to live,  is a good choice. Carbonated drinks, he adds, are out; they quench thirst with minimal content, and you need to drink a lot. Stay away from coffee, tea or beer: These are diuretics and only cause the body to produce more urine, which means loss of fluids. Well, all right, so you can drink a little beer at the nightly get-togethers.

Look around you. Keep an eye out for anyone displaying signs of nausea, dizziness or general discomfort, as long as they are not part of the Netanyahu government. Get them help fast – before they go downhill. Wait a minute, who is them?

Anyone suffering from diarrhea, fever, heart disease or diabetes cannot handle the heat very well. Hang around an air conditioner until evening. They'll never know if you sneak in at night.

Accompany anyone suffering from heatstroke or dehydration to the emergency room or to a clinic. Realize that you are also susceptible to this condition, so remember to cool off and get a drink for yourself.

Arutz Sheva thought at first glance that this letter was partly serious and partly tongue-in-cheek, but it seems that they really mean it. The letter, minus our comments, was sent to all Clalit health fund subscribers.