Water Intoxication Causes Blindness

Credits to SIM YEE for arousing my interest on this particular article! I hoped she don't mind me sharing this for once and again after her. =P

Wonder if you guys can read what's being written on the article.

Anyways, please do allow me to re-type it for you! Tee hee!!! BTW, please do bear in mind that this is an article extracted from THE NEW PAPER (Thursday, Nov 22, 2007)

WOMAN LOSES SIGHT AFTER DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER!!!

She drank 7 litres of water a day to "detoxify and reduce her blood pressure". Thinking that the more water she drank, the better it would be, she continued her habit and this went on for three months.

But last month (as of Nov 2007), the then 26-year-old Taiwanese woman suddenly fainted at home. When she regained her consciousness a few days later, she was BLIND, reported Apple Daily Taiwan.

Doctors had said that the woman's condition is known as "chronic water intoxication".

The amount of water she drank daily was more than THREE TIMES the recommended daily consumption for sedentary adults.

Dr.Jiang Shou Shan, who treated her, told Apple Daily Taiwan that his patient had no psychological illness nor any other health problems, except that her blood pressure was "on the high side".

She was not named in the report.

Dr.Jiang said : "She mistakenly believes that the more water she drinks, the more she can decrease her blood pressure."

"Hence, for three months, she made herself drink 7 litres of water a day."

Dr.Jiang added that initially, the woman would keep running to the toilet. But after some time, it led to water intoxication.

Too much water consumed causes HYPONATREMIA, a condition where there is INSUFFICIENT SODIUM in the blood. (Yea, learnt that in Physiology!LOL!)

SWELLING IN BRAIN CELLS

As a result, the excess water had to be absorbed by her body cells. Her brain cells swelled after taking in the water, which led to increased pressure in her brain.

Dr.Jiang explained that the pressure caused bleeding in her OCCIPITAL LOBE. It is the VISUAL PROCESSING CENTRE of the brain which contains most of the visual cortex.

Said Dr.Jiang, "The sodium in our blood maintains our cell metabolism rate. But once you drink too much water, the sodium ions will decrease, causing the brain cells to swell."

"This will cause pressure and lead to bleeding."

Shin Min Daily News quoted a doctor as saying that drinking too much water can be fatal.

The doctor from Raffles Hospital (Singapore), said that our body is constantly losing water through sweat, urination, defecation or exhaled breath, among others.

"Replacing this 'lost water' is essential, but rehydration can be overdone, leading to fatal water overdose," said the doctor.

According to doctors, the symptoms of water intoxication include headache, fatigue, nausea, vomitting, frequent urination, and mental disorientation.

Some random sharings :

And I came across this article by MedionCorp. Have a read if you're concern about your water intake. =)

By the way, water consumption at the right time can be a solution to that.

*2 glasses of water (after waking up) aids in DIGESTION.

*1 glass of water (before taking bath) aids in LOWERING of BLOOD PRESSURE

*1 glass of water (before sleep) aids in preventing or avoiding STROKE & HEART ATTACK

That is basically why you shouldn't be drinking/gulping down on too much water after your long-run or compulsive/exertful/strenuous exercise!

Drinking too much water after strenuous exercise will increase the aggravating burden on stomach and reduce the function of gastric juice on bactericidal and digestion. Fast drink, on the other hand, increases the burden on heart that will lead to heart failure, nausea or even abdominal distension. Avoid cold drinks. They could eventually affect the distribution of body temperature and thus causing cold, abominal pain or other diseases.

BTW, this will be extra(s) if you would wanna know more on the DON'T(s) after strenuous exercise. CLICK HERE