Have you ever noticed that in our patients who apply to the emergency service, fluid support (replacement) is performed by adding serum to the body first, regardless of the complaint. In the case of trauma-bleeding, in order to temporarily replace the decreased intravascular fluid, when removing stones, in most infections, especially in diarrhea, in transferring the drugs that we need to give intravenously to the body, and in many other situations that come to your mind, a vascular access is opened and serum is inserted.
In the past, our elders used to say ‘we need to eat for medicine’, especially about healthy eating (often referring to vegetables that we do not like to taste). Let’s take a look at the functions and benefits of water, which is almost the building block of our body, which we absolutely need to maintain our vital functions.
- Water makes up about 60-75% of the human body. This ratio also varies according to organ systems, and there is more water in the heart, brain and lung tissue than in our skin and bones. Roughly 2/3 of the water in our body is in our cells, and water is an essential element for all known cellular functions.
- The proportion of water in the human body also varies according to age and gender. While the proportion of water is higher in infants and adult males, the ratio is lower in females. Regardless of the ratio, water plays an important role in regulating our body temperature, digesting proteins, carbohydrates and fats, and removing waste materials from our bodies.
- The ‘suspension’ effect of water is important in absorbing external forces (falling, etc.)
- In the case of dehydration, the efficiency of the body decreases, to put it simply. One of the hidden causes of tables such as fatigue, unhappiness and weakness is not drinking enough water.
- In order for the digestive system to work effectively and to prevent constipation, we need to drink enough water.
- Another topic is the prevention and treatment of migraine and headaches. Especially in migraine-type headaches, there is a vascular contraction and relaxation cycle in the brain, the mechanism of which is unknown. It is possible to overcome the clinical picture with sufficient fluid to be taken during this period.
- While trying to lose weight, we must drink a certain amount of water because our cells use water molecules when burning fat.
- In the prevention and treatment of kidney stones, it is again water that facilitates stone removal by providing more urine.
- It is not possible to fight cold-flu-like symptoms, especially respiratory tract infections, without drinking water. After all, we have a capillary network of thousands of kilometers extending to the farthest points of our body, and if you take drugs, we must have enough fluid to carry these molecules to the most remote cells.
- It is very important to consume a certain amount of fluid daily, especially for our patients who have vascular occlusion, stent in the heart-carotid artery, and who have undergone bypass. Otherwise, enough blood cannot pass through these vessels, paving the way for blockages and new events.
In fact, it is possible to extend the items much longer.. Well, let’s talk about how much water we should drink daily. What we usually mean by water is fluid intake. Not only drinking water, but also juicy fruits, watery foods, soda and fresh fruit juices help us to meet the body’s fluid needs. In an adult, we recommend a daily intake of 2.5-3 liters of fluid, unless there are exceptional circumstances such as heart or kidney failure. You can add whatever you want in it. Fresh mint leaves, a couple of slices of fruit, walnuts, lemons,… the rest is up to your creativity ))
A phone call comes from the pediatric emergency department of one of our university hospitals to the gastroenterology department. At that time, there was an endoscopy device in the hospital. The physician on the phone wanted it to be sent immediately. A child drank an unfamiliar glass of liquid and burned his esophagus. The phone rings again 5 minutes after it is turned off, this time the adult emergency doctor calling, we have a female patient, because she drank a foreign substance, and we suspect a pharyngeal burn. The incident soon becomes clear. The child takes a sip from the bleach standing in a glass and starts shouting, and his mother drinks the rest because he drank it and shouted. We need to pay attention to the use of a certain colored or marked glass/bottle, especially when teaching our children to drink water. These types of seemingly simple home accidents are more common than you might imagine.
I wish you to keep water, which is the most useful raw material we know for our body, in your life..
I wish everyone a happy and healthy day.
prof. Dr. Arda Ozyuksel
