(no subject)

Another early morning phone call from Mom. This time, it was almost 6. Also, this time my dad's in the hospital. Apparently, it took some cajoling for her to convince him to go even though his blood pressure was very low. Then, he was terribly surprised that the ER doc admitted him right away.

My dad is so stubborn and dense sometimes. Oy.

Now THIS is stupid

They fucking do a press release with nothing but a literature search: no evidence, no patients, no observations; just a little hypothesis. Someone oughta kick their ass.

Advice to Drink Liquids During a Cold Questioned

Thu Feb 26, 7:11 PM ET

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LONDON (Reuters) - Drinking plenty of fluids while suffering from a cold or respiratory infection could cause more harm than good, researchers said Friday.


Doctors often recommend drinking liquids to prevent dehydration but Chris Del Mar, of the University of Queensland in Australia, said not enough research has been done to prove it is good advice.

"We found data to suggest that giving fluids to patients with respiratory infections may cause harm," Del Mar said in a report in the British Medical Journal.

The body releases large amounts of a water-conserving hormone when a person has a respiratory infection such as a cold or bronchitis.

Drinking more when these levels are high could lead to fluid overload and a condition known as hyponatraemia, or low concentrations of sodium which is needed for normal body functions.

Del Mar and his team searched the medical literature and talked to experts but could not find any randomized controlled trials comparing the impact of increased or restricted water drinking during a cold.

"Until we have this evidence, we should be cautious about universally recommending increased fluids to patients, especially those with infections of the lower respiratory tract," Del Mar added.