quesarah: (Default)
Intercourse, the penguin ([personal profile] quesarah) wrote2004-02-27 10:03 am
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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.

[identity profile] gonzo21.livejournal.com 2004-02-27 10:05 am (UTC)(link)
Ohgods. Here we go again. is there not some mechanism in place to stop this brain-dead arsewits from posting their spurious 'scientific' claims for the purposes of getting their names in the paper and garnering some fame?

I mean, recently there was that salmon thing. The MMR vaccination thing is a huge one here in the UK. It's just, ach. Grrr.

[identity profile] wafflelips.livejournal.com 2004-02-27 10:10 am (UTC)(link)
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.

I volunteer to kick their ass!

[identity profile] king-ghidorah.livejournal.com 2004-02-27 10:15 am (UTC)(link)
Let me hazard a guess: Chris Del Mar was coming up for tenure review and needed to beef up his CV with some publications really quickly. Just a thought.

[identity profile] biogeekgrrl.livejournal.com 2004-02-27 10:38 am (UTC)(link)
Or, Chris Del Mar is an arrogant fuckwit. Or both.

[identity profile] king-ghidorah.livejournal.com 2004-02-27 10:40 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, you can bet he is an arrogant fuckwit a medical doctor.