Patients must think doctors and nurses have water on the brain; we’re always talking about water!
Seriously, I wonder how many thousands of times I’ve mentioned to patients (or their parents) the need to increase their fluid intake? I tell them when they have a cold to drink up. I tell them when they have a sore throat to drink more. I tell them when they have a stomach bug to forego the food, but to stay hydrated. I tell them when they have headaches that dehydration can make a headache worse, or even cause one. I tell them when they have a urinary tract problem how important it is to “keep the pipes running.” I tell them to drink up winter, spring, summer, or fall, though usually more so in the hot summer, of course. I tell them to drink water so often…well…maybe I do have water on the brain!
Assuming I don’t have a water fixation – and, really, I don’t – why do I, and so many other healthcare providers, focus so much on water and good hydration?
It’s really very simple: most people underestimate the value of keeping well hydrated and don’t realize just how much even mild dehydration can affect them.
Here’s a list from the Mayo Clinic of some of the symptoms that moderate or even mild dehydration can cause:
- * Dry, sticky mouth
- * Sleepiness or tiredness – children are likely to be less active than usual
- * Thirst
- * Decreased urine output – no wet diapers for three hours for infants and eight hours or more without urination for older children and teens
- * Few or no tears when crying
- * Dry skin
- * Headache
- * Constipation
- * Dizziness or lightheadedness
Think about that list for a moment… that’s some crummy stuff! Most any of those things can be no fun by themselves, but add them to other symptoms of, say, a cold or strep throat, and you take an already yucky illness and make it much worse.
So, it isn’t a “hydro-fixation” with which I and my fellow healthcare pals are afflicted. It’s our desire to help you feel your best, whether you’re sick or not. Water, and plenty of it, can do just that, so…drink up!
Dr. Gregg
Posted – March 26, 2013