RE: water intoxication (was RE: Carpal Tunnel)

Subject: RE: water intoxication (was RE: Carpal Tunnel)
From: "Beth Agnew" <Beth -dot- Agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2004 18:07:39 -0400


I agree that there's no "one size fits all" amount of fluid intake that is
correct for every person. But we do need guidelines and rules of thumb to
help us determine what to do when our doctor is not right there to specify
something. We are never taught proper principles of hydration, even by the
doctors who are treating us for various ailments. A person can quench their
thirst with cola, but I doubt that's the right thing to do.

Our responsibility as technical writers is not only to provide the correct
information to people (as correct as we can discover it), but to provide
information that is important to the end user even when the experts don't
think we need to know it. Not one of the doctors I've ever consulted over my
lifetime has ever asked me if I'm drinking enough water.
--Beth

-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-techwr-l-118812 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:bounce-techwr-l-118812 -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]On Behalf Of Bruce
Evans
Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2004 4:43 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: water intoxication (was RE: Carpal Tunnel)

Any minimum or maximum standard of fluid intake is rubbish. Our fluid
requirements are determined by our size, our activity, the ambient
temperature, our health and multiple other factors. The only true measure of
proper hydration in a healthy person is thirst. If you're thirsty, you need
to drink more, if you're not, you don't have to.

Water intoxication occurs only in abnormal states--either abnormal endocrine
disorders, rare brain disorders and major psychiatric illnesses. The sight
of hordes of healthy adults walking around with bottles of water only
strengthens the view that we've become a self-obsessed lot who haven't
outgrown the baby bottle.

==============================================
Bruce Evans M.D.
Family Physician and Technical Writer
"Never Underestimate the power of very stupid people in large numbers."


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RE: water intoxication (was RE: Carpal Tunnel): From: Bruce Evans

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