Listening to the herbalist's advice to fast and drink alkaline water to cure diseases, suffering unpredictable consequences

Listening to "witch doctors" who fast and drink alkaline water to cure diseases, suffer unpredictable consequences

Male patient NVS, 41 years old, residing in Bac Giang , was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in a state of severe exhaustion.

The patient had a history of chronic bronchitis. Due to poor health, the patient went to a traditional healer and was told to drink alkaline ionized water mixed with salt. After 18 days of applying the alkaline water regimen without eating, the patient lost nearly 10 kg.

The patient is being treated at the Central Tropical Hospital.

Patient S.'s family said that the patient started the alkaline ionized water treatment from August 28 to September 17 at a traditional healer's house.

The healer advised drinking 10 liters of alkaline ionized water mixed with salt every day and not eating or drinking anything else to "purify the body". (During the treatment at the healer's house, he stayed with 40-50 other people and all applied the same method.) Each day, a patient drank water divided into large doses with a total amount of up to 10 liters, without eating any food.

However, after 18 days, the patient's family visited and discovered that he was severely exhausted, had lost nearly 10 kg, and decided to take him home for care.

On September 20, the patient began to have a high fever of 39.8 degrees, accompanied by a cough, a lot of phlegm and fatigue. Although he was treated at 02 medical facilities, the patient's health condition did not improve after 5 days of treatment.

On September 25, the patient was transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in a state of severe exhaustion and pneumonia on the basis of chronic bronchitis.

At the Intensive Care Unit, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the patient was admitted in a state of exhaustion with a very low nutritional index. Tests showed low blood protein levels. The patient had muscle atrophy and loss of subcutaneous fat, and significantly weakened muscle strength.

In addition, the patient's liver enzyme index increased nearly 5 times compared to normal. Doctors diagnosed the patient with dengue fever, pneumonia and exhaustion on the basis of chronic bronchitis.

Currently, the patient is indicated for placement of a feeding tube because of poor chewing and swallowing ability and high risk of aspiration syndrome when eating and drinking.

Doctor Hoang Thi Thom, Department of Nutrition, shared that the patient is currently facing many serious risks, including the possibility of refeeding syndrome.

This is a condition in which the body reacts abnormally to receiving nutrition after a long period of fasting, leading to life-threatening complications. Therefore, patients are closely monitored and have a meticulous nutritional intervention plan to restore their health.

Doctor Vo Duc Linh, Department of Intensive Care, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said that drinking alkaline ionized water has no scientific basis and cannot replace medicine.

Drinking large amounts of alkaline water over a long period of time can change the body's normal PH level, causing metabolic alkalosis that can lead to symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, muscle spasms, tremors, etc.

When combining alkaline water with fasting, the patient's body fell into a state of severe exhaustion. The problem of exhaustion combined with infection made the infection more severe, making it difficult to treat and recover for the patient.

Doctor Linh warned that the patient was lucky to be taken to the hospital in time. If he had continued to drink alkaline ionized water without eating during the 26-day treatment as instructed, no one could guarantee that the patient would survive.

Just because of lack of knowledge and blind trust in unscientific treatment methods, patients are at risk of death due to physical exhaustion.

Therefore, when sick, people should not listen to unscientific treatment methods but should visit specialized medical facilities.

Also suffering from alkaline water, Dr. Ha Hai Nam, Deputy Head of Department of Surgery 1, K Hospital, said that the facility had just admitted a male patient named NTC (from Bac Giang) to the emergency room in critical condition and could not survive due to exhaustion.

Mr. C. was admitted to the hospital because of abdominal pain, loss of appetite, vomiting, and black stools. The patient was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and the tumor had spread so surgery was not possible. The doctor advised Mr. C. to undergo medical treatment first to shrink the tumor. However, the male patient refused treatment and went home to smoke cigarettes.

At home, the patient drank alkaline ionized water in the hope of detoxifying and shrinking the tumor. 20 days later, the patient was admitted to the emergency room. At this point, all efforts of the doctors could not save Mr. C's life.

According to the manufacturers' advertisements, alkaline ionized water has many effects such as slowing down the aging process, protecting the intestines, stabilizing blood pressure, increasing resistance, detoxifying, preventing cancer, reducing fat, and detoxifying alcohol.

However, doctors say there is currently no research confirming the accuracy of this type of water. Bottled alkaline ionized water contains an important ingredient called electrolytes, which is good for the body, but is not a medicine. Therefore, this type of water cannot replace medicine.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Cam Phuong, Director of the Nuclear Medicine and Oncology Center (Bach Mai Hospital) said that at present, about 1/3 of cancers can be cured if detected at an early stage. However, the sad reality is that 70% of cases come to the hospital when the disease is in a late stage, making treatment extremely difficult.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/nghe-thay-lang-nhin-an-uong-nuoc-kiem-chua-benh-ganh-hau-qua-khon-luong-d226056.html