Man in Bac Giang almost lost his life after drinking 10 liters of ionized water

Mr. S had a history of chronic bronchitis. His family said that he had consulted a traditional healer and was advised to drink alkaline ionized water mixed with salt. The patient began his alkaline ionized water treatment on August 28 at the healer’s home.

Every day, the patient drank large glasses of alkaline ionized water mixed with salt, with a total amount of up to 10 liters, without eating any food, according to the herbalist's advice. After 18 days, the family visited and discovered that the patient was severely exhausted, had lost nearly 10kg, and decided to take him home for care.

The patient's condition worsened when he started having a high fever of 39.8 degrees, accompanied by a cough and a lot of phlegm on September 20. Despite being treated at two medical facilities, the patient's health condition did not improve. On September 25, the patient was transferred to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in a state of severe exhaustion, pneumonia on the background of chronic bronchitis.

At the Intensive Care Unit, doctors diagnosed the patient with dengue fever, pneumonia, and exhaustion on the basis of chronic bronchitis. Tests showed that the patient's blood protein level was low, his body was atrophied and lost subcutaneous fat, his muscle strength was significantly weakened, and his liver enzyme index had increased nearly 5 times compared to normal.

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

MSc. Dr. Hoang Thi Thom - Department of Nutrition said that patients face many risks, including the possibility of refeeding syndrome. This is a condition in which the body has an abnormal reaction when receiving nutrition again after a long period of fasting, leading to life-threatening complications.

According to Dr. Vo Duc Linh, Department of Intensive Care, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, drinking alkaline ionized water has no scientific basis and cannot replace medicine. Drinking large amounts of alkaline water for a long time can change the body's normal PH level, causing metabolic alkalosis, leading to nausea, vomiting, muscle spasms, tremors in the hands and feet, etc. When drinking alkaline water combined with fasting, the patient's body falls into a state of severe exhaustion, making the treatment and recovery process difficult.

Dr. Vo Duc Linh advised people not to blindly trust in unscientific treatment methods. If the patient had continued to follow this treatment for 26 days as instructed, he might not have survived. When sick, people should visit specialized medical facilities instead of seeking treatment methods that lack scientific basis.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/nguoi-dan-ong-o-bac-giang-suyt-mat-mang-vi-uong-10-lit-nuoc-ion.html