If you find yourself admitted to the hospital for just about any reason,  the FIRST “treatment” you’ll get (after you’ve gone through the initial vital signs check) is an I.V.  I don’t think we give enough thought to the need for an I.V. and I believe that a lot of questions about hydration can be found through the I.V. protocol that is followed by hospitals.

Although your doctor may sing a different tune when you’re out-patient (drink plenty of “fluids”), they all follow the rule-book for what the body really needs when you’re in-patient…they prescribe water.

The purpose of an I.V. is to supply extra water to a dehydrated patient and/or to assure that the daily water and salt needs or “maintenance needs” are met for patients unable to take them by mouth.  Naturally, there are circumstances through which the patient would not be physically able to drink water but; for the sake of staff convenience AND to enhance the billable goods, the I.V. protocol is followed for almost everybody.  I’m quite sure that the fact that most Americans are chronically dehydrated makes an automatic I.V. make a whole lot of sense.

Although the amount of I.V. fluids infused depends largely on the weight and the needs of the patient, according to Web MD it is typically between 1.5 and 3 liters (50-100 ounces)  a day for the average adult.  Rest assured, the medical professionals KNOW that we need 50-100 ounces of water just to hydrate in a sedentary state.  Funny how physicians fail to emphasize the need for lots of water OUTSIDE of the walls of the hospital.  When was the last time you drank 50-100 ounces of water?  If you need 50-100 ounces of water just to sustain hydration in a SEDENTARY state, imagine how much more water the body needs when it’s actually moving around living life!

Many patients “lose” their symptoms when they’re (finally) hydrated using I.V. fluids!  Hmm…

Whether you’re getting your water through an I.V. bag or you’re drinking it out of a bottle, it ALWAYS matters what KIND of water you consume and what’s “in” or NOT in your water makes a huge difference for your health.  For example, I.V. fluids aren’t just purified water, they contain saline to balance the electrolytes and here’s why according to Wikipedia:

If the {I.V.} solution were pure water you would die. When blood cells are exposed to pure water the increased salts in the cell cause the water to flow in and would cause the red blood cells to burst (this is called lysis). The blood itself is a little salty (which is why you rinse your eyes with saline). The IV bags are usually plain saline, sometimes they are saline mixed with a form of sugar. The sugar provides energy for the body. (it is not table sugar)

So you see?  The I.V. protocol holds the key to answers about proper hydration with the “right” kind of water.  IT MATTERS how much water we consume to maintain a healthy state and IT MATTERS what kind of water we drink to properly hydrate the human cells….in and OUT of the hospital.

If the QUANTITY and the QUALITY of your I.V. water matters that much…don’t you think the QUANTITY and the QUALITY of the water you consume by mouth does too?

HEALTHY drinking water won’t come from a bottle of your favorite “purified” water or from your tap. You can’t get healthy water by running it through a Brita-type filter or through the water dispenser on your fridge.  You CAN get healthy water from places like the fountains of Lourdes, France or Tlacote, Mexico (or a few other exotic places in the world) if you’re willing to move there to get it.  Otherwise, your best option is to return your water to its original state (aka “healthy”) by restructuring it using a quality water ionizer that produces “ELECTROLYZED REDUCED WATER”.   More and more medical professionals across the globe are recommending electrolyzed reduced water after tens of thousands of scientific studies have proven that it IS beneficial to the human body.  Water isn’t “just water” any more than food is “just food.”

CHANGING THE WAY THE WORLD LOOKS AT WATER

ONE DROP AT A TIME!