With the summer heat already telling upon the health of people, there is a lot of myth and facts rolling around the social media and internet, saying that everyone should drink at least a minimum of 5 litres of water every day to avoid dehydration and kidney related diseases, which usually affects everyone in summer.
When TCM asked Dr.Goutham Seralathan, Consultant Nephrologist & Transplant Physician of GKNM Hospital, here is what he had to tell us on how the kidney functions.
“Even I have seen videos, messages in WhatsApp and Facebook saying that humans need to drink certain litres of water to avoid kidney diseases, although there is no truth in that. Our body has its own mechanism. When it feels thirsty it will ask for water. It is enough if you drink at that time,” says Dr.Goutham.
“Don’t blindly follow the pieces of advice that are floated in Social Media. It is absolutely false. If you live in a cold place, your body will not dehydrate easily. So the intake of water will be less.”
On the other hand, if one lives in a hot place, one’s body will dehydrate easily. So, naturally, the water intake will be higher. But people gravitate towards false statements, which should be thoroughly avoided,” warns the doctor.
According to Dr.Goutham, Kidney is a complex organ which not only cleans the blood, but also does various other functions. Whatever the waste that is produced in our body, like toxins and urea, it is the kidney that flushes it out.
“Human body is made up of 60% of water and its function is to regulate the fluid level in the body. At the same time it regulates the blood pressure and most importantly kidney manages the minerals,” he said.
“In order to avoid kidney disease, he advises people to follow the thirst mechanism, which he calls a natural phenomenon that we are blessed with. So, unless you have thirst, you don’t have to take water,” says the doctor.