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From controlling body temperature and flushing out toxins, adequate hydration plays a vital role in our general health and well-being, water is a life essential. However, while dehydration garners significant attention, overhydration, or drinking excessive amounts of water, is a condition that can have serious and sometimes fatal consequences.
Although it may sound bizarre since drinking water is said to be the solution for most health related problems it is important to recognize how much water is considered "too much" or the risks involved with being overhydrated can maintain a healthy balance.
Water intoxication, also termed hyperhydration, water poisoning or water toxemia, develops when an individual drinks much more water than the kidney can excrete. The main function of the kidneys in the human body is the processing and excretion of excess water. However, the human kidneys can process only up to 0.8 to 1.0 liters of water at a time. Drinking an amount that exceeds this may overwhelm the kidneys and put the electrolyte balance out of sync in the human body.
Electrolytes, especially sodium, are essential in maintaining fluid balance within and outside cells. Hyponatremia is the condition when sodium levels fall below 135 mmol/L, resulting from excessive water intake. This causes water to shift into cells, swelling them. In the brain, this can cause severe complications, including coma or even death.
The symptoms of water intoxication vary from mild to severe. Early symptoms are often similar to dehydration, which makes self-diagnosis challenging. Common symptoms include:
In more serious cases, water intoxication can cause seizures, loss of consciousness, or swelling in the brain. These complications can be fatal if left untreated.
A notable case occurred in 2007 when a woman participating in a water-drinking contest tragically died after consuming nearly two gallons of water in under two hours. More recently, actress Brooke Shields experienced a grand mal seizure attributed to excessive water consumption.
Water intoxication is rare, but certain scenarios can increase the risk:
These endurance athletes are prone to water intoxication, especially if they drink large amounts of water without replacing lost electrolytes. Hyponatremia usually happens during long races or marathons as individuals mistake fatigue and muscle cramps for dehydration and continue drinking water in excess.
Overhydration among military personnel is usually due to severe physical activity in extreme environmental conditions. The total number of hyponatremia cases documented from 2007 through 2022 for the active duty in the United States exceeds 1,600, with a note to this problem on exertion-related overhydration.
Compulsive water drinking, known as psychogenic polydipsia, is linked with some mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and psychosis. People with these conditions tend to drink too much water, causing a hazardous electrolyte imbalance.
Drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy) raise the body temperature and make people thirsty, and at times, some people tend to drink excess water at events like music festivals. MDMA also leads to urine retention, thus exacerbating the dangers of water intoxication.
The exact amount of water that causes intoxication varies from one person to another. However, drinking more than 1 liter of water per hour for several hours raises the risk. For healthy individuals, the risk of overhydration is low unless taking part in extreme physical activity or ignoring thirst cues.
Certain medical conditions, such as kidney or liver disorders, can impair the body's ability to process fluids, and even moderate water intake may be harmful. Similarly, certain medications, such as diuretics and antipsychotics, can affect the perception of thirst or fluid regulation.
The widely touted recommendation of eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day has little basis in fact. According to the National Academy of Medicine, a daily total fluid intake is about 15 cups (3.7 liters) for males and 11 cups (2.7 liters) for females, from beverage sources and from food. Usually, about 20 percent of daily hydration comes from foods such as fruits and vegetables.
A better rule of thumb is to listen to your body and drink water based on thirst. Use the color of your urine as an indicator:
Older adults, whose thirst mechanisms may decline with age, should be proactive about maintaining hydration, especially during illness or hot weather.
The symptoms of water intoxication—such as headaches, fatigue, and muscle weakness—are similar to those of dehydration. If you are unsure which condition you are experiencing, seek medical attention immediately rather than self-treating with more water.
To avoid the dangers of overhydration:
For signs of severe water intoxication-including confusion, drowsiness, seizures, and loss of consciousness-customer is advised to seek medical assistance immediately. In the meanwhile, a salty snack would help to temporarily correct low sodium levels.
Hydration is important to health, but overhydration can be a serious risk; the secret is in finding a balance. Drink enough water to satisfy your body, but not so much that it overwhelms your system. Remember, water is life, but moderation keeps it that way.
Hyponatremia (low sodium level in the blood). National Kidney Foundation. 2023.
Water Toxicity. NIH. 2023
Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia: 2017 Update. Front Med (Lausanne). 2017
Update: Exertional Hyponatremia Among Active Component Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, 2007–2022
Frequent bloating is a cause of concern. (Photo credit: AI generated)
Many women do not consider persistent bloating to be a serious issue because they tend to correlate their symptoms with acidity, excessive gas, overeating, or other temporary issues caused by their digestive system. Many women tend to treat their symptoms on their own by changing their diet or taking over-the-counter medications without looking into what the underlying problem may be. Many women do this because their symptoms initially seem mild. However, it is important to pay attention to any persistent bloating, especially if the bloating occurs on a regular basis, has lasted for at least one month, or is associated with symptoms such as pelvic discomfort, loss of appetite, an increased feeling of fullness, or irregular bowel habits (diarrhoea, constipation, etc.).
In an interaction with Health and Me, Dr Parnamita Bhattacharya, Gynaecologist at CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI, spoke about the concerns surrounding persistent bloating and whether it is associated with the risk of ovarian cancer.
One of the most significant concerns surrounding persistent bloating is that women can develop ovarian cancer, especially in the early stages, without knowing or having any obvious signs that they have the disease. Because there are no routine screening tests to detect ovarian cancer in the general population, it is critical for women to be on the lookout for any symptoms of persistent bloating and report them immediately to their doctor. Unfortunately, because women often ignore their symptoms and fail to seek medical attention, by the time they do see a doctor, ovarian cancer has progressed to a later stage of development.
Not all bloating is related to ovarian cancer. Other common contributing factors to bloating include irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerance, hormonal changes, and lifestyle factors. The significant difference between "normal" bloating and "abnormal" bloating is how long each type of bloating lasts and how quickly the symptoms progress. If your bloating continues despite dietary changes, or if it increases in frequency, you should not ignore the symptoms. You should have them evaluated by a medical professional.
It is important for women to understand the signals sent by their bodies. If you frequently experience bloating, this issue needs to be investigated and not just accepted as normal. If you seek timely evaluation, doctors can determine the source of your problem early on, which greatly increases your chances of a good outcome from a serious diagnosis such as ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer symptoms can be vague and may develop as the disease progresses. Therefore, timely detection is a challenge. Some of the signs of ovarian cancer include:
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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been discharged from the ICU but will remain in the hospital for “some time” as he recovers from pneumonia, according to his spokesperson.
In a post on social media platform X, spokesperson Ted Goodman said Giuliani, 81, was hospitalized earlier this week in critical but stable condition.
Giuliani, who served as New York City's mayor from 1994 to 2001, was previously diagnosed with restrictive airway disease following the infamous 9/11 terrorist incident, where he “took down the mafia, saved New York City, and ran toward the towers on September 11th".
However, the incident left Giuliani with lasting health complications, Goodman said, adding that the former NYC Mayor "is recovering from pneumonia”.
“The virus quickly overwhelmed his body, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate oxygen and stabilize his condition,” Goodman said.
Calling him the "same fighter he's always been, and he's winning this fight,” Goodman said that the "mayor and his family appreciate the outpouring of love and prayers sent his way”.
Notably, Giuliani is a longtime ally of President Donald Trump. In 2025, Trump also announced awarding Giuliani with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor.
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung tissue, most often caused by infections. It can affect one or both lungs and can range from mild to life-threatening, especially in vulnerable populations like the elderly, young children, or those with underlying health conditions.
There are several types of pneumonia, classified based on their causes—bacterial, viral, and fungal—and each has distinct patterns of transmission and severity.
Pneumonia is not a single disease but a syndrome resulting from various infectious agents:
Bacterial Pneumonia: This is the most common type, often developing as a secondary infection after a cold or flu. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most frequent culprit.
Viral Pneumonia: Caused by viruses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), this type often starts in the upper respiratory tract and spreads to the lungs.
Fungal Pneumonia: This type is less common and usually affects individuals with weakened immune systems. It's typically contracted through environmental exposure, such as to soil or bird droppings.
Pneumonia can be insidious. It often begins with symptoms that mimic the flu: headache, fatigue, and fever. But as the infection progresses, signs become more serious:
Credit: NEJM
In a shocking case, a 68-year-old woman in the US who took antibiotics for inflammation developed an alarming skin reaction, leaving her skin black and blue.
The unusual case, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), noted that the woman developed dark patches on her skin very quickly, within two weeks of starting the drug — a course of minocycline, an oral antibiotic.
Two weeks before the onset of the skin changes, she had started taking 100 mg daily of oral minocycline to treat rosacea, which causes chronic inflammation and redness of the face.
Over the course of six weeks, dark patches appeared on the woman's arms and legs. It ranged from a bruise-like dark blue and purple to jet-black.
Her doctors also noticed blue-gray "hyperpigmentation" on the woman's forearms and shins, as well as on the sides of her tongue. The woman noted that the patches had first appeared on her legs before cropping up elsewhere.
Rosacea is a common skin condition that leads to the formation of small, red bumps and pus-filled pimples on the skin, and evidence suggests that antibiotics like minocycline can help eliminate those bumps.
Writing in the paper, Aarti Maharaj, from the University of Florida, shared that hyperpigmentation is a well-established side effect of minocycline, in which patches of skin become darker than the skin surrounding them.
While the condition typically develops after months of treatment, it may rarely occur with shorter courses, the expert said.
In this case, the woman was diagnosed with type II minocycline-induced hyperpigmentation, which is "defined by blue-gray discoloration of normal skin on the extensor surfaces of the arms and legs," according to Maharaj.
Doctors advised the patient to stop taking minocycline and to avoid sun exposure, as ultraviolet light is thought to worsen hyperpigmentation in these cases. Six months later, the hyperpigmentation in her limbs had "abated somewhat" but was still visible.
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According to Mayo Clinic, minocycline belongs to the class of medicines known as tetracycline antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria or preventing their growth. However, this medicine will not work for colds, flu, or other virus infections.
It causes hyperpigmentation:
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According to a frequently cited study, the side effect shows up in about 28 per cent of people in this population, although that research included only a small number of patients. The true incidence of the side effect is unclear, Live Science reported.
Once a person stops taking minocycline, the pigmentation can take months to years to dissipate, reports suggest. In type III cases, it sometimes never goes away.
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