Winter Can Lead to Kidney Damage

Health Wellness

From the time we are little one’s on our mothers’ lap, we are told to drink lots of water. Many sources over the years have recommended drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. NOT coffee, tea, juice, milk or soda, but WATER. That’s because our body needs just water without having to process what has been added to the water.

Water serves many purposes. It provides the vital fluid in our blood and in every cell of the body. Water also helps us digest food and helps it pass through our digestive tract. Water also helps us to remove waste products and toxins. Water is what keeps us alive and what makes Earth a unique place for life in the universe.

During warmer weather, we tend to be more active and this activity creates our thirst for water. The more active and the warmer the weather, the more water we drink.

The inverse is true in winter and colder weather. In colder weather, we tend not to be as active and therefore we tend to drink less water. In fact, in colder weather, more people turn to coffee and hot tea to help warm their bodies, without realizing that these drinks cause us to eliminate more water than we can afford to lose.

Drinking less water in winter also puts a strain on the kidneys and makes it more difficult for them to remove impurities and harmful substances from our blood. The lack of sufficient amounts of water also makes it more difficult for our urinary bladder to empty out the impurities filtered by the kidneys. Those impurities build up in the bladder and often leads to a buildup of harmful bacteria, causing a bladder infection. If severe enough and without sufficient water flushing out the system, that bacterial infection moves up the urinary tract to the kidneys and causes an infection of the kidneys.

Why is this worthy of mentioning?  Pay heed to what the Mayo Clinic says about a kidney infection:

A kidney infection requires prompt medical attention. If not treated properly, a kidney infection can permanently damage your kidneys or the bacteria can spread to your bloodstream and cause a life-threatening infection.

Kidney infection treatment, which usually includes antibiotics, might require hospitalization.

As I’m writing this, I am fighting a kidney infection and I know that it was caused by not drinking enough water. I work in an office building and often am so busy that I find it difficult to even take a sip of water. This past week, I drank between 1-3 glasses of water while at work.

What happened? I recently went to work feeling so-so and in a 15-minute span of time, suddenly began to experience severe chilling and waves of intense nausea and my lower back, where the kidneys are, began to hurt. I ended up having to leave work and made it home just in time to reach the bathroom and vomit.

Years ago, I worked in a job where I did not drink enough water and ended up with several kidney infections. My doctor warned me that each infection can cause permanent damage to my kidneys. He also warned me that being physically active with a kidney infection can cause permanent damage. He also said that each kidney infection can be worse than the previous ones and continue to get worse.

Therefore, based upon my current situation, I implore everyone to make sure you drink plenty of water (not coffee, tea, milk, juice or soda) during the winter and especially if you work at a desk all day. Pushing water will help you avoid experiencing the pain, chilling and nausea that goes with a kidney infection and from doing permanent damage to your kidneys.

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