From the daily archives: Tuesday, August 22, 2006

transitions

by Chintan on August 22, 2006 · 8 Comments · in Life Update

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. It’s a quarter century, if you didn’t know.

I haven’t posted since the first weeks of Medavo and haven’t had a chance to tell many of you what I’ve been up to, so let me try to fill you all in…

After over two years in Jamaica, I flew back to NYC last night. For those of you who figured I was just vacationing for 24 months solid–you’re only partially wrong. I was indeed living in paradise, in the Kingston home of my best friend from Duke, an ivy-covered townhouse surrounded by fruit trees and oversized flowers, with windows always open that hummingbirds would hum through. But I was also studying and working. One year as a Fulbright scholar at the University of the West Indies, studying literature (and dancehall and Afro-caribbean folk dance and surfing and exploring the island). The second year conducting public health research at the country’s maxiumum security prison (and applying to medical school).

Tomorrow I drive to Baltimore, Maryland to start medical school at Johns Hopkins. I hope I can be in better touch with family now that I’m back in the States. I encourage everyone to visit Baltimore sometime soon, even if you’re just passing through for a couple hours while driving on I-95.

Nuf love to our ever-expanding family,

 

how much is enough

by Mahendra on August 22, 2006 · 4 Comments · in General

How much water do you need a day?

Water is an important structural component of skin cartilage, tissues and organs. For human beings, every part of the body is dependent on water. Our body comprises about 75% water: the brain has 85%, blood is 90%, muscles are 75%, kidney is 82% and bones are 22% water. The functions of our glands and organs will eventually deteriorate if they are not nourished with good, clean water.

The average adult loses about 2.5 litres water daily through perspiration, breathing and elimination. Symptoms of the body’s deterioration begins to appear when the body loses 5% of its total water volume. In a healthy adult, this is seen as fatigue and general discomfort, whereas for an infant, it can be dehydrating. In an elderly person, a 5% water loss causes the body chemistry to become abnormal, especially if the percentage of electrolytes is overbalanced with sodium.One can usually see symptoms of aging, such as wrinkles, lethargy and even disorientation. Continuous water loss over time will speed up aging as well as increase risks of diseases.
If your body is not sufficiently hydrated, the cells will draw water from your bloodstream, which will make your heart work harder. At the same time, the kidneys cannot purify blood effectively. When this happens, some of the kidney’s workload is passed on to the liver and other organs, which may cause them to be severely stressed. Additionally, you may develop a number of minor health conditions such as constipation, dry and itchy skin, acne, nosebleeds, urinary tract infection, coughs, sneezing, sinus pressure, and headaches.

So, how much water is enough for you? The minimum amount of water you need depends on your body weight. A more accurate calculation, is to drink an ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight.

Here is the calculation for your minimum water need per day

Your weight 70 kg Enter your weight only !!!
Requirement 2310 ml

YOU NEED TO DRINK THIS AMOUNT OF WATER PER DAY 2.31 liters