I'm a medical visionary!

The first story, is from today's Associated Press:

Too Much Water May Be Deadly for Athletes
Thu Apr 14, 7:15 AM ET

By LINDA A. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

Runners, hikers, bikers, even soldiers on long maneuvers should think twice before reaching for that water bottle: A study confirms that drinking too much can be dangerous, even deadly, for endurance athletes.

Researchers who studied 488 runners in the 2002 Boston Marathon found that 62, or more than one in eight, had a serious fluid and salt imbalance from drinking too much water or sports drinks. Three of them had extreme imbalances.

One 28-year-old woman died after the race from the condition, called hyponatremia, in which the excess water dilutes the salt level in the body too much.

"More is definitely not better when it comes to fluids, but it's a hard message to get across," said Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at Pittsburgh Medical Center. (Read the rest)

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The story below was written, by me, for this web site, three years ago. It was a response to a mass-forwarded e-mail from a friend-of-a-friend about the importance of drinking water.

Water Is All Wet
Colorless - Odorless - Tasteless - POINTLESS

January 31, 2001 - Faceless, greedy corporate interests have for years mounted a successful misinformation campaign that both dramatically overstates the benefits of water while at the same time completely ignores water's overwhelmingly negative contributions to society. It's time to stand up and say NO MORE! Remember that water rhymes with slaughter and that EVIAN spelled backwards is NAIVE!

* A recent FEMA study found that an overabundance of water in certain areas is responsible for much of the damaging flooding that occurs in the US every year.

* The Bartender's Academy teaches young bartender-trainees to "water down" the alcoholic beverages that they serve in order to maximize profits.

* A Florida Public Safety Commission study confirmed that human beings cannot breathe properly while underwater and that spending too much time with one's head underwater can lead to increased risk of drowning and/or death.

* Sharks, the most dangerous animal known to man, live exclusively in water.

(Paid for by Hell No, H20 and The Coca-Cola Company)