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Solesaver t1_isrduv0 wrote

Reply to comment by Puppy-Zwolle in Does drinking too much water cause kidney or liver problems? by Pegres

That article matches exactly what I said, and isn't comparable to CO poisoning at all. As you said, CO binds to your red blood cells preventing Oxygen uptake. Water does no such mechanism. You can prevent water intoxication by supplementing your water consumption with sufficient electrolytes. You cannot prevent CO poisoning with supplemental Oxygen.

Oxygen toxicity is also directly damaging. The high level of oxygen is actually damaging your lung (and other organ) tissue. With water intoxication, it's not the H2O that gets you. It's the electrolyte imbalance. Unless you want to squint and say that electrolytes are the antidote to water poisoning, I just don't think that framing paints the right picture.

OP was asking if too much water damages your kidneys or w/e. The implied question there is like, do your kidneys wear themselves out processing all that water, to which the answer is not really. Your body is perfectly fine handling as much water as you could possibly drink. It's more comparable to something like Nitrogen asphyxiation. The Nitrogen isn't killing you, the lack of oxygen is (and the lack of CO2 telling your body not to panic). Nitrogen, in any quantity, isn't really poisonous or toxic.

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Puppy-Zwolle t1_isrytsy wrote

So... we agree on this? You are making the exact same point concerning the answer to the actual question.

Just one difference. You say poison should damage you in some way you say. I think that resulting in death is rather damaging don't you? And extra oxygen (But not dangerous amounts obviously) is exactly how you speed up removal of CO from a person.

Here's the thing. Damage is about overdoing. Insulin for instance. We agree this is necessary for a body to function right? Dump a large enough dose in a body and your body will shut down and you die. Sugar (by many called a modern toxin itself) is the anti-toxin in this case. It's not fighting the toxin but the effect until the balance is restored.

The way insulin works, the way O² works, the way N, CO etc. work is fine....until it isn't. At that point it becomes a poison.

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