Mineral water with pancreatitis: how and how much to drink, names
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Any inflammation in the body disrupts the work of the affected organ. When we have difficulty digesting food, and the doctor after the diagnosis makes the diagnosis of "pancreatitis", it becomes clear that the cause of all the disruption of the pancreas due to the developing inflammatory process. And here we are faced with an incomprehensible situation: we are so bad, the heaviness in the stomach, nausea, and the doctor instead of prescribing serious medicines recommends a diet or even a medical starvation against the use of large amounts of water. Is water at pancreatitis so important that it can replace medical treatment?
Treatment of pancreatitis with water
Violation of the pancreas strikes the entire digestive system, making it difficult to digest food, disrupts metabolism, which leads to the development of endocrine pathologies, brings to our lives a palpable discomfort, which can not but affect the quality of life. And it seems even strange that water in pancreatitis is able to change something in this situation. Nevertheless, this is so, and the recommendations of medical specialists are a simple confirmation of this.
The inflammatory process in the pancreas can proceed, both in an acute form with excruciating pains, and in a chronic one with nausea and heaviness in the stomach. But in whatever form pancreatitis has occurred, the basis of his treatment remains adherence to a diet, without which any medication will only give a short-term effect.
But the diet is different. If in chronic pancreatitis, doctors introduce only multiple restrictions in the diet, then in the acute form of pathology (or exacerbation of chronic pancreatitis), they recommend that you generally give up food for a certain period of time, leaving only water in the diet. But just the water gastroenterologists advise to drink a lot (at least 1.5-2 liters per day), even when you do not want to.
The recommendation to drink more water is not accidental, because everyone knows that our body mostly consists of water, the reserves of which are replenished during meals and drinks. But without food a person can stand much longer than without water. In the absence of food, a person can only experience hunger and some weight loss, but if the body does not receive the necessary amount of fluid, its dehydration will begin, entailing a malfunction in the work of virtually all organs and systems. This can not be allowed, especially for medicinal purposes, that's why doctors and nutritionists insist on using enough water.
What do doctors mean by the word "water", because it can also be different, and what kind of water can I drink in pancreatitis?
What water is useful in pancreatitis?
About the benefits of mineral water in pancreatitis, we'll talk a little later, because many have repeatedly seen on the bottles of medicinal and therapeutic table water among the indications for use and chronic pancreatitis, therefore, such water of doubt usually does not arise. But it is natural for a person to drink not only mineral water, but also other variants of liquids. What do the doctors say about them?
Since the painful condition of the pancreas disrupts the whole process of digestion, one should carefully treat not only the choice of food, but also beverages. It is clear that sweet fizzy drinks, alcohol, shop juices are an inappropriate drink in pancreatitis, but the herbal and infusions of herbs with anti-inflammatory effect (chamomile, calendula, immortelle) will come in handy, as they will help and remove thirst and inflammation to stop.
As for tea, it is better to give preference to its natural varieties. It's better if it's green tea. But in any case, the drink does not need to be made strong and add sugar to it. Instead of tea, you can also drink a decoction of oats or dogrose, but you need to be careful with the latter.
As for the water itself, the liquid from the tap can hardly be considered a suitable drink. Its rich mineral composition is basically the iron of old rusty pipes and chlorine, used for disinfection, which is not able to cope with all microbes that are found in water bodies and water pipes. Such water doctors are allowed to use only in boiled form. The benefit of it is only in the fight against dehydration.
With a certain degree of doubt, doctors also refer to spring water, the sterility of which is disrupted as it rises to the surface. Yes, this water is free from many harmful impurities, which are sometimes found in tap water, but it can not be completely sure about a bacterial infection. With pancreatitis, you can drink water from specially equipped springs, and it is better to be safe and boil it.
Now in stores you can safely and inexpensively buy purified water, past 5 and even 7 degrees of purification. Such water can be drunk in large quantities, it cleans the body well, although there are practically no useful substances after cleaning. You can also clean the water at home, by purchasing a special filter from the store.
Much attention has recently been paid to structured water, which in its structure is close to physiological fluids, and therefore better absorbed by the body, producing a healing effect. According to many reviews, thawed water (it is called structured) with pancreatitis has a very good result, contributing to the normalization of metabolism and improving the condition of the pancreas. By the way, such a modified water has not only a general health, but also a rejuvenating effect.
And then we came to a very important moment. With inflammation of the pancreas, it is important not only what water we drink, but also the temperature of the fluid used. It is strictly forbidden to drink cold water and drinks at pancreatitis. This is especially true of melt water, which many freeze in freezers of refrigerators, and then drink in the heat, without waiting until the ice melts and the water warms to room temperature.
The fluid used in inflammation of the pancreas should be at room temperature or slightly warmed. Hot drinks (however, like food) can provoke an exacerbation of the disease no less than cold.
Mineral water with pancreatitis
Well, we came to the most preferable drink in pancreatitis. True, this does not mean that you should drink only mineral water. Still, the "mineral water" is so called, that it contains a certain composition of mineral substances, which it shares with our body. But the excess of minerals, as we know, is no less dangerous than their deficiency.
And mineral water can be different. Everything depends on the composition of the mineral substances present in it.
Where did the minerals come from? Let us dwell on the fact that this is natural water, the source of which is located deep underground. It is there, at depth, water acquires medicinal properties, gradually accumulating in itself useful minerals and salts, so necessary for our body. Most mineral waters contain potassium, calcium and sodium, but there are some that contain iron, magnesium, boron, chlorine, fluorine and other trace elements that are valuable to humans.
Water from different sources has its own unique composition. It can differ both in the mineral additives available in the water, and in the content of these additives, which is also very important in the appointment of water for medicinal purposes.
On bottles with mineral water, you can read also such inscriptions, made in small font: hydrocarbonate, sulfate, hydrocarbonate sodium, chloride, etc. These words indicate the presence in the water of certain salts that have a curative effect in specific pathologies, a list of which can also be read on the label.
There are several types of mineral water, differing in the content of mineral substances and their salts. The total mineralization of natural table water varies from 0 to 1 g per 1 cu. Dm. At the table of mineral water, this figure reaches 2 g per liter. Both types of water can be consumed in large quantities to both sick and healthy people.
Treatment-dining and medicinal mineral water, the reception of which doctors often prescribe for pancreatitis and many other pathologies, contain much more valuable components. In the first case, the total mineralization can vary from 2 to 8 g per liter, in the second it is more than 8 mg per 1 cubic meter. Dm.
As we see, the value of mineral water for the treatment of various pathologies is precisely in the rich mineral composition and the high content of salts and minerals. And what is important, in most pathologies, it is the drinking of warm mineral water without gas that is prescribed. Under warm water is meant a liquid whose temperature is close to the temperature of the human body (38-40 degrees).
What kind of mineral water is preferred: in bottles or directly from a source? Despite the fact that shop mineral water in plastic and glass bottles is considered more affordable, with exacerbation of pancreatitis, doctors recommend still giving preference to fresh water from a source that often has the necessary temperature, at which the mineralization is considered to be the maximum. If you choose between plastic and glass, then the choice should fall on glass bottles with water, because the glass can not make adjustments to the mineral composition and water quality, which is not always possible in the case of using plastic bottles.
Mineral water in pancreatitis is one of the most important medical factors. In this case, everything is important in its application: the characteristics and temperature of the water, the time it is taken. Using these indicators it is possible to achieve different effects on the digestive system in general and its individual organs.
In the treatment of pancreatitis, preference is given to mineral water with a weak and medium mineralization. Treatment-and-table waters containing sulfur, calcium, hydrogen carbonates and sulfates are used. The mechanism of action of such water in pancreatitis is based on the stimulation or inhibition of the production of pancreatic juice. It all depends on the time of water intake.
The doctors noticed that taking mineral water along with food increases the production of pancreatic secretions, but if the same water is drunk an hour before meals, its production slows down. If the pancreas is sick, it is difficult for her to cope with her work. The intake of mineral water along with food can only exert additional pressure on it, forcing it to produce pancreatic juice, while the body is recommended to provide maximum rest.
Without knowledge of the mechanism of action of mineral water and the various nuances of its use, it is impossible to apply medical-table water for the treatment of pancreatitis, so as not to accidentally complicate the situation.
Many sources from the Internet actively share information about the benefits of mineral water with exacerbation of pancreatitis. Doctors in this case occupy a different position, arguing that during exacerbations, preference should be given to simple water and herbal decoctions. According to the doctor's testimony, you can take a slightly mineralized water a little one hour before a meal, when the exacerbation begins to gradually fade.
In general, acute pancreatitis is a pathology that needs to be treated in a hospital under the supervision of a doctor, not self-medication and painful symptom removal with warm mineral water (as some readers recommend in their reviews).
But with chronic pancreatitis in remission, mineral water will have a beneficial effect if it is concurrent with food or 15-20 minutes before eating, as many doctors recommend. It reduces congestion in the pancreas and its ducts, and also helps to prevent possible exacerbations of the disease.
An important point is that for medicinal purposes, mineral water should be consumed without gas. If you use carbonated water from bottles, you must first pour it into a glass and stirring with a spoon wait until the gas comes out. Additional water heating helps to remove residues of CO 2 and water make curative.
The names of mineral waters authorized for use in pancreatitis
It can be said that patients with chronic pancreatitis, without tasty and healing water will not remain, because there is a fairly extensive list of mineral waters, the use of which in the practice of pancreatitis therapy yields worthy results. It is true that both medicinal and therapeutic-table waters are regularly recommended only if they are prescribed by a gastroenterologist. Preference should be given to hydrocarbonate waters, since it is alkaline water in pancreatitis that sets the outflow of the secretions of the pancreas and gallbladder.
We will give several variants of mineral water from those that are considered to be the most accessible and useful for pancreatitis, which is why their presence in prescriptions is frequent:
- "Smirnovskaya" - water from the category of medical and mineral. She comes from the Stavropol Territory (Russia). Has a common mineral composition within 3-4 g per liter. Its anionic composition is hydrocarbonates, sulphates and chlorides. Cationic - calcium, magnesium and sodium. In using water from a living source, it can not be heated because it has a temperature behavior within 39 of S. Bottled water can be named "Smirnovskaya" and "Slavyanovskaya". The name depends on the location (and accordingly the number) of the well, from which the water was extracted.
Indications for the use of this water are chronic pancreatitis, metabolic pathologies, gastrointestinal diseases on the background of unchanged and increased acidity. Assign it also in pathologies of the liver, gallbladder and urinary system.
- "Luzhanskaya" is one of the mineral waters of Transcarpathia (Ukraine). The total amount of minerals in the water varies from 2.7 to 4.8 g per liter, which makes it possible to classify it as a category of medical-canteens. This water has the same anionic composition, and magnesium is added to the cations. A feature of waters from this series is the presence of orthoboric acid in it.
This popular medicinal water has the same indications for use as Smirnovskaya. Sometimes it is prescribed with reduced immunity.
It is recommended to drink it a month course 2-4 times a year.
The mineral waters of this series are "Svalyava", "Glade Font" and "Glade kvasovo", which can also be selected as a liquid medicine for chronic inflammation of the pancreas.
- "Borjomi" is a guest from sunny Georgia. This mineral water also belongs to the category of medical-canteens. It has a volcanic origin, and the total mineralization has values in the range of 5-7.5 g per liter. On the label of a bottle with mineral water, you can find its composition. According to this information, water is characterized by a high content of calcium, sodium, magnesium and a compound of sodium and potassium, and its anionic composition is similar to the above-described mineral waters. However, in reality, water is enriched in minerals much more strongly. It found about 60 useful for the body microelements.
One of the indications for the use of such valuable water is chronic pancreatitis.
- The mineral water "Essentuki", like "Smirnovskaya", comes from the Stavropol Territory (Russian Federation). Of all the variety of mineral waters treated under the name "Essentuki", pancreatitis is prescribed alkaline water, which is extracted from wells with numbers 4, 17 and 20, so a corresponding figure is added to their name.
"Essentuki-4" is hydrocarbonate mineral water. Has an average mineralization index (7-10 g per liter). Contains calcium, magnesium, potassium + sodium compound, similar to other anionic composition and boric acid.
"Essentuki-17" - water with high mineralization (from 10 to 14 g per liter), identical in composition with "Essunuki-4". This water belongs to the category of medical, and therefore, its use must be strictly dosed. To quench your thirst, it does not fit.
"Essentuki-20" is water of low mineralization (from 0.3 to 1.4 g per liter) with a similar composition (without boric acid).
- The treatment and table mineral water of natural gas from hot springs (the temperature at the exit from the well is from 57 to 64 о С). Wells with water (about 40 of them) are located near the city of Jemruk in Armenia. Refers to the category of hydrocarbonate-sodium-sulphate-silicic waters.
- "Sulinka" is a curative water from Slovakia. The total volume of minerals in it varies between 3.1 and 7.5 g per liter, so it is referred to as treatment-canteens. Mineralka will contain many useful microelements:
- Cationic composition - calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, lithium, selenium,
- Anionic composition - hydrocarbonates, sulfates, chlorides, fluorides and iodides.
This water is attributed to the overall health effect, but it also helps to reduce the likelihood of relapse in chronic pancreatitis.
- Weakly mineralized mineral water from Truskavets "Naftusya". This peculiar water has a smell of oil (hence the name) and a very rich mineral composition, presented in a small dosage (total mineralization is 0.6-0.85 g per liter). It helps to relieve inflammation and normalize the pancreas.
- "Arkhyz" is a mineral water from Karachaevo-Cherkessia with very weak mineralization (0.2-0.35 g per liter), which can be drunk without restrictions. Its basis is thawed (structured) water, which passes through the rocks is enriched with useful minerals.
- Mineral chloride-sodium waters of the natural gasification of the resort "Druskinikai" in Lithuania with a rich content of calcium and magnesium. Water from different sources can have mineralization from 2.6 to 42.8 g per liter. Such water is useful for various pathologies of the digestive tract.
- "Morshinskaya" is a soft mineral water, loved by many people, from the Carpathian Mountains, which effectively normalizes the process of digestion and stabilizes the indices of gastric acidity. Low level of mineralization (0.1-0.3 g per liter) allows you to drink it instead of ordinary tap water, pacifying thirst and, on the other hand, heals your body. Contains in small amounts of calcium, magnesium, chlorides and sulfates.
Gastroenterologists often face this question: is it possible to use Donat water from sources in Slovenia to cure pancreatitis, which recently conquered the domestic market as an excellent general health product?
Mineral water "Donat" is referred to the category of hydrocarbonate-sulfate magnesium-sodium medicinal waters. It has natural gassing and is characterized by a high content of minerals (about 13 g per liter). This is a therapeutic mineral water, which can be used with pancreatitis strictly according to indications and in a limited dosage, like any medicine. Therefore, in practice, such water in the inflammatory process in the pancreas is not used very often, giving way to the treatment-table and table mineral waters.
We have not described yet all the mineral waters that doctors actively assign to use in pancreatitis. But the main thing in the therapy of pancreatitis is not even the name of the water, but the correctness of its use. Any mineral water with inflammation of the pancreas should be slightly heated. Treatment and mineral water should be taken with caution, starting with a quarter of a glass and gradually, in the absence of unpleasant symptoms, bringing its amount to 1 glass per 1 reception. You can drink water only after all the gas has come out of it.
Mineral water for pancreatitis is allowed 2 types: bottled and directly from the source. Preference should be given to the latter by visiting one of the many resorts where drinking water from a source is one of the treatment procedures and is conducted under the supervision of specialists. Balneological resorts are located in different places of our planet: Transcarpathia (Ukraine), Essentuki (Stavropol, Russia), Naroch (in Byelorussia), Borjomi (Georgia), etc. The gastroenterologist prescribes the spa treatment after the acute pathology has been treated, and remission of the disease has been achieved.
Alternative treatment of pancreatitis with water
Alternative medicine in any case will not argue with the traditional about how useful water is in pancreatitis. In addition, it can offer its recipes useful in pancreatic beverages. Take at least the same anti-inflammatory herbs from herbs.
A lot has been said about the benefits of dill and its seeds in pancreatitis. They prevent the spread of inflammation and the deposition of calcium salts in the ducts of the pancreas. But calcium and its salts can be found in abundance, for example, in mineral water used to treat pancreatitis. It turns out that simultaneous therapy with dill and mineral water will help to avoid possible negative consequences of hydrotherapy.
But with chronic pancreatitis, dill itself can be used in liquid form instead of water. Decoction of dill and its seeds, or so-called dill water, is considered very useful in pancreatitis, which quenches and thirsts and cures. Mineral salts in such water are absent, but it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, essential oils, which do not allow the pathological process to develop further.
And here an important point, it is a question of broth of dill, instead of about brines and marinades with addition of fragrant spice. Such drinks are strictly prohibited in pancreatitis.
There is good news for lovers of sweets, the use of which in pancreatitis is strongly restricted.
One of the natural and useful sweets is honey that is able to stop inflammatory processes. However, around him there is much debate about the benefits of such a well-known medicine for patients with pancreatic inflammation. Still, the inflammatory process reduces the production of insulin, which is necessary for processing glucose into energy. The use of sweets in diseases of the pancreas is fraught with an increase in the level of sugar in the blood.
But if you completely limit the sweet and fat, then where do you take energy for important processes in the body? In limited quantities, glucose should still enter the body. And if you choose from sweet, then let it be a useful sweetness, such as honey.
Alternative medicine for pancreatitis and cholecystitis recommends using honey not in its pure form, but in a mixture with water. Honey water with pancreatitis will become a source of useful glucose. And to cook it is very simple: enough to stir 1 tbsp. L. Liquid honey in ½ cup of slightly warmed water. Drink such a tasty medicine, which also will become a source of vitamins and minerals necessary for man, must be empty on the morning.
However, sometimes fans of alternative recipes are so addicted to the useful properties of the fruits and herbs used in them that they forget that even a known medicine can turn into harm if it is not used for the intended purpose.
So, everyone's favorite water with a lemon, which is a source of vitamin C, protection against colds, a means to strengthen immunity, etc., in pancreatitis can cause an exacerbation of the disease. After all, lemon in any form in the inflammation of the pancreas is imposed a strict taboo because of the citric acid content of citric acid, citral, limonene and geranilacetate, even in small amounts that have a negative effect on the pancreas.
Water in pancreatitis, especially during exacerbation of the disease, is a source of life and health. And it's not just high words, because water in this case is food and medicine. The main thing is to take this safe and effective "medicine" correctly, following the doctor's recommendations regarding the type, temperature, frequency of intake and dosage of the fluid used. And then the result will not slow itself down.