Mineral water in pancreatitis: how and how much to drink, names

Any inflammation in the body disrupts the functioning of the affected organ. When we have difficulty digesting food, and the doctor diagnoses us with "pancreatitis" after an examination, it becomes clear that the cause is a disruption in the functioning of the pancreas due to the developing inflammatory process. And then we are faced with an incomprehensible situation: we feel so bad, there is heaviness in the stomach, nausea, and the doctor, instead of prescribing serious medications, recommends a diet or even therapeutic fasting while drinking a lot of water. Is water really so important for pancreatitis that it can replace drug treatment?

Treatment of pancreatitis with water

A malfunction of the pancreas affects the entire digestive system, complicating the process of digestion of food, disrupts metabolism, which entails the development of endocrine pathologies, brings significant discomfort into our lives, which cannot but affect the quality of life. And it even seems strange that water for pancreatitis is able to change something in this situation. Nevertheless, this is true, and the recommendations of medical specialists are simple confirmation of this.

The inflammatory process in the pancreas can occur both in an acute form with excruciating pain, and in a chronic form with nausea and heaviness in the stomach. But no matter what form pancreatitis occurs, the basis of its treatment remains adherence to a diet, without which any drug treatment will only give a short-term effect.

But diets are not all the same. If, in the case of chronic pancreatitis, doctors only impose multiple restrictions on the diet, then in the case of an acute form of the pathology (or exacerbation of chronic pancreatitis), they recommend giving up food altogether for a certain period of time, leaving only water in the diet. But gastroenterologists advise drinking a lot of water (at least 1.5-2 liters per day), even when you don’t feel like it.

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 food and drinks. But a person can withstand much longer without food 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 amount of liquid it needs, its dehydration will begin, which entails failures in the work of almost all organs and systems. This should not be allowed in any way, especially for medicinal purposes, which is why doctors and nutritionists insist on drinking enough water.

What do doctors mean by the word “water”, because it can also be different, and what kind of water can you drink with pancreatitis?

What water is good for pancreatitis?

We will talk about the benefits of mineral water for pancreatitis a little later, because many have already seen chronic pancreatitis among the indications for use on bottles of medicinal and medicinal-table waters, so there are usually no doubts about such water. But people tend to drink not only mineral water, but also other types of liquids. What do doctors say about them?

Since the painful condition of the pancreas disrupts the entire digestion process, you need to be careful not only about the choice of food, but also drinks. It is clear that sweet carbonated drinks, alcohol, store-bought juices are not suitable drinks for pancreatitis, but decoctions and infusions of herbs with an anti-inflammatory effect (chamomile, calendula, immortelle) will be just right, since they will help to quench thirst and relieve inflammation.

As for tea, it is better to give preference to its natural varieties. It is better if it is green tea. But in any case, the drink should not be made strong and sugar should not be added to it. Instead of tea, you can also drink a decoction of oats or rose hips, but you should be careful with the latter.

As for the water itself, tap water is hardly a suitable drink. Its rich mineral composition is mainly iron from old rusty pipes and chlorine used for disinfection, which is not able to cope with all the microbes found in reservoirs and water pipes. Doctors allow drinking such water only when boiled. Its only benefit is in the fight against dehydration.

Doctors also have some doubts about spring water, the sterility of which is compromised as it rises to the surface. Yes, this water is free of many harmful impurities that are sometimes found in tap water, but one cannot be completely sure about bacterial infection. In case of pancreatitis, you can drink water from specially equipped springs, but it is better to be on the safe side and boil it.

Nowadays, you can buy purified water that has undergone 5 or even 7 degrees of purification in stores without any problems and at a low price. You can drink such water in large quantities, it cleanses the body well, although there are practically no useful substances left in it after purification. You can also purify water at home by purchasing a special filter in the store.

Much attention has recently been paid to structured water, which is similar in structure to physiological fluids, and therefore is better absorbed by the body, producing a health-improving effect. According to many reviews, melt water (it is called structured) has a very good effect on pancreatitis, helping to normalize metabolism and improve the condition of the pancreas. By the way, such modified water has not only a general health-improving effect, but also a rejuvenating effect.

And here we come to a very important point. When the pancreas is inflamed, it is important not only what kind of water we drink, but also the temperature of the liquid consumed. It is strictly forbidden to drink cold water and drinks with pancreatitis. This is especially true for melt water, which many freeze in the freezer compartments of refrigerators, and then drink in the heat, without waiting for the ice to melt and the water to warm up to room temperature.

The liquid used for inflammation of the pancreas should be at room temperature or slightly warmed. Hot drinks (as well as food) can provoke an exacerbation of the disease no less than cold ones.

Mineral water for pancreatitis

Well, here we come to the most preferable drink for pancreatitis. However, this does not mean that you should drink only mineral water. After all, "mineral water" is called that because it contains a certain composition of minerals, which it shares with our body. But an excess of minerals, as we know, is no less dangerous than their deficiency.

And mineral water can be different. It all depends on the composition of the minerals present in it.

Where do minerals in water come from? Let's stop at the fact that this is natural water, the source of which is located deep underground. It is there, at depth, that water acquires healing properties, gradually accumulating useful minerals and salts that are so necessary for our body. Most mineral waters contain potassium, calcium and sodium, but there are also those that contain iron, magnesium, boron, chlorine, fluorine and other microelements valuable for humans.

Water from different sources has its own unique composition. It can differ both in the mineral additives present in the water and in the content of these additives, which is also important when prescribing water for medicinal purposes.

On bottles of mineral water you can also read the following inscriptions, written in small print: hydrocarbonate, sulfate, sodium hydrocarbonate, chloride, etc. These words indicate the presence of certain salts in the water that have a therapeutic effect on specific pathologies, the 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 ranges from 0 to 1 g per 1 cubic dm. For table mineral water, this figure reaches 2 g per liter. Both types of water can be consumed in large quantities by both sick and healthy people.

Medicinal table and medicinal mineral water, which doctors often prescribe for pancreatitis and many other pathologies, contain much more valuable components. In the first case, the total mineralization can fluctuate from 2 to 8 g per liter, in the second it is more than 8 mg per 1 cubic dm.

As we can see, the value of mineral water for the treatment of various pathologies lies precisely in its rich mineral composition and high content of salts and minerals. And what is important, for most pathologies, it is prescribed to drink warm mineral water without gas. Warm water should be understood as a liquid whose temperature is close to the temperature of the human body (38-40 degrees).

Which mineral water to choose: bottled or straight from the source? Despite the fact that store-bought mineral water in plastic and glass bottles is considered more affordable, in case of exacerbation of pancreatitis, doctors still recommend giving preference to fresh water from the source, which often even has the necessary temperature at which mineralization is considered maximum. If you choose between plastic and glass, then the choice should fall on glass bottles of water, since glass cannot make adjustments to the mineral composition and quality of water, which is not always possible to achieve in the case of using plastic bottles.

Mineral water for pancreatitis is one of the most important therapeutic factors. At the same time, everything is important in its use: the characteristics and temperature of the water, the time of its intake. Using these indicators, you can achieve different effects on the digestive system as a whole and its individual organs.

In the treatment of pancreatitis, preference is given to mineral water with weak and medium mineralization. Medicinal table waters containing sulfur, calcium, hydrocarbonates and sulfates are used. The mechanism of action of such water in pancreatitis is based on stimulation or inhibition of pancreatic juice production. Everything depends on the time of water intake.

Doctors have noticed that drinking mineral water with food increases the production of pancreatic juice, but if you drink the same water an hour before eating, its production is inhibited. If the pancreas is sick, it has a hard time doing its job. Drinking mineral water with food can only put additional pressure on it, forcing it to produce pancreatic juice, while the organ is recommended to be provided with maximum rest.

Without knowing the mechanism of action of mineral water and the various nuances of its use, it is impossible to use medicinal table water for the treatment of pancreatitis, so as not to accidentally complicate the situation.

Many Internet sources actively share information about the benefits of mineral water during exacerbation of pancreatitis. Doctors in this case take a different position, claiming that during exacerbations, preference should be given to plain water and herbal infusions. According to the doctor's instructions, you can drink low-mineralized water a little an hour before meals, when the exacerbation begins to subside little by little.

In general, acute pancreatitis is a pathology that needs to be treated in a hospital setting under the supervision of a physician, rather than self-medicating and relieving pain with warm mineral water (as some readers recommend in their reviews).

But in case of chronic pancreatitis in the remission stage, mineral water will have a beneficial effect if it is consumed simultaneously with food or 15-20 minutes before eating, as many doctors recommend. It reduces congestion in the pancreas and its ducts, and also helps 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 bottled water, you should first pour it into a glass and stir it with a spoon until the gas comes out. Additional heating of the water will help remove the remaining CO2 _and make the water healing.

Names of mineral waters approved for use in pancreatitis

It can be said that patients with chronic pancreatitis will not be left without tasty and healing water, because there is a fairly extensive list of mineral waters, the use of which in the practice of treating pancreatitis gives decent results. However, both medicinal and medicinal-table waters are recommended to be taken regularly only if they are prescribed by a gastroenterologist. Preference should be given to hydrocarbonate waters, since it is alkaline water that improves the outflow of pancreatic and gallbladder secretions in pancreatitis.

Here are some options for mineral water that are considered the most accessible and useful for pancreatitis, which is why they are often included in prescriptions:

• "Smirnovskaya" is a water from the category of medicinal minerals. It comes from the Stavropol Territory (Russia). It has a total mineral composition of 3-4 g per liter. Its anionic composition is hydrocarbonates, sulfates and chlorides. Cationic - calcium, magnesium and sodium. When drinking water from a living source, it does not need to be heated, since it has a temperature of 39 ^o C. Bottled water can be called "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 against the background of unchanged and increased acidity. It is also prescribed for pathologies of the liver, gall bladder and urinary system.

• "Luzhanskaya" is one of the mineral waters of Zakarpattia (Ukraine). The total amount of minerals in the water varies from 2.7 to 4.8 g per liter, which allows it to be classified as medicinal and table water. This water has the same anionic composition, and magnesium is added to the cations. A feature of the waters from this series is the presence of orthoboric acid in it.

This popular healing water has the same indications for use as "Smirnovskaya". Sometimes it is prescribed for reduced immunity.

It is recommended to take it in a monthly course 2-4 times a year.

The mineral waters of this series include Svalyava, Polyana Kupel and Polyana Kvasova, which can also be chosen 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 medicinal and table waters. It is of volcanic origin, and the total mineralization has indicators within 5-7.5 g per liter. On the label of the bottle of mineral water you can find its composition. According to this information, the water is distinguished 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, the water is enriched with minerals much more strongly. About 60 microelements useful for the body have been found in it.

One of the indications for the use of such valuable water is chronic pancreatitis.

• Mineral water "Essentuki", like "Smirnovskaya", comes from the Stavropol Territory (Russian Federation). Of all the variety of medicinal table mineral waters called "Essentuki", alkaline types of water are prescribed for pancreatitis, which are extracted from wells with numbers 4, 17 and 20, so the corresponding number is added to their name.

"Essentuki-4" is a hydrocarbonate mineral water. It has average mineralization rates (7-10 g per liter). Contains calcium, magnesium, potassium + sodium compound, anionic composition similar to others, and boric acid.

"Essentuki-17" is a highly mineralized water (from 10 to 14 g per liter), identical in composition to "Essentuki-4". This water is classified as medicinal, which means that its consumption should be strictly dosed. It is not suitable for quenching thirst.

"Essentuki-20" is a low mineralization water (from 0.3 to 1.4 g per liter) with a similar composition (without boric acid).

• Medicinal and table mineral water with natural carbonation from hot springs (the temperature at the well outlet is from 57 to 64 ^o C). Wells with water (there are about 40 of them) are located near the city of Jemruk in Armenia. It belongs to the category of hydrocarbonate-sodium-sulphate-silicon waters.
• "Sulinka" is a healing water from Slovakia. The total volume of minerals in it fluctuates between 3.1-7.5 g per liter, so it is classified as a medicinal table water. The mineral water contains many useful microelements:

• Cationic composition - calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, lithium, selenium,
• Anionic composition - hydrocarbonates, sulfates, chlorides, fluorides and iodides.

This water is credited with having a general health-improving effect, but it also helps reduce the likelihood of relapse in chronic pancreatitis.

• Low-mineralized mineral water from Truskavets "Naftusya". This unique water has the smell of oil (hence the name) and a very rich mineral composition, presented in a small dosage (total mineralization 0.6-0.85 g per liter). It helps relieve inflammation and normalize the pancreas.
• "Arkhyz" is a mineral water from Karachay-Cherkessia with very low mineralization (0.2-0.35 g per liter), which can be drunk without restrictions. Its basis is melt (structured) water, which, passing through rocks, is enriched with useful minerals.
• Naturally carbonated sodium chloride mineral waters of the Druskininkai resort in Lithuania with a rich content of calcium and magnesium. Water from different sources can have a mineralization of 2.6 to 42.8 g per liter. Such water is useful for various gastrointestinal pathologies.
• "Morshinska" is a soft mineral water from the Carpathian region, loved by many, which effectively normalizes the digestion process and stabilizes the acidity of the stomach. The low level of mineralization (0.1-0.3 g per liter) allows you to drink it instead of regular tap water, quenching your thirst and simultaneously improving your body. Contains small amounts of calcium, magnesium, chlorides and sulfates.

Gastroenterologists often face the following question: is it possible to use Donat water from springs in Slovenia, which has recently conquered the domestic market as an excellent general health remedy, to treat pancreatitis?

Mineral water "Donat" is classified as a hydrocarbonate-sulphate magnesium-sodium medicinal water. It has natural carbonation and is distinguished by a high content of minerals (about 13 g per liter). This is a medicinal mineral water, which in case of pancreatitis can be consumed strictly according to indications and in a limited dosage, like any medicine. Therefore, in practice, such water is not used so often in case of inflammation in the pancreas, giving way to medicinal-table and table mineral waters.

We have not described all the mineral waters that doctors actively prescribe for use in pancreatitis. But the most important thing in the treatment of pancreatitis is not even the name of the water, but the correctness of its use. Any mineral water for inflammation of the pancreas should be drunk slightly warmed. Medicinal mineral waters should be taken with caution, starting with a quarter of a glass and gradually, in the absence of unpleasant symptoms, increasing its amount to 1 glass per dose. You can drink water only after all the gas has come out of it.

Mineral water for pancreatitis is allowed in 2 types: bottled and directly from the source. Preference should be given to the latter, having visited one of the many resorts, where drinking water from the source is one of the treatment procedures and is carried out under the supervision of specialists. Balneological resorts are located in different parts of our planet: Transcarpathia (Ukraine), Essentuki (Stavropol, Russia), Naroch (in Belarus), Borjomi (Georgia), etc. A gastroenterologist prescribes spa treatment after the acute pathology has been treated and remission of the disease has been achieved.

Folk treatment of pancreatitis with water

Traditional medicine will in no way argue with traditional medicine about how useful water is for pancreatitis. In addition, it can offer its own recipes for drinks that are useful for pancreatitis. Take, for example, the same anti-inflammatory herbal decoctions.

Much has been said about the benefits of dill and its seeds for pancreatitis. They prevent the spread of inflammation and the deposition of calcium salts in the pancreatic ducts. 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 in chronic pancreatitis, dill itself can be used in liquid form instead of water. A decoction of dill and its seeds, or so-called dill water, is considered a very useful remedy for pancreatitis, which both quenches thirst and heals. There are no mineral salts in such water, but it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, essential oils, which do not allow the pathological process to develop further.

And here is an important point, we are talking about dill broth, and not about brines and marinades with the addition of aromatic spices. Such drinks are strictly prohibited for pancreatitis.

There is also good news for lovers of sweets, the consumption of which is recommended to be strictly limited in case of pancreatitis.

One of the natural and healthy sweets is considered to be honey, which is able to stop inflammatory processes. However, there is a lot of controversy around it regarding the benefits of such a well-known medicine for patients with inflammation of the pancreas. After all, the inflammatory process reduces the production of insulin, which is necessary for processing glucose into energy. Eating sweets with diseases of the pancreas is fraught with an increase in blood sugar levels.

But if you completely limit sweets and fatty foods, where will you get the energy to carry out important processes in the body? Glucose should still enter the body in limited quantities. And if you have to choose from sweets, then let it be a healthy sweet, such as honey.

Traditional medicine for pancreatitis and cholecystitis recommends using honey not in its pure form, but mixed with water. Honey water for pancreatitis will become a source of useful glucose. And it is very easy to prepare: just mix 1 tbsp. of liquid honey in ½ glass of slightly warmed water. You need to drink such a tasty medicine, which will also become a source of vitamins and minerals necessary for a person, in the morning on an empty stomach.

However, sometimes fans of folk recipes are so carried away by the beneficial properties of the fruits and herbs used in them that they forget that even a well-known medicine can turn out to be harmful if used for other purposes.

So, everyone's favorite water with lemon, which is a source of vitamin C, protection against colds, a means of strengthening the immune system, etc., with pancreatitis can be the cause of an exacerbation of the disease. After all, lemon in any form is strictly taboo with inflammation of the pancreas due to the content of citric acid, citral, limonene and geranyl acetate in citrus, even in small quantities having a negative effect on the pancreas.

Water in pancreatitis, especially during an exacerbation of the disease, is a source of life and health. And these are 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 administration and dosage of the liquid consumed. And then the result will not be long in showing itself.

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