Scribe Post: May 11

Diuretics

• a diuretic is any drug that elevates the flow of urine
• the increased production of urine releases fluids, helps the body get rid of excess salts, and may reduce blood volume.

Diuretic drugs are used for people with health problems, such as edema, high blood pressure, or other heart related issues. Diuretic drugs inhibit the active transport of sodium at the loop of Henle or DCT. (fig, 16.7 in notes)

Other people use diuretics to help with rapid weight loss in a short period of time by removing retained fluid. However this is not a healthy way to lose weight and it is very temporary. Abusing diuretics can lead to dehydration and potassium deficiencies.

Foods with natural diuretic properties include:

• cranberry juice
• coffee
• cucumbers
• watermelon
• vinegar

These can be used by those who require minimal fluid reduction and do not have health concerns.

Alcohol

Alcohol is an example of a diuretic, it encourages the body to lose more water than it takes on by stopping the production of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH). This speeds up the loss of fluid from your body which results in dehydration (cause of hangover).

here is a link if you are interested in the cause of hangovers:

http://www.alcohol.org.nz/BodyEffect.aspx?PostingID=671

Caffeine

Caffeine is another example of a diuretic, it increases the glomerular filtration rate and decreases the tubular reabsorption of sodium.

I also found a youtube video about natural diuretics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR0Hnge9UgU