New research suggests those hanging bags of fluid in hospitals may being doing harm to our bodies. How did we come to use them in the first place?

Why Do We Have Different Blood Types?    • Why Do We Have Different Blood Types?  

Read More:
Why Did Sterile Salt Water Become The IV Fluid Of Choice?
https://www.npr.org/sections/healths...
“Primarily a treatment for dehydration, normal saline is given without a second thought for a variety of conditions, from vomiting to fast heart rates to lightheadedness.”

0.9% Saline Is Neither Normal Nor Physiological
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
“With the exception of saline infusion for patients with hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis and volume depletion due to vomiting or upper gastrointestinal suction, indiscriminate use, especially for acutely ill patients, may cause unnecessary complications and should be avoided.”

Saline shortage has hospitals scrambling as flu season hits
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health...
“‘We have seen an increase in the number of flu cases compared to last year. If this continues the current trend, we are worried that this will stress our system and make us run out of IV fluids,’ added Dr. O’Neill Britton, chief medical officer at Mass General.”

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Special thanks to Julian Huguet for hosting and writing this episode of Seeker!
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