Too Much Water Can Kill You!

     I am sure that you never thought that you would hear those words.  Actually, too much water can kill you.  It is called water intoxication or Hydronatremia.  It happens more often than you would think.  There are a couple of different scenarios where it is most likely to occur.  Usually it happens when people have strenuous workouts for more than four hours and drink such an excessive amount of water that they dilute the sodium concentrate in the blood.  This puts vital body functions in jeopardy and can result in death.  Signs and symptoms of water intoxication are similar to that of dehydration.  The victim may experience difficulty breathing, nausea, muscle cramps, slurred speech, and disorientation.  They need to be taken to the hospital immediately.  While waiting for medical help, sit them upright, keep them as calm as possible, watch for seizures, and try to increase their sodium levels by giving them salty foods like chips. 
     People who live in hot environments and sweat profusely should not rehydrate with water alone.  They need to rehydrate with drinks that contain electrolytes and eat salty snacks to replace the loss of sodium.  Sports drinks by themselves won't replenish your sodium if you exercise for several hours.  Here are some examples of water intoxication cases that resulted in death.
     In 2002, 3 year old Rosita Gonzalez died of water intoxication when her babysitter punished her by forcing her to drink 3 quarts of water in a four hour period.  The babysitter was arrested for first degree murder.  In 2007, Jennifer Strange was found dead hours after trying to win a Nintendo Wii.  A radio station in California held a contest where contestants had to drink large quantities of water without urinating.  The family sued the radio station and were awarded $16.5 million in the wrongful death lawsuit.  In 2008, Jacqueline Henson died after drinking 4 liters of water in under 2 hours as a part of her diet plan.
     Water isn't bad for you.  But, like everything else, do not overindulge or you will have issues.  Water intoxication is real and can occur when you exercise for long periods of time and drink only large quantities of water.  If you are gonna workout for extended periods of time, then bring along a salty snake and drink a sports drink.  You can also die of water intoxication if you drink large amounts of water in a short period of time.  Such as in a water drinking contest or as a part of an extreme diet plan.  Please drink responsibly!

Golf's Stupid Rules

     Golf is always referred to as the gentleman's game.  That same holier than thou attitude was definitely prevalent during the Tiger Wood's scandal.  Although Tiger allegedly had more extramarital affairs than the average guy; you can't tell me that he is the first golfer to cheat on his wife.  How can so many "gentleman" screw up the game with stupid rules?  It has even bled over to the women's game as well.  A lot of these PGA and LPGA rules are really petty.  I don't understand the mentality on a few of them.  And if it was just because the founders of the game made these rules, then why don't they change them today?  The rules stand out because they have caused a lot of would be champions to be disqualified.  Many sports have had rule changes and rule additions to help try to make things better.  Here are a few examples of some of the more silly rules in professional golf.
     In 1987, at the Andy Williams Open, Craig Stadler's ball landed in the mud, under a pine tree, on the 14th hole during the last round.  Due to the positioning of the ball, he had to kneel down to play it.  He put a towel down so he wouldn't destroy his light-colored pants.  He went ahead and finished the round and he placed second at the end of tournament. So the trophy was handed out and everybody went home.  The very next day, someone saw the error on the highlights and notified PGA officials.  Stadler was disqualified for illegally building a stance by kneeling on the towel.  Again I say he had finished in second place.
     In 2008, at the State Farm Tournament, Michelle Wie had turned in her second place scorecard and forgot to sign it.  She had only walked out of the room and someone called her back so she could sign it.  She came right back in the room, in a matter of minutes, to find out that she was disqualified.  She didn't leave the course, or the grounds, or even the clubhouse.  Just because she left a roped off scoring area, that disqualified her.  Just like Stadler, she had a second place finish.
     The most recent case involves Hall of Fame golfer Julie Inkster.  In 2010, Julie Inkster was disqualified from the Safeway Classic Tournament.  During the tournament, there was a 30 minute delay at the 10th hole.  She put a weight on her club and took some practice swings to loosen up.  She later comes to find out that's not legal during tournament play.  A television viewer saw her breaking this rule and informed tournament officials by email.  Inkster finished the round and on her way to the clubhouse, she was informed that she was disqualified.  She was only three shots off of the lead at the time.
     These petty rules have got to go.  If I go out and play the best golf in my life and win a tournament, it could be taken away just because I forgot to sign my scorecard before I leave the room.  That's crazy to me.  I think the PGA officials should look into changing some of these rules.  Imagine if all sports had this kind of officiating.  Someone watching the superbowl could call the NFL and say that they saw a player on the offensive line commit a holding penalty.  Then what would they do; take the trophy away from the New Orleans Saints?