Hyderabad: Ice-cold water provides a lot of relief to the throat and body during the scorching summers, but it can have adverse effects on health! Most people are aware that cold water from the refrigerator can cause harm to the body by generating colds and causing digestion problems, but it can cause further damage to the body. Drinking cold water or ice-cold water regularly can cause heart problems and reduce the immunity of our body, and can cause various severe issues.
Various medical disciplines such as Allopathy, Ayurveda, and Naturopathy, emphasize drinking water at room or normal temperatures. Rameshwar Sharma, an Ayurvedic Physician from Haridwar, says that many rules have been provided in Ayurveda for drinking water. For example, one should always drink water while sitting, always drink water at room temperature, don't drink cold water during meals, drink only lukewarm water after meals, etc.
He further explains that Ayurveda states to avoid drinking cold water as much as possible, with food or even in general, because cold water or ice-cold water reduces the digestive fire in the digestive system. The digestive fire or 'Jatharagni' helps in stimulating all the functions of the digestive system, keeping the digestive process healthy, taking in the maximum amount of nutrition from food sources, and making sure other activities also take place properly. The colder the water, the more it reduces the digestive fire, which slows down the process of digesting food.
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Drinking too much cold water also causes shrinkage of the large intestine which leads to digestion problems, especially constipation. He explains that Ayurveda considers constipation to be the root cause of almost all kinds of diseases, and drinking cold water in such a situation increases other health risks such as a decreased appetite, and a decrease in the energy required to perform daily tasks, blood flow in the body gets affected, and as body's ability to receive nutrition from the food gets affected, the body's immunity also decreases.
Drinking too much cold water also increases the effects of phlegm in the body, which leads to problems like colds and sneezing, and the increased risk of getting infected by other infections. He says that drinking ice-cold water immediately after coming under the shade and being in the sun for a long time affects the arteries and veins, and they shrink, causing brain freeze. This also affects heart health and decreases heart rate, and can also increase problems for migraine patients. He explains that too much cold water does not help the body in staying hydrated.
He says that it is better to drink water from clay pots or pitchers instead of refrigerators or ice-cold water in the summer season. The water in clay pitchers stays naturally cool and provides relief from the heat, it also purifies the water and adds beneficial minerals to it. Due to the properties of soil, the pH value of the water in the clay pitcher stays balanced. This helps with lesser accumulation of toxins in the body, which helps the immune system and metabolism. Consuming such mineral-rich water also provides relief from problems of digestion, especially constipation, and infections caused by increased phlegm, such as sore throat, cold, or fever.
