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ClaraY Author
wrote...
#28
A year ago Edited: A year ago, ClaraY
Quote from: bio_man (A year ago)
Quote from: ClaraY (A year ago)
I just read her q&a which is pinned on her Instagram profile. She claims her immune system only detects (quote) ''foreign'' water molecules, so the water molecules already inside her body are okay. Is Aquagenic Urticaria a legitimate medical condition? Is there any difference between a water molecule that came from outside the body, versus a water molecule which comes from inside of the body?
Post Merge: [time]Oct  9, 2022 [/time]
Here's Tessa's instagram profile https://www.instagram.com/livingwaterless/?hl=en
No, there isn't a difference between bodily H2O and water drank from a fountain, for example.

So how does her immune system tell the difference between H2O molecules which are foreign, and which ones are already inside her body?

There appears to be quite a few case reports of aquagenic urticaria on NIH. It's generally accepted that this is a legitimate condition. After water exposure, raised histamine levels have been observed in patients, along with hives and swelling of the oral cavity. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5438944/

There are photos of the hives in the link provided.
wrote...
#29
Educator
A year ago
Quote
So how does her immune system tell the difference between H2O molecules which are foreign, and which ones are already inside her body?

The immune can't. H2O doesn't have different markers that differentiate one molecule from another. It's simply two hydrogens and one oxygen atom.

Quote
To the best of our knowledge, there have been only four cases9,16,17 of aquagenic urticaria in Korea, but our case report is the first in the English and Korean literatures to include the results of the histopathologic examination.

The sample size in this study, and many others, is simply too small to make any significant claims.
ClaraY Author
wrote...
#30
A year ago
Quote from: bio_man (A year ago)
Quote
So how does her immune system tell the difference between H2O molecules which are foreign, and which ones are already inside her body?
The immune can't. H2O doesn't have different markers that differentiate one molecule from another. It's simply two hydrogens and one oxygen atom.
Quote
To the best of our knowledge, there have been only four cases9,16,17 of aquagenic urticaria in Korea, but our case report is the first in the English and Korean literatures to include the results of the histopathologic examination.
The sample size in this study, and many others, is simply too small to make any significant claims.

There are a lot more write-ups on NIH about aquagenic urticaria:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7669369/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16119038/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7272209/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15317326/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3646536/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9647271/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12271310/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9390343/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21314009/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8170845/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29252177/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3588355/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24141429/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29329725/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8996279/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35850790/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11205388/
wrote...
#31
Educator
A year ago
Most of those links are only reviews the condition, and those that analyze patients always focus on no more than four people in the study (that small of a sample size doesn't warrant validity in my opinion).
ClaraY Author
wrote...
#32
A year ago
Quote from: bio_man (A year ago)
Most of those links are only reviews the condition, and those that analyze patients always focus on no more than four people in the study (that small of a sample size doesn't warrant validity in my opinion).

There are multiple news articles on different people who were diagnosed with aquagenic urticaria. Some have even been prescribed Epi Pens.
wrote...
#33
Educator
A year ago
News articles don't make things valid; ever heard of the phrase "fake news"?

You can get a doctor to prescribe anything though. I don't get your point...
ClaraY Author
wrote...
#34
A year ago
Quote from: bio_man (A year ago)
News articles don't make things valid; ever heard of the phrase "fake news"? You can get a doctor to prescribe anything though. I don't get your point...

Tessa Smith has posted photos of her hives/rashes from water on her Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CT2ZzqovVxk/?hl=en

 https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ9K1XSD1CZ/?hl=en

She's also posted videos

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNLappBD_gY/?hl=en

Photo of her with her chest in hives, from sweating https://www.instagram.com/p/CI84hPYDG0I/?hl=en
wrote...
#35
Educator
A year ago
I'm not going to click those links. It will only legitimize her pseudo-condition and feed her madness. What she really needs is a psychiatrist.
ClaraY Author
wrote...
#36
A year ago
Quote from: bio_man (A year ago)
I'm not going to click those links. It will only legitimize her pseudo-condition and feed her madness. What she really needs is a psychiatrist.

The photos were of hives/rashes on her skin after water exposure.
wrote...
#37
Educator
A year ago Edited: A year ago, bio_man
By clicking the link, Instagram registers that as an impression. The greater the impressions, the more likely her "work" will be shown to the public. The less people reach her profile, the more likely she'll snap out of it. Therefore, I am only helping her by not feeding the beast (that is, Instagram's algorithms). Do you agree that she should be seeking mental help?
ClaraY Author
wrote...
#38
A year ago
Quote from: bio_man (A year ago)
By clicking the link, Instagram registers that as an impression. The greater the impressions, the more likely her "work" will be shown to the public. The less people reach her profile, the more likely she'll snap out of it. Therefore, I am only helping her by not feeding the beast (that is, Instagram's algorithms). Do you agree that she should be seeking mental help?

I don't know, I'm still trying to figure out of aquagenic urticaria really exists.  Multiple medical sites are saying it's real. There seems to be multiple people saying they were diagnosed with it, and often times the newspapers interview the doctors that diagnosed them. What do they gain from lying about water allergy being real?
wrote...
#39
Educator
A year ago Edited: A year ago, bio_man
Quote
What do they gain from lying about water allergy being real?

Fame is a major factor. Some people have nothing going for them, so they make up stories online to feel special. Now, perhaps this person really is reacting to the water. My hypothesis is that he/she has conditioned themselves to stimulate an immune response out of fear or anxiety. The mind is powerful enough to be capable of doing such a thing.
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