Reference no: EM133979301

Assignment:

Dosing determines the poison. That's a fundamental principle to toxicology. You can have too much of a good thing. We are exposed to arsenic every day. Heck, low doses have been used to treat syphilis, food poisoning, cancer, insomnia, and even to wash your face. But less than 1/8 teaspoon can be fatal to a healthy adult. This applies to water too - you know, that molecule we can't live without. We've been talking about fluid and electrolyte balance this week, so let's think about what happens to our homeostasis when we get too much water or not enough (remember that also is directly tied to salt concentrations).

Research water intoxication (hyponatremia). Can this occur naturally or only by physically drinking too much in a short amount of time? How does our body compensate? Are there situations where we can't compensate?