Dr. Bernard Hsu is an American oncologist who hosts the YouTube channel Chubbyemu, examining bizarre medical cases.
Previously, he's covered a man who suffered devastating health consequences after eating only protein bars every single day in his efforts to build muscle.
Now, the medical expert has explored a case of extreme weight loss and its catastrophic effects on the human body.
There's been a recent, widespread obsession with quick weight-loss solutions, driving people toward unconventional, often risky methods.
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Some turn to medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro injections, which carry their own set of side effects.
Others go even further, like one woman who bought tapeworm eggs from the dark web after seeing a 'controversial' weight-loss ad on social media, which nearly killed her.
Dr. Hsu's latest case involves a man he refers to as 'JD' who, in a desperate attempt to drop weight fast, lost 20 pounds in just nine hours.
However, the rapid loss threw his body into a medical crisis. Specifically, the extreme dehydration and electrolyte imbalance triggered organ stress, muscle breakdown, and life-threatening heart rhythm abnormalities.
"He found himself periodically unable to move. He had trouble swallowing, but large contents of his stomach would empty through his mouth," Dr. Hsu explained.
Despite the alarming symptoms, JD initially refused hospital treatment. He feared that intravenous fluids would undo his weight loss efforts just days before his bodybuilding competition.
However, after collapsing in the shower, JD had no choice. Emergency doctors discovered that the 30-year-old's heart was so dangerously irregular that they were 'surprised' he was still alive.
Medical tests revealed JD was suffering from hyperkalemia, which is dangerously elevated potassium levels in his bloodstream, combined with severe dehydration.
In a common bodybuilding practice known as 'drying out,' JD was deliberately 'manipulating the mechanism of electrolytes, water and hormones' in his body. He did this by taking a substance called spironolactone, a potassium-sparing diuretic medication.
Normally, your kidneys filter blood, produce urine, and reabsorb essential minerals back into your bloodstream. The hormone aldosterone tells your kidneys to retain sodium and water while releasing potassium into the urine. Spironolactone blocks aldosterone, which causes your body to retain potassium instead of excreting it while still promoting water loss through urination.
When JD combined severe dehydration with spironolactone, the potassium that should have been diluted in his body fluids became dangerously concentrated. The medication was essentially trapping potassium in his bloodstream while he simultaneously dehydrated himself, creating a toxic concentration that nearly stopped his heart.
The effects on JD's body and tissues were immediately apparent. His muscles couldn't function properly, hence his inability to move and his difficulty swallowing and vomiting stemmed from electrolyte imbalances affecting muscle control throughout his digestive system.
Doctors warn that such extreme dehydration methods can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys and heart tissue. Fortunately for JD, he was able to make a recovery, regaining to 'somewhat normal function.