by Dr. Lyle Norton

            Every chemical reaction in your body happens in water.  No water, no reaction.  Water carries nutrients to your cells and carries waste products away.  Water allows the neurons in your brain to fire (synapse).  A 2% drop in body water causes short term memory problems, fuzzy thinking, an inability to perform basic math quickly and accurately, and difficulty focusing on a computer screen or a printed page.  It’s about time to get a glass of water, don’t you think?

Mild dehydration slows your metabolism by 3%.  Let's see, am I trying to slow my metabolism down or speed it up?  Besides not drinking enough water, what are other things that cause dehydration?  Here is a short list: caffeine, alcohol, soda pop, acids (tannic acid in tea, etc.), and heat.  Some of you may need to read that list again.

This is a sad statistic.  Over 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.  You'd think we lived in the Sahara.  Dehydration and lack of adequate fresh water is one of the largest contributors to poor health.  Most people, when increasing their water intake, actually get thirstier because their bodies are able to recognize what they have been missing for so long.  In at least 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak it is mistaken for hunger.  In a University of Washington study, one glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied.  What's the number one cause of daytime fatigue?  That's right, lack of water or dehydration.  Could you use more energy?

Research has shown that 8-10 glasses of water a day significantly decreased back and joint pain for 80% of the subjects tested.  Got any pain?  Studies also show that drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and you are 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. 

"So how much water do I need, Doc?"  I'm sure you've heard that 8-10 glasses is the right amount.  However, if the conservation systems are turned off you will loose 8-10 glasses of water a day and that is without considering heat or exercise.  To put it another way, would you want to bathe in the same water every day?  Remember, water has to carry nutrients to the cell and waste products away.  When do you get to exchange the polluted water for fresh if all you are doing is replacing what you loose?  Add to this that every person and environment is different and it complicates things considerably.  After all, a 250 lb. hunk of a guy on a hot day needs a different amount of water than a 94 lb. wisp of a woman on a cold day.

"So Doc, how much is enough?"  The technical answer is enough water so that when you urinate the toilet water is not tinted yellow.  It remains clear (the exception is if you take a lot of B vitamins, but that is a different shade of yellow).  When you first start drinking this much the first urination of the morning will still tint the water.  If you are consistent and are drinking enough the tint will get lighter and lighter and finally be clear on the first urination of the day as well as the last.  Then you will know that you are drinking enough consistently and your interstitial fluid (the water between the cells) is clean.

There is one additional aspect of water that I want to share with you today. That is how water affects your muscles. Your muscles are somewhat like a sponge to water. A sponge that has no water becomes stiff. A sponge with a lot of water in it is very relaxed, pliable and flexible.  Water affects muscles in much the same way. If you are dehydrated muscles become stiff and tight. When you are well hydrated they tend to relax and become more flexible. This is very important both for you and your chiropractor. If we release a joint and its nerve irritation we don't want a tight and stiff muscle to lock it right back up again. We need a relaxed, flexible and pliable muscle to help maintain good joint mobility and prevent nerve irritation. Water and chiropractic go hand in hand. So drink to your good health.