ASK DR. SHIROKO: Are you dehydrated?

Is it normal to feel more tired and achey after a long hot day?
Are you more prone to headaches, swelling, and loss of appetite?
You might be experiencing mild forms of dehydration.
Everyone has a higher need for water and fluids when the weather
is hot although this June isn’t really that hot so far. It isn’t
just water that’s important. Electrolytes, or salts, get depleted
as much as water through sweat, urination, and bowel movements.
I once took care of a young teen in the emergency room whose
mother had forced her to drink several quarts of water as a
punishment.
The body can only absorb about one quart of water per hour. If
you try to drink too much all at once, you will develop electrolyte
problems. At its worst, you can develop seizures or even die, as my
teenage patient did. A milder case would cause a headache, nausea,
lightheadedness, muscle cramps, or diarrhea. You might also feel
confused or unable to think clearly.
On a normal day, you get enough salts in your diet. The kidneys
then balance the electrolytes by filtering at different rates.
After extreme physical activity, if you are ill, or on a hot day,
your body needs more fluids and electrolytes.
There are two levels of staying hydrated for good health. Make
sure that you keep drinking the required daily amount of room
temperature water even on days you think you aren’t sweating a lot.
On days of extreme physical activity, have a camel back pack filled
with water and electrolyte solution.
Sip on it throughout the day.
The general rule of thumb is that you should drink eight glasses
of water each day for proper nutrition. If you are a healthy adult
that is okay. The average person needs to replace about 10 cups
(2.4 liters) of fluid each day. To calculate your daily water
requirement divide half your weight by eight (the size of an
average glass of water). A 150 pound person would need nine and a
half glasses of water per day. A 220 pound person would need about
fourteen glasses per day. The sport bottles people often buy
contain about four cups of water. Most people would need more than
two bottles per day.
Gatorade is one well known electrolyte solution. I usually
recommend a drink called ReCharge by Knudsen – made of fruit juice
instead of chemicals. You can get it in most health food stores and
some grocery stores. You can also get other electrolyte solutions
in powder form, such as EMerGenC to add to your water.
Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj discovered the healing powers of
water 21 years ago when he was serving time as a political prisoner
in an Iranian jail.
Water was the only medicine he had access to while in prison.
Wouldn’t it be great if some of the illnesses you have could be
prevented or treated by doing something as simple as drinking water
properly?
– Dr. Shiroko Sokitch’s column appears monthly. She can be
reached at: dr*****@li***.net.