Chiropractors, like your Camarillo Chiropractor, are “maniacs” when it comes to getting our patients to drink plenty of water daily. The positive repetitive stress is on “Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!” For humans to survive, they need air and water (in that order). It would appear reasonable, then, that drinking a sufficient quantity of water would be as instinctual as breathing in enough air, but an astonishing seventy-five percent of Americans suffer from mild, constant dehydration. (Most people aren’t getting enough oxygen either, but that topic is for another time.) Your good health is based on your drinking water, and plenty of it. Every cell, tissue, organ and system in your body relies on the water you drink to function healthfully. Water is the essential element for saliva and the fluids surrounding the joints. Water balances the temperature and metabolism of the body, and keeps the blood circulating. Drinking plenty of water daily has been shown to improve nutrient absorption and toxin removal, and to reduce heartburn, hypertension, exhaustion, and headaches.

Athletes are distinctly at risk when it comes to problems produced by dehydration. “Physiologically, their core body temperature could be higher than it should have been if they were hydrated. Their heart rate will be higher, and they’re going to perceive that they’re working harder than they actually are,” said Susan Yeargin, assistant professor of athletic training in Indiana State’s College of Nursing, Health, and Human Services. A high percentage of collegiate and professional athletes begin the season dehydrated, putting their health at risk even before they begin strenuous workouts, according to researchers at Indiana State University. In fact, 80 percent of football players displayed symptoms of dehydration during pre-season physical examinations.

Just how much water is enough water may seem a little confusing. Chiropractors, like most health care professionals, advise no less than eight, 8-ounce glasses of water every day for many patients, but for our patients who are athletes, or for individuals who are overweight or exercise or work in a hot environment, we propose even more. How can you be sure if you, personally, are drinking an adequate amount of water? Your urine color is a good indicator. If it is a light, pale yellow, it’s a good sign that you’re well-hydrated!

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