How important is WATER ?

So, we have ALL been told to drink more water, increase your fluids, hydrate!

...well, on the same token, those of us who have kidney issues or diabetes or heart issues (with diuretics) or congestive heart issues or bladder issues need to watch how much and when we drink water.

What is one to do? How important is water?

To begin, here is what water is responsible for doing in the body:

helps to control body temperature
aids the digestive process
process energy and nutrients to tissues in the body
aids healing
aids detoxification for regular bowels and urination
cushions organs and joints
muscle needs hydration for bulk and function
skin health
brain health

What gets in the way of good hydration?

Laxatives
Diuretics
Muscle atrophy (sarcopenia)
Reduced food intake
Incontinence
Poor memory and cognition
Lack of movement
Various medications
Alcohol

Overall health and wellbeing is significantly impacted by hydration levels. Water contains electrolytes, which aid all the systems of the body to function. When these are low, such as in dehydration, systems do not work properly and can eventually fail in older adults.

Dehydration occurs when there is an excess fluid loss from the body due to illness, exposure to high temperatures, exertion with inadequate fluid intake or with the use of diuretic medications. Symptoms can include dizziness, headache, confusion, increased heart rate, low blood pressure, dry mouth/tongue and seizures in more extreme cases. Physical signs: sunken eye, delayed capillary refill time and not sweating. Seniors are often hospitalized with the above symptoms which ends up being low hydration.

Chronic hydration issues are common among seniors and are usually undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as other problems. Assessment and help for seniors is imperative. Water is the key nutrient to FIRST consider in one's health improvement !

written by the team at the BODiWORKS Institute for the Steady Senior program

www.healthisfreedom.net

Comments

Non-Pharmaceutical Parkinsons Treatment

What is a person “to do” while living with Parkinson’s’? Understandably, there are now more medications for the management of *symptoms, but what about the ‘aging senior’ that is labelled with this disease… Do not become the disease! This is difficult while managing everyday. Why not take some progressive action? But what action? Two important, successful treatments that provides numerous benefits to the PD senior are: 1) WBPA – Whole Body Periodic Acceleration therapy 2) Exercise Prescription/Therapy WBPA (or Exer-rest) has been shown to aid persons with PD. WBPA increases vasodilation through an increase in eNOS (nitric oxide) into the blood stream. This NO helps facilitate neuro-relaxation through specific neurotransmitters excitation. This has the effect of reducing fatigue, enhancing motor performance, recovery and overall mental awarene...

Empower Yourself About Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes: Empower Yourself The Science… Type 2 Diabetes is a condition that develops when normal levels of insulin are no longer producing the correct response from cells. In healthy people, insulin binds to insulin-receptor proteins on the cell membrane, signaling to the cell to transport glucose from the blood into the cell. Once in the cell, it is used to create energy for cellular processes, or it can be stored as glycogen to be used later. A problem arises however, with insulin resistance. This means that cells do not take up the glucose, causing sugar levels in the blood to remain high. In an effort to transport glucose from the blood to the cells, the pancreas produces more insulin which circulates in the bloodstream. High plasma levels of insulin and glucose due to insulin resistance is characteristic of ‘metabolic syndrome’ – a condition that combines obesity, high blood pressure and insulin resistance. Eventually, the p...

Benefits of Weight Training in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) Population

The chemical called Dopamine takes part in a huge role in our body as it carries signals between cells to create movement. Dopamine is produced in nerve cells or neurons from this particular part of brain called substantia nigra which is in basal ganglia, however, these dopaminergic neurons becomes dysfunctional due mostly to environmental factors (exposure to chemicals, head trauma, etc.) thereby leading to Parkinson’s Disease (PD) (Roeder et al., 2015) . Generally, the exact causes of PD are unknown but most experts agree that genetics participate insignificantly in inducing PD compared to environmental factors. People with PD, due to the insufficient amount of dopamine in the brain, end up with several motor symptoms which include: slowness of movement (bradykinesia), tremor at rest, stiffness of the body, and impaired balance (Roeder et al., 2015) . These symptoms regarding muscular control can be improved in several ways and we...

Search This Blog