Water: The Miracle Cure

Dear Mr. Dad: This summer is shaping up to be a hot one and I’m concerned that my wife and kids (and probably myself) aren’t drinking enough water. How much should we be drinking and why is it so important (I need facts to convince the skeptics in the family)? A: You’ve probably heard that we should drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day. Unfortunately, there’s no hard science behind that number, but it’s a good place to start. On a relatively mild day, we lose two to three liters (8-12 cups) of water simply by breathing, sweating, urinating, and digesting. Men are on the higher end of the scale, women on the lower. If you exercise regularly or spend time in hot climates, you’ll need even more just to stay even. Symptoms of dehydration range from mild (headaches, poor concentration, dry mouth, constipation, lack of energy, dry skin, and irritability) to severe (dizziness, rapid heartbeat, muscle spasms, shriveled skin, sunken eyes, confusion, and even death). Keeping track of your water intake and monitoring your symptoms is important. But a far easier way of determining whether you’re properly hydrated is to simply look at your urine. Unless you’ve just taken some vitamins, urine should be clear or very pale yellow. If it’s dark yellow or has a strong odor, you’re probably dehydrated. Water plays a key role in digesting, absorbing, and transporting nutrients and in safely eliminating toxins and waste from our systems. It helps cushion our joints and protect our organs. Not getting enough of it has consequences. Here’s what research tells us: • Kids are more susceptible. Since children often don’t recognize when they’re thirsty, they’re at higher risk of becoming dehydrated. • Fluoride. Fluoride (which many municipalities add to the water supply) can help prevent […]

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