Dehydration

The immediate causes of dehydration include not enough water, too much water loss, or some combination of the two. Additional causes of dehydration include:

Diarrhea -The most common cause of dehydration and related deaths. The large intestine absorbs water from food matter, and diarrhea prevents this function, leading to dehydration.

Vomiting - Leads to a loss of fluids and makes it difficult to replace water by drinking it.

Sweating -The body s cooling mechanism releases a significant amount of water.

Diabetes -High blood sugar levels cause increased urination and fluid loss.

Frequent urination - usually caused by uncontrolled diabetes, but also can be due to alcohol and medications such as diuretics, antihistamines, blood pressure medications, and anti-psychotics.

Burns - Water seeps into damaged skin and the body loses fluids

What are the symptoms of dehydration?

The first symptoms of dehydration include thirst, darker urine, and decreased urine production. In fact, urine color is one of the best indicators of a person s hydration level - clear urine means you are well hydrated and darker urine means you are dehydrated. As the condition progresses to moderate dehydration, symptoms include:

- Dry mouth

- Lethargy

- Few or no tears when crying

- Weakness in muscles

- Headache

- Dizziness

- Lack of sweating

- Sunken eyes

- Shriveled and dry skin

- Low blood pressure

- Increased heart beat

- Unconsciousness

Urine color accurately indicates short-term hydration levels. Dehydration causes your kidneys to recycle urine so it becomes more concentrated and darker in color. The darker your urine, the more dehydrated you are (not counting urine colored by certain vitamins, foods, medications, etc). Extreme dehydration is orange in color. The darker your urine, the more acid is in your body and the more damage is occurring at a cellular level. If you are well hydrated, your urine will be clear or a very pale yellow.

Dehydration creates an imbalance in your inner chemistry that sparks a cascade of negative effects, contributing to virtually any health problem or disease process.

The primary cause of chronic dehydration has also remained hidden, until recently. The new science of energy medicine has shed light on the severe lack of vital energy in today s drinking water. Chronic dehydration remains hidden as a cause of health problems because its symptoms are usually blamed on something else. For example, dehydration triggers the release of histamine. Histamine s function here is to regulate the thirst mechanism and conserve and ration available water in the body according to a priority of function. Elevated histamine can lead to allergies.

Allergies are a symptom of chronic dehydration. When you are dehydrated and histamine levels are elevated, your body releases a stress hormone called cortical. This suppresses the production of white blood cells and you become more vulnerable to all kinds of allergens.

The dust, mold or pollen in the air made you sneeze, but it was chronic dehydration that raised your histamine levels and suppressed your immune system in the first place. Taking anti-histamines can help you feel better, but this only covers up the symptoms. Underneath, the problem of dehydration continues to take its toll.

Less energy is usually the first sign of dehydration because the cells of the body are the first to lose water. Water is a primary driving force of energy production inside the cells, so even the slightest water loss causes a big drop in energy. Digestive problems are another early symptom. All the substances that break down food in the digestive tract are water-based. Acid reflux is thought to be causes by the production of too much stomach acid.

Constipation is also a symptom of dehydration. The intestinal tract uses a lot of water to liquefy and break down your food so the nutritional elements can be extracted. The body reabsorbs much of that water, depending on its need. The more the body is dehydrated, the more it slows down the passage of waste through the lower intestine so it can extract more water. This causes constipation, which can become chronic and lead to hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, polyp formation and colon cancer.

Asthma is a histamine response due to dehydration. Tiredness is something that plagues us all at times, and it is hard to know if your tiredness is excessive or normal. Regardless of its extent, there are quite a few simple things one can do to cure tiredness with minimal effort and just slight lifestyle changes. Dehydration symptoms are often a factor in tiredness.

How is dehydration treated?

Dehydration must be treated by replenishing the fluid level in the body. This can be done by consuming clear fluids such as water, clear broths, frozen water or ice pops, or sports drinks (such as Gatorade). Some dehydration patients, however, will require intravenous fluids in order to rehydrate. Better hydration must become a top priority in patient care. By helping your patients understand and reverse chronic dehydration, they will enjoy better energy levels, enhanced results from chiropractic treatments and nutritional protocols, easier weight loss, reduced pain, better detoxification, increased longevity and an improved quality of life.