Dehydration: Its funny how much humans love water, swimming in it, playing in it, bathing in it, showering in it, canoeing on it, fishing by it, holidaying near it....... and yet so many people have an issue about drinking it - yet water is vital to our very health and wellbeing, and like the earth we are made up of 75% fluid.
In kinesiology we use muscle tests or muscle monitoring to find out information from your body. This is known as muscle monitoring or bio-feedback. A skeletal muscle is often used to indicate an issue like dehydration. The practitioner will gently ‘tug’ some hair at the nape of your neck. If the indicator muscle unlocks, (appears to have little resistance in) your body is probably dehydrated. This is like the Vet tugging the fur when they check if an animal is dehydrated. We can also gently pinch the skin on the back of the hand, if there is no hair on the head/neck available.
For serious dehydration problems we can test the Upper Trapezius or the Psoas muscle. Kinesiologists test muscles associated with Meridian lines. These electrical types of lines require water, so their energy can flow freely around the body, as water conducts electricity.
In the book “The Biophysics Basis for Acupuncture and Health” 2004 by Dr. Shui Yin Lo, the author, explains that “Meridians are made up of a polarized medium, which is most likely stable water clusters with permanent electric dipole moments. This basically confirms the folklore that water is the source of life. We can actually see some parts of the meridians in some people, some of the time, using an infrared imaging technique”.
His book subject is about in-depth research into the workings of the meridian system. Water is one of the most important nutrients in our body. It makes up approximately 70 percent of our muscles, and about 75 percent of our brains. We use water as well as expand it. In fact, just in everyday breathing we lose about two cups of water. Other ways that we lose body water is through sweating and urinating. If we fail to replenish these losses, we set ourselves up to become dehydrated.
If our body senses low water stores it will tell the kidneys to conserve the water instead of excreting it (darker coloured urine will result). Dehydration can also lead to constipation and bloating. Some other symptoms of dehydration include dry mouth and tongue, apathy and a lack of energy, and muscle fatigue and cramping.
If left untreated, dehydration can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
These symptoms include: fatigue, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, headache, rapid shallow breathing, high temperatures, rapid heartbeat, and decreased alertness or complete loss of consciousness.
Some other signs you may be dehydrated are:
Bad breath
Dry skin
Muscle cramps
Fever and chills
Food cravings, especially for sweets
Sleepiness or irritability
Cold hands or feet
Headaches
Flushed face
Dark urine or reduced amounts
Dizziness made worse when you are standing
Rapid breathing
Confusion
Hunger / Thirst
Neck pain
Breathlessness
Hip issues / back pain near kidneys
Spinal problems and possible weakened vertebra
We need to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day to help our body function properly. Use as good a quality as you can get. You can buy bottled water, use tap water, you can filter water, magnetise it, boil it. There is reverse osmosis, mineral water, spring water. Different water types suit different body types.
Water stored in plastic may not hydrate you as well as water that is stored in glass. Fruit Juice is NOT water, neither is Tea or Coffee or Cola. If you play sport you will need to drink even more water as sports activities use up valuable water in your body, you sweat it out, so you need to replenish it. Sports drinks are often glucose based and will give you a boost of instant energy but could further stress your muscles including the hamstrings and adrenal glands.
Plain water is the best fluid for your body.
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