It’s summer and it is easy to lose too much of your fluids in the heat.
I hope you are taking measures to tank up on highly absorbable water first thing in the morning and frequently throughout the day.
However, it sometimes does happen that you are outside too long, or are just losing too many fluids.
Signs of dehydration are:
- headache
- mental irritation and depression
- water retention
- low back pain
- heartburn, stomach ache
- recurring or chronic pain not due to an infection
Dry Mouth
If you regard a “dry mouth” as a signal that your body needs water, you have actually let it go way too far. If you further assume that if the sensation of “dry mouth” is not present, you are hydrated enough, you are sadly mistaken. The dry mouth is the last outward sign of extreme dehydration.
Further confusion lies in the idea that when you are thirsty, that soda pop, coffee, or alcohol-containing beverages can be drunk to quench your thirst and fill your body’s needs.
These beverages contain water, but also ingredients that are dehydrating. Not only do they eliminate the water contained in them, but also water from the body’s reserves!
Chronic Dehydration
Damage occurs to the body at a persistent lower level of dehydration. Because of a gradually failing thirst sensation, the body becomes chronically and increasingly dehydrated. Your body is generally 75% water, and the brain contains up to 85% water. Imagine what happens when there is not enough water in the brain for the nerve signals to be completed, and the tissues start shrinking from being too dry. Yep, fuzzy thinking and headache are two obvious results, but also there can be irritation and even mental depression.
So, drinking water is paramount in staying healthy. And, I highly recommend Natural Action Water for its vitality and because it makes any water highly absorbable.
Help to Re-hydrate
So, what if you have gotten in trouble and need some help re-hydrating? Please don’t go out and buy a Gatoraid drink or Pedialyte or some other processed drink. You can make what you need at home.
A few months ago, a friend staying at my house had her boyfriend visit from the East Coast. He is an avid bicyclist, and often takes long bicycle rides at home. When he got here, he rented a bicycle in Sedona and rode to Jerome and back. After that, he had arranged to meet my friend and me at a restaurant for dinner. Well, it was spring, but it was a dry, hot day. And Sedona to Jerome and back was 50 or so miles. So, when he met us, he had muscle cramps and actually started to vomit. I was concerned and vigilent to see if he needed 911 help, but he got some herbal tea with salt and honey at the restaurant and started feeling better. Then, I made up for him my home remedy for re-hydration. I am happy to report that this simple concoction quickly resolved his symptoms.
You don’t have to be that bad off to use this recipie.
If you have lost fluids from excessive heat, or vomiting or diarrhea, then replace your electrolytes easily with this combination.
This formula replaces the sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, and sugars that you lost along with the water. The minerals are necessary to supplement because your body is not made up of just plain water, it has minerals dissolved in it. Therefore, we need to restore fluids with the same concentration of minerals to keep a balance. And a little bit of sugar – as fruit juice or actual sugar – helps open the cells to receive the minerals
Basic re-hydration recipe
- Clear fruit juice diluted 50:50 with purified water
- ½ tsp. sea salt — per quart
- ½ tsp. baking soda — per quart
Alternate recipe
- 1 quart water
- ½ – ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp. baking soda,
- OR 4 Tbs. cream of tartar
- OR ¼ tsp. potassium chloride (salt substitute)
- 1 Tbs. sugar or honey or maple syrup
One more Suggestion
Rice Water
A tradition in the East is to cook rice with excess water, at least twice as much as usual.
This is made for people who are sick or have been sick and are regaining their strength.
When the rice is cooked, strain off the liquid. Drink the broth only or add a few veggies and eat as a soup. This rice water is warm and nourishing, especially when you add some vegetables.
