HYDRATION FOR SENIORS - Key to Health & Longevity

HYDRATION FOR SENIORS
Key to Health & Longevity
By Herb Joiner-Bey, N.D.

DEHYDRATION: PUBILC HEALTH HAZARD
Clinical dehydration is one of the most common causes of hospitalization among persons over the age of 65. Half of those hospitalized die within one year of admission. Increasing the intake of pure water can prevent such catastrophes. It is also a simple, effective, and natural way to slow the aging process and put more vitality into the Golden Years.

CELL DEHYDRATION: HALLMARK OF AGING
The body of an infant is 78% water. By the time we reach advanced years, our bodies have dehydrated to contain only 50% water. To make matters worse, the location of water shifts with age from the interior of cells to regions exterior to cells.

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO DEHYDRATION IN SENIORS
1-Lack of awareness of true optimal hydration needs.
2-Illness acceleration water loss – fever, diarrhea, vomiting.
3-Loss of mental clarity and attentiveness to personal needs with aging.
4-Decline of thirst sensation with age.
5-Fear of embarrassment and inconvenience due to urinary incontinence.

THE PRICE OF NEGLECT
Gradual total body and cellular dehydration parallel the aging process. If we fail to drink adequate amounts of pure water, the body will compensate to the best of its ability. But a high price is paid. Nutritional, biochemical, and energy resources that would otherwise be used to enhance longevity are re-directed for short term survival. As a result, free radical damage proliferates, cell and tissue structure is compromised, metabolic residues and debris accumulate more rapidly within cells, and the process of aging accelerates.

THE FICKLE SENSE OF THIRST
Thirst cannot be trusted to be an accurate indicator of the body’s need, especially among seniors. A few swallows of fluids easily quench thirst temporarily. Although thirst will return due to inadequate water intake, continuous satiation of thirst with palliating small doses of fluids leaves the body in a continuing state of water deficit.

Beverages commonly used to quench thirst (soft drinks, juices, coffee, tea, beer, cocktails) have so many solutes dissolved in them that the movement of water from the gastro-intestinal tract into the blood is inhibited. Optimal hydration is achieved only with pure water.

As we age, the already unreliable thirst sense gets even less sensitive. Senior citizens cannot trust their sense of thirst to tell them when their bodies need water. Scientific research indicates that, after water deprivation, healthy elderly men have less thirst and drink less water compared with younger men. For this reason, seniors and their caregivers must be vigilant to assure adequate hydration throughout the day.

OPTIMALLY HYDRATING THE BODY
Nothing hydrates the body better than pure water. The reason for this fact is simple. Molecules in solution move from a region where they are abundant to a region where they are scarce. Pure water can quickly hydrate the body because, after a person drinks pure water, water molecules are in much higher concentration in the gastro-intestinal tract than in the bloodstream. Water naturally moves unimpeded from the intestines to the blood, and from the blood, to the cells. If anything is dissolved in water – salts, sugar, coffee, tea, flavorings, etc. the movement of water molecules is impaired and optimal hydration is not possible. Alcohol (and carbonation) actually dehydrates the body and its tissues. (Much discomfort from hangovers is the result of dehydration of the Central Nervous System.) Therefore, sugar-saturated drinks, coffee, juices, cocktails, beer, etc. are not good beverages for assuring optimal hydration.

Tap water can contain undesirable levels of arsenic, aluminum, fluoride, nitrates, other pollutants and antibiotics. Yet, the alternatives are worse. In addition to pollutants, the acid in soft drinks and juices tend to leach aluminum out of cans, causing high intake of aluminum when ingested. Scientists are beginning to realize the link between aluminum toxicity and Alzheimer’s disease.

In addition, many popular sweet beverages can contribute to health difficulties. Artificial colors and flavors have been linked to allergies and asthma. Sugar-sweetened soft drinks and some fruit juices are heavily laden with sugar – as much as 8 ½ teaspoons or more per 12 fluid ounces. This sugar burden puts great stress on the liver and pancreas and contributes to obesity. And to add insult to injury, sugary drinks contribute to tooth decay.

To make matters worse, the phosphates in soft drinks induce the loss of calcium through the urine. This is exactly what is NOT needed in senior citizens whose bodies need calcium to maintain the integrity of bones. The life-long consumption of soft drinks can be a major factor in osteoporosis, especially among those with a family history of this disorder.

HOW MUCH PURE WATER SHOULD WE DRINK?
The daily intake of pure water should be the number of fluid ounces equal to one-half the number of pounds the body weighs. For example, a 150-pound person should drink 75 fluid ounces (about ten 8-ounce cups) daily. This amount should be distributed throughout the day and consumed in small doses every 15 to 20 minutes to ensure continuous hydration. Increase intake according to increased physical activity and atmospheric temperature. Do not rely on thirst as an accurate indicator of water need. Even among world-class athletes, thirst is unreliable.

A WORD ABOUT TAKING MEDICINES AND SUPPLEMENTS
Senior citizens frequently take prescription drugs, as well as nutritional supplements, to support their health and maintain vitality during their twilight years. Unfortunately, it is common for seniors to swallows these pills and capsule with just enough water to get the pills down the esophagus. This small amount of water is woefully inadequate to dissolve thoroughly the medications or vitamins and assist their movement from the intestines to the bloodstream. The most common side effect of medicines is gastric upset – nausea and vomiting. It is possible that the tendency to drink only small amounts of water with medicines increases the risk of gastric irritation. Be sure to drink at least 8 ounces of water with these products. Pharmaceutical and nutriceutical manufacturers, as well as health care professionals, also make this recommendation. Consult your physician or product retailer for more detailed guidance.

GETTING WATER INTO THE CELL WHERE IT IS DESPERATELY NEEDED
“Aquaporins” are tiny protein water channels on cell membranes that allow cells to tightly control the influx of water and oxygen. Only water molecules in single-file array can enter the cell. But water molecules tend to clump into clusters too large to traverse aquaproins. Any pollutants in the water will cause aquaproins to close. Therefore, no matter where you are in the world, it is important to drink the purest water you can find to facilitate the influx of water into all the cells of the body. Let water put more years into your life and more life into your Golden Years!

Are Your Supplements Being Sabatoged?

ARE YOUR SUPPLEMENTS BEING SABATOGED?


DID YOU KNOW ?. . . . . . . . .

ALCOHOL can interfere with the absorption, storage and metabolism of nutrients.

ANTIBIOTICS may deplete vitamins B2, C, D, niacin, folic acid, biotin, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.

ANTACIDS may reduce your levels of calcium, copper, iron, phosphorus, folic acid, and vitamins A and B1.

CONJUGATED ESTROGENS like Premarin and oral contraceptives are associated with deficiencies in B-Complex vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, and zinc.

DIURETICS can deplete potassium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, and vitamin B2.

DIABETES causes excessive urination, which leads to depletion of many nutrients, particularly B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and chromium.

SODA, with its excessive amounts of phosphates, interferes with normal calcium metabolism and can draw calcium right out of your bones.

STRESS will deplete your “building block” vitamins and minerals – like vitamins C, B5, and B6, as well as magnesium, zinc, and potassium. Your adrenal glands need these nutrients to properly manufacture hormones.
Copied from Dr. Julian Whitaker’s Forward Nutrition Today #136d092909

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HOW THESE VITAMINS AFFECT YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

MINERALS
Boron. . . . . . . . . . . . Works with other nutrients for optimum function
Calcium . . . . . . . . . . Strengthen teeth and bones, muscle and

nerve function
Chromium . . . . . . . . Cell nourishment and energy
Magnesium . . . . . . . Fights Depression
Potassium . . . . . . . . Essential for nerve and heart function
Zinc . . . . . . . . . . . . . Optimal thyroid health, wound healing

VITAMINS
A . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vision, cell division,

reproduction, immunity
B1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Thiamine) Regulates mood
B2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Riboflavin) Regulates mood
B3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Niacin) Nerves, skin, digestive

system
B5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Pantothenic Acid) Anti-stress and

fat metabolism
B6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Needed for enzymes and protein

metabolism
B9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Folic Acid) Used to make new cells
B12 . . . . . . . . . . . . Regulates mood and energy
C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wound healing
Biotin . . . . . . . . . . . Cell growth, fat metabolism

Chicken Safety Alert - Arsenic in your chicken!

Chicken Safety Alert
Arsenic in your chicken!

Many poultry producers feed animals an organic form of arsenic, which is believed to be harmless to animals, to control intestinal parasites. But there is evidence suggesting that some of this arsenic is converted in the birds into a toxic, inorganic form of arsenic. A new study shows that arsenic, a known carcinogen, was found in 55% of 155 samples of raw chicken purchased in Minnesota and California supermarkets, according to research commissioned by the nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). All of the 90 samples purchased from fast-food restaurants contained arsenic.

Toxicologist Paul Mushak, PhD of Durham, North Carolina, an expert on arsenic and other toxic elements says, “You don’t want to have any more arsenic in your body than what you absolutely can not avoid.” Questions remain about what happens to it in the human body. Symptoms that have been identified with arsenic toxicity shortly after consumption may be: severe stomach pain, high temperature, shakiness, and a feeling of core coldness which may lasts for a few hours up to a few days.

To reduce exposure: Call the consumer-service department of the producer whose poultry you typically buy and ask if the birds are given arsenic. Another option is to buy organic chicken as these birds cannot legally be given arsenic. Use of arsenic is not prohibited in chicken labeled only as kosher or “free range.”