Myintegrativehealth Blog – Adrenal Fatigue – Natural Hormone Therapy – Thyroid Dysfunction – Pain Relief – Digestive Health

Mention the phrase “food allergies” and most of us imagine those poor kiddos who get near a peanut butter sandwich only to have massive swelling around the eyes and throat, followed by difficulty breathing and hives.  The constellation of these symptoms make up what’s known as an anaphylactic reaction which, unfortunately, has become more and more frequent in the general population over recent years.  In fact, some newer studies suggest that approximately 3-8% of Americans run the risk of anaphylaxis when exposed to any number of foods, although tree nuts, milk and shellfish are at the top of the anaphylactic list.

Even more, we are seeing a less severe variation of these dangerous food allergies, called “allergy sensitivities” that don’t typically cause life-threatening symptoms, but can still be quite uncomfortable nonetheless.  If you have symptoms like indigestion, gastritis, eczema, asthma, celiac disease, arthritis, and even depression, anxiety, and chronic fatigue, it could be a result of a “food sensitivity.”  Additional reports suggest that at least 60% of Americans suffer from symptoms due to adverse food reactions as a result of food sensitivities.

Food allergies/sensitivities may be a reaction to a protein, a starch, a contaminant found in the food (e.g., pesticide residues) or a food additive (e.g., colorings, preservatives, flavor enhancers, etc).  Once the body decides it’s uneasy with a food, a complex cascade of events takes place that can result in either a life-threatening situation (anaphylaxis) or simply the aforementioned unpleasant symptoms.

Driving this reaction is the immune system’s production of multiple types of antibodies.  For example, during an anaphylaxis response, IgE antibodies are produced within two hours of exposure.  These antibodies then bind to specific cells called mast cells and basophils which release their inner contents–histamine.  This is why an anti-histamine, like Benadryl or Quercetin, is often prescribed for allergies.

Yet, it’s the more delayed allergic response found in food sensitivities, one that can take up to 72-hours after exposure, that causes the aforementioned “uncomfortable” symptoms.  This response is usually driven by IgG antibodies and although it can stimulate the release of some histamine, it usually recruits many more players of the immune system, further complicating the reaction in the body.

Studies suggest that dairy, wheat and eggs are the three biggest sources of food sensitivities in people.  How is this determined?  In the past, the skin prick test was used where small amounts of foods were injected into the skin either on the back or forearm.  Now a simple blood test does away with this antiquated test.  These blood tests can measure for both IgG and IgE antibodies and help guide you and your provider in a direction for food avoidance, which is the mainstay of treatment.

So if you suffer from indigestion, asthma, eczema, etc., simply avoiding problematic foods could be your ticket to feeling well.  In addition to elimination, I recommend rotation of food families (e.g., veggies, fruits, meats, etc.) along with assisting the body with its normal digestive processes through the use of pancreatic and stomach enzymes.  Probiotics can be quite helpful as well.

Living in fear of foods because of their potential to make us sick is unnecessary when you recognize there are easy ways to identify possible sources of food allergies/sensitivities.  Combined with practical and realistic interventions you can take to calm the reaction and subsequent symptoms, you can alleviate a multitude of health conditions.

On the way in to the office this morning I dropped off my daughter at middle school and my son at elementary school.  Over the course of the drive I saw children, adolescents, teens, parents, cyclists, and workers all drinking what I call the ‘new soda’ – Gatorade.

There is a scary new disease identified as ‘Orthorexia Nervosa’.  It is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek attack on the elaborate web of food rules we find ourselves trapped in.  ‘Ortho’ refers to right or correct.  The ‘rexia’ is of course taken from anorexia, meaning suppressed appetite.  Interestingly the origin of anorexia is the same origin as the term rack, meaning to straighten.  We straighten our arms when we reach, therefore reaching became tied to appetite as in reaching for food.

Over the years I’ve heard so many versions of what to avoid.  If I avoided every food that I’ve ever been told to I would literally have nothing left except perhaps a few types of lettuce.  Oh, wait, the Chinese medical texts do recommend against raw vegetables.  OK, so cooked romaine.  That would get old fast.   We have to eat something.

Many current researchers and public health experts are realizing that telling someone not to eat something bad may be less productive than encouraging them to eat something good.  The best things to go out of our way to eat are the foods that give us the greatest benefits (number of important nutrients) for the least harm (calories).

Several authors have embraced the term ‘superfoods’ to describe certain foods that are especially high in nutrients and low in calories.  Although there is no formal list, some of the superfoods are tastier and more readily available than others.

Variety is certainly important in the diet, but with modern foods the idea of variety is misleading.  Rotating your morning Pop Tarts between cinnamon and cherry does not count as variety.  If you are talking about foods as great as the superfoods, don’t be afraid to find a few favorites and eat them everyday!

So why don’t we eat well?  The biggest concern I hear is that people don’t have time.  Between my family, practicing medicine, training and writing, believe me, I understand about time constraints.

The problem is that many have an idea of shopping daily and making every dish from scratch.  Mind you it’s a blast to spend a few hours puttering around in the kitchen, but that is not realistic for our workdays.  Bear in mind that anything you eat from wherever you get it will take some time.  If all of your meals are drive throughs, heaven forbid, you’ll still be spending at least 15 minutes per day just waiting in line.

Below are my top 20 easy to find superfoods.  Stay with me and I’ll show you how you can get most of these in a day with under 15 minutes of work, I promise!

1. Spinach
2. Broccoli
3. Blueberries
4. Carrots
5. Edamame
6. Black beans
7. Tomatoes
8. Turmeric
9. Grass-fed beef
10. Salmon
11. Mushrooms
12. Celery
13. Walnuts
14. Almonds
15. Greek yogurt
16. Avocado
17. Green tea
18. Pomegranate
19. Steel cut oats
20. Brown rice

When you wake up, make a 5 a day drink.  If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s the

videoon how to do it.    So far we’ve invested 3 minutes.

For breakfast, warm some pre-cooked steel cut oats from Sprouts or Whole Foods, just 1/4 cup if you’re watching your weight, add a dollop of non-fat plain Greek yogurt, some blueberries and a few almonds.  Now is also a good time for a cup of green or white tea.

So, 2 minutes to warm oatmeal and assemble, our tally is at 5 minutes.

Before you leave for work, pour together a nice salad.  Shop right and you’ll have zero prep work to do.

Mix into a large bowl:

• Washed spinach leaves
• 2-3 ounces smoked salmon
• Sliced mushrooms
• Prepped pomegranate seeds (you can now buy these already cleaned and separated!)
• Broccoli florets
• Black beans, canned – rinsed
• Walnuts, small handful
• 1 – 2 tbsp natural guacamole

The guacamole also works as a ‘dressing’ and flavoring for the salad.  This whole process should not take more than 2 minutes so we’re at 7 minutes.

For dinner, sauté some lean grass fed ground beef, add in Thai curry paste (Turmeric and lots of great flavor).  Stir in your favorite frozen mixed vegetable blend and serve over pre-cooked brown rice.  Have 1/4 cup of rice only if you’re watching your weight.  Allow 5 minutes for this and we’re at 12 minutes of cooking for the whole day and we ate every single superfood!  How awesome is that!

Many of my patients declare their soda consumption as safe by explaining how they “only drink diet soda, without any of that sugar,” while others state “I only drink regular soda, none of that diet stuff.”  Everyone seems to have the belief that one type of carbonated drink is healthier than another.  With so much information out there on the virtues of sweeteners, it is easy to justify your choice. So which is really better, regular or diet? Well, let’s compare and contrast the two.

Regular Soda Pros and Cons

Pros:  Tastes good.

Cons:  The sugar in regular soda causes your blood sugar levels to spike which can lead to insulin resistance, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain and premature aging.  Over time, soda can also erode tooth enamel and weaken your bones increasing your risk of osteoporosis.  It can also cause gastritis and acid reflux.

Hmm, that’s pretty heavily weighted on the negative side.  Let’s look at diet soda.

Diet Soda Pros and Cons

Pros:  Tastes good.

Cons:  Ok, diet soda won’t cause your blood sugar levels to spike and crash, but it does contain a lot of harmful chemicals including aspartame. The use of aspartame has increased to replace high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Like HFCS, aspartame can have many negative effects on all parts of your body.  Neurologically, aspartame can lead to migraine headaches, memory loss, seizures and numbness and tingling in your arms and legs.  Psychiatrically, aspartame may cause depression, anxiety, irritability and aggression.  Your digestive tract will also suffer the consequences of aspartame by causing nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.  As if these reasons weren’t enough to turn you off of diet soda, it may also cause weight gain, blindness, tinnitus, PMS, thinning of hair and menstrual changes.  And it, too, erodes tooth enamel and weakens your bones.

It looks like we have a tie and no winner.  Both diet soda and regular soda are equally bad for us.

Is it ever good to drink soda?

Yes, if you are stranded in the desert with no other source of hydration, you should drink soda to stay alive. But, short of that or a similar scenario, it is a bad idea to pour all of that sugar and chemicals into your body, especially when there are numerous healthy choices available.

What can I drink that tastes good and will quench my thirst?

First and foremost, learn to love water!  I am always amazed at the number of patients who tell me that they cannot stand the taste of water.  If you fall into this category, try cutting up a piece of fresh produce like lemon, lime, strawberry, cucumber, or mint leaves and put it into a pitcher of ice water. This is a healthy way to add a mild flavor to the water and make it more palatable.  If that’s not enough flavor enhancement for you, Capella and Yum Drops make naturally flavored drops for your water with the good sweetener Stevia. Give them a try, you might love water again.

What should I do with all of my leftover soda?

Apparently it actually can be used to remove corrosive acid off a car battery – diet or regular soda.  Can you see what it does to your body now?  Kick the soda habit, you’ll be happy you did!

I recently had the pleasure of enjoying an afternoon at the  Musical Instrument Museum  in Phoenix.  If you haven’t made it to the museum yet, I encourage you to do so.  Not only can it be a great way to get out of the summer heat, but you can hear some fantastic music and get an impressive cross-cultural experience.  There’s also a large “hands on” department where kids and adults alike can try for themselves a myriad of unique instruments from around the world.  There’s no other museum in the world with the approach the MIM is taking, and we’re lucky enough to have it in our own backyard.

During my recent visit, one particularly striking feature about the MIM is how quiet the whole place is.  You would expect a musical museum boasting over 10,000 instruments to be quite the cacophony but, in fact, it’s easy to confuse the building as a library.  They achieve this feat through personal headphones that guests wear and, as you approach each exhibit, a sample of music from the displayed instrument is played wirelessly to your own headphones.  Walk away, the music fades out and you’re once again brought back to the silence of the museum.

The whole experience got me thinking about the concept of listening.  I have the honor everyday of listening to my patient’s stories, and I take for granted the listening requirement that my profession entails.  The concept of “conscious listening creates understanding” consistently comes up in the research done in the field of effective listening.  It made me wonder if there are ways to improve our abilities to consciously listen, especially in an ever-increasingly noisy world around us.

Most data suggest that we spend 60% of our time listening but only 25% of that information is retained.  We are simply exposed to so much information that it’s impossible to remember it all and, unfortunately, our listening abilities have been deteriorating over time.  More specifically, with the capacity to record our thoughts in the form of written words or recorded sounds, we can “listen or read it later,” thereby removing the need to pay attention now.  We’re also more impatient, looking for ever-shorter and shorter sound-bytes to summarize ideas.

Yet, there is hope!  I challenge you to take the following three simple steps for the next 30 days and you’ll be on your way to becoming a more conscious listener.  First, take three minutes a day in complete silence (or as close as you can get it).  There are excellent studies demonstrating that as little as three minutes in complete silence actually “recalibrates” your ears and their ability to filter out the noise.  It’s a little like hitting the “reset” button when there is so much stimulation that the brain is overwhelmed.

Next, most of our environments are a complex mixture of sounds, even the seemingly most peaceful ones.  Take for example a city park: children playing, people talking, birds chirping, nearby traffic, etc.  Just try and focus on “one channel” of sound.  In our park example, focus on just the birds.  How many are there?  Where are they?  Try to eliminate all the other background noise.  You’ll be amazed at the subtleties you’ll hear and your ability to truly focus on what’s important in other situations.

Finally, when listening to others, the acronym RASA (Receive, Appreciate, Summarize and Ask) can be a highly effective tool.  In other words, “receive” the words being said to you.  Then “appreciate” what’s being said by saying things like, “uh-huh” and “I see.”  By “summarizing” what was just said, not only do you get a better understanding of what was actually said, the person you’re talking to will truly recognize your ability to listen.  Along that same line, “asking” further questions can solidify your listening experience and create true conscious listening.

The ability to hear is one of our greatest senses but truly listening takes practice.  Use the next 30 days to improve your listening skills and not only will you see improvements in your relationships, but also in your outlook of the world around you.

The sun affects our body’s internal chemistry in two main ways. First it causes loss of fluids and electrolytes, second it induces free radical damage.

Have a great time this summer! Stay properly hydrated and I promise you’ll be able to do more and recover better. Maybe you won’t even mind the heat as much!

Over the last two weeks I’ve witnessed, and been a part of, a group of the first 100 people in our office who have experienced our cryosauna.  We’ve discussed this revolutionary new piece of equipment in our office during past newsletters and explained the profound effect it can have on improving your metabolism, burning calories, heal sore joints and calm down inflammation.  During this short period of time I have seen patients have less pain, improved mood and better athletic performance.  Personally, this past weekend I rode my bike up Mount Lemmon in Tuscon and have found the cryosauna to significantly improve my recovery time.  Bottom line, the therapeutic effects are impressive.

Let’s start with a small example.  I’m willing to bet you can’t look at this picture of my new 11-week-old daughter, Julia, and not smile.  Universally people are happier at the sight of babies, but the effect isn’t one way.  You might have noticed that babies smile quite a bit themselves.  In fact there have been multiple 3-D ultrasound studies that show smiling babies while still in the womb.  Their smiling, however, continues almost involuntarily during the first few months of life while they are sleeping.  Even more profound is the study of blind babies who smile upon hearing their mother’s voice.  It seems like a simple act, but smiling has powerful effects that can be appreciated even at the very start of life.

It’s smiling’s long-term effects that are even more surprising. Two studies found smiling to improve overall success in life and even lifespan.  The first study, done at the University of California Berkley in the 1950s, was a 30-year longitudinal examination of a group of students’ photos in the school’s yearbook.  By studying the “amount” of smiling in one yearbook picture and after following students for 30 years, researchers were able to predict with amazing accuracy how fulfilling and long-lasting their marriage would be and how inspiring they would be towards others–a strong leadership trait. The other study, done in 2010, looked at pre-1950 baseball cards and found that those with the widest smile “span” also had the longest lifespan (72 years vs. 80 years).

The trouble, unfortunately, is that only about 1/3 of people smile more than 20 times a day, meaning the vast majority of people smile much less, except for one group of people.  Younger people, that is.  Children can smile up to 400 times a day!  This exaggerated amount of smiling, you might not be surprised to know, reduces stress-inducing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, can increase endorphins and reduce blood pressure. In fact, a 2008 British study showed that one smile can generate the same amount of brain stimulation as eating 2,000 bars of chocolate.

Saying smiling is good for you is a little like saying exercise, good food and clean water will improve your health.  It seems obvious.  But numerous studies suggest that faking a smile actually does more harm than good.  The positive thoughts behind that smile are just as important as the act of smiling itself.

So don’t be surprised the next time you come in the office and see us all smiling–we’ve known for years that smiling is good for you and we love to spread that happiness.  I hope this article helped you think about your happiness but most importantly, I hope it helped you smile.

“I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish.”  Mother Teresa

You might not have noticed, but the summer months are starting to creep up on us again.  This year, however, I’m not too worried.  This time around I’m going to scoff at the 110+-degree temperatures because there are two new activities available that I think are going to make this year’s summer much more enjoyable.  The first involves my 2 1/2 year old daughter, Anna, a hockey rink and myself.  Right here at the Scottsdale Ice Den there is a class offered once a week to parents and “pups” to teach 2.5- to 5-year-olds how to ice skate.  It’s a great weay to get some exercise, keep cool and spend some quality time together away from the Arizona heat.  Be sure to bring your mittens!

I’m also really excited about the second option that we’re going to offer right here at Integrative Health.  It will be only one of two units available to the public in the United States but has been used for years in Europe with impressive results.  I’m particularly interested in its ability to improve weight loss efficiency by streamlining the body’s metabolism.  It’s called “whole body cryotherapy” or “cryosauna.”

The idea of using cold temperatures applied to aching, injured and weak bodies is not new.  The historical record talks of Egyptians, Greeks and Romans using cold water to treat various ailments and even to this day, you can’t watch any sporting event without seeing an injured player sitting on the bench with an ice pack wrapped around a damaged joint.  When I was a kid I thought my mom was a genius (although I still think she’s pretty smart now!) when she used a bag of frozen veggies on my twisted ankle to relieve the swelling–the bag conforms to any sore spot amazingly well.  With cryosauna, however, we have the ability to address many other health issues besides pain, although it’s very good at that too.

As I mentioned, I’m excited by the ability of cryosauna to speed weight loss.  Too frequently in the clinic I hear folks mention a slow 2-5 pound weight gain every year, “without really changing anything in my diet or exercise regimen.”  It turns out, however, that it’s actually really easy to add 5 pounds of weight a year because you only need to consume 168 extra calories a week (I did the math), which is only 16 M&Ms or a 1/4 cup of almonds or 4 M&Ms with almonds.  It’s all too easy to get excess calories in our diets and this is the source of slow weight gain every year.  This is where cryosauna comes in because in addition to limiting calories, cryosauna can burn up to 800 calories per treatment.  How is this possible?

The physics behind cryosauna is brilliant and beautiful, but also complicated.  Basically, it uses Newton’s Law of Cooling to remove the natural heat produced in the body by cooling the external skin temperature from a normal 90.5 degrees down to 30-32 degrees for 1-3 minutes through the use of naturally cool nitrogen.  Nitrogen is a safe gas readily found in the air we breathe, but by compressing it in a cryosauna we can cool it down to an amazing minus 202-degrees.  With your head unaffected, the rest of your body is exposed to this cooled air for 1-3 minutes and there is a subsequent rebound effect of your body’s thermostat to raise the skin temperature back to 90.5-degrees.  During this compensation, the skin temperature actually raises back to 95-degrees for a minute or so which tightens the skin but also boosts your metabolism.  This whole process uses a large amount of energy which explains the 800 calories burned during each treatment.  For reference, running a full marathon burns around 2600 calories (obviously that’s only three cryosauna sessions to achieve a similar effect).

Finally, as an aid to weight loss, most of us think that when we have a hard, sweaty workout where our body temperature rises we think we’re burning a lot of calories.  As the science has told us, however, this doesn’t seem to be the case as those who work out in colder environments and keep the core temperature lower will actually burn more calories. Think of swimmers doing their laps in a cooled swimming pool.

As physicians we’re always excited when we discover new therapies for our patients that are both effective and safe.  The addition of cryosauna at Integrative Health is a natural fit, and I’m sure you’ll be pleased with its effects.

May is National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention month.  The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that 1 out of every 2 women and 1 out of every 4 men, over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.  I find that figure staggering.

What are the risk factors?

Well, based on the statistics I just mentioned, being female and over the age of 50 are risk factors.  If you have a family history of osteoporosis, statistically you are more likely to break a bone due to this condition.  Obviously these are risk factors that cannot be changed; so let’s look at the ones that we can do something about:

• Low body weight/dieting – Women tend to have a lower body weight then men, as well as a history of dieting.  Unbalanced “trendy” diets lead to poor nutritional status.  Diets with severe caloric restriction may trim your waistline but at a cost to your bones.
• Inactivity – Exercise strengthens your bones.  Aerobic exercise, such as jogging or walking, and weight-bearing exercise, such as strength training, creates micro fractures in weight-bearing bones.  These micro fractures trigger your body to rebuild and strengthen bone by recalcifying the micro fractures.
• Poor nutrition status – If you are deficient in calcium, your body will not be able to respond to your body’s need to rebuild bone.  Calcium, along with co-factor vitamin D, supports recalcification.
• Excess salt – High levels of salt in the diet have been linked to excessive levels of calcium in urine.  Some researchers believe that the high salt diet in America is a major causative factor in osteoporosis.  Read labels when shop; salt is used as a flavor enhancer and a preservative in most processed foods.  Many foods that do not taste salty are actually high in sodium.
• Smoking – Smoking is bad for us for countless reasons.  Smoking interferes with the body’s utilization of calcium and estrogen in bone formation.
• Alcohol consumption – Drinking too much alcohol will interfere with the body’s absorption of calcium.  It also robs the body of vital nutrients and causes poor nutritional status.
• Consumption of Caffeinated or Carbonated drinks – Phosphoric acid and caffeine leach calcium from bones, increasing you risk of osteoporosis.  Caffeinated drinks and supplements are often used to suppress appetite during calorie restriction diets. This is another reason why women tend to be more at risk of osteoporosis.

FRAX is a great tool that calculates your risk for a potential fracture.  It takes race, age, weight and other risk factors into consideration.  Under the menu select Calculation Tool, then follow the menus to select your continent, country, and race.  For those of you who do not know your weight in kilograms or your height in centimeters, do not panic.  On the right side of the screen is a handy conversion tool for you.

My diet is healthy and I exercise every day.  Am I still at risk?

Some of the most commonly prescribed medications actually lead to bone loss.  Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory agents that are commonly prescribed to help control chronic conditions such as asthma and arthritis.  Unfortunately, studies show that patients lose an average of 14% of bone mineral content in the first year after starting corticosteroid treatment.  Most people achieve peak bone density around age 25.  However, for patients who develop asthma at an early age, and use corticosteroids to manage their condition, they may never achieve maximum bone density.

SSRIs such as Lexapro, Prozac and Zoloft have been linked to decreased bone density.  Here is a great article from the May 2009 issue of Psychology Today explaining the misuse of these medications.  According to Dr. Lane, 80% of patients surveyed who were taking these medications showed no depressive symptoms at all.  These medications are often prescribed to women for PMS symptoms or menopause symptoms.  This may be another reason that more women than men are diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Here are some other common prescription drugs that affect bone health:

• Antibiotics such as tetratcycline, commonly used to treat acne
• Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), including Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, and Aciphex used for acid reflux and gastritis
• Diuretics that are used to treat high blood pressure
• Depo-provera, or the Depo Shot, a form of birth control

When should I request a bone density test?

The US Preventative Screening Task Force (yes, the same task force that caused an uproar with their breast cancer screening recommendations) recommend bone density screenings for the following demographics:

• Women aged 65 years or older
• Younger women whose risk fracture is equal to or greater than that of a 65 year old white woman with no additional risk factors (use the FRAX tool to assess risk)
• No recommendation to screen men for osteoporosis

The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends bone density testing of:

• Women age 65 or older
• Postmenopausal women under age 65 with one or more risk factors
• Men age 70 or older
• Men between age 50 and 70 with one or more risk factors
• Anyone older than age 50 and who have experienced a broken bone
• Postmenopausal women who discontinue hormone therapy

I utilize the NOF’s guidelines when making recommendations to my patients.  However, for patients with long-term SSRI use or corticosteroid use, I encourage them to get a DEXA scan earlier.  If you suspect that osteoporosis may be a problem for you, ask your doctor for a bone density test.  You may have to pay out of pocket for it, but the sooner you start to reverse bone loss, the better off you will be.

Did you know there is a hot, new nutrient out on the market? This one can help reduce your seasonal allergies.  It works wonders on heartburn.  It improves your skin, regulates your bowels and can help you lose wei.ght.  It can even reverse arthritis symptoms.  It can even lower your blood pressure.  You may not believe it, but you already have some of it at home right now….WATER!

So often the simplest things are the most critical.  One I try to bear in mind is good hydration. Probably 1/4 of the time when I review someone’s lab tests I’ll see various signs of short or long term dehydration.  It’s a big deal and the crazy thing is those who need it the most often do not feel thirsty.

Water Facts and Fallacies:

#1- Fallacy: Your body is 70% water just like the surface of the earth.

Fact: According to Guyton’s Physiology, the standard medical text for how the body’s functions work, we start out as infants in the low 60% range but get to the low 40% range as we age. Most adults are around half.  You know how we get shorter with age? That is primarily loss of intervertebral disc space in our spines from dehydration.

Tip: Urine color is the simplest indicator of hydration.  Here’s a good picture of urine colors, 1-3 represent good hydration, higher numbers mean you’re dried out.  If your computer screen gets wet while doing this test, don’t blame me!

#2 – Fallacy: Distilled water leaches minerals out of your body.

Fact: You can absorb minerals from water but water enters your body from your small intestines and leaves through your kidneys and stools.  It has no means of taking anything out that you already had.

Tip: Purified water is best for day to day use.  I recommend home reverse osmosis systems for the simplest, most economical way to get pure drinking water.  Be sure filters are changed at least twice each year or per schedule.  Our family has rented a unit from Arizona Water Rentals for well over a decade, the rental cost is about the same as annual filter costs and they do all the work.  Filters are a little better but don’t take out pesticides and solvents.

#3 – Fallacy:  When you’re exercising you should avoid cold water since your body can’t absorb it.

Fact: Here’s a case where you can trust your instinct.  Which would you drink first on a hot day?  The absorption rate is the same regardless of the temperature.  And drinking cold water lowers your core body temperature which improves your performance and heat tolerance.

#4 – Fallacy: Spring water comes from high mountain springs.

Fact: Unless it says “purified by distillation” or “reverse osmosis”, it is tap water with a picture of a mountain.  Do you buy bottle water?  Take the time to watch ‘Tapped‘.  Bottle water is a disaster for your health since it is unregulated and full of toxic plastic by products, and it is a source of huge amounts of pollution and carbon.

Tip: Drink your water from glass or stainless steel containers.  Avoid plastic.  Trace amounts of plastic residue have been shown to promote breast and prostate cancer, cause thyroid disease and disrupt male and female fertility.

#5 – Fallacy: If you drink when you’re thirsty, you’ll get enough water.

Fact: Your thirst is unfortunately a poor indicator of hydration.  If you lose as little as 3% of your body’s fluids your thirst can become unreliable.  Look at your urine color and plan to consume 1/2 to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight daily.  This is 3-5 quarts for most of us.

#6 – Fallacy: You get lots of fluid from coffee, tea, juice, soda, etc.

Fact: Caffeine is a diuretic, you pee out more than you get.  Sugar makes fluid absorb poorly. If you’re still drinking soda I don’t know what to say, but I’ll still try to help

Tip: You can help your water intake by consuming herbal teas and soups.

Tip: Most who are well hydrated need to urinate at least every few hours.  I’ve known about a dozen people who bragged about their ability to thrive in Arizona on little water intake and how they urinate only once or twice a day.  All but one went on to have massive kidney stones. The other, I hope I’m wrong, but I think he’s next.

# 7 – Fallacy:  When you run, bike, hike in the heat, you need to consume as much water as you can.

Fact: Here’s a tricky one.  We can lose water at an amazing rate when we’re out sweating in the heat.  Unfortunately we can’t absorb it as quickly.  If we take it in too fast, it stays in our intestines.  This can case us to get cramps, diarrhea and dangerously low sodium levels.  No matter how hard we sweat, we can absorb no more than 22-28 ounces per hour. Do not go under or over this when out in the heat.  If you’re active for more than an hour you’ll need electrolytes with this, that’s another topic.  Easiest solution is Endurolytes caps or powder by Hammer Nutrition.  We stock it and so do REI and most bicycle shops.

Tip:  Don’t use tap water for cooking or making coffee or tea.  Use purified water.

Tip:  Run your water for 10 seconds before showering; most wastes concentrate in your water lines when they sit overnight.