We all know that we need to drink water. If you haven’t heard it from us, at Crossroads, then you’ve heard it from your primary care physician or even seen it on TV. Water is very important for the body’s survival. It is absolutely essential, for a number of reasons.

Water helps nearly every system in the body to function properly. The systems of the body are the Integumentary (skin), Circulatory, Digestive, Urinary, Nervous, Reproductive, Muscular, Skeletal, Endocrine, Respiratory and Immune/Lymphatic. Water helps to expel toxins through our waste as well as through our sweat. it helps with nutrient absorption and helps to move metabolized food. Water is necessary for proper circulation, since our blood is about 90% water, which probably explains why oxygen levels in the blood are higher when the body is well hydrated. When looking at the skeletal system, again water is essential. The discs in your spine act as shock absorbers and are predominately composed of water. Your discs must stay well hydrated if they are to function properly.

Water is essential, just water, not coffee or tea . . . water. Coffee and tea are diuretics, which means they cause you to expel more water. Besides the possibility of dehydration, not drinking enough water can lead to an increased risk of kidney stones, or increased risk of UTI’s, or even lower mental and physical performance. Water is essential.

When you consider how much water you are losing daily, through breathing (water moistens the air so it doesn’t shock our lungs), sweating and digestion, its absolutely vital to replenish that water daily. So how much water should we drink? To put it simply we should drink half our body weight in ounces. Certainly, there are other variables to consider, do you sweat a lot, are you an athlete, do you have a physically demanding job, are you a weight lifter – then you should drink more water. But as a general rule of thumb, drink half your body weight in ounces. So, if you weigh 180 pounds, then you should drink 90 ounces of water daily. As a side note: if your primary care physician tells you something different due to a certain medical condition, then follow your PCP’s advice or discuss with your chiropractor at Crossroads.

So as you build firm foundations for a healthy 2016, make sure you are drinking plenty of water.

In Health,

Dr. David