Hydration

Many people go to the chiropractor to make sure their spine is properly aligned and keep the nervous system communicating correctly. But there is a simple task you can do throughout the day to help out your spine: Drinking water.

Staying hydrated can go a long way to helping maintain a healthy lifestyle, but it can also do wonders in making sure your spine is healthy and happy.

When you are dehydrated, it actually puts your spine in a tough spot. The bones of your spinal column are mostly comprised of water. That means when you become hydrated, your body responds by stealing some of that water from those joints. Prolonged dehydration over time can cause issues with those joints, resulting in back pain.

And staying hydrated is more important when living in the higher elevations of Colorado. Exercising in the thinner air at elevation may cause you to sweat more rapidly. Adding that to the dryer air and the increased rate of breathing because of it, and the body uses up its fluids more quickly than compared to sea level.

But dehydration doesn’t just come from physical activity. There are a number of other factors that can lead to dehydration – from stress to diet to alcohol.

Stress can also induce dehydration, because more adrenaline is produced under stress than usual. That can prevent your body from regulating hydration levels properly. Carbohydrates in your diet can help boost your hydration levels, while salty foods absorb fluids. Alcohol can also dehydrate you, because it is a known diuretic that pushes water through your system before the body can absorb it.

Even some prescription medications and dietary supplements can cause dehydration as a side effect, because many are designed to flush out your system.

It’s also important to stay hydrated after you visit the chiropractor. When getting adjusted by your chiropractor, they’re not just aligning your spine. The adjustment is also releasing toxins that were locked in the body.

Chiropractic adjustments are all about communication. Proper alignment allows the body to communicate with itself, loud and clear. If there is anything out of place, it can jam up or interfere with that open communication.

By keeping these lines of communication aligned and open, it allows the body to work properly, and staying hydrated helps keep the body working optimally. Dehydration can not only lead to discomfort in the back, but it may also be building up toxins inside the body.

Sometimes, depending on the severity of the dehydration and the toxins getting released, there can be side effects. Things like headaches, fever, fatigue or nausea can pop up from the release of these toxins, but the symptoms are usually mild and short term, if they’re felt at all.

Regular visits to the chiropractor can help your body function and communicate correctly, meaning there will be fewer of those debilitating toxins remaining to build up in the body.

For more information on how hydration can boost a healthier lifestyle, or how chiropractic care can help, contact Dr. Morgan Sheridan and Foundation Chiropractic today. And keep drinking water!