The buzz in our neighborhood was that an ambulance was called and our 73-year-old neighbor was transported to our local hospital.  Of course, everyone’s fear was that it was Covid-19. He had been dealing with diarrhea for over a week and it was not being relieved through natural remedies.  When I spoke to his wife today, she said that the hospital found he was very dehydrated, but thank the heavens, his test came back negative for Covid-19.

As you age, you have a greater chance of being dehydrated. There was a 5% increase in preventable visits to the emergency room between 2008 and 2019 due to dehydration. This may not appear to be a large increase, but do the math when you think about baby boomers getting to the age where dehydration can easily occur then think about our earth becoming hotter, water becoming scarcer, and those who imbibe coffee and alcohol, spelling a recipe for chronic dehydration.

In my holistic practice I constantly heard complaints from patients that drinking more water lead to more trips to the bathroom. My response was drink more during the day when you know you’ll be home so you are not inconvenienced by having to find a public restroom.  Drink at least half your body weight in fluid ounces every day and make sure that you are not counting coffee, juice and ice tea toward this total number of ounces- only pure water will do. Always avoid diet drinks and diet soda. There is research supporting potential health concerns with these diet drinks.

Dehydration is even more a concern as we are entering the beginning of summer. Drinking lots of water not only prevents dehydration but helps you feel full and therefore prevents you from grabbing excess calories.  View water as part of balancing your body weight. Just don’t drink with meals as it dilutes stomach acid and leads to decreased absorption and bloating. Rather drink fluids a minimum of 30 minutes before or after a meal.

Most importantly, listen to your body this summer.  Get out of your head and  get into your body this summer. Pay attention to what your body symptoms may be telling you and intuitively address your body “issues.” Without a strong connection to your body, you will be less able to achieve your goals and know the true joy that every day can give you.

Dr. Lisa Cowley, a holistic chiropractor and nutritional counselor of 25 years, along with her husband, Victor Westgate, a high school educator of 34 years, are authors of Pack Lightly: Making Sense of the Second Half of Your Life. You can visit their website at www.joyinaging.com.