By Dr. Jamie Doughty, Medical Director

During the heavy heat of summer our tissues are thirsty for water, so with all these bottled and filtering options what’s a Templer to do?
I love alkaline water after exercise and between meals to quickly hydrate and restore fluidity in my body. Alkaline water is most commonly found in the pH range of 8.5 – 9.5 and is rich in hydrogen. Healthy tissues thrive in a more alkaline state; all secretions are thin and moving (think lymph, blood, mucus, etc) and our organs of elimination are able to function optimally.

Adequate hydration is key to the prevention of chronic diseases, and there is evidence that even mild dehydration plays a role in the development of kidney stones, constipation, asthma, UTI’s, hypertension, stroke and high blood sugar.

Case: Scotty, a 28 year old man, presented for chronic constipation worsening over the past few summer months. His bowel movements occurred every 2-3 days and were small, hard and difficult to pass. By the 3rd day without a bowel movement his belly would be distended, and it caused heartburn from the increased abdominal pressure. Scotty tried to eat whole grains for fiber and consumed fresh produce daily, but he hated the taste of water. His daily fluid intake consisted of 1-2 cups of coffee in the morning, juice or diet coke at lunch, another coffee in the afternoon and milk with dinner. On the 3 days he hit the gym he followed his workout with 1-2 Gatorades that would still leave him with cramps in his legs at night. He started with a series of 3 colonics over a 2 week period to hydrate his body and tissues and move out the old impacted waste material.

Once educated on the importance of water with disease prevention, a pain free recovery from exercise and ameliorating constipation, he was open to creative ways of increasing his consumption. I encouraged a water goal of drinking half his body weight in ounces per day (that was 75 ounces!). He started by adding cut fruit such as oranges, grapefruit, cucumber or lemon and our Elyte or Trace Mineral liquid supplements to his water bottles to quickly re-hydrate after exercise and between meals. After 2 weeks of increased fluids and 3 colon hydrotherapy sessions he was having a bowel movement every morning, the heartburn resolved, and his leg cramps abated along with a rapid recovery after exertion. He was motivated to continue this lifestyle change and had even downloaded an App to remind him to take a drink throughout the day.

This summer don’t under estimate the power of HYDRATION in your preventative medicine routine!