Hydration and Electrolytes

 

Dr. Starkey: Hi, this is Dr. Starkey. Welcome back to Trace Your Day.

This week I’m going to be addressing another very popular question that we get asked and that is: can I use the trace minerals as a part of my hydration?

And I think that that’s a great question, but I think we should take it a little bit deeper as to how we use those micro electrolytes as compared to the macro electrolytes. Let’s go back.

When we look at our world, water is the foundation of our planet. 71% of our earth’s surface is covered in water. When you think about how we come into this world, as babies, we’re about 70% water. And then we start to grow, and then we start making decisions for ourselves, and pretty soon we find ourselves completely dehydrated.

I find it concerning that 75% of our society is deemed chronically dehydrated right now. And yet, think about how important this water is to our overall makeup. I mean, 90% of your blood is water. 85% of your brain and kidneys is water. 75-80% of your heart and lungs – water. 70-75% of your liver and skin is water. Bones contain about 20-25%, and even your teeth are about 8-10% water.

So what should be our #1 supplement daily? I think you have the answer already, and that is water.

And yet, when it comes to the importance of water, besides our entire makeup, think about what water does for us as far as protection. It helps lubricate our joints, it protects our tissues, it protects our spinal column or cord, it removes waste from the body, it aids in digestive process, it’s important for our brain from a conductivity and functioning standpoint, and it also aids our cardiovascular health.

So how do we lose water? We lose about 2 ½ to 3 cups of body fluid a day just by living and breathing. Think about this for a minute: through respiration, perspiration, urination, and defecation, and of course that wonderful time of the month that every female loves during that time of her life, there is a constant steady pull on not only our minerals, but also our water too. So, it’s important that we hydrate every single day.

I love the equation of half our body weight in ounces of water daily. Let me repeat that: take your body weight, divide it in half, and put that into ounces, and that should be minimum per individual daily.

Now, again, some will say, “Well, there’s no way that my body can handle that much water.” And I assure you that if you start slow and work up to that dosage for your body, your body will accommodate and eventually acclimate to that. And you won’t find yourself running to the restroom, which most people are concerned about.

I’ve even heard it said that these individuals that, you know, will say something to the effect of “Dr. Starkey, I don’t even drink during the day because I’m afraid that I’m going to have to get up and leave my office multiple times and I might miss phone calls.” Well, remember, our health is at stake right now, and it comes from maintaining that proper hydration.

Now, here’s where my concern is (and I don’t think that we think deep enough here): were we designed to live on bottled, filtered, distilled, RO water? I mean, think about that for a minute. I think you know the answer to that. No, we weren’t designed to live on those types of water. We were designed to live on ground water, spring water, creek water, river water, and of course I know of no one that I’ve asked this question to, is that the last time they were at their creek or river did they have a desire to dip a cup.

And I think we all know the answer to that, right? I mean, we’re scared to death of our environment. In fact, most people don’t like to drink the water out of their own tap in their homes, much less out of their local creek or rivers. But at the same time, that’s where it’s important that we drink what we’re comfortable with, and even though those waters – those bottled, filtered, distilled, RO waters – are contaminant free, remember they’re also element-free too.

So, if we’re trying to hydrate with our water, it’s important that we put those electrolytes back in. Now, again, just like in the mineral class, there’s micro and there’s macro electrolytes as well. Those trace minerals are considered micro electrolytes, but there’s also those macro electrolytes as well. So, even though our bodies need both, it’s important that we put that back in.

So, with the trace minerals and of course re-mineralizing that water – whatever water it is that you’re comfortable with or what you choose to drink, that’s where I would put those trace minerals back into that water.

But if you find yourself whether it be outdoors, from an employment standpoint or a recreational standpoint. If we find ourselves of course, I think that many of the medications that are offered today in our society will rob these electrolytes from us. I think that again, I think the very stress that we find ourselves in with the emotional stress can rob our electrolytes.

I don’t think that you have to be an Olympic athlete, in fact I know that you don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to benefit from these electrolytes.

And yet at the same time, what we’ve tried to do at Trace Minerals is we try to offer you an array of different products that will meet a delivery that’s comfortable for you. What you’re comfortable in putting or taking into your body, whether that be in a tablet form, a liquid form, a powdered form, we have tableted effervescents, we even have some that are of course, sugar-free, which, again, wherever you are with your diet or your lifestyle, we have a product that I believe, that will of course, help support that electrolyte balance in your body.

Now remember, electrolytes: the very definition of electrolyte is defined as a substance that disassociates into ions when fused in solution. So, in other words, they shouldn’t have to go through a digestive process to be broken down.

And yet, in these products, again, we put those ionic trace minerals into these products to help that absorption, activation, and regulation so in that case, hence, they’re called electrolytes.

Now, the 8 major electrolytes that most people identify with(or consumers or athletes of all types) is: magnesium, sodium, chloride, calcium, potassium, phosphate, sulfate, and bio carbonate. And yet at the same time, our bodies also need those ultra-trace electrolytes and that’s where these two complement one another.

Now, you know, these minerals play an essential role within our bodies that work at all levels. Every cell in the human body needs them to help regulate muscle function, nerve function, proper pH balance in the body, and of course that proper fluid balance, that acid-base balance as well.

So, at this point, if you’re reaching for some of these sports drinks, I would highly recommend for you to look at them. Educate yourself on what’s being offered and ask yourself the question, are they offering the most balanced electrolyte support that is offered to your personal health?

Now, at this time, again, whether it be a liquid, a powder, a tablet, a diet, you know, if you’re on a special diet, these electrolyte products, you can choose for yourself.

But I hope that you become proactive when it comes to these electrolytes, because your body will let you know, whether it be a twitch, a spasm, or a full-blown cramp, that you’re in need. And often times in our society today, we become extremely reactive. We react because we’re in pain because of a night cramp instead of being proactive and doing something about our hydration issues or our dehydration issues that we face today.

So wherever you find yourself, whatever age or category that you place yourself in, Remember, these electrolytes – these ultra and macro electrolytes – are so invaluable to your overall health and well-being that if you’re not taking a personal interest or supplementing with them, chances are you are going to find yourself in that huge percentage of dehydrated individuals in our society.

Thanks for listening in. If you have any topics you want covered, let us know on our Instagram page @tracemineralsresearch. We’ll see you back here next week on Trace Your Day.