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One of the most vital elements to anyone's day to day life, helping us to regulate bodily function and most importantly helping us feel better all over is WATER.
Whether its exercise, work or rest, water is essential for so many reasons. In this short blog we will touch on some quick facts and benefits of drinking water in our daily routine and after osteopathic and myotherapy treatment.
Some Quick Facts On Water:
Adult humans mass consists of 60% water and 90% of our blood is water.
Water is essential for our kidneys and bodily functions.
Dehydration can not only limit treatment recovery but also leads to our skin becoming more vulnerable to skin disorders and potentially wrinkles.
Drinking water over sugary drinks helps aid in weight loss and weight management.
Even if you think you drink enough water, if you drink caffeine (coffee and tea) and alcohol, this will mean you will need to drink even more water as they are diuretics.
How Much Water Should We Drink?
Victorian guidelines recommend that the adult female should consume 2.1 litres (around 8 cups) and males 2.6 litres ( around 10 cups ) of water daily. For further information on this check out this website: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/water-a-vital-nutrient
Water Post Treatment
Water aides in musculoskeletal recovery post treatment. Below is a quick summary of some of the benefits of drinking water from an Osteopathic point of view:
Lubrication of the joints.
It delivers oxygen and nutrients throughout the body (aiding in recovery).
Helps maintain health and integrity of all the cells in our bodies.
Helps eliminate byproducts of the bodies metabolism and help process inflammation factors.
Maintain viscosity (thickness) of our blood to travel through our vessels.
Acts as shock absorption throughout our spinal cord and eyes.
What Does This All Mean?
The benefits of treatment are advanced if you are well hydrated!
The take home message is this, dehydration causes increased inflammation. Osteopathic/Myotherapy treatment does cause some degree of inflammation as we aim to repair your pain, this pain is less intense and subsides sooner if you are well hydrated.
I hope this short blog has quenched that thirst for knowledge about water, remember its a small act and requires minimal effort but has a maximal effect.
Mat Romans Van Schaik
Osteopath
Kardinia Osteopathic Clinic