So Thirsty, It Hurts???

Dehydration has been found to be a leading contributor to muscle pain, particularly back pain.  With summer looming for those of us in the northern hemisphere, this means the threat of dehydration, and increased muscle pain, is hot on its heels. 

Why worry?  Let’s look at the effects of dehydration and why it's important to stay hydrated.

Some of the chronic symptoms of dehydration include:

Muscle pain and back spasms- think of this as localized thirst.  The cause may be because of the body’s increased production of histamine during a dehydrated state.  This chemical is responsible for directing the body’s water supply to its destination.  In the process, it triggers inflammation, pain, and allergic tendencies.

Stress and depression- During a state of dehydration, the body produces less serotonin in the brain.  This makes us sad.  Very sad.  And depression is a main contributor to chronic pain.

Insomnia- Along with reduced serotonin, the body also produces less melatonin during its dehydrated state.  Melatonin is the main chemical responsible for a good night’s rest.  As you probably have already guessed, lack of sleep contributes greatly to depression, leading to increased muscle pain!

Constipation- Dehydration is a common contributor to constipation.  Did you know that in addition to the general discomfort constipation causes, that it has also been found to be one of the prime contributors to sciatic pain?

Weight gain- Oh, this one got your attention, didn’t it?  Yes, failing to drink enough liquids every day can greatly contribute to both increased body weight and diabetes.  Higher body weight can mean increased health risks, depression, lessened physical activity and even more dehydration!  Keep in mind that there is quite often a direct link between piriformis syndrome/sciatic pain and being overweight.

Decreased mental acuity- This means when we’re dehydrated, we aren’t able to think clearly.  Just a small amount of dehydration inhibits our word-recall ability; that “oh, I can’t think of the word for some reason!” thing that bugs you so much when it happens. On top of that, with just a little more dehydration, your math skills become negatively affected.

With all of these reasons supporting why dehydration is a big deal and something to be avoided, it's important to understand how to determine if we are dehydrated?

Some quick indicators are dry mouth, weakness and fatigue, lightheadedness, dark urine, and asthma-like symptoms.  Keep in mind, if you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.  And as we age, our ability to perceive thirst diminishes - that thirst is often interpreted instead as hunger.

So how much water should we drink every day to prevent dehydration?

First, let’s clarify what we mean by water.  The common belief is that you must drink only plain water to stay properly hydrated.  Not so, according to the Mayo Clinic and several other sources.  Your water requirements can be met from a variety of sources.  Even a daily balanced diet contributes up to 20 percent of your body’s fluid requirements.

The general rule is that the source of your water should be caffeine free, calorie free and alcohol free.  However, these are not hard-fast rules. Juice can help us stay hydrated.  And coffee and tea can contribute to hydration in smaller amounts, although beware that caffeine is a diuretic and causes your body to get rid of its water faster.  If you’re unsure, it’s always safe to stick with the general rule.

The big question now, is how much water should we drink?

Everyone has heard the advice “Drink 8 eight-ounce glasses of water per day”.  Many of us fail to follow that advice and drink less.  Experts, however, seem to agree that even that advice comes up short; making many of us even more dehydrated than we thought!

The amount of water we need is actually determined by a variety of factors: body weight, climate, and physical activity level.

For those who are physically inactive: Drink 40-50% of your body weight in ounces of water per day.  The more a person weighs, the more water their body requires.  The reason is that the body is 60-75% water!

For those who are physically active: Drink 75% of your body weight in ounces of water per day.  Fluid loss due to sweating can be significant during prolonged or strenuous activity.  That loss must be compensated for.

For those living in hot climates:  Add an additional 16 oz of water per day to the above recommendations.  Higher temperatures in the environment create higher levels of fluid loss.

So be sure to include 'keeping hydrated' on your list of health priorities:  Exercise, stretch (especially with the Piri-Stretcher® from Miracle Stretch®), drink water, eat right, and get those 8 hours of sleep at night for a healthier, happier, pain-free life.

Purses and Lower Back Pain

Can carrying a purse cause low back pain?

Absolutely.  And for those of us who already suffer from Piriformis Syndrome or Sciatica, purse-carrying can agitate our symptoms.  There is good news.  Several minor adjustments can alleviate the side effects of carrying a handbag.

Let’s look at why purses are causing pain, then we’ll see what can be done about it.

Carrying a purse to one side of the body, on a regular basis throws the body into a state of unbalance.  Keep in mind that even the slightest amount can build up over time to result in some of the chronic pain we experience.  So it may not be something we notice immediately.
How does it do this?

1. It throws off our natural gait. This means that the body doesn’t move the way it was designed when we walk.  We are forced to lean to one side (even if slightly), arms do not swing properly, hips rotate in an irregular motion, and knees move in an irregular arc.

2. Our body is forced to compensate for the off-centered load.  Besides irregular motion, the back twists and leans, the neck cranes to one side, muscles tense and strain.  This can lead to chronic muscle and tendon inflammation.

3. Irregular gait and overcompensation results in asymmetric muscles.  Just like a bodybuilder who only does curls with one arm, the muscles on the compensating side of the body grow larger that the muscles on the other side.  This increases irregular gait and overcompensation, even when the purse has been left behind.  Unbalance results in more inflammation, stiff muscles, nerve pain and even chronic headaches.

These painful side effects are particularly noticed in the lower back, hip joints, gluteal muscles and the sacrum.

And now for the good news.

These side effects can be avoided with only a few minor adjustments!

1. Carry no more than 5 percent of your body weight.  Yes, this means putting your purse on the bathroom scale.  Lock the door.  No one will see; no one will laugh.  This weight is generally accepted to be a reasonable weight to carry for longer periods of time.


2. Choose a small bag.  There are several reasons for this.  One is that it self regulates the amount of weight you can carry.  The second is that it is less likely to significantly bump against you, throwing off your gait.


3. Choose a purse that allows you to swing your arms and legs naturally, encouraging the natural gait of your body.  If possible, carry your purse in the center of your body. Fashion statements aside, there is much to be said for back packs and fanny packs.


4. Go with a wide strap.  This distributes the weight of the bag more evenly across your shoulders.


5. Exercise and stretch regularly (especially with the Piri-Stretcher® from Miracle Stretch®).  The benefits of these cannot be stressed enough; they help fight inflammation, reduce soreness, and aid in offsetting muscle asymmetry.

The cause of the pain we experience isn’t always easy to identify.  Keep an open mind and consider all possibilities.  Once we identify the source, the cure becomes much easier.

Talking Your Way to a Better Life

“I’m my own worst enemy.”  How many times have you used that expression?  Now, how many times have you said, “I’m my own best friend”?  So many times we become our own worst enemies purely through how we talk to ourselves.  We frequently “speak things into existence” when it comes to our own successes or failures.

The power of positive thinking has been touted commercially for years.  The power of positive self-talk is instrumental in forming our thinking.   Everyone knows the pleasure of encouragement and praise.  Frequently this will inspire us onward to greater things.  But did you know that we need this same encouragement and praise from ourselves as well? 

This may seem silly at first.  But watch closely as a superior athlete prepares to perform.  Watch their lips move as they hype themselves up, telling themselves how capable and even great that they are.  The idea of positive self-talk isn’t silly to them!  They use it like a sling-shot to propel themselves forward to greatness.  The great scientists, explorers, inventors and rulers of the world all had this in common: they told themselves that they could do whatever they set their minds to.

The other side of this is the power of negative self-talk.  This doesn’t get talked about as much.  But it is just as important.  If you tell yourself that you can’t, you probably can’t.  Your own words to yourself become self-fulfilling prophecies.  “I’m not good enough”, “I’m not smart enough”… These are words with which we condemn ourselves to failure.

So, how does this relate to those of us who suffer from pain?  Depression is one of the most common side-effects of chronic pain.  And this depression has been shown to actually increase the intensity of pain.  Three of the main contributors to this type of depression are:

1.      Reduced physical activity

2.      Sleeplessness

3.      Negative thinking

And the truth is that those three things are very closely tied to each other.  Each one gives rise to the other, and then they feed off of each other.

The good news is that they can also be treated together.  Increasing physical activity makes us feel better about ourselves, and helps us to sleep at night.  Sleeping well makes our thoughts more lucid and enables us to do more.  And thinking positive can propel us into activity, and reduces our stress levels so we rest better at night.

So be good to yourself.  Give yourself enough time to get 8 hours of rest.  Go out and exercise; even if you’re limited in the type that you can do, the smallest amount of activity can make us feel better.  (That includes stretching every day with the Piri-Stretcher® by Miracle Stretch®)

And talk to yourself! Tell yourself about the things you're good at. Don't say "I can't", say "I can". And if you fail, praise yourself for having done your best! Never put yourself down, to yourself or to others. You are the only you, and we're lucky to have you.