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Doctor's Senior Exercise and Health NewsletterThe monthly Doctor’s Senior Exercise and Health Newsletter is written solely for information to help seniors, baby boomers and anyone else who have an interest in staying healthy, living a vigorous, active lifestyle and combating the aging process. The newsletter also includes know-how in the form of useful tips and links to more extensive material on the Internet. Click here to subscribe or unsubscribe Back Issues
September 1, 2007 Issue Vol. 7 No. 9 In This Newsletter Please Note: We experienced difficulties in sending our Introduction August Newsletter. If you encountered any Healthfully yours difficulties or did not receive the Newsletter, Health Hints you may request a copy by emailing:: doc1@gate.net with August Newsletter in the Introduction*** subject line! The Doctor’s Senior Exercise & Health Newsletter is written monthly, solely for information to help seniors, baby boomers and anyone who may have an interest in staying healthy, living a vigorous, active lifestyle and combating the aging process. It does not constitute the practice of medicine and is not meant to prescribe treatments. It is offered strictly as an educational aid. Any medical problems you may have, we recommend that you seek the help of your physician or other healthcare professional. Discussing your intentions with your doctor is always the proper procedure. The newsletter also includes know-how in the form of useful tips and links to more extensive material on the Internet. You may wish to share this newsletter by sending a copy to a friend, neighbor or relative and suggesting they subscribe to it. This newsletter is scanned for viruses and is virus-free before it is sent to recipients!Website: http://www.doctorsexercise.com How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe: Send your email address with subscribe or unsubscribe to e-mail address below: E-Mail address: doc1@gate.net Healthfully Yours*** We’re Having A Heat Wave This is turning out to be one of the hottest summers on record, and many states have been forced to issue excessive heat warnings because of sustained heats of over 100 degrees that have lasted for five days or more. It is not only affecting our country, but it is happening globally. Many scientists argue that this record heat is due to global warming. The purpose of this newsletter is not to agree or disagree with this theory, but how this heat will affect us. The body is composed of 60 percent fluids of your total body weight and 70 percent of your muscles and therefore, the subject of hydration is an important one, and one which we will address in this Newsletter. Coping with record temperatures can pose serious problems to us all, especially young children and the elderly, because they are at greater risk. This risk is the loss of bodily fluids and the higher the temperature and the greater the activity, the greater the fluid loss will be. The cells of the body undergo an action called osmosis. It is this action that determines the hydrating affect that undergoes in our body. When water moves into the cells it known as “osmotic gradient”. This osmotic gradient depends greatly on the type of fluid that is ingested. Many fluids, other than water contains dissolved solids, such as sugar, electrolytes and other solids. These solids in the liquid interfere with the osmotic action and the cells will not be receiving the necessary water that hydrates the body. Simply put, these dissolved solids (solutes) cannot be drawn or pushed into the cell through its membrane (osmosis) as readily as plain water. I have written about the importance of hydration in an article and a previous Newsletter dated 5/9/04, and both can be found at: www.doctorsexercise.com . The amount of hydration the body needs will depend greatly on several factors, such as, the amount of heat and the energy being expended. Therefore, it stands to reason, that if you are exercising vigorously or working hard outdoors in the heat of the day, and you are sweating profusely, you will need more hydration. Electrolytes are an important factor in bodily functions and how the cells function and create energy. These electrolytes are, sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride and calcium. Amino acids, bicarbonate and protein also play a part in maintaining the necessary balance inside and outside the cells. Salt maintains the water balance outside the cells, while potassium, magnesium and calcium maintain the water volume inside the cells. The electrolyte that is lost while sweating profusely and urination is sodium chloride (salt). The body maintains a core temperature of 36 to 38 degrees C. This is a narrow band to stay within and if there is an increase in the core temperature of the body, there are a variety of symptoms that develop when these electrolytes are depleted. Not everyone perspires exactly the same, so you need to be aware of what your body is telling you. You should be aware of these symptoms when exercising vigorously, working outdoors in the sun, or just being outside in the sun. Ignoring these warning symptoms can result in heat exhaustion, heatstroke, stroke or even heart failure, so you need to be aware of the following: 1. You may start to get a headache. 2. You will start to feel thirsty. 3. You start feeling nauseous. 4. You may start feeling dizzy 5. You may start to sweat profusely. 6. Your skin may start to feel clammy. 7. You may feel chilly and start to shake. 8. Your heart may start to race. 9. You may start getting muscle or stomach cramps. The time of day you engage in vigorous activities is extremely important, as the greatest risks will occur during the middle daylight hours when the sun is at its highest peak. If you are engaging in sports or working at your job, drinking enough water is a must. Drinking sodas or any of the sugary drinks will only tend to cause dehydration at a much quicker pace. A drink such as Gatorade can help replenish electrolytes, but should not be drunk exclusively. Water should be the fluid of choice. Drinking enough water will provide many other benefits. Some of these benefits are: 1. Water nourishes the skin, the largest organ of our body. 2. Helps in food digestion and aides in the absorption of nutrients from these foods. 3. Helps in the prevention of constipation by keeping the stools softer. 4. Water flushes the kidneys and prevents the formation of kidney stones by diluting the calcific deposits. 5. Water will also dilute many of the acids that can cause gout. 6. Water will also prevent muscles from cramping. 7. Water helps in alleviating dryness of the mouth, eyes and mucous membranes. 8. Water will help in balancing the body electrolytes. 9. Water helps regulate the body’s thermostat and will keep its core temperature within normal limits. 10. Mixing 8 ounces of cranberry juice and 8 ounces of water can help prevent urinary infections such as recurring cystitis. The importance of keeping our body hydrated at all times is paramount at all times, and even more so during these extremely hot temperatures we are experiencing at this time. Read more on how we can protect ourselves on the health hints below. Health Hints***
The message that we are conveying here is the extreme importance of hydration. Keeping the body well hydrated is a must at all times; especially in these record heats we are experiencing. Doc Cane
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