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Water the only cure
- Thread starter fjack1415
- Start date
Snowdrop
Rebel without a biscuit
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I think that happens to everyone when they drink on a very empty stomach.
MeSci
ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
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- Cornwall, UK
I am sure that a lot of middle-aged and elderly people are dehydrated as a result of the questionable practice of prescribing diuretics.
MeSci
ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
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- Cornwall, UK
There are several people on here who say that intravenous saline has completely abolished their symptoms - temporarily. I think that dehydration and electrolyte deficiency are common in ME, but they are not the cause.
When I had low sodim, I actually made it worse as the previous weeks I upped my water intaker. This was not the prime reason I had the low sodium levels, so best to contact a medical professional about this.
Almost forgot, I was also drinking a lot of tea which can act like a diuretic.
Good luck.
Barb
Almost forgot, I was also drinking a lot of tea which can act like a diuretic.
Good luck.
Barb
CFS_for_19_years
Hoarder of biscuits
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I find I can drink more water if it's got other stuff in it like salt and sugar, i.e., Vitalyte. It doesn't sit in my stomach, it gets absorbed. See my post about Vitalyte here:
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...e-on-me-cfs-symptoms.33507/page-2#post-518417
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...e-on-me-cfs-symptoms.33507/page-2#post-518417
Probably not the cause of this illness but dehydration would be a stressor. Seems possible that it could contribute to a flare-up in symptoms. I think that reducing stressors (physical stress and mental stress) can help reduce symptoms.
Little Bluestem
All Good Things Must Come to an End
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- 4,930
It doesn't sound at all idiotic to me. I developed the same thing when I decided to drink 8 glasses of water/day about a decade ago. I kept it up well more than a few days. When I could barely get the water down, I decided that it could not be good for me.
I have since read that the percent of potassium (K) in the blood needs to be in a very narrow range. If there is not enough K, the kidneys remove water to get the percentage up to where it should be. Every time you urinate, you loses some K. This causes the kidneys to remove more water, which causes more K loss ... vicious cycle.
Removing water from the blood lowers the blood volume. This might be what caused your headache.
You can make inexpensive electrolyte solution by buying powdered magnesium and potassium. Mix them in water with some salt. I like to add some taurine powder. You could check the label of the electrolyte drink you use to get the amounts of minerals to add.
@acouchy, love the avatar!
A long post.
A few years ago, I faced problems when drinking water. I used to get a number of weird reactions and it really worried me. I thought I had developed an intolerance to water!
My research led me to the watercure.com site and on to some coaches who introduced me to the watercure protocol. I have been following it since then. It did not cure ME but it has made a significant difference to a number of related health issues that I faced. There were some elements of the protocol that were not suitable for me so I adapted it to fit my needs. I will summarise the treatment and my observations here.
The negative reactions I got while drinking water were not because of the water by itself but because it was resulting in an imbalance in the body due to other deficiencies.
As a general rule, drink water in context to your body weight.
(Use these formulas to calculate how much water you should drink per day.
In kilos: Multiply your body weight in kilos by 0.033 (e.g. If you weigh 60kg x 0.033 = 1.98 litres per day).
In pounds: Half your body weight in ounces (e.g., If you weigh 120 pounds, you should drink 60 ounces of water per day)
Divide this quantity of water through the day. So, if you need to drink 8 glasses of water a day, you could have 1 glass per session.
You need to hold the water in your body for around 2 hours. This is the time the body needs to be able to use the water for its needs. If you don’t hold the water for that long, the water is just passing in and out of the body and not giving the body what it needs. It also flushes from the body the other electrolytes, vitamins and minerals.
With the water you drink, you also need to include sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, other necessary vitamins and supplements, so that you are replacing in the body whatever is getting flushed out with the water.
Here’s how to follow the protocol.
* Drink the water that you have worked out as necessary for your body. Put some salt (use good quality sea salt like Celtic salt as this will provide your body with other minerals too) on your tongue and drink up the water. You need to test how much salt you need – trial and error.
* After 10 -15 minutes eat some food. Include carbohydrate like potato, bread etc. This carb will help to hold the water in your body. Again, while eating, add salt to your food.
Take whatever supplements and minerals you need to take.
* Try to hold the water in your body for 2 hours (at least 1 ½ hrs). If you are not used to holding the water, you may find it difficult in the beginning. Do the best you can. Gradually, you will be able to increase the time.
* After you empty your bladder, go through the process again. This way, you are drinking water every two hours. The salt and the carb will help you hold the water in your body. It will get to be a habit – after you flush water out of the body, you follow up with drinking more water and having some salt.
*Make sure that you are taking in all the necessary supplements as your body needs them – all the vitamins, the minerals, electrolytes.
Potatoes and most fruit and veg are high in potassium. With these foods also include salt to maintain the sodium-potassium balance.
*Your diet needs to include foods that supply the body with the necessary nutrients. Unfortunately, for us, ME causes digestive issues and food intolerances so we have problems with tolerating many foods that are nutritious. Do the best you can.
To detoxify your body:
Foot and body baths using sea salt (this can be an inexpensive salt) and Epsom salts. This works two ways. It provides your body with sodium and magnesium as well as flushes out toxins from the body.
If you are not used to detox baths, begin with foot baths.
Drink water after the bath as the body gets dehydrated.
It is a slow process. At the time I started it, I was so sensitive I was on a very limited diet as I could not tolerate many foods. I still have limitations with food but can tolerate many more foods.
I used to find it difficult to hold water for 2 hours, now I can manage to hold the water in the body for 2 hours even if I don’t follow up with carbs.
It is a constant juggle ensuring the electrolyte balance in the body.
I have just provided the basic aspects of the protocol above. There is a great deal of other related information.
A few years ago, I faced problems when drinking water. I used to get a number of weird reactions and it really worried me. I thought I had developed an intolerance to water!
My research led me to the watercure.com site and on to some coaches who introduced me to the watercure protocol. I have been following it since then. It did not cure ME but it has made a significant difference to a number of related health issues that I faced. There were some elements of the protocol that were not suitable for me so I adapted it to fit my needs. I will summarise the treatment and my observations here.
The negative reactions I got while drinking water were not because of the water by itself but because it was resulting in an imbalance in the body due to other deficiencies.
As a general rule, drink water in context to your body weight.
(Use these formulas to calculate how much water you should drink per day.
In kilos: Multiply your body weight in kilos by 0.033 (e.g. If you weigh 60kg x 0.033 = 1.98 litres per day).
In pounds: Half your body weight in ounces (e.g., If you weigh 120 pounds, you should drink 60 ounces of water per day)
Divide this quantity of water through the day. So, if you need to drink 8 glasses of water a day, you could have 1 glass per session.
You need to hold the water in your body for around 2 hours. This is the time the body needs to be able to use the water for its needs. If you don’t hold the water for that long, the water is just passing in and out of the body and not giving the body what it needs. It also flushes from the body the other electrolytes, vitamins and minerals.
With the water you drink, you also need to include sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, other necessary vitamins and supplements, so that you are replacing in the body whatever is getting flushed out with the water.
Here’s how to follow the protocol.
* Drink the water that you have worked out as necessary for your body. Put some salt (use good quality sea salt like Celtic salt as this will provide your body with other minerals too) on your tongue and drink up the water. You need to test how much salt you need – trial and error.
* After 10 -15 minutes eat some food. Include carbohydrate like potato, bread etc. This carb will help to hold the water in your body. Again, while eating, add salt to your food.
Take whatever supplements and minerals you need to take.
* Try to hold the water in your body for 2 hours (at least 1 ½ hrs). If you are not used to holding the water, you may find it difficult in the beginning. Do the best you can. Gradually, you will be able to increase the time.
* After you empty your bladder, go through the process again. This way, you are drinking water every two hours. The salt and the carb will help you hold the water in your body. It will get to be a habit – after you flush water out of the body, you follow up with drinking more water and having some salt.
*Make sure that you are taking in all the necessary supplements as your body needs them – all the vitamins, the minerals, electrolytes.
Potatoes and most fruit and veg are high in potassium. With these foods also include salt to maintain the sodium-potassium balance.
*Your diet needs to include foods that supply the body with the necessary nutrients. Unfortunately, for us, ME causes digestive issues and food intolerances so we have problems with tolerating many foods that are nutritious. Do the best you can.
To detoxify your body:
Foot and body baths using sea salt (this can be an inexpensive salt) and Epsom salts. This works two ways. It provides your body with sodium and magnesium as well as flushes out toxins from the body.
If you are not used to detox baths, begin with foot baths.
Drink water after the bath as the body gets dehydrated.
It is a slow process. At the time I started it, I was so sensitive I was on a very limited diet as I could not tolerate many foods. I still have limitations with food but can tolerate many more foods.
I used to find it difficult to hold water for 2 hours, now I can manage to hold the water in the body for 2 hours even if I don’t follow up with carbs.
It is a constant juggle ensuring the electrolyte balance in the body.
I have just provided the basic aspects of the protocol above. There is a great deal of other related information.
SOC
Senior Member
- Messages
- 7,849
I question this step. My biology is not superb or recent, but as I recall once liquid is in the bladder it is not being used by the body. It is just being stored until it can be evacuated. Holding "water" in your bladder serves no purpose in terms of "the time the body needs to be able to use the water for its needs".
As I understand it, you need to keep the water in your blood for the appropriate amount of time for necessary bodily functions. This is regulated by certain hormones and not controllable by conscious behavior. If your body doesn't produce those hormones in the right amount at the right time, your kidneys remove too much water from your blood. Holding urine will not help this situation. Medications are available that help with some of those hormone abnormalities.
CFS_for_19_years
Hoarder of biscuits
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- 2,396
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I'm also confused by this. I'm not aware of any mechanism that would allow one to have conscious control of holding the water in one's blood. If we could, we'd never have to pee again. Our bladders would remain empty while we "held" the water in our blood.
Unless your kidneys are not working as well as they should (GFR less than 50), have an underlying metabolic disorder such as diabetes, or you are taking potassium-sparing diuretics, your electrolyte balance is under good control. That would include most of us. Kidneys do a good job of keeping your sodium, potassium and chloride within healthy narrow ranges.
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MeSci
ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
- Messages
- 8,231
- Location
- Cornwall, UK
I agree that one should not 'hold on' once water is in the bladder. The drug desmopressin can reduce urine production, as can some others. It depends on the reason for abnormal urine production.
Sodium/potassium balance also varies between individuals, and can be affected by drugs. For example, IIRC, ACE inhibitors cause sodium excretion and potassium retention, whilst beta blockers cause the opposite.
My potassium has always tested normal-high. It's sodium I seem to have trouble holding on to, and I think I have always had a degree of excessive natriuresis.
Holding too much water in the bladder for too long can be dangerous, as related in this article. I believe it can damage the kidneys as well as the bladder.
I know you have now said that you didn't mean this, @SeaShell, but I think it is important to make it very clear.
I haven't had time to read the carb stuff yet, but it should be stressed that a significant number of us are carb-intolerant. For me, among other things, too much sugar or grain makes my bowels very loose, so it actually increases fluid loss via that route.
Sodium/potassium balance also varies between individuals, and can be affected by drugs. For example, IIRC, ACE inhibitors cause sodium excretion and potassium retention, whilst beta blockers cause the opposite.
My potassium has always tested normal-high. It's sodium I seem to have trouble holding on to, and I think I have always had a degree of excessive natriuresis.
Holding too much water in the bladder for too long can be dangerous, as related in this article. I believe it can damage the kidneys as well as the bladder.
I know you have now said that you didn't mean this, @SeaShell, but I think it is important to make it very clear.
I haven't had time to read the carb stuff yet, but it should be stressed that a significant number of us are carb-intolerant. For me, among other things, too much sugar or grain makes my bowels very loose, so it actually increases fluid loss via that route.
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Hi SeaShell,
How's this protocol working for you now that some time has passed? I assume you were doing this protocol a while prior to this post, so has it been a year? I recognize the logic behind this method and intuitively feel dehydration may be part of my problem. It would seem there's a big difference between simply hydrating and acquiring adequate levels of intra-cellular hydration. So very interested in your observations at this point. I'd like to PM you but don't know how, feel free to PM me if you like. Thanks ....
WoolPippi
Senior Member
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- Netherlands
I would like to know too
, I hope Seashell replies here.Kiwi Jack, I hope you follow your intuition,
I've been drinking lots more water recently to aid my liver, salty water obviously. With cortisol supplementation for my adrenals I'm guessing my intra-cellular levels are getting better too.
You can PM someone by clicking on their name, right here in this thread, and then a small window pops up and you chose "start a conversation". Nobody else will be able to read your conversation