We have been told for years to hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate ourselves some more, and yet some of us just haven’t gotten to where we need to be while drinking what seems like endless amounts of water. How critical is hydration for our health? In this week’s issue of the Medical Underground, we are going to take a “deep dive” into water (no pun intended).
How Much Water Should I Drink?
First of all, let me tell you unequivocally that most adults are under hydrated or chronically dehydrated. The problem worsens as we age, simply because our normal thirst mechanism (our trigger to drink water) declines with age.
Old folks are almost never thirsty. Consequently, most elderly patients of mine come in every visit dehydrated, not enough to land them in the hospital, but enough to impact their renal (kidney) function.
Even when I tell them constantly to increase their water intake, rarely do they drink enough to make a positive clinical impact. They always are confused as to what exactly is en…
