More than 663 million people around the world lack access to clean drinking water. The problem is underestimated, systemic — and the consequences of dehydration can be dire. Even with access to clean water, 75 percent of the American population is in a chronic state of dehydration.
We just don’t talk about it or take it seriously. While Hillary Clinton’s health problems have brought it to the forefront, the issue of staying hydrated is far more complicated and important than many people realize.
“Frankly, [water] can solve or alleviate a lot of the problems we experience on a daily basis if people just recognize it,” said one doctor.
One young man, Dustin Freckleton, M.D., from Austin, Texas, has a story to tell.
“I was 24 years old, I had no predisposing condition, I was super healthy and I exercised all the time,” said Freckleton.
In his first year of medical school, Freckleton said he was studying extra hard for exams — 16 hours a day, a lot of bad posture, hunched over big books with small fonts. So when he woke one morning with an excruciating headache, he didn’t think much of it. But standing in the bathroom that morning looking in the mirror, he noticed that his left ankle had internally rotated and he was standing on the side of his foot.
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“With some difficulty, I straightened it back out. Then almost suddenly, I felt the strength drain out of the left side of my body. I fell to the ground and for the next several weeks I was completely paralyzed on that left side,” said Freckleton.
He had suffered a stroke — at just 24 years of age.
[lz_bulleted_list title=”Dehydration Prevention” source=”http://www.webmd.org”]Avoid high-protein diets|Limit alcohol and caffeine consumption|Do not take salt tablets|Stop exercising if dizzy, lightheaded|Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing in heat|Hydrate before, during, and after a workout[/lz_bulleted_list]
After a battery of tests, he learned the episode was due to an acute case of severe dehydration. It took Freckleton months to learn how to walk again and regain the use of everything on his left side — and he has since made a full recovery. But he knows he’s one of the lucky ones.
“Looking back now, I know how fortunate [I was], but it was a paradigm shift for me. I no longer had that passion for orthopaedic surgery. I now had an obsession with why my body didn’t warn me I was in a compromised state and why I didn’t avoid that in the first place. I wanted to know what type of technology existed that could help me avoid a repeat case — and help the rest of us who are suffering chronically from dehydration.”
Freckleton this week is launching the second in a new product line of what he says are medical grade fitness trackers that measure a person’s real-time hydration levels. The latest product, called LVL (Level), is being pre-sold on Kickstarter Wednesday. The trackers are expected to hit the market next spring.
“Hydration is such an important aspect of our well-being, of our physical makeup, and frankly it can solve or alleviate a lot of the problems we experience on a daily basis if people just recognize it. But it seems that remedy is too simple — people feel like it needs to be more complex. They think they need coffee, or their Red Bull, or expensive routines, especially before bedtime to get better sleep. Frequently it’s just the body saying, ‘You’re not giving me what I need’ — and so often that’s water.”
Proper hydration has been proven to help people sleep better, think more clearly, function better physically, have healthier skin, and maintain a healthier weight and appetite level. Signs of dehydration include confusion, light-headedness, and passing out. Other warning signs include dark urine and a lack of tears from the eyes.
“When you look at national spending on things like eating better, getting your servings of fruits and vegetables, avoiding fats and sugars — huge amounts of money in education go into that. But the amount of education that goes into proper hydration is almost nonexistent and in my opinion that’s a tragedy,” said Freckleton.
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Water is responsible for regulating body temperature, enabling blood flow, insulating organs, muscles, the skeleton and brain, and flushing toxins from the body, among other things. When even 1 percent is lost, we can feel physically and mentally exhausted. Low levels of hydration also mean our bodies struggle to perform the most basic of functions.
Freckleton hopes the technology he’s been able to develop “measures the right things at the right time so that we can do something about it when it counts.”
“So much of our time is spent trying to figure out how do I ‘life hack’ this opportunity or that opportunity to improve my physical and mental well-being. We turn to external things — stimulants or habits or things — when hydration really is the foundation for healthy living.”
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