Are you dehydrated despite fluid intake?

[Hopeful2]

My naturopathic doctor has diagnosed me with adrenal fatigue. This makes sense as I have been under various stressors over the past five years. I have incidentally also suffered from dry mouth (difficulty swallowing capsules, dry lips) and possibly dry eyes (I say this because I never noticed they were dry till after my surgery).

This diagnosis sent me on a google frenzy. I wanted to know what I could do to improve my adrenal function, as I firmly believed that helping my adrenals would help with my dry eyes.

One of the key facts that I learned was that you can be consuming tons of fluids and still be dehydrated. In fact, consuming too much fluid can be flushing out the much needed electrolytes. Your cells need an adequate amount of sodium chloride (salt) to function effectively. If there is insufficient salt, fluid is excreted from the body.

So . . . I started an experiment. For the past week, I have been consuming 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of Himalayan salt ( sea salt works well too, but stay away from table salt). I added the salt to a cup of warm water which I drank in the morning. Within three days I noticed that my lips were much less dry, as was my skin on my lower legs. By the fourth day I was certain that my eyes were less dry as well. I really do feel that my eyes are much more comfortable. I have been swallowing pills without a choking sensation.

I saw my naturopath at the end of my first week into the salt experiment. I told her I was worried that all the salt I was taking would increase my blood pressure. After examining me, she said my blood pressure had actually decreased from the previous month! Apparently, sea salt (and Himalyan salt) do not have the same negative effect on blood pressure as does table salt. The natural salts have lots of trace minerals which are essential to health. Balance of the electrolytes is key. This could be why some people have found some relief in consuming coconut water, a naturally balanced electrolyte drink.

For me, supplementing with Himalayan salt seems to make a difference. I don't know if it will make a difference for you. . . everyone is unique. If you think that adrenal fatigue might be something that you are suffering from, it might be helpful to try taking a 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt in the a.m. Taking it at night might be too energizing and interfere with your sleep.

I am including a couple of links which might be of interest:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/37...renal-fatigue/
http://www.drlam.com/articles/adrena...d_pressure.asp
http://www.drrind.com/therapies/metabolic-therapy

[blueberry]

Hi Hopeful,

Good news about your experiment. Do you only use Himalayan or sea salt for the water drink you describe, or do you incorporate it into your diet too? I use sea salt in my food, so I'm not sure adding more into water would help, but your experience with this makes me curious. Might give it a try.

[Hopeful2]

So far I have just been adding about 1/4 teaspoon to a morning drink. Although, yesterday, I read that it is a good idea to sip at the salt drink throughout the day. I find the salt really makes everything feel more moist.

I want to add that I think it is just one element in getting healthy. Vitamins, especially C and B, along with fish oils, antioxidants, digestive enzymes, and tumeric continue to be an important part of my healing routine.

Hope the salt helps you to feel better hydrated!

[shanku]

Hopeful2, I am experiencing dry mouth and feel always thirsty and was consuming plain water/green/black tea etc. ; sometime back I posted this thread:

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...ion&highlight=

I mentioned this to my docs abut no one did anything about it in the past. So, I suspected may be Sjogren's is playing a role here; so, on advise of my Rheumatologist I did above biopsy which showed salivary gland inflammation but no confirmation of Sjogren's. Some docs suggested me to try Evoxac but so far have not tried it.

Now, recently a doctor diagnosed me with blood tests that I am running electrolyte imbalance(low Sodium) as a result of so much fluid intake. So, I also was recently advised to increase my salt intake. I was using Table salt so far. Thanks for your tip on using the sea salt. I have not noticed any relief with my dry eye with that yet. But that reduced my general body/muscle aches. I am also concerned about its impact on blood pressure and may have to keep a tab on that.

[dijon84]

Thanks for this. Yes, I get a dry mouth but I don't think it is as severe as what you have described. I think it has been there longer than my eye problems have. I think the increased awareness of symptoms and sensations since getting eye problems has allowed me to identify this. Optometrist mentioned Sjogrens at a previous appointment but I can produce the 'reactive' type of tears eg crying, tearing when peeling onions - so we don't think it is Sjogrens. A doctor has mentioned that to me before - drinking lots of water won't help if mouth is feeling dry. I do drink alot of fluid throughout the day (water and green tea). Think I'll try the sea salt and see how I get on.

[Hopeful2]

shanku, I'm glad to hear that you have had a doctor do some test to confirm electrolyte imbalance. It is interesting that you now have fewer aches and pains. I had been to my GP on at least two occasions, asking him about my dry mouth. He ruled out diabetes and basically attributed it to menopause. At that time, I was not aware of having dry eye. I just knew I wasn't comfortable in contacts. Since I have developed dry eyes, I have had a preliminary blood test for Sjogrens, but it does not show any indication of an inflammatory disease.

I am certain that over the years I have developed an electrolyte imbalance, as I would lose a lot of electrolytes from hot flashes/night sweats. Also, I was fairly active physically and would have lost electrolytes by working out. Also, I used to eat lots of bananas (high in potassium) which would upset the salt balance in the body. Overall my body does feel more moist with the salt drinks; lips less chapped, throat less dry, shins are no longer itchy with dryness, and eyes a little more moist. My guess is that full recovery will be a slow process. . . This electrolyte imbalance stresses the adrenal glands, as does stress. I think that if the adrenal glands can have a chance to recover, then the body will function better overall.

I have read somewhere that sea salt and Himalayan salt do not have the same effect on blood pressure as table salt does . . . but it is worth monitoring it just in case.

[spmcc]

Salt is salt is salt is salt.

Call it whatever you want - table salt, sea salt, kosher salt - they are all the same. NaCl. Na=sodium. Sodium is the main component of salt. In our bodies, increased sodium intake makes the kidneys work harder, puts pressure on the blood vessels, and raises blood pressure.

Most countries in the world are actively trying to lower their population's intake of salt in order to reduce premature death.

Canada already has one of the saltiest palates in the world. For instance, Kellogs All Bran - In the US, it has 0.65g of salt per 100g. In the UK, it has 1.13g of salt per 100g. And in Canada, it has 2.15g of salt per 100g.

IF you think that the trace minerals found in sea salt help you, then maybe focus on increasing those instead of increasing your sodium.

Please be careful about increasing your salt intake. I don't know of many doctors who would say this is a good idea for the average person (i.e., not an elite athlete). Maybe a doctor could chime in here???

[NatashaJ]

Sea salt does contain more than NaCl but both table salt and sea salt or Himalayan salt or "whatever" salt contains the same amount of sodium. The sodium is the bad part that makes your blood pressure go up. But some think sea salt has a stronger flavor which could mean using less of it compared to table salt which would be a good thing. Also sea salt contains trace levels of minerals like magnesium, calcium and other minerals. If you look at sports drinks that contain electrolytes, it's basically more sodium or salt in the drink. So yes, you're body does need electrolytes which you can get from sodium but too much can also be hazardous to your health.

[shanku]

Well, as per my internal medicine doctor who tested me for electrolyte imbalance(low Sodium) using hyponatremia blood test when I complained about stomach upset and muscle aches, suggested that I increase "Sodium" intake to make good the imbalance and one way to do that is by increasing salt intake. Now after that I was looking at supermarket shelves for foods with higher sodium contents - like pretzel, potato chips etc. - exactly opposite of what I have been doing usually. This was to isolate whether this is happening from increased fluid intake or some other issues like changes in kidney function. Now on repeating the same test on 3 occasions after increasing the salt intake, the labs are not yet in normal range. So, that got him concerned and now the doctor suggests me to see a nephrologist. Will keep you posted afterwards what comes up there.

[spmcc]

Good luck, Shanku. I hope it all turns out okay. Please let us know.

[shanku]

Thanks spmcc! Kidney doctor performed a bunch of blood/urine tests and did not see any thing obviously wrong at this point; but suggested me to continue with salt supplementation in diet given high volume of fluid intake and continue monitoring levels periodically.