the healing benefits of hydration
Fairy chugmother. Ounceluencer. Hydravangelist.
These are all titles that I wear with pride because there is, quite literally, few things that I am as passionate about as water. Drinking it. Advocating for it. Learning about it. Dipping into it. If there’s water involved, sign me up. For the past decade I’ve been putting around 100-150 ounces into my body on a daily basis. I could talk about water all day so please invite me out for a cold beer. Or a cold water (or warm. or room temperature. with or without lemon. I’m really not picky).
Being the Official Resident Skeptic around here comes with a lot of responsibility and a lot of cynicism, so imagine my disappointment when I realized that my favorite substance on the planet had a direct and vital connection to the woo?
I recently read a book by Dana Cohen called Quench and it completely challenged my core beliefs surrounding water and hydration. It also introduced me to the woo of water.
Quench is based on the idea that optimum hydration isn’t just about how much water you drink, but also about how much water you absorb. It explains that water can be absorbed more deeply into your body when it’s consumed in the proper form, which the authors identify as the fourth phase of water known as gel water (for more about this entire idea, read this and listen to this).
75 percent of us live with chronic mild hydration.
Page after the page the book *blew my mind*. I knew water was important (I regularly credit it with saving and changing my life), but I didn’t have a very in-depth understanding of the science surrounding hydration, how drastically chronic mild dehydration (which 75% of us live with!) really effects us, or the ways being hydrated really can impact us beyond just our physical health.
One of my favorite sections of the book explains the fascial system and its role in our body. This is a gossamer-like tissue similar to saran wrap found throughout body, miles and miles of it! It serves as an irrigation system for the body, and also a communications system. This fascial tissue isn’t only how our body distributes the water we drink to all the parts of our body that need it, it’s also the way our brain transmits electric messages to the rest of our big sack of meat. Fascinating, isn’t it?
And then, just when I thought my head was about to explode, the authors doubled-down and told me that this hydrated, water-loving, slip-n-slide system of fascia is also the reason why so many holistic practices actually work.
Massage.
Acupuncture.
Sound baths.
Tapping.
Face rolling.
Gua sha.
Breathwork.
Dry brushing.
Weighted blankets.
A hug (the OG of woo).
These practices connect directly to that information super-highway called the fascial system. And, the more hydrated this jumbled pile of saran wrap is, the more positive effects you’ll experience after that sound bath, acupuncture appointment, or pre-shower date with a dry brush. It’s also why so many practitioners will tell you to drink water before and after almost all of these services (no more post-massage wine!)
Never again will I pay good money for an energy healing session without being hydrated AF.
Even less physical practices, such as meditation, mindfulness, crystals (for god’s sake!) are connected to hydration. I mean…it shouldn’t surprise us that our brains work better when they’re not dehydrated but honestly, if the anointed queen of water hasn’t thought about this before there’s a good chance that you haven’t either.
And so, perhaps this is it. Perhaps water is my gateway drug to the full-blown world of woo? Time will tell, but the one thing I know for sure is that I’ll never pay good money for an energy healing session without being hydrated AF.
Is your curiosity peaked? I can’t recommend reading (or listening to) Quench enough. I would literally drop copies of it from a helicopter if it wouldn’t potentially kill people. For an abridged version, you can check out the podcast episode I created to help summarize some of the book’s most valuable information.
Gotta go fill up my water cup.
