Category: General News & Updates

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Comprehensive Guide to Hydration

Structured Water

Water and Its Importance

Water is crucial for overall health, serving roles in:

  • Charge: Maintaining the electrochemical balance (charge) within cells by facilitating the movement of ions, supporting membrane function, and ensuring proper hydration. 
  • Transportation: Carrying nutrients and oxygen throughout the body.
  • Temperature Regulation: Helping regulate body temperature through sweating.
  • Detoxification: Flushing waste and toxins from the body via urine and sweat. Structure water (Exclusion Zone water) helps to exclude chemicals that should not be there, thus supporting detoxification.
  • Cellular Function: Supporting cellular activities and maintaining cellular hydration.

Hydration Cycle

Understanding the hydration cycle helps emphasize the importance of balanced water intake:

  • Ingestion: Drinking water and consuming hydrating foods.
  • Excretion: Eliminating water through sweat, urine, and stool.
  • Homeostasis: Maintaining fluid balance to support bodily functions and hydration status.

Signs of Dehydration

Recognizing signs of dehydration helps prompt adequate hydration:

  • Urine Color: Light straw color indicates adequate hydration, while darker yellow or brownish hues signal dehydration.
  • Frequency of Urination: Ideally, urinating every 3 hours during the day indicates sufficient hydration.

How Much Water to Drink Daily

Water is essential for maintaining bodily functions and overall health. Here’s a guideline for daily water intake:

  • General Guideline: Consume approximately one ounce of water per pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, aim to drink about 150 ounces of water per day.

Filtered Water

Filtered water is recommended to ensure purity and taste. Here are some filtered water options:

  • Filters: Under-sink or countertop filters like Aquasana or Pure Water Freedom offer more comprehensive filtration, removing a wider range of contaminants including heavy metals.
  • Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems: These systems provide highly purified water by forcing water through a semipermeable membrane, effectively removing contaminants.

Encouraging Hydration

To encourage hydration, consider these strategies:

  • Enhancing Taste: Infuse water with cucumber, berries, lemon, lime, mint, or enjoy herbal teas.
  • Supplemental Options: Add superfood powders like Vita LF Powder, Camu Camu, or Alkalize C for added nutrients and flavor.
  • Product Recommendations: Use products like ReHydrate, SpectraLyte, BioCell Salts, Kidney Milieu, and Green Light Spagyric for hydration support and electrolyte balance.

Hydrogen Water

Hydrogen water offers potential antioxidant benefits by delivering molecular hydrogen, which may help reduce oxidative stress and support overall cellular health and function and recovery.

Structured Water

Structured water products claim to enhance water’s properties for better hydration. Options include:

  • Structured Water Devices: Devices like water structuring units or vortexing systems can mimic natural processes to enhance water’s structure and improve hydration. Products include: 
    • Analemma Water wand. A wand used to create a vortex by through stirring action. 
    • Somavedic EMF and water structuring device for the home or office. 
  • Natural Spring Water: Water sourced from natural springs possesses a structured and energetically enhanced quality.

Electrolytes

Electrolytes are minerals essential for hydration and bodily functions. They include sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, phosphate, and bicarbonate. Electrolytes help maintain fluid balance, nerve function, and muscle contractions. Options to replenish electrolytes include:

  • Electrolyte Supplements: Powders, tablets, or drops that provide balanced electrolytes to support hydration, especially after intense exercise or in hot weather. Adding ½ tsp of Celtic Salt or Redmond’s Salt are a great way to replenish electrolytes.
  • Natural Sources: Plasma Water, fruit, Coconut water, bananas, leafy greens, and nuts are natural sources of electrolytes.

Hydration plays a vital role in maintaining overall health and well-being. By understanding water’s importance, choosing the right types of water products, replenishing electrolytes, and encouraging adequate intake, individuals can support optimal hydration levels and enhance their overall vitality.

Pure Water Freedom
SpectraLyte
Hydrogen Water
Somavedic
Quinton Isotonic
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A Protocol for Vaccine Injury/Recovery and COVID “Long-Haulers”

Updated from FLCCC. Frontline COVID19 Critical Care Alliance. Download I-RECOVER summary here and the full protocol here. 

“FLCCC’s goal is to educate healthcare providers and empower patients with the tools and resources they need to take control of their own health.”

This document was created to provide medical-grade sourcing and ease of ordering for supplements and devices recommended in the ”I-Recover” per the FLCCC protocols.

First-Line Therapies

  • Intermittent daily fasting or periodic daily fasts.
  • Moderating physical activity.
  • Sunlight and Photobiomodulation. (Use code PURIST for 10% off).
  • Ivermectin; 0.2-0.3 mg/kg daily. (Requires a prescription)
  • Low-dose naltrexone (LDN); 1- 4.5 mg daily. (Requires a prescription)
  • Nattokinase 100-200 mg (2000- 4000 Fibrinolytic Units) twice daily. 
  • Melatonin; 2-6 mg slow release/extended release prior to bedtime
  • Magnesium; 100-400 mg daily
  • Resveratrol; 400-500 mg daily
  • Probiotics/prebiotics
  • Methylene blue; 10-30 mg daily
First Line Supplements

Second-Line/Adjunctive Therapies 

(Listed in order of importance) 

  • Vitamin D (4000-5000 units/day) and Vitamin K2 (100 mcg/day)
  • Omega-3 fatty acids; we suggest a combination of EPA/DHA with an initial dose of 1 g/day (combined EPA and DHA) and increasing up to 4 g/day (of the active omega-3 fatty acids)
  • N-acetyl cysteine (NAC); 600-1500 mg/day
  • Cardio Miracle™ and L-arginine/L-citrulline supplements 
  • Nigella sativa; 200-500 mg encapsulated oil twice daily
  • Sildenafil with or without L-arginineL-Citrulline. (Sildenafil requires a prescription).
  • Bromelain 500 mg twice daily +/- N Acetyl cysteine (NAC)
  • Vitamin C; 1000 mg orally two to three times a day
  • Spermidine; 1000-2000 mg (wheat germ extract) daily
  • Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) 
  • Intravenous Vitamin C; 25 g weekly, together with oral Vitamin C 1000 mg (1 gram) 2-3 times per day 
  • Behavioral modification, relaxation therapy, mindfulness therapy, and psychological support
Second-Line Supplements

Complete Supplement List of First & Second Line Supplements

All Supplements

Third Line Therapies

  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
  • Low Magnitude Mechanical Stimulation (LMMS or Whole-Body Vibration)
  • “Mitochondrial energy optimizer” Cardio Miracle™
  • Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ); 200 mg twice daily for 1-2 weeks, then reduce as tolerated to 200 mg/day. (Requires a prescription).
  • Low dose corticosteroid; 10- 15 mg/day prednisone for 3 weeks. Taper to 10 mg/day and then 5 mg/day, as tolerated. (Requires a prescription).

Disclaimer: This information is not intended to serve as a substitute for diagnosis, treatment, or advice from a qualified, licensed medical professional. The facts presented are offered as information — not medical advice. Any treatment protocol should be discussed with a trusted, licensed medical professional. Never stop or change medications without consulting your healthcare provider. Some embedded links are affiliate links for which Purist Natural Medicine may receive a profit.

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Athletes and Altitude

Altitude

A Naturopathic approach to preventing adverse symptoms during endurance competition at elevation.

Altitude can have an impact on the overall well-being and performance. Higher elevations mean lower oxygen concentrations in the atmosphere. Athletes who are not yet adapted to the change in lower oxygen concentrations could present with symptoms such as headache, nausea, insomnia, light-headedness, brain fog, anorexia and more seriously, altitude sickness.

Those who live and/or train at high altitude are better adapted to the lower oxygen concentrations. The physiological adaptations that occur when training at altitude are a performance advantage for the endurance athlete. 

For those athletes who are not yet adapted to the higher altitude, below is a list of strategies to mitigate the potential adverse symptoms associated with competing at high altitude.

Gradual Ascent

The best strategy to prevent high altitude sickness is a gradual ascent to promote acclimatization. Once above 2500m (8,202ft), the altitude at which one sleeps should not be increased by more than 600m (1,968ft) in 24 hrs. and then an extra day should be added for the acclimatization for every increase of 600m to 1200m (3,937ft) in this altitude. For purposes of competing in Mammoth, CA (7,900 ft), it may be a good strategy to find accommodation in Bishop, CA, approximately a 45 minute drive at lower altitude.

The best strategy to prevent high altitude sickness is a gradual ascent to promote acclimatization. Once above 2500m (8,202ft), the altitude at which one sleeps should not be increased by more than 600m (1,968ft) in 24 hrs. and then an extra day should be added for the acclimatization for every increase of 600m to 1200m (3,937ft) in this altitude. For purposes of competing in Mammoth, CA (7,900 ft), it may be a good strategy to find accommodation in Bishop, CA, approximately a 45 minute drive at lower altitude.

Training Technologies: Oxygen and Hydrogen

 

Exercise With Oxygen Therapy

Training strategies such as intentionally lowering oxygen concentrations will allow the body to adapt to the higher altitude by signaling the kidneys to produce a hormone called erythropoietin. This may be accomplished by training at elevation and sleeping in lower elevations. If one does not have access to training at elevation, it is possible to mimic the training at altitude with technologies such as the EWOT. 

EWOT stands for Exercise With Oxygen Therapy.  It is an oxygen device which connects to your breath and acts on the body’s physiology by alternating between oxygen-rich gas (~95% oxygen) to a lower concentration oxygen gas. This is similar to exercising at an altitude of 12,000 feet (~13% oxygen). By alternating between high and low oxygen concentrations, you’re able to simulate a high-altitude workout in short bursts (30 seconds).

Exercise with Oxygen Therapy

H2 Hydrogen Inhalation and Drinking System

Molecular hydrogen has been shown to achieve a number of important benefits. It can improve athletic performance because, via passive diffusion, it quickly reaches subcellular compartments and helps protect proteins, RNA, DNA, mitochondria and cell membranes from damage.

Molecular hydrogen

Herbal Support

 

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo Biloba has been used prophylactically to prevent headaches at altitude. The mechanism of action is unknown. It may block inducible nitric oxide; an antioxidant oxygen radical scavenger; may block platelet-activating factor. Gingko Biloba must be used in caution in pregnant women and individuals on antithrombotic agents.* Studies show, “Ginkgo biloba prevented acute mountain sickness during a gradual ascent to 5000 m and reduced both the symptoms and the incidence of acute mountain sickness by 50 percent during an abrupt ascent to 4100 m.”

When taken prophylactically, 4-5 days before the event, likelihood of headache will decrease.

Gingko Biloba

Cordyceps

Cordyceps has been traditionally used in Asia for strenuous, high altitude activities and as an immune tonic. Additionally it is known for its antioxidant support, DNA-protecting properties, and lung-supporting effects, Cordyceps also supports an engaged and balanced immune response. Cordyceps supports energy, stamina and endurance, promotes healthy respiration, kidney function, brain health with aging and more. Dosing for high altitude varies. Some individuals may start 1 month prior to their high-altitude event at around 2000mg  three times per day. 

Cordyceps

References:

Hackett. “High-Altitude Illness.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 198, no. 1, 1928, pp. 50–50, https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm192802231980115.

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Medical Disclaimer: Information provided in this blog is for informational purposes only. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional, or any information contained on or in any product. Do not use the information provided in this blog for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or other supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this blog post. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.