This is a question I get in the office on a regular basis.

 With every patient I treat, I give them the following requirement for water intake:

 You must drink 1 quart (32 ounces) of water for every 50 pounds of body weight per day.

 Sometimes I hear "No problem, I already exceed that!"

 But many times their eyes get that REALLY big, and they say "There's no way I can ever do that!"

You know what?  Up until this past weekend, I didn't think I could ever do that too.

I was at a seminar for Total Body Modification (www.tbmseminars.com)  in Chicago and I was wanting the instructor, Dr. Kevin Millet, to work on me to improve my chronic sinus problem.  I've used Total Body Modification (TBM for short) for over 5 years in my practice with phenomenal results!  Several weeks before the seminar I had asked him to work on me at the seminar and he said he would...and to drink my water requirement for the day...which I KNEW was the 1 quart for 50 pounds of body weight.  I had never drank this much water (6 quarts) per day in any day of my life, so I thought it was IMPOSSIBLE.  Fast forward to this past weekend.  Dr. Millet asks me if I had my water requirement for the day before, and I said no.  Then he asked me about the last few weeks, and I said no.  To my surprise and dismay, he said he wouldn't work on me until I drank my water requirement for at least one day.

 I should not have been surprised.  I also knew that he will not work on any patient in his office until they have drank their water for at least 7 days.  If they do not drink their water, he will refuse to treat them and they can't schedule another appointment until they have had their entire water requirement for seven days in a row.  His very logical question was "Why treat the symptoms of dehydration?". 

 So I went back to my hotel room, pouted and was frustrated for about 15 minutes, and then proceeded to drink my water.  My homework from Dr. Millet was not to go to bed until I have drank all SIX quarts.  I went to bed at 12:30am that night, and I DID IT!

 The next morning I had more energy, and I was very excited to tell him that I drank all my water.  He was, of course, thrilled that I had completed my assignment.  He did work on me, and it did improve my sinuses.

I've been drinking my 6 quarts of water every day since last Saturday.

 So here's how you do it.  You drink 1 quart of water for every 50 pounds of body weight per day. 

For example if you weigh:

147 lbs. - 3 quarts

151 lbs - 4 quarts

220 lbs - 5 quarts

 That's right, even if you weigh only 1 pound over the 50 pound mark, you must drink that ENTIRE extra quart of water. (What an incentive to lose those few extra pounds!)  If you struggle to get all the water down, you may need to salt your food.  Sometimes people are low on sodium and your body won't let it get too low, so it will seem like it's impossible to drink that much.  I had to salt my steak last weekend and it really helped me complete my water requirement for the day.

As for peeing all the time...your bladder will stretch and and your urinary frequency will go back down, and the volume excreted will go up.

 Since I have done this, I feel more energetic that I have in a long time.  I am sleeping a little better already, and I can tell my body is working better.

I have known about this water requirement for the body for five years, BUT it took me personally having to have a breakthrough in drinking my water to understand how critical it is for my patients to drink their water (if they want to heal).  Why do you need to drink that much water to heal?  Find out in my next blog post!

Better health is only a phone call away!

Dr. Kristine Baker