It's March!

If my clients are any indication of the overall population, the flu and cold season is still going strong. Keep washing those hands! We've been able to keep the colds out of the house so far, but I'm not sure if we can make it through the whole cold season.

This month, I want to spend some time talking about the Great Water Debate. In the last year, articles have come out questioning the 8-glasses-of-water-a-day rule. Some of you have asked about it, so read the article below to get additional information. Also, I'm covering self-massage at stoplights, and including more information about Lymphatic Drainage Massage.

Enjoy!

- heather wibbels (615.294-6672)

Massage therapists everywhere often counsel their clients to drink a minimum of eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day (called the 8 x 8 rule). Recently, news reports and medical studies have questioned this assumption, and the answer of how much water to drink is much more slippery than before. Nutritionists, physicians, nurses, and others in the medical community have echoed that assumption, but what is it based on?

Where did the idea that we have to drink 8 glasses of water a day come from?
It’s likely that the basis for this was a 1945 report published by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council. In the report, the council suggested “a suitable fluid intake of water for adults was 2.5 liters per day (84.5 fluid ounces).” (William Webb, “Water Wisdom” Massage and Bodywork Oct/Nov 2004, 72). However, this report also noted that much of the required daily intake of water could be found in the foods consumed. This piece of information was omitted as it was transformed into the 8 x 8 rule, which advocates drinking 64 fluid ounces of water a day regardless of other liquids and foods consumed. In the original report, this amount of water was designed to replace the amount of water lost through an adult’s normal activity during the day.

Who started the controversy we’re hearing about now?
Heinz Valtin, MD, surveyed medical literature to locate the source of the 8 x 8 recommendation and to find any scientific studies which supported that claim. He found the following in his survey of information about water: “No scientific studies were found in support of 8 x 8. Rather, surveys of food and fluid intake on thousands of adults of both genders, analyses of which have been published in peer-reviewed journals, strongly suggest that such large amounts are not needed because the surveyed persons were presumably healthy and certainly not overtly ill” ("Drink at least eight glasses of water a day." Really? Is there scientific evidence for "8 x 8"? Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol (United States), Nov 2002, 283(5)). Valtin’s findings did not negate the need for water, but they did weaken the scientific backing for the recommendation. He found no proof that drinking 64 ounces of water a day was harmful to humans, but he did find a lack of evidence that it was needed for healthy adults eating the recommended daily allowances of fruits and vegetables.

Do sodas and alcoholic drinks count toward daily water intake?
Caffeinated and alcoholic beverages, while they do cause the body to dehydrate slightly, do not negate the positive effect of consumption of the liquid in the beverage. In other words, drinking a cup of coffee doesn’t mean you have to drink the same amount of water to overcome the dehydrating effects of the caffeine. According Valtin’s report and the Strength and Conditioning Journal, caffeinated drinks do add fluid to the body – approximately two-thirds cup for every cup consumed (Webb 74). The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board recently added that while caffeinated and alcoholic drinks do have a diuretic effect on the body, “such beverages can contribute to total water intake and thus be used in meeting recommendations for dietary intake of total water” (Webb 74).

What’s the bottom line for me?
Massage therapists will probably keep telling clients to drink enough water throughout the day, and especially after massage, in order to work cell waste and toxins out of the system after a massage. While the 8 x 8 rule doesn’t have a strong scientific foundation, there isn’t enough scientific data to suggest the appropriate levels of fluid intake per day. Most experts suggest keeping generally to current recommended consumption levels while waiting for additional data on the water debate. However, know that current recommendations (from the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board) propose 2.7 liters fluid intake for women, and 3.7 liters fluid intake for men, inclusive of fluid consumed as part of the food or drinks eaten during the day. This recommendation is for healthy, sedentary adults in a moderate climate. If you’re a weekend warrior, athletically minded or live in a warmer climate, you will need additional fluid intake each day to prevent the negative effects of dehydration on the body. Drink up!

More on Massage: Lymphatic Drainage Massage

In the human body, the lymphatic system is key in removing toxins, germs, excess water and in generating white blood cells. Lymphatic fluid is present within the entire capillary system of the body, and there are specific pathways the lymph fluid takes to move all the lymph fluid toward two major ducts at the base of the neck. Lymphatic Drainage Massage is a gentle, rhythmic type of massage that works by stimulating the lymph system. These gentle pumping actions applied to the skin cause movement in the lymph system toward the main lymph drainage ducts. This reduces blockages, gets lymph moving, and cleans out your system.

Normal movement of the lymph fluid is caused by muscle movement – breathing, walking, moving hands – all of these actions stimulate lymph fluid into lymph capillaries. However, when the body is injured, or under stress, the lymph system goes into overdrive, and the lymph system may be overwhelmed, or have blockages. Lymphatic massage can influence the lymph fluid to move from tissues into capillaries, and from there, to the major ducts draining lymph fluid throughout the body. The thoracic duct (on the left side of the body beneath the left collar bone) is the destination for lymph fluid from the entire left side of the body, and for the right side of the body below the chest. The right duct gathers fluids from the right side of the head, neck, upper chest and right arm.

In Lymphatic Drainage Massage, the massage therapist works from the major ducts outward, clearing blockages in major thoroughfares before working on lymph flow from more distal points on the body. By reducing blockages, the flow of the lymph system improves, and pulls along more lymph fluid from distal areas as it is worked. The therapy is very light and rhythmic. Usually the same actions are performed several times on a part of the body before moving to the next. Because lymphatic massage helps aid the removal of wastes in the system, sometimes clients feel tired and lethargic for 24-48 hours. This feeling has been compared to a low-grade alcohol hangover. The benefit is that once those toxins are out of the body, clients feel much better, retain less water, and overall have an increased function in the lymph system. Lymphatic massage can help with allergies and congestion, as well as edema. There are four main contraindications: 1) heart-related edema, 2) blood clo ts within the last three weeks, 3) acute inflammation (first 48 hours), and 4) active malignancies.

The following site contains more information about manual lymphatic drainage:

• Dr Vodder School North America

Please give me a call if you'd like to know more about lymphatic drainage massage or to include it in your next session (615.294-6672).