Did you know that frequent dry skin, headaches and weakness are signs of chronic dehydration? 

Rest assured, a tailored treatment service and IV therapy from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre (TFMC) can help replenish hydration for optimal function.  

Chronic dehydration happens when you repeatedly lose fluids that are excessive compared to the amount of water you usually consume over time. If this isn’t addressed, the human body has no choice but to operate without H2O! This overburdens your organs and can potentially cause other health concerns, including lack of energy, flaky appearance of skin, and poor mental clarity. 

This article from the TFMC describes facts about this health condition, our advice for fluid replenishment, and how to reach us for a consultation. 

Chronic dehydration facts

• • Symptoms of dehydration include poor muscle recovery, weakness/dizziness, excessive thirst and dark-tinged urine. With chronic dehydration, symptoms may be different because the body becomes used to low fluid intake and attempts to function with less fluids. Indicators of chronic dehydration include cracked skin, digestive troubles (i.e. constipation), low energy levels, excessive fatigue, continual weakness, and chronic headaches. 
  • Some of the people susceptible to chronic dehydration are athletes who don’t replenish or cannot replenish fluids on their own and people afflicted with chronic diseases (i.e. inflammatory bowel disease, gluten-related food sensitivities) or disabilities and are not capable of improving fluid intake. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and frequent bouts of diarrhea can also put you at risk of this condition. 
  • Seniors can succumb to other health concerns when dehydration isn’t treated. Everyday Health reports that one specific study found that “…over time, the body becomes worse at detecting markers of dehydration…, and without these signals, older adults may not realize they are dehydrated or drink fluids to rehydrate.” 
  • When left untreated, persistent dehydration can exacerbate symptoms and potentially contribute to poor brain function (i.e. poor memory ), UTIs, unstable blood pressure regulation, a reduction in kidney function and the formation of kidney stones. 

Upgrading hydration with integrative functional medicine and IV therapy tips

Treating chronic hydration is possible. The TFMC adheres to the integrative functional medicine model, which is a patient-centred, whole-body approach to wellness. It aims to educate patients to help treat symptoms and prevent chronic diseases under healthy living practices. If you were to visit our functional medicine and IV therapy providers for hydration needs, the following may be advised:  

• • Get a tailored strategy to upgrade hydration: Chronic dehydration may be linked to various aspects of your health, such as lifestyle, dietary needs/mineral deficiencies, or your full-time job. Thus, a personalized treatment plan may be designed to address your distinct hydration concerns. During your initial visit with a TFMC healthcare provider, the core components of your individuality will be untangled, such as health goals, lifestyle constituents (i.e. daily activities), environmental factors (i.e. chemical exposures), etc. Functional lab tests may be recommended to determine which nutrients your body is missing. This is because certain nutrients are linked to fluid levels, such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium, and restoring these could help sustain daily functioning and improve hydration. 
  • Pay attention to nutrient shortages: If lab results reveal a nutrient deficiency, your personalized plan would include how to treat this. Your regular diet may have to be altered to include foods and drinks containing optimal nutrients, such as leafy greens, cucumber, watermelon, citrus fruits, coconut water, and bell peppers. We will likely suggest oral supplementation for your deficiencies, too, which can be taken at home on a daily basis. 
  • Maintain hydration levels with IV therapy drips: Oral supplementation is suitable for fighting deficiencies, but if you have chronic health issues that hinder your absorption of nutrients, intravenous infusion drips can be prescribed to “top up” hydration and nutrition. Due to the fact that the digestive tract is not used during IV sessions, IV drip therapy can offer the body custom doses of vitamins for immediate use (and without unwanted digestive side effects that can come with oral tablets). This is because IV solutions enter the vein through a tube, which allows the nutritional formula to swiftly enter the blood stream for use. 
  • Keep track of your intake of liquids: Finally, we may advise you to keep track of your daily intake of fluids and food. When you look back at this journal, you might notice certain tasks that may need to be modified. For example, are you drinking excessive amounts of coffee during the day? Caffeine acts as a diuretic, which can encourage the body to lose unnecessary amounts of fluid. 

Suggested reading: What To Expect From Your First Session Of Iv Therapy From Our Toronto Clinic

About our integrative approach to wellness

Achieving optimal functioning is a unique health journey for every individual. Our functional medicine clinicians take ample time to address chief health concerns to tailor your treatment service for your needs. Therapies can be modified for a wide range of health conditions, including chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases, chronic fatigue, hormonal imbalances, nutritional deficiency, and more. 

Functional medicine therapies are designed to tackle your biology. Our clinicians integrate several modalities so that you have different options available for symptom relief. Tailored treatment plans may include allopathic medicine, naturopathic medicine, holistic nutrition, acupuncture, hormone replacement therapies, booster shots/injection therapies (i.e. vitamin D and B12), and more. 

Intravenous therapy may also be carved into your health plan and administered in our IV Lounge. Vitamin drip sessions are overseen by our wellness team (which consists of a medical doctor, naturopath, nurse practitioners and registered nurses) to monitor your comfort. We can prescribe a custom-made IV drip based on your personal lab results; therapeutic doses are created using the functional medicine model. Our menu contains an array of natural ingredients for intravenous drips, including vitamin C, protein building blocks (i.e. glutamic acid and a medley of amino acids), folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin E, trace minerals, and glutathione. IV therapy drips can be customized for specific health goals, too, such as a post-surgical drip, anti-aging IV drip, or post-exercise amino acid drip. 

In addition to a healthy lifestyle and other therapy treatments, IV therapy from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre can help you sustain optimal health and hydration. Call us today to book your initial visit!

Disclaimer: The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. You should always consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider because of information you have read from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre website or other affiliate media. 

 

References

“6 Unusual Signs of Dehydration You Should Know About” by Nancy George, medically reviewed by Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES, on April 18, 2023 for Everyday Health, viewed on January 14, 2024. 

Armstrong LE. Challenges of linking chronic dehydration and fluid consumption to health outcomes. Nutr Rev. 2012 Nov;70 Suppl 2:S121-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00539.x. PMID: 23121346.

Maughan RJ, Griffin J. Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2003 Dec;16(6):411-20. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-277x.2003.00477.x. PMID: 19774754.

Meade, R.D., Notley, S.R., Rutherford, M.M., Boulay, P. and Kenny, G.P. (2020), Ageing attenuates the effect of extracellular hyperosmolality on whole-body heat exchange during exercise-heat stress. J Physiol, 598: 5133-5148. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP280132

Shaheen NA, Alqahtani AA, Assiri H, Alkhodair R, Hussein MA. Public knowledge of dehydration and fluid intake practices: variation by participants’ characteristics. BMC Public Health. 2018 Dec 5;18(1):1346. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-6252-5. PMID: 30518346; PMCID: PMC6282244.

Taylor K, Jones EB. Adult Dehydration. [Updated 2022 Oct 3]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956/

Wang, T., Tsai, Y., Yang, J., Lin, M., Lin, Y., Huang, T., & Chen, M. (2023). The prevalence of chronic dehydration and associated with cardiometabolic risks among agriculture and aquaculture workers. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1183557. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1183557