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Arthritis is caused by a wide variety of factors, but many experts believe that a major factor in the development of degenerative arthritis is chronic dehydration.  This makes sense because joint surfaces are covered with water-rich cartilage and many joints have special cells that produce lubricating fluid, which of course is largely water. 

When the body is dehydrated, there are certain critical systems that take precedence over all others for what water is available.  For example, if the fluid content of the blood gets too low, death can result.  For this reason, although joint tissues are certainly important, the body has systems in place that will divert water away from non-critical tissues, such as those in the joints. 

Without adequate hydration, there is more friction and wearing on joint structures.  When this situation is present for a long time, joint degeneration and will no doubt take place and arthritic symptoms develop. 

To keep your joints well-hydrated and properly lubricated, it is important to drink plenty of water for all of its needs.  The need for water varies greatly, depending on your activity level, the climate you are in, your diet, and your body composition (the amount and distribution of fat relative to lean tissue). 

The common recommendation to drink 8- eight ounce glasses of water per day is probably overly simplistic in most cases. In fact, I recently read an article that was highly critical of this recommendation by a writer who was obviously quite knowledgeable about the physiology of hydration, but woefully lacking in his understanding of human behavior.  While I believe that the 8 - eight ounce glass recommendation is overly simplified and probably does not provide ideal hydration for the majority of people, if it helps people to remember that they are supposed to be drinking some water each day, the recommendation is useful to an extent.  Ideally, water intake is best done in small quantities on a frequent basis througout the day, rather than by gulping down a bunch of water one or two times per day. 

One final point bears mentioning here:  water intake should be primarily in the form of…WATER!  Soft drinks, coffee, tea, beer, etc., while they contain water, the also contain things like sugar, caffeine, and various chemicals that can interfere with hydration.  So if you want to keep your joints, and the rest of your body hydrated, try to choose water to drink at least most of the time.  I know some of you out there don’t like water, but if you try, I think you’ll find that you get used to it.

Be sure to check out other health tips on the natural remedies blog!

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