Dehydration and Illness

A leading cause and aggravator of chronic health problems is dehydration.

“Low humidity causes static electricity, dry skin and hair, increased susceptibility to colds and respiratory illness, and can allow viruses and germs to thrive. Wood floors, furniture and millwork will split and crack, paint will chip, and electronics can be damaged because of low humidity levels.”

Consuming enough water through diet is the typical solution for staying hydrated. Yet, many people are drinking plenty of water and their bodies are still dehydrated. I palpate bodies for a living. Dehydrated bodies are suffering bodies.

There is a second, primary source of hydration: The air we breathe. Proper humidity levels can make all the difference. Going from the chart I borrowed from Health Canada, the comfort zone is 30-55% humidity.

Do you know what your humidity levels are? Do you know what's stealing the water out of the air you breathe?

I've been monitoring my humidity levels with a hygrometer for years. A comfort zone of 35-50% humidity is necessary for me, so I employ my humidifier as needed. I rarely have to dehumidify where I live, but in winter, I usually have to humidify.

This fall and winter, running the humidifier 24/7 wasn't working. I have not been able to keep my levels above 30%, let alone in the 40-50% range that helps me feel my best. 50% is my personal optimum.

So, what changed? What is evaporating the water from the air faster than I can replace it? What is causing my lungs and sinuses to hurt and become congested and infected? My brain, too, feels like it's stuffed with cotton. I'm not prone to headaches, but I've been getting headaches and head pains. Followed by body pains.

What changed, was the installation of smart meters under my ground-floor studio. 21 smart electric meters last fall and 21 smart gas meters in January. Right where I sleep at night and work during the day. When the gas smart meters went live, shortly thereafter things started to go wrong. Electronics started behaving funny.

My cable internet modem started rebooting itself at all hours. I contacted the cable company for a replacement. The monster modem and separate 5G router replaced my smaller all-in-one. That was the tipping point. I went from mysterious, breathless exhaustion to an instant case of bronchitis. So, I demanded a less-powerful modem and nixed the router. I then cancelled wifi service. However, the damage was done and I've been asthmatic ever since. Even my cat's arthritis got worse.

In all fairness, high electromagnetic field readings (EMF) add to the suffocating aridity. The likely cause appears to be insufficient grounding of power to the building. (The power company determined the grounding problem and it has been reported to the landlord.) The stray EMF runs on the water and gas lines. The more electricity is used in the building, the higher the EMF levels. That grounding problem existed before the smart meters did. Yet, it's much higher since the smart meter installations, yet it's just a part of the technological load. Like any loads we carry in life, we all have our limits. My body has reached my limit, hence the need to take action.

I am taking extra supplements to support my respiration. I am drinking more water and having soups and stews for meals. I sometimes with guilt run the shower for the steam. I do my laundry more often so that I can hang it up to dry for the humidity help. I rarely turn on the heat. I coat my post-shower skin in moisture-trapping (edible) oils. And, I run my humidifier, 24/7. No matter. I cannot maintain proper humidity levels in my studio or my body, so I've ordered a second humidifier. Almost half the time, the two  humidifiers are still not enough. Is hydration-patrol my future?

Whatever my future, I want to help with both solutions and awareness.

Step one is to monitor and maintain humidity levels. Room by room. Buy a hygrometer. They are affordable. Cigar shops usually carry them.

For many people, the solution to dry air is a pot of water on the radiator. That might help a little for dry air caused by heating systems in winter months. But, evaporation by heat is not the same as evaporation by wireless tech. Some technology can evaporate the water from the air we breathe, not from standing water. There's something different about this dry air, too. But for now, the first step to feeling better is to counter the dry air. We must re-humidify the air we breathe on the same schedule as the technology that's stealing it - 'round the clock.

Too-high humidity causes its own problems, but the source of high humidity is easy to identify. Today, many of the sources of extremely low humidity are difficult to identify, unless you know where to look.