Skip to content Are You Chronically Dehydrated? Warning Signs You Can’t Ignore | Dr. Don Colbert, MD Ep. 3 Jul 6 · 30 min ...more
Are You Chronically Dehydrated? Warning Signs You Can’t Ignore | Dr. Don Colbert, MD Ep. 3
July 6, 2026 · 30 min
Water isn’t just important, it’s the #1 nutrient your body needs. Dr. Colbert explains why most Americans are chronically dehydrated and how this impacts everything from joint pain and back issues to fatigue, brain function, and digestion. You’ll learn why drinking enough clean water daily can help lubricate joints, improve nutrient transport, boost energy, and even reduce headaches and cravings.
Series 7 Pillars of Health
Where faith meets science for whole-body healing.: Join Dr. Don Colbert, MD, Mary, and Kyle as they reveal biblical truths and breakthrough science to reverse
July 6, 2026 · 30 min · 7 Pillars of Health
Water isn’t just important, it’s the #1 nutrient your body needs. Dr. Colbert explains why most Americans are chronically dehydrated and how this impacts everything from joint pain and back issues to fatigue, brain function, and digestion. You’ll learn why drinking enough clean water daily can help lubricate joints, improve nutrient transport, boost energy, and even reduce headaches and cravings. ...more Show the full description Show less Water isn’t just important, it’s the #1 nutrient your body needs. Dr. Colbert explains why most Americans are chronically dehydrated and how this impacts everything from joint pain and back issues to fatigue, brain function, and digestion. You’ll learn why drinking enough clean water daily can help lubricate joints, improve nutrient transport, boost energy, and even reduce headaches and cravings.
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In this video 0:00 Warning Signs of Chronic Dehydration8:00 Common Beverages and Caffeine Risks16:00 Dangers of Tap, Well Water & Filtration Solutions22:00 How Much Water & Best Types
Warning Signs of Chronic Dehydration 0:01 When you don't get enough water, the 1st thing you start to feel is joint aches, knee pain, back pain. Your disc are over 80 percent water. This is full of this nucleus pulposus, which is a jelly like material.0:13 And so your sprinkler rationing system goes off, and so it decreases diminishing flow of fluids and water to the joints and the disc, and so you get back pain.0:26 Hello, and welcome to doctor Colbert's broadcast. I'm here with my dad, doctor Don Colbert, my mom, Mary. And today, we are talking about pillar number 2, which is Water. Water. Enough water.0:38 Now what kind of water?0:40 Oh, we're gonna talk about that because there's most people drink tap water still, but they don't drink near as much as they used to. But water is the most important nutrient in the body.0:52 People think it's co q 10 or it's vitamin d 3 or it's vitamin k 2 or it's a multivitamin. But the most important nutrient in our body is water. Water. And we need about almost 4 quarts of1:04 water a day. But the average person gets only 31 ounces a day, which is less than 1 quart a day.1:10 Now this is let's say this glass right here This is probably 12 ounces.1:15 No. That's a that's a probably yeah. A 12 ounce glass, but you'd have about 8 ounces.1:19 8 ounces in there.
1:20 Right. But you need So there a quart a quart is 32 ounces. Okay. So And yeah. So that 3 of these almost. So we almost need we almost need a gallon a
1:31 day of water. Okay. And very few that's a man. A woman needs 2.7 liters or 2.9 quarts, which is about 3 quarts of water a day. But a man needs almost a gallon a day, and
1:43 we're not getting it. We're woefully short. We only get about 31 ounces, which is less than 1 quart. 32 ounces is 1 quart.
1:50 So as a result, what are we what are
1:51 we So well, we're paying the price. So I'm gonna talk about here in a
1:54 What are you putting water from your fruits and vegetables as You are. You're including that as part of Right.
2:00 But Mary's
2:01 That's what everybody says. They say You are,
2:03 but you're not getting near enough. You're not getting near enough still. So what's happening is the body is like a sprinkler system. And what happens is when we don't get enough water, it's like certain
2:15 sections of your or yard sprinkler systems have been cut off. You don't get enough water for your joints. Your joints are about 60 to 80 percent. Your cartilage is 68 percent water. Your synovial fluid
2:26 that lubricates your joints is 96 to 98.6 percent water. When you don't get enough water, the 1st thing you start to feel is joint aches, knee pain, back pain. Your disc are over 80 percent
2:38 water. This is full of this nucleus pulposus, which is a jelly like material. And so your sprinkler rationing system goes off, and so it decreases diminishing flow of fluids and water to the
2:50 joints and the disc, and so you get back pain.
2:53 The reason it doesn't And
2:54 people get shorter. Yeah. They get shorter. I get a little shorter.
2:57 It's like you're riding with a flat tire between your discs. So I've seen people lose 2 inches just from their discs being dehydrated. And then when they hydrate and then when they drink enough water, it restores their
3:07 disc. And they gain I've seen people gain 2 inches of height by just drinking water stretching out their backs.
3:13 Now the body does that because it wants to make sure your vital organs Yes. Are getting enough water.
3:19 Yes. Now, again, what happens, we don't have enough water, your your mouth's gonna get dry usually. You're not gonna produce enough urine. That's 1 of the 1st things you see, your urine gets dark. But you don't produce
3:29 enough saliva, enough, digestive juices. You get constipated because in order to eliminate, you have to have enough water. So when people drink enough water, they're elimination correct. When they have water,
3:41 magnesium, and fiber, boom. They have bowel movements like a a kid, like a 12 year old or 10 year old. It normalizes, but when you don't have enough water, all these systems start to break down. But let's just talk about
3:53 these. Here they are real quick. Water's essential for regulating your temperature. A lot of people are too hot or too cold. They don't have enough water. Water's critical for regulating the temperature. Number 2,
4:02 lubricating the joints, like I just said. That's key, especially for active people. Absolutely. If you don't want arthritis, when you lubricate your body, when you drink water, you're lubricating your joints and you're
4:13 also flushing out inflammatory mediators and cytokines that create arthritis that start to damage and degenerate your joints.
4:20 And what about people if they drink coffee and tea and Well, again, I'm gonna talk about that.
4:24 You can have some coffee, but as long as you don't exceed 4 cups, they say, or 400 milligrams of caffeine, you're safe generally. But you need but most people, they're drinking too much coffee, not
4:36 enough water, they're getting dehydrated, and their joints are taken up to get common.
4:40 ENT dehydrates the body. Exactly.
4:41 We're gonna talk about it. Now, it's also critical for transporting nutrients. A lot of people are taking all of these nutrients, but their most important nutrient is water. They're taking, 30, 40 pills a day,
4:53 but water's critical for transporting the nutrients. They're not getting the nutrients transported. And then it's also critical for oxygenating the cells. Your oxygen travels through the blood and so you have to have
5:05 adequate blood volume with adequate water.
5:07 Well, maybe that's why I'm thinning. I'm not getting enough transport to my hair.
5:12 Okay. It helps to cook in the brain and spinal cord. The body can't store water. We're not camels. The the body needs the body needs at here's what here's how much
5:24 water we lose every day. 8 to 12 cups of water a day.
5:27 Is that for an active person or just any No. That in your life.
5:31 That's the sedentary. You're gonna lose 8 to 12 cups a day just by breathing, by sweating, and by urination and and waste. So for You're losing weight. Exactly. You're
5:42 in trouble. You're pulling away from these critical systems. That's why another reason we're seeing so much arthritis, so much, dehydration, joint joint dehydration. The cartilage needs to be nourished with water. The
5:54 disc need to be nourished with water. We gotta flush out these cytokines, these inflammatory chemicals that literally set the stage for arthritis. We're chronically dehydrated. It's like driving on a car tire
6:06 that's low so it eventually bulge, pop, and, and that's what's happening with our disc, our joints, all the joints in the body. That's why so many people are having hip replacements, knee replacements,
6:18 disc replacements, all of these because we're chronically dehydrated. It's like driving a car on a partially flat tire. It's that simple.
6:27 Do you need your water through coffee, tea?
6:31 No. Because too much caffeine, if you exceed 400 milligrams, you're going to get dehydrated.
6:37 Because I hear that all the time. I get a lot of water. I get it in my tea. Well, you And I tell them they're gonna dehydrate. Well, we're not even
6:42 We'll talk about that in just a sec. But let's talk about signs of dehydration. These these are signs of inadequate water intake. The main sign is dark urine. That is the number 1 sign.
6:51 Not to find dark. So as shades of yellow all the way down.
6:54 Yellow and and clear, but then there's the darker the urine, generally, the greater the dehydration, generally speaking. And we can check your urinalysis. I can do it. A higher specific gravity means you're not drinking
7:05 enough water. I I find it 90 to 95 percent of my patients. Also, decreased amounts of urination. They don't urinate a lot. Dry mouth is a sign of dehydration. Muscle cramps, especially
7:16 during activity, like if you're running or playing pickleball and you're getting muscle cramps, that's a sure, sure sign. Number 1, you don't have enough water and you don't have enough magnesium. Usually both, they run
7:26 hand in hand. Also, feeling tired and sluggish could be a sign of dehydration and that's epidemic in this country. A rapid heart rate rate can be a sign of dehydration as well as dry mouth, dry
7:38 lips, dry skin is a major sign of dehydration. Sugar cravings can be triggered by dehydration as well as persistent thirst and bad breath. That can be a sign of dehydration. Even bad breath. Yeah.
7:49 So if if a person is thirsty all the time, that's a sign they're pretty dehydrated. So water is involved in every function of our bodies, and it's a solution for
Common Beverages and Caffeine Risks
8:01 chemical reactions in the body. We can live 5 to 7 weeks without food. We can only live at the most 5 days without water. And
8:09 that's something.
8:09 It's absolutely critical. And we are most Americans are chronically dehydrated. Your muscles are 75 percent water. The average American, their body is 60 to 70 percent water. The more muscle you have, the
8:21 more water you have. The more fat you have, the less water you have. Oh, really? Yeah. So the fat
8:26 you have, the less water
8:27 you have. Exactly. That's why women don't have enough water as men because they have more fat in our system. Interesting. Now the muscles are 75 percent water. Your brain is 73 to 75
8:39 percent water. Your brain. Water is critical for your brain to function optimally. What it does is the brain functions better, your cognitive function improves, your energy production improves,
8:51 nutrient transportation improves, and neurotransmitter improve. Mental health, crit water is critical for mental health and neurotransmitter, depression, anxiety. Water plays a valuable role in all of these system. But
9:03 the most common beverage consumed by Americans is what? What's the most common beverage?
9:08 Coffee.
9:09 Tea. Water right now. It used to be. It used to be. Now water is the most commonly consumed beverage in this country. You know, the average American male, guess how much they consume? Adult, I should say.
9:21 Oh goodness. What? Just pure water?
9:23 Yeah. Just pure water. How much? How much in
9:25 a year?
9:25 24 or any No.
9:26 No. Not a year. Day?
9:27 Or a day? 24 ounce? 24 ounces.
9:30 I'd say 4 ounces.
9:31 Okay. Average American consumed adult, considers about 44. Average child, about 24 ounces of water. So it's not that much.
9:39 So 2 full glasses of water when you include the fruits and everything else that they're consuming.
9:42 But that's not near enough. That's not near enough. As far as
9:45 Let me ask you this. Is it true my dentist told me that, if you're dehydrated, you're more prone to cavities.
9:51 That I totally I don't know if
9:52 you're healthy mouth is when cavities thrive.
9:54 Dry mouth. Absolutely dry. Dry mouth. Dry mouth. That's why chewing, sugar free gum is really good, especially with xylitol in it because it creates saliva. Saliva helps to, again, prevent cavities. And
10:06 so real important, especially after you eat, you
10:08 There's different kinds of water now. We got, like, our tap
10:10 water, spring water, bubble water. But wait, let's 1st talk. What's the number 2 most consumed beverage?
10:15 We could spring water, by the way.
10:16 Okay. Good. What's the number 2 consumed beverage, would you say? Number
10:19 2? Sodas by far.
10:22 What about you? I it's sodas for you. No. It's so
10:27 what what is the I know
10:28 we're not consuming. What is it? Well,
10:31 I love Doctor Pepper and water.
10:33 Okay. Do you think that's number 2 consumed? No.
10:35 I would I would say it's it's so
10:36 it is as well. It's coffee. It's coffee. Okay. Coffee. All in all the beer box. Oh, absolutely. We have a coffee box. Exactly right. Coffee is consumed by about 64 percent of the
10:46 population.
10:47 So now what's number 3? What's the number 3rd most
10:50 common berry?
10:50 What's the number 3 beverage? 64 percent Gonna be tea. And
10:54 Alcohol.
10:55 Is tea. No. He's absolutely right. 47 to 48 percent of Americans consume tea. What's the most common tea? Green tea. Black tea. Black tea. Absol Oh, the tea with the most beans. Absolutely. Black
11:07 tea is consumed by 84 percent of p of the tea consumption and green tea by only 15 percent. Green tea is better. Well, green's more herbal. Yeah. That's the antioxidant. Now what's the 4th
11:18 most commonly consumed beverage, which is consumed by Mary? Diet. No. What? Sodas. Oh, sodas. Okay. Sodas? Yeah. Yep. Sodas are, 20 percent of, like, Mary doesn't drink at least
11:30 1 soda a day, and, only 14 percent of Americans consume at least 1 diet soda a day. So she's in the 14th. Is it
11:39 1 surprise beer is not in there.
11:41 Well, they're not they're not as popular as these other beverage.
11:44 Well, it's going. People are even US are drinking less alcohol. They're studying they're coming out. They're drinking way less. Now it could be because they're consuming more drugs, but they are consuming They're
11:54 available.
11:55 Yeah. Now the good news is back in 19 98 and 2000, America reached the highest soda consumption during those years. About approximately half of the United States population
12:07 consumed at least 1 soda a day. Now it's down to only 20 percent and only 14 percent consume a diet soda. So they've really decreased the soda consumption, which is good because each soda contains
12:19 Mhmm. Each 12 ounce soda contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar. Yeah.
12:23 The word got out on that.
12:24 Finally, we didn't learn that. I mean I mean, you think 1 packet of sugar is 1 gram of sugar, you know, when you go to a restaurant. Well, the average Coke has 40 of those. Oh. Little packs of sugars. 4 40 to 50 grams of
12:35 sugar in a Coke.
12:36 Well, a 12 ounce soda has typically 10 teaspoons, but most people don't drink a 12 ounce. So drink a 16, 32 ounce. Yeah. Okay. Now those big gold. How much caffeine is in a cup of coffee? And I'm talking about 8 ounces.
12:47 Well, I'm not
12:47 a not a Generally, you'd like 50.
12:50 Oh, you think 50? What do you say, Mir?
12:53 Of caffeine?
12:54 Yeah. How much caffeine?
12:55 A lot.
12:57 95 to 165 milligrams of caffeine.
12:59 95.
13:00 So around 100. Before. Usually 100, but up to 165. Some coffees, 8 ounces, have 165 milligrams. And
13:07 a little caffeine's good for you. It's nothing It is good
13:09 for you a little bit, but, 1 ounce shot of espresso has how many milligrams of caffeine?
13:14 I'd say 147
13:16 to 75 milligrams of caffeine. Okay. How about a cup of tea? 8 ounce cup of tea has how much? I'd say it's right on par. I'm just 15. 50? Yeah. You're about right. 47. So that's about right. And so, again, what
13:28 is health No.
13:29 No. No. No. I have tea.
13:30 Yeah. But green tea about the same. But what, what is the recommended amount you shouldn't exceed in caffeine a day?
13:37 I believe it's 200, isn't it?
13:39 400. Which is about 4 cups of coffee or about 8 cups of tea.
13:44 Okay. Well, I'm I'm I have 1 I don't
13:46 These answers here. Look. Sorry to say ding ding. I didn't let America. The
13:52 Well, so many Americans consume way too much coffee and not enough water. Yeah. And so what are the symptoms?
13:58 That's your whole point.
13:59 Yes. And what are symptoms of too much caffeine? Now this no surprise. Well, yeah, because you with the high will come a low. But the biggest thing are cardiovascular issues, rapid heart rate,
14:11 irregular heart rate, and it elevates your blood pressure. Now listen to this, just a cup of coffee can raise the systolic blood pressure anywhere from 5 to 15 millimeters of mercury. And the diastolic blood pressure,
14:23 anywhere from 3 to 6 millimeters of mercury, anywhere from 3 hours to, to as long as 6 hours. So a lot of people come in my office and I say, would, their pressure's high.
14:35 And the 1st thing I say, well, did you have coffee this morning? Yeah. I just had a cup. Well, how big was your cup? And they pull out this big Bubba cup that's about 32 ounces. I said, that's not 1 cup. Those are the
14:46 old they say it ounces. That's 4 cups. You just had your your max. Okay? And no wonder your pressure's high. So I'll wait about an hour or 2 or 3, and their pressure will usually come down. And so I said,
14:57 you're So you don't calculate it in. You're waiting for it to come back down.
15:00 Oh, yeah. I'll make sure. And I'd explain that when you drink that much caffeine, you are constrict the caffeine causes your arteries to constrict and raises your blood pressure systolic anywhere from 5 to 15 points.
15:12 That puts people over the maximum where their blood pressure goes high. And so
15:16 thing I've noticed is that if I drink enough water throughout the day, I notice I'm not as hungry. My appetite is Absolutely.
15:24 You're right. It works on a volumetric principle, but also it cushions all your joints too. It's applying it's nourishing your joints. Your cartilage is is 40 to 60 percent, water, and your synovial
15:36 fluid's as much as 98.6 percent water. So you are and your disc are, like, over 80 percent water. So you're Yeah.
15:43 I remember years ago, Don, when I 1st learned about the power of water. Because I live we're from Florida, and the water in Florida is Terrible. Horrible. It smells, you taste chlorine.
15:53 Smells like chlorine.
15:55 That's what
15:55 happened with a lot of people is the the water that they have wherever they live, it smells bad or it tastes bad.Show more
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