‘I Finally Felt Like Myself Again’: How Hydrogen Water Helped One Woman Beat Fatigue and Joint Pain
Research suggests this simple water add-in also boosts longevity
When Kristin Herman’s doctor said her annual physical, including routine blood tests, indicated she was the picture of health, the Phoenix, Arizona, writer felt equally happy and confused. “I’m thrilled to be healthy, yet so frustrated that I feel so unhealthy,” she thought as she left the office, a familiar feeling of fatigue creeping over her. She didn’t realize it at the time, but the secret to increasing her energy would come from an unexpected source: drinking hydrogen-rich water. Keep reading to discover the potential health benefits of hydrogen water and how the healing tonic finally helped her feel like herself again.
Fatigue and brain fog made daily life difficult
“As I entered my mid-40s and inched closer to perimenopause, I started feeling more drained than normal, despite maintaining my diet, activity and sleep routines,” Kristin recalls. “But my fatigue wasn’t simply feeling like I didn’t get a full night’s sleep. I had a deep and dragging kind of tired that felt like I was running on empty all the time.
“My mind was also terribly fuzzy, and in addition to moments of forgetting why I entered a room, losing my train of thought or forgetting simple words mid-conversation, I couldn’t focus on anything. The duo of brain fog and fatigue left me feeling decades older, and I slipped into a health-related midlife crisis, frustrated that my energy and clarity had vanished.”
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Long COVID worsened her symptoms
“The doctor checked my thyroid, hormone and iron levels, along with other routine blood tests,” Kristin recalls. “But all the results were normal. That was a relief, yet still frustrating because I wanted to find a reason for the exhaustion as well as the joint stiffness I began waking up with every morning.
“The doctor mentioned incorporating stress-management techniques like meditation or yoga to help reduce fatigue and joint pain. And hormone therapy was something to consider if my symptoms worsened. But I wasn’t ready to begin hormone replacement, so I started looking for alternative remedies.
“While researching, I learned that a combination of chronic stress and lingering long COVID could be zapping my energy and causing inflammation. Determined to reclaim my energy, I started taking turmeric supplements for its anti-inflammatory effects and magnesium for muscle relief, along with a few other supplements friends and family found helpful. Each one seemed to offer a bit of relief, but nothing provided a significant boost of energy or cleared the brain fog. I also tried breathing techniques and meditative walks to reduce the stress that seemed to worsen my symptoms.”
Hydrogen water finally restored Kristin’s energy
“Then about a year ago, a friend mentioned that she was drinking hydrogen water, regular water infused with extra molecular hydrogen—made by dissolving hydrogen gas or molecular hydrogen tablets in water—to aid her post-workout recovery,” Kristin says. “Skeptical about supposed ‘miracle cures’ or that hydrogen water might offer any real health benefits, I researched the sip and learned it is believed to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation that can contribute to fatigue—including fatigue stemming from long COVID—as well as alleviate muscle soreness after exercise.
“Figuring I had nothing to lose, I decided I would give hydrogen water a try, hoping it might lessen my joint pain and fatigue. I purchased 500-ml pouches of hydrogen water online and began drinking one pouch first thing every morning, since I had read that drinking it on an empty stomach maximizes absorption.
“After a few weeks, I realized I was waking up with less stiffness in the morning and my energy didn’t drop off a cliff around lunchtime. About one month after first drinking hydrogen water, my energy was steady throughout the entire day and my joints felt better overall. Once again able to concentrate and no longer lose my thoughts, I finally felt like myself again.
“Now, a year later, hydrogen water is a regular part of my routine. It’s so easy to work into my lifestyle. I’m thrilled to feel healthy and alive again!”
How hydrogen water reduces fatigue
“Hydrogen water, or H2, is an easy way to enhance energy and overall health,” notes Steven Gundry, MD, author of The Gut-Brain Paradox. Hydrogen is normally produced in the gut, and it helps keep mitochondria, the energy-generating structures in cells, operating at their peak. But factors such as exposure to antibiotics and environmental toxins can decimate the gut’s microbiome, reducing hydrogen production, he explains. The result: anxiety, brain fog, fatigue and other symptoms.
Drinking hydrogen water can replenish hydrogen to boost energy in minutes, says Dr. Gundry. He advises drinking two 8-oz. glasses a day. Doing so significantly eased fatigue in long COVID patients within two weeks, say researchers in the journal Nutrients. And in a Japanese study, sipping hydrogen water daily for four weeks decreased women’s anxiety and increased their sleep quality.
To get the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, you can buy elemental magnesium tablets that infuse water with hydrogen. A product Dr. Gundry developed: Ultimate H2. Since hydrogen dissipates from water quickly, it’s best to drink the water within 10 minutes.
Hydrogen water may boost longevity, too
Sipping hydrogen water could help you live a longer, healthier life, findings in the journal Experimental Gerontology suggest. Researchers found that older subjects who drank about 16 oz. of hydrogen water daily for six months experienced improvements on tests of physical function. Plus, their telomeres (tiny caps on the tips of DNA) grew longer. That’s key, since previous research indicates that longer telomeres protect cells from premature aging and reduce the risk of age-related health concerns such as dementia, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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