Courtesy Joel Carter
Healing Waters
Dr. Joel Carter created stacked-stone sculptures to relieve the stress of work in an emergency room.
Water lapping against the shore and a blue horizon stretching forever – we often experience the benefit of spending time beside the Big Lake in its calm moods and know how it seems to soothe us.
But does water have actual restorative powers?
We do know for sure that our bodies need water in a big way.
“Often we forget that water is an essential nutrient,” says Jean Rodvold, registered dietitian at the University of Minnesota Duluth Employee Health and Wellness Center. “And because it is such a large component of our body composition, it is one of the most important nutrients.”
Water is essential for regulating body temperature, carrying oxygen and other nutrients and removing waste. “When our cells are hydrated, we are best able to carry out our work and have energy,” says Jean, who likens the importance of drinking water for a body to an oil change for a car. “Without proper hydration, the body will fail.”
Deb Sergey is director of nutrition, wellness and diabetes education at Marquette General, a Duke Lifepoint Hospital. She attributes multiple benefits to adequate water intake. “The top three things to remember is that it helps you feel better, move better and look better.”
Feeling better comes from water’s role in facilitating basic bodily functions. In addition, proper hydration helps prevent cramps during physical exercise.
Movement is enhanced when our joints and muscles are well lubricated. Water nourishes our skin to keep it smoother and more moist and also contributes to a healthy glow by flushing out toxins. Water is a natural beauty treatment.
“People need nine to 13 cups of fluid a day,” says Deb, who is a dietitian and wellness coach. The fluids can come from any liquid or fruit, but Deb recommends at least four cups from water.
Fortunately for us, Lake Superior water just plain tastes good. Last year, Duluth’s water took top honors competing against other Minnesota cities at the Minnesota Water Association’s annual conference.
Water can be an effective weight-control tool, satisfying some cravings. Deb tells folks, “If you feel hungry, take some sips of water. If it is true hunger, the feeling will come back.”
Even our brains need water. According to Psychology Today, there is a clear link between proper levels of hydration and mental performance. The brain requires optimal levels of water and other elements to operate effectively. When that balance is disrupted, it is difficult to maintain focus and we lose concentration.
And let’s not forget the power of water to affect one’s mental health. Just think about the last time you were on the shores of Lake Superior and how it influenced you.
Surprisingly, while research abounds on the beneficial effects of “green space” or connecting with nature, the study of “blue space” only recently has emerged as a field of study.
Findings by the Blue Gym project at the University of Exeter Medical School in England, at the forefront for blue-space studies, suggest that residents of coastal areas are more likely to report good health and well-being, and that simply spending time by an ocean may have mental health benefits. We’d suspect the same is true for our inland sea.
One need not look far to find a healthcare system that uses water in its environmental design.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre incorporated water features into its landscaping. A circular fountain adorns the main entrance and provides a seating area. Patients also can see a number of ponds outside their windows.
“We have always felt that water has a soothing, calming effect on patients,” says Nella Lawrence, manager of capital projects and facilities for the hospital.
Some theories link water’s soothing effects to evolution and our dependence on water. Another way of looking at it is that because our bodies are made up of about 60 percent water, we have a natural affinity for it and are drawn to lakes, rivers and oceans because water is integral to life.
That resonates with Edith Leoso, tribal member and tribal historic preservation officer of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa. Respecting water as a living being is part of her cultural heritage.
“Water brings life, sustains life and takes life away. People listen to water in the environment, like it has a voice. It speaks to the water within you.”
Getting enough water to drink is not something to take for granted. While much of the world struggles for access to clean water, Lake Superior and our water-wealthy region blesses us with adequate fresh water. To Edith, that carries responsibility. “We need to respect the water for the work it does for us, while remembering that our work, our responsibility, is to care for it, protect it.”
Dr. Joel Carter spent 11 years as an emergency medicine physician at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth before moving to Minneapolis as a pain and palliative care physician. In Duluth, he sought out the city’s many creeks and rivers. The flowing waters offer retreat from the frantic pace of emergency-room work and a way to reboot.
“It helped me find a home within myself,” Joel says. “I found that the permanence and enduring nature of the flowing water grounded me during a period of transition in my life.”
Beside the waters, Joel also found his artistic voice, fashioning balanced rock sculptures often created within the context of flowing rivers or lapping Lake. The art, like the water, proved therapeutic and, to Joel, the interface where water and land meet represents how adapting to change is important to our life journey.
Whatever the theories, there is no doubt about Lake Superior’s magnetism.
Deb Sergey grew up in Marquette, with Lake Superior a part of her daily life. “I’d listen to the waves and ride my bike beside the water.”
When she moved away for school, she felt withdrawal. She’s pleased to be back home and have Lake Superior again in her life. “The Lake is a place of solitude and, like a friend I can talk to, I use it as a refuge.”
Duluth writer Molly Hoeg’s favorite place to rejuvenate is on the rocks at Brighton Beach.