Image by Cayusa via FlickrOne of the things that I have been encouraged to do with this blog is to bring you information from resources that I have come across and found useful. I am the first one to admit that I don't know everything, but what I am good at is gathering information in the form of books, articles and studies that I often refer to if the topics warrant it. This is one of those references that I'd like to share with my readers. To begin, here are a few facts about water that I've found over the course of my study:- Approximately 85% of your brain, 80% of your blood and 70% of your muscle is water
- At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent of an infant's body weight
- A person deprived of water will die in 60 to 80 hours.
- Our brain is over 80% water and controls each and every process that happens inside of our body.
- The average adult must replace the ~10 cups (80 oz) of water it loses each day through perspiration, the kidney/bladder system, bowel movements and the respiratory system (which must be moist or breathing would be painful)
- Water adjusts the body's temperature and assists in digestion.
- Because of the neutral pH level of water, it assists in helping the body maintain a healthy pH level. The human blood has a natural pH of about 7.4. The human body cannot survive if the pH of their human blood drops to 7 or rises to 7.8! So the body has natural buffers it uses to keep the blood within these narrow limits. Hint: your bones (including your teeth) are mostly calcium--an alkaline substance. So if your body gets too acidic, it leaches the calcium from your bones creating tooth decay and bone loss. Increased storage of fat and water retention is also a way your body protects itself. To get to your ideal weight--alkalize.
- Drink 1/2 your body weight of water in ounces, daily.
- Use 1/4 tsp of salt for every quart of water you drink. As long as you drink the water, you can use the salt (non-refined, sea salt only - table salt or sodium chloride is undigestible)
- Every 6 oz of caffeine or alcohol consumed requires an additional 10-12 oz of water to re-hydrate you. Caffeine and alcohol dehydrate the body.
- If you have diabetes, sugar concentration happens to your blood when you're dehydrated. Because your blood is 83% water, when you lose water, the volume of blood decreases and the sugar remains the same. More concentrated blood sugar means higher blood sugars.
- In the elderly, it is very important to make sure they remain hydrated. Dehydration can result in blood pressure problems, dizziness and falls.
Although there is a lot of information out there about how water is used in the body and why we need it, do we really understand what dehydration looks like. Yes, severe dehydration we can usually recognize, but what if we are a little dehydrated?
- WATER PREVENTS AND RELIEVES HEARTBURN: Heartburn is a signal of water shortage in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract. It is a major thirst signal of the human body. The use of antacids or tablet medications in the treatment of this pain does not correct dehydration, and the body continues to suffer as a result of its water shortage.
- WATER PREVENTS ARTHRITIS: rheumatoid joint pain - arthritis - is a signal of water shortage in the painful joint. It can affect the young as well as the old. The use of pain-killers does not cure the problem, but exposes the person to further damage from pain medications. Intake of water and small amounts of salt will cure this problem.
- BACK PAIN: Low back pain and ankylosing arthritis of the spine are signs of water shortage in the spinal coumn and discs - the water cushions that support the weight of the body. These conditions should be treated with increased water intake - not a commercial treatment, but a very effective one. NOTE: This is one that I can personally acknowledge - I have had lower back pain for many years but once I increased my water intake significantly, the back pain disappeared.
- ANGINA: Heart pain - angina - is a sign of water shortage in the heart/lung axis. It should be treated with increased water intake until the patient is free of pain and independent of medications. Medical supervision is prudent. However, increased water intake is angina's cure.
- MIGRAINES: Migraine headache is a sign of water need by the brain and the eyes. It will totally clear up if dehydration is prevented from establishing in the body. The type of dehydration that causes migraine might eventually cause inflammation of the back of the eye and possibly loss of eye sight.
- COLITIS: Colitis pain is a signal of water shortage in the large gut. It is associated with constipation because the large intestine constricts to squeeze the last drop of water from the excrements - thus the lack of water lubrication.
- ASTHMA: Asthma, which also affects 14 million children and kills several thousand of them every year, is a complication of dehydration in the body. It is caused by the drought management programs of the body. In asthma, free passage of air is obstructed so that water does not leave the body in the form of vapor - the winter steam. Increased water intake will prevent asthma attacks. Asthmatics need also to take more salt to break the mucus plugs in the lungs that obstruct the free flow of air in and out of the air sacs.
- HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE: Hypertension is a state of adaptation of the body to a generalized drought, when there is not enough water to fill all the blood vessels that diffuse water into vital cells. As part of the mechanism of reverse osmosis, when water from the blood serum is filtered and injected into important cells through minute holes in their membraines, extra pressure is needed for the "injection process." Just as we inject I.V. "water" in hospitals, so the body injects water into tens of trillions of cells all at the same time. Water and some salt intake will bring blood pressure back to normal.
- ADULT-ONSET DIABETES: Adult-onset diabetes is another adaptive state to severe dehydration of the human body. To have adequate water in circulation and for the brain's priority water needs, the release of insulin is inhibited to prevent insulin from pushing water into all body cells. In diabetes, only some cells get survival rations of water. Water and some salt will reverse adult-onset diabetes in its early stages.
- CHOLESTEROL: High cholesterol levels are an indicator of early drought management by the body. Cholesterol is clay-like material that is poured in the gaps of some cell membraines to safeguard them against losing their vital water content to the osmotically more powerful blood circulating in their vicinity. Cholesterol, apart from being used to manufacture nerve cell membranes and hormones, is also used as a "shield" against water taxation of other vital cells that would normally exchange water through their cell membranes.
- DEPRESSION, LOSS OF LIBIDO, CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, LUPUS, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY are conditions caused by prolonged chronic dehydration. They will clear up once the body becomes well and regularly hydrated. In these conditions, exercising one's muscles should be part of the treatment program.
With this information, you can begin to do your own research regarding water and how increasing your intake significantly can benefit your health. More information can be found at www.watercure.com Dr. Batmanghelidj has researched this field of study for many years and I believe he is a reliable source of information. Please check out his website on your journeys around the web and see what you can learn. Clean, pure water is a very inexpensive way to improve and maintain health. It's worth looking in to!
Blessings to you as you seek out your health!
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