Air and water are the two most important substances that we must consume in large volume on a daily basis. However, it must be pure and clean with no chemicals whatsoever.
The two biggest reasons for bad health are first, not drinking enough water and second, drinking bad water!
Water must be filtered from chlorine and bacteria as both will create more harm to your body then you ever can imagine. In saying that, you must drink much more water than the old 8 glasses a day theory. Unless you weigh around 100 pounds! And most people do not.
Remember, 2/3 of an ounce per body pound. So if you weigh 100 lbs x .66 = 66 ounces or about two (2) liters per day. If you weigh 150 lbs x .66 = 99 ounces or three (3) liters per day. If you weigh 200 lbs x .66 = 132 ounces or four (4) liters per day. At 250 lbs x .66 = 165 ounces or five (5) liters per day. If you sweat then you must take more water than this to compensate.
DO YOU HAVE A DECREASE OF ENERGY? One of the first signs of dehydration is when the cells of our body lose water. Remember, for every 1% drop in water in your body, cells creates a 10% loss in energy production. Dehydration is a primary cause of a lack of energy and fatigue.
DO YOU HAVE DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS? To break down food in the digestive tract takes plenty of water. Dehydration is a primary cause of digestion problems.
DO YOU HAVE CONSTIPATION? Because the body needs water to break down food by liquifying it in order to extract essential elements, dehydration is a direct link for slowing down the passage of waste in order to find and search for water.
DO YOU HAVE HEMORRHOIDS, DIVERTICULITIS, POLYP FORMATION, COLON CANCER AND CHRONIC CONSTIPATION? Well these are all interrelated. Dehydration is a direct link to these as well as the need for high fiber, cleansings and both enemas and colonics irrigation techniques. (Upcoming article…)
DO YOU HAVE ACID REFLUX? Most doctors, pharmacies and people think that this is caused by too much acid in the stomach however the fact is that too little acid due to chronic dehydration is often the real cause. If the stomach doesn’t have enough acid for digestion the food sets in your stomach too long and gets pushed back up accompanied by acid.
Referring to a good book on water called “Water: For Health For Healing For Life”, written by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, a dehydration and research expert. He states that heartburn and indigestion after eating are dehydration symptoms that eventually lead to peptic ulcers. This pain is your body’s way of telling you that it is extremely thirsty. Sometimes the pain is not severe, but simply felt as a discomfort in the upper abdomen. Sometimes the pain is intense and is around the appendix which might seem like appendicitis and other times it might be felt on the left side, over the large intestine.
As chronic dehydration persist and deepens, your body’s survival mode is activated to manage and preserve water for the most vital functions. Dr. Batmanghelidj states that there are five distinct conditions that denote states of dehydration and operative rationing processes. 1-Asthma, 2-Allergies, 3-Hypertension, 4-Constipation, 5-Type 2 diabetes. Each one of these conditions help the body conserve water and / or protect vital areas of the body from the ravaging effects of dehydration.
On the other hand, IF you are getting plenty of water and know you are not dehydrated then simply take a few tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar with your meals. This should immediately help your heartburn and indigestion problems. You may need to continue this natural remedy until you straighten out your poor diet.
HUNGER FEELING OR HUNGER PANGS are often thirst signals since food is a natural source of water for the body and the control centers are next to each other in the brain. By drinking water of one to two cups at this time you should satisfy your hunger and in about one to two hours after you should get hunger signals for food energy.
SUGAR AND CARBOHYDRATES CRAVINGS usually signal dehydration. The brain has a very high demand for water, which it can only get from blood flow. Carbohydrates raise the blood sugar level which increases blood flow to the brain.
DEPRESSION, MENTAL DIFFICULTIES, ANGER, ANXIETY, IRRITABLENESS, SHORT ATTENTION SPAN AND IMPATIENCE may all very well be the brain’s way of telling you that you are thirsty. The brain is the top priority for water in the body and extremely sensitive to any water shortage. The brain is only 2% of the bodies weight however it requires 15% of the blood flow. However, it has no direct way to tell the body it needs water! No wonder we get irritable, angry, anxious, forgetful, impatient and depressed. So if there are no reason for these mentioned problems then it may be your brain’s way of telling you that you are thirsty and perhaps probably even dehydrated!
PREGNANCY MORNING SICKNESS is a signal of dehydration of the mother and fetus. It is caused by the water-regulatory action of histamine. Dehydration triggers the release ofhistamine. Histamine can lead to allergies. Allergies are a symptom of chronic dehydration. When you are dehydrated and histamine levels are elevated, your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. This suppresses the production of white blood cells and you become more vulnerable to all kinds of allergies. It well may be the dust, mold and pollens in the air make you sneeze, however, it is dehydration that raises your histamine levels and suppresses your immune system initially. Anti-histamines are NOT the answer as they will only cover up the symptons and make you feel better initially, however, the real problem still exists and continues to take it’s toll on the body!
Pregnancy creates a very high demand for water. As the fetus grows into a full-term baby, over one trillion cell divisions are taking place and each new cell must be filled with water. So pregnant women need and should drink lots of water and eliminate all sources of dehydration especially the consuption of caffeine and alcohol.
WHAT COLOR IS YOUR URINE? Urine color accurately indicates short-term hydration levels. Being well-hydrated is indicated by a clear or very pale yellowish color. Dehydration causes your kidneys to recycle urine so it will become more concentrated and darker in color. The darker your urine, the more dehydrated you are (not counting the urine color by certain vitamins, foods, medications, etc.). Extreme dehydration is orange in color. So the darker your urine the more acid is in your body and the more damage that is occuring on a cellular level. (up-coming article on acidic and alkaline)
Dehydration creates a major imbalance with your body’s chemistry causing negative effects associated and contributing to almost any health problem or disease process. It is directly contributing stress in your body by the creation of histamine that activates the stress hormone cortisol! It increases blood acidity creating a very unhealthy body chemistry. Thus a decrease of oxygen uptake of the red blood cell surpresses many enzymatic reactions vital to cellular function. Even more seriously, the body becomes less efficient with proteins and enzymes which control everything healthy in the body.
Many of the information was compiled by the works of both Brian Foltz and Joe Ferrara, PhD, who are co-authors of the upcoming book, “The Secrets of Superior Hydration” as well as Dr. F. Batmanghelidj.
