What About Water?
In the process of getting certified as a Nutritional Counselor, I loved doing the research and enjoyed writing articles on many aspects of health. The source of the most startling and surprising information to me was from Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghtlidj’s books, You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty and Your Body’s Many Cries For Water. I had no idea that so many of us are subliminally dehydrated and what that can result in. In his books, he pointedly and definitively explains how being subliminally dehydrated can cause every one of these issues and more: Asthma, Weight Gain, Allergies, Blood Pressure issues, Diabetes, Constipation (that one I expected), Autoimmune Diseases, Heartburn, Hiatal Hernia, Colitis, Headaches, Migraines, Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain, Lower Back Pain, Osteoarthritis, Brain Damage, Strokes, Hormone imbalances, Chronic Fatigue, Dry and Burning Eyes, High Blood Cholesterol, Coronary Heart Disease, Hot Flashes, Gout, Kidney Stones, Osteoporosis, and even the formation of Cancer. WOW, what a list!
Do you know anyone with Asthma?
I have seen over and over now people and even children getting rid of or tamping down their asthma symptoms significantly by drinking much more water – usually needing half their body weight in ounces each day. One youngster, about 9 years old, NEVER played outside due to his asthma and allergies. The poor little guy was stuck inside all the time. My husband actually suggested to his mom that she might try the water solution I had researched. She did. Her son remarkably got much better! He plays outside now! Isn’t that fantastic? I’ll segue here to explain. It’s important that you please carefully follow this, so you’ll see how logical this is and to see how clearly subliminal dehydration can cause an asthma attack. Let’s look at what happens to a person experiencing an asthma attack.
First, histamine, a powerful neurotransmitter, regulates the thirst mechanism in an attempt to get the person to drink more water. So the person ignores the signal or misinterprets the thirst signal for hunger, which is extremely common, and the person continues to become more dehydrated. Histamine also puts in place a system for rationing the available water in the dehydrated body. So as histamine production continues to increase, the water rationing protective systems continue to increase as well. These water rationing protective systems are powerful and amazing.
A fact that we need to know is that the very fragile air sacs in the lungs have very thin walls and must have water to keep them moist at all times.
So in the process of water rationing, the body goes to go to extreme measures to protect these air sacs. Here’s how. The increased histamine released in the lungs causes spasms of the bronchioles, making them constrict, allowing the body to conserve the water that normally evaporates during breathing, keeping the air sacs moist. Histamine also stimulates the production of thick mucus that partially plugs the bronchioles to protect the lining of the bronchioles themselves. So the histamine production, caused by chronic dehydration, initiates the thirst signal, which is ignored, and then histamine begins to go into these self-conserving actions to protect the lungs, air sacs, and bronchioles, constricting passageways, and causing the production of mucus. Sheesh, all this due to a lack of enough water? The human body is amazing, isn’t it!
So, is it possible that children and people who are asthmatic and also those who believe they have allergies, may possibly correct these issues by taking enough water in? I believe, absolutely so. I’ve seen it happen! How much water should we be drinking? According to Dr. Batmanghelidj, and many other experts, we should be drinking one half our body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be taking in 75 ounces of water daily. Water is not just important for improving asthma and allergies. There is MUCH more.
Water is the energy cash flow for the body.
Lack of water can lead to sluggish blood and blood flow. Sluggish blood can lead to lack of energy flow. That’s oversimplifying, but here is something you can try the very next time you feel your energy drop. Drink a large glass of water. Check yourself in 3 to 5 minutes. Don’t you feel better?
How can water cause obesity?
VERY easily. Because as adults, and sometimes younger, we have come to misinterpret our thirst signals for hunger, we want to eat far more often than we need to. Can you increase your awareness of your feelings of hunger? Each time you feel that hunger pang, try drinking a large glass of water. Are you still hungry? Very likely not – and not for a while if you are like most. So by simply drinking water every time you feel hunger, you will normalize your hunger sensations and eat less often! Many people have lost 5 to 10 pounds a month, making only this one change. Soon you’ll be able to differentiate between the two feelings. Or, if not, just always drink water when you feel hungry! I can only help!
Do you ever get headaches or migraines? According to Dr. Mehmet Oz, being even a little bit dehydrated can cause a headache. Dr. Batmanghtlidj would surely concur. In one study Dr. Oz states that 47% of people found that drinking 6 extra glasses of water a day helped relieve chronic headache pain.
I personally know a number of people who have relieved their headaches within 30 minutes or less by drinking a lot more water. Many people who increase their daily intake of water rarely ever have headaches anymore!
What else can drinking enough water improve? Here’s a short list: heart disease, stroke, infection, cancers, depression, sleep disorders, addictions, osteoporosis, attention deficit, blood pressure, diabetes, constipation, autoimmune diseases, heartburn, colitis pain, rheumatoid arthritis pain, osteoarthritis, dry eyes, hot flashes, gout, and kidney stones. Can you see that being fully hydrated can truly help prevent these health issues and certainly improve them if you already have any of them?
What about the chemicals in water? Yes, this is a real concern. I almost don’t want to get started on this, it can be sooo scary, but I must. It’s very serious. More than 21 million Americans are drinking water that violates US health standards. And all of us are getting toxins in our drinking water to some degree.
Here is a list of some of the most prevalent toxins in our drinking water across the country:
Fluoride: Supposedly helps prevent tooth decay, but that is questionable. A better plan for that is less sugar consumption and flossing and brushing. Fluoride is a by-product of the aluminum industry. It is a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor. It can harm your thyroid gland and calcify your pineal gland. More than 70 cities have started banning it and many European countries have also banned the use of fluoride.
Chlorine: Disinfectant properties help purify our water, but it is a reactive chemical that can produce poisonous hydrochloric acid and long term effects include memory loss and impaired balance. (O’Malley, Gerald F., DO. “Chlorine Toxicity : Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology.” Medscape, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.)
Lead: Lead is toxic to almost every organ in our body and affects children the worst. Some of the issues resulting are developmental issues, stunted growth, deafness, behavioral issues, learning disabilities, and brain damage. ( “Decreased Brain Volume in Adults with Childhood Lead Exposure.” PLoS Medicine. Public Library of Science, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.)
Mercury: This element is sometimes unearthed during mining and industrial practices. Mercury can cause brain damage, blindness, nerve damage, cognitive disability, impairment of motor functions, headaches, tremors, mood swings, memory loss and even skin rashes.
PCB’s: Polychlorinated biphenyls are chemicals used for industrial purposes. Although they were banned in 1979, they are still prevalent in landfills and break down slowly and infiltrate the environment. PCB’s have been found to cause cancer and negatively affect the immune, reproductive, nervous, and endocrine systems in animals. More include: Arsenic, Dioxins, DDT, HCB (pesticide), Dacthal (herbicide), MtBE (gasoline additive), and Pharmaceutical drug contaminants.
So what is the answer? Drink more tap water? NOOOO! Please consider these solutions:
Ideally, you can have Spring Water delivered (or pick it up) from a reliable source. Spring water should be CLEAN and full of MINERALS. Using glass containers is better than plastic ones. Another option is to have a Reverse Osmosis system installed in your kitchen with an additional fluoride filter, because fluoride is not filtered out with just an RO system. Also, make sure it is connected to your refrigerator water line too. The Berkey Purification system is a good solution, but again, you will need the additional Fluoride filters to reduce the fluoride by up to 97%.
Please know that the answer is NOT to just drink bottled water. The tests from the Department of Agriculture detected ATRAZINE, a weed killer, in bottled water. Atrazine is so potent that even low-level exposure can turn male frogs into female frogs with perfectly viable eggs. The same is occurring with fish in many bodies of water polluted with atrazine. Bottled spring water would be my only consideration.
When should we NOT drink water? Great question! Did you know there is a VERY important time to NOT drink water?
In order to protect our precious digestive juices, we should not drink water or tea, or anything during a meal. Diluting our important digestive juices is just asking for heartburn and is disabling our body’s ability to digest properly, leaving those precious nutrients in the food you ate to be excreted instead of used. It’s also a good idea to refrain from drinking water or other liquids for 30 to 60 minutes after eating. Sip if you must, but just sips. Another good idea is to stop drinking water and any liquids a couple hours prior to bedtime.
Perhaps the most impactful time to drink water is upon waking. So you wake up, head to the toilet to relieve your bladder, then wash up and get ready for your first big glass of water. Adding in fresh lemon juice is a real boost to wake up your organs in a wonderful way. Water with lemon juice helps flush toxins gently, helps fight infections, helps maintain good ph levels, is great for the joints, and is overall wonderfully rejuvenating.
