waterhealth

Water - Adding To Our Health

Water is as essential to our health as sleeping. Without it our bodies cannot function properly.

Water provides matter for the tissues that make up our body and the moisture that is necessary for almost every working part of our being not to mention the blood and chemicals that are such a large part of us.

It is truly hard to imagine exactly how much the lack of sufficient water can affect us. An excellent book called ‘How We Heal’ by Douglas Morrison, puts forward an eye opening explanation of the importance that water plays in regards to our wellbeing.

Morrison points out that the majority of people are severely dehydrated. Very few people actually do drink anywhere near as much water as they need to.

Some of the more regular disorders created by the lack of sufficient water would be indigestion, heartburn and stomach ulcers, but the problems caused are not restricted to the working organs of the stomach.

Morrison suggests that the lack of water can affect our bone movement causing arthritis due to the buffering tissues between the joints becoming thin through dehydration. He also sees dehydration as being linked to brain deterioration as in Alzheimer’s. These may be big claims but the author illustrates each point leaving us with a clear understanding of his reasons.

The lower stomach contains highly acidic contents that break down the food as it travels through the system. Without adequate water to create the thick mucus that protects the stomach lining, the acidic chemical will eat a hole in the stomach lining creating a stomach ulcer.

Replenishing your body's water supply

Although many factors can be attributed to ailments such as these, Morrison shows that these issues can be minimised if not totally erased through a more frequent water intake but this is not achieved solely through drinking water with your meal. To assist your system to work more efficiently you should drink water well before the meal so that it will have already been absorbed into your body making your stomach better prepared for calling on its water resources to do its job effectively.

If we seriously intend to increase our water intake it is necessary to do it over a period of time. Instead of trying to force down a whole jug of water three or four times a day it is both more effective and more beneficial to increase the intake in small amounts at first and then to increase the amount at a later stage. Because your water intake has been at a certain level up until now, your body will not absorb a sudden flood of water well.

If too much water enters your body in a sudden moment it fills up inside you causing you to feel bloated and uncomfortable and if your kidneys are not operating well enough to produce the extra urine, the additional water can accumulate around the heart and lungs which will create its own problems.

Slowly, slowly

According to Morrison, it is much better to drink many small glasses of water throughout the day as oppossed to four or five big glasses. Keep it constant, it is easy to stop again if you do not remind yourself because adults do not generally feel thirsty enough to correctly gauge how much water they should be drinking. Do not feel that you have done the job after three or four days and that you are now in good health. In general, people are so badly dehydrated that it can take them a whole month or even two to get themselves to the right level of hydration.

It is probable that you will need to go to the toilet more often with your increase in water consumption but that will calm down as your body adjusts. Once you have commenced on an increased water supply to your body you will most likely find yourself getting naturally thirsty more frequently which will also make it easier for you to drink the extra water.

Alcohol is not effective in hydrating your body. Even though it may appear to satisfy your thirst it actually further dehydrates your system. Another drink that dehydrates you is coffee or other beverages that contain caffeine. This does not mean that you would need to avoid these drinks, just be aware that you cannot fix your dehydration problem with them.

Water is, without a doubt, the best solution.