Drinking Water Promotes Health

The quest to find good, clean, drinkable water. By far, the best water of choice was distilled (a.k.a. reverse osmosis, deionized, or demineralized water). This week, we will discuss the reasons for the necessity to drink more water than we do.

Most people, in fact, drink less water than they actually think they are drinking!

Most people require 32 to 38 ounces per day as a baseline level to live.

This amount is needed for our bodies to carry out functions required for general tissue repair, metabolism, perspiration, and respiration.

Our health will become compromised if we consistently fail to meet our water requirements. In fact, the single best biomarker of aging is intercellular dehydration. Fresh skin, clear eyes, shiny hair, at any stage in life will reflect one's proper water consumption.

Water is the elixir of life. It is the largest single component in the body. Besides air, it is the only element that we put into our bodies every day of our life. It is present in every tissue and cell in our body.

The majority of us don't comprehend in full the importance of water for general health and vitality. It is estimated that only 10 to 15 percent of the population drinks eight or more glasses of pure water per day.

Beverages that contain water such as iced tea, coffee, carbonated water, diet beverages or soda pop do not count toward this quota.

In fact, they do the opposite-they actually can dehydrate your body and some also can add toxins to your body.

This puts added stress on the kidneys and liver.

To counteract that effect you must add another glass of water to your daily water intake.

Another consideration is one's activity (especially living in a hot climate). For every 2 pounds that is lost through exercise, it is necessary to replenish your system with a quart of water.

Seventy percent of all hospital admissions in the elderly are due to conditions secondary to inadequate water consumption.

Anyone sick enough to be hospitalized is at risk for water and electrolyte imbalance. Often the elderly do not drink enough because their thirst sensation becomes diminished with age.

Therefore the older one gets, the less reliable one's own thirst becomes as an accurate signal foe one's actual water requirement.

Thirst in healthy individuals occurs around 1 percent body water loss. At 5 percent, the body becomes dehydrated and hospitalization is usually required.

After 10 percent loss, the kidneys become compromised, causing severe disorders.

Loss of 20 percent may cause death.

In moderate weather, adults can live up to 10 days without water. In contrast, we can live up to several weeks without food.

Some people are afraid to drink water for fear that they will become "bloated."

In fact, the opposite usually happens-the increased water intake allows the kidneys to remove the excess fluids, or bloat, out of our bodies.

In addition, many overweight people who consume an excess of calories do so because they are actually thirsty and not hungry!

Many foods are high in water content and, for that reason, they keep on eating until their thirst mechanism has been satisfied.

So the next time you are hungry, try drinking about two glasses of water and waiting about 10 minutes to see if you are still hungry.

Drinking plenty of water with high-fiber foods also will remedy digestive problems with slow moving bowels. People who suffer from constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, and diverticulosis would benefit from drinking more pure water.

When outdoors in the heat; it is a good idea to keep a bottle of water nearby. A suitable amount of water for adults is 2.5 to 3 quarts of water per day.

Infants have a greater need for water. Lactating women need an additional 600 to 700 milliliters per day (approximately 22 ounces).

Early dehydration signs include:

-Dizziness
-Headache or heaviness in the head
-Weakness or fatigue
-Dry mouth or loss of appetite
-Flushed skin
-Advanced signs of water loss are:
-Blurred vision
-Muscle spasms
-Rapid pulse, short breath
-Delirium
-Frequent urination without drinking fluids
-Hearing loss
-Unsteady gait
-Dry, hot skin

To add years to life, take care of your body. If you don't, no one else will.

For more exciting healthy living tips, visit my blog at http://www.docofthefuture.com

Dr. Gary Gendron,BS,DC,CCSP,CCN,DACBN