Water Is My First Priority
When looking at topmost strategies for optimizing health and wellness, water is my first priority.
Our own body, just like the surface of our planet body, is over 70% water. Our lungs are 90% water; our blood is 82% water; our brain is 76% water; our muscles are 75% water; and our bones are 25% water. At the beginning or our life, we are over 90% water. Most people can tolerate a three to four percent decrease in total body water without difficulty or adverse health effects. But a five to eight percent decrease can cause fatigue and dizziness. A decrease of over ten percent can cause physical and mental deterioration. A decrease of more than fifteen to twenty-five percent is invariably fatal.
Needless to say, we are dependent of both the quantity and quality of the water we drink.
Water quantity factors
Water’s Role behind Eleven Common Health Issues
Abnormal Weight Gain: People who consume six to eight cups of water daily from any source consume 68 to 205 fewer calories than those who consume an average of 4 cups of water daily. Still, the recommended daily minimal consumption (in ounces) is half your body weight. (A 180 pound person should drink at least 90 ounces daily, or about 3 quarts or 3 liters.)
Addictions: Water helps restore balance in the body, by providing better nutrient utilization and helping eliminate addictions to alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and some drugs.
Back Pain, Arthritis: Water shortage in the spinal column and discs can be a significant factor in back pain, which could be a sign of dehydration. If prolonged, and not corrected, it could lead to osteoarthritis. Water and small amounts of salt can prevent and help correct causes of common rheumatoid joint pain.
Heartburn, Stomach Pain: A water shortage in the upper gastrointestinal tract could trigger thirst signals like heartburn and eventually stomach pain, if not corrected over time, while medicating it instead.
Migraines: Headaches can be a sign of water needed by the brain and eyes.
Fatigue: The primary source of energy in the body is water. It generates electrical and magnetic energy in every cell of the body. It is like our cells are little hydroelectric plants, which will not produce adequate energy without water.
Attention Deficit: Water provides more energy to the brain, providing greater focus, attention, and memory needed for the learning process. A well hydrated brain is more likely to have the ability to stay engaged on a single topic.
Depression: Water helps the body replenish its supply of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Sleep disorders: The brain needs water for the production of all hormones, including melatonin, which is a critical factor in sleep regulation. Normal sleep rhythms are therefore helped by sufficient water.
Infection: Water improves immune system efficiency. It helps combat infections and mutant cells (like cancer cells). A dehydrated body is becomes much more acidic, becoming a more conducive environment for all types of infections.
Heart disease and stroke: Daily water intake is essential for circulation; it helps prevent clogging of arteries in both the heart and brain.
Water quality factors
You may have read about the recent discovery of toxic levels of lead in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan, a Detroit suburb. This is an extreme example of how you and your family can be harmed by water contamination. The sad truth is that while most drinking water doesn’t contain dangerous levels of lead, most drinking water contains a variety of chemicals, minerals and other substances that can, over time, be harmful to your health.
(see more…. “8 Signs Your Drinking Water May Be Contaminated”)
(see more…. “9 Signs Your Tap Water Might Be Contaminated”)
(see more…. “Water Contamination - by ConsumerNotice.org”)
About the author, Jack Boyd, LMBT
Passionate about personal growth and transformation while evolving community, Jack is the owner of Asheville Structural Integration and co-founder of the Conscious Health Collaborative.
Jack’s professional career reflects his strong commitment to healthy personal growth and development, as a licensed massage and bodywork therapist, and through other endeavors in teaching, athletic coaching, and personal life coaching with Landmark Education.
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