The Chemical Your Body Can’t Live Without
July 12th, 2008
It is made up of two gases, two atoms of hydrogen, and one of oxygen. When they are combined chemically, they produce the body’s most important nutrient, water!
Did you know that 70%-80% of your body weight is water? It helps to keep the blood a liquid, metabolize fat, maintain body temperature, wash out toxins from the body, transport nutrients, lubricate and cushion organs, and a host of other benefits.
We each need at least 64 ounces of water per day. If you are active, you need even more. When you don’t get enough, you become dehydrated. Then the body takes the water from any place it can, including the blood.
When the body gets dehydrated, it closes down some of the capillaries. The blood becomes thicker, more likely to clot, and it is harder for the heart to pump it through the systems. This results in high blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol. Dehydration has also been linked to heartburn, headaches, and arthritis.
Some have guessed that up to 75% of Americans suffer from dehydration. At times the body seems to be asking for food when really it is needing water. A drink can also satisfy the stomach’s cravings and thus help to keep proper body weight.
Some feel that the coffee, tea, or soft drinks they ingest suffices for the needed water. Actually, they can cause a greater need for water! This is because some contain caffeine which is a diuretic. In other words, they force the water and nutrients out of the cells.
Dehydration is dangerous. Dehydration leading to a 2% loss of body weight may affect mental ability. Reducing water in the body as little as 5% can result in as much as a 20%-30% drop in physical performance; 10% reduction can make you sick, and 20% can mean death. With water pollution on the rise, it is best to drink filtered water whenever possible.
Though a number of sicknesses are directly related to a lack of water, the cure is often simply to take in more water. High blood pressure, cholesterol problems, ulcers, kidney problems, stress, and headaches can sometimes be cured by drinking pure water. Drinking 64 ounces of water a day decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, of breast cancer by 79%, and of bladder cancer by 50%!
Perhaps your body is craving water right now and you don’t even know it. So go get a glass. But be sure it is pure first. Water taken from the tap will probably have impurities. So might even bottled water. Best is the water you purify yourself through a charcoal filter. You can trust it to help you maintain good health.