Water? Yes, we are truly aquatic beings, in the sense that our bodies are made up of about 60 percent water. Our brains believe it or not, are about 85 percent water. Even our hard bones are about 10 to 15 percent water
Full of wonder and mystery, water is
foundational to all physical life. Without it, we could not exist. As you read
on we will take a look at both the spiritual and physical aspect of this truly
essential liquid.
As creatures, we need water in order to survive.
In fact, every body cell, tissue, and organ needs water to function.
i.
Water helps to regulate body temperature, transports nutrients and
oxygen to cells
ii.
Water removes waste, prevents
constipation, moistens tissues, cushions joints, and keeps blood flowing throughout
the body.
We need to drink more
water than our body demands. Many liquids, such as water, milk, and fruit and
vegetable juices, contribute to hydration; however, alcohol and caffeinated
beverages may paradoxically increase fluid loss, which may be harmful.
Pure water is superior to
many other drinks. Start your day with one or two glasses of water and continue
drinking water between meals to make sure you are well hydrated.
Water has other healthful functions;
as well .Hand washing may reduce transmission of many infectious agents from
person to person. A large number of infectious diseases would be eliminated by
hand washing especially before eating.
Daily bathing removes
accumulated dirt, which can lead to disease as well.
Water can give us energy
and power, especially when we are doing strenuous work. In contrast inadequate
water intake may result in dehydration, which leads to fatigue and exhaustion
much more quickly than if we were drinking enough water.
Also insufficient water
can impair our vital functions. Though compensatory mechanism may come into
play, a chronic water deficiency will lead to ill health.
An historic experiment conducted
by Dr. Pitts at Harvard University had athlete—walking on a tread mill at three
and half miles per hour in a hot environment—consume as much water as they lost
in their sweat. At the end of the experiment, the athletes felt as if they
could continue walking—seven hours later!—G.C.Pitts, R.E. Johnson,F.C.Conzolazio,22work in the heat
as Affected by intake of water, salt and Glucose,” American Journal of physiology 142:253,1994.
The same athlete deprived
of water during the experiment on another day ,reached the point of exhaustion
with in three and a half hour.
It is possible that
adequate fluid intake may limit some symptoms such as headaches, thus
decreasing the need for headache medicine, which can cause bad side effects,
especially if used often.
Never the less, it is
possible to drink too much water, resulting in water intoxication. The
appropriate amount of water intake depends on multiple factors, such as
temperature, body size, and kidney function, but it should be sufficient to
result in pale or clear urine in normal circumstances. In most cases people should
make an effort to drink a minimum of six to eight (at least 250 ml per glass)
glasses of water per day, more when doing strenuous work in hot environment.
Make a conscious choice to
keep track of how much water you are drinking, and if you’re not getting
enough, what’s holding you back from doing something so simple and yet that
holds so many benefit for you?
It is essential that water
used both internally and externally be clean. Many people have difficulty in
accessing pure, clean water. water taken from contaminated source requires
either chemical treatment or boiling to
make it safe for consumption and domestic use.
Water can be used externally
in treatments known as hydrotherapy. The intelligent , careful use of hot water and cold wet towels in this process
of hydrotherapy may bring relief to a
number of conditions. Caution should be employed in case of poor circulation, persons
with diabetes, or neurological illnesses. It could be very well and to your
advantage to get proper training in the use of hydrotherapy.