Water
Pure, clean water may be your missing component to having vibrant health. As a practitioner of energetic medicine, I am continually amazed at the power energetic remedies have in producing a positive shift in health. By using Infoceuticals, homeopathic and isopathic remedies the body can address deep seated and or long held conditions. However, water is essential to any and every health plan. Though the drinking of pure water is slowly making a comeback, most individuals still drink only soda, coffee or tea as their main fluid. Many teenagers go weeks without a single glass of pure water. Their drink of choice is pop. Soft drinks are a problem because they not only contain 9 teaspoons of sugar per 12 ounce can but are usually full of caffeine. The excessive intake of sugar is readily converted to fat storage; caffeine robs vital minerals including calcium. Phosphoric acid used in the carbonation process also depletes calcium and other minerals. The pop drinking victim is headed toward osteoporosis. Today not only do we see adult onset (type II) diabetes moving down to very young ages due to high sugar intake, we also see the beginning stages of osteoporosis attacking girls in their twenties. This is largely due to high intake of carbonated drinks in childhood and teen years.
If you drink diet sodas, the potential risks shift to a whole different area. Aspartame elevates levels of aspartate, a brain toxin, relatively quickly and Aspartame is known to influence the hypothalamus, which may altar the manufacturing of growth hormone. It should also be noted that the hypothalamic/pituitary axis has a functional relationship to the pancreas and this potential feedback loop could impact weight gain as well. Additionally many diet sodas are loaded with sodium, which has a tendency to make an individual retain water and negatively influences blood sugar regulation. Aspartame converts to formaldehyde and the diet drinker is slowly poisoning his whole system.
Good health depends on the continual replacement of water through daily intake. Water is responsible for the transport of electrolytes, hormones, nutrients, and waste products. Water is of primary importance in all aspects of metabolism. Our bodies have a multitude of chemical reactions that are dependent upon abundant water. It regulates the osmotic flow through cell membranes and is responsible for the energy which is created and stored in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and guanosine triphosphate (GTP). Thus water becomes a key factor to the Krebs cycle which provides energy to the body. Water is involved in the transport of materials manufactured in the brain to the various points in the nervous system network. Proteins and enzymes act more efficiently in solutions of low viscosity produced by optimal water intake.
How much water should I drink? It is best to drink one half of your weight in ounces of water every day.
The body redirects water to more vital roles at the expense of other metabolic needs when the supply is not adequate. Dehydration may play a role in elevated cholesterol, poor stress response, inadequate detoxification, poor pain management, obesity, and poor insulin regulation.
Some facts about water:
One in five Americans drinks tap or well water which is polluted with lead, feces, pesticides, radiation, or other contaminates. The Center for Disease Control and the Environmental Protection Agency recommend that people with weakened immunity drink only filtered or bottled water. A one micron filter is required to protect against cryptosporidium. Only 9% of the filters sold meet this requirement. Ninety percent of the municipal water systems still use World War 1 technologies to clean water. In the last 10 years, 6 outbreaks of cryptosporidium affecting 400,000 to 7 million people yearly, have occurred. Scientists believe that Heliobacter Pylori may spread through water.
Most people need between two and three quarts of quality water daily. A good rule of thumb is to drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water daily. Some of our water need may be supplied by fruits and vegetables, which will also supply organic sodium and potassium. These are at the foundation of the electrolyte system.
Mary Georger of the Center for Cardiovascular Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center says that 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated. When the body gets slightly dehydrated, it goes into “conserve water” mode. Just as when you skip meals you enter a “starvation” mode, which causes the body to become very efficient at conserving calories and slowing metabolism. The mechanism for this efficiency is that the fat cell membrane becomes very permeable to the uptake and storage of fat. In addition fat cells become very IM-permeable to fat leaving the cell. In the same way, when your body perceives a drought, it hordes water by storing it between the cells (extra-cellular water).
When dehydrated, there is an inability to concentrate; some people get headaches, joint pain (sometimes mistaken for arthritis) and a general fatigue and irritability. Additionally, a lack of water can interfere with a person’s metabolism, making it harder to keep off weight.
Clean and unpolluted water is the healthiest drink. Many today despise drinking pure water falsely thinking that their water need will be met by drinking coffee, tea, soda pop, alcohol, fruit juice, and other liquids. These all have different effects on metabolism and can not replace pure water. Therefore, as a foundation to your health, drink pure water.