How to Be Healthy

  Covering over 70% of the earth’s surface, water is undoubtedly the most precious natural resource that exists on our planet next to the air (oxygen) that we breathe.  Without this invaluable compound comprised of hydrogen and oxygen, life on Earth would be non-existent; it is essential for everything on our planet to grow and prosper.        Although we recognize this fact, we disregard it by polluting our rivers, lakes, and oceans.  Subsequently, we are slowly but surely harming our planet to the point where organisms are dying at a very alarming rate.  Much has been said about the sad state that our drinking water supply throughout the world is in.  With the constantly increasing population base and attendant industrial need for fresh water, we can only expect that pollution will increase and fresh water supplies decrease as time continues.    It is a well-known fact that clean water is absolutely essential for healthy living, indeed for life itself.  Adequate supply of fresh and clean drinking water is a basic need for all human beings on the earth, yet millions of people worldwide don’t even have this most basic requirement of life.  

 Run-off from farms, backyards, and golf courses contain pesticides such as DDT that in turn contaminate the water.  Leachate from landfill sites containing plastics and other chemicals is another major contamination source.  Its effects include endocrine and reproductive damage in wildlife and through out the ecosystem.  Groundwater is susceptible to contamination, as pesticides are mobile in the soil, moving every time it rains.  

 Sewage from municipal treatment plants in almost every city in North America are working at overcapacity.  Water pollution from sewage is now no longer a developing country issue found only in poor or third world countries but is also found in every state in the union.

 Excessive use of fertilizers contributes to nitrate contamination of groundwater, with the result that nitrate levels in drinking water is far above the safety levels recommended.

 Persistent organic pollutants, synthetic compounds with an estimated 100,000 in the food chain are potentially the most dangerous pollutants in the ecosystem around the world.  They accumulate not only in the fish, chicken and beef that we eat but also in groundwater and drinking water.

Acid rain, acidification of surface water, mainly lakes and reservoirs, is one of the major environmental impacts of airborne transport of air pollutants over long distance such as sulphur dioxide from power plants, other heavy industry such as steel plants, and motor vehicles. This problem is more severe in the US and in parts of Europe as witnessed by the erosion of statues throughout Europe from acid rain. Chemicals in water can be both naturally occurring or introduced by human interference and can have serious health effects. One sample of these chemicals is flouride.

Fluoride has been used in water supplies for decades as a supposed preventative treatment for dental caries and weakening of the bones, but more research suggests that it doesn’t work very well and may be harmful even in the low doses used in water supplies.  New reports suggest children’s intelligence declines as their natural drinking water fluoride levels increase.  This conclusion was reported in several Chinese studies.

Now we know some of the many issues we have with our drinking water worldwide, perhaps now is the time to discuss what dehydration is, why it is such a problem and the simple measures you can take to avoid this condition. By providing the body with the fundamental basic needs that are necessary for the healthy functioning of the body such as good food, enough clean water, clean air and exercise, the vast majority of chronic diseases we find in North American civilization would be a thing of the past. One of the simplest things that you can do for your health is to drink enough clean water. For now in North America, clean water is readily available and is inexpensive. This may not be so in the near future. Perhaps the next great conflict will not be about oil supplies but about water rights and having access to enough quality drinking water to satisfy the needs of a thirsty nation.

Stress, alcohol, exercise, heat and caffeine all affect the amount of water you need and the speed your body loses it. Any of these factors, alone or in combination, could cause us to lose enough water, a 3% reduction, to create crucial shrinkage of the brain. Even this small shrinkage will be enough to reduce the brains control of vital functions of the body such as neuromuscular control and memory.

Unfortunately, increased consumption of caffeine or alcohol is common in times of stress, resulting in an increased loss of water. How many of us start the day with a cup of coffee? In fact we need to otherwise we can’t function. It could be that the lack of energy and trouble waking up could be one sign of dehydration; the coffee we drink daily is only adding to the problem.

On average, most of us need to drink half of our body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 200 lbs. you should drink 100 ounces of filtered water per day on an empty stomach, not with or directly after meals. Most people think that this is a huge amount but as they start to drink they realize they are re-establishing their sense of thirst and eventually are able to drink this amount easily. Another healthy aspect of drinking this amount of clean water is the increased trips to the washroom. Most people think of this as an inconvenience however all you are doing is reducing the overall acidity and toxicity in the body by giving the kidneys enough water to do their job properly. Drinking water on an empty stomach ensures proper absorption and utilization of this vital and essential nutrient.

We lose water everyday in ways that we don’t even think about. On average we lose daily;

· Two cups through breathing

· Two cups through invisible perspiration

· Six cups through bowel and kidney elimination

· More water could also be lost through exercise or hard work, excessively dry air, alcohol and caffeine consumption.

Common chronic conditions such as headaches, back pain, arthritis especially gout, asthma, and chronic fatigue are all signs of dehydration and can be reversed easily just through drinking more water on a regular basis. Often the best way to prevent, treat and in many cases cure illness is to give our body the right tools and get out of the way of its natural affinity to always attempt to take the proper action in maintaining or rebuilding a strong foundation of health.

Dehydration doesn’t happen just to people who find themselves marooned on desert islands. In fact, research has shown that dehydration is the most common condition found in the elderly. It makes you wonder how much the health of the nation’s senior population would improve just by drinking enough water; interestingly many of the symptoms of dehydration mimic common conditions found in seniors. The most common signs and symptoms of dehydration include persistent fatigue, lethargy, muscle weakness or cramps, headaches, dizziness, nausea, forgetfulness, confusion, deep rapid breathing, or an increased heart rate. Since seniors often have a reduced sense of thirst, dehydration is one of the most frequent causes of hospitalization after age 65. Signs and symptoms of dehydration, like those of many other treatable health conditions, can be virtually identical to senile dementia symptoms, age related dementia symptoms and Alzheimer’s symptoms. Correcting dehydration can allow an older person to return to a full and normal life, sometimes reducing the need for medication.

Unfortunately most of us think that if we drink pop, coffee or tea, we are fulfilling our need for water. Nothing can be further from the truth. Coffee, tea and pop all have dehydrating properties and are classed as diuretics. In other words, the more you drink of these items the more water you lose. When someone becomes dehydrated, the amount of water in his or her body has dropped below its adequate level (our bodies are about two thirds water). Small decreases, less than 3% of the total volume, don’t cause problems, and in most cases, they go completely unnoticed. But losing larger amounts of water can sometimes make a person feel quite sick. Dehydration is a very serious condition, more than most people realize. Let’s put it into perspective; we can live for up to 60 days without food but only 3 or 4 days without water.