I recently had a friend stop by. I had not seen him for several months. His breathing was slightly labored and his gait slow, consistent with the excess weight he was carrying. We visited briefly about mutual interests. He then mentioned that he was considering some nutritional supplements and asked my opinion. “You might be surprised at how much more energy you find,” I said, encouragingly.

“I feel great, just great!,” he retorted. “Never felt better! I’m thinking about taking some antioxidants since the studies are suggesting they might prevent certain things, but I really don’t need anything right now.”

He never tried the supplements I suggested.

I regularly hear two comments about energy. The first comes from the individual who has become so run down that they are aware that they have a problem. “I just don’t have enough energy!,” they will say, or “Why do I feel so tired all the time?” The second comment comes from the person who has just started to address the needs of the body. “I didn’t know how bad I was feeling until I started getting better,” they will report. “I didn’t know it was possible to have this much energy!”

Lack of energy is one of the most widespread plagues of the late twentieth century. Tiredness is a complaint commonly heard by physicians. It is also one of the most dreaded, for there is no single answer and rarely an easy solution to the problem.

The number of conditions that can cause tiredness is endless. Virtually any disease process causes a drain on the body’s energy. A lack of sleep may be responsible, as can an inadequate intake of essential nutrients. Hormonal deficiencies can also make a person feel tired and drained. Exposure to toxins can do the same.

Tiredness has traditionally be addressed from a biochemical standpoint. The measures used have ranged from providing better fuel to the body in the form of improved nutrition to artificially boosting the body’s energy level with herbs such as ma huang (ephedra) or potent pharmaceuticals such as amphetamines. Only recently have the biophysical aspects of tiredness been recognized.

Physicists define energy as “the ability to do work.” This definition can easily be applied to the human condition, for as one’s energy level declines one’s ability to do work also diminishes. People who suffer from “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, for example, often become so lacking in energy that they cannot work and must rely upon disability income for survival.

Physics instructs us that several things affect energy at the atomic level. One of these is the velocity at which electrons spin around the nucleus. This is expressed by the formula E_k= 1/2 mv²which states that the energy associated with motion is related to the velocity at which a object is moving. This is why an automobile moving at 50 miles per hour is capable of doing much more damage in a collision than a vehicle moving 5 miles per hour.

Another way by which energy may be increased at the atomic level is to move electrons into higher orbits. Electrons in the outer orbits of an atom are more “excited” and thus capable of producing more work.

Molecules (combinations of atoms) are able to capture and store energy as the bonds between the atoms are stretched and relaxed. Since our bodies are made up of atoms and molecules logic suggests that the energy of the body, its ability to do work, will be affected by the amount of energy captured and stored in its atoms and molecules.

The most abundant molecule in the body is H₂0. Water molecules make up 70 % of our body weight. The brain is 75 % water, blood is almost 95 % water, and our bones are nearly 25 % water. This being the case, the amount of energy contained in the water molecules of our bodies will have a major impact on total energy stores.

Water is an amazing substance. Chemically it is made up of two hydrogen atoms attached to one oxygen atom by means of a “covalent” bond. The hydrogen atoms are separated by 104 degrees. As the temperature of the water rises and falls this angle is stretched and relaxed, an action that causes the water molecule to capture energy.

In nature, water not only undergoes changes in temperature; it forms eddies, or vortices, as it flows. This spinning action also adds energy to the water molecules. Exposure to natural or man-made electromagnetic fields will also affect the amount of energy stored in water.

Water is an excellent solvent, capable of holding many other substances in solution. It is also magnetic, having positive and negative poles. Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines (MRIs) are able to provide a detailed picture of the inner anatomy of the body through the use of a powerful magnetic field that aligns the water molecules in the body.

Because of its solvent and magnetic properties, water possesses the ability to remember vibratory frequencies, much in the same manner as voice or musical vibrations can be captured and remembered on magnetic recording tape. This means that even though substances such as chlorine or other dissolved solids have been removed by filtration or distillation, the water still retains a record of them. This vibratory record may be transferred to other systems including living organisms. It has been demonstrated that the temperature at which water is able to release or acquire the greatest amount of information in 37.5 decrees centigrade or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the precise temperature of the human body.

Using devices that are capable of measuring the excitement of electrons or other particles scientists have been able to measure the inherent energy in substances or systems. Using a scale referred to as the “Biophoton” or “Bovis” scale the innate energy level can be recorded and compared to that of other systems.

The Bovis scale ranges from zero to infinity. The neutral point for the human body is 6,500. Energy levels above 6,500 are therefore life enhancing or life supporting, while energies below 6,500 are life depleting.

Most water tested today measures between 2,000 and 5,000 Bovis. This means that we face a dilemma. When we drink water, as we must, our body must provide energy to bring that water up to life standards. This places an energy drain on the system. While we are being nourished biochemically, we are being depleted biophysically. Is it any wonder that so many people feel so tired so often?

The low energy levels of water as it is commonly found today have health implications that are not commonly considered. For example, orange juice is available in most supermarkets in two forms. Sitting side by side on a refrigerated shelf are cartons which are indistinguishable except for the words “Not From Concentrate” and “From Concentrate”. Taste, texture, caloric value and vitamin content are identical, but, when tested, the juice as it comes from the orange is energy providing while the juice reconstituted using devitalized water is energy depleting. Biochemically they are identical; biophysically they are opposites.

This may have implications in dealing with addiction. Many substances are capable of giving an immediate “lift” due to their chemical makeup, but can drain energy on an atomic level. This would necessitate another “hit” to obtain the initial perceived energy boost while sustaining long term energy drains in a never-ending downward spiral.

Fortunately, methods have been devised to energize water and other substances prior to their consumption. This is not to be considered the miracle cure for all diseases, but it is one more piece to the puzzle of how to achieve and maintain optimum health. Moving forward we may discover that what were once considered normal energy levels are, in biophysical reality, not quite enough.