Water makes up 70% of our body weigh. Without the presence of water our cells and tissues would collapse. Without water, nutrients could not be absorbed and transported to our individual cells. Without water, toxic wastes could not be transported from our cells tour pores and kidneys, nor could they be excreted by these organs. Without water, life would be impossible.

Lack of adequate water intake results in a wide variety of symptoms. An individual may feel dizzy and lightheaded, especially when changing positions. Muscle aching is common. Often, as dehydration progresses, nausea develops, which worsens the situation by discouraging necessary intake.

Lack of adequate water intake predisposes to dry, irritated skin, constipation, headaches, kidney stones, salivary duct stones, urinary tract infections, sinus and bronchial infections, bloating, and fatigue. Inadequate water intake results in a thickening of the blood, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

A common question is, “How much water should I be drinking?” While various rules such as “six to eight glasses a day” are sometimes given, I find these inadequate. The amount of water required while sitting quietly on a cool rainy day is vastly different than that required while working in the yard on a hot summer day. When my daughters and I hiked the Grand Canyon, we were advised “Any canteen smaller than a gallon is a toy!”

So how much water should you be drinking? I recommend following the advice of the body itself. You should regularly drink enough water to keep your urine pale. I have often been told, “I can’t do that because I take vitamins that turn my urine yellow.”

This is not true. If adequate water is being taken in the urine will be a very pale yellow rather than a deep, bright yellow. An added step is to drink 16 ounces of water over a 15 minute period in the mid-morning and again in the mid-afternoon. This flushes the system with water and aids in detoxifying the system as well as maintaining optimum hydration of the tissues.

What type of water should be drunk? Let me begin by saying that it is unlikely that any source of naturally pure water exists today. Drink “pure natural spring water” with caution. The term is meaningless. Since a portion of my city’s water supply comes from an underground aquifer, I could fill gallon jugs from my kitchen tap and legally sell them as “Spring Water”.

 “WARNING: Hazardous to humans and domestic animals. Causes substantial but temporary eye injury. Do not get in eyes or on clothing. Harmful if swallowed. May irritate skin. For prolonged use, wear gloves.”

Chlorine is added to water supplies to kill living organisms. Your body is a living organism. In addition, your body is designed to rely upon living bacteria in your intestinal tract to aid with food digestion and production of B vitamins. Does chlorine stop killing bacteria when you drink it? No! It continues to kill, eliminating most of the normal flora, the bacteria needed for optimum health, in your intestinal tract.

I believe that you should drink either distilled or reverse osmosis filtered water. Those processes eliminate the toxins and dangerous organisms from the water and produce pure, refreshing water for human consumption. Minerals may be added for taste. It is amazing how many non-water drinkers suddenly become habitual water drinkers when they experience the satisfaction of drinking pure water. If an individual still resists drinking water it may be sweetened by adding a small amount of fruit juice or consumed as an herbal or green tea.

Beverages such as coffee and black tea have a diuretic effect, which means that they encourage elimination of water from the body. Therefore, they can actually promote mild dehydration. Most soft drinks have the same effect. Carbonated beverages damage the body in other ways, particularly by leaching calcium out of the bones, predisposing to osteoporosis.

Water is best consumed at room temperature. A standard treatment for a bleeding ulcer is to lavage the stomach with ice water. Ice water causes the blood vessels in the stomach to constrict, which is beneficial if one wishes to stop bleeding, but is detrimental if one is hoping to digest food efficiently.

There is one other aspect of water usage that is vitally important but commonly ignored. Read the warning from the container of chlorine bleach once more. It states that chlorine may cause eye injury and irritate the skin. Since this is true, does it make any sense to shower with chlorinated water? We use a filter on our showerhead that removes chlorine and othr volatile chemicals. When I shower away from home my eyes become bloodshot. My wife, Rosalie, suffered from itchy red blotches on her skin from the day she left the farm to the day we installed the shower filter. I know many others who have had similar experiences.

Do your ever feel tired after taking a shower? More chlorine is absorbed through the skin in one 5 – 10 minute shower than could possibly be absorbed by drinking chlorinated water all day. The toxicity of the absorbed chlorine places a substantial drain on the body’s energy.

Since water is so vital to life it makes sense to start a health regimen by drinking and using pure water. This will provide a basis upon which to build optimum health. If its foundation is solid, a building is far more capable of withstanding storms, earthquakes, and other catastrophes. So it is with the human body. If you build your health upon a firm foundation and follow sound wellness principles you will be far better equipped to handle the challenges you will face in the future.