The Importance of Water

Good water is essential to body cleansing. It's obvious. It sounds like a truism. Your body goes down fast without water. Making up almost three-fourths of the body, every cell is regulated, monitored and dependent on an efficient flow of water. Not one of the processes in our bodies could take place without water. Water is something that we take for granted. But how many of us really understand how essential water is or what happens to our body if it doesn't receive pure water every day, free of chemicals and pollutants?

· Water is the adhesive that bonds your cell architecture. When you get enough water fluid retention decreases, and gland and hormone functions improve.

· Water regulates your body temperature, maintains your equilibrium and helps the liver break down and release more fat.

· Water carries every nutrient, mineral, vitamin, protein, hormone and chemical messenger in your body to its destination.

· Proteins and enzymes, the basis for your body's healing capacity, function efficiently only when you have enough water.

· Your daily energy depends on water, because your body's chemical reactions are water-dependent. Just like a hydro-electric system, the energy generated by your body's water is used by your two vital cell battery systems, ATP and GTP.

· Your brain tissue is 85% water. Messages from your brain to everywhere else in your body are transported on "waterways."

Water is essential to the cleansing processes of your body.

-It lubricates and flushes wastes and toxins from all cells.
-It cleanses the internal organs.
-It helps eliminate toxins from the bloodstream.

Drinking enough water is critical to keep your skin soft and supply, your brain sharp and your elimination systems regular. But there's another side to the water story. Most Americans have reduced their intake of fats (including the good Omega-3 fats) to the point that their bodies don't hold and use the water they do take in. It's one of the reasons I recommend adding more sea greens to your diet for moister skin, shining eyes and lustrous hair.... a quality of sea plants known since ancient Greek times.

How much is enough? Your body needs about three quarts of replacement water every day under normal conditions. Strenuous activity, summer temperatures, or a diet that's high in salt increase this requirement. Your foods provide up to 11/2 quarts of water per day. (Fruits and vegetables are more than 90% water. Even dry foods like bread are about 35% water.) Water for metabolism is produced as part of the food digestion process, yielding as much as a pint per day.

Water is critical to your detoxification program!

For a healing program, several types of water are worth consideration:
· Mineral water comes from natural springs with varying mineral content and widely varying taste. The naturally occurring minerals are beneficial to digestion and regularity. In Europe, this form of bottled water has become a fine art.
· Distilled water can be from a spring or tap source; it is "de-mineralized" (only oxygen and hydrogen remain). Distilling is accomplished by boiling water, then converting to steam and recondensing it. It is the purest water available, ideal for healing, but not for longterm use because it can demineralize the body.
·Sparkling water can come from natural carbonation in underground springs, but most are artificially infused with CO2 to maintain a standard fizz. This water is an aid to digestion, and is excellent in cooking to tenderize and give lightness to a recipe.
·Artesian well water is the Cadillac of natural waters. It always comes from a deep pure source, has a slight fizz from bubbling up under rock pressure, and is tapped by a drilled well. Artesian water never comes in contact with ground contaminants.

Beyond buying bottled water, you can also take steps as an individual to conserve water and diminish pollution of ground water supplies:

- Use biodegradable soaps and detergents. Don't use water fresheners in toilet bowls.
- Don't pour wastes like paints, solvents, and petroleum based oils into drains.
- Use natural fertilizers such as manure and compost in your garden.
- Conserve water - use what you really need for a shower, a bath, laundry or cooking.

So be sure to get enough water every day, but make sure it is the right kind of water which can cleanse and heal the body, not toxic or polluted water which destroys health.