The Importance of Water

Water is the most abundant substance in the human body. It is a component of virtually everything, except tooth enamel and bone. We are about 70% WATER, 25% PROTEIN and 5% MINERALS.

You can regard the body as being water, thickened with protein, which prevents us from "running away". This gelatinous mass is then hung on a skeleton made up of minerals. Not a very flattering analogue. But it does put things in perspective.

Water performs many functions.

A few of the more important ones follow:

1. Most reactions in our bodies (of which there are millions every second) will not take place unless the reactants are dissolved. For example, the water component of our blood dissolves oxygen from our lungs and in this way it can be transported to our cells. Carbon Dioxide is removed in the same way.

2. Almost every cell in our body is bathed in interstitial fluid which is almost entirely water.

3. Most of the molecules in our body are suspended in water and are thus able to come into contact with other molecules. Indeed, water is often a part of these chemical reactions.

4. Water is a great stabiliser of body temperature. It absorbs and releases heat very slowly.

5. We have seen that the digestive tract utilises some 2 gallons of water per day. Much of this is reabsorbed, however, a certain amount needs to be replenished daily.

6. Water also acts as a lubricating medium. It is the major part of mucous and other lubricating fluids. Lubrication is especially necessary in the chest and abdomen, where internal organs touch and slide over each other.

7. Finally, water is the flushing medium which is used to clean the kidneys. These vital organs filter our entire volume of blood about every five minutes! Sufficient clean water must be passing through the kidneys to collect the wastes from this process. If these toxins are not removed, they will remain in the tissues.

How Much Water Do We Need?

Now let's look at some of the practical aspects of using water for healing. Please be very clear that following appropriate dietary modification, the next most important step in nutritional improvement is to provide the body with sufficient clean water.

Most human bodies require 6 to 8 small glasses of pure water every day if they are to function efficiently. Part of this can be made up from the water contained in freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juices but not from other drinks like tea or coffee.

Water, or any drink for that matter, should not be taken with meals. Ideally, small amounts of water should be taken hourly. This keeps clean water passing through the kidneys so that they can flush poisons from our bodies. There is little point in drinking more than half a glass half hourly as this excess will just pass out as clear urine and will not be used to flush. Tap Water and Salts Tap water is not suitable for human consumption. It is heavily laden with inorganic salts, additives and toxic chemicals and is a slow poison.

How many times have you heard someone say, "I don't like water so I never drink it"? The majority of people are highly intolerant to the toxins and salts in tap water and unconsciously avoid drinking it. However their bodies are still dependent on some fluids for survival, so they have soft drinks, tea or coffee to disguise the flavour of water. It is literally the only way they can get it down.

One risk from drinking tap water is its high mineral content, particularly mineral salts. A concentration of salts in our tissues favours fluid retention and so we retain too much fluid in our bodies. Similarly, salts "preserve" our insides just as effectively as they preserve salted meats and fish. This causes hardening and inelasticity of our arteries.

Both fluid retention and hardening of the arteries are major contributing factors of hypertension (high blood pressure) and heart disease. Salts collect in our tissues from the tap water that we drink and from other dietary sources. As well as this, we are not drinking enough water (of any sort) to help flush them away. The problem of salt build up is easily rectified by drinking distilled water only for a period of time. This will draw salts out of the tissues. Later, one should switch to filtered water.

Other Pollutants in Water

Many other chemicals are added to our tap water before we drink it. At the very least this will include fluoride. Most drinking water comes from three sources. Surface dam water - to which is added chlorine and fluorine.

Deep artesian water - which is added to the dam water. Ground water - which is heavily saturated with suspended matter and dissolved acids (which give it the brown colour). To clear this water, aluminium sulphate (alum) is added as a coagulant and then chemical polyelectrolytes are added to further settle the coagulated wastes. This water is then passed through sand filters to remove the settled particles. Some of the chemicals remain in the water.

This water is then added to the scheme water. So we have the situation where our water is heavily saturated with inappropriate mineral salts and a large amount of added chemicals. Other pollutants also seep in.

It is now established that there is no water supply in the U.S.A. which is not contaminated with the toxic residue from dry cleaning fluid. Some ground pollutants must also reach our water. This is a fairly dismal picture but the fact is that things are not getting better. They are getting worse. It is clear that we are slowly poisoning our planet, and one of the first places that this shows up is in our drinking water.

So, What Water is Best?

There are about five main sources of water that you can drink. The first is Tap water and we have seen why that is not a choice. The second is bottled mineral water, which can be quite high in mineral salts. It is however reasonably pure and is quite acceptable to drink socially. The other three choices bear more detailed analysis.

Distilled Water

This is produced by boiling water and condensing the steam. This water is very pure. It also carries a Negative polarity as a result of the distilling process. This polarity is aggressively attracted to trace minerals and other elements that make up what we could call whole water. Because of its purity, it is also highly absorbent of salts and other minerals. Distilled water is therefore very effective at leaching excessive minerals and salts from the body.

It is also very sweet and pure tasting. Because of its ability to remove minerals, it must only be used exclusively for short periods of up to 6 months. Longer than this and it can begin to leach essential minerals from the body. Distilled water, taken as 6 to 8 small glasses not more than 1 every half hour, is therefore indicated in any Therapeutic dietary approach to disease for short periods of time.

It is spectacularly effective as an adjunct to the treatment of hypertension and arthritis. Please note that de-ionised water from the supermarket is created using a different treatment. A little won't hurt but it is not the same as pure distilled water.

Tank Water

Tank water is probably the ideal water to drink but there are some factors which must be considered. The roofs of houses in the metro area are constantly collecting heavy metals like lead from car exhausts and other airborne pollutants. Roofs and gutters are not always clean. Nor are the collection tanks. Roofs in rural areas may be even more suspect especially if there is crop dusting or aerial or spray pesticides being used. Always consider these factors and the source of tank water before using it.

Filtered Water

It is quite an indictment on our modern society but all things considered, filtered water is probably the best choice. There are a number of types of filters available. These include simple carbon filters. Also more sophisticated carbon filters with silver mesh components which destroy bacteria.

Then there are the more expensive reverse osmosis filters which produce very clean water, whilst still retaining a certain amount of the precious trace minerals. All filters retain trace minerals but their individual effectiveness at removing pollutants is proportional to their cost.

In summary, tap water should never be drunk or used for cooking or making beverages. With a few exceptions, we should all drink 6 to 8 small glasses of clean water throughout the day. A lesser quantity would be acceptable if some fresh juices are included in the diet. Therapeutically, distilled water is the first choice, then moving on to filtered water or clean rain water.

Most people will notice a considerable improvement in their health when they begin to take the right amount of clean water each day.

Dee is a Doctor of Reflexology, Homeopathic Practitioner, Certified Aromatherapist, and Reiki Master. Her site is AkobiAromas.com - a source of quality aromatherapy, herbal and reflexology information and products.