Before this morning's pearls of wisdom are dispensed I would like to take a moment to thank my loyal readers for their support this year.
May I also wish you all a safe and peaceful 2009.
I am doing the unthinkable and turning my computer off until after January 5th. This will be quite a challenge for me as I spend far too much time on my computer and need to find a better balance.
I hope the quality of today's post makes up for any downtime. It's way too contentious and way too long. But it has to last you two weeks.
Here goes ...
Routine water loss occurs when we breathe, perspire, or go to the loo. (Note to reader ... not a very salubrious start, I know ... please bear with me).
During the course of a normal day, this can add up to several liters or more that needs to be replaced.
Short term our body cleverly shifts water from cells into blood vessels ... but, if this is not replenished, signs and symptoms of dehydration will quickly become apparent. If all is functioning as it should our bodies will limit the amount of water lost in urine and we should feel thirsty. In practice, many of us ignore our thirst, or we mistake it for hunger.
And we get away with this (or so we think) because of our sedentary, cosetted lifestyles.
Under normal circumstances many of us flirt with mild dehydration over sustained periods. This is where things start to go wrong.
Heartburn, for instance, is a major thirst signal. Why do you think that symptoms are always worse after overindulging in coffee and alcohol? What is really causing "acid reflux"?
What do we do in response? We pop antacids! Eventually this causes inflammation of the stomach and duodenum. Left unchecked ... ulcers, hiatus hernia ... possibly even cancers of the stomach, intestines, pancreas and liver? Woah! This is serious stuff.
Or should I say "could be" as prevailing medical knowledge is still unclear as to the "exact" cause of such maladies.
What about these other nasties?
Back pain ... as discs and joints in the spinal column dehydrate and become arthritic over time. How does modern medicine respond? You got it ... painkillers, acupuncture, manipulation, eventually surgery. Relieve the symptoms temporarily, exacerbate the problem, ignore the root cause.
Migraine headaches ... a powerful sign that the eyes and brain need water.
Chest pain (angina) ... better ask your doctor about this one.
Constipation ... leading to pain, colitus, hemorrhoids and worse. Oh ... and back pain.
And the list goes on ... adult-onset diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure, even asthma. Chronic water shortage can invariably be implicated somewhere in the chain of events that lead to these diseases.
And because by the time the disease has shown itself it's usually too late to change our habits, we continue to subscribe to the culture that tries to cure, rather than seeking to prevent.
Open your eyes (and minds)! So what if you don't like the taste of water. So what if there's no fizzy bubbles, stimulants or sexy taste. Inconvenient? How inconvenient is a decade plus of needless suffering?
A clean, balanced body loves water.
Until the new year ... peace.
Go safe. Be happy. Laugh. Stop thinking so much. Life is short.
Spare a thought for those turkeys.
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3 comments:
very nice article. Could it be that our cells are not able to absorb water properly and most of it is lost in urine and other excreta because of our food habits?
Most of the problems you mentioned have started in the late 20th century when we moved to eating processed foods.
In response to L. Venkata Subramaniam ... thank you for your input, most appreciated.
I totally agree that our bodies are likely to be dysfunctional as a result of our food habits.
The degree to which this affects our "normal" requirements is debateable. You make a very valid point.
And conditions such as diabetes and chronic constipation are good examples of how our disfunctional bodies try to compensate.
How much is right for a balanced, fully-functional human? How long is a piece of string?
The simple practice of drinking enough water both during physical activity and throughout a normal day is enough to prevent dehydration in both adults and children. To ensure everyone receives the appropriate amounts, you may want to consider charts for at home, as well as personal water bottles for each member of your family when outside enjoying some physical activity.
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