In today’s fast-paced life, drink a lot of water to maintain physiological and psychic balance, writes Mark Bunn
Water has been regarded as a ‘gift’ from heaven. Ancient cultures throughout Europe and Asia see it as a natural medicine. As in modern-day hydrotherapy, the ancients honoured water for its purifying, cleansing and revitalising properties, particularly within the body.
Having sufficient water in our cells is critical for us to absorb and transport nutrients. It is imperative for us to effectively flush out toxins and eliminate wastes, and the estimated 10 billion biochemical reactions that take place in our cells each second are dependent on it. Think of a garden in the middle of a drought. Without water, everything dies. It’s the same with our bodies. When in a healthy state, our bodies are over 70 per cent water.
Eating insufficient fruits and vegetables and regularly consuming alcohol and caffeine drinks (both of which dehydrate the body), many of us live in a perpetual state of internal drought. Every day we compromise our health simply by not drinking enough water. The greatest problem is that most don’t appreciate the problems that such a simple disconnection from the major constituent of our body brings us. let’s have a look at a few examples:
Headaches
Our brains consist of over 80 per cent water. If we get dehydrated, our brain does too. A dehydrated brain not only functions less effectively but it also shrinks. Eventually, it can shrink to the point of causing pain. That pain, along with our thirst mechanism, is our body’s way of letting us know that it doesn’t have enough water to function properly. Instead of simply drinking more water, we commonly pop a headache pill or painkiller. The pain, which is just a symptom, is killed off, but we remain dehydrated and the problem remains unaddressed.
Fatigue
Eating good quality, high-intelligence food can result in low energy levels if we fail to consume enough water. Many people live each day “not feeling 100 per cent” in terms of their energy and vitality. While they put it down to age, diet or lack of sleep and possibly spend hundreds of dollars on energy supplements, a common cause is sub-optimal hydration. If you are low on energy, get constantly tired or have some form of fatigue, check out your water level.
High blood pressure
Insufficient water in a body can stagnate our blood. This restricts blood flow and constricts the circulatory channels. In such a situation, the pressure on blood vessels needs to increase in order to get sufficient blood to our tissues. Allowed to occur regularly, this can lead to high blood pressure.
Obesity
Having insufficient water in the body compromises the effective elimination of metabolic byproducts from our cells. This not only leads to the accumulation of wastes within the body, but also disrupts proper cellular functioning. This, in turn, can upset our sense of food satiety, disturb proper food cravings and create unbalanced energy levels. When our energy levels are low and our natural cravings are disturbed, eating beyond our body’s needs is likely. For many people who regularly overeat, it’s not more food they need but more water. Staying optimally hydrated not only improves the elimination of wastes, it reduces the likelihood of overindulging and is thus one of the best ways to maintain a healthy weight.
The writer is a health expert based in Australia