Recently I attended the state fair in the blazing sun and heat of Florida. After an hour of walking around and eating funnel cake, I became so fatigued that my legs felt heavier than oak trunks. You would think as a Naturopath I would have realized that I was severely dehydrated. An hour later I finally drank a bottle of water, but still felt fatigued. I needed a gallon of water!
When we are dehydrated, every cell in our bodies becomes “prune-like.” Sufficient water is critical to maintaining the hydro-electric nature of cell function. Water is a source of energy and regulates our body’s metabolic processes from brain function to blood pressure. The ocean of water inside the cells must be in balance with the ocean of water outside the cells. In the dehydrated state the functions of the shriveled cell membrane are compromised and cells can become acidic. Cell salts such as sodium and potassium are critical to reducing acidity. (More about cell salts below) Water is essential to the breakdown and transport of the nutrients in our food into the electron transport chain of our cells, thereby producing the energy our body needs to keep on living.
Contrary to popular belief, salt does not cause the body to hold water. The correct ratio of water to salt will not hold water in the body. According to the research of Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, MD, the correct ratio is a 1/4 tsp salt to 1 quart of water or 1.5 gms salt to a liter of water. A meal of two cups of Stouffer’s Mac and Cheese contains 1,660 mg of salt but very little water. No wonder we get bloated from these high salt prepared foods.
Short Term Symptoms of Dehydration:
Headache, brain fog, depression, difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, irritability, fatigue, cravings, feelings of stress, lack of sweat, infrequent urination, dark urine, dry mouth, racing heart, leg cramps.
Long Term Symptoms of Dehydration: When cells and tissues are consistently deprived of sufficient water over a long period of time, serious chronic diseases can develop. If you would like more information, you can find the scientific basis for the role of water in the development of these diseases at http://natural science .org or http://tinyurl.com/k2bam38.
Arthritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, allergies, type 2 diabetes, early morning sickness in pregnancy, peptic ulcer, migraine headaches, back pain, fibromyalgia, angina pain, mineral deficiencies which may lead to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, MS, gastric and kidney disorders.
Practical Practices:
- Because we lose at least one quart of water every 24hrs. just from breathing, one quart would be the absolute minimum one should drink per day.
- You may have read that one should drink half your body weight in oz of water. If you weigh 150 lbs. you should drink 75 oz of water per day. That is more than a gallon of water per day. Your body’s need for water is dictated by your activities and diet. A person who eats a lot of vegetables is getting plenty of bioavailable water (and salt) and does not need to drink a gallon of water or more per day. If, on the other hand, you are very physically active and eat a lot of meat, you may need to drink a lot more water.
- Always drink at least 8 oz. of water upon awakening.
- Avoid or limit the intake of tea, coffee, sodas, and alcohol which dehydrate the body. For every cup of these beverages, you need two cups of water to overcome the acidifying and drying effects.
- Fascinating fact: Your body vibrates around 62-68 Mhz. Just holding one cup of coffee lowers your body’s frequency by 8 Mhz. Drinking that coffee lowers your body’s frequency by 14 Mhz. It may take up to three days for your frequency to return to normal. Daily coffee drinking keeps your frequency in the lower ranges where illness begins. One way to raise your vibratory frequency is to sniff a therapeutic grade essential oil such as lavender or peppermint.
- Take inorganic cell salts. Cell salts are mineral salts found in all tissues of the human body and act as nerve nutrients, blood purifiers, oxygen carriers, fluid distributors, and healing promoters. They can be found at health food stores or online at www.schusslersalts.com.
- Avoid or limit salty snack foods such as chips, crackers, bagged popcorn, bar snacks. Read labels to check sodium content.
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