Week Two Focus: Water
I’ve spent a lot of time researching this subject and have gleaned and learned so much. There’s a lot of information here, but I hope you will take the time to read through it all. You’ll be amazed at what water can do for us physically and emotionally.
Socrates is credited to have said, "Water brings life; life needs water." How right he was. Every function of the body is dependent in some way upon water. Hormones, nutrients, brain and neurotransmitters all need water for the manufacture, transportation, and utilization of nutrients in every cell, organ, and system. Without food most of us would perish in approximately 50 days if we have adequate water. Without water we might make it 10 days or so; that's about it. Only our need for air outranks water. Our bodies need a continuous supply of pure water to maintain the delicate balance which sustains life. By weight our body is about 72% water, another 8% is a combination of chemical compounds, and the remaining 20% is bone and solid tissue. Our blood is approximately 90% water. Our brains consist of 85% water. Water is vitally important to our well-being. Since our bodies are primarily water, it only makes sense that how much water we consume will have a very dramatic impact on our overall state of health.
Every healing and life-giving process that happens in our body needs water!
Dad and I recently watched a lecture on this very subject in which the doctor said that our bodies eliminate at least 2 quarts of fluid each day and it is vital that we replace that fluid so that our bodies can function as they were designed to. We alone are responsible to replace what is lost. The water you drink literally becomes you.
Water has numerous roles that it plays in our bodily functions:
1. Solvent: In chemistry water is known as the universal solvent; in the body it serves the same role. It provides the basis for all the body's chemical processes.
2. Transportation: Water circulates throughout the body as blood, lymph, cerebral spinal fluid, etc. In these fluids, nutrients like oxygen, vitamins, and minerals flow to the cells while waste products are carried away in water-based fluids.
3. Regulation of Temperature and pH: When the body temperature rises due to exercise or other exertion water is lost as sweat this serves as a coolant to the body. Water also helps the body maintain delicate pH balances. The blood absolutely needs to be maintained at a pH between 7.3 and 7.4.
4. Volume and Mass: Water helps to give cells shape by providing the fluid for extracellular fluids (the fluid between cells) and intracellular fluids (fluid within the cell). The intracellular fluid accounts for approximately 40% of the total body weight.
5. Lubrication: Water acts as a lubricant in a number of different ways. For example, in a joint it forms synovial fluid; in the lungs it helps with breathing by forming surfactant.

As you can see, every process in our body takes place in a water medium. It aids in digestion and absorption of food, regulates body temperature and blood circulation, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, and removes toxins and other wastes. This ‘body water’ also cushions joints, and protects tissues and organs, including the spinal cord, from shock and damage. On the other hand the lack of water can be the cause of many ailments. Chronic dehydration may cause certain problems for the body, including hypertension, asthma, allergies, and headaches. Most people don’t drink enough water. The body responds to this deficiency in a variety of ways, which we frequently see as illnesses. Ongoing dehydration may cause actual disease as the body struggles to maintain itself with insufficient water.
Here a few ways in which water affects our health:
Metabolism: Water is the medium for various enzymatic and chemical reactions in the body. It moves nutrients, hormones, antibodies, and oxygen through the blood stream and lymphatic system. The proteins and enzymes of the body function more efficiently in solutions of lower viscosity. (Water flows easily.) Water is the solvent of the body, and it regulates all functions, including the activity of everything it dissolves and circulates.
Weight Loss: Among its other benefits, water plays a major role in weight loss. Since water contains no calories, it can serve as an appetite suppressant, and help the body metabolize stored fat, it may possibly one of the most significant factors in losing weight. Also drinking more water helps to reduce water retention by stimulating your kidneys. Dehydration leads to excess body fat, poor muscle tone and size, decreased digestive efficiency and organ function, increased toxicity, joint and muscle soreness, and water retention. Water works to keep muscles and skin toned.
Digestive System: The digestion of solid foods depends on the presence of a lot of water. Acids and enzymes in the stomach break the food down into a homogenized fluid state which can pass into the intestine for the next phase of digestion. An acid stomach will respond to hydration. Constipation is a frequent symptom of dehydration. Many stomach problems and especially heartburn will usually decrease with increased water intake. Water eliminates toxins and waste from the body.
Kidneys: The kidneys remove wastes such as uric acid, urea, and lactic acid, all of which must be dissolved in water. When there isn’t sufficient water, those wastes are not effectively removed, which may result in damage to the kidneys.
Joints: Water lubricates our joints. The cartilage tissues found at the ends of the long bones and between the vertebrae of the spine hold a lot of water, which serves as a lubricant during the movement of the joint. When the cartilage is well hydrated, the two opposing surfaces glide freely and friction damage is minimal. If the cartilage is dehydrated, the rate of abrasive damage is increased, resulting in joint deterioration and pain. The actively growing blood cells in the bone marrow take priority over the cartilage for the available water that goes through the bone structure.
Back: 75% of the upper body weight is supported by the water volume that is stored in the spinal disc core. 25% is supported by the fibrous materials around the disc. The spinal joints are dependent on different hydraulic properties of water which is stored in the disc core. Back pain is frequently alleviated with hydration.
The Brain: Brain tissue is 85% water. Although the brain is only 1/50th of the body weight, it uses 1/20th of the blood supply. With dehydration, the level of energy generation in the brain is decreased. Depression and chronic fatigue syndrome are frequently results of dehydration. Dehydration plays a part in bringing on migraines. Dehydration also plays a role in stress. Have you ever experienced brain fog?
Breathing: We even need water to breathe!! As we take in oxygen and excrete CO2, our lungs must be moistened by water. We actually lose a significant amount of water each day just by exhaling. Asthma is oft times relieved when water intake is increased. Histamine plays a key role in regulating the way the body uses and distributes water and helps control the body’s defense mechanisms.
Because we have asthma and allergies in our family I spent some time studying Histamine and its relationship to water. This is what I found out:
“The Histamine Water Rationing System”
"All life began in water; even the developing fetus is surrounded by water. When the body is deprived of water, a water rationing system takes effect. Histamine, a neurotransmitter becomes active and redistributes water throughout the body.
The order of circulatory priority is the:
1st - Brain,
2nd - Lungs,
3rd - Liver,
4th - Kidneys,
5th - Glands,
6th - Muscles, bones and skin.
In that order.
During periods of dehydration, histamine insures that these vital organs have enough water to function properly. If enough water is not supplied, it must be taken from within the body. Chronic dehydration can cause histamine to become excessively active. This may result in symptoms that may be mistaken for other disorders such as:
• Allergies,
• Asthma,
• Dyspepsia,
• Colitis,
• Constipation,
• Rheumatoid arthritis, and
• Chronic pains in various parts of the body such as migraine headaches.
Nutrition Info: Dangers of Chronic Dehydration by Albert Grazia, M.S., N.D.

"A large amount of water is normally lost from the lungs as water vapor through expired air. Histamine, which also controls bronchial muscle contractions, may attempt to restrict water loss through expiration by constricting the bronchial muscles."
Nutrition Info: Dangers of Chronic Dehydration by Albert Grazia, M.S., N.D.

As allergy season fast approaches I’m ready to put this to the test!!!
Last year I bought and read a book by a medical doctor by the name of Batmanghelidj, “Your Body’s Many Cries for Water” It was a very thought provoking book. I’d recommend you reading it.
NOTE: Just because the substance you drink contains water it does not take the place of plain water. Once the chemical structure is altered, such as in hot drinks, juice, or soft drinks, the water loses its ability to be used in its vital roles. Some of these drinks counteract the positive effects of the added water. Caffeinated drinks stimulate the adrenal glands and act as diuretics, robbing the body of necessary water. Soft drinks contain phosphorus which can lead to the depletion of bone calcium. These drinks tax the body more than they cleanse it. So these do not count toward your daily intake of water.