Water of Life

Good health on tap.

By Noel O'Hare

Call me mean, but I can't bring myself to buy bottled water. If I have to pay for a non-alcoholic drink, I want my money's worth of chemicals, colour, taste and fizz. The fact is, though, that I would be better off opting for the water. Water is the very stuff of life and we need lots of it. Humans lose about 10 cups (about 2.4 litres) of fluid a day in sweat, urine, exhaled air and bowel movements. To replace that and keep a fluid balance, you need to drink between eight and 12 glasses of water a day, regardless of the weather. Caffeinated and alcoholic beverages don't count, since they are actually dehydrating and increase urine output.

Apart from those people who suck on a pump bottle all day long, it is likely that most people don't drink sufficient water. Fortunately, food makes up some of our water intake. A slice of bread, for instance, is 38 percent water and a medium baked potato with skin is 70 percent. In the average diet, solid foods provide between three and four cups of water daily.

It is generally accepted that water is needed to regulate body temperature, transport nutrients and other substances throughout the body, carry away waste and moisten, lubricate and cushion the body from injury. However, a recent book goes much further. In Your Body's Many Cries for Water - You Are Not Sick, You Are Thirsty!, British-trained Dr Fereydoon "Batman" Batmanghelidj theorises that dehydration is the cause of many major illnesses from angina to asthma. Since every function of the body is monitored and pegged by the efficient flow of water, "water distribution is the only way of making sure that not only an adequate amount of water, but its transported elements (hormones, chemical messengers and nutrients), first reach the more vital organs".

The need for water starts early, says Batman. "Moniing sickness of the mother is a thirst signal of both the foetus and the mother. " Batman argues that Alzheimer's disease is primarily caused by brain cell dehydration. In a dehydrated state many functions of the brain cells begin to get lost, such as the transport system that delivers neurotransmitters to the nerve endings.

Water, it seems, will not only enable you to retain your marbles, but also keep you spry. There is nothing better for rheumatoid arthritis than water, says Batman. Since the cartilage surfaces of bones in a joint contain much water, dehydration will have the effect of reducing lubrication in the joints and causing pain. Since 75 percent of the weight of the upper body is supported by the water volume stored in the disc core of our vertebrae, sufficient water will also ease back pain.

But wait, there's more. Migraine, argues Batman, can also be prevented by regular intakes of water. Water shortage increases the potential for hypertension because the body copes with chronic dehydration by taking about eight percent water from blood volume. This causes some capillaries to close down, says Batman, causing hypertension. "Essential hypertension should be treated with an increase in water intake." Higher cholesterol levels also denote dehydration, since excess cholesterol is manufactured in the cell membrane to protect it against dehydration. "If you do not drink water before you eat a meal, the process of food digestion will take its toll on the body. Water will have to be poured on the food in the stomach for proteins to break down and separate into the basic composition of amino acids. In the intestine, more water will be required to process the food ingredients and send them to the liver."

Batman recommends taking one glass of water half an hour before breakfast, lunch and dinner and a similar amount two and a half hours after each meal. "This is the very minimum amount of water your body needs." Two more glasses should be taken before going to bed - water can also help you sleep. "Try drinking a glass of water and then putting a pinch of salt on your tongue. My personal experience and observation in others have shown that one begins to fall asleep after a few minutes. In my estimation, this combination alters the rate of electrical discharge in the brain and induces sleep."

Don't want to sleep? Have another glass of water. When the body is well hydrated, one or two glasses of water "before the event" will help in achieving a firmer and sustained erection in men and joy of participation in women. Batmanghelidjs theories are controversial, but no one would argue that, if your kidneys and lungs are normal, you will not benefit increasing your water intake.

LISTENER SEPTEMBER 25 1999