Water - The Simple Solution

I have noticed, in my many years of working with people, that the simple solution to a problem is usually the best. However, people tend to disregard simple solutions because they think the problem is complicated and so the solution must be complicated, therefore something simple can't possibly work. Drinking water is a very simple thing, so it's difficult to convince people that drinking more water could resolve a lot of their problems.
I have read many articles and studies that indicate all of the following statements are true.
1. Most Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In many Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even mild dehydration will slow down metabolism.
4. A glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs.
5. Lack of water is a trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain.
7. A minor drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking more water daily can decreases the risk of colon cancer, breast cancer and bladder cancer.
Perhaps you think that plain simple water cannot possibly be that important, but I believe it is. The actual percentages vary from study to study, but they do support the importance of water.
Years ago, I read Your Body's Many Cries for Water by Dr. Feredoon Batmanghelidj. In it he claims that heartburn, headache, joint and back pain, and fatigue are not true diseases. They're dehydration disorders. He says a lot of people aren't sick - they're thirsty.
After the fall of the Shah of Iran in 1979, Dr. B was jailed as a political prisoner. Knowing he was a doctor, other prisoners came to him for relief from their ailments. One of his first cases was a man with a painful stomach ulcer. Dr. B had no medicine, only water, so that's what he gave the man. After two glasses of water the pain was gone. I have tried this solution and discovered that a large glass of water usually makes my stomach feel better.
The doctor proceeded to study the effects of water and the experience convinced him that drinking sufficient water can cure the body of asthma, allergy, hypertension, and many more, even excess cholesterol which he says is one of the body's natural defenses against water loss.
It makes sense to me that drinking sufficient water would decrease colon and urinary tract problems, even cancers, because the faster you flush waste and toxins out of the body the less time they're hanging around to cause trouble. Since excess toxins in the body can accumulate to cause muscle and joint pain, hmmm...I see a pattern here, do you?
Many folks I talk with about this feel that they should be fine because they drink lots of fluids. My question is, "lot's of what"? Only pure water counts. If you drink coffee or tea or soft drinks all day you're dehydrating yourself more, because of the caffeine. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics. A diuretic draws extra fluid out of your body to produce more urine.
Your body needs 8 to 12 glasses of water every day. In addition, you need to drink an extra glass of water for every cup of coffee, tea, caffeinated soda or alcoholic beverage consumed. That's going to take up a lot of your time and energy. Wouldn't it be easier, and cheaper, to just drink the water? Water has no calories and no artificial stuff. It's the original "diet" drink.
I realize that our city water has some chemicals added to it but I don't think those chemicals are as harmful as lots of other stuff we drink. And those chemicals are easy to remove. You can install a whole house filter system to remove them or use something as simple as a Brita water filter Pitcher .
In my office, I ask my clients to do this little mental exercise:
Imagine a lovely little pond, about the size of a bathtub, set in a beautiful oriental garden. Imagine yourself sitting on a bench watching the goldfish swim lazily around. Now imagine that the only source of liquid for that pond is what you drink...everyday. What would that pond look like in a week or month or year? Would it be dried up with fish bones on the bottom because you don't drink more than normal evaporation removes daily? Would it be brown from coffee or sticky with yellow jackets buzzing around from the soft drinks you drink? Would the fish be alive? Now imagine how the pond would look if you poured in one gallon of pure water every day.
Think about it.
Drinking that much water will not make you bloated or cause edema. Hormonal fluctuations, certain medications and other conditions will cause fluid retention but drinking more water will actually help to relieve the problems. When the body feels it is not getting enough water it holds on to what it has. Do you really want that yucky old fluid hanging around inside you? Drink a bunch of fresh stuff and flush it out.
Don't believe this just because I told you. Do your own research. I highly recommend the book Your Body's Many Cries for Water . Search for information online; you will find it. Educate yourself, think and take responsibility for your own health.
Now go get a glass of water - you're thirsty!

About the Author
I love to research and write. Sharing information, opinions and stories is what I do while I do Reflexology on my clients. See: http://www.patsbook.com I have to keep learning and doing new things. Two years ago I decided to learn to do more than check e-mail on my computer. What a blast! See: http://www.loproducts.com