MistyLTrepke: Are You Sick or Just Dehydrated?

[Guest guest]

Dear group..

 

As an alternative health columnist for a statewide magazine, I have

had the priveledge to introduce many people to the power of the

water cure. Shortly after this particular article was published, I

got an email from a nurse who had suffered terribly from

migraines... After following the water cure, specifically drinking

at least 6 glasses of water upon rising in the morning on an empty

stomach- she was now migraine free and swore by the water cure.

 

Food for thought..

 

Other comments?

Misty L. Trepke

http://health.

 

 

Here is that article...

 

Are You Sick or Just Dehydrated?

By Misty L. Trepke

http://f1.grp.fs.com/v1/kIMARpmXQEhxOe1XFgCt2CXpYUqF5wPRvdrGdq-

WaFijQv1Bgzqe3KVO4bjs0mMlWUY-TNPZdi3tQFVvZYgR/Crosswind%27s%20Health%

20Articles/Water%20Cures.doc

 

Some of the most important steps to take in order to regain or

maintain health are exactly the ones that seem too simple to take

seriously. Drinking more water is a perfect example of an overly

obvious but also overlooked requirement for health. I know for most

massage therapists like myself, " drink more water " is a daily

chant. Somehow to the people I mention it to it always seems easier

said than done. But perhaps by understanding why water is so

important and by giving some tips on how to get a few more glasses

down, the benefits will out weigh the hesitation.

 

Water is life. And living in a desert as I do, with all the fires

burning around us, my fellow New Mexicans and I are in one of the

best possible positions to see and appreciate this basic fact of

life. Just like a lack of water is devastating to the environment

surrounding us, so too is a lack of water devastating to the

environment inside of us. The human body is only composed of 25

percent solid matter, that means that the remaining 75 percent of

what we are made up of is water. And arguably the most important

organ of the body, the brain, is comprised of 85% water. But until

now Dr. Batmanghelidj, M.D. would argue that in the field of

medicine, water has only been thought of as background white noise,

as an " inert " substance that merely facilitates the transportation

of the different and more important chemicals and solid matter. In

his book, Your Body's Many Cries For Water, he argues a very good

case that perhaps it is the water that should receive a greater

share of attention in medicine.

 

He believes by focusing on the substances that are dissolved or

carried in the water medicine has lost its way and at best has only

been able to palliate but not cure disease. With the exception of

bacterial infections through the use of antibiotics, Dr.

Batmanghelidj, reminds us that most diseases are not cured but

managed/treated for the course of the sufferer's life. He cites

hypertension, asthma, peptic ulcers, diabetes, high cholesterol,

allergies and arthritis as conditions that are never fully relieved

without a life-long dependence on medicines. Do we really want to

say that constitutes a cure? Wouldn't a cure mean the body is

completely free of the disease and as well as the medicines used to

treat the disease? Dr. Batmanghelidj suggests that by switching our

focus from the solutes (substances dissolved in the water) to the

solvent (water) that cure is truly possible.

 

Are you really ill or just thirsty is the paradigm-changing question

that Dr. Batmanghelidj aks. He argues that the most common

misconception surrounding water intake is: if you don't have a " dry

mouth " you can't be dehydrated. He believes that this is simply one

of the most misleading and unfortunate mis-truths circulating in the

world today. In his book he explains how the physiology of

dehydration can lead to the sensations of pain that are often

thought of as the separate illnesses of: arthritis, peptic ulcer,

low back pain, migraine, menstrual cramps, and even depression; as

well as the more silent conditions of high blood pressure and

cholesterol, etc., depending on the location and severity of

the " water shortage " . In wonderful detail that is easy to

understand, even for the lay person, he explains how these seemingly

separate illnesses are really symptoms of the one affliction:

dehydration.

 

Over 50 million Americans suffer from some form of arthritis. As

one of my older clients pointed out to me last week, " Who at my age

doesn't have arthritis? " Why is this? When you are dehydrated all

of your body systems will suffer the damaging affects of " drought " ,

but some areas depending on physiology and your personal

susceptibility will call uncle first. Arthritis is nature's warning

signal that the body is experiencing a state of dehydration that is

beyond its capacity to tolerate while at the same time letting it be

known that the acute crisis is being experienced in the joints.

Joints are physiologically more vulnerable to damage from

dehydration because of the nature of having two bones rub against

each other, if there is not sufficient water to keep the joint

lubricated eventually the dehydrated joint surfaces will literally

grate each other until the bare bones are exposed. Dr.

Batmanghelidj stresses that if arthritic pain could be caught early,

and understood for what it is, and adequate water intake is

restored, before irreparable damage occurs to the joints,the

suffering of millions could be avoided.

 

So how much should we drink? For all of us living in the desert, a

gallon of water a day is not excessive. And for everyone suffering

with a serious illness or complaint, a daily regime of 6 glasses of

water within 10 minutes of waking is imperative to sufficiently re-

hydrate the body. Why is this so hard for most of us to swallow?

When I ask my clients why they don't drink water, the number one

reason I get is that they don't like the taste of it. With the

availability of super strong and/or sweet drinks such as coffee and

sodas, we have lost our natural taste for water; our natural

instincts have become confused. This is without a doubt an

incredible tragedy. But I think there are some ways we can re-train

our taste buds for the natural, light and clean taste of water.

There is a juice sold at Wild Oats that is 100% cranberry juice

concentrate. From experience I can highly recommend not drinking

this juice straight, but that is the point! Start with an eight-

ounce glass and add two ounces of this very potent concentrate to 6

ounces of water, or adjust the proportions until the taste is strong

enough for you to enjoy. Every day, or week, depending on how

quickly your taste buds adapt, lessen the amount of concentrate you

add until you are comfortable with pure water.

 

The second most common reason I receive when I ask my clients why

they don't like to drink water is that it makes them have to go to

the bathroom. Actually, as much of an inconvenience as it might

seem, good! Flushing the kidneys, as well as the whole body, is

important, and in the long run is much more important than the five

minutes it might take you away from your phone, desk, etc. Think of

it as a five-minute investment in many healthy and pain-free years

to come, years where you will still be able to be active with work,

family, friends, etc., instead of being crippled by an assortment of

pains and ills…

 

Believe it or not, according to Dr. Batmanghelidj water can make

that much of a difference in a person's life! Why not try it for

yourself? What do you have to lose vs. what do you have to gain?

Until next time, bottoms up!

 

For more information on Dr. Batmanghelidj and his book, Your Body's

Many Cries For Water, including many testimonials to the healing

power of water, please visit http://www.watercure.com.

 

If you would like to keep me informed on how this water cure worked

for you or if you have a question regarding health or alternative

therapies send me a post here at Searching-Alternatives!

 

This article was first printed by Crosswind's.