Are you ill?  No; you are thirsty!

Water is vital for life on earth. Not just for cooking or cleaning, but for drinking and staying alive.  It is said that a human can survive longer without food than without water.  Your muscles are 75% water, your blood 82% water, your brain 76% water, your lungs 90% water and your bones 25% water!  Your health truly depend on the quality and quantity of water you consume.

Dehydration is something that you shouldn’t ignore.  In 1983 an Iranian doctor, by chance, stumbled on the then unknown benefits of water, when he gave a patient suffering from peptic ulcers, water (as there were no medicine).  After 2 glasses of water, and 8 minutes later, the patient didn’t have pain anymore.  He went on to treat 3 000 patients (mostly prisoners), whilst he himself has been imprisoned.  In his own words, this is what he had to say about water: “Over 70% of the earth’s surface is water.  However, most of it – 98% – is salt water.  Only 2% of the earth’s H2O is fresh water that we can drink, and of this, almost all is trapped in frozen glaciers.  You are not just what you eat; you are what you drink.  This is why water is so important to your health!”

Dr. Batmanghelidj’s work, although not recognized at the time, indicated that Unintentional Chronic Dehydration, contributed to and produced pain and other degenerative diseases.  Heartburn, arthritis, back pain, angina, migraines, colitis, asthma, high blood pressure, cholesterol and early adult-onset diabetes, are but a few illnesses that he treated with water.  Let us have a look at what the Iranian doctor said.

Heartburn:  water shortage in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract.  it is a major signal of thirst and, using antacids, might bring temporary relief, but will not stop dehydration.  If not treated correctly, it can, in time, produce inflammation of the stomach and duodenum, hiatal hernia, ulceration and even cancers in the gastrointestinal tract (including the liver and pancreas).

Arthritis (Rheumatoid joint pain) can be treated by drinking more water and small amount of salt.

Back pain (low back pain and ankylosing arthritis of the spine), are both signs of water shortage in the spinal column and discs (water cushions supporting the weights of the body).  Instead of treating it with pain medication, manipulation and/or operations, increase your water intake.  Dr. Batmanghelidj believed that it can, in time, lead to osteoarthritis when the cartilage cells in the joints eventually die, unless more water is consumed.

Angina or heart pain is a sign of water shortage in the heart/lung axis.  Treat it with an increase in water intake until the person is pain free.  Do note this should only be done under a doctor’s supervision.

Migraines is a sign that the brain and eyes need more water.

Colitis pain indicates a water shortage in the large gut.  It is usually associated with constipation and can cause other problems later in life, for example polyps, diverticulitis, and so on.

Asthma is, according to the doctor’s studies, caused by the body as a “drought management program.”  Asthma causes the body’s airways to go into a spasm; this free passage of air is being obstructed so that water doesn’t leave the body in the form of vapour.  Increasing your water intake, can prevent an attack.  Taking more salt will help to break the mucus plugs in the lungs, which obstruct the free flow of air in and out of the air sacs.

High blood pressure or hypertension, is something that many people suffer from today.  It is caused when there is not enough water in the body to fill all the blood vessels that diffuse water into our vital cells.  The body injects (so to speak), tens of trillions of cells with water at the same time.  Water and salt can bring blood pressure back to normal.  Not doing so, can cause blockages due to dehydration and, this in turn, can cause cholesterol in the arteries, kidney disease, and the like.

High cholesterol levels are, more often than not, an indicator of early drought management by the body.  Cholesterol is a clay-like material that is poured into the gaps of some cell membranes, to safeguard them against losing vital water content (needed for osmosis of the blood).  Cholesterol is not just used to manufacture nerve cell membranes and hormones, but also as a “shield” against water taxation of other vital cells (which normally exchange water through their cell membranes).

Early adult-onset diabetes is also an indicator of severe dehydration of the body.  For adequate water to be in circulation and to make sure the brain has sufficient water, the body inhibits the release of insulin.  This is to make sure that insulin doesn’t push water into all the body cells.  When a person has diabetes, only some cells get survival rations of water; thus, drinking more water and taking salt, will help reverse the process (especially when done in the early stages of diabetes).  A lack of water can lead to blood vessel damage, as well as gangrene, eye damage and even blindness.

I am sure you found this both fascinating and/or interesting.  Who would’ve thought that water plays such a huge role in treating illnesses!  Water is life and, just as a reminder, the information is there for you to decide whether or not it is true or not. If it makes sense, then feel free to research the doctor’s studies.  As always, listen to your body and, when in doubt, speak to someone you trust.  If you don’t like the taste of water, opt for black, herbal teas without sugar and/or milk.  Otherwise, try drinking filtered water and add a piece of lemon or strawberry, if so desires.