In my Nutritional Therapy Practitioner program (I will graduate in the summer of 2017), we have many books we are assigned to read to help us learn, grow and help- to be a others. This book called “Your Body’s Many Cries for Water” by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. is an easy read that I think everyone should read if they have any type health issues. A simple solution to most of our health problems? Drink more water to be hydrate the body. We don’t need to treat thirst with medications- prescribing a pill or some type of medication is not the solution for every ache and pain. Water is free so no one wants to recommend water as the first solution for treating symptoms especially when our traditional approach in medicine is to prescribe medication to treat symptoms rather than search for the root cause of the problem- which could be dehydration according to Dr. Batmanghelidj.
The quote in the beginning of the book is the perfect fit…
“The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.” – Albert Einstein
Drinking more water to improve hydration could help improve symptoms of many illnesses or health issues – or even eliminate the problem. Staying hydrated may not solve or cure every health problem but I do believe we should try to improve symptoms by drinking more clean water as it won’t harm us (unless we over hydrate and cause hyponatremia!).
Dr. Batmanghelidj talks about “you are not sick; you are thirsty. Don’t treat thirst with medications”. Most of his recommendations are based on personal experience and research but as I said it wouldn’t hurt us all to drink more water each day as we are 55-60% water. We need to drink at least half our body weight in ounces per day of clean filtered water to stay hydrated. I know I drink water throughout the day but even I need to drink more than I do- and that doesn’t happen unless I carry my water bottle with me in the car, at work, during workouts and at meals.
So how does drinking water help cure ailments or diseases? If you have read my blogs you know that hydration is one of the eight elements of The WHOLESTIC Method. As Dr. Batmanghelidj discusses in his book- water is essential part of being healthy from the inside out.
We learn more about the many roles of hydration (one of the pillars of The Nutritional Therapy) in my NTP program including lubricating joints, maintains normal electrical properties of cells and removes wastes. So when a medical doctor writes an entire book about the healing powers of water- I can understand the benefits and the common sense. We need water to survive- so don’t you think our joints, digestion, colon, brain, heart and every cell in our body needs to stay hydrated to function correctly?
Drinking water doesn’t make anyone billions of water- well I suppose the bottled water company make a lot of money but not as much as the pharmaceutical drug companies and manufacturers! Perhaps as discussed in the book, medical professionals need more understanding in the vital role water plays in the body. We need to remember not to only treat symptoms but look at the big picture – an investigation of the body must occur from the inside out to determine the WHY… what is the root cause? We should start working on transforming WHOLE person from the inside out with what I call ‘The WHOLESTIC Method’- and the foundation pillars we learn in Nutritional Therapy as we become Nutritional Therapy Practitioners. Digestion and hydration as well as other factors are key in building the foundation of the body for total health from the inside out.
I always tell my personal training and coaching clients- we must build a strong stable foundation before we can build the house. I suggest reading this book- ‘Your Body’s Many Cries for Water’ available on Amazon to start learning about how dehydration impacts your performance in life and sports. We can all start drinking more water throughout the day (filtered clean water) to own our health by taking a preventative approach to our personal health care. Your joints may feel better, arthritis, headaches, digestion, headaches and even depression.
Remember we need half our body weight in ounces of clean water per day- at least! Start hydrating now… and add extra if you are drinking caffeinated beverages as coffee, teas, sodas and alcohol. The body will feel fatigue if we drop as little of 2% in our body water’s content- that little bit of dehydration! Even up to 10% of drop of our body’s water content will cause significant health problems as discussed in this book- including digestive, cardiovascular, immune and musculoskeletal problems. The more dehydrated we get – more than 10%- could lead to death!!
Simple solution? Stay hydrated! Add some cucumber slices or lemon to your water… and even add a little sprinkle of good source sea salt in the morning for essential minerals to help retain the water!
First step- drink two full glasses of clean water first thing in the morning and before meals! Some people may benefit from adding electroyltes in their water- even a little sea salt as I do each morning to retain the water instead of drinking water at one end and it comes out the other end! The water we drink needs to get into our cells so we may need to add some salt into our water or food plan- especially if suffering from adrenal fatigue or taking diurectics. Sodium regulates the amount of water held outside the cells – so salt isn’t always a “bad” word. Also remember that dehydration is also a source of stress to the body – or rather the brain- so make sure you don’t add another stressor to your body! Stay hydrated- it is an easy solution to many of our health and body complaints!
Let me know if you have any questions on The WHOLESTIC Method! Learn more on my podcast each week on ITunes – www.thewholeathletepodcast.com
In good health,
Debbie Potts
debbieepotts@icloud.com
Author of ‘LIFE IS NOT A RACE’ & ‘The WHOLESTIC Method’ on Amazon
Nutritional Therapy Practitioner -7/17
NASM CPT, CHEK HCL, USAT
118 105th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
