The Big Deal About Water |

What’s the Big Deal About Water?

This book of profound insight on the nature of water and how it affects all aspects of life is a gift from my mother Tonita d’Raye/Barnett (1942-2011).

You can read the book in it’s entirety here for free or donate what ever you can afford and download the eBook of which all profits go to water projects worldwide.

Thank you,

Michael MacDonald

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT WATER?

(Full Text Version)

Introduction

I was momentarily stunned when I first saw the evocative photograph by the world famous photographer Elan Sun Star you see on the cover of this booklet. A deep understanding of the truth that water holds the key to our health and that we hold the key to the health of our water came instantly into my mind. You have most likely heard the quote that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

This photograph is a perfect representation of what I want to convey to you the reader in this booklet. Please take a few minutes to contemplate the beauty of this picture. The purity it expresses can become our reality. I sincerely hope this little book will ignite a passion within you about water that will enrich your life and those around you.

In 1989, I wrote my first article about why pure water is crucial to our health and well-being and why our water supply is potentially unsafe at every source. That article evolved into this booklet. What I reported almost two decades ago is fast becoming a global tragedy. The contamination of our planet’s water has escalated to a degree that threatens the survival of all living things. John F. Kennedy once stated, “Anyone who can solve the problems of water will be worthy of two Nobel prizes – one for peace and one for science.” I believe no one person can solve our water crisis—we must act as a dedicated team.

We humans are the earth’s stewards. We have a responsibility to take care of our home so future generations can live in health and harmony. Every living creature, from single-cell organisms to the most complex, self-aware beings, deserves access to safe, clean water. Imagine a pollution-free world! Together, as a team, we can make a difference in protecting and nurturing ourselves, our loved ones, other residents of this global community, and our wonderful home, the earth.

Water is fundamental for life and health. The human right to water is indispensable for leading a healthy life in human dignity. It is a per-requisite to the realization of all other human rights. The United Nations Committee on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights, Environment News Service, 27 Nov 02.

I hope you find this booklet interesting and enlightening. Once you have read its critical information about water, please become a water “lifeguard” by sharing it with friends and loved ones. You will find additional educational resources and other interesting stuff on my web site. I delight in the prospect of your visit to www.waterandhealth.com.

Let us envision a world of peace, joy, and purity.
Tonita d’Raye

“Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium.
There is no life without water.”

- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Nobel Prize Winner for Medicine.

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.”

- Loran Eisley, The Immense Journey, 1957

“Water is the only drink for a wise man.”

- Henry David Thoreau

“Water is the life blood of our earth.
All organisms contain it,
Some live in it, some drink it,
And next to oxygen,
All depend on it for life.
The Elixir of Life

Let Us Remember
The earth was created in purity
to bless and support all life abundantly.
Behold the earth.
Man was created in purity
and given dominion over the earth.
Behold the Man.
Environment is but his Mirror,
the reflection of that created by his hand.
He defiles his body and the lands,
remembering not the holiness of the ground
upon which he stands,
Not remembering he is an emissary of God
and the vow he took to preserve and protect
that which is good.
Let us remember!

- Tonita d’Raye

Introduction
The Elixir of Life
In the News
Tap Water Woes
Chemicals in Our Blood
Chemical Poisoning
Chlorine
Immune-Suppressive Diseases
Volatile Organics and THM’s
Fluoride
Lead Poisoning
Waterborne Disease
Parasites
Our Stolen Future
Mass Medication?
An Experiment to Try
The Miracle of Water
Our Immortal Cells
Is Your Body Dehydrated?
Common Symptoms of Dehydration
Headaches
Premenstrual Problems
Pregnancy and Morning Sickness
Your Skin and Water
Acne Breakout
Cheers for the Bath
Fiber and Bowel Care
Constipation
Your Liver Can’t Deliver
The Color of Urine
The “Die” in Diet
Acidic Body Chemistry
Becoming Water Conscious
Our beloved pets
Bottled Water
Water Purification
Let’s Drink to Life!
End Notes
Recommended Reading

The Elixir of Life

On a subconscious level, water affects us emotionally and spiritually. Most of us do not recognize or question this attraction. We simply appreciate it. Sinking into a relaxing bath when tired or stressed makes us feel better. The sensation of water cascading over our body during a shower is both soothing and stimulating. We feel cleansed and refreshed after our immersion in water. Children, fascinated by water, love to splash in it and play with it. When we think of unwinding or vacationing, we frequently visualize water as part of our experience. We might head for the beach, stroll beside a lake, swim in a pool, sail in a bay, fish in the ocean, or visit some natural water wonder.

While water may be a popular vacation destination, unless we drink a sufficient amount, we will not feel well enough to enjoy our holiday. Many people assume vitamin, mineral, and other supplements will help to improve their health and help prevent premature aging and disease. Actually, these nutritional supplements offer few health benefits or none at all unless they generously supply their body with pure water.

Pure water is our body’s most critical nutritional need. We must not underestimate its energizing and cleansing effects. The common phrase, “water is the elixir of life”, is a truth century’s old. Webster’s dictionary defines elixir as “an alchemic preparation believed capable of prolonging life indefinitely.” Indeed, drinking pure water can dramatically improve our health, increase our energy, help prevent premature aging and disease, and can often reverse disease states.

Americans drank over 10.8 billion gallons of bottled water in 2006. Our annual consumption of bottled water is second only to our preference for nutrition poor carbonated soft drinks. Globally, people consume trillions of gallons of bottled water annually. Millions of people drink bottled water as a healthy alternative to tap water, which they believe may not be safe. Millions of others continue to drink tap water, thinking it is clean and safe and beneficial to their health.

Later in this booklet, you will learn why bottled water may not be the healthy substitute you may think it is, and why drinking tap water could compromise your health. I know you have questions about safeguarding your health and the health of your family. I promise this booklet will give you the answers and explain the enormous benefits of drinking and bathing in pure water. First, we must face some unpleasant facts. Let’s begin with examining our tap water.

In the News

Articles about unsafe drinking water appear daily in the nation’s newspapers, on TV, and in magazines. Most of us want to believe the affected areas are far away. Here’s the truth: water safety and pollution are global issues. The world’s drinking water is unsafe at every source! Worldwide, over a billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and estimates project this figure will increase to 2.3 billion by 2025. A staggering 3.4 million people die yearly from contaminated-water-related diseases and poisoning. 7 Many people respond to those statistics with, “That’s tragic, but it’s happening in India, right? And Africa? Our own water supply here in the US of A is safe—isn’t that so?”

Think again. Today I went online for information about contaminated water in the United States, and the search engine returned thousands of articles! Even when our water is chemically treated, ostensibly to make it safe to drink, it often passes through leaky, disintegrating water mains and pipes in our cities and homes. At any given moment a dangerous chemical, bacteria, or parasite could infiltrate our water supply.

My family moved to the Northwest over fifty years ago, when I was a child. I thought it was paradise. Our little town’s population topped off at 960 people. I’ll never forget my first drink of delicious, ice-cold water from a mountain stream. When I was twelve, my family watched sadly, as bulldozers toppled majestic trees for miles around our residence to make room for development. Now hundreds of thousands of people make their home where ancient forests once stood.

From April 2000 until July 2006, Oregon’s population increased by 279,359. Most people still think of the Northwest as God’s country—pure, clean, and beautiful—but the burgeoning population severely stresses our natural resources. Our once pristine air, soil, and water now seriously contaminated, threaten our health and ultimate survival. What is happening?

Tap Water Woes

Dr. Americo Mosca, famous chemistry prizewinner of the Brussels World Fair, discovered why toxic genetic chemicals used in agriculture are more dangerous than atomic fallout. Dr. Mosca explains the experiments, facts, and theories in his book, Atoms in Agriculture published in this country in 1974. Dr. Mosca stated:

I calculate that in the US, the yearly use of toxic genetic chemicals—herbicides, insecticides, hormones, steroids— causes should agree with use damage equal to atomic fallout from 145 H-bombs, from 72,500 atomic bombs of the Hiroshima type. . . . For this reason in the United States, in the last ten years disease of all kinds and births of mentally retarded babies have increased tremendously. The damage to plants, crops, and soil fertility, and water pollution are practically incalculable. If use of these toxic genetic chemicals persists in agriculture and on food, this will cause the destruction of the American people. (Emphasis is mine.)

Most people ignored Dr. Mosca’s call to action in 1974, but again it attracted attention. In 1986, Congressman James
Florio from New Jersey wrote in the Safe Drinking Water Act:

We have something like 300,000 toxic-waste dumps across the country. We’ve got about 800,000 underground storage tanks, 30% of which are structurally impaired, potentially capable of leaking. We’ve got no regulation on pesticide runoff. We’ve got a national water-pipe system full of lead, which is extremely dangerous. We’ve got sewage treatment plants that don’t work very well, effectively discharging raw sewage into our lakes, streams, and rivers. We have landfills that we dump solid-waste garbage and hazardous waste into.

Is the situation any better today? You be the judge. Every year, industry and the private citizens release 18 billion pounds of new pollutants and chemicals into the atmosphere, soil, and surface and groundwater. Were you able to take in those mind-boggling statistics? I said 18 billion pounds of pollutants and chemicals. Many of these toxins poison our drinking water.

Both tap water and bottled water come from surface and groundwater sources. Surface sources include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. We would never drink water from a lake or stream because we know it is very likely contaminated. Groundwater created from rain, snow, sleet, and hail soaks into the ground. Many public water systems use underground aquifers as opposed to surface water, and so many people think their water is safe. An aquifer is a layer of water-bearing permeable rock, clay, gravel, sand, or silt. Pumped into wells from the aquifer, now the water is accessible for drinking or agricultural purposes. Spring runoff containing residue from pesticides, fertilizers, industrial chemical wastes, herbicides, and other contaminants frequently makes its way into these aquifer reservoirs.

As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it can pick up contaminants from animal or human activity. How widespread is this problem? It couldn’t be worse. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), every state in the nation has a groundwater-contamination problem. Bear in mind that groundwater and surface water sometimes trade places.

Groundwater can move through the ground and into a lake or stream and become surface water. Water in a lake can soak down into the ground and become groundwater. This exchange causes pollution from one water source to poison the other. Where are these contaminants coming from? The worst offenders are underground storage tanks, hazardous waste sites, septic tanks, landfills, and road salts, and chemicals. The general population unwittingly pollutes the water. Consider this: when it comes to pollution, everyone’s home is waterfront property. The runoff from the surface of a driveway could contain oil, antifreeze, and soaps.

Lawns often hold fertilizers, pesticides, animal feces, and other noxious waste. Storm drains and ditches carry this water directly to our rivers, streams, and lakes. Is all this information making you thirsty?

In 2007, the Groundwater Foundation reported that in the United States, over 20,000 abandoned hazardous waste sites are neither monitored nor subject to any controls. An estimated 10 million plus storage tanks that may contain gasoline, oil, or other chemicals are buried across the US.8 Over time the tanks corrode, crack, and leak, resulting in serious contamination. Thin-walled storage tanks buried in the backyard of many houses built in the 1960s held kerosene or heating oil. Because the tanks are expensive to dig up and cart away, many homeowners break the law by crushing them, then covering them with dirt. An improperly designed, constructed, situated, or maintained septic system can leak household chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and other toxins into our groundwater.

Many communities across the country bury garbage in landfills, which are required to have a barrier layer to prevent groundwater contamination. If the layer is cracked or no layer exists, however, toxic waste such as car battery acid, paint, household chemicals, and a plethora of other poisons can seep into the groundwater.

About 100 million of our fellow Americans depend upon groundwater for their water source. According to figures released by the 2005 United States Geological Survey, groundwater provides 51% of all drinking water for the country’s total population and 99% for the rural population.8 Considering what you have just read, don’t you wonder what they—and you—may have in your water glass besides water?

Chemicals in Our Blood

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) aired a shocking two hour documentary two years in the making titled Trade Secrets. Noted journalist and moderator Bill Moyers reported that toxic chemicals in our environment pervade our daily life and how the chemical industry has concealed the truth from us. The Mount Sinai School of Medicine tested Moyers’s blood for evidence of 150 different industrial chemicals. Of the 150 toxic chemicals tested, Moyers had 84, including DDT, dioxins, lead, and pesticides circulating in his veins and arteries. Had Moyers’s blood had been tested for 1,000 chemicals, how many more do you suppose would have been detected?

This inevitably raises the concern of what my blood and my children’s look like, just as you are no doubt wondering about the purity of your own vital fluid. Dr. Mosca’s warning is proving prophetic.

Toxic chemicals invade every aspect of our life: in the water we drink, the food we eat, the air we breathe, and a myriad of products we use. None of us is unaffected by this exposure, no matter how pure we try to stay or how carefully we take care of ourselves. Even our newborns have toxic chemicals in their blood. A 2005 study conducted by the American Red Cross found that babies have an average of 200 known toxic chemicals in their blood.

If you did not see Trade Secrets, I urge you to make every effort to do so and invite your loved ones and friends to see it, too.

Chemical Poisoning

If you watch television, read the newspaper, or get your current events from the Internet, you are well aware of the escalating, accelerating wave of violence, gang warfare, pervasive restlessness, mental illness, suicide, and proliferation of immune-depressive diseases. Why is society suddenly plagued by all these problems? Many researchers hypothesize that a significant number stem from chemical poisoning.

We drink water and consume food laced with toxic chemicals— herbicides, pesticides, hormones, steroids, antibiotics, and preservatives. These poisons pose a very real threat to our health. Several years ago, a friend of mine met a good-looking, robust young man starting a job as a residential technician for a pesticide company. When she bumped into him recently, he had to reintroduce himself. His face jerked uncontrollably with tics and twitches—the result of long-term exposure to the pesticides.

Consider this: How often do you hear about a person dying of a heart attack or stroke or cancer or some other ghastly disease? Here is my next question: How often do you hear of someone who has died of old age? It’s shocking, is it not, that relatively few people seem to live long enough to die of natural causes.

Chlorine

Municipalities across the United States treat water with chemicals to make it potable. Let’s look closely at chlorine, one chemical added intentionally to our water supply. I believe you’ll form a strong opinion about what you are about to read. Chlorine is an economical chemical disinfectant that kills harmful bacteria in the water before they kill us. That is why government officials in cities across the US add chlorine to the water system—to protect the health of the residents. That sounds reasonable enough . . . except for just one problem. Studies conducted over the last twenty years have linked chlorine to colon, rectal, bladder, and prostate cancer.

Immune-Suppressive Diseases

When chlorine kills bacteria, it cannot discriminate between the harmful and the healthful. It destroys friendly bacteria in the stomach and colon. People with candida and immune-suppressive diseases—such as AIDS, Epstein-Barr, and chronic fatigue syndrome— should make the extra effort to drink only pure water.

Here’s why: candidas are parasitic fungi that resemble yeast. They occur most frequently in the mouth, vagina, and intestinal tract, where they are usually benign but can cause disease. Our physiology naturally balances candida with healthy bacteria, so nothing about the fungi draws our attention. When antibiotics or other agents—chlorine, for example—destroy healthful bacteria in the digestive system, the delicate balance goes out of whack. The result can be a glut of candida that can suppress the immune system and cause an array of health problems.

A surprisingly high number of people taking prescription antibiotics are well informed about adding the supplement acidophilus and eating live yogurt to stimulate the increase of friendly bacteria. They alter their diet and avoid foods that may trigger an imbalance. If only they knew, all their diligence had little or no effect! Why? Because every time they sip chlorinated water, they kill the bacteria they have so painstakingly tried to cultivate.

Volatile Organics and THM’s

Certain organic compounds, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), change quickly from liquid to gas. These chemicals readily evaporate at very low temperatures. For instance, if you spill gasoline, which is a liquid, it evaporates and becomes a vapor. When you’re filling your car’s tank at the gas station, you can smell very strong fumes, right? Those fumes are gasoline in vapor form. VOCs can exist in water, and a small increase in temperature will release them into the air. Volatile organic compounds number in the thousands. Acetone nail-polish remover, gasoline, paint, degreasers, thinners, industrial solvents—all are volatile organic compounds.

The VOCs’ impact on our health can vary greatly, depending on the compound. The effects can range from being highly toxic to having no known health effects. The health risk posed by VOCs also depends upon other factors, including an individual’s sensitivity to the chemicals and how frequently the individual is exposed is to the chemicals. Many VOCs in our drinking water are due to contamination; others may form from water treated with chlorine. You see, when water containing natural organic matter (the decaying products of living things such as leaves, human and animal wastes, etc.) is chlorinated, chemical compounds form. A chemical compound is a substance that results when two or more elements chemically join.

We no longer have chlorine plus organic matter; we now have an entirely different chemical entity. This process creates many VOCs known as chlorination byproducts. Trihalomethanes (THMs) are one subgroup of chlorination byproducts that are carcinogens— that is, they are cancer-causing agents. THMs invade virtually every water supply in the US. The EPA states that a level of 100 parts per million of THMs in drinking water is safe. The European Economic Community (EEC) states that just one part per million of THMs is safe. Should we move to Europe?

One of the most noted THMs found in treated water is chloroform, a lethal gas and a known carcinogen. As chlorine-treated water evaporates, the resulting vapor is chloroform. Every time we shower in that treated water, we inhale small quantities of chloroform. What kind of cumulative damage to the body results from breathing these fumes over time? No one knows. According to ECON Source, Consumer Reports, the World Book Encyclopedia, and many other noteworthy publications, we absorb more chlorine through our skin while taking a fifteen-minute shower than if we were to drink eight glasses of water. We absorb from six to one hundred times more chloroform by breathing the air around showers,baths, dishwashers, and so on than we do from drinking the water.

You can find many individual studies about chlorine, VOCs, and THMs as well as a seemingly endless list of studies about the health effects of other dangerous substances such as pesticide residue, asbestos, and lead. Few studies, however, have focused on the combined or synergistic effect of toxic chemicals. Unfortunately these issues aren’t our only concerns, as you will soon learn.

Fluoride

Former Chief Chemist Emeritus Dean Burk, US National Cancer Institute, stated; “Fluoride causes more human cancer death, and causes it faster, than any other chemical.” “Wait a minute!” you exclaim. “Sodium fluoride is a naturally occurring compound, isn’t it? It’s a salt found in nature.” Yes, but the fluoride added to drinking water is not what you think. Dr. Burk was referring to a different fluoride, which is a byproduct of the agricultural industry and a result of the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers. It’s most common form, hydrofluosilicic acid, is an unstable, toxic, corrosive acid primarily in the form of salts. It acts as a direct cellular poison that interferes with calcium metabolism and enzyme mechanisms.

1. Fluoride is slightly less toxic than arsenic but more toxic than lead, and like lead, fluoride accumulates in the body, inflicting its damage over a long period of time.

2. Fluoride makes bones brittle, and hip fractures are linked to fluoridated water.

3. Contrary to what we have been led to believe, fluoride does not have a major impact on cavity reduction. Studies indicate that fluoride reduces cavities by half a cavity per person, per lifetime.

4. Weighing the cost, benefits, and potential health risks, most European countries banned fluoride years ago.

Lead Poisoning

These days, no one uses lead in compounds that connect water pipes, but it can still bleed into the water supply from antiquated water mains and pipes. Literally millions of people live in homes constructed before 1989, which are likely to have a problem with lead contamination. This is a very serious issue. High levels can cause a pregnant woman to miscarry. Young children may suffer retardation or a permanent deficit in their problem-solving skills or learning disabilities. Lead contributes to hypertension, strokes, and heart attacks and can cause kidney, brain, personality, and nervous system disorders as well as lethargy. If you don’t have a good water purification system in your home, I strongly recommend that you always run the cold water for a while before using it. This simple trick clears out the water that has been sitting in the pipes.

Hot water absorbs more lead than does cold water, so never use it from the tap for cooking or drinking.

Waterborne Disease

Few things are as insidious as bad water. It’s dangerous for you and your children, but you usually can’t tell if you have it. And if you do, you may not be able to find out where the problems are coming from. Water can carry some of our most serious diseases—typhoid! Dysentery! Hepatitis!—yet still look clear in the glass. We may do battle over how we get our water and develop it, but we fear for its quality.

If you’ve seen the movie Alien, then you know Hollywood’s thrilling but inaccurate concept of a parasite. Actually, a parasite lives in a close relationship with another organism known as the host. The parasite harms the host but rarely kills it. The parasite has to be in its host to live, grow, and multiply. The idea of playing host to a parasite is repulsive; however, if you’ve ever had a virus, then you’ve already done it. Recently the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a statement of concern regarding waterborne parasites in our drinking water. In her best-selling book The Cure for All Diseases, Hulda Clark, PhD, ND, points to parasites in the body as a major factor in high blood pressure, diabetes, seizures, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraines, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and other maladies.

Often found in water supplies across the country, Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that causes flulike symptoms. Symptoms may last for several weeks, longer in some people. The parasite is especially harmful to the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and anyone already in a weakened state.

Our Stolen Future

I have offered an overview about what is happening to our world. I recommend reading the book, Our Stolen Future by Dr. Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, and Dr. John Peterson Myers. This book presents a picture, drawn from their collective expertise, which is more expansive, and explains in detail cause-and-effect connections for us. For example, studies link estrogen like environmental pollutants known as endocrine disrupters to increases in neurological disorders, breast and testicular cancer, falling sperm counts, reproductive abnormalities, suppressed immune function, and deficits in children’s intellectual development. Dr. John McLachan of Tulane University’s Department of Environmental Health Studies examined the effects of three pesticides on special yeast cells containing human estrogen receptors, the components that take up the hormone. None of the chemicals had much effect alone. When combined with other pollutants, however, they became one hundred to 1000 times more potent, and they bonded to the receptors. In humans the chemicals prevent natural estrogen and other essential hormones from functioning in the way nature intended. Dr. McLachan also tested PCBs, a family of synthetic compounds that are very toxic to animals and humans and that build up in body tissues. When PCBS combined with the other chemicals, they became five times more potent than when not combined.

Mass Medication?

On April 3, 2007, The New York Times reported that the residues of birth control pills, antidepressants, painkillers, antibiotics, antiseptics, shampoos, and other compounds have found their way into our waterways. Researchers from the EPA found these substances, called emerging contaminants, almost everywhere they searched for them. The British government has also reported this problem. The extent and consequences of consuming these compounds, especially in combination with each other, is unknown. The British news media, however, portrayed the United Kingdom as one of inadvertent drug users, and one member of Parliament quoted, called this, “a case of hidden mass medication of the unsuspecting public.”

An Experiment to Try

When we use water, we also use everything that’s in it. This experiment illustrates what I mean. Fill a glass with tap water andthen add a few drops of red or blue food coloring. Notice how the food coloring spreads through the water. This imitates the movement of pollution through a liquid medium. Now wash a stalk of very fresh celery with leaves, trim an inch off the bottom, and place the trimmed stalk in the colored water. Let it sit for four hours or preferably overnight, then remove the celery from the water.

Cut several slices off the bottom. You can see that the celery absorbed the water. What would happen if you contaminated the water with clear, odorless poisons instead of harmless food coloring? Would you eat the celery? This experiment illustrates how easily our food crops and animals raised for human consumption absorb pollution. We are the next link in the food chain. Unless our every bite and sip come from a 100% wholesome source, raised with pure water and unadulterated grain, then we are next in line for the poison.

What is a “safe” level of water contamination for human consumption? Personally, I don’t believe there is a so-called “safe” level. A combination of toxic substances has the potential of being very dangerous to our health. So what are we supposed to do? We cannot live without water, and at the same time we are transforming our water into poison.

The Miracle of Water

The miracle we call “organic life” manifests only in a water medium. We begin life as an embryo floating in liquid from conception; we become a fetus as we continue developing in the amniotic fluid, until, fully formed, we are born. Many physiological functions happen only in the presence of watery solutions: breathing, body-temperature regulation, digestion, elimination, endocrine secretions, and glandular functions, to name a few. Water helps us to absorb and digest nutrients and eliminate toxins and solid waste. Water lubricates our joints, helps to protect our tissues, and gives flexibility to our muscles, tendons, cartilage, and bones. It keeps our skin moist and prevents our organs from sticking together Water transports oxygen to our cells and maintains the proper balance in- and outside our cells. The quantity and quality of the water we drink determines the quality of our cells, the performance of our bodily functions, and our resistance to disease.

Our Immortal Cells

Dr. Alexis Carrel’s brilliance earned him the 1912 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his development of new techniques for vascular sutures. His contributions in the field of medicine were numerous and his demonstration of “the immortal cell” made history. Members of medical and scientific circles still talk about this experiment to this day. In January 1912, Dr. Carrel placed tissue from a chicken embryo’s heart in a glass flask containing a nutrient medium. Kept alive and healthy by transferring the tissue to a new flask containing fresh nutrients every 48 hours for 20 years, the experiment was a grand success. Dr. Carrel stated:

The cell is immortal, it is merely the fluid in which it floats (water) which degenerates. Renew this fluid at intervals, give the cells what they require for nutrition, and as far as we know, the pulsation of life may go on forever.

Is Your Body Dehydrated?

Imagine desert flora that burst into glorious bloom when given water. Now envision a neglected primrose that wilts and dies from a lack of water. Just like that houseplant, every cell of our body depends on water; without it we would die in a matter of days. Blood is approximately 83% water; muscles are 75%, and bones, 22%. Water comprises 75% to 85% of the biological compounds in our body. You might say we are walking water bags! When we provide our body with abundant water, we continuously flourish; when we deprive ourselves of water, we shrivel and die. Each day an adult holds up to fifty quarts of water and eliminates two and a half to four quarts through breathing, excretion, and perspiration. With every meal the salivary glands secrete about a pint of saliva to help with digestion. Every secretion and excretion requires water, which needs to be constantly be replenished.

Most people drink plenty of fluids, but how many drink enough water? Do you think as long as you’re drinking liquid, you are meeting your body’s fluid requirements? Not true. We spend billions of dollars a year on sodas, coffee, processed juices, and alcoholic beverages, but none can satisfy the body’s need for pure water.

Coffee and alcohol actually dehydrate the body and leech essential vitamins and minerals, which can cause health problems. If you drink one cup of coffee or one ounce of alcohol, you need eight glasses of water to rehydrate the body optimally. Processed fruit juices create a loss of fluid because their concentration of sugar is so much higher than our body’s fluids—our body will try to dilute the sugar in our stomach.

Here’s a suggestion, from one parent to another: Offer water to your children instead of sugary colas and juices. Children become accustomed to drinking more water, and it becomes their drink of choice . . . just as it will become yours.

Common Symptoms of Dehydration

Common symptoms that result from drinking too little water include acne, constipation, dry and itchy skin, foul breath, headaches, nosebleeds, urinary-tract infections, constant sneezing, pressure, and dry, unproductive coughs. When our body does not get enough water to function at its best, it tries to conserve the moisture used for breathing, bowel movements, mucous production, perspiration, and urination.

In his excellently researched and outstandingly informative book Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, F. Batmanghelidj, MD, states that chronic dehydration may be the root of many serious diseases, including adrenal fatigue, arthritis, asthma, digestive problems, high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, lower back pain, pancreatitis, and ulcers.

Headaches

Research concludes that dehydration causes most headaches. The next time you feel a headache coming on; try drinking a large glass of pure water. Generally your headache will disappear almost instantly. A good example of extreme dehydration is a headache caused from drinking too much alcohol.

Premenstrual Problems

Menstruation brings with it hormonal changes, and your body loses fluids. The major contributory factor for stomach cramps and tension may be insufficient water in your diet. These symptoms should disappear if you keep your body well hydrated.

Pregnancy and Morning Sickness

If you are pregnant, keeping yourself well hydrated is extremely important. Your baby lives in a watery world until you give birth. Morning sickness not only dehydrates a woman’s body but can be a sign of dehydration. If drinking more water tends to make you feel worse, try sipping small quantities often throughout the day and evening.

Your Skin and Water

Healthy, glowing, beautiful skin starts with pure water. A body loaded with toxins cannot produce healthy cells, and so the aging process accelerates. What happens to a prune when you put it in water? It plumps up and loses its wrinkles. Beautiful skin and a healthy body require lots of pure water. Here is a tip I have found helpful. Squeeze a few tablespoons of fresh lemon juice into twelve to sixteen ounces of hot water and drink it when you wake up in the morning. This will help purify the body and flush out of toxins that can cause skin sensitivities and breakouts!

Acne Breakout

A primary contributor to acne is inadequate water supplied to the body’s cells. Normally waste products such as uric acid are set free, carried into solution as part of the tissue-exchange process, and then eliminated from the body. When a lack of water prevails, these wastes make their way to the surface of the skin, causing troublesome eruptions. Constipation also greatly contributes to acne. Nothing is more harmful to a good complexion and a youthful appearance than a constipated body.

Cheers for the Bath

Skin is our body’s largest organ, and bathing is not simply about getting clean. Our skin is extremely important for detoxification, absorption, and communication purposes. These activities happen through the pores of our skin, hair follicles, and sweat glands. Our skin lets us know what is hot, cold, wet, dry, smooth or rough, and sensations of touch communicate pressure, itching, pleasure, and pain. Relaxing in hot water dilates blood vessels, which increases blood flow to the muscles and skin. Hot water lowers blood pressure, relieves stiffness, improves circulation, strengthens the immune system and detoxifies the cells. Cold water is stimulating and it constricts blood vessels, helping to lower fever,
relieve inflammation, and promote resistance to disease. Bathing alternately in hot and cold water is wonderfully therapeutic.

Try it for yourself in the shower or bath. I guarantee you will find the experience very refreshing and energizing.

Fiber and Bowel Care

Most people do not eat enough fiber. Fiber is a carbohydrate food component that has no calories or nutritional value, and it provides no energy. It is indigestible but assists with digestion. By absorbing water, fiber acts as a bulking agent, which helps us to feel full, so we’ll eat less than we usually do. It binds with bile acids and carries the bile, along with excess fats, from our body. By accelerating the transit time of the food we eat, it prevents undigested food and metabolic waste from creating toxic byproducts.

Fiber helps normalize our blood-sugar level, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, reduces the risk of heart disease, and promotes the growth of friendly intestinal flora. Fiber promotes bowel regularity and elimination, and it helps to keep the bowel clean. Fiber is an essential dietary factor for maintaining health. Its value is in what it does in and for our body. You are probably wondering where to find fiber so you’ll enjoy all its benefits. You won’t find fiber in meat or in dairy products. It is in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and psyllium seed husks.

Should you consume a fiber supplement such as ground psyllium seed, increase your water intake; otherwise the fiber may be constipating. Stools should not be hard and dry; they should float, be soft and light brown, and break up when we flush the toilet. A healthy elimination does not have an unpleasant odor. Ideally we will have an easy elimination, without pushing or grunting, about thirty minutes after each meal. Bowel movements that smell bad or sink to the bottom of the toilet bowl indicate a serious need for more water, fiber, and possibly exercise.

Constipation

Inadequate water consumption is one leading cause of chronic constipation. Colon problems such as colitis, diverticulitis, and ileitis affect millions of people. A poorly functioning and toxic colon contributes too many degenerative diseases, including cancer and obesity. Colorectal cancer is the number-one cancer for men and women in the US, and diseases of the digestive system, in particular the colon, send more Americans to the hospital than any other disorder. We spend over $50 billion a year on preventable surgical procedures and other treatments. If we increased our water intake, reduced dietary fat, and included adequate dietary fiber in our daily meal, those statistics would be much more favorable. Numerous books focus on restoring health to the colon and intestinal tract. My favorite is Dr. Jensen’s Guide To Better Bowel Care. The illustrations in this book make clear why care of our colon and intestinal tracts is essential for optimum health.

Your Liver Can’t Deliver

When the liver and kidneys stressed from toxins such as pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals, the body protects itself by storing the chemicals in fat cells. This chemical-laden fat prevents poisons from circulating in our bloodstream so they won’t seriously harm or kill us. I have to wonder, though, if this “shield” really spares us from harm. Think about this: A woman’s breasts are mostly comprised of fatty tissue, and breast cancer is rife in the United States.

The Color of Urine

Urine should be almost colorless to light yellow. Dark, concentrated urine usually means the kidneys are working too hard to remove toxic waste from our body. An exception to this may be when ingesting B-vitamin supplements. If not used optimally by our body, they are excreted and the urine turns bright yellow. Generally, if urine becomes dark yellow or orange, then you are becoming dehydrated and making yourself vulnerable to opportunistic disease or other adverse health conditions.

The “Die” in Diet

Here’s something else to consider. Overweight people who diet improperly have a ticking time bomb in their fat cells. In my opinion, it would be a good idea for all of us—fat or thin—to take a few days to cleanse our body’s cells from toxic buildup several times a year. If calories are severely restricted, a toxic overload may occur in the body when the fat melts away, and these toxins release into the blood stream. A gradual detoxification is best. If you detoxify too fast, you may get very ill.

We need water to flush toxins from the body so we can be healthy. Our body also needs lots of water if we want to stay slim. Numerous studies show that people who increase their water intake may experience a reduction in body fat. A decrease in water intake causes body fat to increase. When our body does not get enough water, it retains fluid between the cells, which results in swelling. Puffiness indicates dehydration, drinking lots of pure water overcomes this uncomfortable water retention.

Acidic Body Chemistry

All the cells in our body are slightly alkaline (anabolic) or acidic (catabolic). Because our body is always trying to maintain a proper acid/alkaline (pH) balance, many people mistakenly believe these chemicals are biological opponents. Actually, both are part of a process called metabolism, which breaks down the food we eat into molecules. We use the nutrients to create energy and sustain life. If the molecules provide no nutrition, the acid (catabolic) prepares them for disposal from our body.

This normal process creates acids that can overburden the body, especially when we eat too many acid-forming foods. Leading biochemists and medical physiologists say that aging and many diseases, including cancer, result from the accumulation of acid waste products in body tissues. When the body is in an acidic state, red blood cells can function at only 5% to 10% of their oxygencarrying
capacity. The result is unhealthy cell metabolism, which could lead to serious problems, including the suppression of the thymus gland.

Why should we care about that? Because the thymus is vital to the immune system. It produces T cells, which protect us from toxic invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer. The thymus will enlarge in an alkaline environment and shrink in an acid environment. The thymus takes up about half of the chest cavity until we are about twenty years old. At that tender age, the thymus starts to shrink, and when we celebrate our sixtieth birthday, the gland is only about 5% of its original size. Most fruits and vegetables are alkaline forming in the body, including acidic citrus fruits such as lemons and oranges. Carbonated soft drinks and coffee are acidic, and it is wise to avoid excess consumption. I confess to a daily cup of coffee, however, I rarely ever indulge in soda pop. Meat and dairy products are acid forming.

Nutritional experts generally encourage us to cut back on the meat and dairy products in our diet and add more fruits and vegetables. In addition to drinking an abundance of pure water, eat a substantial amount of fiber rich fruits and raw vegetables daily because they are high water content foods.

Becoming Water Conscious

The adult body needs a minimum of two quarts (eight eight ounce glasses) of pure, clean drinking water daily. You may need much more than if your activity at work or play is moderate or vigorous. That is especially true on a hot day. If you realize that you are not drinking enough water, do not suddenly “drown yourself.” Your body will need to adjust gradually to better hydration. Longterm chronic dehydration causes stress on the kidneys from having to pass toxins without adequate water. Rehydrate your body with caution. The amount of urine you pass should increase as you gradually increase water intake over a period of several days—then
you can safely increase your water consumption on a regular basis.

Always start and end your day with a large glass of hot or cold (but not icy) water. You will reap tremendous benefits from this one practice If you have indigestion or an acid stomach, use hot water. Never gulp water. Take a couple of small swallows, count two beats, then swallow twice more. Drink this way until the glass is empty. You can complete the balance of your water requirements throughout the day. Drinking water twenty to thirty minutes before mealtimes helps the body prepare to receive nourishment. You can drink water at mealtimes, but avoid washing down your food with water; this practice dilutes digestive juices. People frequently tell me they don’t drink water because it tastes bad and smells worse. If you purify water, you won’t notice any smell, and you’ll delight in how good it tastes. A glass of pure, life-giving water can satisfy thirst like nothing else on earth. For unparalleled refreshment, try adding a wedge of fresh lemon or lime to your water. The more pure water you drink, the more you will enjoy it. Your desire for it will increase, and cravings for colas, coffee, and sugary fruit drinks will naturally decrease.

Our beloved pets

It is very important to keep our animal companions hydrated, especially during warm weather, especially if we’ve taken them out
to jog with us or play Frisbee. I’ve seen pet owners with collapsible water bowls that you can fill at a fountain when the family and pets are out for the day. It’s important, too, to put a bowl filled with water in your car if you’re locking your pet in there while you shop–as important as leaving a window open a bit There are also terrific pet drinking fountains on the market that circulates the water through a charcoal filter, then into a reservoir. The constant circulating keeps the water cool. Pets enjoy drinking from the fountains and increase the amount of water they drink during the day.

Bottled Water

Many people now drink bottled water, especially in those areas where water contamination is a problem. Is bottled water safe? Is it a healthy alternative to tap water? You decide. The answers may shock you. An estimated 30% to 75% of bottled water is no better than tap water. Few regulations govern the bottled water industry: the label must state the kind of water it is (such as spring or distilled), and the contents must meet all federal drinking-water standards, which means it must be as good or better than tap water.

The EPA conducted a pilot study at twenty-five randomly selectedbottling plants producing fifty bottled water products and found serious sanitary problems at every location visited. Bottled water is a pricey alternative to tap water and varies dramatically in quality. A pretty label affixed to the bottle implies the water within is as natural as that from a mountain spring or glacier, but the label does not make it the truth. Beyond the inconvenience of lugging heavy jugs of water home from the store, a plastic container leeches toxic chemicals into the water. Heat increases the release of chemicals from plastic. It’s a good idea to toss bottles stowed in a hot car.

Water Purification

Pure, clean water for drinking and bathing is a necessity for getting and staying healthy. Don’t delay starting to drink pure, life giving water. A quality water-purification system is one of the best investments you can make for the health and well-being of your family. Don’t settle for a grocery-store pitcher fitted with a filter through which you simply pour water. These filters generally improve the taste and smell of tap water but accomplish little else.

Instead find a purification system that removes dangerous chemicals, bacteria, cysts, and viruses. Make sure it will not breed bacteria
or other disease-causing organisms. You may opt for a whole house purification system. If not, consider getting a shower head filter that effectively removes chlorine. Aside from alleviating the risk of inhaling chloroform gas, your shower filter will offer relief from dry, itchy skin.

Any reputable company will be able to provide you with documentation of its system’s capabilities. Look in your telephone directory’s business listings for water-purification specialists who can help you determine your purification needs.

Let’s Drink to Life!

All body functions depend on water, and the lack of it plays a major role in premature aging and disease. To prevent or reverse disease, stay healthy, and increase our life span, we need to keep our cells optimally hydrated, our body’s pH in balance, and our waste washed away by drinking lots of pure water. This is tremendously important and yet delightfully simple to accomplish.

Now you know what the big deal is about water. From this day forward may you be reminded of water’s many blessings every time you see a faucet or a fountain; a pump, a puddle, or a pond; a snowflake, a spigot, or a stream; a raindrop or a rainbow; a lake, a river, an ocean. Drink to life! Pour yourself a nice, cold glass of pure water, close your eyes, and enjoy how refreshing it tastes. As you swallow, think about how it is cleansing your cells and rejuvenating your body. This life-giving liquid is doing for you what no other substance on earth can do!

End Notes

(1) Handbook of Poisoning, 1983; (2) Clinical Toxicology,1984; (3) Chemical & Engineering News 5/8/89; (4) Journal of the American Medical Association 8/12/92, 7/25/31/91, 7/25/90, (5) American Journal of Epidemiology, 4/91, (6) Don’t Drink the Water, Kali Press, (7) World Water Vision press release, 8/5/06, (8) The Groundwater Foundation, 5/10/07 (9) www.organicconsumers.org, 7/14/05

Recommended Reading

Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, by F. Batmanghelidj, MD. A New Paradigm for the Cause and Prevention of Degenerative Disease. $14.95, Global Health Solutions The Cure for All Diseases, by Hulda Clark, PhD, ND. In every case of the “mysterious” disease diabetes, you find the not-so-mysterious parasite Eurytrema and the common pollutant wood alcohol. Similarly in cancer, HIV, Alzheimer’s, and endometriosis, to name a few, specific parasites and/or pollutants are at work. Promotion Publishing Our Stolen Future, by Theo Colburn, Dianne Dumanoski, and Dr.
John Peterson Myers. This book catalogs the harm toxic man made chemicals (called “endocrine disrupters”) are doing in the wild and to humans. Drops in sperm counts, increases in breast and testicular cancer, suppressed immune function, and problems with intellectual development in children link to these toxins. Dutton Publishing Dr. Jensen’s Guide to Better Bowel Care: A Complete Program for Tissue Cleansing through Bowel Management, by Bernard Jensen, DC. Based on over 60 years of patient studies, this book shows us how underactive conditions of our eliminative organs influence the development of illness and disease and presents a program to cleanse our body of toxins and return it to balance and health. Avery Publishing Don’t Drink the Water: by Lono Kahuna Kupua A’o. If knowledge is power then this book is the essential guide to our contaminated drinking water and what you can do about it to protect yourself. Kali Press Trade Secrets, a shocking television documentary presented by Bill Moyers. This show reveals how toxic chemicals pervade our daily life, and how they compromise our health and our environment. PBS Public Broadcasting aired Trade Secrets March 26, 2001. To order the video or for a free transcript go to http://www.pbs.org or call 800-336-1917

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the copyright holder, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review; nor may this book be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright holder.

Important Notice:
The information in this booklet reflects the personal research and experiences of the author and is for educational purposes only. If you have questions as to the appropriateness of the information in regard to your own health, consult a qualified health professional.