After spending an afternoon in A&E  department of the local hospital on a saline drip, I felt it might be a good time to review the issue dehydration. Some material on hydration is covered here. Even being aware of drinking water and making the effort to do so may not be enough. The quality and the addition of toxic chemicals makes it difficult to consume, digest and assimilate water. Assimilation is one point many people seem to lack an understanding of. Drinking water does not mean it is getting into the body,or  into the cells and being utilised in a useful manner.

Dr Marc Sircus posted this interesting  piece:

Dehydration, Inflammation & Cancer

And so does dehydration cause inflammation! One of the signaling mechanisms that initiate inflammation in the body is histamine. Histamine increases the permeability of blood vessels to white blood cells and proteins. Histamine increases immune activity. Dehydration has been shown to increase production of histamine leading to a general, widespread inflammatory response. By ensuring proper hydration of the body we can prevent dehydration and reduce this over production of histamine and hence inflammation.

Dehydration, which can lead to cancer formation (of any type) includes the following consequences to our physiology:

1) DNA damage, which can lead to mutant (cancerous) cells;

2) Acid-alkaline balance. When dehydrated and urine output is diminished, acid waste accumulates in weak or vulnerable areas of the body. It is well known that a cancerous body is acidic;

3) Cell receptor damage. Chronic dehydration causes enzymatic changes that lead to numerous problems with cellular communication and hormonal balance;

4) Immune system suppression. Dehydration suppresses the immune system because histamine production in the body is increased, which also increases the production of a chemical called vasopressin, a strong suppressor of the immune system.

Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, an internationally renowned researcher and advocate of the natural healing power of water states, “Unintentional chronic dehydration (UCD) contributes to and even produces pain and many degenerative diseases that can be prevented and treated by increasing water intake on a regular basis.” His list includes fibromyalgia, arthritis, back pain and cancer. In fact Batmanghelidj has good reason to suspect that dehydration and the inflammation that comes from it is the most basic cause of all disease.

We may not be accessing high quality water within a healthy pH range. Our water may be slightly to moderately acidic. It needs to be alkaline (pH 7.2 or above). All the beverages we consume, including milk, tea, coffee, alcohol, fruit juices are treated as food and must be processed first and are usually acidic. There are many ways to improve the quality of water and i personally am looking into systems that can remove toxins and increase the alkalinity levels. An acidic body is a toxic body, simply drinking pH 7.2 or above water may have remarkable benefits to the body. Hydration is one of the first techniques taught in Motivational Kinesiology for a very good reason. First we need breath, then water, then food.

We go;

Four minutes without oxygen,

Three days without water

Up to forty days without food.

How interesting that most people are more aware of their hunger pains, than the signs of dehydration.