When living a wholistic lifestyle we use water in so many applications: drinking, soaking grains, nuts and seeds, making poultices, healing baths, tinctures, teas, fomentations, water therapy, growing food, sprouting, eye washes, enema’s and cleansing the skin.

The human body is made up of at least 75% water. Water makes up 85-90% of our brain, 92% of our blood and 70% of our muscles. Water is vital to our organs and their optimal function which makes water vital to our survival. We can survive without food for a disputable number of days depending on the level of health and other individualized scenarios. The human body can only “survive” for 3-10 days without water. Water flushes out toxins and carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. We breathe out an estimated 1 1/2 cups of water each day. We also lose water each day through sweating, urinating and bowel movements. Water is used in many functions within the body and is known as, “the universal solvent.” Water is used as a “coolant” by evaporating sweat through the skin and can also disperse heat throughout the body.

If we are not replenishing that lost liquid, we may experience: constipation, dry skin, headache, fatigue, low immunity, brain fog, blood pressure fluctuation, blurred vision, hormonal fluctuation, mood swings, feeling hungry even though you have recently eaten, lethargic, low energy levels, aching joints, dehydration and many others.

There are many opinions and many options concerning what type of water to drink: distilled, reverse osmosis, filtered, mineral water, spring water, tap water.

Dr. Christopher taught, “Distilled water flushes the minerals and inorganic salts, which cause sickness, out of the body, where juice and other liquids are not as efficient.”

“There are two types of minerals in the body - live organic minerals that can be assimilated into cell structure, and low-vibrating inorganic minerals that are only accepted into the body and cannot be assimilated. These inorganic minerals cause kidney stones, gall stones, hardening of the arteries, poor eyesight, arthritis, etc. People so often say, ‘But why shouldn’t I use tap water, well, spring, artesian or some other types of hard water to provide minerals for my body?’ These minerals can be accepted into the body but not assimilated because the hard inorganic minerals must go through plant life and by osmosis changed to live, organic minerals which can then be assimilated into the human cell structure.” The body will accept the inorganic minerals but will not be able to assimilate them and over time, these inorganic minerals will build up within the joints, organs and other areas of the body causing the aforementioned ailments. We should be getting our minerals from the abundance of whole, living foods we are eating which can be assimilated by our bodies. Our bodies were not created to assimilate minerals from rocks, shells, etc.

“How much steam distilled water should I be drinking?” When healing or ill, Dr. Christopher suggested drinking 1 ounce per pound of body weight per day. For those who are not ill or cleansing there really is no set rule; the amount you drink varies from person to person. Things to keep in mind are how much you exercise, the climate you live in, the amount of energy you exert doing daily activities, the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables you consume, etc. Pregnant and nursing women need more water as well. There are a couple of ways to tell if you need more water or are dehydrated besides those already mentioned. The first is by the color and clarity of your urine. Although you need to keep in mind that if you are taking a B12 supplement or consuming nutritional yeast, your urine will be a bright yellow color. The second, gently pinch & pull the skin on the back of your hand upward. The skin should bounce back quickly. If it retracts slowly and holds the pinched shape, you need more water!

Another point that needs to be addressed is that sugar laden fruit drinks, coffee and soda do not re-hydrate the body. For every 8 oz. of soda you consume you need to drink 8-12 glasses of water to replace the valuable water loss it extracts from your cells and organs!

At the School of Natural Healing we suggest steam distilled water, reverse osmosis would be our next choice.

Tonya Judd is a Master Herbalist graduate of the School of Natural Healing

Printable Version: http://herballegacy.com