One of the easiest and most
powerful things you can do for your health is to be sure
and drink adequate amounts of water each and every day.
Water's numerous health benefits were clearly established
by the late Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj.
Dr. Batman (as he liked to call himself) was a member
of a prominent family in Iran, where he worked as a physician
after receiving his medical training at London University's
St. Mary's Hospital Medical School. In 1979, he was thrown
into jail soon after the attack of the US Embassy. One
night, prison guards brought another prisoner to his cell.
The man was in pain because of a severe peptic ulcer.
With nothing but water at his disposal, Dr. Batman had
the man drink two glasses of water. In less than ten minutes,
the man's pain disappeared. Dr. Batman then instructed
him to drink two glasses of water every three hours, which
he did, remaining pain-free for the remaining four months
that he was imprisoned.
Surprised by this success, Dr. Batman went on to treat
over 3,000 other cases of peptic ulcer during the nearly
three years that he was imprisoned, conducting extensive
research as he did so. So intrigued was he by his findings
that he actually chose to continue his research in prison
for an additional four months after he was scheduled to
be released. When he finally left prison his research
had already been written about in the
Journal of Clinical
Gastroenterology and the
New York Times Science
section.
Dr. Batman spent the rest of his life exclusively studying
and documenting how powerful water can be as a healing
tool. He maintained that the primary cause of many illnesses
was chronic dehydration, and his findings are reported
in his book
Your Body's Many Cries for Water. What
follows are just some of the many reasons why adequate
water intake is so important to your health:
Water is essential for healthy brain function and conduction
of nerve impulses, proper metabolism and digestion, delivery
of oxygen via the bloodstream, proper kidney and urinary
function, proper regulation of body temperature via perspiration,
proper joint lubrication and muscle function, healthy
respiratory function, and proper function of the lymphatic
system and the elimination of waste products via urine.
Chronic dehydration, a condition that Dr. Batman said
affects the majority of Americans, can cause reduced brain
size, impaired neuromuscular coordination, chronic fatigue,
impaired mental function, constipation and diarrhea, diminished
oxygen supply at the cellular level, diminished nutrient
delivery via the bloodstream, excess body fat, kidney
stones, urinary tract infections, reduced muscle size
and poor muscle tone, diminished immune function and increased
susceptibility to infection, sinus congestion, back and
other forms of muscle and skeletal pain, edema, asthma,
lupus, arthritis, high blood pressure, impaired metabolic
function, increased risk of heart attacks, and the buildup
of toxins in the cells, tissues, and organs.
Based on his findings, Dr. Batman counseled that all of
us should drink at least one-half ounce of water for every
pound of our body weight (for example, a 110 lb. woman
needs to drink at least 55 ounces of water per day, while
a 200 lb. man needs to drink a minimum of 100 ounces).
In addition, he also suggested that people consume a quarter
teaspoon of salt per every 32 ounces of water drink per
day, to help the body maintain an adequate supply of minerals.
(Sea or Celtic salt is best, as these types of salt contain
a much wider range of minerals than does common table
salt.) As a general rule of thumb, he recommended staring
each day with two glasses of water and to drink water
20 minutes before eating food, although water with meals
is permissible whenever one feels thirsty.
Many people with chronic health conditions became completely
free of their symptoms once they adopted Dr. Batman's
safe, simple, yet highly powerful recommendations. For
more about his work,
visit the Watercure.com Web site
Read more feature articles...
