Your Body’s Many Cries For Water
I recently finished a book by Dr. F. Batmanhelidj, Your Body’s Many Cries For Water. It was a fascinating read and very much against the grain of conventional wisdom. In it he contends that most if not all illnesses stem from dehydration. It starts on a cellular level and develops from there. It’s an interesting take and he does a good job of bringing seemingly basic information to the forefront that has either been lost or simply not conveyed. His work has led him to believe that proper hydration, adequate salt intake, moderate exercise and a good diet can prevent and/or cure just about anything. He also claims that water is a major energy source, hydroelectricity, for the brain and body.
He goes into detail from his personal experience practicing medicine and his research. He stumbled onto “the cure” during his time as an Iranian POW by curing a man’s debilitating ulcers with a few glasses of water, having nothing else handy. He’s since replicated this with thousands of others to rid them of the affliction and others. Allergies and asthma, he says are simply a defense mechanism from the bodies drought management system, i.e. dehydration, and with adequate hydration these issues can essentially be resolved. What about a double chin? It’s created from over active salivary glands to overcompensate the dehydration and that liquid is then stored forming the oh so dreaded double chin (that one blew my mind). He goes over how everything from obesity to joint or muscle pain, hypertension to arthritis and even cancer have their genesis from insufficient water in the body.
I’m sure you’re now wondering how much you need. Well Dr.B says at the very least, 6–8 glasses (8oz), but a good rule of thumb is 1/2oz per/lb of body weight daily (75oz for 150lb person). The bigger, older, or more active a person is the more they need. He says thirst is one of the last signs that you need water. If you drink soda, sugary or energy drinks, coffee, alcohol, etc. you need to overcompensate for that with more water because they are diuretics and naturally dehydrating. They flush more water out then is in them. With so many Americans chronically dehydrated I think most of us can benefit from drinking more water. Will it solve all your problems? Probably not, but I do believe it will help you.
This is controversial for sure but very thought provoking. Dr.B’s beliefs are not without detractors and dissenters but I’d encourage you to check it out a bit more. I’m not advocating everything in this as gospel but I do think there’s at least some truth in it that can help a lot of us be healthier. In the spirit of objectivism here’s some criticism of his work and a link to his website to see more of his thoughts. If you’re open minded I’d encourage you check out his book and give it a look yourself. Sometimes there’s genius in simplicity.
