By Heather McCauley
Most of us are aware that the human body is made up of roughly 75% water. We may even know that our bodies require an intake of eight glasses of water a day in order to function properly. The information that you may not know about water could be information critical to your every day well-being - such as the difference in the sources and treatments of the water you drink; the symptoms of dehydration; why the “8 Glasses Rule” is not sufficient for nearly 80% of the adult population; and why there are no substitutions for this essential nutrient.
With recent medical and scientific studies touting the benefits of proper hydration, it’s understandable that there are almost as many ways to take your water as there are your morning coffee. Distilled, spring, oxygenated, ionized, UV-filtered, magnetized, alkalized, filtered or simple tap water – the water you drink should be your own personal and intuitive choice. However, if it is from a municipal or questionable source, I highly recommend some sort of additional filtration process. Tap water can contain trace amounts of prescription medications and some bottled water is merely tap water in disguise.
Our bodies are amazing at telling us when we need to drink more water. The problem is that most of us only pay attention to the very last symptom of dehydration that manifests – thirst. Dr. Batmanghelidj, M.D., author of "Your Body’s Many Cries for Water", contends that thirst indicates a body which is already dehydrated and that our thirst perception may decrease as we age. Some symptoms that your body could use more water include constipation, migraines, body aches, bloating, dry skin, and yellow/orange colored urine. With aches and pains, there is a tendency for most people to self-medicate. In essence, we are quieting the symptoms and not treating the ailment – in this case dehydration.
So, how much water should you actually drink? The International Sports Medicine Institute recommends an intake of at least 1/2 of your body weight in ounces for inactive people and 2/3 of your body weight in ounces for athletic people. This means that the old measure of 64 ounces (eight 8-oz glasses) only benefits inactive people weighing less than 128 pounds. This amount is required to support all bodily functions and promote optimum metabolism. This intake doesn’t include the sports drinks, soda, diet drinks, fruit juice or any other liquid you put into your body. The body needs the simple compound H2O in order to do its ‘thing’. It recognizes everything else as having a different chemical make-up and cannot readily put the liquid to work. Even herbal tea, although beneficial to your health, is not a suitable substitute for water. Water is truly essential to our overall health.
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