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Good old h-two-o
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Raise a toast to water, the elixir of life
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Photo: K.V. Srinivasan
NO SUBSTITUTE Don't underestimate the value of a glass of plain water
"If the medical profession were ever called upon to answer in a court for its sins of omission, it would without a doubt be its neglect of water as a therapeutic agent."
Dr. Lincoln Graham.
It's indeed an irony that the guide to good health preaches eating right, plenty of exercise and advises dietary supplements, yet how many of us make sure that we are drinking enough water? Next to air, water is one of the most essential elements for life, as we know it. Humans can sustain for several weeks without food but can survive only for days without water. Water makes up about 70 per cent of our total body mass and nearly every life sustaining process requires it. It is also needed to remove the toxic wastes from the cells.
Dehydration
And yet, come summer, and more than one third of the population in the country suffers from dehydration of mild to moderate to severe intensity, partly due to the heat but mostly out of ignorance about the consumption of water. This condition arises when the body loses one to two per cent of its weight in body fluid. Many of us, most of the time, do not heed its warning symptoms, ignoring signals of thirst, fatigue, headache, dry mouth, weakness and dizziness.
Dehydration can take a tremendous toll on all bodily functions from memory to kidney and cardiac functions. All cell functions diminish, when one is dehydrated. Such an individual is at an increased risk for conditions such as asthma, arthritis and cancer of the breast, colon and urinary tract. Studies have found that losing merely two per cent of body's water supply was enough to reduce short-term memory, ability to add and subtract and compromise on visual abilities.
Water intake
So how much water is enough? Simple question but no easy answers. There is no single formula that works for everybody. Just as you are unique, so are your water needs. Water intake depends on factors as age, health status, levels of physical activity and environment. An average adult loses about 1.5 litres of fluid a day through perspiration, urination etc. So it's a good idea to replace this. Food accounts for 20 per cent of fluid intake so 2 litres of water should be consumed throughout the day to stay hydrated. Or there is the 8x8 rule that is 8-ounce glass of water 8 times a day. There's absolutely no replacement for plain water. Unfortunately not all beverages contribute to proper hydration. Coffee, tea, alcohol and colas are a definite no-no as they are all diuretics. Fruits and vegetables contain up to 95 per cent water. So a well balanced diet is a sure way to stay healthy and hydrated.
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Water works as therapy also
Water therapy, both external and internal, has been practised for centuries to heal the sick. The purity and therapeutic effects of water stands unparalleled. Those who still follow this swear by it. It's based on the belief that all diseases originate due to lack of proper hydration of the body. Those who practise it, insist that various ailments such as constipation, depression, hyperacidity, obesity, BP, diabetes and so on are cured by it. This involves the consumption of water in a regular pattern.
Drink 1.5 litres of water as soon as you wake up in the morning, even before you brush your teeth.
Wash your face right afterward.
Neither beverages nor solid food should be taken one hour prior to and an hour after drinking water.
No alcoholic drinks to be consumed the previous night.
So don't wait until you are thirsty to hit that bottle of water.
HUSNA MOHAMMAD
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