In his book Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, Dr. Batmanghelidj tells the story of how he was arrested after the downfall of the Shah in 1978, imprisoned in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, and branded an enemy of the State under sentence of death. Batmanghelidj spent 3 years in prison, continuing his work as a doctor but without any medicines. The resource he did have, however, was water.
Batmanghelidj claims that thirst is only one of the body’s ways of expressing dehydration, as he found that asthma, angina, indigestion, obesity, psychological symptoms and many others were actually symptoms of dehydration. He writes ‘Pathology that is seen to be associated with “social stresses”, fear, anxiety, insecurity, persistent emotional and marital problems and the creation of depression – are the results of water deficiency to the point the water requirements of the brain tissue is affected.’
However, though it can mean all the difference to your wellness, water is not always given to you in its best form. The plastic bottles that you buy water in contain phthalates, which are added to make it more flexible. Phthalates mimic the effect of oestrogen, which can lead to a hormone imbalance. As a woman, this can mean weight gain, cellulite build-up and more difficult periods. Also, this can mean breast cancer, and male pattern baldness and a declining sperm count for men. There is also a declining pH in water, meaning it is becoming more acidic and putting you more at risk to disease. You can ensure your drinking water remains alkaline by adding a slice of lime or lemon to maintain at least a neutral pH of 7 if not higher.
Therefore it’s clear that better wellness means better water consumption. If you’re dehydrated, it’s because you’re not drinking enough water. You should aim to drink eight glasses of non-bottled, pH-balanced water per day. These don’t have to be enormous sized glasses, but the action does need to be consistent.