MOST of us are unaware of the amazing medicinal properties of a simple glass of water for the treatment of a vast range of human diseases. The lack of water in the body namely, chronic dehydration, is the root cause of most degenerative illnesses along with asthma, allergies, hypertension, excess body weight as well as depression.

Water shortage manifests itself in the human body by four types of conditions. During the first phase, the body shows a feeling of tiredness visible first thing in the morning.

At that stage, a lack of water also causes anxiety, shortness of temper, depression, sleep disorders as well as a craving for sodas. At a second stage, an increased need of water can cause constipation, allergies, asthma, hypertension, and even type two diabetes.

At a third stage, severe dehydration can cause heartburn, rheumatoid joint pain, back pain, migraines, fibromyalgia and even anginal pain.

The last stage signals complications caused by acute dehydration. They include obesity, hemorrhoids, cholesterol plaques, arterial diseases and also serious neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, lymphomas, cancers and many more.

All these clinical manifestations triggered by a water shortage in our body are identified as diseases. When we have more sugar or cholesterol in our blood, when we suffer from chronic headaches, when we develop heartburn, back pain, or suffer from anxiety, depression and neurological disorders namely multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease, we are immediately treated with drugs.

According to Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, author of Water Cures: Drugs Kill, it is not solid matter that regulates all functions of the body but it is water that dissolves all the solid matter it circulates in the blood and provides energy for chemical reactions in all of the functions of the body.

Moreover, symptoms of thirst are wrongly confused with various diseases. As a result, patients are treated with pills and various treatment procedures for the same underlying cause, dehydration.

Low back pain denotes a water shortage in the spinal column and discs. It should be treated first with an increased water intake. Migraines are a sign that the brain and the eyes need water. This type of dehydration can cause inflammation of the small arteries of the brain and activate the plaque formation that is visible in serious neurological disorders.

Colitis pain shows a lack of water in the large gut. It is associated with constipation. A prolonged lack of water can cause hemorrhoids, polyps and increase the possibility of developing cancer of the colon.

“Hypertension is a state of adaptation of the body to a generalized drought, when there is not enough water to fill all the blood vessels that facilitate the normal diffusion of water into vital cells. The rise in pressure is a part of the mechanism of reverse osmosis; water from the blood serum is filtered and injected into important cells through minute holes in their membranes. Water and some salt intake will easily bring blood pressure back to normal!” explains Dr. Batmanghelidj.

It is interesting to know that as we grow older, we gradually loose our perception of thirst.

Moreover, the human body can suffer from dehydration even when abundant water is available.

As we lose our thirst sensation, we are no longer able to recognize that our body requires water. Consequently, we become increasingly and chronically dehydrated.

A dry mouth is the ultimate sign of dehydration.

The body can suffer from dehydration even when the mouth is fairly moist. Elderly people may have a dry mouth and still not feel thirsty.

Our body needs a minimum of six to eight glasses of water a day. But it should be known that we cannot substitute tea, coffee, or carbonated beverages for water.

Tea and coffee do not count as water. Tea, coffee and colas contain dehydrating agents because of their powerful diuretic action on the kidneys.

One should drink one glass of water, one half hour before each meal, and a similar amount two and a half hours after each meal. Two more glasses should be taken around the heaviest meal or before going to bed.

It is also important to exercise regularly as muscle activity will flush the excess fluid into the blood circulation.

However, the importance of water as medicine should not dispense medical advice or prescribe the discontinuance of any medication but highlight the importance of water to well-being and the damaging effects of chronic dehydration on the body from childhood to old age.

“The greatest tragedy in medical history is the fact that medical professionals have not understood the human body’s variety of calls for water.

They have traditionally resorted to using chemicals and “procedures” to deal with chronic dehydration of the body” concludes Dr. Batmanghelidj.