Water For Health

Archive for the ‘Water Retention’ Category

The most essential element of life and for proper functioning of the body is considered water. It is said that roughly 75% of the body is made up of water while cells are actually as much as 90% water by weight.

The majority of people believe it or not, do not drink enough of this vital substance. As a rule of thumb, 6-10 glasses of pure water (filtered if possible) should be had each day or more if you engage in lots of physical activity.

Some health experts say that if you really want to drink the most beneficial amount of water, you should be drinking close to half your body weight in ounces daily. For example, if you currently weight 150 pounds, you would have to drink around 75 ounces of water each day. Considering that an average glass of water is around 8 ounces, you would need to drink between 9 and 10 glasses.

In order to avoid disrupting your electrolye balance in your body from drinking large amounts of water, you should add a quarter of a teaspoon of natural sea salt to each quart of water you drink. Try using unprocessed sea salt because it contains many beneficial minerals that regular table salt doesn’t.

There are many beverages that deplete the water supply in our bodies and they include coffee and tea, alcoholic drinks and soft drinks. A small amount of water is lost through the action of breathing.

The cells in our body’s will start to dehydrate without adequate water and it impairs their proper function. It becomes hard for cells to discard their metabolic wastes effectively and these toxins may start to accumulate which can actually causes the pores in your skin to clog up which will cause those spots called acne.

Other parts of your body that require lots of water are your kidneys and liver. They need water for the proper elimination of waste. If you drink enough water daily, most toxins will get flushed from these organs rather than through your skin and that is what you want if you suffer from acne.

Another important function of the liver is the removal of hormones. If the kidneys become overloaded, the liver has to help deal with any excess of toxins. If the liver is overworked and cannot deal with hormones properly, they can circulate through the body and cause too much oil to be released from the skins sebaceous glands.

Another side-effect from being dehydrated is that your body will try to preserve as much water as it can, which is medically known as water retention. This action put extra pressure on our cells which can also cause the pores to become blocked up. Too much processed salt is one of the biggest causes of water retention. To get rid of an excess of salt, you simply need to start drinking more water.

When you start drinking more water, other than noticing a clearer complexion, you may start seeing other benefits such as losing weight and less headaches and pains and many many more.

A tendency toward water retention indicates a weakness in the adrenals/kidneys, the circulatory system or possibly the heart. Fluid retention or bloat that seems to be a menopausal and premenstrual problem is easily remedied, says Susun Weed. She notes “If you tend to bloat, the kidneys must work very hard, and become fatigued. In this circumstance optimal fluid intake should be limited to a quart/liter of fluids daily.”

Edema once known as dropsy is an evident case of swelling of your organs or tissue due to collection of fluid. It mainly happens in the feet, ankles and legs because it is the most affected part due to gravity which is also known as peripheral edemawhich affects your face and hands too. There are two kinds of enema pitting edema and non-pitting edema. Pitting edema causes an indentation when you press your fingers on the swollen areas; non- pitting edema leaves no indentation. Women are more susceptible to this kind of condition in comparison to men.

Bananas. Go ape and grab a few bananas. Slice ‘em on your cereal, make a smoothie, or just peel and eat them plain. Bananas contain high amounts of potassium, which helps eliminate fluid retention. Not a banana fan? Gobble down a handful of raisins instead.

Avoid diuretics: Though diuretics are effective for the flushing out of excess water in the people with the heart, kidney or liver disease, they can also cause rebound edema. Continuous usage will activate the salt and water retaining hormones and when stopped, these hormones are activated and cause water retention.

Water. When you feel waterlogged, guzzling a glass of H2O might be the last thing on your mind. But it may be the best thing for you. Water flushes out the system better than anything else and can reduce premenstrual bloating. Drink 8 to 10 glasses a day; more when you exercise. (NOTE: This advice is only for PMS bloating. If your water retention is caused by any other medical condition, be sure to ask your doctor before drinking extra water — it may not be good for you.)

A good diet combined with equal amount of exercise can make things very easy

for you. Include cucumber and watermelon in your daily diet for good dose of

potassium.

Exercise continuously: Exercise has been shown to reduce the water retention by flushing out the water and salt through sweating, higher respiration and increased urine flow. If you have been sitting for a long time, walk up and down or climb stairs every hour. You can also try the following exercise: point the toes downward, then raise them up as high as possible which pumps up the calf and foot muscles. You can also raise your hands up overhead.

Essential oils that may help fluid retention include cypress, geranium, juniper, lavender and rosemary. Essential oils may be used in a number of ways including inhalation, baths, vaporizers, mouthwashes and gargles, compresses and massage.

Lie down with feet up: Recline with feet up in the raised position. This will allow the fluid collected in the legs to go to the circulatory systems and from there to the kidneys for excretion.

Whether you are a pregnant female or not, water is the key fluid required for the healthy functioning of all body organs. During pregnancy, your body actually needs more of this fluid to withstand the demanding changes that are being placed on your body to produce and nurture a healthy offspring.

Adequate water consumption for the safety of the developing fetus, as well as the mother is one of the most important preventive health maintenance strategies recommended by prenatal health care professionals. Of which, water is the main substance for the production of breast milk and necessary for good lactation.

Drinking plenty of water during pregnancy helps the mother avoid dehydration problems that can lead to quite a lengthy list of negative health complications such as headaches, water retention, nausea (morning sickness, cramps, oedema (ankle swelling), dizziness, heartburn, and elevated blood pressure. During the third trimester, the lack of water in the body can can cause early contractions that leads to premature labor.

A common health problem, among women that are pregnant, is the risk for developing a urinary tract infection. Increased water intake helps lowers this risk considerably, by keeping urine diluted and from pooling up to long in the bladder. Thus, your entire urine excretion system stays flushed.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, the more water you drink during your pregnancy, the less water the body will try to hold on to, especially if there is water/salt imbalance (more salt than water). It will also help avoid constipation and hemorrhoids.

So, how do you know if you are drinking enough water? The best indicator that you are getting enough is by the color of your excreted urine. If it is dark yellow or orange it is a signal to increase your water intake. Light yellow to pale colored urine, and you are doing fine.

An easy way to measure how much you are drinking everyday, is to fill a two or three quart container, with a goal of trying to finish it all by the end of the day.

Summer season pregnancies require awareness on your part to add an extra glass or two to accommodate for mobile exertion that results in perspiring and equals more fluids being lost. Try to steer clear of of caffeinated beverages such as tea, cola, or coffee, and do not make the mistake of counting them as part of your regular daily water intake. Caffeine is considered a mild drug and is a diuretic. These types of drinks, although made with water, will actually cause more urination and force more water out of your body.

So, what if don’t like the taste of water, and are having a hard time making yourself drink what you should?

To help ease yourself into the healthy habit, hopefully a good habit you will keep after delivery, try one of these easy tips. Try freezing up some small ice cubes made with your favorite fruit juice. Add a few cubes to a tall glass of water. It will have a weak fruity taste, as well an eye catching appearance. Or, if you like the taste of lemon or lime squeeze a small wedge into your glass of water.

If tap water safety concerns you, you may want to invest in a home filtration system for your drinking and cooking needs. When traveling or away from home, opting to drink bottled water may be more convenient than bringing your own with you, just make sure the seal is not broken and check expiration dates closely. Avoid prepackaged water in questionable plastic containers, certain types of plastics have been linked to hormone problems.

While meeting the nutritional needs of both mother and baby are very critical issues, adequate water intake education seems to take a back seat in its level of dominance for a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and a healthy infant. In fact, dehydration problems in the general population is the single most important preventable solution in healing a very long list of degenerative health conditions in itself.

The issue of morning sickness has often been attributed to deficiencies of specific nutrients lacking in the mothers diet by many nutritional health experts. According to Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D., author of “You Body’s Many Cries For Water” claims, although it is very subtle and simple by nature, morning sickness is the first sign that a pregnant female and her fetus are dehydrated.

Dr. B states in his book, page 15, “during the intrauterine stage of cell expansion, water for cell growth of the child has to be provided by the mother. However, the transmitter system for water intake seems to be produced by the fetal tissue, but registers its effects on the mother during the early phase of pregnancy”.

This very unpleasant symptom of being pregnant hinders many women from eating properly, sometimes well into mid-day. Instead of trying to figure out what type of food nutrient may be missing from the diet, why not treat the nausea with water first?