Water, water everywhere . . . What’s in your Glass?

How important is water to your life? Your brain and your heart are 73% water and your lungs are 83% of that precious liquid. Collectively, more than 75% of our bodies are made up of water.  Water literally bathes our cells and our DNA, so that our optimal intracellular metabolism and physiology can flourish. How long can you live without water? It varies between people, but the Rule of Survival is quoted in threes: three minutes without air, three days without water; three weeks without food. If an adequate intake of water is not maintained, dehydration results, presenting with symptoms like headaches, reduced mental clarity, muscle cramps, sore muscles, constipation, fatigue, and increased sensitivity to toxic substances.
Easy to see that water is incredibly important.  What should we drink to support our anti-inflammatory lifestyle … a lifestyle that will have positive effects on how our “Book of Life “will read?  Clean water with all the right minerals is the obvious first choice among beverages, but it is harder to find than you might think!
 
“Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.”

We may not be in quite the dire straits of the Ancient Mariner, adrift at sea and surrounded by undrinkable salt water, but not all water available to us is drinkable either. What is the source of your personal usage of water? Is it safe? Do you drink well water or tap water? Which is safest? At first thought, it might appear that well water is safer because it does not have added chlorine or fluorine, or pharmaceuticals, but it may contain more pesticides, herbicides or run off from local factory farming. There are additional problems depending on your location. Oil and gas wells and fracking can be a serious clean water issue, especially in the western and southwestern states. Neither the problems nor the solutions are simple. 
 
Municipal water or tap water, including ice cubes and the water served to you in restaurants, contains at least 260 different pollutants in addition to chlorine and fluorine.  What about bottled water? Well, if the bottles are plastic, the plastic leeches into the water when it gets hot (hot trucks, hot cars, hot storage areas, etcetera).  Also, the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org)  commissioned a study that tested bottled water quality: the study concluded that bottled water is not safer than tap water. Lab tests of ten major brands identified 38 pollutants ranging from fertilizer residue to industrial solvents.
 
The quality of your water is every bit as important as the quantity you drink.  Maybe more so. The water you drink and use must be clean, free of chemicals and pollutants. We all know we are supposed to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day. This is approximately half your body weight in ounces. Keep in mind, herbal teas and green and black teas count toward your total water intake, as do soups, but not your coffee. Coffee dehydrates. In fact, for each cup of coffee you drink, you owe your body an equal amount of water. 
 
So, what are some solutions for your everyday drinking issues?
 
• Invest in the best quality water filter you can for your water drinking and cooking needs.
   (No, a refrigerator water filter is not capable of meeting all your needs.)
• Make ice cubes with filtered refrigerator water. 
• Stop drinking tap water at home and ice water in restaurants.
• Avoid water in plastic bottles and NEVER drink from one that has been in a vehicle or any
   overheated environment.
• Travel with your own stainless steel or glass bottle complete with your own filtered water.
 
Another helpful bit of information is to learn what is in your local drinking water. Test the water at your home: (www.ntllabs.com), especially if you have a new well, an older house, a new water source, or know there are reports of water problems in your area. Knowing what is in your water will guide you to the best filtration system.
 
In the home the best fluoride removing water filter is Berkey with added PF2 filter. www.berkeyfilters.com.  Another excellent water filter choice is Pure H20 water filter at www.aqusana.com.  Brita Longlast Filtration Systems: faucet mount, bottles, pitchers and dispensers have a Longlast filter that removes BPAs, chlorine and heavy metals. https://www.brita.com/why-brita/what-we-filter/.  Reverse osmosis (R/O) water is considered the gold standard of water filtration and one of the easiest and best methods of cleaning your water.  Reverse osmosis filters out toxic heavy metals and all other minerals too, but the latter issue can be remedied by adding minerals back into your R/O water via mineral drops such as “ConcenTrace”.
 
Water draws us and calls to us. Most all of us are captivated by the sight of the ocean, the sound of a mountain stream and the magic of a great waterfall. One of my mentors once wrote,
“Native Americans believe water has a spirit. It can carry your intentions, especially if you send your prayers while standing in it. Water is ancient, and the water you touch with your feet is the very same water that has been here since the beginning of our planet, the same water our ancestors drank centuries ago, and the same water all future generations will use. The intention of your prayer over water will be carried as energetic information through rain and clouds, traveling vast distances. Remember, we are a closed system. I find this concept very profound.”
 
Water is most of our body and probably a bit of our soul as well.
Water makes up most of our body and, as a nutrient, is second in importance only to Oxygen. 
I will talk about that on another blog when I discuss the Breath…..Stay tuned…
  
 Stay safe and be well.
 
Barbara
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