Drinking of water and the benefits that ensue, has induced a number of writers to put up different notes, directing us on the do's and don'ts of drinking water, the when to and when not to,.
The benefits of drinking water varies in the organs/tissues affected in the body as the intervals of it's consumption varies.
The earth is filled to about 70% with water, same is the whole body weight; made up of about 70% by water.
The total water input must be equal to total water output to ensure homeostasis in the body's fluidity!
Water therapy therefore implies the medical benefits derived from drinking water; benefits ranging from prophylactic, palliative to curative basis.
You may have read lots of notes in the past about when and how to drink water and all it promises, nevertheless;
please find below some of the benefits of water and when to take water in order to enjoy such nature's gift to man.
1. Early morning
Taking about 4 glasses of water first thing in the early morning :
At the beginning, you may not be able to take such a volume, but start with the quantity you can tolerate and increase subsequently.
A number of benefits have been credited to this practice.
Let us state and explain some of them:
a. Prevents colon cancer: this quantity of water aids in washing properly the walls of the empty intestine as it pushes all the debris down to the rectum to initiate defecation reflex, thus preventing clogging up of debris and other harmful particles on the pores of the intestine .
b. Prevention of arthritis and it's crisis (gouty arthritis) : gout is a medical condition that is mostly caused by poor excretion of urates and a build up of uric acid in the blood, which accumulates in the joints to cause inflammation. When such volume of water is taken, it dilutes these crystals and exerts sufficient pressure on the kidney to expel all of the urates preventing their accumulation.
c. Prevention of Kidney stone and kidney diseases: similarly as in (b) above, water dilutes the chemical build ups on the kidney and prevent the formation of crystals, casts, and their resultant renal disturbances.
2. Before going to bed
Drinking a glass of water while going to bed:
Helps keep heart problems far from you. [The water ensures that your plasma volume is maintained while sleeping and not requiring the heart to do extra work in ensuring appropriate blood pressure]
Although you may be woken up by micturation reflex to urinate, but still, the benefit outweighs the disturbance.
3. Drinking while eating:
Several writers have written against this act without being able to draw lines and explain the reasons behind it.
Taking small quantity of temperate water while eating starchy and hard foods like garri helps one prevent:
Constipation or Strenuous defecation
Hemorrhoids or pile
But drinking plenty water while eating foods rich in protein is wrong as such quantity of water may dilute to some extent your gastric acid content leading to the indigestion of some food particles, this in turn may cause
Flatulence
Belching
Tinnitus
Again, Drinking cold water while eating is wrong! Cold water reduces the optimal temperature of the stomach required for the instant enzymatic activities on the ingested food leading to some portions of the food not being properly digested. The undigested food undergoes fermentation causing :
Flatulence
Belching
Steartorrhea
GIT disturbances
Colon cancer
Tinnitus (sounds of wave in the ear)
4. Interval Drinking of water:
The act of drinking water during the day is another good one.
Mostly, you see some persons carry bottled water along, yes, they do so because they understand the benefits of drinking water.
Since water intake must be equal to water loss:
We loss water through urination, sweating, perspiration, breathing, talking etc, this requires that we replenish the lost water from drinking and from food.
Drinking enough water keeps you far from kidney diseases and to some extent cardiovascular diseases, fights internal stress and restores vitality.
5. Taking medicine with water:
Check leaflets of every pharmaceutical you are taking, it always says "take with a glass full of water" this water aids in the dissolution and proper absorption of the medicament inturn enhancing bioavalability. Water here is indispensable hence should not be replaced with any soft drinks or the likes (remember the issue of coca-cola and Vitamin C ).
Thanks.
Chuka Amukamara
Faculty of Pharmacy
University of Benin
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