Drinking Water

[Master Kim]

The Myth Behind Drinking 8 Glasses of Water a Day
and
KOSA's theory on drinking water, which is located at the bottom of this thread.

The Myth Behind Drinking 8 Glasses of Water a Day
The Myth Behind Drinking 8 Glasses of Water a Day - psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/
By Jamie Hale



It’s common knowledge that we should drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Or at least many people think it’s common knowledge.

Heinz Valtin, a Dartmouth Medical School physician, disagrees.

In an invited review published by the American Journal of Physiology, Valtin reported that there is no supporting evidence to back up the popular recommendation to drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water per day.

How did the 8 X 8 myth start?
Valtin thinks that the notion may have started in 1945 when the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommended approximately “1 milliliter of water for each calorie of food”, which would amount to roughly 2 to 2.5 quarts per day (64 to 80 ounces).

In its next sentence the board stated, “[M]ost of this quantity is contained in prepared foods.”
But that last sentence seems to have been missed, so that the recommendation was erroneously interpreted as how much water a person should drink each day.

You may be surprised to find out many foods are high in water content.
Below I have provided an abbreviated chart that lists the water content of some popular foods (Hale, 2007; Hale, 2010).
The water percentage of each food is listed after its name.

Water Content of Foods (%)

Turkey, roasted: 62	Chicken, boiled: 71	Grapes: 82
Apples: 85	Apricots: 85	Potatoes, raw: 85
Oranges: 86	Strawberries, raw: 90	Peaches, raw: 90
Bean sprouts: 92	Eggplant, raw: 92	Watermelon: 93
Peppers, green: 94	Cucumbers, raw: 96	Lettuce, head: 96

(The information above was referenced from Survival Acres)

Caffeinated beverages and other drinks also should be counted toward daily water intake. University of Nebraska researcher Ann Grandjean and colleagues (Grandjean, 2000) conducted a study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, about the effects of caffeinated beverages on hydration. Grandjean and her colleagues used 18 healthy male adults for their subjects.

On four separate occasions, the subjects consumed water or water plus varying combinations of beverages. The beverages were carbonated, caffeinated, caloric, and noncaloric colas and coffee. Body weight, urine, and blood evaluations were performed before and after each treatment.

Grandjean found that there were no changes in the body weight, urine, or blood evaluations for the different beverages. The study found no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on the hydration status of healthy adult males. Grandjean concluded that advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of their daily fluid intake is not supported by the results of her study.

She went on to say, “[T]he purpose of the study was to find out if caffeine was dehydrating in healthy people who are drinking normal amounts. It is not.” There seems to be a large number of people who hold onto the myth that caffeine causes dehydration, probably because that’s what they have always heard.

Under some circumstances, significant fluid intake — at least eight 8-ounce glasses — is advisable: for the treatment or prevention of kidney stones, for example, as well as under special circumstances, such as performing strenuous physical activity or enduring hot weather.

However, most people currently are drinking enough water and, in some cases, more than enough. There is potential harm in drinking too much water (Hale, 2010). Water intoxication, a life-threatening condition, can occur when one drinks excessive amounts of water.

Water intoxication occurs when the kidneys are unable to excrete enough water (as urine), which leads to dilution of blood sodium. Mental confusion and death can result.

The bottom line? Drink when you are thirsty, not because you believe you need to.

References

GrandJean, AC., Reimers, KJ., Bannick, KE., Haven, MA. & Haven, MC. (2000). The effect of caffeinated, non-caffeinated, caloric and non-caloric beverages on hydration. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 19 (5):591-600.

Hale, J. (2007). Knowledge and Nonsense: The Science of Nutrition and Exercise. Winchester, KY: MaxCondition Publishing.

Hale, J. (2010). Should I Eat the Yolk? Separating Facts From Fiction To Get You Lean, Fit And Healthy. Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press.

www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp
[accessed December 3, 2010]

survivalacres.com/information/water_content.html
[accessed December 3, 2010]

KOSA's theory

• Stomach does not have eyeballs to distinguish water from food.

       Stomach treats water as food and food stays in stomach for 2 to 5 hours.
       Until stomach is empty, stomach has to work hard.

• Stomach's working hard results in higher heart rate and blood pressure.

       For stomach to do its job, heart needs to pump lots of blood by raising heart rate.

       These are usual indications of higher temperature of organs and disease, illness and/or pain.
       In other words, drinking water is supposed to worsen symptoms.

• Both organs of stomach and heart use muscle.

       Liver needs to work harder to suffice the greater needs of stomach and heart.

       Thus, liver cannot focus on self-healing body.

• Kidneys and bladder have limited capacity.

       Although these are as amazing as other organs of ours, they still have limited capacities.

       When they have more water than necessity, they cannot focus on self-healing either.

       Stomach became to be in excessive condition due to water will be subduing bladder more powerfully and bladder will be even more deficient.

       Kidney and bladder are in charge of bone, marrow, will power and vital indicators of longevity.

• Conclusion
  

       Don't drink water unless you are thirsty. Although you think you are thirsty, it might have been caused by your habit of drinking.

       Drink water with less amount and less frequency.

       If you need to wake up to urinate, you are already drinking too much water. You are not supposed to wake up to urinate even though you are 70s or 80s years old.

       However, if you don't drink much (intentionally or naturally) and have disease, try to drink more water for a couple of months.

[Master Kim]

Seven reasons NOT to drink water ionizer HIGH alkaline water





March 17, 2010 – Author of “Hexagonal Water -The Ultimate Solution” – by MJ Pangman



With so much discussion of the need to alkalize, one of the biggest questions on people’s minds is whether or not to drink alkaline ionized water. Much has been written on the subject by many well-intentioned individuals. However, the subject has been grossly oversimplified. Much of the information being circulated regarding the health benefits of alkaline ionized water is either inaccurate or incomplete.

There are seven major reasons (and many minor ones) why NOT to drink alkaline ionized water. They are discussed briefly below. More in depth information can be found in the recent book, Dancing with Water.



1. The first and most obvious red flag regarding the consumption of alkaline ionized water is its potential impact on digestion. If the digestive process begins in the stomach which is an extremely acidic environment, what is the impact of increasing the pH in the stomach by consuming alkaline water? Fifty percent of people over the age of 60 are hypochlorhydric. This means that they can no longer produce enough stomach acid for optimal digestion. For these individuals, the consumption of alkaline water presents a big problem. You might be surprised to discover how many people who begin to drink alkaline ionized water end up with digestive trouble—and they have no idea it results from the water.

2. The second reason is also obvious when you think about it. Water ionizers separate water into two streams. One contains acidic minerals: sulfur, phosphorus, iodine, chlorine, etc. This part of the water is usually discarded— it is not advocated for consumption. The other stream of water contains alkaline minerals: calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, etc. Take a look at the minerals in each list. Are they all necessary in the human body? Absolutely! Then ask yourself another question: Where in nature does water or food ever provide alkaline minerals without their acidic counterparts? Is just doesn’t happen, and no organism is designed to use one without the other. The chemistry of life is dependent on the balance between acids and bases (alkaline). One without the other for an extended period of time is an invitation for imbalance.

3. The third reason not to drink alkaline ionized water has to do with the molecular structure of water. Many of water’s unique qualities result from its ability to form hydrogen bonds. These weak electrostatic bonds link one water molecule to another to form a network of interconnected H2O molecules. Under normal circumstances this network is random. However, when water is placed in either an electric or a magnetic field, the molecules align to form a geometric pattern known as a liquid crystal. Liquid crystals possess many of the qualities of solid crystals including the ability to amplify and transfer signals. The consumption of water in this liquid crystalline state has numerous health benefits. Nature supplies weak electric (called piezoelectric) fields and magnetic fields that create this liquid crystalline phase of water. Those who sell ionizers would like you to believe that the strong electric current used during ionization produces this same kind of water. It does not. Strong electric currents (like those used during ionization) have a damaging effect on the electromagnetic field around water molecules. In essence, they electrocute the water and leave it without life force. Although electric currents do cause water molecules to align, the molecular organization falls apart rapidly as soon as the water leaves the electric field. Water that has been treated in this manner is not capable of carrying the finely-tuned signals and vibratory information that water is intended to carry within the human body.

4. During ionization, water molecules are split (ionized). Positively-charged ions (H+) are attracted to negatively-charged mineral ions (phosphorous, chlorine, sulfur, iodine etc.) to form a variety of acidic compounds in the acidic steam of water. Negatively-charged water ions (OH-) are attracted to positively-charged mineral ions (calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc) in the formation of numerous alkaline compounds in the alkaline stream of water. Depending on the minerals present in the original water, the alkaline compounds in the alkaline portion of the water may not be something you are interested in drinking. For example: the most common alkaline mineral compounds that form in alkaline ionized water are calcium hydroxide (lime), sodium hydroxide (lye), potassium hydroxide (caustic potash), and magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia—a laxative). Because of the strong electric forces used during ionization, the minerals, bound to hydroxide ions, are not available for use in the body. Most of them end up as arterial plaque or as mineral deposits in joints and other tissues.

5. One of the arguments in favor of alkaline water supposes that the consumption of alkaline water will negate the buildup of acids caused by our modern diet and lifestyle. There is no evidence to demonstrate this. It is a gross assumption to think that drinking alkaline water will alkalize tissues. The body is much more complex than this. If this were the case, then eating a lemon would contribute to acidosis. It does not. The lemon is considered to be one of the most alkalizing foods there is. While it has an acidic nature, it also releases alkaline minerals—in an organic form that the body can use. The pH of the human body is a complex and dynamic subject. While the blood requires a slightly alkaline pH, many organs and tissues require just the opposite. Research indicates that the environment inside the cell requires a slightly acidic pH—that alkalinity inside the cell causes cell death. Long-term consumption of alkaline water can actually contribute to acidosis. This is because acidosis is the body’s way to release hydrogen which becomes depleted with age and which it also requires to detoxify, to neutralize free radicals, and to fight disease. This is explained in much greater detail in the book Dancing with Water.

6. While alkaline ionized water has been in use in Japan for over 20 years, the effects of long-term consumption have yet to be studied. Early use in Japan was in clinical settings and the water was used in controlled amounts for short periods of time. There are no long-term studies to identify potential problems with either extended or exclusive use. In the absence of human studies, rats (with a shorter life span) can be studied more easily.

Three separate studies have shown that long-term consumption of alkaline ionized water produces cell death (necrosis) and fibrosis of the heart muscle in rats. Dr. Hidemitsu Hayashi, a cardiac surgeon and Director of the Water Institute in Japan, was one of the scientists who conducted early research on alkaline ionized water. His work determined that the benefits of alkaline ionized water were largely due to the hydrogen in the water which dissipates rapidly after production. Ultimately, he renounced the use of ionized water in favor of other methods to produce hydrogen-rich water.

7. One of the biggest arguments in favor of alkaline ionized water is that its strong electron potential neutralizes free radicals. While it is true that alkaline ionized water has a strong electrical potential (evidenced by negative ORP values), the water is very imbalanced. Consumption may initially reduce the free radical load but continued consumption and the aggressive neutralization of oxygen radicals upsets cellular redox balance—now shown to play a pivotal role in immune function and metabolic homeostasis. Oxygen radicals serve as signaling molecules. Medical research verifies that their absence is equally as harmful as their overabundance. The ongoing consumption of alkaline ionized water scavenges free radicals too aggressively and tips the balance in the opposite direction.

Nature is always about balance—not extremes. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, taking strong YANG herbs (like alkaline water), for too long, overheats and burns the body out. Ultimately, it contributes to aging. Like many of the Yang herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Alkaline ionized water can be therapeutic for short periods of time but it should never be considered as regular drinking water day in and day out—unless you are prepared for digestive problems, organ failure, arterial build-up, joint calcification, and metabolic imbalances.

By MJ PangMan