I have to talk about water. I didn’t expect water to be a topic, but here I am. A little history first; I met a guy in Whole Foods years ago, a natural health and nutrition trainer and coach. He first introduced me to the concept that unhealed emotions are to disease. But what he also told me during a consultation is that water is the key to health and vitality—specifically cell hydration and thus mitochondria function. As he explained it, mitochondria are essentially the source of the body’s energy production, supporting every other function of our body. I understood that I was basically drying out my cells by not drinking enough water. At least that’s the picture I formed in my mind. Imagine your cells looking like raisins or dried dates. Now, I didn’t run home to research if what he told me was true, but it did make sense to me. But ask me if I started drinking more water? That was six years ago.
In those years since, not only did I not increase my water intake, but I also drank coffee (caffeine) every day and had the occasional wine and the occasional. Up until last November, I felt worse and worse every year. Pain and fatigue being the biggest culprit. Of course, the reasons extend beyond not drinking enough water and too much caffeine, wine, and tequila. But while I’ve cut out the caffeine, wine, tequila and started to deal with my unaddressed issues and my physical health, I hadn’t upped my water intake yet, although it was on my list of disciplines. I certainly didn’t know what kind of impact being hydrated would have on me until three days ago. I was watching a YouTube video about energy medicine where the woman talked about the health benefits of water and mentioned a gentleman by the name of F. Batmanghelidj, M.D., whom she called the world’s research authority on water.
After listening to her speak about water and buying Batmanghelidj’s book, “Your Body’s Many Cries for Water,” I decided it was time to get serious about drinking more water and getting hydrated. Especially since the importance of drinking water was explained to me years ago, and I had planned to increase my water intake to help improve my health. When I thought about the health issues I’ve had, it occurred to me that I was probably extremely dehydrated. And that was probably why I developed such terrible headaches and head pain along with body stiffness despite stretching.
Last Friday, I began drinking at least 80 ounces of water a day. After three days, my chronically sore right hip is no longer sore. The neck stiffness and muscle soreness I’ve been dealing with have decreased. My joints aren’t aching like they were before. And the two biggest results so far? First, the head pains and steady headaches have disappeared. And second, my energy has skyrocketed. I can attribute this strictly to the water because I was off my protocol and everything else remained the same. I have so many feelings about this.
On the one hand, it shows me how powerful water is and how vital it is to the function of every single part of the body. My dehydration caused physical pain in my body and made me think I needed my head scanned. I was really frustrated that my neck was so stiff and back I couldn’t seem to loosen it. I didn’t heed the guy I met in Whole Foods years ago. It took me years to recognize the implications of not keeping my body hydrated and only four days to recognize the healing of keeping it hydrated.