Ours is a planet primarily dominated by dihydrogen oxide, a compound that has no taste or smell and is so unpredictable in its properties that it is generally benign, yet at other times completely fatal. Depending on its state, it can burn your skin or freeze you to death. If in the presence of certain organic chemical compounds, it can form carbonic acids so nasty that it can strip leaves from trees and eat away at the surfaces of buildings. When agitated, it can, with great fury, demolish everything in its path. Even for those who have learned to live with it, it can often be a murderous substance. It is commonly known as water.
Our planet is a water planet. More then 80% of our world’s surface is covered in water. Bacteria are 75% water; cucumbers and tomatoes 95%. Humans are around 65% water. Even though we know it is dangerous, drowning thousands of people each year, we travel great distances to play in and around it. We are drawn to it and most of the human population lives close to its shores. Those who do live in close proximity to bodies of water report to be less stressed and generally happier.
Most of the 3% that is defined as fresh water exists as ice sheets. Only the tiniest amount, 0.003%, is found in lakes, rivers and reservoirs. As sailors have been heard to say: “water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.” An even smaller part, just 0.001%, exists in clouds or as vapor. Most is in Antarctica and the rest in Greenland. The ice at the South Pole is nearly two miles thick, while the ice at the North Pole is just 15 feet thick. Antarctica alone has six million cubic miles of ice - which would be enough to raise the oceans 200 feet if it all melted. Yet, if all the water in the atmosphere were to fall as rain evenly everywhere, the oceans would deepen by only an inch.
The earth recycles its water - a process which can take up to 60 years or more to complete. The water cycle, known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the existence and movement of water on, in and above the Earth. Water is always in movement and is always changing states, from liquid to vapor to ice and back again. This water cycle has been working for billions of years.
The water that falls in the form of rain today still holds the remnants of the pollution spewed into the atmosphere from prior industry and from World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The impact industry and current conflicts have on the atmosphere today will fall as rain on our children and grandchildren for decades to come.
There are 320 million cubic miles of water on Earth and that is all we are ever going to have. “The water that is, is the water that was, and the water that will always be.” The water system is a closed system. Nothing can be added to or subtracted from it. The water you drink has been around since the Earth was young. 3.8 billion years ago the oceans had more or less achieved their present volumes.
Scientific exploration of the oceans began in the 1830’s and with real impetus in the 1870’s. Still we have only limited knowledge of what lies deep beneath the waves.
Without water, life as we know it could not exist. As humans, it is the most important life-sustaining substance next to oxygen. Without drinkable water, our organs quickly begin to shut down, our lips actually disappear, our skin breaks down and splits apart. Death becomes imminent within a week of a sustained absence of potable water.
Even mild dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism by 3% and a mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory loss, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on a printed page. Lack of water is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated and this likely applies to half the world’s population.
During World War II, the U.S. Navy found that they could take seawater, desalinate it and give it intravenously. When seawater is desalinated, it has the same chemical makeup as blood plasma. Quinton is a cold-filtered seawater product that has been recommended as a mineral supplement since 1897. We make it available in our center and have been giving it to our 5-year-old son since he was weaned from breast milk. It is energizing and supplies needed trace minerals to the body.
When I was a medic in the U.S. Army, one of my most important responsibilities (beyond wound care) was ensuring that the men under my care stayed hydrated. Regardless of the training or the mission we were on, I routinely had everyone stop, take out their canteens, and show me that they were drinking. If I felt that a training we were on was detrimental to their hydration, I had the authority, regardless of rank, to stop the mission. Water availability is always a top priority in military service. Water supply was more critical than our food intake and even more important than sleep. You can go weeks without food but only a few days without drinking water. There is what is known as the “rule of threes”: one can only go three weeks without food; three days without water; and three minutes without air before the body and mind break down and critical health conditions ensue.
Without sufficient water in our system, our bioregulatory capacity dwindles. Our polarity fades and even simple muscle testing (applied kinesiology) becomes inaccurate or imposable. Without water, our electrical system weakens and our cells lose their integrity. Our brain function suffers and general muscle weakness is experienced. Stomach cramping, constipation and dry skin are typical signs of dehydration.
Nothing is a substitute for water. Coffee, tea, soda as well as alcohol are all dehydrating to the body. Virtually every organ needs water and our detoxification pathways - including our lymphatic system - need water to function optimally. A good rule is to drink half our body weight in ounces per day and that is only if we are not doing physical labor, spending time in the sun, or exercising. If we are exerting ourselves, we should increase our intake. Most of our hydration is lost at night through breathing and sweating. Drinking water first thing in the morning will help rehydrate us. Water is one of the best remedies for kidney disfunction and constipation.
Filtered spring water may be the best water to drink. (There are a lot of opinions when it comes to “the best” water to drink.) If we are using a municipal water source, it is vital that we filter out chemicals including those intentionally added such as chlorine and fluoride. This goes for filtering our shower and bathwater as well. In a 15-minute shower, our skin absorbs the equivalent of a gallon of water. If you find you get out of the shower and need moisturizing lotions, then there are chemicals in the water. “How can our skin need moisturizing if we just spent fifteen minutes in water?” It has been estimated that there are over 7,000 chemicals in municipal water, including micro-doses of medications from the surrounding population, flushing them into the sanitary system. Skin rashes, brain fog, headaches, fatigue and brittle hair can also be linked to chemicals in our water.
As a child growing up in the 1960s, my family had a natural spring on our property. The water was 52 degrees year round. The pond that it fed never froze in the winter. The water that flowed from the pipe, that filled the small pond, sprang from more than 120 feet underground. A ladle hung near the constant flow and my father, my siblings and I would drink from it regularly. To this day, I have never had such a cold, pure drink of water.
As a teenager, it never crossed my mind that one day we would be paying for water; carrying it around constantly to make sure we always had some available; and/or that we would pay to have it delivered to our homes or businesses. Water has become an industry with Nestlé and the Coca-Cola Company going to great efforts and expense to try and corner the market. It is - and always will be - in high demand and someday might be more valuable than gold. In some areas of the world, it is already this precious.
Water is a miraculous substance. It is used in nuclear reactors to cool the radioactive rods within the core of power plants, and it nourishes every living thing on earth. Animals and plant life need it regularly to survive. It holds great spiritual meaning for mankind as well, being the substance used in the sacrament of baptism. Bathing in the Ganges River is a daily ritual for many in India. Water is referenced 107 times in the Bible.
Internationally renowned Japanese scientist Dr. Masaru Emoto has shown us that water holds “information.” In his New York Times bestseller, Dr. Emoto shows how our thoughts, words, and feelings - as well as music - have a great effect on the molecules of water. Using high-speed photography, Dr. Emoto discovered that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward them. He found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words show brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. In contrast, polluted water, or water exposed to negative thoughts, forms incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colors. The implications of this research create a new awareness of how we can positively impact the earth and our personal health. His books are worth reading: The Hidden Messages in Water and The Secret Life of Water.
In our center, we often encourage clients to use glass water bottles, write out words of healing affirmations and tape them to the bottle with the words facing in towards the water. This is to be drunk throughout the day as part of their supplementation.
Ensuring that we and our clients are drinking, bathing and showering in pure water for the health of the body, the mind and the spirit is healing on many levels.
Flowing water, as in a shower, also recharges the body with negative ions which is needed for cellular repair at every level. This alone can help open the drainage pathways within the body, making detoxification a more complete and tolerable therapeutic experience. Showering, bathing and drinking water for proper Bioregulation - and its ability to stimulate the healing capacity - is something that, for most clients, is easy to do.
Developing a new mindset regarding the power of water beyond hydration, should not be underestimated. As Loren Eiseley so eloquently stated: “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.”
Ian Kennedy is the Founder and Head Clinician of True Wellness of Pennsylvania.