In this article, I highlight my favorite learnings from the book - Your Bodies Many Cries For Water by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

Brain Water Rationing

"Within these systems of water rationing, the brain functioning takes absolute priority over all the other systems. Brain tissue is said to consist of 75% water. The brain is 1/50th of total body weight, but receives 18-20 percent of blood circulation." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

Our brains are the captains of our bodies, it receives a large portion of our blood circulation to supply it with needed resources. One of those needed resources is water. When we are not properly hydrated the brain begins to ration what gets water and what does not, showing up as a multitude of symptoms we will discuss below.

Pain Caused By Dehydration

"Pains of the body that cannot be easily explained as injury or infection should first and foremost be interpreted as signals of chronic water shortage in the area where the pain is registered - a local thirst. Pain is a sensation that denotes local chemical changes in the area around the nerves that monitor the acid/alkali balance.

The mechanism is designed to safeguard against the buildup of excess acid from metabolism that could "burn" and eat into the cell membranes and the inner structures of the cells in the area. When water is not available to wash the acidic waste of metabolism, the nerve endings sense the change and report it to the brain's pain centers." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

I immediately thought of all people I know who have gone to the hospital with pain or other symptoms and were given an I.V. to rehydrate and were discharged and told that they were dehydrated. Unexplained pain that has no obvious cause should be treated as a local thirst in the body.

"The pains of dehydration include dyspeptic pain (heartburn/acid reflux), rheumatoid arthritis pain, anginal pain (heart pain on walking, or even at rest), low back pain, leg pain on walking, migraine and hangover headaches, colitis pain and it's associated constipation, and false appendicitis pain." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

This is a lot! Let's dive into some of these further.

"Water provides the only natural protection against the acid in the stomach, from based upward. In any case, dyspeptic pain is a signal of dehydration - a thirst signal - of the body, even if there is an associated ulcer. If water is taken and it relieves your pain, with adequate food intake, the ulcer is bound to repair itself in due time." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

It's mentioned in the book that dyspepsia/heartburn/acid reflux is often the first sign of dehydration. When you don't have the water to control the acid in the stomach pain ensues. Ulcers can even form from chronic long-lasting dehydration. If water helps relieve this pain, then this is likely the cause and will repair over time with proper hydration and nutrition.

"You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by recognizing the pain and the non-infectious inflammation of the rheumatoid joint as a thirst signal in your body. If it does not disappear after a few days of increased water intake and repeated gentle bending of the joints to bring more circulation to the area, one should consult a medical practitioner." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

Joint pain is such a common issue in today's world. Rehydrating your joints can increase lubrication and decrease the friction and inflammation causing pain.

Caffeine And Alcohol Hydration Effects

"In severe dehydration produced by the habitual intake of alcohol and caffeine, when the water has to be urgently pumped into the waterways in the nerves, more blood circulation has to be brought alongside the nerves. The process involves the release of histamine from the cells in the lining that covers the nerves.

This will, at some point, cause an inflammatory situation that will eventually damage the lining of the cells in the vicinity - at a pace faster than they can be repaired. The outward manifestation of such a regional process has been labeled as different nerve disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS).
*Now their treatment and control become clear. I have seen it work in MS."* Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.
As someone living with MS, reading this was mind-blowing. At the time of being diagnosed and a few years before that, I was socially consuming alcohol regularly. Luckily after my diagnosis that was one of the first lifestyle changes I made.
I haven't drank any alcohol in over 5 years. This was my body's cry for water. Now I understand how important hydration is and how to hydrate myself properly to control my MS.

"Caffeine converts ATP to AMP, a spent energy "ash". It is a recognized scientific fact that spent fuel (AMP) causes hunger. They indirectly stimulate more food intake because of the brain's forced use of its energy reserves.

Bear in mind that only some of the energy value of the food will be used by the brain. The rest of the consumed energy will be stored in the form of fat if not used by muscle activity." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

Coffee, Diet Sodas, Teas, Energy Drinks, etc. all have caffeine. Not only is it addictive, but it has processes that cause us to eat more and put on weight.

"The effect of caffeine on the brain is energy depletion. When the brain needs energy reserves to cope with a crisis, it will be far less effective because it is energy depleted and depressed. It also inhibits the enzyme system initiated by phosphodiesterase (PD).

PD activity is a vital step in the direction of memory-making by the brain cells. Caffeine is used by a number of plants as a nerve warfare chemical against their predators. But we humans consume the plant's chemical poison as a pleasure-inducing beverage." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

Caffeine is a nemesis to the human body, scrambling our brain's energy and memory while getting us hooked on its use. There's a reason people have withdrawals when quitting coffee, it's similar to other drugs in that sense.

How Water Effects Asthma And Allergies

"It is recognized that asthmatics have an increase in histamine content of their lung tissue and that it is histamine that regulates bronchial muscle contraction. Since one of the sites for water loss through evaporation is in the lungs, the bronchial constriction produced by histamine means less water evaporation during the act of breathing - a simple, natural maneuver to preserve the body's water.

Both asthma and allergies should be regulated with a determined increase in water intake. On average, these conditions respond after 3-4 weeks of water regulation of the body." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

As Someone who grew up with asthma and eventually "outgrew it" as many do, this was astounding to read. It makes so much sense that the increase in activity resulting in sweating, and breathing harder (releasing more water) would trigger "asthma attacks".

Blood Cholesterol By Dehydration

"Cholesterol is a natural "clay" that, when poured in the gaps of the cell membrane, makes the cell wall impervious to the passage of water. Its excessive manufacture and deposition in the cell membrane is part of the natural design for the protection of living cells against dehydration.

Its excess denotes dehydration. With proper enzyme activity, any food can be digested, including its cholesterol content." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

This is why people can eat high amounts of eggs and other high cholesterol foods and not have high cholesterol. High blood cholesterol is a sign that the body is fighting back against dehydration to keep water in your cells.

Exercise Benefits

"The more the muscles are exercised, the more their capillaries open and hold a greater volume of blood within the circulation reserves. This is why exercise is a most important component for physiological adjustments in those suffering from hypertension." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

Exercise helps the body make adjustments to normalize one's blood pressure.

"When muscles are inactive, they are more easily attacked, and their protein is broken down for conversion of sugar. With repeated walks, the activity of the fat-burning enzymes becomes much more pronounced. It is this lipase in the blood circulation that also cleans the blood vessel walls of fatty plaques and deposits" Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

When you don't use your muscles your body will deem them unnecessary and convert them to fuel to use as energy. However, if you do use them, it will turn on a fat-burning enzyme that becomes stronger the more you use them. This same enzyme is responsible for cleaning your artery walls of plaques and deposits like cholesterol.

Water Intake

"Your body needs an absolute minimum of 6-8 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Alcohol, coffee, tea, and caffeine-containing beverages, do not count. A rough rule of thumb...drink a half ounce of water for every pound of body weight.

A well-hydrated person produces colorless urine - not accounting for the color of vitamins or color additives in food. A comparatively dehydrated person produces yellow urine. A truly dehydrated person produces urine that is orange in color." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

I like to follow the water rule of thumb of drinking half your body weight in ounces a day (it's a common rule). It has worked well for me and it's also very easy to tell if you're hydrated throughout the day with the multiple reminders of the color of your urine.

Salt Intake

"If you drink water and do not take salt, the water will not stay in the blood circulation adequately to completely fill all the blood vessels. A salt-free diet is utterly stupid. Salt is a most essential ingredient of the body. In order of importance, oxygen, water, salt, and potassium rank as the primary elements for the survival of the human body." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

Salt is an extremely important nutrient, without it we will not retain any water in our bodies to function properly.

"A rough rule of thumb, you need about 3 grams of salt-half a teaspoon-for every ten glasses of water, or a quarter teaspoon per quart of water. Warning! You must at the same time not overdue salt. You must observe the ratio of salt and water needs of the body.

You must always make sure you drink enough water to wash the excess salt out of the body. Those in heart failure-or kidney failure needing dialysis- must consult with their doctors before increasing their salt intake." Your Bodies Many Cries For Water: F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

Just like water, there is a good rule of thumb to follow, and just like everything else, there is a potential to overdo it. Depending on your diet you may already be overdoing your salt intake, or you may be under the rule of thumb. Either way, it is a good idea to assess and become aware of your intake and plan the best input for you.

Final Thoughts

To fully explain these processes like in the book would take up too much space. I recommend reading the book if you would like more complex explanations of how these processes all work with thorough illustrations. It's important to know that the author also provides many written letters from people thanking him for curring themselves using his practices for optimal water and salt intake.

I understand and believe the information in this book as it is obvious how important water is in our bodies. We can all benefit from reassessing our water and salt intake and making sure they are optimal and serving us.

Health & Wellness Highlights Ep.2 : Water