• Brain Adequate hydration is important for proper functioning of the brain. When we are well hydrated, brain cells are better supplied with fresh, oxygen-laden blood, and the brain remains alert. Mild dehydration, a 1% to 2% loss in body weight, can impair the ability to concentrate. Loss of more than 2% body weight due to dehydration can affect the brain’s processing abilities and impair short-term memory.
• Cells Hydration in the body is important for transporting carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients and oxygen to the cells. The cells then produce energy for the body to function. Furthermore, hydration facilitates disposal of the waste products of metabolism, enabling the right cellular chemical function.
• Digestive Tract Hydration plays an important role in the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients from the digestive tract. Water is required to dissolve nutrients so that they may be absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to the cells. Insufficient hydration will slow the digestive process and chronic poor hydration can lead to constipation.
• Heart Fluids are important for healthy heart function and the correct regulation of water balance is essential to keep blood pressure within the healthy range. Dehydration decreases cardiac output which may lead to increases in heart rate and a fall in blood pressure. The circulatory system delivers a constant supply of oxygen to the brain, muscles and to all other tissues.
• Kidneys An adequate water intake is essential to keep the kidneys working well, helping them to remove waste products and excess nutrients mainly via urine. The kidneys regulate the body’s water levels by increasing or decreasing the flow of urine. The kidneys also work to control normal levels of sodium and other electrolytes. A well-hydrated healthy person’s kidneys filter approximately 180 litres of water each day: clearly most of this has to be reabsorbed to prevent excessive losses from the body.
• Muscles and Joints Water acts as a lubricant for muscles and joints; it helps cushion joints and keeps muscles working properly. Muscles and joints, in addition to the bones, are necessary for us to stand, sit, move and carry out all daily activities. Approximately 70 to 75 percent of the muscle is made up of water. Maintaining the right water balance is essential for optimum muscle function.
• Skin The skin constitutes a defence against pathogenic agents and contributes to preventing the development of infectious and allergic processes. Some people believe that good hydration helps to moisten body tissues and preserve the skin’s elasticity, softness and colouring though this has not been researched adequately.
• Temperature The body water has an important role as a thermoregulator, regulating the overall body temperature by helping dissipate heat. If the body becomes too hot, water is lost through sweat and the evaporation of this sweat from the skin surface removes heat from the body. Sweating is the most effective way that the body prevents itself from overheating.
  

• Exercise. If you exercise or engage in any activity that makes you sweat, you need to drink extra water to compensate for the fluid loss. An extra 400 to 600 milliliters (about 1.5 to 2.5 cups) of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires more fluid intake. How much additional fluid you need depends on how much you sweat during exercise, and the duration and type of exercise.

• Climate. Hot or humid weather can make you sweat and requires additional intake of fluid. Heated indoor air also can cause your skin to lose moisture during wintertime. Further, altitudes greater than 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which use up more of your fluid reserves.

• Illnesses or health conditions. When you have fever, vomiting or diarrhea, your body loses additional fluids. In these cases, you should drink more water. In some cases, your doctor may recommend oral rehydration solutions, such as Gatorade, Powerade or CeraLyte. Also, you may need increased fluid intake if you develop certain conditions, including bladder infections or urinary tract stones. On the other hand, some conditions such as heart failure and some types of kidney, liver and adrenal diseases may impair excretion of water and even require that you limit your fluid intake.

• Pregnancy or breast-feeding. Women who are expecting or breast-feeding need additional fluids to stay hydrated. Large amounts of fluid are used especially when nursing. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink 2.3 liters (about 10 cups) of fluids daily and women who breast-feed consume 3.1 liters (about 13 cups) of fluids a day.

 Recognizing Dehydration:

Here are some of the symptoms that you need more water:

• Dark Urine – Dark Yellow or Orange in Color:  Urine is generally pale yellow to clear when you have sufficient water intake.  Dark color or strong smell indicates that you need to drink more water.
• Dry Skin: Skin is the largest body organ and requires its share of water.
• Thirst: Thirst is the most obvious sign that you are already dehydrated.  It is always a good practice to drink more water when your are not thirsty, do not wait until you are thirsty. But thirst is not always an adequate gauge of your body’s need for fluid  replenishment. The older you are, the less you are able to sense that you are  thirsty.
• Hunger: Most people mistake hunger for the indication to eat more, whereas in actual fact, they may be dehydrated. So before you have your meal, grab a glass of water.
• Fatigue: Water is a source of energy and gives you a boost in energy

More than 70% of our body weight is water; that translates into about 10 gallons of water for a person of 120 lbs. It is very important to have a good understanding of water and to drink the right kind of water. Water is a strong solvent; therefore, it carries many invisible ingredients: minerals, oxygen, nutrients, waste products, pollutants, etc. Sea water is salty because, through eons, it dissolved minerals and salts from the mountains and carried them down stream to the ocean. Inside the human body, blood (90% of which is water) circulates throughout the body distributing nutrients and oxygen, and collecting wastes and carbon dioxides, delivering them to the disposal organs. If water was not a strong solvent, it could not perform these functions.

Water molecule is H₂O; that is two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom stuck together. The shape of the water molecule is like a Mickey Mouse face; the head is oxygen and the two ears are hydrogen. Since oxygen is electrically negative and hydrogen is positive, the water molecule is electrically polarized. For this reason, a water molecule cannot exist independently; it must combine with other water molecules to form a five- or six-sided structure called a water cluster. In lower temperatures, most of the structures are hexagonal; therefore, snow flakes are hexagonal.

In distilled water, at room temperature, one out of 10 million (1 in 10⁷) water molecules is ionized. When a water molecule is ionized, it is split into hydrogen ions H⁺ and hydroxyl ions OH^-. Neutral water means that the number of hydrogen ions equals the number of hydroxyl ions in a container. The number is 10^-7 times the entire number of water molecules in that container (that number we will call N). We abbreviate this by saying that the water has a pH value of 7²⁾.

Acid water has a larger number of hydrogen ions than that of hydroxyl ions. For example, the number of hydrogen ions in acid water, with a pH value of 4, is 10^-4 times N, and that of hydroxyl ion is 10^-10 times N. The law of nature is such that the exponents must add up to 14 (4+10). The number of hydrogen ions in alkaline water, with a pH value of 9, is 10^-9 times N, and that of hydroxyl ion is 10^-5 times N. Note that 10^-5 is larger than 10^-9 by 10,000 times and, again, 5+9 is 14. Because the exponents must add up to 14, pH value of 7 is considered neutral. Since the value of pOH is 14 minus the value of pH, we don’t measure nor mention its value; it will be known once the pH value is known. For that reason, there are only pH meters and no pOH measuring instruments³⁾.

Since alkaline water has more OH^-s than H⁺s, there are more oxygen atoms in it than in neutral water; that’s why alkaline water is sometimes called oxygen rich water. In the same manner, acid water is oxygen deficient water. An interesting trivial fact is that there are approximately 10²⁵ H₂O molecules in a 10 ounce glass of water. If that water has a pH value of 10, there are approximately 10²¹ hydroxyl ions (OH-) and approximately 10¹⁵ hydrogen ions (H+). The number of hydrogen ions is one millionth of that of hydroxyl ions, which is negligible.

It is this abundant amount of hydroxyl ions that neutralizes acid hydrogen ions in our body to reduce the accumulated acid wastes, thus reversing the aging process.

Hydration

The body must continuously be in a proper state of hydration. Because 2.5 liters of water is lost each day through normal bodily functions, this must be replaced. There are two major issues that emphasize the need to keep the body adequately hydrated with water of the best quality, content, and structure so it can maintain homeostasis. First, the water we put in our body must be able to prevent toxins and chemical substances from accumulating and creating destructive influences on cells. Water must bring all minerals and nutrients required for cell metabolism, and remove any substances that can damage the cell. It must also be able to protect cell walls from damage and invasion. Second, since water is involved in every function of the body, it must act as a conductor of electrochemical activity, such as neurotransmission, by moving water from one nerve cell to another smoothly and effectively.

Movement of water in the body between cells (extracellular fluid) is caused by osmosis. This is created by magnetic forces in the body, which keep the movement in balance. As water flows, changes in pressure create movement across the cell membranes. Any changes in pressure will allow proteins, minerals and other nutrients being carried by the blood to escape into spaces between vessels and deprive the cells of their vital needs to sustain life. When water in the blood is contaminated with chemicals, it enters the cells and changes their structure, which in turn could lead to changes in DNA. This is the start of the disease process, which is very similar to the aging process.

Structured Alkaline Water

Much research has been conducted on the effects of this unique water on the body’s response systems. Reports from studies suggest that structured or clustered water with a high pH can help the body resist disease and slow aging by:

• Increasing Intracellular Hydration
• Replacing Depletion of Essential Minerals
• Stabilizing and Protecting Cells
• Helping To Maintain Normal Blood Flow and pH
• Flushing Out and Preventing Wastes from Accumulating in Cells
• Preventing Free Radicals from Forming

Water structured with Alkalive™ pH Booster™ can retain its magnetic properties because of its high mineral content. Up to 74 minerals are contained in pH Booster™. Because of its natural magnetization these minerals are naturally ionized. Unlike artificially magnetized water, the magnetization in pH Booster™ remains permanently, even after it is added to water and stored for long periods of time.

The most unique feature of structured water is the formation and organization of its molecules Unlike regular water, structured water is naturally formed in smaller clusters of 5 or 6 molecules. Because of its natural magnetization, these clusters are more organized and move in an orderly pattern throughout the body. Structured water has a higher density than other water, even to water that has been artificially magnetized. This increases the stability of the molecules, and in turn, also helps to keep the cells themselves more stable.

These magnetized molecules pass readily through the cell membrane into the cell nucleus for better delivery of nutrients. They also can attract toxins and waste materials in the cells and flush them out of the body, creating somewhat of a chelation effect.

Drink Up!

Water is critical to assist the general detoxification process and to re-hydrate the cells and tissues. Give yourself the gift of vibrant health and energy by drinking plenty of ionic, alkaline, structured water. Get yourself a good water bottle, throw a bottle of pH Booster™ in your purse or bag and drink up!

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References:

Aihara, Herman. Acid & Alkaline ? An overview of pH and human health. George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation 1986

Whang, Sang. Reverse Aging. JSP Publications. 2001

Liu, K., Cruzan, J.D. and Saykally, R.J.  Water Clusters. Science Spectra. 1996

Mitsui T, Rose MK, Fomin E, Ogletree DF, Salmeron M., Water diffusion and clustering. Science Spectra. 2002

Young, Robert O PhD. The pH Miracle. Time Warner Books. 2002

Smirnov, Igor. Activated Water. Journal of Biotechnology. 2003

Grogono AW, Byles PH, Hawke W: An in-vivo representation of acid-base balance. Lancet. 1976

Horne, M., Swearingen, P. Pocket Guide to Fluids, Electrolytes, and Acid Base Balance. Mosby. 1993