Even before the time of Ponce De Leone, as
far back as ancient Greece, mankind has been regaled with legends of
natural pools or springs with water that healed and restored youth.
While there is some anecdotal evidence suggesting that some mineral
springs may indeed assist in healing a variety of ailments, most of us
now understand that these ancient stories, of water that magically and
instantaneously restores youth to the aged, are mere myths. This raises
the question, why was water thought to be the vehicle for such magic?
Why not a magical stone or tree? I believe this is because of the very
nature of water. No other element maintains its appearance and
qualities throughout the ages the way water does. Water is the essence
of flexibility; by ceaselessly surrendering, it forever bends without
breaking. While the stone may initially appear stronger because the
water surrenders to it, over time, water will eventually erode the stone
to nothing. By easily flowing through change without resistance, water
remains… relatively un-changed.
Water is understood to be an essential ingredient for sustaining life.
Water is the body’s second most important fuel source, without which
you’ll die in a few days. It comprises 45 to 70 percent of your body
weight (fat contains no water, so the higher your percentage of body
fat, the lower your percentage of water). In our bodies, water serves
as a vehicle for transporting nutrients and waste, acts as a lubricant
for all of the movements going on all over our body, provides the
moisture for tears, and regulates heat loss.
Water was the original beverage, and is still the healthiest beverage
you can drink, bar none. Water helps flush out toxins, sodium, urea,
and other cellular wastes which the kidneys have filtered from the
lymphatic system. So, how healthy do you think you’ll be if you don’t
flush out all of those things your body wants to get rid of? Well, for
starters, studies show that people who drink a lot of water have a 50%
lower risk of kidney stones or kidney disease.
One of the main factors in physiological aging is dehydration, another
is decreased flexibility, and there is a link between the two. When it
comes to the effects of hydration on our muscles, the human body is a
bit like a tree branch; a dry branch is brittle and inflexible, and will
soon break off dead, while the branch that is green and moist on the
inside is flexible and therefore nearly unbreakable. As previously
mentioned, water in the body helps to lubricate the movements of
muscles, tendons and joints, and without enough lubricant, these
movements do not happen as easily.
As a massage therapist I’ve learned that I can tell a lot about a
person’s health by the health of their skin. If someone has dry, rough,
tight skin with wide open pores, and more obvious wrinkles than typical
for a person of their age, I know that they are frequently dehydrated.
If I ask questions, inevitably, I find out that the person either
smokes (I can usually smell the cigarette toxins, like the smell of a
smoker’s clothes, escaping through a smoker’s pores during the massage,
so I don’t have to ask about that), drinks a good deal of alcohol (more
than 1 drink per day on average), doesn’t eat enough fruits or
vegetables, and/or doesn’t drink enough water. Fruits and vegetables
contain 80-90% water, while cigarettes and alcohol dehydrate.
In contrast, people who have smooth and youthful skin, well past what
most would consider youth, typically have the opposite behaviors.
Meaning that they drink at least 2 quarts of water per day, are either
vegetarians or get at least 3-4 servings of vegetables and fruits per
day, haven't smoked much or at all, and drink alcohol in moderation, if
at all. If you're not one of these people at present, I have good news
for you: Water actually can be your "fountain of youth". While it
can't restore your youth over night, not only can it help you hold on to
what youth you have left, but can indeed help to restore some of your
youth, by flushing out toxins, re-hydrating your skin, restoring some
muscle tone and flexibility, and lubricating your joints.
In the next article, I'll tell you more about all of the wonderful health benefits of water, including weight loss.
- Michael Raphael, LMT, CPT
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