water water everywhere

Back in September, one week I suddenly found myself plagued by a myriad of physical miseries. I cried most of the drive home from work one afternoon from the way it was all piled up on top of me. I had a lot of pain in almost all of my joints. My hands and feet were swelling even more than usual. My back was killing me. I had a headache that just would not quit. I was exhausted almost beyond my will to keep going. And on top of it all, my carpal tunnel was raging out of control, to the point where I was wearing compression gloves all day and arm braces all night, just to keep my hands somewhat functional.

When I got home, I attacked the problem via google, typing in all the symptoms together in one search. I was so surprised to discover how simple my problem really was: I was dehydrated.

Sometimes I love water and can't get enough, and other times I go through phases where I can hardly swallow it. I had been in a "despising water" phase for a Very Long Time, and it had finally accumulated enough consequences in my body to force the issue.

Think I'm crazy? I'll let you google it yourself, but my testimony is this: I forced my self to drink water really aggressively that night, and by morning I was substantially better. I continued with the water the next day, and by the end of the day most of my symptoms were either gone or dramatically reduced. Within a few days, the problems were banished.

WE NEED WATER.

I got reminded of all of this today when I got the following facts in a forward, which I'd seen before but not for awhile:

#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
(Likely applies to half the world population.)

#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak
that it is mistaken for hunger.

#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs
for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of
Washington study.

#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of
water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain
for up to 80% of sufferers.

#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term
memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on
the computer screen or on a printed page.

#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of
colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast
cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop
bladder cancer.

There's more to water than I've listed here, but that's enough for tonight, folks. I have another blog in mind. For now, go get a drink of water.