• Wetter water – added ability for the body organs to hydrate and absorb water (due to reduced surface tension of water)
• Increased Oxygen potential – Increasing oxygen in the blood cells increases energy levels
• Hydratious water detoxifies body organs
• Hydratious water may reduce the effects of alcohol on the body
• Reduction in the bodies E-smog caused electro imbalances – reducing stress levels
• Hydratious water directly benefits long haul flight passengers – reduced jet lag
• Increased body absorption of commercially produced nutrients and vitamins

Can I give my child structured water?

"The most important life-giving substance in the body is water. The daily routine of the body depends on a turnover of about 40000 glasses of water per day. In the process your body loses a minimum of 6 glasses per day, even if you don't do anything! With movement, exercise and sugar intake etc. you can require up to 15 glasses of water per day. Consider this, the concentration of water in your brain has been estimated to be 85% and the water content of your tissues like your liver, kidney, muscle, heart, intestines etc. are 75% water. The concentration of water outside the cells is about 94%. That means that water wants to move from outside the cell (dilute) into the cell (more concentrated) to balance out things. The urge the water has to move is called hydroelectric power. That's the same electrical power generated at hydroelectric dams (like Hoover Dam). The energy make in your body is part hydroelectric. We just know you wouldn't mind a little boost in energy." Jeremy E. Kaslow, MC, FACP, FACAI.

"Most Americans live constantly on the borderline of moderate, to serious, dehydration. The price we pay isn't merely a dry mouth, but a multitude of unnecessary diseases - from headaches to asthma to back pain to cancer. Thirst is not a good indicator of hydration. When you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. Water is critical to get well from virtually every disease."Dr. F. Batmanghellidj, M.D, author of "Your Body's Many Cries for Water"

Through activities of daily living, the average person loses about 3- 4 liters (about 10-15 cups) of fluid a day in sweat, urine, exhaled air and bowel movement. What is lost must be replaced by the water/ fluid we drink and the food we eat.

We lose approximately 1-2 liters of water just from breathing. The evaporation of sweat from the skin accounts for 90% of our cooling ability.

Exercise, sweating, diarrhea, temperature, or altitude can significantly increase the amount of water we lose each day. The most common cause of increased water loss is exercise and sweating. Even though we are all at risk of dehydration the people most vulnerable are infants, elderly adults, and athletes. They are either not able to adequately express their thirst sensation or able to detect it and do something in time.

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE DEHYDRATED?

If you are thirsty, it means your cells are already dehydrated. A dry mouth should be regarded as the last outward sign of dehydration. That's because thirst does not develop until body fluids are depleted well bellow levels required for optimal functioning.

Monitor your urine to make sure you are not dehydrated:

• A hydrated body produces clear, colorless urine.
• A somewhat dehydrated body produces yellow urine.
• A severely dehydrated body produces orange or dark-colored urine.
  
  The effects of even mild dehydration include decreased coordination, fatigue, dry skin, decreased urine output, dry mucous membranes in the mouth and nose, blood pressure changes and impairment of judgment. Stress, headache, back pain, allergies, asthma, high blood pressure and many degenerative health problems are the result of UCD (Unintentional Chronic Dehydration).

To better determine how much water you need each day, divide your body weight in half. The answer is the approximate number of water ounces you should drink daily. You should drink half of your body weight in ounces. If you weight 200 pounds, you should drink 100 ounces water (3.13 quarts, 2.98 liters or about 10-12 cups of water a day). If you weigh closer to 100 pounds you will need only about 50 ounces of water or about four 12-ounce glasses daily.

Individuals who are physically active or live in hot climates may needs to drink more.

WHAT SHOULD WE DRINK? WHAT SHOULDN'T WE DRINK?

We are designed to drink pure, natural water.

• Avoiding sodas/soft drinks to provide your fluid needs. The high sugar content and artificial flavors in soft drinks are harmful to your health.
• Tea, coffee, soft drinks contain water, but the diuretics contained in these caffineated beverages flush water out of your body. Don't count on them to replenish fluid loss.
• It is OK to drink them occasionally, but if you drink them constantly and don't drink enough pure natural water, then you are severely compromising your long-term health.
• Natural pure water is the best choice. If you are committed to a healthy lifestyle and long-term health, make water a habit and a priority in your life.

CAN WE DRINK TOO MUCH WATER?

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR TAP WATER IS SAFE TO DRINK?

Almost all-municipal water in is of high quality and very drinkable. The best source of specific information about the water quality in your area is your local water supplier. Water suppliers are required to send their customer an annual water quality report. Contact your water supplier to get a copy, or see if your report is posted on line.

It is important you know your local sources of water quality, and the quality of your local drinking water. To get facts and information about your tap water, drinking water standards and contaminants, contact your local water supplier. The Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) are the credible institutions that provide information you need regarding quality of your water.

DRINKING TIPS FOR HEALTHY HYDRATION:

Start your morning's right: Morning is when you are most full of toxin and dehydrated. Reach for a big glass of water first thing in the morning – even before coffee. This water in the morning really gets the blood flowing.

• -Drink a glass of water when you get up and another when you go to bed.
• -Take regular water break breaks.
• -Avoid relying on sodas to provide your fluid need.
• -Drink water before and after food; ideally drink a glass of water half an hour before you eat your meal and half an hour after the meal. You can drink water with meals, and drink water anytime your body feels like it.

*It is very important you balance your sodium intake with your water consumption. Take 1/4 teaspoon of salt per quart of water - every 4-5 glasses of water. Be sure to get sea salt. The best is Celtic sea salt or Himalayan sea salt, both of which are readily available at any health food store.

You should always drink water prior to eating, and after eating, to support the digestive process. The stomach depends on water to help digest food, and lack of water makes it harder for nutrients to be broken down and used as energy. The liver, which dictates where all nutrients go, also needs water to help convert stored fat into usable energy. If you are dehydrated, the kidneys turn to the liver for backup, diminishing the liver's ability to metabolize stored fat. The resulting reduced blood volume will interfere with your body's ability to remove toxins and supply your cells with adequate nutrients.

Keep a water bottle by your side at all the times. Use either bottled water or tap water, and carry it with you everywhere, to the gym, in your car, to your office. Start by adding water to your daily regiment, during the first week, and then incorporate more as needed. The point is not to wait until you're thirsty to drink.

Keep water flowing before, during and after workout. Don't forget to balance your water intake with sodium intake. Drink at least 1 liter of water for every 60 minutes of exercise. Drink more if it's hot. During exercise, such as playing sport on a hot summer day, you can lose up to 2 liters per hour of fluid per hour. Water and a balance salt is your best bet to keep healthy and hydrated. During exercise, it is recommended to replenish fluid at least every 20 minutes.

People have been using water for their health for centuries, from the very earliest times the connection between water and health must have been clear. There are a number of signs that indicate we are not drinking enough water. Skin is one very visible indicator and it can be affected in a number of ways. It may become flaky and dry and it is more likely to get lined and wrinkled.

If you are prone to skin conditions, such as eczema or psoriasis, dehydration may make them worse. Another visible sign is urine, which becomes darker and thicker if you don't drink enough. If you are drinking enough water, it should be almost colourless. Headaches can be caused by dehydration. Mentally, dehydration can make you unable to concentrate or think clearly and you may feel tired and rather disengaged from life too.

The earliest forms of health care would have evolved over the course of years, based on observation and empirical treatments. And water played a pivotal role in all such early medicine. In different times and different places in the world - from Egypt to China , and from Rome to India - water has been seen as vital to health and the water 'cure' has taken on numerous forms. Water treatments have been used both to treat specific ailments, particularly digestive and muscular disorders, and as a prophylactic - a general preventive against illness.

Different types of water have also been used. From the earliest times, the water from hot and cold springs and the salt water of the sea were both used to improve health. The high salt and mineral content of the Dead Sea meant that nothing could live in it but gave it its celebrated therapeutic powers and made it a focus of the ancient world. Cleopatra, for instance, made use of both its water and its mud in her beauty routine. The Greek physician Hippocrates, too, prescribed spring water for internal and external treatment 400 years before the birth of Christ.

What's the Alternative to Water?

To prevent dehydration, the obvious solution is to drink more - but will any drink rehydrate? Unfortunately not. In fact, some of the most popular drinks will not only not rehydrate you, but will actually dehydrate you instead! You are better off taking in moderation drinks like alcohol, tea, coffee and many carbonated drinks. This may sound rather daunting, especially if your favourite drink is on the 'forbidden' list. However, nothing is ruled out completely - it is merely a case of wise and occasional drinking. Rather than having several cups of coffee in the morning, limit yourself to one, and preferably not every day.

Alcohol - Alcohol dehydrates the body. Anyone who has ever suffered a hangover knows that one of its side-effects is a raging thirst. For the weight-conscious, alcohol is high in calories without offering any nutritional benefit. Alcohol also overworks the liver in detoxification and tend to lead to liver damage.

Cola Drinks - Most cola drinks contain caffeine, sugar and other undesirable additives. Some cola drinks have been tested to be 100,000 more acidic than pH neutral water.

Coffee - Coffee is a very effective diuretic on the body. This means that urination increases and not only do you lose fluids but at the same time the coffee robs you of such precious minerals as magnesium, which pass out of the body in the urine. The caffeine in coffee has the effect of blocking vitamin absorption by the body. It also encourages the build-up with the system of one of the least desirable heavy metals, cadmium. Coffee is also linked to raised blood pressure, with all its accompanying dangers, and it now seems that caffeine may also interfere with the way in which the cells of our body repair themselves on the deepest level - thus, in the long term, injuring our immune system.

Tea - Tea contains tannin, the astringent also used in the tanning process of turning hides into leather. Tannin does not have a particularly beneficial effect on the body, either. Tea also contains caffeine which is diuretic and has a dehydrating effect.

The Immune System

When any of the major organs dealing with detoxification or elimination are stressed and overloaded, it is the immune system that is likely to suffer. Our bodies are profoundly complex organisms which, on a cellular level, are in a state of constant growth and renewal. Every day they rid themselves of old, damaged or dead cells and replace them with new, healthy ones.

The body has its own set of priorities for its metabolism. So, should we fall ill, our bodies concentrate on repelling invading infections and on the healing process. The organs of the body are prioritized, too - this is why, in extreme cold, the body will keep the vital organs working at the expense of the extremities (hence frostbite occurring first in the toes or fingers).

For most of us, illness and infection are, fortunately, only occasional problems and, once returned to a healthy state, the body can go back to its normal work of cleansing and renewal. However, the body reacts to a dehydrated, toxic state of health in much the same way as it does to disease. Instead of its everyday processes of cellular renewal, it focuses its energy on ridding itself of the toxins. And when the body is dehydrated, many of its organs and systems (in particular the kidneys, the digestive system and the lymphatic system) become sluggish and work below par.

Drinking 2 litres or more of alkaline reduced, mineral enriched water every day is the simplest method of lightening the load on the body's immune, digestive and detoxification systems. Living an active and healthy life calls for drinking quality and healthy water.