CONNECTIONS THE MAY FLOWERS IISSUE MAY 2016

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My Connections Magazine CONNECTIONS May 2016 water indeed had a strong protective association for both sexes. To be sure, statistical studies can only provide an indication, and are not outright proof of cause and effect. What was interesting to me is that the researchers here found elevated viscosity (blood thickness), volume of red blood cells (hematocrit), and fibrinogen (a protein involved in the clotting process) among individuals who drank less than two glasses of water daily compared to those who drank five or more. When elevated, and even at high normal range, these factors are associated with coronary heart disease. They make blood thicker, something I have consistently found among heart and diabetic patients. Elevated values, in fact, are found years before acute cardiovascular problems show up, in early stages of atherosclerosis (arterial disease) and high blood pressure. Such elevations can result from chronic dehydration. Viscosity is a big deal – an important, but overlooked risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The thicker your blood, the slower it flows through the thousands of miles of your circulatory system and the greater the risk of nasty things happening, like inflammation, clots, plaque, and cardiac and vascular trouble. Your heart works harder. Thicker blood is often full of toxins, bacteria, excess glucose and insulin, and other substances that stoke inflammation and damage to the fragile endothelial lining of blood vessels. Healthy blood is more like the consistency of wine, and not sludgy like ketchup. Many of my patients were dehydrated and that status likely contributed to their thicker blood. However, the research (see Sugaya) doesn’t show that flooding your body with water will necessarily decrease viscosity, or prevent heart attacks and stroke. It will, for sure, increase urinary frequency. The key thing is not to become dehydrated. One of the best, and simplest, ways to reduce blood viscosity is to “Earth” or “ground.” To ground is to provide your body with the natural, gentle electric energy omnipresent on the surface of the Earth by regularly walking barefoot outside or sleeping, working, relaxing indoors in direct skin contact with conductive sheets, mats, bands, or patches. In my experience, such contact, whether outside or inside, has a blood-thinning effect and improves circulation. I conducted a study on this amazing effect, which I believe has significant implications for both prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. You can learn more about Earthing here, and read the blood viscosity study here. “Dr. Batman” − the Water Doctor 12
My Connections Magazine CONNECTIONS May 2016 You may never have heard of Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, M.D., who became a celebrity in the health world during the 1980s and 1990s for his unusual story and work with water. Batmanghelidj (pronounced Batman-gey-lij) studied the effects of water (or lack of it) in the human body for more than twenty-five years before his death in 2004. Often referred to as “Dr. Batman” because Americans couldn’t pronounce his name, he championed the healing benefits of water in lectures and books. He believed that chronic dehydration contributes to many of today’s serious illnesses, such as heart disease, asthma, hypertension, lupus, and multiple sclerosis. He often said that a chronic lack of water caused the body to cry out in pain, and pointed to arthritis and joint pain as an example. “If you have chronic pain in the spine, hands, or legs, that means those joints are thirsting for water,” he said. “You are not drinking enough water. The pain is due to dehydrated joints, plus wear and tear, and the inability of the cartilage to repair the damage.” His interest in water went back to his native Iran where the London-trained physician was jailed as a political prisoner from 1979 to 1982. When fellow prisoners asked him to help another man suffering from an acute peptic ulcer attack, all he had to offer was water. He gave the man two glasses of water. To his surprise, the prisoner’s pain vanished in minutes. During the next two years as one of the prison’s doctors, he researched and applied the use of water for treating people under stress. A clinical report describing his treatment of more than three thousand peptic ulcer cases with water appeared in a 1983 issue of theJournal of Clinical Gastroenterology. After his release from prison, he found his way to the United States and devoted his full-time attention to researching, writing, and lecturing about dehydration-related health problems. Part of his lasting legacy is a wonderful book I highly recommend reading: Your Body’s Many Cries for Water (available throughwww.watercure.com). Water Facts According to University of North Carolina experts (see Popkin), thirst plays little dayto-day role in the control of water intake in healthy people. Here are some other facts about water and your health from their review: Total fluid intake increased from 79 fluid ounces daily in 1989 to 100 in 2001 among U.S. adults, all from caloric beverages like sodas. The elderly have low water reserves compared to younger people. Because of 13
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CONNECTIONS THE MAY FLOWERS IISSUE MAY 2016

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