MY AUNT Tita Blitte and her husband, Uncle Gustave, often say that there’s one drink in the world they can never get enough of, and can mix with anything they fancy with ease. You know its scientic name: H2O.
Water is a flavorless drink but sweet to someone thirsty.
It cools an overheated body even if the water is not cold.
Those are just some of the wonders of water.
The latest I learned about water is that it’s part of a list whose aim is to raise the immune system. I based this on the list published online by health.harvard, houstonmethodist.gov and wholisticmatter.
To boost your immune system, follow a healthy diet, exercise, and get plenty of rest.
To digress a bit, I learned it’s during sleep that important infection ghting molecules are created. I don’t have the space to elaborate on this point, but will do it next week.
DRINK WISELY. On the list on how to boost the immune system is rehydration. Water also helps prevent UTI and kidney stones. I take exception for people who have a problem with their kidneys. According to kidney.org, for people who are receiving dialysis treatment, “water must actually be greatly restricted.” Drink wisely.
But healthy individuals can tolerate more water. The lymph nodes carry infection fighting cells around the body. To do this the body needs fluids. So being dehydrated can hamper the function of the lymph nodes in
fighting disease.
In consonance with kidney.org is The Institute of Medicine. Both sites recommend 13 cups (three liters) of water for men, and nine cups (2.2 liters) a day for women. The institute notes that people can get this amount from soups, fresh juices and milk. The amount of fluid intake also depends on whether you are active or sedentary.
GO BY COLOR. Kidney.org warned that too much water or fluids can “dilute the sodium level” in the blood such as when marathoners take huge amounts of water. The result is “a dangerous condition called hyponatremia.”
So what are we to do? Go by the color of your urine. Drink enough fluids “to quench thirst and to keep your urine light yellow to colorless.”
By taking note of the color you can adjust the amount of fluids you drink in a day.
A dark yellow urine means you are dehydrated. You need to drink up then. The site also notes that “you should be making about six cups” of urine output a day.
How to measure this? No suggestions were given aside from the color. Hmm, maybe just take note of how many times you visit the john.
Truly, water is a sweet drink. It boosts the lymphatic system, removes waste, and helps the blood circulate to deliver nutrients to the body.