I recently read the book, Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by Dr. Batmanghelidj, M.D.  As a result, I’ve been drinking more water.

I always questioned the requirement to drink 8 8-oz of water daily. Even more outlandish was the requirement to drink the equivalent of ½ of your body weight in ounces of water. So a 150-pound person would need to drink 75 ounces of water daily. Dr. Batmanghelidj’s book helped me to understand just how much water to drink and why.

My Own Observations

Over the past couple of months, I noticed my vision getting progressively worse. As a middle-aged woman, I expected my vision to deteriorate over time, but the rate of deterioration seemed to have accelerated.

It got so bad that I could no longer clearly read the cable box to determine the channel I’ve switched to. Reading the descriptive blurb as to what the show was about was impossible. If I watched TV with someone else, they’d have to read the blurbs for me because the blurbs were just not clear enough for me to read (I won’t mention how blurry the digits on the alarm clock were becoming).

In addition to the quick vision decline, I had developed swelling in the ankle I had broken a few years ago. Along with the swelling was discomfort and pain if I stood too long. The pain and discomfort caused me to forgo my daily walks. Walking with a limp because I stood too long didn’t make sense to me.

I attributed these symptoms to aging, but I didn’t like it. I seemed to be going downhill too quickly. I have too many years ahead of me for such a quick decline.

Enter Dr. Batmanghelidj’s Book

I was introduced to Dr. Batmanghelidj (Dr. Batman for short) online. I don’t remember how I happened upon him, but one thing led to another and I got his book from the library. While reading this book I began increasing my water intake and my Himalayan salt intake. Yes, I said salt. Salt (unprocessed salt) and water go hand in hand.

I borrowed this book on July 17, 2014. I immediately increased my water intake. The goal was to reach ½ my body weight in ounces. Some days I accomplished the goal and other days I didn’t. Whether I did or didn’t it still was a marked increase in water intake.

It’s been a little over a month and I can now clearly read the digits on the cable box and read the descriptive blurbs on my own. The digits of the bedroom alarm clock appear crisper and clearer. My vision is sharper.

As far as my ankle goes, a few days ago I went to one of our scenic state parks and did a 2-mile walk/hike. My ankle didn’t make a single sound. I’m now back to walking daily. Better yet, standing too long hasn’t bothered me at all. Is it the water? Well, that’s the only change that I’ve made in the last 30 or so days.

Chronic Dehydration

According to Dr. Batman, the majority of us are suffering from chronic dehydration. As the cells become dehydrated, they no longer function properly. By re-hydrating them they begin to function as they should, provided the damage to the cells isn’t too far gone.  He also states, “Water by itself is the best natural diuretic.”  Hence, the reduced swelling of my ankle.

Dr. Batman provides the medical explanation as to how and why our systems work as they do. He also provides ample testimonial letters from people who are living the benefits of increased water/salt intake.  Testimonial letters range from reduced blood pressure, reduced asthma episodes, reduction in allergic reactions, vision improvement and much more.

Looking Back

There were times in my life when my vision seemed worse and other times it seemed better. One time I thought it was vitamin C that caused the vision improvement, but hindsight tells me it was the significant increase in water along with the vitamin C that did the trick. When I reduced my vitamin C intake, I also reduced my water intake. Over time, the vision improvements reached a plateau and then reversed.

Think about this for a minute. What is one of the first methods of treatment when someone is rushed to the emergency room? The team hooks up an IV of saline. What is in the saline solution? You guessed it, salt and water.

I’m not a doctor and will not give medical advice. All I want to do is encourage you to read Dr. Batmanghelidj’s book and to drink more water.

Update 9/21/14:

Since drinking more water I noticed a marked improvement in my nails.  For the past year, my nails have been splitting and breaking. At one point I suffered from a case of Onycholysis.  About 3 weeks into drinking more water I noticed my nails becoming stronger and splitting less.  They are now at the point where they are growing as they once did years ago.  So much so that I have to regularly file or clip them to keep them at a manageable length.

It’s pretty interesting how many signs the body gives us when we are chronically dehydrated.  Instead of reaching for a pill or ointment, we should try drinking more water first.