Essence of Water

Water is one of the precious gifts of nature.It is an essential and major component of all living things on earth.Water is one of the essential nutrients to humans.Though one can live for weeks without food,one can only survive a few days without water.
Water is versatile i.e.it can be used effectively both within and without.It can be used in liquid,solid or steam.It can be used hot,cold or lukewarm,depending on the need.
Water is the largest constituent of the human body.About 60 to 70% of the total body weight consists of water.
Functions
It helps in the absorption of food through the intestinal tract.
It keeps blood in a liquid state thus enabling easy circulation even in the tiniest blood vessels.
It maintains the body temperature constantly at 98.4 F in all weathers and keeps the skin moist and cold.
It keeps the mucus membrane moist and helps to secret different fluids in various glands of the body.
It helps the kidneys to remove unwanted body waste like urea and salt in the form of urine.It also helps in the removal of body wastes through lungs as water vapour,through skin as perspiration and sweat and to a small extent through the large intestine as faeces.It is estimated that as much as 37 gallons of fluids are daily filtered off from the blood and restored to the body by the kidneys,only when there is proper proportion of water in the blood.
Water Intake
Water consumption is mainly through drinking water,other fluids and the water content in the food consumed.Some of our common vegetables contain as much water as milk and even more.Thus,100 grams of melon,tomato and radish contain over 90% of water against only 87% of water contained in milk.
The body itself generates water by the combustion going on in the system.
The rate at which water is eliminated from the body must be replaced by its intake so as to maintain the balance in the system-Running and other strenous exercises cause a great loss by perspiration and through the lungs.This loss has to be replaced by a drink or food.
Any great variation in the normal quantity of water in the body interferes with the vital processes and causes acute distress.Loss of water occurs regardless of whether we drink or not.So if we dont drink enough water the blood thickens and the kidneys fail to deal with it efficiently.This may lead to accumulation of poisons and lead to death.
Symptoms such as headaches,nervousness,loss of appetite,digestive disturbances and many more irritations occur due to lack of the necessary amount of water in the body.
For the maintainance of good health,an adult should take eight to 10 glasses of pure,fresh water daily,whether one fells thirsty or not.This quantity is enough to flush the body and meet all internal needs.However,it is bad to drink excess of water since it weakens the kidneys and stomach.
Drinking water along with meals is not healthy,as it dilutes the digestion(gastric) juices and hampers digestion.Water should be taken half an hour before or one hour after a meal.Drinking a glass of water early in the morning after brushing your teeth,is also good for your health as it helps in saliva formation which together with useful enzymes helps in the effective cleaning of the intestinal tract.
Bathing
Invisible perspiration carries noxious substances with it and while the water evaporates,the poisonous substances are left on the skin surface.A bath is necessary not only to wash off these poisonous substances off the skin but also for keeping the skin in a healthy condition.
The essence of water is great.It is found to be the secret behind youthful skin,helps prevent dehydration and is the remedy for many disorders.It's scope is wide and it would be impossible to cover it within this short brief.However,one thing is certain,water is life.

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