Let your body heal itself

Drink lots of water (but not too much)

 

Our bodies are 60-70% water, and therefore we need to consider water as an essential nutrient. Becoming dehydrated can cause all sorts of problems. However, it’s also possible to drink too much water. So, how much water should we drink, and what types of water filters should we use?

In the days when it was extremely difficult for me to get moving in the mornings, I got into the habit of drinking 3 glasses of water first thing. This was essential for me at that time, and I’ve stayed in the habit of drinking lots of water. However, when researching for this article, I discovered that I’ve been drinking too much water, and it’s been contributing to my ongoing sleep problems.

Water has a number of important functions in the body.

• It’s essential for good blood flow. If you get dehydrated, your blood gets thicker and your blood pressure increases. The pressure on your heart increases and your blood becomes less efficient at delivering vital nutrients.
• Water helps digestion because it helps to break food down in the digestive system. This helps to avoid constipation.
• Water helps respiration because it is a lubricant in the lungs.
• Water helps with mobility and joint lubrication. Muscles are about 80% water.

So, how much water should we drink? We are normally advised to drink 8 glasses a day. However, this may be too much for some people and not enough for others.

There are early signs you can look out for to see if you’re not drinking enough water and you’re becoming dehydrated. These include headaches, lethargy, dry skin, muscle weakness, dizziness, and lack of focus.

When considering whether you are drinking the right amount of water, you need to bear the following in mind:

• How much you sweat. If you sweat a lot, you need more water.
• Your size. The bigger you are, the more water you need.
• How much you exercise. If you exercise a lot, you need more water.
• Your diet. Processed foods are largely dehydrated. However, fresh food such as fruit, vegetables, and meat will contribute a lot to your overall water intake. (This was my mistake. When deciding how much water to drink, I didn’t take into account how much water I was getting from my diet.)
• Your thirst mechanism. You need to listen carefully to your body because it will tell you when you need more water.
• How many times you’re urinating a day. 6-8 times is usually enough. 8-12 times is probably too much. However, when considering your urination rate, you also need to consider whether you are drinking diuretics such as caffeine.

It’s important to consider how much water you’re drinking, but it’s also important to make sure the water you’re drinking is clean.

In the video Water Filtration – which type of filter is right for you? (see below), Dr Peter Osborne looks at the various different types of filters, especially in regards to their ability to pull fluoride from the water. In summary, he recommends the following:

• A whole house water filtration system using GAC (Granular Activated Carbon) and KDF (Kinetic Degradation Filters). A whole house system is necessary because the chemicals in tap water can be absorbed through the skin when showering. This kind of system will purify the water to a certain extent, but it won’t pull out fluoride.
• A RO (Reverse Osmosis) filter in the kitchen for drinking and cooking. This will take out fluoride. However, it also takes minerals out of the water and therefore electrolytes will have to be added back in before drinking.

Bottled water is not a good alternative. When tested, a lot of bottled water turns out to be no better than tap water. Furthermore, the plastic from the bottles leaches into the water (even if the bottle is labelled BPA free) and can reduce immune function and act as a chemical oestrogen. (Water bottled in glass may be OK.)

Drinking the right amount of the right kind of water can have a huge effect on our health. And it’s such a simple and basic thing to do. So, the next time you have a headache, tryi just drinking a glass of water before you reach for the pain-killers. You may simply be dehydrated.

 

 

The Importance of Water

 

How much water should I drink? Is the "8 glasses" rule valid?

 

Water Filtration - which type of filter is right for you?

 

 

Your life choices are far more important than your genes.

 

 

Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

The prevailing understanding of health is that bad genes cause disease and our only recourse is drugs and surgery. That is far from the truth. Our life choices and environment have an enormous effect on our health. The Bible told us thousands of years ago that even such things as ‘pleasant words’ can affect our health. And in the 21^st century, scientists are finally starting to catch up.

In the video Epigenetic transformation – you are what your grandparents ate: Pamela Peeke at TEDxLowerEastSide (see below), Pamela Peeke explains how science moved from genetics to epigenetics in 2007 through an experiment with agouti mice. The effect of the agouti gene in these mice, which made the mice obese and yellow in colour, was changed simply by feeding the pregnant mothers greens. The expression of the gene had been changed through diet.

And it’s not just diet that affects our gene expression. It’s lifestyle, habits, physical movement, laughing, positive thoughts, love etc.

As I’ve mentioned many times, I went from barely able to walk to now running, working out and dancing. I achieved this without any drugs or surgery. I’ve spoken before in this blog about the role of diet, supplementation, and stem cell activation patches in my recovery. Now let’s talk about other factors that have played a part.

I’m a Christian. Christians live in the love of God. We submit our thought lives to the word of God. We put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and always try to remain thankful. We seek to follow God’s law and to receive his forgiveness and grace when we fall. So even when I was living in pain, disability, and daily trauma ten years ago, I still walked through it with God. In today’s world, I see plenty to make me sad, sorrowful, angry, frustrated, and afraid. But I see those things through faith, hope, love, and thankfulness in God. I’m sure this mindset has contributed to my recovery.

As a scientist who studies epigenetics, Pamela Peeke would agree that all this ‘positive thinking’ is good for my health. But we didn’t need science to tell us this. It’s all in the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:7-8

Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Proverbs 4:20-22

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

Proverbs 13:17

A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health.

Proverbs 14:30

A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Watching the video also made me realise that other activities I’m currently doing are contributing to my recovery more than I thought. Things like dancing, practising the piano, and singing.

Diet and nutrition are vital for health recovery but so is everything that we do in our lives. And there’s always room for improvement. I’ve been carefully watching my diet for 30 years, but after listening to the agouti mice story, I’ve ordered some kale.

 

 

Epigenetic transformation – you are what your grandparents ate: Pamela Peeke at TEDxLowerEastSide

The NHS: ‘A pressure cooker about to blow.’

 

 

The NHS is collapsing before our eyes.

There are 130,000 vacancies in the NHS and 160,000 in social care. There are 7 million people on the waiting list in the UK for routine surgery such as hip and knee replacements, and back surgery. (See NHS is on the brink of collapse warns British Medical Association - YouTube) Maybe you’re one of these people and you’re having to wait months or even years. Now is a great time for you to consider breaking free from your dependence on a crumbling system, and look for alternative ways to maintain your health.

Shortly after arriving in South Korea in 1999, I had a moment of panic when it occurred to me that I no longer had access to the NHS. What had I done in removing myself so far from such a wonderful health system? My father had worked for the NHS and so had I, twice in fact: once in personnel and once in the office of a theatre suite.

By 2009 I had come to completely review my understanding of health and medicine, and when in 2012 I was told I needed a hip replacement, I refused. I chose a different route and in seeking to help my hip, I found ways to dramatically help the rest of my body as well. (The whole story is presented in 5,000 words in my free ebook I could barely walk. Now I can run. 

I haven’t visited an MD in 10 years, and I’m not on any pharmaceuticals. In short, I’m not dependent on the NHS (although if, God forbid, I am ever in a serious car accident, I will greatly appreciate their trauma care). I have learned how to maintain a good state of health through diet, nutrition, and other lifestyle choices. I’ve also learned how to deal with minor health issues naturally, without resorting to drugs. There may soon come a time when many more people in the UK are forced to do the same because they can no longer rely on the NHS. In fact, maybe that time has already come.

To change your dependency on the medical system, you have to begin by changing your thinking. A lot of people just live their lives without giving much consideration to their health. They just wait to get sick, and when that happens, they go to the doctor and get pharmaceuticals. If one day the doctor and the drugs are no longer there, they’ll have a big problem.

The alternative is to take responsibility for your health and to maintain it. You will then be much less likely to get sick, and if you do, you don’t have to resort to drugs. There are plenty of alternatives.

To give you just one example, you may think that the wisemen’s main gift to baby Jesus was gold, and that the frankincense and myrrh were just stocking fillers. You’d be wrong. Frankincense and myrrh have wonderful medicinal properties. Just a few of these are listed in the video Why the 3 Wise Men’s frankincense and myrrh gifts are valued to this day. These include joint pain, inflammation, and digestive issues. Some researchers are even investigating the anti-cancer effects of frankincense.

Some people keep pain killers in their bags just in case. I always keep frankincense in mine. It’s the best thing I’ve found for insect bites, and it’s useful to have on hand if you meet someone in a distressed emotional state. Inhaling frankincense is excellent for settling the emotions. The last time I used it was a couple of weeks ago when I slightly pulled my back at church. I rubbed on some frankincense to ease the discomfort.

So, my advice to you is this; don’t wait for the NHS (or the medical system in your country) to collapse. Start learning how to maintain your health naturally and how to deal with health issues without the need for a doctor or a pharmaceutical.