A Most Sensible Resolution for 2012

Water!


Yes, you've heard this cry many times I am sure.  But even in today's world it is extremely important to your health.  Its also not the truth, as so many in mainstream medicine tell you, that those 8 glasses a days aren't necessary. 


Well, I certainly agree that the 8 glasses are needed, and I have my surgeon father to thank for that.  When he was in med school in the 1920s this was the rule.


The "Cool Morning Draught" was also a very popular and health promoting traditional naturopathic therapy, and my mother always started her day this way. One of her favorite songs was "Cool Water" as sung by the Sons of the Pioneers.  She was lucky enough to have come from the place that supplies artesian wells drinking water to New Orleans.


Seems too that forward thinking and health supporting doctors agree - one who I think offers trustworthy and practical advice about all aspects of healthy living.

DEHYDRATION CHECK:  If your tongue feels at all raspy 

or like sandpaper then you too aren't getting enough water.

from Dr. John Briffa -

I sat down two days ago with some ambition to write a blog post (or two). In the end I did not write a word. Why? As I explained to my girlfriend, ‘my brain wasn’t working’. Try as I might, I found the whole idea of writing anything cogent too much. I did a quick scan of things that might have caused this state. I was not short on sleep. Neither had I eaten any wheat (I’ve found from experience this tends to turn my brain off).
Then I wondered if I might be dehydrated. It was about 4.00 in the afternoon, and I could only remember passing water twice all day – not a good sign. Plus, there was no doubt in my mind that I had drunk only a small proportion of the water I would normally consume when, say, in my own home. I stepped up my water intake and felt quite quickly revived. It might have been a placebo response, but maybe not.
This morning I decided to see if there was any recent evidence on the impact of dehydration on mental functioning, and did indeed come across a relevant study [1]. In this research, 25 women were subjected to a variety of assessments of mood, mental functioning and wellbeing in a normally hydrated state, as well as a dehydrated state. On one occasion, dehydration was induced with intermittent exercise but not heat. On another occasion, dehydration was induced not just with exercise, but by administration of the diuretic drug frusemide (furosemide).
Overall, dehydration with or without frusemide led to an average of 1.36 per cent of body mass. Just to put this into perspective, for someone weighing 70 kg, this would equate to about 1 kg (or 1 litre) of dehydration. In other words, this extent of dehydration would be described as ‘mild’.
At this level of dehydration, basic cognitive (brain) function was not significantly affected. But other functions were, including the amount of perceived effort used by women to complete a task. My experience yesterday meant that I could totally relate to this.
In addition, the concentration and mood of the women were also adversely affected. The women were more fatigued too, and were more prone to headaches. All this, remember, was the result of relatively mild dehydration.
None of this actually proves my inertia yesterday was caused by something as simple and rectifiable as dehydration, but it is at least consistent with it. I’d say as far a New Year resolutions go, many of us could do a lot worse than just to ensure we’re decently hydrated. How much should we drink? I suggest enough to ensure our urine stays pale yellow in colour throughout the day.
References: 1. Armstrong LE, et al. Mild Dehydration Affects Mood in Healthy Young Women J Nutr January 1, 2012 jn.111.142000

Advanced Care Chiropractic offers this short report -

Just because it is winter and it is cold and rainy, doesn’t mean you can’t get dehydrated!  During these months we are inside more, with heaters going, and we don’t have that natural thirst mechanism.  So most of the patients I see ARE dehydrated.

Water is your body’s principal chemical component, comprising 60-70% of your weight. Every system in your body depends on water.  Even mild dehydration can sap your energy and make you tired. 

Lack of water increases fibrosis and cross-linking in collagen, resulting in advanced wrinkling,  stiff and easily injured joints, and degeneration of joints and discs.  

It also makes chiropractic adjustments more difficult, more painful, and less effective. 

Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.

1) How Much?  The US National Research Council recommends 1 mL of water for every Calorie you eat.  So if you eat 2000 Calories you should be drinking 2000 mL (2 liters or 2.1 quarts).  My guideline is ½ oz of water for every pound of weight.  So for a 150 lb man or woman, you need 75 oz of water (over 2 quarts).

You may need to modify your total fluid intake depending on how active you are, the environment or weather you are in, your health status, and if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding.

• Exercise. The more you exercise, the more fluid you’ll need to keep your body hydrated. An extra 1 or 2 cups of water should suffice for short bouts of exercise, but intense exercise lasting more than an hour (for example, running a marathon) requires additional fluid. During long bouts of intense exercise, it’s best to use a sports drink that contains sodium and electrolytes to help replace sodium lost in sweat. Fluid also should be replaced after exercise.
• Environment. Hot or humid weather can make you sweat and requires additional intake of fluid. Heated indoor air also can cause your skin to lose moisture during wintertime. Further, high altitudes may trigger increased urination and more rapid breathing, which use up more of your fluid reserves.
• Illnesses or health conditions. Fever, vomiting and diarrhea cause your body to lose additional fluids. In these cases you should drink more water and may even need oral rehydration solutions, such as Gatorade.  Certain conditions such as heart failure and some types of kidney, liver and adrenal diseases may impair excretion of water and even require that you limit your fluid intake.
• Pregnancy or breast-feeding. Women who are expecting or breast-feeding need additional fluids to stay hydrated. Large amounts of fluid are lost especially when nursing.  It is recommended that pregnant women drink 2.4 liters (about 10 cups) of fluids daily and women who breast-feed 3.0 liters (about 12.5 cups).

2) Don’t wait until you are thirsty!   It’s generally not a good idea to use thirst alone as a guide for when to drink. By the time you becomes thirsty, it is possible to be already dehydrated.  Be aware that as you get older your body is less able to sense dehydration and send your brain signals of thirst. 

3) Avoid drinking at night! Don’t try to catch up for not drinking during the day by drinking too much in the evening.  Avoid drinking 2 hours before bedtime.  Unless you LIKE waking up in the middle of the night!

4) Water filters, spring water, bottled waterIf you drink water from a bottle, thoroughly clean or replace the bottle often. Refill only bottles that are designed for reuse.  In general spring water from a tested source is best, then filtered water.  Don’t drink distilled water. 

5) Drink Warm or Room Temperature Water  You wouldn’t put ice water in a baby’s water bottle, a pet dish or a house plant would you?  Then avoid it for yourself too.  Traditional Chinese Medicine declares that cold drinks “shock” the body and blocks the normal flow of energy. 

6) Can You Drink Too Much?  Though rare, it is possible to drink too much water. When your kidneys are unable to excrete the excess water, the electrolyte content of the blood is diluted, resulting in a condition called hyponatremia.   Endurance athletes such as marathon runners who drink large amounts of water are at higher risk of hyponatremia.  In general, though, drinking too much water is rare in healthy adults who consume an average American diet. 

Water


Selections from Natural Health News

Natural Health News: Weight Loss Promise for a new year

Dec 26, 2007

Lose weight with water. Water is essential for everybody - it is also the key to losing weight. If you haven't been drinking enough water, your body has developed a pattern of storing water. This water retention equals extra ...

Natural Health News: Words on Water

Apr 03, 2008

The hot topic in current news seems to be water, and how much you don't need. This topic has made the news several times in the past few years, sometimes to the chagrin of health advocates who believe water is life giving. 

Natural Health News: Less Calories, More Water

Aug 24, 2010

Drinking water with meals has always been a point of discussion in natural health care. We have learned, and educate others about water and how important it is for health. We also always have suggested to drink water ...

Make Your Effort to Save Water

For many years I served on one community's Health and Environment Commission.  Water Conservation  was one large issue on which we worked.  


I had the first community xeriscaped yard and brought in the rain barrel concept.  We created tiered usage rates, specific watering hours, and had a great array of water saving items available from the water department.  Audits were available from the water department as well.


As this problem continues, here are some tips you might wish to use.  For main stream media I thought this was quite helpful.

Saving water at home

Where to start:

In order of water savings starting with the most bang for the buck, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute:

• Replace water-wasting fixtures with state-of-the-art products, starting with your showerhead.
• Fix a toilet that leaks water from the tank into the bowl, or replace an old toilet with a new "low-flow" model.
• Fix a leaky faucet, replace an inefficient one with a newer model, or add an aerator.
• If you're in the market for a new washing machine, choose one that spins on a vertical axis. (It's probably not cost-effective to replace your conventional machine if it still has a few years left in it.)
• Water your lawn in the morning or evening to reduce water lost to evaporation. Water in pulses of 10-20 minutes with 15 or more minutes in between, allowing the water to soak in properly.
• Redesign your landscape with drought-resistant plants.
  

More about: Saving water at home

For most households, the vast majority of water is used indoors. You can get the biggest water savings in your home by installing efficient fixtures and fixing leaks.
But there are other ways too. Water and electricity are linked; the water-supply sector uses large amounts of energy to transport, treat, and deliver water. On the flip side, vast quantities of water are required to generate power. Use less power and you'll save water, and vice versa.

Food for additional thought: Meat is far more water-intensive to deliver to the table than vegetables. Skip meat once a week at your home, and the water savings upstream is significant.

Steam showers: Save water, ease stress

by Linda Merrill for Networx Steam showers are the modern day equivalent of the steam baths of ancient Rome and the traditional Finnish saunas.


10 things I learned while living without running water

The Green Cheapskate learns the hard way that it's much easier to save resources than he thought.


Water-wise around the house

The U.S. population nearly doubled between 1950 and 2000; however, the demand for water during that period more than tripled. Americans now use an average of 100 gallons of water every day, enough to fill 1,600 drinking glasses. ...


Save money and the planet

Five actions you can take that will help to preserve and protect the planet and your budget.


Raining revolution: Collect rain water, help the planet

Lower your water bills by diverting the water that runs down your roof.


Fives ways to save time and money on your lawn

Already tired of cutting the grass? These green tips can help.


Showerhead with automatic shutoff

When you live in Australia, droughts are very real, and water conservation is a part of life. One Australian recently came up with a household invention to help reduce the amount of water being used in the shower. ...


Clean your car without toxics or water

Cheaper than the car wash and kinder to your water bill, the Eco Touch spray will shine your car without harming the environment.


Dishpan hands go green

A green strategy for hand-washing your dishes.


Dry to the bone

A selection of online tips for conserving water -- something much of the U.S. needs to do right now.


Grey water for flushing

Large-scale projects sometimes install systems to treat and re-use grey water from sinks for flushing toilets. Now, you can do this in your very own home!

SOURCE

Drug Disposal Safety

I am a TV channel flipper most likely because I generally rely on it for noise and few really good programs.

Flipping the other night I came across Dog the Bounty Hunter's 200th episode and got one big shock.  The crew was flushing coke down the toilet at Dog's direction. BAD DOG!

I was hot on his tail for this egregious act, just because municipal water supplies cannot clean these drugs out of the system. 

No wonder everyone is out of sorts for being medicated without their knowledge or permission.

Here is the current policy fyi 

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/prescrip_disposal.pdf

Addressing Unchecked Dumping of Drugs in Waterways

Selected posts from Natural Health News

Proper Drug Disposal

Dec 16, 2009

Customers should not dispose of drug patches (birth control, nicotine, etc.) or other medical products in the toilet or down the drain. A list of approved disposal sites can be found by visiting http://www.operationmedicinecabinetnj.org ...

Incineration Required

Sep 19, 2008

And while most pharmaceutical waste is unmetabolized medicine that is flushed into sewers and waterways through human excretion, the AP examined institutional drug disposal and its dangers because unused drugs add another substantial ...

Safe Disposal of Rx Drugs

Nov 15, 2008

Because water treatment facilities cannot remove the chemicals from the water supply all of us are inundated with drug metabolites including hormones to chemotherapy. Be wise and incinerate. Check with a local pharmacy or hospital in ...

Less Calories, More Water

Drinking water with meals has always been a point of discussion in natural health care.  We have learned, and educate others about water and how important it is for health.  We also always have suggested to drink water before meals, not during meals, or an hour or so after meals.  This caveat is realted to protecting digestive enzymes you need to help digest your food.  We also encourage you to chew your food thoroughly, 20-50 times, to liquefy the food and put less stress on digestion.

This tip from 60 Second Science on Scientific American is good considering their focus on mainstream medical methods.

Water Before Meal Means Fewer Calories Consumed



Drinking 16 ounces of water before meals helped a group of dieters lose more weight than other dieters who didn't consume water first.


Americans, and American physicians, are concerned about ballooning waistlines and the accompanying health problems. Now, researchers have presented the first randomized trial of what they hail as a side-effect-free, prescription-free, and simply free appetite control agent. That is, of course, water. Brenda Davy, lead researcher from Virginia Tech, presented the findings at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.


Previous studies showed that middle-aged and older Americans who drank two cups of water before a meal ate about 75 to 90 fewer calories over the course of the meal. For this study, the scientists took 48 adults between 55 and 75. All ate a low-calorie diet for 12 weeks. Half of the group drank 16 ounces of water before meals. The other half didn’t.


After the 12 weeks were over, the water drinkers lost on average 15.5 pounds, while the ones who weren’t prescribed water lost about 11 pounds. Davy says that this phenomenon could occur because water is filling and has, of course, zero calories. It could also be displacing other sweeter drinks that the dieters might consume. It’s not a cure-all, but it’s certainly a cheap and simple addition to any weight-loss plan.


—Cynthia Graber

PODCAST

EPA to Restrict Cancer-Causing Chemicals In Water

UPDATE 26 March - Just when you thought there actually might be some improvement in water quality, here comes this information to ponder

Bathing and showering: Under-appreciated sources of water pollution from medicines


ScienceDaily (2010-03-25) -- That bracing morning shower and soothing bedtime soak in the tub are potentially important but until now unrecognized sources of the hormones, antibiotics, and other pharmaceuticals that pollute the environment, scientists have reported. ... ; read full article

Atrazine is a carcinogenic chemical used in the production of corn, so it bodes well to make sure that any corn containing product you choose is organic.

EPA has not addressed fluoride which is a cancer promoting substance, and it appears that there has been nothing to address the difficulties of water treatment systems to remove these chemicals as well as the residue and metabolites from prescription drugs.  

I am not too sure this will come to pass although it is long overdue.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is changing how it protects the nation’s water as well as how it looks at potential water borne toxins. The LA Times reported that the agency announced its plans recently and said that it will also tighten its limits on four cancer-causing waterborne contaminants.

The move is expected to better enable the EPA to more quickly identify emerging contaminants and develop processes to protect consumers, said the LA Times. Of note, the agency has not listed a new water contaminant for regulation in over ten years, added the LA Times. Also, the agency looks at such contaminants on an individual basis, which can take years; under the planned changes, the EPA will look at contaminants in groups such as “pesticides, disinfection byproducts, or volatile organic compounds,” said the LA Times.

“To confront emerging health threats, strained budgets and increased needs—today’s and tomorrow’s drinking-water challenges—we must use the law more effectively and promote new technologies,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, quoted the LA Times. “To make our drinking-water systems work harder, we have to work smarter,” she added. Of note, pointed out Jackson, the EPA is planning on strengthening its limits on four cancer-causing compounds used in textile processing and treatment: Tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, acrylamide, and epichlorohydrin.

New limits have not been released; however, the agency is looking into reducing aquatic trichloroethylene levels to one-tenth of today’s levels, said the LA Times.

We have long been following links between pesticides and herbicides and adverse medical effects across various demographics, including between pediatric cancer and common, household pesticides; pesticides and Parkinson’s disease; and pesticides and Alzheimer’s disease risks. For instance, the herbicide, Atrazine—a known endocrine disrupter—has been linked it to sex changes in many male frogs—from male to female—and the “emasculation” of three-quarters of the other frogs, wrote the SFGate recently. The EPA approved the pesticide under the Bush administration after it rejected earlier findings, said the SFGate.

According to the SFGate, Atrazine’s worldwide ubiquity could likely be linked to a global decline in the frog and amphibian populations, which has confounded scientists and has also had impacts on world ecology.

Earlier this month, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) initiated 11 new animal studies into the possible effects from exposure to the industrial chemical bisphenol A—BPA—NIEHS director Linda Birnbaum told Congress, reported Reuters. “There are concerns about multiple possible health effects of BPA exposure,” Birnbaum told Congress at a House Energy and Commerce Energy and Environment Subcommittee hearing, quoted Reuters. “While much of the exposure to BPA in humans occurs through the diet, other sources of exposure include air, dust and, water,” she added. The hearing was convened to look at endocrine disruptors in drinking water.

Representative Edward Markey, chairman of the Congressional panel, said chemicals found in America’s waterways and drinking water have been linked to deformities in aquatic life and wildlife, reported Reuters previously. Of note, BPA leaches into water supplies when containers made with BPA are tossed out, added Reuters. “There are serious concerns that the same chemicals that are responsible for these deformities in wildlife may also have similar effects in humans and may be the culprit for the widespread increase in human disorders such as infertility, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” said Markey, author of a bill to ban BPA food and beverage containers, reported Reuters. And, according to Birnbaum, drinking water might be a “significant route of exposure” for BPA and other endocrine disruptors, said Reuters.

Drugs Still Ending up in Water

It is not only prescription drug and over the counter (OTC) products that are polluting our water, but aspartame and sucralose too.

Water treatment is unable to remove metabolites of prescription drugs and many chemical including the poisons, aspartame and sucralose.

Certainly this creates a risk for everyone, and a topic I discussed many years ago while serving as a Health & Environment Commissioner.

Make sure when disposing of drugs and related substances that you take them to an approved location for incineration.  Do not throw them in the trash or flush down a toilet.

By CLARKE CANFIELD, Associated Press Writer 
Sun Feb 7, 2010

PORTLAND, Maine – The federal government advises throwing most unused or expired medications into the trash instead of down the drain, but they can end up in the water anyway, a study from Maine suggests.
Tiny amounts of discarded drugs have been found in water at three landfills in the state, confirming suspicions that pharmaceuticals thrown into household trash are ending up in water that drains through waste, according to a survey by the state's environmental agency that's one of only a handful to have looked at the presence of drugs in landfills.
That landfill water — known as leachate — eventually ends up in rivers. Most of Maine doesn't draw its drinking water from rivers where the leachate ends up, but in other states that do, water supplies that come from rivers could potentially be contaminated.
The results of the survey are being made known as lawmakers in Maine consider a bill, among the first of its kind in the nation, that would require drug manufacturers to develop and pay for a program to collect unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs from residents and dispose of them.
Scientists and environmentalists have long known of the common presence of minute concentrations of pharmaceuticals in drinking water, either through human excretion flushed into sewers or leftover medicine thrown down the drain. Research shows that pharmaceuticals sometimes harm fish and other aquatic species, and that human cells can fail to grow normally in the laboratory when exposed to trace concentrations of certain drugs.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection found tiny amounts — measured in parts per trillion — of medications ranging from antidepressants and birth control pills to blood pressure and cholesterol prescriptions. The most prevalent drugs were over-the-counter pain relievers, including ibuprofen and acetaminophen.
"People need a way to properly dispose of their drugs, and they're not getting it right now," said Mark Hyland, director of the state Department of Environmental Quality's Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management.
The bill is one of many "take-back" programs under consideration in more than half a dozen states and would be the first of its kind if enacted; it has won committee support and awaits further action.
The bill is opposed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a Washington-based organization that represents pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and has partnered with other groups to pay for advertising against the proposal.
The lobby acknowledges that previous testing shows trace levels of pharmaceuticals can be found in water supplies and landfills, but says the levels are so small that they pose little risk.
"The amounts of pharmaceuticals (in the environment) are infinitesimally small," said Marjorie Powell, senior assistant general counsel. "We're talking about two drops in an Olympic-size swimming pool. Those two drops are much lower than any doses that would have an effect on humans."
The state last October tested leachate at landfills in Augusta, Brunswick and Bath. Hyland ordered up the study after members of the pharmaceutical industry expressed skepticism about the presence of pharmaceuticals in landfill water.
Leachate at Maine landfills typically is piped or trucked to municipal wastewater treatment plants. Those plants are not equipped to remove drugs from the water before it is discharged into rivers and the ocean.
The pharmaceuticals found in the landfills don't pose a direct threat to drinking water, Hyland said. The landfills are lined to protect groundwater supplies, and in Maine there aren't any wastewater plants that treat leachate and discharge into rivers that ultimately supply drinking water.
But the leachate — in high enough concentrations — can pose a threat to fish and shellfish. Research suggests that hormonal drugs, such as birth control pills, tend to feminize fish. If the trend continues, Hyland said, there could be too few male fish to continue reproduction.
"What you find are greater concentrations of females downstream from where they've seen a dose of hormones, so you find a feminization of the fish population where there are fewer males around," he said.
Hyland said he has questions about the effect on commercial seafood — one of Maine's biggest industries — in ocean waters downstream from the rivers, particularly bivalves such as clams or mussels, which filter water constantly and live near the shore.
"But obviously we need to know a lot more before we can draw a lot of conclusions," Hyland said.
Although landfill leachate doesn't get into drinking water supplies in Maine, it probably does elsewhere, said Andy Tolman, a geologist with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. And some scientists urge caution about the dangers of drinking such water over several decades.
"Many larger states have big rivers that are used for both waste disposal and drinking water supplies, places like Ohio and Pennsylvania," Tolman said. "The same river gets used a number of times, and they're very concerned about treatment of sewage and leachate."
Powell, from the pharmaceutical lobby, argued that people can properly dispose of their drugs in their household trash. In Maine, much of the trash is burned, she said, and pollution control experts agree that incinerating unwanted drugs is the safest solution.
She argued that if the bill does pass, it will only make drugs more expensive, she said.
Concerns have grown in recent years over pharmaceuticals reaching drinking water supplies. An Associated Press investigation in 2008 reported that the drinking water of at least 51 million Americans contains minute concentrations of a multitude of drugs.
It's commonly believed that the vast majority of drugs that get into water supplies come from human and animal excretion and that smaller amounts come from flushing them down the toilet or drain, a practice the Food and Drug Administration says is not recommended for most medications.
Federal guidelines recommend using community drug take-back programs to dispose of medications. If those aren't available, people should mix their unwanted drugs with cat litter or some other undesirable substance, put them into a sealed container and put it in the trash, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100207/ap_on_sc/us_pharmawater_landfills/print