May/June 2000
Articles on the theme "Food For Thought"
Think of These Things
compiled by Bob Gonzalez
Some thoughts on thought. A compilation
of quotations.
Feed the Mind -- Enthusiastically!
by Charles Larsen
Opening the mind to new ideas and experiences
-- an important factor in our growth.
Thought Pollution!
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
Thoughts as 'things'. How to control
our own thoughts and the thoughts of others.
Why Kids Kill
by Nancy L. Buchanan
The theta brain and how it makes children
more vulnerable to impressions of violence.
Water For Your Thoughts
by Ernesto J. Fernandez
Your brain may be suffering from dehydration
without you knowing it. The signs and what to do about it.
Improving Brain Function
by Chuck Homuth
Some of the healthy foods and supplements
that can help improve brain function.
Thinking About Thought
by David Findlay
Of consciousness, thought and telepathy.
The Right To Die?
by Constance Snow
Should we feed the body when there
is no consciousness? A discussion about the right to die.
Brain Food
by Marty Kliesh
Nutrients that improve the functioning
of the brain.
Spiritual Tools of Thought
by Rev. Pat Cross
Of self-induced spiritual indigestion
and true spiritual food for thought.
A Diet For Mental Health?
by Patrick Plaskett
What we put in our minds is just as
important as the food we eat. What a healthy mental diet consists of.
Other Feature Articles
Natural Health Q & A
by Lisa Raphael
Of holistic healing. The meaning of
psychosomatic. Cellular memory. The difference between 'transformational'
and 'transformative'.
2000 & Beyond!
by David Findlay (editor), Carol Withrow (contributing writer)
What is... GE (Genetically Engineered) Food?
by Laurie Powers
What GE, GM or GMO means. The risks
and what can be done to limit them.
Minerals from Mother Earth
by Judy Power
Features stones for May and June: anyolite
and fluorite.
Water For Your Thoughts
Ernesto J. Fernandez
Water is the most essential nutrient in the body. The body is made primarily of water. Poor memory, depression, anxiety, excessive worry, insomnia, diffuse muscle pain and constipation are often due to cellular dehydration of specific tissues of the body, most commonly the brain.
In my practice I serve clients with chronic physical or emotional problems. Over the past two years I have observed that many of these individuals were ill or not responding to treatment from any practitioner, largely due to cellular dehydration. Cellular dehydration is the cell's inability to effectively absorb water into the cell even though the person actually drinks plenty of water. In other words the body's water metabolism mechanism is impaired. There appears to be a lack of understanding among both health professionals and the general public concerning dehydration, its effects and how to re-hydrate the body.
The obvious clinical signs of dehydration are persistent thirst, dry mouth, dry lips, and sensation of heat in the body. However, many symptoms commonly associated with stress and depression are often also a result of dehydration: irritability, inability to relax, difficulty sleeping, constipation, poor memory. The brain is 85% water when fully hydrated. When the brain is dehydrated, neurotransmission (which is heavily dependent on water) is impaired, resulting in symptoms of stress and depression. To understand why, we must look at the brain more closely.
The brain can be subdivided into three layers. The outer layer, called the cortex, is involved in thinking and motor functions. The middle layer of the brain, the limbic system, is responsible for our primal urges of survival (mate, defend or attack) and emotional processing. The reptilian brain rests just above the spinal cord and includes the cord itself. It is the most primitive part of the brain, responsible for homeostasis of the body such as breathing, heart rate, temperature, etc. When the brain is dehydrated there is a priority system in terms of which part of the brain gets the water first. In other words, the cortex is more likely to get dehydrated before the reptilian brain. This is because the reptilian brain is necessary for survival of the body, and clear rational thinking is not (at least from a biological perspective). So when the cortex is dehydrated we are more likely to react much more emotionally and are less capable of managing stress. Our ability to concentrate and perform abstract thinking also decreases. Our ability to have a fluid open mind decreases. We become rigid, leaving us to behave more defensively when our beliefs or perspectives are challenged. Therefore, if you are interested in spiritual development, it is much more difficult to activate specific consciousness centers in the brain.
For most people the process of dehydration (especially the brain) is very gradual. It can take months or years before symptoms are noticed and create problems. When people do start experiencing symptoms, dehydration is rarely considered as the culprit.
At the other end of the continuum, a person may feel bloated when she drinks water and have edema in her ankles, yet still be dehydrated and display the symptoms mentioned above.
Caffeine is a dehydrating agent that increases the function of the kidneys. In other words, not only does caffeine dehydrate you, it also makes your kidneys work harder. For some people this means frequent urination. Caffeine is found in teas, coffee and soft drinks, which are commonly substituted for water. Alcohol is another dehydrating agent. The body aches and headaches of a hangover are mostly due to dehydration. In fact most headaches including migraines respond well to rehydration.
Drinking eight 8oz glasses of water daily means water, not liquid. So drinking tea or fresh juice is great, however it is still necessary to drink enough water to accommodate your weight and lifestyle.
Many chronically dehydrated people are not even thirsty; their body's warning mechanism no longer alerts them to when they are dehydrated. This is why it is important to drink water throughout the day.
Rehydrating the body: self-help approach:
Gradual rehydration of the body by the correct consumption of water: you must gradually re-hydrate by drinking large amounts of water each day but in small doses. If you attempt to drink large glasses of water, the body won't absorb it and will reject it by making you feel sick or bloated.
You should drink sips of water frequently. Keep a large glass nearby and sip it frequently approximately every half hour. Start with three ten ounce glasses a day and build up over a week to 10-12 glasses a day. It will probably take a month to rehydrate. Then the water will easily be tolerated in larger amounts less frequently.
The above suggestion does not apply if you experience bloating and edema. Your water metabolism mechanism may be too compromised to rehydrate without the guidance and supervision of a health professional.
Professional approaches:
There are a variety of professional interventions that can greatly speed up the cell's ability to re-hydrate and also facilitate the repair of tissues damaged as a result of dehydration. Some healing methods emphasize the use of herbs and supplements. These include Chinese medicine and naturopathy. Other approaches are energetic forms of natural healing such as TBM and the BodyTalk System. These emphasize the body-mind internal communication system to balance the water metabolism function in relationship to other physiological functions in the body-mind complex.
The next time you say, "My brain is fried," you may not be far from the truth!
References:
Veltheim, John (May 1998). "Hydration Therapy". PaRama Newsletter,
Sarasota, FL.
Dr. Batmanghelidj. "Your Body's Many Cries for Water". Global
Health Solutions. Falls Church, VA
Ernesto J. Fernandez, MA, LMHC, LMT, CBP, NCBTMB, is author
of The Healer's Journey, holds BodyTalk seminars and has a private practice
in Tampa, FL. (813) 977-2832. www.chronic-pain-relief.com/
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