It’s been over a month since my training on metabolic analysis in Chicago and I’ve been studying a wealth of material ever since.  There was more complexity about water than I ever dreamed of!

In my last column, I mentioned how the pH of our water needs to balance our own pH, measured through our urine and saliva.  In addition, one can take conductivity into consideration, the ability to conduct electricity, which is measured by a simple piece of equipment.  When applied to urine and saliva, it tells us if we are deficient in minerals, have excessive minerals or are drinking the wrong amount of water.

Then we add specific gravity into the mix, measured both on a urine dipstick and another piece of equipment.  Too low indicates low minerals or excess water, while too high indicates the opposite.  A handy equation involving specific gravity and pH values of urine and saliva helps determine what is going on.

For more information, we find out how long a person can hold their breath after both an inhale and an exhale, their resting respiration rate and pulse.  These will indicate more about their tissue acidity or alkalinity levels.

Together with a person’s symptoms and lifestyle, we can then assess the best water, diet, supplements and stress management techniques for them.

For most people, reverse osmosis or steam distilled water is adequate.  City or well water can aggravate some conditions.  To further improve water quality, one can ozonate it, decrease the deuterium and/or magnetize it with the north pole pointing against the container.  The reasoning can be researched on the net.

More important than rushing out to buy special water equipment is simply to ingest enough.  Eight glasses a day or ½ ounce for each pound of body weight is desirable.  A good way to do this is to drink 2 glasses of pure water first thing in the morning to flush the system and then divide the rest over the day, sipping the required amount each hour.  For me that’s a realistic 3 ½ ounces an hour, and sipping allows the water to seep into the cells instead of overloading the urinary system.

Don’t overdo it as too much water dilutes body fluids and stresses the kidneys.

The benefits of drinking the right amount of pure water?  They are profound:

1. Increased energy, especially because the brain is well hydrated.
2. Fewer aches and pains as the joints become well-lubricated.
3. Better bowel function.
4. Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease as the blood goes from thick and sluggish to free-flowing, less likely to form clots and cause strokes.
5. Fewer headaches for many people.
6. Greater resilience against colds and flus.
7. Overall less disease.

People often ask if other liquids are acceptable to include as part of their daily water intake and the answer is not really.  All other drinks must be filtered by the kidneys before being used in the functions for which water is essential: transporting nutrients, escorting waste out of the body, regulating temperature, lubricating our moving parts and keeping the blood thin and flowing.

Hopefully this will inspire you to experiment with drinking the type and amount of water right for your body.  I would suggest you work up slowly, getting used to drinking more (or less), as our bodies respond well to gentle changes…

Wishing you well,

Katherine (editor’s note: to read part one, click here)

PS If you are interested in getting your metabolism tested, you are welcome to visit our clinic for a complimentary metabolic test during the month of June.  Email us at info@ecowellness.com or call 613-839-1198 to book a time and mention you heard about it on West Carleton Online.