Water is truly the “unique” substance. Of all the substances that are necessary to life as we know it on earth, water is by far the most important, the most wonderful; yet, most people know very little about it. Water, this simple liquid everyone takes for granted, is one of earth’s miracles. Because of its unique chemical properties, it is a maverick compound that seems to defy the normal scientific laws. If water behaved as it should according to molecular theory, blood would boil in the body, plants and trees would die from lack of food, the seas would become great masses of ice, and the world would be turned into an arid waste. Nearly every one of water’s unique properties is closely woven into the fabric of human life. Water covers three quarters of earth’s surface, amounting to 324,000,000 cubic miles. A further two million cubic miles is held underground, and 3,100 cubic miles in the atmosphere.

Using a very versatile and universal substance, water therapy provides a most effective and readily available remedy for a wide variety of problems. Apart from pure air, it is the most important element in nature for sustaining life.

Unfortunately, its use in the treatment of illness and the relief of pain is all too often overlooked, much to the detriment of many.

Records show that the use of water for remedial purposes dates back to Hippocrates, who lived around 500 B.C. He used water extensively in the treatment of disease, applying it both internally and externally. Ancient Egyptian pictures found in tombs depict people preparing for a bath. The early Persians and Greeks erected stately public baths, but it was the Romans who surpassed all other nations in the costliness and magnificence of their bathing facilities.

About the year 1600, Dr. Bell of Paris stated that public vapor baths were numerous and that in connection with city hospitals, nearly 130,000 baths were given in one single year to outside patients. Records show that almost two thousand years ago, the noted physicians Celus and Galen praised and glorified the bath as invaluable. The Germans, too, were fond of bathing, and during the decade of 1840-1850, Victor 1′iK-ssnitz re-established the use of water as a curative agent.

When taken internally, water itself undergoes no change In the body. Yet, it is absolutely essential for the maintenance of vital functions because it is the substance which enables the various organs to perform their life-sustaining processes. The circulatory system is especially dependent upon water because it is the solvent which floats the blood corpuscles, mid the nutritive and waste products carried by the blood. It is perfectly adapted for this purpose, circulating through the most delicate capillaries without friction and even passing through membranes into parts not accessible by openings.

The tissues and organs of our bodies are composed of cells, and seventy to ninety percent of what is inside the cell wall is composed of water. This water is by no means inert and unimportant. It is the chief dispersion medium of the protoplasm; that is, it is the liquid that dissolves, suspends, or otherwise disperses most of the various substances present in the cell. Water is the most highly effective solvent of in-organic compounds and it will also dissolve numerous organic substances.

There are many, many types of cells, all doing their individual work in the tissue or organ of which they are a part, but all need plenty of water in order to carry out their duties which all cooperate in maintaining a healthy body. It is this that makes water so important in the maintenance of health.

The cell is surrounded by a thin membrane wall. Inside this wall is a sophisticated communication set-up: dozens of power stations, a transport system, and an efficient government dictatorship. The healthy cell has power to absorb the nutrients it needs to carry out its work and to reject anything it considers to be an intruder, which includes anything that detracts from its normal function, such as viruses, bacteria, or harmful poisons. When the volume of water is increased in the body, more poisons are dissolved and removed through the cells in the eliminative organs: the lungs, the skin, kidneys, and intestines. By drinking plenty of water, we increase the rate of cell metabolism and, ultimately, the whole body’s ability to assimilate nutrients and disintegrate wastes. Thus, through internal and external therapy with water, every cell of the body can be brought into action in the fight against disease.

There are several qualities about water that make it an ideal substance for use in the treatment of human illness. Water has an exceptionally high heat capacity. It also has a high rate of heat conductivity, one of the highest for fluids, making it possible for even small changes in internal temperatures of one area to be quickly dispersed over large areas. Along the same line, water has a high heat of vaporization, which provides a cooling factor in organisms, generally through perspiration (vaporization) from body surfaces. Because our bodies are composed of such a high percentage of water, these qualities serve to keep our overall temperature relatively stable, even when rapid changes in the temperature of the environment occur.

The heat-absorbing capacity of water makes it especially valuable in applying heat to the body. If we use mercury as the basis for comparison, a pound of hot water will communicate thirty times as much heat to the body as a pound of mercury at the same temperature. Conversely, a pound of cold water will take away from the body thirty times as much heat as a pound of mercury at the same temperature. Hot or cold water will store or absorb a great amount of heat and will very readily communicate this change in temperature to things with which it comes into contact. When applied to the human body, it will very quickly cool or warm the skin, adjacent tissues, and underlying blood current.

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This refers to the inflammation and infection of the sinuses, membrane lined cavities in the bones of the face. Infection commonly spreads from the nose when a cold is present,- but it can be caused by allergies, swimming (particularly in chlorinated water) or smoking.

Headache, toothache and pain in the face and eyes are sometimes accompanied by red swelling of the cheeks. Mucous discharge from the nose is often yellow or discoloured, containing pus draining from the infected sinuses. The patient will experience blocked nostrils and will often lose much of their sense of smell.

Take care to treat colds thoroughly to avoid the spreading of infection. Never blow the nose too hard as this will force infected mucous into the sinus cavities. Garlic taken during a cold will help stop the spread of infection and horseradish, chewed or taken in tablet form immediately before meals, will help reduce the swelling. Vitamin A reduces membrane inflammation and promotes the quick healing of damaged tissues. Take codliver oil which not only contains Vitamin A but also several fatty acids effective in fighting infection.

For relief from the pain of sinusitis, breathe a vapour of eucalyptus, peppermint or lavender oils. These oils can also be rubbed on the swollen areas of the face. Avoid dairy products for as long as the infection persists and include as much citrus fruit in the diet as possible. Grapefruit in particular is thought to be helpful for sufferers of sinus complaints.

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Home care

If your infant vomits or has cramps or diarrhea after you have introduced a new food into the child’s diet, withdraw the food promptly. This does not necessarily indicate a food allergy, but you should wait (two to four weeks) before reintroducing the food. Add new foods to the child’s diet one at a time, and allow several days between each introduction so that you can be sure that no problems are occurring.

Precautions

• Persistent diarrhea is a clue to malabsorption or an allergic problem.

• If diarrhea persists, temporarily cut milk and milk products out of the child’s diet and substitute clear liquids.

• Certain antibiotic drugs and digestive tract viruses may cause a temporary loss of digestive enzymes, particularly lactase (the enzyme that aids digestion of milk sugar). This enzyme deficiency can last up to six weeks after viral gastroenteritis.

• Symptoms of malabsorption call for a sweat test to rule out cystic fibrosis.

Medical treatment

The doctor diagnoses a food allergy or malabsorption syndrome on the basis of the following: changes in the child’s diet; culture and examination of stools for blood, fat, and starch; analysis of digestive enzymes; biopsy of the intestinal lining; sugar tolerance tests; sweat test; chest X rays; and other factors. Treatment involves a controlled diet and, sometimes, a prescription of digestive enzyme supplements.

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By pursuing a disease-free lifestyle, you’re doing something about it before it happens. That’s a wiser strategy, Dr. Bortz maintains. It’s also a major act of heroism, given that you’re not exactly smothered with support from the prevailing culture.

Take, for example, the eat-right plank on your disease-free platform. But is there enough doctors’ advice in the world to offset TV images of Michael Jordan telling you how wonderful it is to eat hamburgers?

“We’re a cowboy culture,” Dr. Wurzelmann says. “There’s a deeply ingrained and continuously reinforced belief that our strength derives from eating cows. What it comes down to is that eating beef is seen as having a lot to do with masculinity.”

But that’s where taking control of your own lifestyle comes in. Here’s how to do it.

Remember what it’s all about. The best beginning for a disease-free lifestyle is understanding the end. “You have to know why you’re doing it,” says Ed Burke, Ph.D., vice president of the National Strength and Conditioning Association in Colorado Springs and co-author of Getting in Shape. “If all you want is to lose five pounds to look good when you go to Jamaica on vacation, then don’t bother.” Instead, Dr. Burke says, think about having more energy always, about feeling stronger forever, and about losing weight and keeping it off. “Your approach should be long-term,” he says. “Make it part of your life.”

Keep things underwhelming. All six disease-free lifestyle elements are essential. But if you suddenly get religion and resolve to change your diet, lose weight, start exercising, and quit smoking on day one, you’re going to be overwhelmed. “You can fail miserably if you try to do too much at one time,” Dr. Glynn says. “It should be a sequence of lifestyle changes rather than one big one.”

The slow-but-sure approach works best for any individual lifestyle element, too. “You can’t run a half-hour if you’ve never walked around the block,” Dr. Bortz says. “Take small steps of mastery.”

Rewire yourself. For weight loss, gradual and steady progress isn’t just easier. It’s what works. You didn’t gain the weight in two weeks, so you can’t lose it healthfully in that amount of time either. You have to learn new behaviors. “Once you got fat, the eating center of your brain became fixed on that,” Dr. Bortz says. “If you starve yourself and lose 20 pounds in two weeks, you haven’t had time to rewire your brain.”

Hence, you haven’t accomplished much, and you’re probably going to gain the weight back. “Short-term enthusiasm is wonderful, but until you get your behavior reprogrammed, your long-term results are going to be poor,” Dr. Bortz says.

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My sexual fitness plan—which you can add to your weekly exercise regimen—contains three components…

1. Shared laughter. Twenty seconds of laughter produces the

same cardiovascular benefits as three minutes of aerobic ex-

ercise, studies indicate.

Studies also indicate that a good laugh strengthens the immune system by lowering Cortisol levels and raising endorphin levels. And—couples who laugh together become closer and more in tune with one another.

Shared crying. Watching a good tearjerker enhances intimacy—and sometimes leads to sexual arousal. Tears, which contain stress hormones and other chemicals, may be nature’s way of washing toxins out of the body.

Couple “erotorobics.” The following suggested sexual exercises may seem strange, but they increase your ability to respond to intimate physical contact…

Simulated sex. Go through the motions of intercourse— with your clothes on.

Genital massage. This type of massage stimulates blood flow in that area.

Dancing to erotic music. Use the muscles you would if you were having intercourse.

Flirting. Arch your back, sway your hips and stick out your chest. And practice sexual gazing and sexual smiling. Both can make you feel more sensuous.

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More research conducted at Duke University, the University of Miami, Stanford University and other institutions shows that people who pray, read religious writings and otherwise take part in a spiritual community have better immune function, lower blood pressure and fewer heart attacks than people who don’t participate.

How does spirituality confer this benefit?

Both reliance on a Higher Being and the social support you get from belonging to a caring community of fellow believers are solid buffers against the wear and tear of life.

We know that faith can provide strong support in times of trouble and that religiously involved people cope better with stress. They’re less depressed, less anxious, more optimistic.

Praying triggers the relaxation response—a sense of peace, comfort, hopefulness and deep relaxation—which actually reverses the effects of stress.

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dream: You are back in high school and have to take a final exam—for a class that you somehow forgot to attend all year. Or you’re about to appear in a school play and don’t know your lines.

meaning: This dream often occurs when people have been pushed out of their comfort zone, such as by an unusual or important assignment at work. Generally, the fears expressed are unfounded because those who have this dream tend to be overachievers and are unlikely to ever be unprepared for anything.

what you can do: Realize that you may be more stressed than the situation warrants. Once you start working on the task, the dreams should stop.

dream: All your high school classmates are opening their lockers, but you can’t seem to open yours no matter how hard you try.

alternate version: You find a forgotten room in your house. All sorts of great things are inside, covered in cobwebs.

meaning: You feel that you have put aside some important part of yourself. Perhaps you were once a skilled artist or an aspiring teacher but gave it up for a more lucrative profession. People tend to have these dreams at a point in their lives when it’s feasible to revive the long-dormant interest, such as shortly after retirement or when the last child has left the house.

what you can do: Explore your interests—otherwise, you will be haunted by this dream. Take a look at what you meant to do 20 years ago, and see if there is any way you can have fun with it today.

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Meditation teaches us to observe—rather than worry about or act upon—the thoughts that constantly flit through our minds.

This lets us withdraw from the never-ending bombardment of desires, fears, regrets, etc… .and find peace by turning our attention solely to the present moment. Start by lying face up on your pad, with arms at sides, palms up. Remain as still as possible.

For the next two minutes or so, focus on each part of your body in turn. Envision each part separately…and relax it.

Start with your forehead, then your eyes, face, neck and shoulders. Move down your body, relaxing each in turn—arms and hands…chest and abdomen…hips, legs and feet…then back up the spine to the neck and head.

Gently bring your attention to your forehead. Silently repeat “om” several times.

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There’s no scientific evidence, but anecdotal accounts do support the use of an apple-cider vinegar solution to help relieve arthritis pain. Drink a glass of water with two teaspoons of apple-cider vinegar and two teaspoons of honey three times a day.

To kill odor-causing bacteria, soak feet in a solution of one part vinegar (any type) and four parts hot water nightly for 15 minutes for one week. The feet should be immersed up to the ankles. Rinse with cold water at the end of the soak. Repeat this routine as it is needed.

Men with jock itch (a red, itching, burning rash in the groin area) will find relief by applying a mild vinegar solution one or two times daily. Make up a solution of two tablespoons of white vinegar to 12 ounces warm water…pour it over the whole groin area at the end of a shower. Do not rinse off…simply blot dry. Five days of this treatment should be adequate. For other fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot or mild nail fungus, soak the affected body part in the same type of solution used for jock itch for five minutes daily until the infection is gone.

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