One of the most common messages that massage therapists impart is: “Be sure to drink plenty of water!” Drinking adequate amounts of pure water is one of the simplest ways to help your body to be healthier! And what better time to do so than when the weather is hot! If you haven’t developed the water habit yet, read on to learn why you really should.
The following passages are excerpted from an online article written by S. Jhoanna Robledo:
“Health-care providers say water nourishes the entire body. ‘Water is a life-sustaining beverage,’ says Leslie Bonci, a registered dietician and author of The American Dietetic Association Guide to Better Digestion. ‘Every organ in the body needs water.’
“Keeping the GI tract in fine working order
For water to get where it’s needed, it must be absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract. When you drink water, it travels quickly down the esophagus, through the stomach and into the intestines, where it’s partially diffused into the bloodstream, hydrating the body’s cells. The kidneys and the bladder make use of some of the water, and what’s left goes into the large intestine to move fecal matter.
“ ‘Water helps flush the system,’ says Dr. Donald F. Kirby, a gastroenterologist and chief of the nutrition section at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, Va. When there aren’t enough fluids in the colon, patients suffer from constipation, a common gastrointestinal ailment.
“And one solution to constipation—eating a diet rich in fiber, which can be found in fruits, vegetables and whole grain—can’t work without adequate intake of fluids. ‘Fiber draws water from all sources in the body to make stools softer and easier to pass through,’ says Bonci.
“Water may also play a role in preventing colorectal cancer. The Mayo Clinic cites a study that showed that women who drank more than five glasses of water a day had a risk of colon cancer that was 45 percent less than that of those who drank two or fewer glasses a day.
“ ‘If you’re drinking enough fluids, you’re moving things more efficiently and quickly so toxins won’t be sitting in your gut for too long,’ says Bonci.”
