Water: For Health, For Healing, For Life (10 page)

Since then, I've been constantly improving in my health. I no longer have two spleens, but one that is normal in size and function. Now I lick sea salt off my palm in the morning before my first glass of water and use salt liberally. I drink about 1.5 gallons of water a day and take some supplements as well as eating a lot of whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables. My waist used to be a size 43 and now is a size 36. I weighed 249 pounds; now I weigh 210 and have solid muscle mass. My complexion and appearance are those of a man in his early thirties and my potency of a man in his twenties. My ankles are no longer swollen and new pulses, yes, new pulses, have developed where once they were dead. I no longer take any medications for all those problems, whereas I used to be on at least 15 prescriptions at a time. My insulin needs are down from 95 units a day to 35-45 units a day. I no longer suffer with “chronic infections” or fatigue—I sleep 6-8 hours a day instead of 12-14. It is rare for me to take an antibiotic, whereas I seemed to be constantly taking them before. I don't have allergies or asthma or gastroporesis (acid reflux) anymore. I no longer suffer from arthritis, bursitis, or bowel problems. At the time of my last stress test, my doctor, who is younger than I am, told me that I was in better shape than he was. The high blood pressure is constantly improving. No more thyroid nodule, I sleep better, and no more heavy metal toxicity. I have a new lease on life.

My prayers have been answered. God led me to a natural way to heal my body, my mind, and my spirit. I am living a new life now with a balance of water, salt, minerals, supplements, good nutrition, and continued improvements in my quality of life. I am truly blessed.

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Bauman IV

Michael P. is in his fifties. He suffered from allergies and eventually asthma since childhood. Later in life he became overweight and developed high blood pressure. His allergies were so bad that he had to pay attention to the daily pollen count before he could step out of the house. Several years ago he became aware of the curative properties of water in asthma and allergy. He started regulating his daily water intake and stopped drinking tea and coffee. When everyone in the office took coffee, he would drink hot water. Since then Michael has not had any asthma attacks. His allergy has become much less troublesome, almost to the point of being nonexistent. He no longer bothers with the pollen count. He has been free of allergy and asthma attacks since he started regulating his daily water intake. He considers himself cured of his health problems, including hypertension.

Question:
Why is my doctor not aware of the information on water and asthma?

Answer:
What I have shared with you so far is new knowledge. It has taken me more than twenty years of research and study to highlight this information. It is not yet common knowledge and is not yet taught at medical schools. Doctors recommend “fluid” intake and assume that any fluid you take will act like water. This is what doctors have been taught at medical school. They are not well informed about the intricate functions of water in the human body and do not yet understand chronic dehydration. They do not realize that not all fluids are suited to the normal physiological functions of the human body.

Furthermore, fluids that contain caffeine and alcohol dehydrate us and cannot replace the water needs of the human body. Caffeine and alcohol force the kidneys to flush some of the water reserves of the body.

Nathaniel C. is a young man in his twenties. He suffered from asthma since childhood. On several occasions, he developed attacks that needed immediate attention at the emergency department of the nearest hospital. One of these attacks was so severe that he needed to be hospitalized. Consequently, in constant fear of a repeat of these attacks, his inhaler was always with him and used frequently, possibly more often than prescribed. A good morning to him would mean a few puffs from his inhaler. He could not endure smoky rooms. He could not go through a business meeting without the support of his inhaler, nor could he exercise with the same abandon and pleasure as his friends. For Nathaniel, fear and the constant threat of another attack preoccupied his mind and punctuated the day's activity.

When he became aware of the topic of my research— chronic dehydration—he wanted to know if his asthma could be helped with water. He was surprised when I informed him that asthma was caused mainly by chronic dehydration. After adjusting his daily water intake and reducing his coffee intake, his breathing became more comfortable. He could go longer hours without needing his puffs of medication. He was able to reduce and eventually do away with his inhaler. He has been virtually free of his asthma and its associated fears for the past few years.

J. R., a physician, had developed adult-onset allergies and asthma when he was in college. At times he would get such severe attacks that he would need hospitalization for his suffocation and shocked state. He was allergic to cats more severely than other things. He would never step into a house where there was a cat. Before accepting an invitation, he would ask if they kept a cat. Such was the state of his body sensitivity to some allergens.

One day while he was talking to me on the telephone, I noticed his repeated dry and gasping coughs. This was how I learned about his asthma. I asked him to drink a glass of water and put a pinch of salt on his tongue. His words: “As you recall, I was having a coughing spell that interrupted my work and, as you directed, the putting of some granules of salt on my tongue not only calmed my coughing but took it away: My nurses commented on my not coughing some five minutes later.” For the past seven years he has been free of asthma and allergies. He seems not to fear cats anymore. He visits friends who have cats in their homes. He now treats his asthmatic patients with water and some added salt intake.

Asthma, in my opinion, is not a disease; it is a crisis complication of water shortage in the body. Anytime asthmatics do not drink enough water, their predisposition to asthma attacks will come back. You cannot be lazy about drinking water and expect asthma to stay away. Many people who get well and think the problem is over get a rude shock when shortness of breath begins again once they slack off from the routine. We now know the cause of asthma—dehydration. If we can get this simple understanding of asthma into the minds of the American public, I believe we can easily
eradicate asthma
from the list of health concerns in this country, and the rest of the world, in less than five years.

Let me share with you a story that happened recently. I was discussing the various complications of dehydration during an interview on a popular local radio show. A lady called to thank a friend of mine for having disseminated information about asthma and dehydration in that part of the world.

The listener then told me she has two small children in her family, three and four years old. Two winters ago both youngsters suffered from severe asthma, which caused their family great concern. At the beginning of last year she increased their water intake. The result: These children no longer suffer from asthma— not even one episode the whole of last winter. She also told us how her husband's insulin-dependent diabetes has started improving since he has increased his water intake. He now needs much less insulin to manage his daily life. Her daughter also suffered from severe back pain and was diagnosed with lumbar disc degeneration and atrophy. She, too, went on The Water Cure and is now pain-free.

From one person in this family taking the information on chronic dehydration seriously and acting on The Water Cure recommendations, four of her family members are no longer in serious danger from the complications of dehydration. An important aspect of their discovery about water is their freedom from medical ignorance that would have treated their health problems with chemical products or invasive procedures that would have drastically compromised their health and financial resources.

Increased food intake, when not accompanied by increased water intake, will also produce susceptibility to allergies. If you remember, food-laden, concentrated blood has to circulate through the lungs and further give up some of its water through evaporation. People with allergies and asthma should make it a habit to drink water before eating their food—at least a few minutes before beginning. At no time should they allow food intake to concentrate their body fluids to the extent that high levels of histamine generation become a permanent situation.

Question:
What is wrong with waiting until you feel thirsty to drink water?

Answer:
The body is already thirsty before we feel the thirst sensation. Dry mouth is not an accurate sign of water shortage in our body. There is a mechanism by which, even when we are comparatively dehydrated, saliva production is not affected. The reason is that we must be able to lubricate food during the process of chewing and swallowing. The misconception about dry mouth as an accurate indicator of body-water shortage has steered the trends in medical research off course, so that, even today, it is not generally known at what stage the body is thirsty and becoming pathologically dehydrated. It is not fully appreciated what devastating damage is caused by a slowly establishing dehydration in the body.

If children are not able to regulate their water intake properly, histamine activity in the lungs may become a dominant trend. One of the consequences of overactivity of histamine in the lungs may be the occurrence of an inflammatory process at a time when the development of lung tissue has to keep up with the physical growth of the body. Excessive fibrous tissue formation and the creation of cysts where alveoli have to be formed may be the consequence of dehydration in children who are growing. It seems that cystic fibrosis of the lungs may not be an entirely genetic disorder, but may have dehydration as a common basic problem to both the DNA assembly system and lung tissue formation. Dehydration is also responsible for the production of excess thick mucus in the bronchioles—a problem in cystic fibrosis of the lungs. Water and salt should help loosen the mucus.

Children need water for cell growth. During growth, 75 percent of the cell volume has to be filled with water. This is the reason why children develop asthma and allergies during the growing phase of their physical development.

As we grow older, we lose our thirst sensation and do not recognize that our body is thirsty. Chronic dehydration in the elderly can cause heart and kidney damage, coupled with shortness of breath. At this stage, the shortness of breath is called cardiac asthma. Those with heart problems and kidney disease should increase their water intake slowly and, if possible, under the supervision of their physicians. They need to make sure their urine production increases with the additional water. If within two full days there is no indication of more urine being produced, a physician should be consulted. The color of urine in a dehydrated person (not taking vitamins that could color the urine) will be dark yellow to orange.
In a better-hydrated person, the urine is lighter in color.

Children and adults who get asthma attacks with exercise and strenuous effort should always remember to drink water before they begin exercising and to stop drinking caffeine-containing sodas. They should reduce their orange juice intake (if more than two glasses). Because of its high potassium content, too much orange juice can predispose a person to asthma attacks. The water needs of the body cannot be fully replaced by juices or even milk.

On no account should you abruptly cut off the use of your medications. You should begin by taking more water with your medications, until your need for medication decreases. Keep the doctor in charge of your treatment informed. You will then be able to work with your doctor to gradually reduce the use of the normally prescribed inhalant or antihistamine medications until you no longer need them. In obstinate and truly drug-dependent cases of asthma and allergies, increased water intake will improve the patient's response to the medications being prescribed until the body gets back to its normal rhythm.

The choice of water should not become a limiting factor to drinking it. So long as tap water contains no lead, mercury, pesticides, insecticides, or other dangerous chemicals or bacteria, it should become your fluid of choice. It is available to you everywhere you go. You should not worry about its hardness. Any calcium that is dissolved in water may even serve a useful purpose, as it might help your body's need for calcium. If the smell of chlorine is too much, fill an open-top jug and leave it exposed to air. The chlorine will evaporate in less than a half hour, and the water will be sweet and ready to drink.

It is becoming fashionable to advocate drinking distilled water. This claim may prove to be based on the commercial aims of its manufacturers. I have found no reason to drink distilled water over regular tap water that does not contain toxic substances. If you are unsure of your local water, it would be a good idea to install a solid carbon filter on your kitchen faucet.

With increased water intake, which will cause increased urine production, there may be an associated loss of salt, as well as other minerals and water-soluble vitamins. Supplementing your daily vitamin intake is necessary. If you develop cramps, you should assume that the salt in your diet is not sufficient for your body's needs. You should add salt to your diet—as long as you stick to taking more water. In asthma and allergy sufferers, salt intake becomes a vital part of the treatment. Salt unplugs the thick mucus secretions in the lungs and stops the overflow of nasal secretion,
when water is plentiful.
Salt breaks up mucus, rendering it watery and stringy, and suitable for expulsion with the flow of sputum, when water is also available.