Chapter 7 : Water for Healing, for Health, for Life
BLOOD PRESSURE AND DEHYDRATION
The measurable force that rushes blood through the arterial system of the body is called blood pressure. This force has two components. The diastolic component is the constant basic force in the arteries that keeps the blood vessels full and under a constant basic pressure. It is the lowest reading on the measuring instruments. The normally accepted figure for this reading is between 60 and 90. The systolic component of blood pressure is the sharp rise in force inside the arteries, produced by the contraction of the left side of the heart when it forces the volume of blood in its ventricle into an already filled and under-pressure arterial system. The normal range is between 90 and 130. In other words, the accepted normal blood pressure—systolic over diastolic—is from 90 over 60 to 130 over 90.
The difference in the two readings is significant. It means that the blood is being stirred by the rush of new blood in the arteries, which prevents blood's heavier constituents from sedimenting in the stagnant areas; it means an added pressure that will squirt some clear serum through the tiny holes in the capillaries and into the filtration areas in the kidneys for cleansing of the blood. The significance of the diastolic pressure is in its effect of filling all the blood vessels of the body so none remains empty.
The problem of blood circulation becomes apparent if the diastolic pressure rises well above or falls well below the normal range. If it rises above the range, it means the heart has much more pressure to work against when forcing blood into the circulation. For a short period of time, it is not a big deal. But given sixty to eighty beats a minute, day in and day out, you will have one very tired heart, as well as over-shocked blood vessels that have to become thick and inelastic to withstand the repeated onslaught. Diastolic pressure well below normal affects circulation, especially to the brain. Not enough pressure in the arteries that go to the brain means less oxygen reaching the vital brain centers. The result: feeling faint and not fully focused. With low blood pressure, you can actually faint if you stand up suddenly. How do these complications arise? Dehydration!
High Blood Pressure
Roughly sixty million Americans suffer from hyper-tension or high blood pressure. There may be more than one reason when blood pressure readings register an increase from what is considered normal. In my scientific opinion, the most common and frequent reason is a gradually establishing dehydration in the body.
This type of hypertension is labeled “essential hypertension.” A large number of people in this group receive some form of medication to deal with this dehydration signal of the body. Until they learn about the relationship of this condition to their insufficient water intake, or a wrong choice of fluid intake, they will have to continue taking pharmaceutical products for the rest of their shortened lives.
The paradigm shift offers us a new perspective on high blood pressure—the form we call essential hypertension. It tells us that a gradual rise in blood pressure is an indicator of a gradually establishing shortage of water in the body. The blood vessels of the body have been designed to cope with repeated fluctuations in their
blood volume and the circulation requirements of the tissues they supply. They have tiny holes or lumen that open and close to adapt to the amount of blood inside them. In water loss from the body— rather, lack of sufficient water intake—66 percent of the deficit is reflected in the volume of water held in some cells of the
body (plumlike cells begin to become prunelike); 26 percent is reflected in the fluid environment outside the cells; and only 8 percent of the deficit is imposed on the volume held in blood circulation. The circulatory system adapts to its 8 percent
loss by shrinking in capacity. Initially, peripheral capillaries close down, and eventually the larger vessels tighten their walls to keep the blood vessels full.
THE ROLE OF CAPILLARY BED IN HYPERTENSION.
Water loss in chronic dehydration
1. 66% is lost from water held in some cells.
2. 26% is taken from water volume held outside cells.
3. 8% is taken from water held in the blood vascular bed.
4. Blood vessels close lumen to compensate for the water loss.
5. Lumenclosing causes the rise in tension we recognize as hypertension.
Figure 7.1: The vascular system all over the body adapts to blood volume loss by selective closing of the lumen. One major cause for blood volume loss is the loss of body water or its undersupply through the loss of thirst sensation.
This tightening leads to a measurable rise in tension in the arteries. This is called hypertension. If the blood vessels did not tighten on the void, gases would separate from the blood and fill the space, causing gas locks. This vascular adaptation to the amount of water the vascular system carries is a most advanced design within the principle of hydraulics that the blood circulation of the body is modeled on.
Injection Pressure for the Filter Systems
Another major reason for the tightening of the vessels is the need to squeeze the blood volume in the arterial system so that water can be filtered and injected into some vitally important cells in the body, such as the brain cells. The tightening of the blood vessel walls provides the force necessary to operate a reverse osmosis system in the human body—a crisis-management program to keep important cells alive. Water is pushed into selected cells of the body through tiny “shower- heads”—cluster perforations in the cell membrane. The difference between the two readings of blood pressure is the range of force needed to deliver water under normal circumstances into some vital cells of the body. As the body becomes more and more dehydrated, the amount of pressure needed to filter and inject water into vital cells increases. The less water there is in the body, the more pressure is needed to hydrate vital cells.
The mechanism is simple. When confronting stressful circumstances, and in dehydration that is becoming gradually established, histamine is released. Histamine activates the production of vasopressin (an antidiuretic hormone). Certain cells of the body have receiving points that are sensitive to vasopressin. As soon as the hormone sits on the sensitive point, a hollow "shower-head" type of opening with minute holes in its base is created in the cell membrane. Serum fills the space, and its water content filters through the holes, which are large enough for the passage of only one water molecule at a time. Vasopressin, as its name implies, also produces the tightening of the vessels around it. This tightening of vessels translates into a squeeze that pushes the serum and its water through the holes in the blood vessel—a necessary act if some of this water is to be pushed back into the cells.
Renin-Angiotensin System
Another water-regulatory system that is associated with dehydration and histamine production is the brain's renin-angiotensin (RA) system. RA production is a component of the thirst sensation and increased water intake. It also produces some tightening of the blood vessels and has been recognized as a dominant factor in the production of hypertension. The RA system eventually becomes prominent in the kidneys, which have to concentrate urine and save water while producing urine. The kidneys recognize water shortage and activate their resident RA system so that more water is called in for urine production. The RA system eventually stimulates a drive for salt intake and its retention until the body is fully hydrated. The brain has an independent RA system of its own. When there is a water shortage, the centers that sense this shortage become active and produce the neurotransmitter histamine, which will then activate the brain's RA system.
Figure 7.2: The schematic model of a nerve cell, its membrane wall, and the vasopressin receptor that becomes transformed into a type of “showerhead” that lets only water through its very small perforations. This is part of the mechanism of reverse osmosis that the body employs to deliver filtered water into vital cells.
There is a simultaneous rise in blood pressure when the body is dehydrated inside its cells. The tendency is to begin to retain salt, which is essential for the operation of the reverse osmosis process. The body collects water in the form of edema fluid, from which free water is filtered and then injected into vital cells. We
in medicine have not recognized the relationship of dehydration inside the cells of the body to the physiological role of RA system. We have only recognized the expansion of water volume in the environment outside the cells. We automatically assume that the retention of fluid in the body, and the rise in blood pressure, are
pathological processes caused by the RA system. We have not realized that the process is an adaptive measure to correct dehydration inside the vital cells of the body, such as the brain cells, the liver cells, the kidney cells, the lungs, and other important organs and glands.
The chemical steps involve angiotensin-converting enzymes (ACE). In three steps, these enzymes produce angiotensin III. This chemical forces a strict drive for retention of salt in the body. Extra salt will retain extra water in the tissues. The only things that turn off this salt-retaining-drive mechanism are adequate water intake and some salt intake that balance the fluid content inside and outside the cells. The salt should be unrefined sea salt that contains other vital minerals that are needed to hold on to the water once it is injected or diffused inside the cells.
When it is freely available, water diffuses quite rapidly through the cell membranes without needing to be forced. Its rate of diffusion through the cell membrane has been calculated to be 10 −3 centimeters per second, which is fairly fast. This natural and fast diffusion process of water in the kidneys is the reason why
water itself is a natural diuretic—far better than chemical diuretics or ACE inhibitors now used routinely. In fact, to give a person with essential hypertension diuretics is, in my opinion, a blatant disservice to the patient.
Water itself will increase urine production, and excess retained salt will gradually be passed in the urine. This is why water is a most effective decongestant and edema remover. When you drink water to dilute the blood, it will not be necessary to rely entirely on the process of reverse osmosis and the RA system to force water
into vital cells—including the renal tissue that has to make concentrated urine and force the toxic waste out of the body. The body will not cause a collection of extra fluid in the tissues as a reservoir to filter and inject water into its vital cells as an
emergency process. This is what essential hypertension is all about.
Because it is associated with aging, and seemed unavoidable in the past, the gradual rise in blood pressure has been labeled “essential hypertension,” meaning it is an unavoidable outcome of living to a mature life. It was not recognized that a gradual loss of thirst perception as we grow older is responsible for the onset of
chronic dehydration and subsequent hypertension.
The Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) and Blood Pressure Control. The renin-angiotensin system or RAS regulates blood pressure and fluid balance in the body. When blood volume or sodium levels in the body are low, or blood potassium is high, cells in the kidney release the enzyme, renin.
Renin-Angiotensin Activity:
{Blood volume falls} , {Blood pressure falls} , {Sodium (salt) depletion} lead to { Renin activation promotes angiotensin production} causes {Vasoconstriction}, { Water intake}, {Sodium retention}; {Water intake & Sodium retention) lead to {Inhibit renin-angiotensin activity after normal levels are reached}. { Sodium retention} also causes more {Water intake}.
{Figure 7.3: A model of physiological events that will either stimulate or inhibit renin-angiotensin production. }
Naturally, an increase in daily water intake and sea salt that contains other minerals will correct this problem. The present way of dealing with hypertension is criminal. To give diuretics to a hypertensive who has adequate kidney function is absurd. The body is trying to retain its water by storing salt, and we say to the design of nature in us: “No, you do not understand, you must take diuretics and get rid of water.” By giving diuretics and reducing the water content of the body, we reduce the efficiency of the reverse osmosis system that is delivering water to the brain and other important cells in the body. Water by itself is the best natural diuretic. It should be remembered that complications associated with hypertension, including coronary thrombosis and repeated strokes, are, in effect, caused by persistent dehydration. Remember: Chronic dehydration kills prematurely and painfully. The use of diuretics assists in the process.
Truck driver Jim Bolen, whose letter follows, is an extremely interesting person. He was trained as a pilot and worked with one of the airlines. Because of very high blood pressure he was grounded, unable to fly any longer. This is when he discovered The Water Cure and was able to lower his blood pressure with ease and without any of the usual chemicals that are prescribed for this condition. By nature, he is very inquisitive and curious to learn. He has a sharp memory for detail. He has taken to heart the information on the role of water and its curative properties and is determined to enlighten and help others.
Bolen is now a traveling missionary for The Water Cure. He drives a truck the length and the breadth of the country. He talks to other drivers at truck stops or through their system of radio communication. He gets them to drink water when they are tired and feel sleepy at the wheel. He gets them to give up their caffeine- containing coffee and sodas and drink water instead. He tells them about the importance of adequate salt intake in proportion to the amount of water they need. Every month, he buys several hundred dollars' worth of books and tapes and gives them to the people who need the information to improve their health. He stops at churches and parishes on his way. He talks to priests on his delivery routes and gives them books and videotapes to share with their parishioners. He has helped thousands of people learn about the importance of water in their lives.
TO: Dr. Batman
FROM: Jim Bolen
I discovered the importance of water and salt to the human body in June of 1997 when I failed a medical for renewing my commercial flying license My pressure at rest was 230/110. I was grounded and told to see my personal physician. He told me I needed blood pressure medication, but I decided I was not going on any medication yet.
I left upset, in denial. My blood pressure had always been 120/80. I got a second opinion weeks later after trying garlic, herbs, vitamins, exercise, meditation, and found it still a solid 180/100. He told me if I didn't go on medication, my heart would enlarge and I would have a heart attack or stroke down the road.
I went home, depressed. I didn't want to accept old age at 54. I was telling a friend about my situation when a retired chiropractor told me about your book (Your Body's Many Cries for Water). He loaned me his book and told me to stop all caffeine for a week, drink ten glasses of water, and add 1?2 tsp of salt to my diet.
I looked at him like he was crazy. I had been on a salt-free diet for years. Thank God for your book, Dr. Batmanghelidj, and Dr. Lee Hobson for his time and generosity.
My blood pressure is now 117/75. I'm taking no medication at all and I have unlimited energy at 58 years old. No more headache or lower back pain; sinuses are clear and no constipation.
Thankfully,
Jim Bolen Indio, CA
I could write much more about blood pressure. Suffice it to say, “essential hypertension” is an indicator of an establishing chronic dehydration. Correct the established dehydration in your body with an adjustment to daily water intake and adequate intake of minerals to replace those lost through increased urination, and the adaptive need to raise the blood pressure from its normal levels will not arise. It is as simple as that. Dehydration is by far the most frequent constant stressor in the human body that raises blood pressure—in at least sixty million Americans. However, there may arise occasions when other silent stressors may bring about the same chemical driving forces that ultimately raise blood pressure. These occasions are few and far between and need exhaustive investigation to pinpoint the problem. We need to exclude dehydration as the primary cause of the rise in blood pressure first, before embarking on other approaches.
Salt and Hypertension
Recent articles in scientific journals are also questioning the view that salt is bad for those with hypertension. Dr. H. Alderman of Albert Einstein College of Medicine and associates, in their 1995 article in the Journal of Hypertension, have shown that people on restrictively low-salt diets are more likely to die from heart at-
tacks or strokes than those who use salt liberally. In a 1997 article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dr. David McCurron of the Department of Nephrology at Oregon Health Science University, Portland, found that with adequate daily intake of potassium, calcium, and magnesium, not only will salt not raise blood pressure, it might actually lower it. This article confirms my view that the water volume inside and outside the cells of the body needs to be in balance. Remember that salt regulates the water levels outside the cells. Potassium, magnesium, and calcium
are the vital minerals that balance the water volume inside the cells.
Additional information you need to remember is that five elements—water, salt, potassium, magnesium, and calcium—are involved in energy regulation inside the cells. Water drives the sodium potassium pump protein and manufactures hydroelectricity. This hydro-electricity is used for immediate needs, and the excess of it is converted to usable stored energy for emergency use. Calcium is bonded to other calcium in bones and in the endoplasmic reticulum inside the cells. Each bonded calcium atom traps one unit of energy that can be reused if necessary. Magnesium traps many units of energy in the form of magnesium ATP.
As you can see, the mystery of essential hypertension is solved. To avoid the problem, you need to take an adequate amount of water daily so that the urine is light in color. Your diet should include no less than 3 to 4 grams of salt, about 1 gram of calcium, 400 to 800 milligrams of magnesium (although this amount of magnesium is more than the official dietary reference values, most people are
severely magnesium-deficient and need to correct the deficiency), and about 2,000 to 4,000 milligrams of potassium. It is easy to get the potassium in high-potassium foods such as raisins, potatoes, avocados, lima and all the other beans, peas, tomatoes, cauliflower, bananas, bread, oranges, grape-fruits, dried apricots, milk, eggs, and cheese. Practically everything you eat has some potassium content. You need to eat foods and fruits with higher potassium content.
If you do not eat kelp, wheat bran, wheat germ, almonds, and other nuts that have very high magnesium content, or green leafy vegetables in which magnesium is a component of chlorophyll, you should take magnesium supplements every day. As for calcium, in order of their calcium content, kelp, cheese, sesame seeds, bean curd, molasses, pulses—lentils, different beans—figs, almonds, spring greens, watercress, parsley, plain yogurt, shrimp, broccoli, milk, cottage cheese, and olives will provide the calcium needs of the body. People on weight-loss programs, or those who do not have access to a balanced diet, should take these minerals in the form of supplements.
Iodine is a very important element for the regulation of the fluid content of the body. Iodine is essential for the thyroid gland to manufacture thyroxin, its primary hormone. It seems that thyroxin is the element that stimulates the cells to manufacture all the pump proteins that regulate the sodium, potassium, and other mineral balances outside and inside the cells, and that generate energy in the process. With the movement of sodium and potassium across the cell membrane, not only will water also move to balance the osmotic pressure in and out of the cell, but the other mineral-transferring pumps will take their cue and regulate the magnesium, potassium, and calcium levels of the cell interior as well.
Before salt was iodized, many people suffered from iodine deficiency and lumpy thyroid gland enlargement in their necks, known as thyroid goiter. One of the major complications of iodine deficiency is the collection of hard-to-move and inelastic swelling and edema, known as myxedema. Other complications are dry skin, loss of hair and memory, tiredness, sleepiness, and loss of muscle tissue. As you can see, iodine is vital for good health and good fluid balance.
Much to my regret, I discovered that unrefined sea salt does not have enough iodine. Thinking that sea salt has many important trace elements, I switched to using only sea salt and was not diligent in taking foods and multivitamins that would provide my body with the iodine it needs. My second mistake was that being so busy with sharing my medical breakthrough on water metabolism of the body with people that I was not alert to my own health problems. I developed all the early stages of iodine deficiency, but no goiter in my neck. However, I developed an uncomfortable feeling in my chest and also shortness of breath.
A high-resolution CT scan of my chest revealed a massive thyroid goiter in my chest that was pressing on my trachea, to the point of deforming it. This was three months ago. I adjusted my iodine intake in the form of dried kelp or as part of the composition of the one-a-day multivitamin that I now take religiously. As a result,
my breathing problem has cleared, my edema has cleared, I am no longer lethargic, and my energy level has increased; my sleep has normalized; my blood pressure is back to the normal range. I now feel much healthier and more confident and have lost fifteen pounds of the swelling that I had amassed. All these improvements have been made possible because of the vital role of simple iodine in the physiology of the body and adjustment to my intake of vital minerals mentioned above. You see, even doctors get sick, and that is how we learn. A word of caution: Do not overdo iodine intake. It could cause other problems.
Diabetes (click here)
BLOOD PRESSURE AND DEHYDRATION
The measurable force that rushes blood through the arterial system of the body is called blood pressure. This force has two components. The diastolic component is the constant basic force in the arteries that keeps the blood vessels full and under a constant basic pressure. It is the lowest reading on the measuring instruments. The normally accepted figure for this reading is between 60 and 90. The systolic component of blood pressure is the sharp rise in force inside the arteries, produced by the contraction of the left side of the heart when it forces the volume of blood in its ventricle into an already filled and under-pressure arterial system. The normal range is between 90 and 130. In other words, the accepted normal blood pressure—systolic over diastolic—is from 90 over 60 to 130 over 90.
The difference in the two readings is significant. It means that the blood is being stirred by the rush of new blood in the arteries, which prevents blood's heavier constituents from sedimenting in the stagnant areas; it means an added pressure that will squirt some clear serum through the tiny holes in the capillaries and into the filtration areas in the kidneys for cleansing of the blood. The significance of the diastolic pressure is in its effect of filling all the blood vessels of the body so none remains empty.
The problem of blood circulation becomes apparent if the diastolic pressure rises well above or falls well below the normal range. If it rises above the range, it means the heart has much more pressure to work against when forcing blood into the circulation. For a short period of time, it is not a big deal. But given sixty to eighty beats a minute, day in and day out, you will have one very tired heart, as well as over-shocked blood vessels that have to become thick and inelastic to withstand the repeated onslaught. Diastolic pressure well below normal affects circulation, especially to the brain. Not enough pressure in the arteries that go to the brain means less oxygen reaching the vital brain centers. The result: feeling faint and not fully focused. With low blood pressure, you can actually faint if you stand up suddenly. How do these complications arise? Dehydration!
High Blood Pressure
Roughly sixty million Americans suffer from hyper-tension or high blood pressure. There may be more than one reason when blood pressure readings register an increase from what is considered normal. In my scientific opinion, the most common and frequent reason is a gradually establishing dehydration in the body.
This type of hypertension is labeled “essential hypertension.” A large number of people in this group receive some form of medication to deal with this dehydration signal of the body. Until they learn about the relationship of this condition to their insufficient water intake, or a wrong choice of fluid intake, they will have to continue taking pharmaceutical products for the rest of their shortened lives.
The paradigm shift offers us a new perspective on high blood pressure—the form we call essential hypertension. It tells us that a gradual rise in blood pressure is an indicator of a gradually establishing shortage of water in the body. The blood vessels of the body have been designed to cope with repeated fluctuations in their
blood volume and the circulation requirements of the tissues they supply. They have tiny holes or lumen that open and close to adapt to the amount of blood inside them. In water loss from the body— rather, lack of sufficient water intake—66 percent of the deficit is reflected in the volume of water held in some cells of the
body (plumlike cells begin to become prunelike); 26 percent is reflected in the fluid environment outside the cells; and only 8 percent of the deficit is imposed on the volume held in blood circulation. The circulatory system adapts to its 8 percent
loss by shrinking in capacity. Initially, peripheral capillaries close down, and eventually the larger vessels tighten their walls to keep the blood vessels full.
THE ROLE OF CAPILLARY BED IN HYPERTENSION.
Water loss in chronic dehydration
1. 66% is lost from water held in some cells.
2. 26% is taken from water volume held outside cells.
3. 8% is taken from water held in the blood vascular bed.
4. Blood vessels close lumen to compensate for the water loss.
5. Lumenclosing causes the rise in tension we recognize as hypertension.
Figure 7.1: The vascular system all over the body adapts to blood volume loss by selective closing of the lumen. One major cause for blood volume loss is the loss of body water or its undersupply through the loss of thirst sensation.
This tightening leads to a measurable rise in tension in the arteries. This is called hypertension. If the blood vessels did not tighten on the void, gases would separate from the blood and fill the space, causing gas locks. This vascular adaptation to the amount of water the vascular system carries is a most advanced design within the principle of hydraulics that the blood circulation of the body is modeled on.
Injection Pressure for the Filter Systems
Another major reason for the tightening of the vessels is the need to squeeze the blood volume in the arterial system so that water can be filtered and injected into some vitally important cells in the body, such as the brain cells. The tightening of the blood vessel walls provides the force necessary to operate a reverse osmosis system in the human body—a crisis-management program to keep important cells alive. Water is pushed into selected cells of the body through tiny “shower- heads”—cluster perforations in the cell membrane. The difference between the two readings of blood pressure is the range of force needed to deliver water under normal circumstances into some vital cells of the body. As the body becomes more and more dehydrated, the amount of pressure needed to filter and inject water into vital cells increases. The less water there is in the body, the more pressure is needed to hydrate vital cells.
The mechanism is simple. When confronting stressful circumstances, and in dehydration that is becoming gradually established, histamine is released. Histamine activates the production of vasopressin (an antidiuretic hormone). Certain cells of the body have receiving points that are sensitive to vasopressin. As soon as the hormone sits on the sensitive point, a hollow "shower-head" type of opening with minute holes in its base is created in the cell membrane. Serum fills the space, and its water content filters through the holes, which are large enough for the passage of only one water molecule at a time. Vasopressin, as its name implies, also produces the tightening of the vessels around it. This tightening of vessels translates into a squeeze that pushes the serum and its water through the holes in the blood vessel—a necessary act if some of this water is to be pushed back into the cells.
Renin-Angiotensin System
Another water-regulatory system that is associated with dehydration and histamine production is the brain's renin-angiotensin (RA) system. RA production is a component of the thirst sensation and increased water intake. It also produces some tightening of the blood vessels and has been recognized as a dominant factor in the production of hypertension. The RA system eventually becomes prominent in the kidneys, which have to concentrate urine and save water while producing urine. The kidneys recognize water shortage and activate their resident RA system so that more water is called in for urine production. The RA system eventually stimulates a drive for salt intake and its retention until the body is fully hydrated. The brain has an independent RA system of its own. When there is a water shortage, the centers that sense this shortage become active and produce the neurotransmitter histamine, which will then activate the brain's RA system.
Figure 7.2: The schematic model of a nerve cell, its membrane wall, and the vasopressin receptor that becomes transformed into a type of “showerhead” that lets only water through its very small perforations. This is part of the mechanism of reverse osmosis that the body employs to deliver filtered water into vital cells.
There is a simultaneous rise in blood pressure when the body is dehydrated inside its cells. The tendency is to begin to retain salt, which is essential for the operation of the reverse osmosis process. The body collects water in the form of edema fluid, from which free water is filtered and then injected into vital cells. We
in medicine have not recognized the relationship of dehydration inside the cells of the body to the physiological role of RA system. We have only recognized the expansion of water volume in the environment outside the cells. We automatically assume that the retention of fluid in the body, and the rise in blood pressure, are
pathological processes caused by the RA system. We have not realized that the process is an adaptive measure to correct dehydration inside the vital cells of the body, such as the brain cells, the liver cells, the kidney cells, the lungs, and other important organs and glands.
The chemical steps involve angiotensin-converting enzymes (ACE). In three steps, these enzymes produce angiotensin III. This chemical forces a strict drive for retention of salt in the body. Extra salt will retain extra water in the tissues. The only things that turn off this salt-retaining-drive mechanism are adequate water intake and some salt intake that balance the fluid content inside and outside the cells. The salt should be unrefined sea salt that contains other vital minerals that are needed to hold on to the water once it is injected or diffused inside the cells.
When it is freely available, water diffuses quite rapidly through the cell membranes without needing to be forced. Its rate of diffusion through the cell membrane has been calculated to be 10 −3 centimeters per second, which is fairly fast. This natural and fast diffusion process of water in the kidneys is the reason why
water itself is a natural diuretic—far better than chemical diuretics or ACE inhibitors now used routinely. In fact, to give a person with essential hypertension diuretics is, in my opinion, a blatant disservice to the patient.
Water itself will increase urine production, and excess retained salt will gradually be passed in the urine. This is why water is a most effective decongestant and edema remover. When you drink water to dilute the blood, it will not be necessary to rely entirely on the process of reverse osmosis and the RA system to force water
into vital cells—including the renal tissue that has to make concentrated urine and force the toxic waste out of the body. The body will not cause a collection of extra fluid in the tissues as a reservoir to filter and inject water into its vital cells as an
emergency process. This is what essential hypertension is all about.
Because it is associated with aging, and seemed unavoidable in the past, the gradual rise in blood pressure has been labeled “essential hypertension,” meaning it is an unavoidable outcome of living to a mature life. It was not recognized that a gradual loss of thirst perception as we grow older is responsible for the onset of
chronic dehydration and subsequent hypertension.
The Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) and Blood Pressure Control. The renin-angiotensin system or RAS regulates blood pressure and fluid balance in the body. When blood volume or sodium levels in the body are low, or blood potassium is high, cells in the kidney release the enzyme, renin.
Renin-Angiotensin Activity:
{Blood volume falls} , {Blood pressure falls} , {Sodium (salt) depletion} lead to { Renin activation promotes angiotensin production} causes {Vasoconstriction}, { Water intake}, {Sodium retention}; {Water intake & Sodium retention) lead to {Inhibit renin-angiotensin activity after normal levels are reached}. { Sodium retention} also causes more {Water intake}.
{Figure 7.3: A model of physiological events that will either stimulate or inhibit renin-angiotensin production. }
Naturally, an increase in daily water intake and sea salt that contains other minerals will correct this problem. The present way of dealing with hypertension is criminal. To give diuretics to a hypertensive who has adequate kidney function is absurd. The body is trying to retain its water by storing salt, and we say to the design of nature in us: “No, you do not understand, you must take diuretics and get rid of water.” By giving diuretics and reducing the water content of the body, we reduce the efficiency of the reverse osmosis system that is delivering water to the brain and other important cells in the body. Water by itself is the best natural diuretic. It should be remembered that complications associated with hypertension, including coronary thrombosis and repeated strokes, are, in effect, caused by persistent dehydration. Remember: Chronic dehydration kills prematurely and painfully. The use of diuretics assists in the process.
Truck driver Jim Bolen, whose letter follows, is an extremely interesting person. He was trained as a pilot and worked with one of the airlines. Because of very high blood pressure he was grounded, unable to fly any longer. This is when he discovered The Water Cure and was able to lower his blood pressure with ease and without any of the usual chemicals that are prescribed for this condition. By nature, he is very inquisitive and curious to learn. He has a sharp memory for detail. He has taken to heart the information on the role of water and its curative properties and is determined to enlighten and help others.
Bolen is now a traveling missionary for The Water Cure. He drives a truck the length and the breadth of the country. He talks to other drivers at truck stops or through their system of radio communication. He gets them to drink water when they are tired and feel sleepy at the wheel. He gets them to give up their caffeine- containing coffee and sodas and drink water instead. He tells them about the importance of adequate salt intake in proportion to the amount of water they need. Every month, he buys several hundred dollars' worth of books and tapes and gives them to the people who need the information to improve their health. He stops at churches and parishes on his way. He talks to priests on his delivery routes and gives them books and videotapes to share with their parishioners. He has helped thousands of people learn about the importance of water in their lives.
TO: Dr. Batman
FROM: Jim Bolen
I discovered the importance of water and salt to the human body in June of 1997 when I failed a medical for renewing my commercial flying license My pressure at rest was 230/110. I was grounded and told to see my personal physician. He told me I needed blood pressure medication, but I decided I was not going on any medication yet.
I left upset, in denial. My blood pressure had always been 120/80. I got a second opinion weeks later after trying garlic, herbs, vitamins, exercise, meditation, and found it still a solid 180/100. He told me if I didn't go on medication, my heart would enlarge and I would have a heart attack or stroke down the road.
I went home, depressed. I didn't want to accept old age at 54. I was telling a friend about my situation when a retired chiropractor told me about your book (Your Body's Many Cries for Water). He loaned me his book and told me to stop all caffeine for a week, drink ten glasses of water, and add 1?2 tsp of salt to my diet.
I looked at him like he was crazy. I had been on a salt-free diet for years. Thank God for your book, Dr. Batmanghelidj, and Dr. Lee Hobson for his time and generosity.
My blood pressure is now 117/75. I'm taking no medication at all and I have unlimited energy at 58 years old. No more headache or lower back pain; sinuses are clear and no constipation.
Thankfully,
Jim Bolen Indio, CA
I could write much more about blood pressure. Suffice it to say, “essential hypertension” is an indicator of an establishing chronic dehydration. Correct the established dehydration in your body with an adjustment to daily water intake and adequate intake of minerals to replace those lost through increased urination, and the adaptive need to raise the blood pressure from its normal levels will not arise. It is as simple as that. Dehydration is by far the most frequent constant stressor in the human body that raises blood pressure—in at least sixty million Americans. However, there may arise occasions when other silent stressors may bring about the same chemical driving forces that ultimately raise blood pressure. These occasions are few and far between and need exhaustive investigation to pinpoint the problem. We need to exclude dehydration as the primary cause of the rise in blood pressure first, before embarking on other approaches.
Salt and Hypertension
Recent articles in scientific journals are also questioning the view that salt is bad for those with hypertension. Dr. H. Alderman of Albert Einstein College of Medicine and associates, in their 1995 article in the Journal of Hypertension, have shown that people on restrictively low-salt diets are more likely to die from heart at-
tacks or strokes than those who use salt liberally. In a 1997 article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dr. David McCurron of the Department of Nephrology at Oregon Health Science University, Portland, found that with adequate daily intake of potassium, calcium, and magnesium, not only will salt not raise blood pressure, it might actually lower it. This article confirms my view that the water volume inside and outside the cells of the body needs to be in balance. Remember that salt regulates the water levels outside the cells. Potassium, magnesium, and calcium
are the vital minerals that balance the water volume inside the cells.
Additional information you need to remember is that five elements—water, salt, potassium, magnesium, and calcium—are involved in energy regulation inside the cells. Water drives the sodium potassium pump protein and manufactures hydroelectricity. This hydro-electricity is used for immediate needs, and the excess of it is converted to usable stored energy for emergency use. Calcium is bonded to other calcium in bones and in the endoplasmic reticulum inside the cells. Each bonded calcium atom traps one unit of energy that can be reused if necessary. Magnesium traps many units of energy in the form of magnesium ATP.
As you can see, the mystery of essential hypertension is solved. To avoid the problem, you need to take an adequate amount of water daily so that the urine is light in color. Your diet should include no less than 3 to 4 grams of salt, about 1 gram of calcium, 400 to 800 milligrams of magnesium (although this amount of magnesium is more than the official dietary reference values, most people are
severely magnesium-deficient and need to correct the deficiency), and about 2,000 to 4,000 milligrams of potassium. It is easy to get the potassium in high-potassium foods such as raisins, potatoes, avocados, lima and all the other beans, peas, tomatoes, cauliflower, bananas, bread, oranges, grape-fruits, dried apricots, milk, eggs, and cheese. Practically everything you eat has some potassium content. You need to eat foods and fruits with higher potassium content.
If you do not eat kelp, wheat bran, wheat germ, almonds, and other nuts that have very high magnesium content, or green leafy vegetables in which magnesium is a component of chlorophyll, you should take magnesium supplements every day. As for calcium, in order of their calcium content, kelp, cheese, sesame seeds, bean curd, molasses, pulses—lentils, different beans—figs, almonds, spring greens, watercress, parsley, plain yogurt, shrimp, broccoli, milk, cottage cheese, and olives will provide the calcium needs of the body. People on weight-loss programs, or those who do not have access to a balanced diet, should take these minerals in the form of supplements.
Iodine is a very important element for the regulation of the fluid content of the body. Iodine is essential for the thyroid gland to manufacture thyroxin, its primary hormone. It seems that thyroxin is the element that stimulates the cells to manufacture all the pump proteins that regulate the sodium, potassium, and other mineral balances outside and inside the cells, and that generate energy in the process. With the movement of sodium and potassium across the cell membrane, not only will water also move to balance the osmotic pressure in and out of the cell, but the other mineral-transferring pumps will take their cue and regulate the magnesium, potassium, and calcium levels of the cell interior as well.
Before salt was iodized, many people suffered from iodine deficiency and lumpy thyroid gland enlargement in their necks, known as thyroid goiter. One of the major complications of iodine deficiency is the collection of hard-to-move and inelastic swelling and edema, known as myxedema. Other complications are dry skin, loss of hair and memory, tiredness, sleepiness, and loss of muscle tissue. As you can see, iodine is vital for good health and good fluid balance.
Much to my regret, I discovered that unrefined sea salt does not have enough iodine. Thinking that sea salt has many important trace elements, I switched to using only sea salt and was not diligent in taking foods and multivitamins that would provide my body with the iodine it needs. My second mistake was that being so busy with sharing my medical breakthrough on water metabolism of the body with people that I was not alert to my own health problems. I developed all the early stages of iodine deficiency, but no goiter in my neck. However, I developed an uncomfortable feeling in my chest and also shortness of breath.
A high-resolution CT scan of my chest revealed a massive thyroid goiter in my chest that was pressing on my trachea, to the point of deforming it. This was three months ago. I adjusted my iodine intake in the form of dried kelp or as part of the composition of the one-a-day multivitamin that I now take religiously. As a result,
my breathing problem has cleared, my edema has cleared, I am no longer lethargic, and my energy level has increased; my sleep has normalized; my blood pressure is back to the normal range. I now feel much healthier and more confident and have lost fifteen pounds of the swelling that I had amassed. All these improvements have been made possible because of the vital role of simple iodine in the physiology of the body and adjustment to my intake of vital minerals mentioned above. You see, even doctors get sick, and that is how we learn. A word of caution: Do not overdo iodine intake. It could cause other problems.
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