Human Body Hydration ; FLUID BALANCE

Fluid balance is an aspect of the homeostasis of living organisms in which the amount of water in the organism needs to be controlled, via osmoregulation and behavior, such that the concentrations of electrolytes (salts in solution) in the various body fluids are kept within healthy ranges. The core principle of fluid balance is that the amount of water lost from the body must equal the amount of water taken in; for example, in human homeostasis, the output (via respiration, perspiration, urination, defecation, and expectoration) must equal the input (via eating, drinking, and parenteral intake).

Euvolemia is the state of normal body fluid volume, including blood volume, interstitial fluid volume, and intracellular fluid volume; hypovolemia and hypervolemia are imbalances. Water is necessary for all life on Earth. Humans can survive for 4 to 6 weeks without food but only for a few days without water.
Profuse sweating can increase the need for electrolyte replacement. Water-electrolyte imbalance produces headache and fatigue if mild; illness if moderate, and sometimes even death if severe. For example, water intoxication (which results in hyponatremia), the process of consuming too much water too quickly, can be fatal. Deficits to body water result in volume contraction and dehydration. Diarrhea is a threat to both body water volume and electrolyte levels, which is why diseases that cause diarrhea are great threats to fluid balance.

Water consumption

The amount of water varies with the individual, as it depends on the condition of the subject, the amount of physical exercise, and on the environmental temperature and humidity. In the US, the reference daily intake (RDI) for water is 3.7 litres per day (l/day) for human males older than 18, and 2.7 l/day for human females older than 18 including water contained in food, beverages, and drinking water. The common misconception that everyone should drink two liters (68 ounces, or about eight 8-oz glasses) of water per day is not supported by scientific research. Various reviews of all the scientific literature on the topic performed in 2002 and 2008 could not find any solid scientific evidence that recommended drinking eight glasses of water per day. For example, people in hotter climates will require greater water intake than those in cooler climates. An individual's thirst provides a better guide for how much water they require rather than a specific, fixed number. A more flexible guideline is that a normal person should urinate 4 times per day, and the urine should be a light yellow color.

A constant supply is needed to replenish the fluids lost through normal physiological activities, such as respiration, perspiration and urination. Food contributes 0.5 to 1 l/day, and the metabolism of protein, fat, and carbohydrates produces another 0.25 to 0.4 l/day, which means that 2 to 3 l/day of water for men and 1 to 2 l/day of water for women should be consumed as fluid to meet the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI). you can follow the watercure protocol formula . Details available for free from this blogsite.

Trace elements

In terms of mineral nutrients intake, it is unclear what the drinking water contribution is. However, inorganic minerals generally enter surface water and ground water via storm water runoff or through the Earth's crust. Treatment processes also lead to the presence of some minerals. Examples include calcium, zinc, manganese, phosphate, fluoride and sodium compounds. Water generated from the biochemical metabolism of nutrients provides a significant proportion of the daily water requirements for some arthropods and desert animals, but provides only a small fraction of a human's necessary intake.

There are a variety of trace elements present in virtually all potable water, some of which play a role in metabolism. For example, sodium, potassium and chloride are common chemicals found in small amounts in most waters, and these elements play a role in body metabolism. Other elements such as fluoride, while arguably beneficial in low concentrations, can cause dental problems and other issues when present at high levels. Water is essential for the growth and maintenance of our bodies, as it is involved in a number of biological processes.

Medical use

Effects of illness

When a person is ill, fluid may also be lost through vomiting, diarrhea, and hemorrhage. An individual is at an increased risk of dehydration in these instances, as the kidneys will find it more difficult to match fluid loss by reducing urine output (the kidneys must produce at least some urine in order to excrete metabolic waste.)

Oral rehydration therapy

Main article: Oral rehydration therapy

 

Oral rehydration therapy (ORT), is type of fluid replacement used as a treatment for dehydration. In an acute hospital setting, fluid balance is monitored carefully. This provides information on the patient's state of hydration, renal function and cardiovascular function.

• If fluid loss is greater than fluid gain (for example if the patient vomits and has diarrhea), the patient is said to be in negative fluid balance. In this case, fluid is often given intravenously to compensate for the loss.
• On the other hand, a positive fluid balance (where fluid gain is greater than fluid loss) might suggest a problem with either the renal or cardiovascular system.

If blood pressure is low (hypotension), the filtration rate in the kidneys will lessen, causing less fluid reabsorption and thus less urine output.

An accurate measure of fluid balance is therefore an important diagnostic tool, and allows for prompt intervention to correct the imbalance.

Routes of fluid loss and gain

Fluid can leave the body in many ways. Fluid can enter the body as preformed water, ingested food and drink and to a lesser extent as metabolic water which is produced as a by-product of aerobic respiration (cellular respiration) and dehydration synthesis.

Input

A constant supply is needed to replenish the fluids lost through normal physiological activities, such as respiration, sweating and urination. Water generated from the biochemical metabolism of nutrients provides a significant proportion of the daily water requirements for some arthropods and desert animals, but provides only a small fraction of a human's necessary intake.
In the normal resting state, input of water through ingested fluids is approximately 1200 ml/day, from ingested foods 1000 ml/day and from aerobic respiration 300 ml/day, totaling 2500 ml/day.

Regulation of input

Main article: Thirst

Input of water is regulated mainly through ingested fluids, which, in turn, depends on thirst. An insufficiency of water results in an increased osmolarity in the extracellular fluid. This is sensed by osmoreceptors in the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis, which trigger thirst. Thirst can to some degree be voluntarily resisted, as during fluid restriction.

The human kidneys will normally adjust to varying levels of water intake. The kidneys will require time to adjust to the new water intake level. This can cause someone who drinks a lot of water to become dehydrated more easily than someone who routinely drinks less.

Output

• The majority of fluid output occurs via the urine, approximately 1500 ml/day (approx 1.59 qt/day) in the normal adult resting state.
• Some fluid is lost through perspiration (part of the body's temperature control mechanism) and as water vapor in expired air. These are termed "insensible fluid losses" as they cannot be easily measured. Some sources say insensible losses account for 500 to 650 ml/day (0.5 to 0.6 qt.) of water in adults, while other sources put the minimum value at 800 ml (0.8 qt.). In children, one calculation used for insensible fluid loss is 400 ml/m² body surface area.
• In addition, an adult loses approximately 100 ml/day of fluid through feces.
• For females, an additional 50 ml/day is lost through vaginal secretions.

These outputs are in balance with the input of ~2500 ml/day.

Regulation of output

The body's homeostatic control mechanisms, which maintain a constant internal environment, ensure that a balance between fluid gain and fluid loss is maintained. The hormones ADH (Anti-diuretic Hormone, also known as vasopressin) and Aldosterone play a major role in this.

• If the body is becoming fluid-deficient, there will be an increase in the secretion of these hormones, causing fluid to be retained by the kidneys and urine output to be reduced.
• Conversely, if fluid levels are excessive, secretion of these hormones is suppressed, resulting in less retention of fluid by the kidneys and a subsequent increase in the volume of urine produced.

Antidiuretic hormone

Main article: Antidiuretic hormone

If the body is becoming fluid-deficient, this will be sensed by osmoreceptors in the organum vasculosum of lamina terminalis and subfornical organ.These areas project to the supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus, which contain neurons that secrete the antidiuretic hormone, vasopressin, from their nerve endings in the posterior pituitary. Thus, there will be an increase in the secretion of antidiuretic hormone, causing fluid to be retained by the kidneys and urine output to be reduced.

Aldosterone

Main article: Renin-angiotensin system

 

A fluid-insufficiency causes a decreased perfusion of the juxtaglomerular apparatus in the kidneys. This activates the renin-angiotensin system. Among other actions, it causes renal tubules (i.e. the distal convoluted tubules and the cortical collecting ducts) to reabsorb more sodium and water from the urine. Potassium is secreted into the tubule in exchange for the sodium, which is reabsorbed. The activated renin-angiotensin system stimulates zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex which in turn secretes hormone aldosterone. This hormone stimulates the reabsorption of sodium ions from distal tubules and collecting ducts. Water in the tubular lumen cannot follow the sodium reabsorption osmotically, as this part of the kidney is impermeable to water; release of ADH (vasopressin) is required to increase expression of aquaporin channels in the cortical collecting duct, allowing reabsorption of water.

elderly still do not recognize they are thirsty

The tragedy of waiting to get thirsty hits home when it is realized that the sharpness of thirst perception is gradually lost, as we get older. Phillips and associates have shown that after 24 hours of water deprivation, the elderly still do not recognize they are thirsty: “The important finding is that despite their obvious physiologic need, the elderly subjects were not markedly thirsty.” Bruce and associates have shown that, between the ages of 20 to 70, the ratio of water inside the cells to the amount of water outside the cells drastically changes from 1.1 to 0.84. Undoubtedly this marked change in the intracellular water balance would not take place if the osmotic push and pull of life could favor water diffusion through the cell membranes everywhere in the body—at the rate of 0.001 centimeters per second. Only by relying on the reverse osmotic process of expanding the extracellular water content of the body, so as to filter and inject “load-free” water into vital cells by the actions of vasopressin and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone systems—when the body physiology is constantly forced to rely on its drought- management programs—could such a drastic change in the water balance of the body result.

Waiting To Get Thirsty Is To Die Prematurely And Very Painfully.

Heinz Valtin, M.D. an emeritus professor at Dartmouth Medical School, has ventured the opinion that there is no scientific merit in drinking 8 x 8-ounce glasses of water a day and not waiting to get thirsty before correcting dehydration. This view, published in the American Journal of Physiology, August 2002, is the very foundation of all that is wrong with modern medicine, which is costing this nation $1.7 trillion a year, rising at the rate of 12 percent every year. Dr. Valtin’s view is as absurd as waiting for the final stages of a killer infection before giving the patient the appropriate antibiotics. His views are based on the erroneous assumption that dry mouth is an accurate sign of dehydration.

Like the colleagues he says he has consulted, Dr. Valtin does not seem to be aware of an important paradigm shift in medicine. All past views in medicine were based on the wrong assumption that it is the solutes in the body that regulate all functions and that the solvent has no direct role in any of the body’s physiological functions. In medical schools it is taught that water is only a solvent, a packing material and a means of transport, that water has no metabolic function of its own. I have come across this level of ignorance about the primary physiological role of water at another Ivy League medical school from another eminent professor of physiology who, like Dr. Valtin, researched and taught the water-regulatory mechanisms of the kidney to medical students and doctors. Only when I asked him what “hydrolysis” is, did the penny drop and he admitted the scientific fact that water is a nutrient and does indeed possess a dominant metabolic role in all physiological functions of the body.

Dr. Valtin’s emphasis on the water-regulatory role of the kidneys limits his knowledge to the body’s mechanisms of “deficit management” of the water needs of the body. He seems to base his views of thirst management of the body on the vital roles of vasopressin, the antidiuretic hormone, and the renin-angiotensin system, the elements that get engaged in the drought-management programs of the body, when the body has already become dehydrated. Indeed, he thinks dehydration is a state of the body when it loses 5 percent of its water content; and that one should wait until at some level of such water loss the urge to drink some kind of “fluid” will correct the water deficit in the body. This view might have seemed plausible 25 years ago. Today, it exposes the tragic limitations of knowledge of the human physiology that is available to a prestigious medical school in America.

In his recently published and widely reported assertions, Dr. Valtin does not take into consideration the fact that water is a nutrient. Its vital “hydrolytic” role would be lost to all the physiological functions that would be affected by its shortage in its osmotically “free state.” Another oversight is the fact that it is the interior of the cells of the body that would become drastically dehydrated. In dehydration, 66 percent of the water loss is from the interior of the cells, 26 percent of the loss is from extracellular fluid volume and only 8 percent of the loss is borne by the blood tissue in the vascular system, which constricts within its network of capillaries and maintains the integrity of the circulation system.

Philippa M, Wiggin has shown that the mechanism that controls or brings about the effective function of the cation pumps utilizes the energy transforming property of water, the solvent; “The source of energy for cation transport or ATP synthesis lies in increases in chemical potentials with increasing hydration of small cations and polyphosphate anions in the highly structured interfacial aqueous phase of the two phosphorylated intermediates.” Waiting to get thirsty, when the body fluids become concentrated before thirst is induced, one loses the energy-generating properties of water in the dehydrated cells of the body. This is a major reason why we should prevent dehydration, rather than wait to correct it. This new understanding of the role of water in cation exchange is enough justification to let the body engage in prudent surplus water management rather than forcing it into drought and deficit water management, which is what Dr. Valtin is recommending people to do.

In his research on the “conformational change in biological macromolecules,” Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir of the Weizmann Institute of Science has shown that the “proteins and enzymes of the body function more efficiently in solutions of lower viscosity.” Thus, water loss from the interior of the cells would adversely affect their efficiency of function. This finding alone negates Dr. Valtin’s view that we should let dehydration get established before drinking water. Since it is desirable that all cells of the body should function efficiently within their physiological roles, it would be more prudent to optimally hydrate the body rather than wait for the drought management programs of the body to induce thirst. Furthermore, it is much easier for the body to deal with a slight surplus of water than to suffer from its shortfall and have to ration and allocate water to vital organs at the expense of less vital functions of the body. The outcome of constantly circulating concentrated blood in the vascular system is truly an invitation to catastrophe.

The tragedy of waiting to get thirsty hits home when it is realized that the sharpness of thirst perception is gradually lost, as we get older. Phillips and associates have shown that after 24 hours of water deprivation, the elderly still do not recognize they are thirsty: “The important finding is that despite their obvious physiologic need, the elderly subjects were not markedly thirsty.” Bruce and associates have shown that, between the ages of 20 to 70, the ratio of water inside the cells to the amount of water outside the cells drastically changes from 1.1 to 0.84. Undoubtedly this marked change in the intracellular water balance would not take place if the osmotic push and pull of life could favor water diffusion through the cell membranes everywhere in the body—at the rate of 0.001 centimeters per second. Only by relying on the reverse osmotic process of expanding the extracellular water content of the body, so as to filter and inject “load-free” water into vital cells by the actions of vasopressin and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone systems—when the body physiology is constantly forced to rely on its drought- management programs—could such a drastic change in the water balance of the body result.

Two other scientific discoveries are disregarded when Dr. Valtin recommends people should wait until they get thirsty before they drink water. One, the initiation of the thirst mechanisms is not triggered by vasopressin and the renin-angiotensin systems—these systems are only involved in water conservation and forced hydration of the cells. Thirst is initiated when the Na+-K+-ATPase pump is inadequately hydrated. It is water that generates voltage gradient by adequately hydrating the pump proteins in the neurotransmission systems of the body. This is the reason the brain tissue is 85 percent water and cannot endure the level of “thirst-inducing” dehydration that is considered safe in the article published by Dr. Valtin.

Two, the missing piece of the scientific puzzle in the water- regulatory mechanisms of the body, which has been exposed since 1987, and Dr. Valtin and his colleagues need to know about it, is the coupled activity of the neurotransmitter histamine to the efficiency of the cation exchange; its role in the initiation of the drought- management programs; and its role in the catabolic processes when the body is becoming more and more dehydrated. Based on the primary water-regulatory functions of histamine, and the active role of water in all physiologic and metabolic functions of the body—as the hydrolytic initiator of all solute functions—the symptoms of thirst are those produced by excess histamine activity and its subordinate mechanisms which get engaged in the drought- management programs of the body. They include asthma, allergies and the major pains of the body, such as heartburn, colitis pain, rheumatoid joint pain, back pain, migraine headaches, fibromyalgic pains, and even anginal pain. And, since vasopressin and the rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone activity in the body are subordinates to the activation of histamine, their role in raising the blood pressure is a part of the drought-management programs of the body. Their purpose of forced delivery of water into vital cells demands a greater injection pressure to counteract the direction of osmotic pull of water from inside the cells of the body, when it is dehydrated.

From the new perspective of my 22 years of clinical and scientific research into molecular physiology of dehydration, and the peer-reviewed introduction of a paradigm shift in medical science, recognizing histamine as a neurotransmitter in charge of the water regulation of the body, I can safely say the 60 million Americans with hypertension, the 110 million with chronic pains, the 15 million with diabetes, the 17 million with asthma, the 50 millions with allergies, and more, all did exactly as Dr. Valtin recommends. They all waited to get thirsty. Had they realized water is a natural antihistamine and a more effective diuretic, these people would have been saved the agony of their health problems.

References:

1. Wiggins PM; A Mechanism of ATP-Driven Cation Pumps; PP-266-269, Biophysics of Water, Eds. Felix Franks and Sheila F. Mathis, John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.1982
2. Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir: Conformational Changes In Biological Macromolecules; Biorheology, 21, PP. 57-74, 1984.
3. Phillips PA; Rolls BJ; Ledingham JGG; Forsling ML; Morton JJ; Crowe MJ and Wollner L; Reduced Thirst After Water Deprivation In Healthy Elderly Men; The New England Journal of Medicine, PP.753-759, Vol. 311, No. 12, Sept. 20 1985.
4. Bruce A; Anderson M; Arvidsson B and Isacksson B; Body Composition, Predictions of Normal body Potassium, Body Water and Body Fat in Adults on the Basis of Body Height, Body Weight and Age; Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest, 40, 461-473, 1980.
5. Batmanghelidj F. M.D. Pain: A Need For Paradigm Change; Anticancer Research, Vol. 7, No. 5 B, PP. 971-990, Sept.- Oct. 1987; full article posted on www.watercure.com
6. Batmanghelidj F. M.D. Your Body’s Many Cries for Water; Global Health Solutions, Inc.
7. Batmanghelidj F. M.D. Neurotransmitter Histamine: An Alternative View; Page 37 of the Book of Abstracts; The 3rd Interscience World Conference on Inflammation, Analgesics and Immunomodulators, 1989 Monte-Carlo. The Abstract and the full article are posted on the Website www.watercure.com
8. Batmanghelidj F. M.D; ABC of Asthma, Allergies and Lupus; Global Health Solutions, Inc.

For more information on the role of histamine, see the articles on this topic in the science section, www.watercure.com/Topics10.htm or read my book ABC of Asthma, Allergies and Lupus.

F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

Who Is Dr. Yoshitaka Ohno ?

Dr. Ohno is a native of Osaka, Japan, where he received his education and training in medicine and neuropathology. Early in his medical career, he began searching for ways to stop the suffering of his patients with diseases that could not be treated successfully by standard medicine, and thus had to be managed with multiple drugs. He began to realize that the side effects of these drugs were creating serious chronic problems, as well as increasing the body'd deterioration.  After extensive study Dr.Ohno became convinced that the condition of the human body's water was directly related to the state of the body's health.

After leaving his medical practice, he continued his studies but found that the Japanese medical community was not placing much emphasis on chronic diseases found commonly among the aging population. He decided to enter the United States and accept a position at AMC Hospital in Denver, Colorado, where he could continue his research in geriatric pathology , including MRI studies on the relationship of water and cellular degeneration.  His work led him to investigate the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease. As a result of his work, he received the Community Leadership Award from the Colorado Alzheimer's Association in 1987, and the Humanitarian Award from the Alzheimer's Disease International in 1993. 

After returning to Japan in 1990, Dr. Ohno discovered a naturally magnetized water that was being used by a prominent physician to treat serious, life-threatening diseases.  As these patients recovered, Dr. Ohno became convinved that this water was unique.  he pursued numerous clinical studies with this water , both in Japan and the United States. In 1998, Dr. Ohno founded the  Ohno Institute on Water and Health, a non-profit research and education center for studying the effect of naturally magnetized water on health and aging. He has been requested as a speaker at several health conferences and has published several articles in professional journals on his findings. Click For Location 

Bio-Magnetism and Water Cumulative Effect of Bio-Magnetism and Water on Increasing the Body's Resistance to Disease and Aging

by by Yoshitaka Ohno, M.D., Ph.D. Howard Reminick, Ph.D.

© Francene Hart The body is under constant attack. Environmental contaminants make their way into the air, food and water, and invade our body. Rapid environmental changes in modern society have led to a breakdown of the body's defenses and a rise in immune-related diseases. Although we are living longer, we are really only living a longer period of time for our body to deteriorate from chronic  disease associated with aging.  Quantityof life, therefore, has replaced  quality of life. Throughout our lifetime, we are  confronted with the mystery of why we  become so susceptible to disease as we  age. After many years of studying the  relationship of water to disease and  aging, I am convinced that the body's  ability to resist disease and unnatural  aging depends on the condition of the  water in our body. What does this mean?  It means that water is the key in providing  our body with what it needs to strengthen its immune system, to better process  nutrients, to maintain electro-chemical  balance, and to protect the cells from  damage by absorbing and flushing out  toxins and wastes before they accumulate and destroy them. The mystery of understanding disease,  therefore, begins basically with knowing  what our body needs throughout its  lifetime to maintain a consistent balance.  It requires investigation; not only what  factors and conditions result in disease,  but also how the body reacts to hosting  various destructive organisms. We also  need to know what known methods can  be utilized in seeking the best preventive  and maintenance measures available. It  also requires understanding the demands  placed upon our body from sudden  changes, without the body having time  to adapt and allow the natural immune  system to help re-establish its balance. Health and aging depend on the quality,  content and structure of the water in our  body. Since our body is 70% water, a cell  is 70% water, and the DNA in the cell is  70% water, then the water we put into our  body must be significant in how we age  and how well our body can maintain a  stable internal environment to keep  disease-producing influences from  destroying it. Symptoms of the body's deterioration  begin to appear when the body loses 5%  of its total water volume. In a healthy,  normal adult, this is seen as fatigue and  general discomfort. Although an adult can  survive with a 5% water volume loss,  this amount can be dehydrating to an  infant. In an elderly person, a 5% water  loss may not be fatal, but the body  chemistry becomes abnormal, especially  if the percent of electrolytes is  overbalanced with sodium. If this percent  decrease in water volume continues, the  body will break down. Symptoms seen in aging, such as fever, nausea, dizziness  and even disorientation will become  standard. Continuous water loss over  time will speed up aging, as well as the  disease process itself. Not maintaining  the required water volume in the body  will result in continuous and apparent destruction.  The body will die in less than a week  without the minimum amount of water  to sustain itself. All body functions take place in water,  interacting with cells. Because water is  an excellent solvent, assimilation of vital  nutrients and proteins take place through  absorption. Water then carries those sub- stances throughout the body to vitalize  and replenish cells, and protect their  exterior walls. This allows such functions  as metabolism, digestion, blood flow and  cellular reproduction to remain normal.  However, all of these functions can be  seriously disrupted when the body's  water is contaminated. Instead of being a  stabilizing force, water can add to the  disturbance of these functions. Studying water as long as I have has led  me to identify a progression of the disease  process in our body. I call this the "cycle  of disease," because I have seen a direct  progression of deterioration in the body  as it becomes susceptible to disease. It  begins with water that is contaminated  with toxins and chemicals that can't be  neutralized and as a result, change the  chemistry of body fluids. As contamination continues in our body,  its water becomes acidic. This sets up a  condition for oxygenation, which disrupts  cell stability by stealing electrons. As a  result, free radicals form and destroy cells.  Now the body is in a state of disease. In  the process of defending the body from  mass destruction, the immune system is  weakened. In the process of recovery,  over medication results in further  weakening the immune system. This is compounded by the autoimmune system response, which attacks  and destroys  healthy cells. We can now see a domino  effect take place, as cells continue to be  invaded and destroyed. Our natural immune system needs time  to respond and help the internal  environment of the body to adapt to  radical changes. In the past, our body  had time to build defenses to protect itself. However, today  we face the constant threat of new toxins  and organisms produced in the environ -ment, which invade our body as the  immune system struggles to build its new  line of defense. During this process, the  human organism remains vulnerable. Much of the power of the immune system  is located in the blood, where it provides protection from foreign pathogens.  Antibodies in the blood locate unfamiliar molecules attached to organisms in the  body and attack them. Blood is composed  of  90% water. When the water,  which composes most of the blood  is contaminated, the antibodies become  disabled and are not effective in  destroying toxic invaders. Knowing  the importance of water and providing  our body with the best water possible  can give us an edge in protecting our  body. Some Important Facts about  the Body's Natural Healing Process The body has the natural ability to  repair and heal itself. This is seen in  every species of life. However, we  have turned away from this and rely  on "modern medical miracles" to  provide a quick fix for recovery from  illness. Healing requires energy. The body is  a molecular structure, composed of  60 trillion cells. Cells are produced  and maintain their structure and  function based on energy. The  production of energy is sustained  by the stability of the electrons of  the cell. Lost electrons create a  disruption in the cell's energy supply.  Metabolism is disturbed and the  cell dies. The body's magnetic wave-form  must be smooth and even in order  for the body to return or remain  in balance. Electromagnetic waves can be  measured with instruments such as  EEG (electroencephalogram) and  EKG. Disturbance in magnetic rhythm is seen in erratic magnetic wave  patterns shown by these instruments. Healing depends on blood circulation  to bring energy, oxygen and nutrients to a distressed area of the body. This requires a continuous rate of flow and a balanced pH, between pH 7.35 and pH 7.45.  It also depends on the blood's ability to prevent plaque from forming on  arterial walls because of a high  viscosity or resistance. Usually we have to return our body  to a state of health in three stages: 1. Detoxification 2. Re-balancing 3. Provide it with protective  mechanisms against disease and unnatural aging. During this period, it is essential that  we increase water consumption in  order to increase intracellular hydration.  However, in order for the healing  process to become activated, two  conditions must be present. First,  the body's water must be capable of  providing an internal environment to  allow the body to remain in balance.  And second, there must be a magnetic  influence to allow the water to  activate the body's energy and physiology. The majority of medical scientists  follow a common principle regarding  disease. Health and disease are  basically determined by states of  order and disorder in our body.  Disease is a disturbance of molecular  structure, which results in a breakdown  of cells and the bio- electrochemical  processes of various systems, as well  as the human organism as a whole.  A natural state of order in our body  is required and is directly related to  a stable, magnetic waveform, which  helps produce, as well as distribute  energy throughout the body. This  waveform is necessary to keep the  body in balance. Whenever the body  is disrupted by internal or external  destructive influences, its magnetic  waveform becomes erratic. In order  for the body to return to balance,  a stable magnetic wave must be  restored. When this happens, the  natural healing responses can  effectively make a correction. The body's magnetism stimulates the biochemistry needed for the body's communication systems and for  natural healing to take place. Healing  begins and ends in the core of every  cell. Because water composes most of  the body, it is the medium for allowing magnetization to activate this healing  process. Minerals that respond to and  activate magnetization in the body  have been depleted from our soil and  drinking water sources. These minerals  must be constantly replaced for our  body to maintain its ability to remain  stable and benefit from its magnetic  energy. The body has a magnetic blue  print and the source and the level of  magnetism affects the level of energy.  Its electrochemical plant in every cell  programs all activity that takes place  in the body. Magnetism is a dominating factor in  all human functions. As geomagnetism  holds the earth and all life in balance,  so is magnetism necessary for the  human body to remain in balance.  Since water is the basis of life, how  it is influenced by magnetism  determines how effective it is in  regulating all bodily functions. Water that is naturally magnetized can communicate and transfer information  from one molecule to another and,  therefore, from one system or organ  to another. This is made possible by  the orderly arrangement of its water  molecules, traveling through the body,  as they are kept aligned by magnetization. Without active magnetization in each  molecule, water will not remain in an  orderly structure after each impulse.  Messages between cells will become  distorted and there will be no steady  magnetic frequency. How Does Naturally Magnetized  Water Work in Our Body? The Japanese symbol for "Perfect  Harmony or Balance" is Nariwa.  完璧なハーモニー Kanpekina hāmonī.  (click here to pronounce) 完璧な調和 Kanpekina chōwa (click to pronounce) This describes what we call  homeostasis, the body in balance.  It seemed like the right word to  describe what I have found out  about how important the water in our  body is to bring it into a state of  harmony or balance. Ever since I discovered Nariwa naturally magnetized water in Japan, which  was being used by physicians to treat  serious, life threatening diseases, and  began experimenting with it, I have  found changes in the health status of  patients whom I have studied. As a  medical researcher, I have struggled  for many years asking questions on  the many causes of the body's  deterioration and susceptibility to  disease, especially diseases associated  with aging. I have conducted several investigations, including controlled  clinical studies and individual case  studies. The results of these  investigations revealed many answers  to my questions. I have exposed this water to stringent  laboratory testing for safety, content  and structure. I have had Darkfield  microscopy done that showed its  unique molecular structure, as well  as its ability to influence changes in  blood cells of diseased patients. The  related scientific support for what  this water does in the body offers  a solid rationale for its use as a  healing and preventive substance. As a result of my extensive research  and experimentation with naturally  magnetized water, I can report four  major findings: 1. The quality, content and structure  of the water in our body is directly  related to how well the body main -tains its ability to control and  prevent influences that cause it to  deteriorate and become susceptible  to disease. 2. Magnetization will change the  structure of water molecules. Regular  drinking water from our faucets or in  commercial bottled water is formed  in large molecular clusters (between  50 to 60). Magnetization in water  will organize molecules into small  clusters (3 to 5) and keep them aligned  during movement and absorption.  This will stabilize the structure and  composition of cells. 3. If elements contained in water are  magnetized, they can attract and  absorb toxins and other contaminated  substances from cells. These can then  be flushed out before they can  accumulate and become destructive. 4. Because of our diet and the  condition of standard drinking water,  the water in our body becomes acidic.  This lowers the pH in body fluids  and can change blood pH stability.  As a result, a condition known as  acidosis can be created over time,  which results in disease. Naturally  magnetized water contains a higher  alkaline pH, which can help  neutralize acidity in body fluids. When a molecule of a different  substance is dissolved and absorbed  in water, a major structural change  takes place with a completely new  molecular structure. Under the effect  of magnetized water, the new  structure will break and change,  influenced by the "magnetic signature"  of the water. Because of the magnetic influence in the water molecules, the  new molecule will also remain stable. This is important regarding the  molecular structure of vitamin and  mineral supplements. Because the  molecules are too large to be completely  broken down and absorbed by the  cells in water that is not bio-magneti -cally activated, they are mostly  flushed out of the system before they  can enter the cell membrane and  properly nourish the cells. However,  naturally magnetized water can  break down vitamins and minerals  into smaller molecular clusters,  absorb them easily and transport  them into the cells. Studies Conducted on Naturally  Magnetized Water Several controlled clinical studies,  as well as individual longitudinal  case studies, have been conducted  over the past five years on how this  water changes the way the body resists  and recovers from health problems.  These studies have consistently reported improvements. Findings indicate that  study subjects exposed to this water  over an average of two months showed  an increase in kidney function. This  was seen in a study that reported cell detoxification, increased cell hydration  and lower pH in body fluids after three  months. A major study, which I  conducted, showed that over time,  naturally magnetized water can stabilize  harmful bacteria in intestinal flora.  Improvements have been documented  with patients suffering from hypertension, diabetes, asthma, psoriasis, arthritis,  colitis, and multiple sclerosis. A study was conducted using  Darkfield microscopy to film blood  samples of patients with long-term  chronic disease. After two months,  changes in blood cell structure and  composition were noticeable, which  substantiated improvements measured  with clinical instruments. This study  has been expanded to test if  improvements remain or are lost after  a withdrawal period from drinking this  water, and if improvements will return  after resuming this water. Four years ago, a double-blind study  was conducted with Alzheimer's  residents at an assisted living facility  on the effect of this naturally  magnetized water on delaying memory  loss. Significant differences were  reported between groups. Subjects  were also given pre- and post-PET scans. Subjects in the Experimental Group  (using naturally magnetized water)  showed greater glucose metabolism  and oxygen flow in the brain. After preliminary investigations  discovering that persons with  Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) show a high correlation with  dehydration, this water was used  with a large study population of  ADD subjects. This study is not  completed, but preliminary  testing after two months report that  the intracellular fluid volume has  increased. Over fifty individual longitudinal  case studies reported noticeable  changes in health status of patients  suffering from chronic fatigue  syndrome, Crohn's disease, multiple  sclerosis, colitis, diabetes, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, migraine and several  other aging-related disorders. A most  remarkable case was a woman who  had been suffering from psoriasis  arthritis for over twenty years. She  had been given aggressive treatments,  including radiation and high levels of  cortisone. She presented with lesions  throughout her body and limited  movement in joints. She had to quit  her job and could not even handle  daily living tasks. After three months  of drinking this magnetized water,  her lesions disappeared and her range  of motion returned.  These studies and cases are all  documented are all available by  contacting the Ohno Institute.  The Ohno Institute is a non-profit,  research and education center.  About the Authors: Yoshitaka Ohno, M.D., Ph.D.,  Founder and President of Ohno  Institute on Water and Health,  Cleveland, Ohio. U.S.A. Dr. Ohno is a native of Osaka, Japan,  where he received his education and  training in medicine and neuro- pathology. Early in his medical career,  he began searching for ways to stop  the suffering of his patients with  diseases that couldn't be treated  successfully by standard medicine  and had to be managed with  multiple drugs. He began to realize  that the side effects of these drugs  were creating serious chronic  problems, as well as increasing the  body's deterioration. After extensive  study, he because convinced that  the condition of the body's water  was directly related to the state of  the body's health. While continuing  his studies, he found that the  Japanese medical community was  not placing much emphasis on  chronic diseases found commonly  among the aging population. After  receiving his Ph.D. in pathology,  he decided to enter the US and  accept a position at AMC Hospital  in Denver, Colorado, where he could continue his research in geriatric  pathology, including MRI studies on  the relationship of water and cellular degeneration. His work led him to  investigate the n Alzheimer's disease.  As a result of his work, he received  the Community Leadership Award  from the Colorado Alzheimer's  Association in 1987 and the  Humanitarian Award from the  Alzheimer's Disease International  in 1993. After discovering a  naturally magnetized water in  Japan that was being used by  physicians to treat patients,  Dr. Ohno became convinced that  this water could be a breakthrough  in dealing with diseases that  currently cannot be cured. Howard Reminick, Ph.D.,  Vice President of the Ohno Institute  Dr. Reminick was a health educator, administrator and program developer  before joining the Ohno Institute.  His specialty was medical  rehabilitation, where he planned  and developed several rehabilitation  units in hospitals and out-patient  facilities. He created an inter- disciplinary model for rehabilitation,  which became the model for the  State of Ohio Worker's Compen- sation Rehabilitation Division. In  1977, he was appointed as state  delegate to the White House  Conference on Disabilities. Since  1995, he has worked with Dr. Ohno  to develop and promote studies  on health problems associated  with aging. Because of his strong background in research, he was  brought to the Ohno Institute to  lead the team in research and  development of the naturally  magnetized water discovered in  Japan by Dr. Yoshitaka Ohno.