Water–we see it everywhere and, in such abundance, and yet we value it so little, few realize the importance of water, but let a brought come, and all are then aware of the importance of this valuable necessity to life. Next to air, water is of great importance to man. While we breathe automatically drinking is a conscious process. If we were stranded in a desert, dying from thirst, who would prefer a ton of diamonds or gold to a glass of water? Keep water away from animals and they will die of thirst. Keep water away from plants, trees, glass, and other growing things and they will wither and die. It is said that water is the essence of life. But or thought do we give to water, since it is provided for us so abundantly? One recognizes quickly the importance of water in a drought or while visiting in third world countries, where water is not only scarce but in many instances contaminated. All should carefully guard their use of water in every day living, being careful not to waste any of it.
Harvey diamonds in his book, Living Health, says: “Water has often been worshiped and revered as the source of life. The Egyptians worshiped the Nile. The Hindus worship the Ganges. The natural springs of Greece were chosen as sites for temple. And, of course, baptism are performed in water.
“Without water our bodies would be reduced to a few pounds of dust. There is not one function of the body that is not dependent on water. Seventy percent of your body is water. Seventy percent! The following table gives the percentage of water in various body parts.
“Teeth 10%
Lungs 80%
Bones 13%
Brain 80.5%
Cartilage 55%
Bile 86%
Red blood corpuscles 68.7%
Plasma 90%
Liver 71.5%
Blood 90.7%
Muscle tissue 75%
Lymph 94%
Spleen 75.5%
Saliva 95.5%
Gastric juice 95.5%”
Living Health, pp. 85, 86.
Water plays a most important role in our lives even before we are born. It is in a water-filled home that a baby is fed and developed in the uterus of the mother.
“It is hard to imagine living without putting food in our mouth or breathing air into our lungs. Yet a healthy, developing baby can grow just fine in its water-filled home within the uterus without ever eating or breathing. God has prepared a very special way for nutrients and oxygen to come into the baby’s body and for wastes to be removed. He designed a unique and intricate organ we call the placenta, which is attached to the baby by the umbilical cord.
“The placenta takes over many important body functions of the baby, allowing its organs to grow and mature as long as it is in the uterus. It acts as the baby’s lungs, providing oxygen to the entire body, and serves as the baby’s lungs, providing oxygen to the entire body and serves as the boby’s stomach and intestines, supplying vitamins and nutrients to keep the infant healthy. Also, it behaves as the baby’s kidneys, removing wastes from its blood, Immediately after birth the umbilical cord is painlessly cut. Since neither the baby nor the mother needs the placenta anymore, it leaves the mother’s body.”–Energized, p. 202:1,2.
Living health, should awaken us to see and appreciate water and our use of it in every day life:
- Water supports the nutritive processes from digestion and absorption to utilization and excretion.
- Water holds nutrients in solution and transports all food necessary for life to the various parts of the boby
- Water holds wastes and toxins that it picks up from the cells and carries them to the organs of elimination.
- Water is an essential constituent of all cells and tissues and of the body fluids.
- Water keeps the various mucous membranes of the body soft and prevents friction between tissue surface.
- Water is the chief agent in regulating body temperature, serving much as does water in the radiator of a car
It is clear to see the importance of water in the function of the body. And it should be clear to all, especially to informed Davidian how essential water is in preserving good health. Water is a necessity in some of the countless, ordinary ways we take care of ourselves–drinking the proper amount each day, taking a daily bath or shower (although some mistakenly feel that this is not necessary in temperate countries), washing our hands, brushing our teeth after each meal, washing our clothes and dishes, and our use of it in preparing our meal, to name a few of the many ways we use it.
Although we use water in many of these important every day functions, we can also use water in a negative way. How? By drinking with meals. Here is what Diamond has written on the subject that agrees with the Spirit of Prophecy for the most part. Many health authorities also agree with what he says:
” .. ,Digestive juices are liquid, and drinking liquid, any liquid, any liquid, with or after the meal dilutes the digestive juices and tends to carry them right out of the stomach. This severely slows the digestive process, giving rise to many of the digestive complaint that plague so many so many people. Also, when drinking wid1 meals, we tend to swallow food that is only partially masticated. Not only is it best not to drink with meals, but you should wait two hours after a meal.” Living Health, p.88:4.
From Weimer’s lifestyle Manual, “Water,” page 2, We quote the following:
“Water and Meals: There are good reasons why one should not drink with a meal or too soon after eating. Some people envision the stomach as a vessel with a valve at each end, with the valve at the lower end remaining closed until all food is digested and then the valve opens to permit the contents of the stomach to flow into the small intestine, This is only partially correct.
“The pyloric valve at the lower end of the stomach is not really a valve at all, but rather, a constriction that is completely closed only a small part {or short period} of each contraction, even when food is in the stomach. The more water in the contents, the more rapidly they leave the stomach. Thus, if a person floods the stomach with water during a meal, he may cause some of the soupy mixture of food, enzymes, and water to overflow into the intestine before the action of the gastric juices is complete. Since the stomach enzymes carry on digestion only in an acid medium, their activity gradually ceases after entering the small intestine where alkaline conditions prevail.
“For maximum benefit, it is also important to avoid extremely hot and cold fluids. Biochemists have substantiated that enzymes involved in the digestion process function optimally at body temperature. Any temperature above or below this would result in a reduced rate of digestion. It is also known that excessive dilution of saliva and digestive juices will prolong the time required for digestion.”
How much water should we drink each day? Most authorities agree on six or eight glasses a day. If you start the day with a glass or two of water, it would be easy to get the amount you need long before nightfall. But do not wait for thirst to satisfy your need of drinking water. Make sure that you do not reach for juice or other thirst, and be sure to drink at least 2 hours before and after meals. The bottom line to keep our system running smoothly is to drink no less than six or eight glasses a day, In the heat of the summer, it may be easier for us to drink this amount or more. In the colder weather, some find it difficult to keep up their water intake. So unless we discipline ourselves and take a glass or two of water upon arising and then work it out to drink the other four or six glasses throughout the day, we will never get the needed daily requirement. Drinking juice or other liquids do not take the place of water, as many health experts agree. So the key to getting your daily amount of water is to drink, drink, drink; don’t wait only until you are thirsty, and be sure never to drink with your meals.
What kind of Water is Best?
Drink: “—pure water which is pleasant and safe to drink, free from disease causing organisms, chemical pollutants, and dissolved or suspended material that gives objectionable odors, taste, or appearance.”—Id., “Water,” p. 3. “Pollution has invaded…every place on earth. Air and water currents have spread toxic industrial, agricultural, and chemical waste, generated by our modern technological society, to every point on the globe. Even the Arctic and Antarctic ice caps are beginning to accumulate toxic wastes, so it is understandable that Ameraca’s springs, lakes, rivers, wells, and other sources of drinking water have not escaped this ever-growing invasion of pollutions. Scientists have proven over the years that water is one of the most efficient solvents known to man. In fact, water dissolves, absorbs, and carries with it something of everything it touches. It is this property of being a universal solvent that has allowed our drinking water to become loaded with virtually every contaminant dumped with virtually every contaminant dumped into the environment. Today, raw water, even after treatment by our cities, is a toxic chemical brew.