Water makes up 70%-80% of the body’s weight and helps to maintain body temperature, to metabolize body fat, to wash toxins from the body, to make blood the right viscosity, to lubricate and cushion organs, to transport nutrients, and a host of other things needed for the body’s health.

We each need at least 64 ounces of water per day. If you are active, you need even more. When you don’t get enough, you become dehydrated. Then the body takes the water from any place it can, including the blood.

When the body gets dehydrated, it closes down some of the capillaries. The blood becomes thicker, more likely to clot, and it is harder for the heart to pump it through the systems. This results in high blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol. Dehydration has also been linked to heartburn, headaches, and arthritis.

Some have estimated that as many as 75% of Americans are dehydrated. Sometimes the body might seem to be saying, “I’m hungry,” but it is really saying, “I’m thirsty.” A drink of water also might temporarily eliminate hunger pangs and help to keep body weight under control by avoiding snacking.

Our bodies take in water three ways. We get it from the foods we eat, the fluids we drink, and as a by-product of metabolism. It is always better to drink pure water instead of soda, tea, or coffee. These products may actually increase your need for fluids because most contain caffeine, which is a diuretic. Diuretics force out stored water along with certain essential nutrients, a reverse osmosis of the cells.

Dehydration is dangerous. Dehydration leading to a 2% loss of body weight may affect mental ability. Reducing water in the body as little as 5% can result in as much as a 20%-30% drop in physical performance; 10% reduction can make you sick, and 20% can mean death. With water pollution on the rise, it is best to drink filtered water whenever possible.

Though a number of sicknesses are directly related to a lack of water, the cure is often simply to take in more water. High blood pressure, cholesterol problems, ulcers, kidney problems, stress, and headaches can sometimes be cured by drinking pure water. Drinking 64 ounces of water a day decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, of breast cancer by 79%, and of bladder cancer by 50%!

Perhaps your body is craving water right now and you don’t even know it. So go get a glass. But be sure it is pure first. Water taken from the tap will probably have impurities. So might even bottled water. Best is the water you purify yourself through a charcoal filter. You can trust it to help you maintain good health.

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