Loo For Water

   

          Do you know that water is very important for your body? It helps in your digestion, and also prevents you from dehydration. According to scientists, our body is 70% content of water. So, what happens if we lack water?

Drinking water prevents you from getting sick, also from heat stroke and dehydration. We should at least drink 2 litres of water or equal to 8 glasses of water a day. Heatstroke happens when you are exposed too long in the heat, without drinking any water.  Here’s a fact, we can survive about 14-15 days by only drinking water, and not eating food at all. If it is the opposite, we can only survive for 3 days by only eating food and without drinking water, which causes dehydration, and sometimes, it could lead to death. So, do you feel that you have already drunk enough water yet?

         Signs of dehydration can be seen from our lips and urine colour. Our lips crack and our urine colour becomes yellowish to orange colour when we lack water in our body. You also get sick easily if you do not drink enough water.

         Fresh water contains minerals. But purified water, the minerals are extracted so it would just be plain liquid. Fresh water, which is not purified yet, still has chemical compounds in it, such as hydrogen and oxygen which is very important and needed in our body. Hydrogen exists in water, which functions to transport nutrients, lubricate organs and joints, regulate body temperature, etc. Hydrogen is also important in energy production and use. In the other hand, Oxygen is used for cellular respiration.  It would usually be water from springs at the mountains and the ground/soil. Demineralised water also called deionised water refers to water that has had its mineral ions removed, such as cations from sodium, calcium, iron, copper and anion such as chloride and bromide. It is a physical process which uses specially-manufactured ion exchange resins which bind to and filter out the mineral salts from water. Thus, none of the minerals that is needed in our body is left in it. It is better to drink fresh water than demineralized water.

         Electrolyte is a "medical/scientific" term for salts, specifically ions. Electrolytes are important because they are what your cells (especially nerve, heart, muscle) use to maintain voltages across their cell membranes and to carry electrical impulses (nerve impulses, muscle contractions) across themselves and to other cells. Another example where electrolyte drinks are important is when infants/children have chronic vomiting or diarrhea, perhaps due to intestinal flu viruses. When children vomit or have diarrhea, they lose electrolytes. Again, these electrolytes and the fluids must be replaced to prevent dehydration and seizures. Diuresis is an increase in the production of urine by the kidneys, which typically results in a corresponding increase in urine expelled by the body. When it happens without an accompanying increase of urination can cause severe medical problems.

           These days, we lack fresh water everywhere. Why? Because, now, the riverbeds are polluted with the wastes of factories that are built near them. Especially, in rainy seasons at Indonesia, it’s hard to get clean water. There are floods everywhere in Jakarta, and the people who delivers water are sometimes stuck in traffic. Hence, they aren’t able to deliver water to peoples’ houses. The poor aren’t able to get clean water since they are not able to afford the price for clean water.  

           Lead poisoning is a medical condition in humans and other vertebrates caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems. It interferes with the development of the nervous system and is therefore particularly toxic to children, causing potentially permanent learning and behavior disorders. Symptoms include abdominal pain, confusion, headache, anemia, irritability, and in severe cases seizures, coma, and death Lead from the atmosphere or soil can end up in groundwater and surface water. It is also potentially in drinking water, e.g. from plumbing and fixtures that are either made of lead or have lead solder.  

          Water is an important source of life. We couldn’t survive without water. Water prevents us from getting sick easily. And now, water is quite scarce, so we should use it wisely, not wasting it for unimportant matters. So, water has many  benefits for our body and use wisely in our daily life.

 

( By : Banshee - Elvira )

Source:

- http://chemistry.about.com/od/biochemistry/tp/Chemical-Composition-Of-The-Human-Body.htm

- en.wikipedia.org, Why?The Human Body, Why?Water

- http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/information/question565.htm

- http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-demineralized-water