The Healing Power of Water

Sometimes we overlook the most fundamental basics of healing and health, in favour of more complex and expensive solutions. Water has been honoured since ancient times as essential to life, and as carrying a powerful life force, whether directly falling from the sky, or gathered in bodies of water like streams, lakes, rivers and the ocean. By paying attention to the role and place of water, we can bring more balance and awareness into our lives. 

Hydration

Many of us walk around chronically dehydrated, which not only has a damaging effect on our cells and organs, it is particularly not good for our brains. While certain types of fats have been emphasised in recent years, our brain is still made up of 75% water, and dehydration can affect cognitive functioning, including memory, attention and decision-making abilities. It can also affect mood and emotional well-being leading to increased anxiety, tension and irritability. Even mild dehydration can affect cognitive skills, and mood and give headaches. 

The body is about 60% water, and chronic low levels of dehydration, can affect so many functions and increase the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, risk of kidney stones, make us fatigued, create skin problems, digestive issues such as constipation, and lower endurance, strength and overall physical performance. Water is essential to help regulate body temperature and transport oxygen and nutrients to cells, and maintain healthy skin, among so many other things. 

It is important to drink enough hydrating fluids- and that means not relying on dehydrating ones such as tea, coffee and alcohol. Adding some life energy to plain filtered or spring water can be helpful in the form of a squeeze of lemon or lime juice- it seems to help the body recognise the water rather than it going straight through. Coconut water and fresh vegetable juices are also very hydrating. 

Cleansing

While drinking 2 litres of water a day is the “official” recommended amount to maintain proper hydration, there are times when drinking less (e.g. 1.5l) might be appropriate. However, drinking significantly more can also be beneficial, such as in hot climates or hot weather, when exercising and sweating, after a hot sauna or bath, and also when wanting to flush out toxins such as when doing healing protocols. Toxins are a part of everyday life- in the air, absorbed through the skin, and through our food, and good quality water helps to flush them through and out, along with a good diet. 

Over the last summer, I have been deliberately drinking 3 - 4 litres of hydrating fluids a day (and no caffeine) while also eating a low-toxin and cleansing diet, and have felt enormous benefits from it.

We also use water to cleanse our skin and hair, which is an essential hygeine aspect of modern life. 

Pain Relief

Warm water has long been known to help relax muscles and ease soreness. Hydrotherapy, which involves using water to treat conditions such as arthritis, can effectively reduce pain and inflammation. So can Balneotherapy. And cold water has also been used to help lower inflammation in the body. Natural warm springs have been used for health, community and longevity in different parts of the world. And similarly, cold water can be refreshing and stimulating to the body, and has been known to help build resilience and stronger immunity, as well as courage!

 Calming

Water can have a calming effect on the mind and mood. Swimming, for example, is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety, as the water provides a sense of weightlessness and can be very soothing. 

Many people also find the sound of water, such as ocean waves or a babbling brook, to be very relaxing. Sitting by a calm body of water can provide a deep sense of calm and relaxation. Even watching waves at the beach or a waterfall can be very soothing. 

Having a bath or shower, cleansing with water, can also be calming for the nervous system. A warm bath or shower before bed can help wind down and wash away the day. We instinctively know the calming nature of water. 

Healing

Masaru Emoto was a Japanese researcher who claimed that human consciousness could affect the molecular structure of water. He conducted experiments in which he exposed water to different stimuli, such as music, words, and thoughts, and then froze the water and observed its crystalline structure under a microscope. He showed that positive stimuli resulted in beautiful, symmetrical crystal formations, while negative stimuli resulted in irregular, distorted structures.

Emoto’s work has been criticised for lack of scientific rigour, and called pseudoscience, however, I found one study that did replicate the effects: 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/s/pii/S1550830706003272

I do not know the validity of Emoto’s work. Still, it is clear that indigenous people of perhaps all cultures, from ancient times to now, have revered the healing and elemental power of water and treated their pure water sources and bodies of water with immense respect. Nowadays, we dismiss such spiritual concepts as unscientific. However, healing has a lot to do with our state of mind, and respecting anything essential to our life, is not a bad place to start. Being more conscious of the water we drink, bathe in, enjoy, and its unique qualities is only going to be helpful and also make us more aware and in harmony with life on the planet we live.