As I listened to a radio talk show on a Saturday morning in January 1996, I had no idea it was to be one of the most significant turning points in my life. I had been battling elevated cholesterol and triglycerides for four years. My doctor and two specialists suggested a low-fat diet, exercise, and even Lopid with its unpleasant side effects. I tried them all, but nothing seemed to be a solution I was willing to live with. And nothing I tried would bring the triglycerides down to the normal range of 35-160. They jumped around, ranging anywhere from 1716 to 616. As I understand it, high triglycerides cause the pancreas to work harder and, left untreated, can eventually lead to hospitalization and sometimes death. Serious stuff. My corresponding cholesterol ranged from 368 to 207, but at times could not even be measured because the triglycerides were too high But on that particular Saturday while I was out running errands, the doctor being interviewed on the radio caught my attention. He was explaining some of the health benefits of drinking water every day. Among those benefits, he said, were lowered blood pressure and cholesterol.

The human body needs a minimum amount of water every day to function properly. If it does not get what it needs, it uses many of its own defense mechanisms to retain water. Making cholesterol is one of those defense mechanisms. The body actually produces excess cholesterol to help it retain its needed water. When the body is properly hydrated, it no longer needs to produce the excess cholesterol and a blood test will show a return to the normal range. Might this also reduce triglycerides? It certainly was worth a try! The solution seemed so very simple – drink 8 to 10 glasses of water every day. Could it really be that easy?

I couldn’t wait to find out. I only had four weeks before an aviation physical in March, so I started drinking water to see if it would help. I started that very day and haven’t stopped! Usually before a blood test, I try to watch what I eat a little closer, but this time I didn’t seem to have the will power. The only thing I changed was drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water every day. When I went to the doctor to see the results of the blood test, I told him that I had given up on trying to lower the triglycerides and he could put me back on the Lopid. He looked at my blood test results and told me that wouldn’t be necessary, my triglycerides were 341, the lowest they had been in years! Whatever doubts I had vanished as I realized what a powerful medicine water really is.

My experience with water is ongoing and the last chapter has yet to be written. I feel so much better in so many ways, I no longer get muscle cramps in y legs, my food digests more efficiently, and I can honestly say I feel like I did in my 20’s. I found that the fountain of youth dispenses drinking water. Often medical doctors write prescriptions that only relieve the symptoms of disease, but do not provide a cure. Drinking the proper amounts of water every day provides the body with the hydration it needs to function properly. Among the many signs of dehydration are asthma, allergies, water retention, heartburn, dyspeptic pain, headaches, stress, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, low back pain, anginal pain, and more. Water, clear and pure, is the one true elixir of LIFE!

by Daniel Clemons