Clearly a cure: examining the restorative powers of water.

The symptoms are familiar to Jonathan, a full-time student. He experiences a nagging headache and has a hard time concentrating in class. Marlene, a surgical nurse, gets a throbbing lower backache during a lengthy operation. Suzanne has a greater dependence on her inhaler, even before she feels parched.

Although the symptoms are different, each suffers from the same malaise. Headaches, lack of mental clarity, lethargy, anxiety, muscle fatigue, and increased problems with chronic diseases are all indicators of your body's desire for water.

The healing capabilities of God's perfect beverage astound researchers. "We don't understand what makes water so special," says Susan M. Kleiner, Ph.D., R.D., author of Power Eating and a vegetarian cookbook, who serves as an affiliate professor of the nutritional sciences program at the University of Washington in Seattle. "But water clearly has special properties that we can't take advantage of anywhere else."

Dehydration is to blame for a lot of our common health complaints, and exciting new studies show that drinking water may also buffer us from diseases such as cancer, asthma, and heart problems.

Water: Plentiful and Necessary

Water is as plentiful as the air that we breathe, so it is easy to take it for granted. But our body's relationship with water illustrates the miracle of life.

A human adult is composed of approximately 60 percent water, and water provides the form of our cells, tissues, and organs. This incredible fluid bathes our brain, regulates our body temperature, feeds us by dissolving vitamins and minerals, and transports those nutrients as well as oxygen. Water aids in detoxifying substances in the kidneys and liver, and acts as an internal cushion to protect us from injury.

We can live for several weeks without food, but water is so precious that we can survive only a few days without it.

The Plague of Mild Dehydration

Barbara Levine, director of the human nutrition program at Rockefeller University in New York, conducted a survey to find out how much water Americans are drinking. After questioning nearly 3,000 people across the country, researchers discovered that only 34 percent drink the traditionally recommended eight glasses of water per day.

Kleiner has deduced from her studies that approximately half of Americans are mildly dehydrated and suffer measurable effects from the condition. "Our thirst mechanisms aren't usually a good indication of when we need water," she says. "When you become thirsty, chances are you are already mildly dehydrated, which is defined by losing 2 percent of your body weight through fluid loss."

If you drink only when you are thirsty, you probably aren't taking in enough fluids.

During times of stress our bodies try to conserve water. Not drinking enough causes our blood to become too concentrated, heavy on salt and other solutes, and lacking water. The solutes pull water out of the salivary glands in your mouth, leaving you thirsty.

Normally most people lose about 10 cups of water every day through urination, perspiration, and breathing. Since our bodies can't store up an excess of water, we need to replenish by drinking nine to 11 cups (eight-ounce servings) a day.

Drinking More, Feeling Better

Dehydration plagues us in a number of ways. Sometimes we experience headaches when a lack of fluid constricts and dilates the blood vessels, creating a spasm in the head and causing pain. This problem can be compounded by headache sufferers who tend to consume copious amounts of caffeine and artificial sweeteners, sidestepping the pure water that their bodies are crying out for and unintentionally turning up the pain.

Poor hydration also contributes to fuzzy thoughts. One study published in the Archives of Environmental Health signified that mild dehydration caused the participants to have decreased visual ability and short-term memory and increased difficulty solving addition and subtraction problems.

Kleiner says some aches and pains that we endure may be a result of inadequate hydration. "When you get dehydrated, muscle fatigue kicks in. A lot of people notice it in their legs; they've just got to sit down."

Athletes should increase their fluid intake during exercise and will quickly become accustomed to the feeling of water in their stomachs during a workout. Keeping your fluids topped off during exercise will help you avoid overheating and improve physical endurance.

A Drink to Your Health

Like a cleansing river, water flushes our intestines, sweeping waste along with it, affording us protection against kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and constipation, as well as providing cancer-fighting benefits. Researchers in England conducted a pilot study that revealed a huge decrease of breast cancer risk in women who drink sufficient amounts of water. According to a study done at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, those who consume at least four glasses of water a day cut their risk of colon cancer by 46 percent, compared to those who drink only two cups a day. The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii concluded that women who drink eight glasses of water a day are at 80 percent less risk of developing bladder cancer.

Kleiner says these studies have been well conducted, and although the results are not definitive, the information is very significant. "People could criticize these studies," admits Kleiner. "They could say that the participants are health-conscious water drinkers who have other good health practices that lower their risk for problems, but that is not really the case. Other health factors and habits were taken into consideration, and water was still a remarkable factor. Someone who falls short in other areas of good health habits still benefits immensely from drinking water."

In addition to having cancer-fighting attributes, water can positively influence respiratory problems. A study at the University of Buffalo found that asthmatic men and women have poorer lung function when they are dehydrated, and are more likely to suffer an attack.

Heart health is also improved by the practice of drinking water. Dehydration can cause blood volume to lessen, forcing the heart to pump harder and thus increasing one's risk of heart attack. A cardiac condition called mitral valve prolapse syndrome (MVPS) occurs when the mitral valve (which separates the top part from the bottom in the left side of the heart) doesn't close properly, causing a backflow of blood. During a study of MVPS at the University of Arizona, researchers were able to duplicate symptoms of the condition in healthy people just by inducing dehydration.

You're Not Hungry; You're Thirsty

It is easy to confuse your thirst for hunger pangs. If you are trying to consume a healthy diet and control your weight, water can help. Spoiling our appetite by drinking a glass of water before a meal, or drinking to stave off between-meal snacking urges, is a simple and effective weight-loss strategy.

A lot of us are too busy to heed our thirst, and open ourselves up to a host of avoidable ailments. That is really a shame, because there are few health practices with such terrific benefits--that are as easy to adopt--as drinking more water. So go ahead and quench your thirst with nature's finest beverage.

RELATED ARTICLE: It's time to hit the bottle ... tips for quenching your thirst.

Note the Signs

Reports from the Mayo Clinic indicate that mild dehydration symptoms can include lethargy, anxiety, constipation, loss of appetite, headaches, and lack of mental clarity and physical stamina.

Don't Wait

By the time you are thirsty, dehydration is already under way. Plan to drink more than usual if you are flying in a plane, have a cold or flu, are exposed to extreme weather (cold weather and high altitudes are just as dehydrating as sizzling summer days), or if you are a woman who is pregnant or nursing. If you are working out, drink an extra eight ounces of water for every 20 minutes you exercise.

Water Your Waistline

Many weight management experts believe that drinking a glass of water before meals can cut calories and optimize digestion.

Create a Plan

You plan when your next meal will be; make a water plan, too, Healthy habits include drinking a glass of water in the morning and before you turn in for the night. Take a water break at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to keep sharp during your busy day. Keep a water bottle handy, and if necessary, schedule your water consumption goal into your daily planner.

Drink What Counts

Satisfy your thirst with flavored, sparkling, carbonated, bottled, or good ole plain tap water. Milk, juices, and herbal tea are close seconds.

Ice Tips

The University of Bristol in England has found evidence that drinking icy cold water before an important event may decrease your physical or mental performance by as much as 15 percent. Drink room temperature water on your big day, so that your body isn't sidetracked by warming up the water in your tummy.

Warning on the Label

Heed label warnings that medications should be taken with plenty of water. Drugs can become concentrated in the bloodstream and don't perform well without adequate hydration.

Something Isn't Right

Excessive thirst and urination signal diseases such as diabetes. Consult your doctor if you notice conspicuous changes.

Michele Deppe writes on health issues from Dayton, Ohio.