Allergy - Five Reasons You Should Drink More Water

I know you've heard this many times - "Drink more water!". Yet, 99% of the people don't heed this advice. Maybe if water was more expensive, people would pay more attention to consume enough of it on a daily basis. We are living in a dehydrated world of carbonated beverages, caffeine and alcohol. I bet you don't know how important is water for your health, figure and well-being. I didn't know it until I found a book that literally opened my eyes. The book is titled "Your Body's Many Cries for Water" by Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj. Reason 1: Water can cure many modern diseases According to Dr. Batmanghelidj, a long list of modern diseases can be practically eliminated by just drinking more water. The list includes and is not limited to: asthma, hypertension, back and joint pain, arthritis, constipation, allergies, ulcers and the list goes on and on. I know it sounds crazy. I have heard many weird health theories in my life, but what interests me is the "results of following this or that advice". The "drink more water cure" has worked for so many of my friends and myself that I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone. I cured myself of a nagging skin allergy. I have much more energy, strength, endurance and sleep much better now. I have had 100% success curing chronic constipation with my female clients. I don't know a single person that didn't benefit in some way by drinking more water. Reason 2: Water can decrease your appetite This is common sense. When you drink water, your stomach gets full and your appetite decreases. You end up eating fewer calories. If you drink water before each meal, you'll prevent yourself from eating thousands of calories in the long run. This means you are going to be leaner. Reason 3: Drinking water BURNS EXTRA calories When you drink water, your body burns extra calories. Drinking 18 ounces of water increases your metabolic rate by about 30% for about 40 minutes. This phenomenon is called Water Induced Thermogenesis. The total amount of extra calories burned by drinking 18 ounces of water is about 25 calories. Drinking 72 ounces of water amounts to 100 extra calories. That is a lot of calories in the long run. Reason 4: Water may help you burn more fat and build more muscle It has been shown that dehydration decreases protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is what builds muscle. It is an energy costly process. When you suppress protein synthesis, fewer calories end up building proteins and more calories end up in your fat stores. It's elementary: calories have two possible fates - they either get burned, or they get stored. When more of the calories you eat get burned, less will get stored. Dehydration has been shown to decrease maximal strength. When you are stronger, you can lift more weight and that means you'll build more muscle. Reason 5: Your skin will look much better Nothing will improve the appearance of your skin better than consuming enough water. It's a pity women spend so much money on skin products, while neglecting the cheapest and most effective one - water. How much water should I drink? Dr. Batmanghelidj's advice is simple: drink one ounce of water for every two pounds of bodyweight plus one and one half additional ounces of water for every ounce of beverage you consume containing caffeine, carbonation or alcohol. Do this every day. As you increase your water intake you should also increase your salt intake. Don't buy the "Sodium causes hypertension nonsense". Restricting Sodium does not help the vast majority of people with hypertension. Clearly, Sodium is not the CAUSE of hypertension. Your body needs Sodium to hold its water stores. Even if you consume more than you need to, your body will get rid of the extra amount that you overconsumed. Drink your water. Stay well hydrated. Stay healthy. Hristo Hristov owns X3MSoftware, a company specializing in developing diet and fitness tracking software. Hristo has a degree in Computer Science and passion for strength training. Hristo has designed and written Fitness Assistant, X3MSoftware's leading software product. Download your demo at Download Diet Software and Fitness Software by X3MSoftware Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hristo_Hristov Allergy - How to Test Your Dog for Food Allergies Does your dog suffer from skin problems and/or scratch constantly? Does he have hot spots or recurring skin infections? He may suffer from dog food allergies. Food allergies can appear in dogs any time in their lifespan, from puppyhood to senior. There are certain food ingredients that tend to be problematic. Among them are dairy products, chicken and chicken eggs, soy, corn, wheat, and even beef. Conduct a Food Trial To diagnose your dog's potential food allergies you can conduct a food trial, which means feeding your dog a unique diet for up to 3 months. You will need to feed your dog new foods it has never eaten before, such as venison and oats. Lamb and rice diets used to be prescribed for dogs with potential allergies, but they are no longer considered unique foods. Many commercial lamb and rice dog foods also contain soy, eggs and other allergens. Special foods are available through your vet or you can make your dog's special diet at home using your vet's recommendations. The special diet must be followed consistently, no other foods allowed including treats or rawhides. Continue with the diet until you see marked improvement in your dog's symptoms. Then go back to his regular diet. If symptoms return, then you know your dog is allergic to one or more ingredients in his regular food. Food Allergy Treatment Once you have confirmed your dog has a food allergy, you will need to continue with the special diet. If you are not sure which ingredient of the old food is causing the allergy, you could try a home made diet and add back in one of the potential allergens, such as soy. Until you narrow down the exact foods your dog is a allergic to. Then you can either keep your dog on the special diet or try a commercial dog food that does not contain the problem ingredients. Because symptoms can be similar with airborne allergies such as dust and mold as well as flea-bite allergies, it is important to test and eliminate them as suspects first.