Hydrogen dioxide. As the saying goes, “If you drink too much hydrogen dioxide, you will be poisoned and die! Write your signature if you want to ban it!” Of course, the saying is a joke. Hydrogen dioxide is simply water and if you drink it, in normal amounts, you’ll help preserve a long and lasting life.
Your body is composed of 60% water. Drinking water has many health benefits, including:
- Adequate water helps keep things flowing in your gastrointestinal tract and prevents constipation.
- It relieves fatigue by providing rejuvenation to your system.
- It improves mood, as even mild dehydration can lower mood and cognitive functioning.
- Treats headaches and migraines, as most headaches are caused by dehydration.
- Aids weight loss, as a simple glass of water lowers appetite.
- Improves kidney function by helping to flush out toxins.
- Allows for recovery from workouts where fluid is lost through sweat.
The average amount of water you need each day is about three liters or 13 cups for men and two liters or nine cups for women. Drinking water every day will prevent many of the afflictions and complications above. Well-hydrated men and women tend to be more refreshed and energetic than those who eschew water in favor of carbonated or caffeine laden drinks.
Water sanitation and transport has been a challenge for even the earliest of civilizations. When it comes to waste water, the Indus Valley Civilization was the first to invent indoor plumbing and toilets, by using a series of canals beneath their cities to truck off waste during the high tide.
The Chinese were one of the first to tap underground water as a source. They used a system of wells, going back to 6000 BCE, including a Book on Divination which explains their methods, to harvest water and supply towns and cities around the civilization.
Slowly, over time, more water supply techniques were introduced. Stronger and more sophisticated well were created, even some using a pulley system, as well as tapping into natural resources such as the sea.
The Ancient Greeks were some of the first to use fresh water and divert it into towns and homes. The Greeks were the first to use underground clay pipes for sanitation and water supply. They were the first to develop a flushing toilet. They used a well organized water system to bring in water and flush water out.
Today, Americans use 346,000 million gallons of fresh water per day. Fresh water goes for our toilets, our washer systems, our faucets and sinks, our dishwashers, our showers, and our outdoor hoses, among others. The majority of Americans (300 million) get their tap water from public water systems. The other 15% receive water from private water systems, which are not government regulated.
Unfortunately, many locations today in the developed world are having difficulty transporting water. This is due to the demand put on by the growth in population, which is greater than the ability of the centralized infrastructure to keep up. More communities are moving to desalination technology, which takes water from the coast.
In America, people face a significant problem with contaminants in their water. One study showed that in any given region in America, there may be up to 2,100 known contaminants in the drinking water. This is difficult, as seen in developing countries, where drinking impure, contaminated water is the leading cause of epidemic disease.
In America, one of the chief contaminants that people are becoming more aware of is lead. This is due in large part to the Flint, Michigan water crisis where the visual of brown colored water stoked the nation’s outrage. Lead is a poisonous metal when consumed and some old water pipes still contain it. Each year, 480,000 children develop learning disabilities due to lead poisoning.
There are many methods by which you can protect yourself from contaminants, including lead. If you feel you’re in danger, try one of these methods:
- Water filtration systems
- Water softener systems for homes
- Educate yourself in the water treatment process
- Look for a home water treatment
- Look for in home water purification systems
Home water treatment is the best way to rid your water of contaminants. Home water treatment can include using a purifier at the edge of the faucet for drinking water, to more sophisticated home water treatment systems.