Useful Information:
Surgeon Gintautas Laurinavicius
Instead of a Handful of Medicines, a Glass of Water is Enough Sometimes
"Water is not a cure for all diseases, but it can really help with some health disorders, help to heal faster, or even cure some diseases," says Kaunas surgeon Gintautas Laurinavicius. He has been immersed in research on the properties of water for many years. The doctors' and his foreign colleague scientists collected the information about water in a book that would soon see the light of day.
Dr Laurinavičius did not come up with the idea of writing a book about water and its benefits for the human body by accident. Laurinavičius, who devotes most of his free time to this hobby, believes that he also wants to make other people interested in water and its positive properties.
Water has always been close to G.Laurinavičius since he was born - he grew up and still lives in Panemune district, just a short distance from the Nemunas River. Since childhood, he has known what a pleasure it is to plunge into the cool river on a hot summer day.
But the doctor from Kaunas is convinced that water is not only good for bathing. He believes that knowing how much, how much and when to drink water can help people avoid many illnesses, or help them recover faster, improve their health and live longer.
Laurinavičius was prompted to take a more active interest in water and its application in medicine by reading a book by a well-known Iranian scientist, Professor Fereydoon Batmanghelidjo. Later, he read a couple of books by the well-known chemist Telesfras Laucevic and became fascinated by his insights and approach to human health.
"The formula for water may seem familiar from school, but let's try making it. Then we will realise that everything is not so simple," said Laurinavičius. He is pleased that the knowledge he has gained about water is also useful in his direct work treating patients. And many interesting, unexpected and sometimes hard-to-explain facts about water will also be available in the forthcoming book.
The body becomes drier and more acidic
According to Dr Laurinavičius, water is unique because it is everywhere - not only in all living organisms, but even in plaster or granite. Human beings are no exception. Even our teeth and bones contain water. A baby's body contains about 90 per cent water, while an old person's body contains only 55-70 per cent.
"Over the years, the human body becomes drier," explains the doctor. Another natural process that occurs as a person ages is acidification. "The less water we drink, the faster the body becomes both dry and acidic. The waste products of the metabolism - the acidifying substances that cause oxidative stress - should be flushed out with water. But when we don't drink enough of it, the waste builds up and pollutes the body," said Laurinavičius.
According to the doctor, you don't have to look far to find examples - if not eliminated, the body accumulates salts and bone growths, "bad" cholesterol builds up and clogs blood vessels, and you can develop stones, diabetes and other diseases.
According to the doctor, acidification of the body is the cause of many diseases and ageing, so it is very important to maintain the right balance of acids and alkalis.
Regulating the body's acidity - the balance between acids and alkalis - can be achieved through careful food choices. However, many foods are acidic, such as meat, eggs, white-flour baked goods, sweets, alcoholic and carbonated drinks, and sweetened beverages. They make the body more and more acidic.
Even a headache is a sign of water shortage
It will be difficult to maintain the body's acidity by food choices alone, but there is a simple solution - drink plenty of water, and this should be done before you feel thirsty. Experts estimate that at least 30 millilitres of water per kilogram of body mass per day is needed.
According to G.Laurinavičius, if the urine of a person who does not take medication and eats a healthy diet is dark yellow or orange, then his/her body is lacking at least a litre of water. Around the same amount of water is already missing if a person feels thirsty. Sometimes a lack of water in the body is also signalled by certain ailments, such as a headache.
According to the doctor, the Lithuanian population is lucky because the quality of borehole water in our country is very good. "The borehole water used in Lithuania comes from aquifers that date back 20,000 years and is very clean," says Mr Laurinavičius.
Lithuanians can drink even ordinary tap water, but even better is ionised alkaline water.
Scientists praise ionised water
According to Dr Laurinavičius, research by scientists in Japan, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland and the USA revealed the benefits of ionised water some time ago, and alkaline, and sometimes acidic, water often replaces expensive chemical drugs in medical institutions in these countries. In Japan, a country renowned for its long life expectancy, one in four families drink ionised water.
Scientific studies have shown that alkaline water is a natural antioxidant, just like vitamins C and E. Antioxidants, whether produced in the body or from the environment, have been shown by science to protect against many diseases. They reduce the damaging effects on the body of acidic free radicals that are produced during the metabolic process.
The example of the apple shows what free radicals and antioxidants can do. When an apple is cut open, it begins the process of oxidation. After a while, the apple turns brown. This is due to the action of free radicals. If we put a few drops of lemon juice on the apple or immerse it in ionised alkaline water, the oxidation process is stopped. Similar processes occur in the human body.
According to the doctor, a normal tap water barrel contains 11-12 molecules, while the number of molecules in the human body's water barrel is half that. This means that the body still has to restructure the tap water before it can absorb it. Alkaline water, on the other hand, has a lattice of 5-6 molecules, so the body absorbs it immediately, without having to use energy to process it.
Almost the entire human body (blood, cerebrospinal fluid, lymph, etc.) is an alkaline medium, so alkaline water (pH 7-14) is preferable. This is all the more so as alkaline water is also needed due to the body's constant acidification processes.
Another advantage of alkaline water is that it has half the surface tension coefficient of non-ionised water. Ionised alkaline water is more permeable, easier to penetrate and better able to flush the body.
According to Laurinavičius, drinking alkaline water adds oxygen to the body, which is life and energy. When there is a lack of oxygen in the body, carbohydrates are not fully broken down, and the process of fermentation takes place.
Suitable for people who play a lot of sport
Dr Laurinavičius is convinced that ionised alkaline water is beneficial for the prevention of diseases in both healthy and sick people of all ages. It is very useful for those suffering from cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks, strokes and thrombosis.
Ionised alkaline water thins the blood, makes it more fluid, prevents red blood cells from clumping together, has a positive effect on the skin, and slows down the ageing process in the body.
Studies abroad have shown that alkaline water has a positive effect on the immune system and helps treat asthma and other allergic diseases. It also helps with depression, constipation, cataracts, degenerative rheumatoid joint disease, gout, osteochondrosis of the spine, disc pathology and many other conditions.
Scientists have shown that this water also has an anti-cancer effect, as cancer only develops in acidic, low-oxygen environments. And for diabetics, drinking alkaline ionised water significantly reduces the need for insulin.
According to a doctor in Kaunas, drinking alkaline water makes it easier to lose weight. Not only because drinking more water, especially before meals, fills the stomach and prevents overeating. Drinking ionised alkaline water stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, releasing adrenaline, which activates the hormone-sensitive lipase in fat, which helps break down triglycerides into fatty acids and triglycerol. This speeds up the metabolism and burns more fat stores.
It's not for nothing that some sports clubs already have water ionisers. The lactic acid produced in the bodies of people who exercise intensively causes muscle pain, but is successfully neutralised by alkaline water.
G.Laurinavičius recommends drinking ionised alkaline water also for those who are often troubled by heartburn. "There is not too much acidity in the stomach, but too little alkalinity. If there is enough alkali in the body, over-acidity is impossible. Drinking enough alkaline water will prevent heartburn from recurring," the doctor advises.
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