It’s a jungle in there… well, really more like a rain forest

Have you noticed that scientists like using a computer as an analogy when describing our minds?  They make statements like our brains are ‘wired’ and process information in parallel and series circuits, with gears churning through thoughts until the pieces fit. Their descriptions bring across a point, though it feels a bit too dry and orderly to me.

I prefer to view the inner region between our ears as a wet, vibrant, and wild rain forest, with our creative inspirations stampeding like elephants, our repetitive thoughts calling back to us like Myna birds, and our confused notions swirling and swinging like monkeys across the canopy, searching for a point on which to land. I also prefer this analogy because just like the rain forest, our brains need a lot of water to thrive.

Did you know:

• Our brain cells are about 85% water?

• Water is directly connected to brain function and is used to make neurotransmitters, including serotonin (helps with depression) and melatonin (which improves attention span)?

• Headaches, forgetfulness and dizziness are symptoms of dehydration?

• A lack of water in the body - chronic dehydration - has been shown to be the root cause of many painful diseases, asthma, allergies, hypertension (high blood pressure), excess body weight, and some emotional problems including depression.* 

How much water do we need to thrive?

One of the first assignments I give my students is to drink more water. It’s simple and it helps. Doctors advise that to be properly hydrated, we need to drink the equivalent of ½ our body weight in ounces of water every day. For example, a child weighing 100 lbs would shoot for the goal of 50 ounces of water a day. For my teenage and adult students, it amounts to 2 to 3 quarts a day.  Most people are surprised to learn that they need that much water. Don’t worry; you don’t have to drink all of it. If every day you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, you can subtract one quart. That leaves 2 quarts a day to drink. 

Rule of thumb: drink about 2 quarts of water a day.

Now, I’m talking water - not soda, not juice, not milk, or coffee, and definitely not energy drinks. Your body and brain uses the water to clean out toxins. Consider how taking a shower in juice would feel compared to taking a shower in water? Just not the same. If you choose to drink something caffeinated then you need to add more water; 8oz coke = another 8 oz glass of water. If you decide to drink something with alcohol, then you need to double the amount of water; 4 oz glass of wine = 8 oz glass of water.

Fresh, clean, filtered water is essential to our health in so many ways. Relating to our brains, water provides the medium necessary for optimum communication between the neurons in our brain and throughout our nervous system. 

So, get out your water bottle, fill it up with filtered water and say “cheers” to the rain forest between your ears!


*This information is presented in the book 
Your Body's Many Cries for Water by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

The Blossoming Mind - The Body Side of the Nourishment Pyramid

Henry captured my heart from the moment he walked through the door. He had a warm, sweet smile, a gentle disposition and an ease about him. He told me he wanted to feel better though he didn't know what to do. Henry explained that he usually has no appetite, has trouble sleeping, gets angry easily, and is struggling in school. Henry is sixteen years old and didn’t realize that he was drinking one pound of sugar every day.  He wasn’t aware of the affects what he was eating and drinking had on his body or that it could easily lead to future problems like Type 2 diabetes. I sensed that Henry felt I was overreacting to his situation. Sadly, Henry is one of many teens who believes what he hears in advertising and that health warnings are for the "other guy".

Henry didn’t know that:

• Emergency rooms are seeing a rise in teenagers with heart palpitations and seizures. This increase is being related to the popularity and increased use of energy drinks.
• Pediatricians are finding correlations between lack of sleep and water intake and episodes of depression and hyperactivity.
• Children who skip breakfast are less able to distinguish among similar images, show increased errors, and have slower memory recall.
• Children experiencing hunger and thirst are more likely to be hyperactive, absent and tardy, in addition to having behavioral and attention problems.
• Children and teens require 10 hours of sleep a day. Besides cell repair and growth, deep sleep coincides with the release of growth hormone in children and young adults.

When I first meet with a student, I am very interested in their diet, sleep habits, and water intake. The quickest and easiest way I have found to help students like Henry is to add three things to their life: more sleep, more water, and more exercise. The next step is to remove a few items from their diet and reduce the amount of time they spend in front of a flat screen (tv, computer, or hand held).

 The picture below is the dietary guideline I use:

Nourishment Pyramid – The body side

Eating nutritional food is the first step. The body then needs to properly digest the food and absorb the nutrients. As well as learning challenges, my students usually also experience digestive problems, diarrhea, constipation, food allergies, or are picky eaters. I interpret these ailments as as indication of an imbalance to the health and integrity of the flora in their gut (intestines). The gut flora can be damaged by antibiotics, steroids, other drugs, a diet high in processed and sugary carbohydrates and low in fresh fruit and vegetables, and other stress factors. If this is the case, I suggest a particular diet with supplements to help heal their gut. The results have been amazing.

Henry agreed that his diet was high in sugar and that it might be causing some of his difficulties. He just wasn’t ready to make the changes I recommended. He joked, as teenagers do, believing that he would be the exception and live free of any complications. I hope he is right or he changes his mind before his challenges become more serious.

Next blog we'll focus on the need for water and fat.