Fighting Parkinson’s, and drinking more water

Over the last two weeks, I have been having the “you need to be drinking more water” conversation with quite a few people. Of course, the response is pretty much like this: “But I already have urgency of urination problems and I get up 4-6 times to empty my bladder in the middle of the night, so the last thing I want to do is drink more water.” I wrote about this issue last year, and it is time to address it again. You need to drink more water.

From last year’s post, Fighting Parkinson’s and drinking water:

“My theory is that you are not taking in enough water, and that accounts for your problem. I feel that the reason frequent urination is a Parkinson’s symptom is because the liver cannot process and cleanse our toxins and it puts our kidneys into overdrive — we keep running to the bathroom because our bodies are in survival mode and we need to get the toxins out of our bodies. More water will change this landscape.

As you know, I am not a doctor. My not-enough-water theory is based upon my experience and the experiences of people who I am coaching.

One of the causes of Parkinson’s Disease is: Kidney and Liver Wind Deficiency, which is caused by overwork and insufficient rest which unbalances the body’s natural rhythm. As I have written many times, the liver has been invaded by wind, so the liver is not cleansing toxins from the body as it should, and internal wind makes us shake.

When I was suffering from severe constipation, I changed to a vegetarian diet and I substantially increased my fiber intake. My research told me that a substantial increase in fiber would make the constipation worse unless it was matched with an increase in water. I, like you, thought, “The last thing in the world I need is more water. I might as well live in the bathroom.” However, since my constipation was very severe, I decided to go with the lesser of two evils and increase my water intake.

Remarkable, both problems were solved by something as simple as water. Here is my analysis of what I feel occurred, which is why I feel this will work for all of us.

A Parkinson’s body is a polluted, toxic body. Our livers are not functioning correctly and toxins are not being cleansed from our bodies correctly. The body, a great survivor, reaches down deep into greater survival mode and calls upon the other wonderful toxin cleanser, the kidneys, and tells the kidneys to work overtime at cleansing the toxins the liver is incapable of dealing with.

The kidneys go into overdrive and spend their time cleansing toxins and sending them to the bladder for release from the body. That is why we not only experience frequent urination, but it is emergency (don’t know if I can make it to the bathroom) urination. It comes on suddenly and there is nothing to do but respond immediately. This certainly sounds like the reaction of a body that is saying, “Get these toxins out immediately or else.” There is absolutely no choice to hold them in even a moment longer than when they tell you, “Time to go.”

So how does more water help? The body becomes hydrated. By having enough liquid in our bowels, we become regular and release our waste normally rather than having the large intestine pulling the toxins back into our body. So, solving constipation helps reduce toxins. If toxins are reduced, the liver can function better and the kidneys are not in overdrive. Also, when the body becomes hydrated, the toxins become diluted. This makes it easier for the liver to cleanse the body, and it alleviates the emergency response of the liver and the kidneys.

If the kidneys are not in overdrive cleansing toxins and sending them to the bladder for emergency elimination, two wonderful things take place: 1. Urination frequency decreases and the emergency goes away; and 2. Instead of the kidneys being in “toxin-cleansing overdrive,” the kidneys are free to use their energy to nourish the brain and increase brain energy, something sorely lacking in our Parkinson’s body.

So, there you have it. Something as simple as drinking more water can vastly improve our bodies’ natural ability to cleanse toxins, relieve constipation, relieve frequent emergency urination, and free the kidneys to use their energy to nourish our brains.”

I can share with you that although nobody posted a comment in response to this post last year, the feedback I have received from those I am coaching and from people who have sent me emails about giving this a try was that it works. Urination urgency disappeared almost immediately, constipation issues improved dramatically, and trips to the bathroom went down to 0-2 which is a huge drop from 4-6 per night. Think how much better you will sleep if you are not awakened practically every hour to run to the bathroom.

I know that this may seem contrary to everything you know, but what have you got to lose to give it a try. People have asked me what is enough water. I recommend, at a minimum, eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day (1/2 gallon per day). For our metric system friends, this is approximately eight 1/4-liter glasses per day (2 liters per day). Here is the part that takes a great leap of faith — I recommend 8-16 ounces of water (1/4-1/2 liters of water) fifteen to thirty minutes prior to going to bed.

On the Chinese body clock, our organs function at their peak in two-hour intervals. The Gallbladder is at its peak from 11:00pm until 1:00am and the Liver from 1:00am until 3:00am. At their peak during this 4-hour time period, the Liver and Gallbladder are cleansing toxins from our bodies. With Parkinson’s, this means highly toxic wastes is being sent for immediate elimination from the body and we go to the bathroom to empty our bladders 4-6 times per night. Drinking the water prior to bedtime helps dilute the toxicity acquired during this 4-hour cleansing interval, so the urgent bladder emptying during the night is dramatically reduced. The data I have collected over the last year says dramatically reduced from 4-6 visits to the bathroom in the middle of the night down to 0-2.

So, what are you waiting for? Go drink some water and heal yourself!

You are worth it!!!

All my best,

Howard