--Water carries every nutrient, mineral, vitamin, protein, hormone and chemical messenger in your body to its destination.

--Proteins and enzymes, the basis for your body's healing capacity, function efficiently only when you have enough water.

--Your daily energy depends on water, because your body's chemical reactions are water-dependent. Just like a hydro-electric system, the energy generated by your body's water is used by your two vital cell battery systems, ATP and GTP.

--Your brain tissue is 85% water. Messages from your brain to everywhere else in your body are transported on "waterways."

Water is essential to the cleansing processes of your body.

--It lubricates and flushes wastes and
toxins from all cells.

--It cleanses the internal organs.

--It helps eliminate toxins from the
blood stream.

Drinking enough water is critical to keep your skin soft and supple, your brain sharp and your elimination systems regular. But there's another side to the water story. Most Americans have reduced their intake of fats (including the good Omega-3 fats) to the point that their bodies don't hold and use the water they do take in. It's one of the reasons I recommend adding more sea greens to your diet for moister skin, shining eyes and lustrous hair....a quality of sea plants known since ancient Greek times.

How much is enough? Your body needs about three quarts of replacement water every day under normal conditions. Strenuous activity, summer temperatures, or a diet that's high in salt increase this requirement. Your foods provide up to 1 1/2 quarts of water per day. (Fruits and vegetables are more than 90% water.) Water is critical! So be sure to get enough water every day.

LINDA PAGE, N.D., Ph.D., is author of Healthy Healing, a primer on herbs and alternative health. Visite her site at: www.healthyhealing.com/water.html