Allergies

An allergy is any condition in which a person reacts in a hyper­sensitive or unusual manner to any substance or agent. The range of allergies is very broad and people may react to various foods, drugs, dusts, pollens, fabrics, plants, bacteria, animals, heat, sunlight and many other things. Whenever a foreign material invades the tissues, the body reacts to fight against it. The body produces certain materials called antibodies which combine with the foreign material and render it harmless. But should it enter the body a second time, the antibodies are torn away from the body tissues to attack the substance. This causes a chemical substance called histamine to be released, which in turn produce the disorders which are symptoms of an allergy.

In spring and early summer some people suffer from an allergic reaction to certain plants and pollens. This is called hay fever and can give the symptoms of a heavy cold.

Water

Water

Water is absolutely essential to every single form of life. Every living cell – plants and animals alike – depend on this substance. More than half of the human body is made up of water. Much the same time is true of other living things. Without water to drink, human beings would die in a very short time. The reason every living thing needs a certain amount of water is because the cells, the basic units that make up living things, have water molecules in them. Without water these basic units would be very different and of no use to life as we know it. In the course of a day, an adult human being takes in about two quarts in what we call solid foods, such as fruit, vegetables, bread, and meat.

These solid foods are not really dry, since they are thirty to ninety percent water. Besides these three quarts that enter the body from outside, about ten quarts of water pass back and forth within the body between the various organ systems. There are about five quarts of blood in the vessels of the body and three quarts of this is water. And this always remains unchanged. No matter how much water you drink you cannot dilute the blood.

Our sense of thirst is controlled in the brain. When the body requires more water, we experience the sensation of thirst. Usually our mouth and throat become dry – a signal for us to drink more fluids.