How Liquid Are You?

pharmacy

In 1964 I got my first job as a pharmacist and, soon after, secured a residential accommodation in Surulere area of Lagos Mainland. I lived there for a year before moving out. One thing that makes me to remember that period was my neighbour, a young economics graduate, Jim Olisakwe, from the University College Ibadan (now University of Ibadan).  As a company pharmacist, I started well with a good salary and 404 Peugeot car. On the other hand, Jim was living from hand to mouth but he was always cheerful and pleasant, and fond of telling stories. However, usually towards the end of the month his mood changed. On many occasions, he would come to me and ask,” Pharmacist, how liquid are you? I just need a few shillings to keep me going till next week.”  He asked how liquid I was virtually every month. Of course, I obliged him, as he never failed to return the loan as soon as he got his salary.

The state of being liquid or liquidity is a critical issue in business. With all the assets available, if the cash flow is negative, the business cannot perform well. Cash or whatever can be easily converted to cash is vital for business operation.  Any business, therefore, must be asking itself the question Jim asked me: “How liquid are we?”

In the body, the basic liquid is water.  Beverages, alcohol, soft drinks etc are liquids but clean water is the universal solvent which the body needs and without which it will not function well. The body is made up of about 70 – 75% water. The brain is 90% water, blood 83%, muscle 75% and bone 22% water. Reducing water in the body to as little as 5% can result in as much as 20 -30% drop in physical performance. 10% reduction can make you sick and 20% can result in death.  That is why “dry fasting” could be fatal, if prolonged. All the cells of the body need water to perform their functions. Water is absolutely essential for survival.

By eating raw fruits and vegetables, we can supplement our water intake. Fruits contain about 88 % water, while vegetables contain less. Eating raw fruits and vegetables makes the body to need less drinking water. Cooked food does not contain enough water to make it digestible. While eating cooked food, you drink water to aid digestion. But this water also dilutes the first-stage digestive juices thereby causing incomplete digestion. Therefore, it is better to rehydrate the body with fruits and vegetables throughout the day and sipping water and live juices.

It has been demonstrated that lack of adequate water in the body is implicated in many health problems. For example, if you do not supply enough water to the body, your brain cannot function well, and you may have headache or migraine. Harmful effects of dehydration include tiredness, constipation, muscle cramps, irregular blood pressure, kidney problems, dry skin etc.

Thirst is the obvious sign that you’re already dehydrated. Please do not wait until you are thirsty before sipping some water. If you’re thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Some people mistake hunger for indication to eat food whereas the problem is actually dehydration. Avoid fatigue by taking about 8 glasses of water a day. This will boost your energy.

If you need to lose weight, water will help you since it reduces your appetite and has zero calories. With adequate supply of water to your brain, you think better, become more alert and concentrated in your work. Water is the best moisturiser for your skin, increasing skin elasticity, helping to replenish skin tissues thereby making you look younger. Generally, you are less likely to get sick when the proper balance of water is maintained in the body. Studies have shown that drinking a healthy amount of water may reduce the risks of bladder and colon cancer. How liquid are you?

Loss of fluid in the body is more serious in infants and small children resulting from not drinking, vomiting, diarrhoea or combination of these conditions. The elderly need to drink more water. In the elderly thirst diminishes and a person is not likely to drink enough water. Health conditions like hypertension, circulation disorders, kidney stones, arthritis, indigestion, constipation etc found in the elderly are directly or indirectly associated with inadequate water intake.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that there cannot be life without water.  The body needs water while the soul needs the living water. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:13).  This refers to the living water, Jesus, who gives eternal life to those who believe in Him. Only the living Word, Jesus Christ, and the written Word, the Bible, can satisfy thirsty souls. Jesus says, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37).