Thats pretty much it as far as the short version of this story.

The longer version goes back about 30 years when I - 6' 0" 200-plus male - first experienced a small patch of itchy rash that appeared on the one side of abdomen during winter time. Among the many things I was ignorant of then was the generic names - some say eczema while others say contact dermatitis - broadly ascribed to this condition by orthodox medicine. Water has never been something I drink just for the sake of it but from the time I was very young I was regularly active, so there was the engrained habit of drinking water to alleviate thirst from strenuous exercise. Those active days are mostly in the rear view. Ive tried the "you MUST drink half your weight in ounces water every day!" routine, once, for about three days a few years ago, didn't help much that I remember except it did produce pain behind the eyeballs. A friend advised that is one the body's warning signs of over hydration, so that was the end if that . Maybe it works for some but not me.

About two weeks ago there were several small itchy patches literally from head to toe and a few more appearing each day .... I literally was a walking raging itch. It is interesting to me how many of these small patches recur in the exact same spots as previous bouts. Anyway, I tried a simple experiment. Upon rising in the morning I chugged a pint of home distilled water that had 1/8th teaspoon sea salt added ( bulk from health food store), another a few hours after lunch and a third in the early evening prior to dinner. Within 48 hours most of the itching was subsiding, the patches still visible but no longer enflamed. After following this regularly a full week, I slacked off for two days and the itching began to reappear here and there so I resumed intake of 1 pint taken at least three times a day. Also interesting is the beneficial laxative / BM / mild bowel flush effect from just 3 pints of distilled salt water per day, routine BMs increased from one a day to 3 or 4. While visiting with family for TGD I kept up the routine using un-distilled but good quality bottled water and while this kept the itch rash at bay there was a definite reduction in the laxative effect.

Two weeks and running, nearly all patches no longer visible .... but I know they are lurking, barely out of site, just waiting for me to slack off again. This proof is not yet a puddin in my book ... but, hard to believe Ive been suffering some form of dehydration all these 30 years and probably more, especially since I have never exhibited the classic symptoms, with the main exception of dry skin on hands only ....(shrug) Most of the orthodox experts define dehydration as the result of lost water content ..... six of one half dozen of another I guess but my condition is less a matter of loss and more a matter insufficient intake.... whatever, it sure is a great relief to have finally stumbled upon something to get rid of this awful itching that pops up in various forms of rashes across my body, no matter what the so called experts call it, glad to be getting rid of it.

Life is an experiment, day to day, more to follow .... would like to prove this particular puddin for once and all.