Dehydration is Widespread

A conservative estimate indicates that about 80% of the populations of North America and Europe are chronically dehydrated. Almost everyone knows we should be drinking plenty of water, but very few people actually do it.
If there were an array of containers on a shelf, would you immediately know which one contained 64 fl oz of water, without thinking about it? Probably not. Comparing it only by volume to other beverages, 64 fl oz is roughly the same amount of liquid as four bottles of soda pop, or two quarts of milk, or a gallon jug of orange juice, or a full pot of coffee, or ten cups of tea, or two bottles of wine, or about six beers. We confuse “water” with fluids” and include juices, coffee, tea, soups, and soft drinks in the equation when we try to calculate how much liquid we take in. Consequently, we don't get enough actual water.

Diagnosing Dehydration

You cannot diagnose dehydration by many of the usual tests. Blood tests cannot reveal dehydration because very little of the water loss is evident in the blood. Dehydration occurs within the cells and from the cell structure.
The color of your urine may be an indication of dehydration. Normal urine is clear to light yellow. Darker urine definitely indicates dehydration, as the kidneys have had to concentrate the wastes to a smaller amount of available fluid in order to eliminate them. Just because your urine is not particularly dark, don’t think that you are sufficiently hydrated. The goal is to hydrate enough so that your urine is almost clear. Unless you know for sure that you are taking in half your body weight in fluid ounces per day, you can safely assume that you are dehydrated to some extent.
Only water can hydrate the body and cure the ailments that are caused by dehydration. The first step in treating any pain or illness is to fully re-hydrate the physical system. Only then can you begin to look at what other health changes might be necessary. If the damage is severe and prolonged, then it may be that the best you can hope for is a relief of pain and symptoms. Some ailments may be past the point where you can cure them with re-hydration.
Still, the benefits of re-hydration are certainly worth the effort.