Ann, I absolutely see your point. You're correct about the dangers of over-hydrating. You have to drink a *lot* of water to do it, but it does happen, more frequently than people realize. I always make sure I intake a good amount of salt, since I consume a lot of water. If you don't retain the water, it's pointless to keep consuming it.
I also have to agree with you whole-heartedly that there is no standard for how much water everyone needs to drink. It's going to vary from person to person. I read something somewhere that based water consumption recommendations off of weight (I can't remember where though, I read entirely too much), but I'm not even sure that is exactly right. There are still too many variables.
Like I said, I think each individual person needs to figure out what their body needs, and go by that. I think water is "healthy" in the sense that we have to drink something, and most other popular beverages are not healthy (aside from the obvious health benefits from beverages such as milk, juice, herbal teas). You raise a very valid point.
Add, I will add - this whole thing about water being good for your skin? I think that's a myth. I gave up sodas and drink only water, and my skin isn't any better than it was beforehand. The only perk I can see is that I don't tend to dry out as severly in the winters anymore (my hands used to crack and bleed from dryness by November, but they haven't done it since I started hydrating).
