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WATERS

Balch

Introduction

Human beings can survive without food for thirty to forty days-about five weeks-but without water, life would end in three to five days. The average person's body is composed of approximately 70 percent water, although the water content varies considerably from person to person and even from one body part to another. the body's water supply is responsible for and involved in nearly every bodily process, including digestion, absorption, circulation, and excretion. Water is also the primary transporter of nutrients throughout the body and so is necessary for all building functions in the body. Water hleps maintain normal body temperature and is essential for carrying waste material out of the body. Therefore, replacing the water that is continually being lost through sweating and elimination is very important.

A drop in the body's water content causes a declin in blood volume. The lowering of blood volume in turn triggers the hypothalamus, which is the brain's thirst center, to send out the demand for a drink. This causes a slight rise in the concentration of sodium in the blood. These changes quickly trigger a sensation of thirst. Unfortunately, people often consume only enough liquid to quench a dry or parched throat-not enough to cover all of their water loss. As a result, they can become dehydrated. As we age, the sense of thirst becomes dulled. At the same time, we have a lower percentage of reserve body water than we had when we were younger. This is why it is important to drink water even when you do not feel thirsty.

Quality water is benefical for virtually all disorders known to humankind. Bowel and bladder problems, as well as headaches, can be reduced by drinking water. If not enough water is consumed, toxins can build up in the system, causing headaches. Water flushes these toxins out. Anxiety attacks, food intolerances, "acid stomach" and heartburn, muscle pains, colitis pain, hot flashes, and many other discomforts and disorders can be eased quickly by drinking a full glass of water. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is another disorder that necessitates consuming plenty of quality water daily to flush out toxins and other substances that contribute to muscle aches and extreme fatigue.

Without adequate water, we would poison ourselves with our own metabolic wastes. The kidneys remove waste products, such as uric acid, urea, and lactic acid, that must be dissolved in water. If there is not enough water available to remove these substances effectively, they may cause damage to the kidneys. Digestion and metabolism also rely on water for certain enzymatic and chemical reactions in the body. Water carries nutrients and oxygen to cells through the blood and is involved in the regulation of body temperature through perspiration. Water is especially important for people who have musculoskeletal problems such as arthritis, or who are athletic, as it lubricates the joints. Because lung tissue must be moist to facilitate oxygen intake and carbon dioxide excretion, water is essential for breathing. Approximately one pint of liquid is lost each day through exhaling. If you do not take in enough water to maintain fluid balance, every bodily function can be impaired. And the more active you are, the more water you must consume in order to keep your body's water level in balance.

Inadequate water consumption may contribute to excess body fat; poor muscle tone; digestive problems; poor functioning of many organs, including the brain; joint and muscle soreness; and, paradoxically, water retention. Consuming plenty of quality water can slow the aging process, and can prevent or improve arthritis, kidney stones, constipation, arteriosclerosis, obesity, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetes, hypoglycemia, and any other diseases. It is not expensive, and you should feel a difference quickly, but you must drink eight to ten glasses of QUALITY water daily.

Obtaining quality water would seem to be an easy matter. However, due to the numerous types of classifications water is given, the average consumer can easily be confused about what is available. This section offers a guide to understanding what the most commonly used classifications of water mean and how these different kinds of water help or harm the body.

Tap Water

Water that comes out of household taps or faucets is generally obtained either from surface water - water that has run off from ponds, creeks, streams, rivers, and lakes, and is collected in reservoirs - or from ground water - water that has filtered through the ground to the water table and is extracted by means of a well. Approximately half of the tap water in the US comes from lakes, rivers, or other surface sources. Underground aquifers and municipal wells provide 35 percent of tap water, and the remaining 15 percent comes from private wells.

The Safety of Tap Water

Most people assume that when they turn on the kitchen tap they are getting clean, safe, healthy drinking water. Unfortunately, this often is not the case. Regardless of the original source of tap water, it is vulnerable to a number of different types of impurities, and may be full of harmful chemicals and inorganic minerals that the body cannot use. Some undesirable substances found in water, including radon, fluoride, and arsenic, as well as iron, lead, copper, and other heavy metals, can occur naturally. Other contaminants, such as fertilizers, asbestos, cyanides, herbicides, pesticides,a nd industrial chemicals, may leach into ground water through the soil, or into any tap water from plumbing pipes. Many of these chemicals have been linked to cancer and other disorders. Water can also contain biological contaminants, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Still other substances, including chlorine, carbon, lime, phosphates, soda ash, and aluminum sulfate, are intentionally added to public water supplies to kill bacteria, adjust pH, and eliminate cloudiness, among other things.

A study conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that 18,500 of the nation's water systems (serving some 45 million Americans) violated safe drinking water laws at some point during 2003. The council's report blamed contaminated water for some 900,000 illnesses a year, including 100 deaths. Even if the levels of individual substances in water are well within "allowable" limits, the total of all contaminants present may still be harmful to your health. And private wells may not be regulated at all, except at the local level.

The greatest concerns about water quality today focus on chlorine, pesticides, and parasites. Chlorine has long been added to public water supplies to kill disease-causing bacteria. However, the levels of chloring in drinking water today can be quite high, and some byproducts of chlorine are known carcinogens. As a result, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering steps to reduce the level of chlorine in drinking water, but is facing opposition from industry groups.

Pesticides pose a risk in any area where tap water is extracted from an underground source. These chemicals are suspected of causing, or at least contributing to, an increased incidence of cancer, especially breast cancer. Some scientists believe this may be because certain pesticides can mimic the action of the sex hormone estrogen in the body. Others point to the fact that toxins in the body tend to accumulate in fatty tissues, and the human breast is composed largely of fatty tissue. The pesticide problem is a particular concern in areas where agriculture is (or was) a major part of the economy. These chemicals are persistent. Residues from pesticides used decades ago may still be present in water coming out of the tap today, and may pose a risk to health.

Long considered a problem limited to poor, developing countries, the presence of bacteria and parasites in drinking water - especially a parasite called cryptosporidium - is becoming a serious problem in the U.S. today. In April 1993, as many as 370,000 people in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were stricken by the parasite Cryptosporidium Parvum from the city's water supply. Thousands suffered from severe diarrhea, and up to 100 deaths were attributed to the outbreak. These "unacceptable" levels of cryptosporidia, most likely from agricultural runoff, forced users of the public water system to boil their tap water before using it. The same organism has created controversy over the safety of the water in New York City; many people with weakened immune systems have charged that cryptosporidia in the city water have made them sick, even though local officials insist that the water is safe to drink. For people with HIV or AIDS, cryptosporidia can be lethal. The chlorine added to water to kill bacteria is not effective at killing these parasites. In addition to cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, also caused by an intestinal parasite, can be contracted through drinking water and is an increasing problem. Like cryptosporidia, giardia resist the effect of chlorine and pose a more serious problem for people with diminished immune response. Indeed, because of increasing concern over the danger contaminated drinking water poses for people with compromised immune systems, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the EPA have issued suggestions that immunocompromised individuals boil tap water for at least one minute before use, use an appropriate filtration system, or buy quality bottled drinking water.

More than one-third of all community water systems have been cited for failure to meet the EPA's water safety standards or treatment technique, monitoring, or reporting requirements. Consumer activist Ralph Nader's Center for Study of Responsive Law issued a study in 1998 entitled Troubled Waters On Tap: Organic Chemicals in Public Drinking Water Systems and the Failure of Regulation that identified over 2,100 contaminants in tap water in the United States. And according to a study released in 1995, 54 million Americans drank tap water that was contaminated by feces, radiation, lead, or dangerous parasites at some time between 1993 and now.

If you receive your water from a municipal water source, that utility is now required to send an assessment of the water, including information about where it comes from, any contaminants that have been found in it, and any health risk associated with substances in the water. This should be sent to you in your water bill on an annual basis. Whatever the source of your water, it is important to know some warning signs of bad water. Watch for cloudiness or murkiness in water. Chlorination can cause some cloudiness, but it usually clears if the water is left to stand, whereas bacterial or sedimentary cloudiness will remain. Foaming may be caused by bacterial contamination, by floating particles of sediment, or by soaps or detergents. Bacteria can be destroyed by boiling water for at least five minutes, while sediment should settly out if you let the water stand for several hours. Strange smells or tastes in water that was previously fine could mean chemical contamination. However, many toxic hazards that work their way into water do not change its taste, smell, or appearance.

Hard Versus Soft Water

Hard water, found in various parts of the country, contains relatively high concentrations of the minerals calcium and magnesium. The presence of these minerals prevents soap from lathering and results in filmy sediment being deposited on hair, clothing, pipes, dishes, washtubs, and anything else that comes into regular contact with the water. It also affects the taste. Hard water can be annoying, and though some studies have shown that deaths from heart disease may be lower in areas where the drinking water is hard, we believe that the calcium found in hard water is not good for the heart, arteries, or bones. Hard water deposits its calcium and other minerals on the outside of these structures, while it is the calcium and magnesium found within these structures that are beneficial to the body.

Soft water can be naturally soft or it may be hard water that has been treated to remove the calcium and magnesium. Standard water-softening systems work by using pressure to pass the water through exchange media to exchange "hard" calcium and magnesium ions for "soft" sodium and potassium ions. Most use either sodium chloride or potassium chloride for this purpose. The primary benefit of softening is in improved cleaning properties for the water and less mineral buildup inside household pipes and equipment. One potentially serious problem with articficially softened water is that it is more likely than hard water to dissolve the lining of pipes. This poses an especially significant threat if pipes are made of lead. Another threat comes from certain plastic and galvanized pipes, which contain cadmium, a toxic heavy metal. These types of pipes are rarely used in construction today, but they may be present in older buildings that have not undergone extensive renovation. But leaching from pipes can be a problem with today's copper pipes as well. Dangerous levels of copper, iron, zinc, and arsenic can leach into softened water from copper pipes. Another potential problem with artificially softened water is of concern to people with kidney failure. People with kidney failure must restrict their intake of potassium. Potassium-based water-softening systems can therefore pose a danger to such individuals.

MTBE and Drinking Water

Since 1979, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) has been added to gasoline to increase its oxygen content. It took the place of lead as an octane enhancer, and was supposed to reduce the problems of both smog and carbon monoxide in the atmosphere. The Clean Air Act of 1990 required the use of reformulated gasoline, or RFG, in certain parts of the country, with the goal of reducing air pollution in those areas. RFG accounts for some 30 percent of gasoline sold in the United States, and MTBE is now added to over 80 percent of RFG fuel.

According to a disturbing report aired on the CBS television program 60 Minutes on January 16, 2000, this measure to improve air quality has, ironically, given Americans yet another reason to be concerned about the safety of their drinking water supply. MTBE has been seeping into all our water supplies, both surface and underground, at an alarming rate. It has been found in storm water in 592 samples collected in sixteen cities between 1991 and 1995. The primary sources of the MTBE that ends up in water systems are leaking gasoline tanks and reservoirs, drinking water lakes, and rivers where gasoline-powered recreational watercraft are permitted. Less than one-tenth of a gallon (roughly 12 ounces) of MTBE is capable of contaminating 13 million gallons of drinking water. It is estimated that over 1 million gallons of fuel are deposited, unburned, into the water supply each year as a result of recreational boating.

Few long-term studies have been done on this chemical, but what little research ther is indicates that MTBE is a likely human carcinogen and immune-system depressant. Certainly, tests on rats have provided evidence that MTBE is a cancer-causing agent. To date, drinking water supplies in the states of California, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Rhode Island have been closed down due to contamination by MTBE (boiling drinking water does not help purge it of this agent). MTBE-contaminated tap water can cause problems even if you do not drink it. this chemical can also be absorbed through the skin when showering and can be inhaled as a vapor in the air. Possible effects of inhaling MTBE include headaches, burning of the nose and throat, dizziness, nausea, asthma, and respiratory problems. The possible effects on wildlife have not yet been documented.

Only recently has the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considered making it mandatory to test for MTBE in drinking water, but the likelihood is that it will not be until the year 2010 that the EPA will make a determination on the continued use of MTBE.

Fluoridation

For many years now, controversy has raged over whether fluoride should be added to drinking water. As early as 1961, as recorded in the Congressional Record, fluoride was exposed as a lethal poison in our nation's water supply. Proponents say that fluoride occurs naturally and helps develop and maintain strong bones and teeth. Opponents to fluoridation contend that when fluoridated water is consumed regularly, toxic levels of fluorine, the poisonous substance from which fluoride is derived, build up in the body, causing irreparable harm to the immune system. The Delaney Congressional Investigation Committee, the government body charged with monitoring additives and other substances in the food supply, has stated that "fluoridation is mass medication without parallel in the history of medicine".

Meanwhile, no convincing scientific proof has ever been generated that fluoridated water makes for stronger bones and teeth. It is known, however, that chronic fluoride use results in numerous health problems, including osteoporosis and osteomalacia, and also damages teeth and leaves them mottled. The salts used to fluoridate our nation's water supply, sodium fluoride and fluorosalicic acid, are industrial byproducts that are never found in nature. They are also notoriously toxic compounds, so much so that they are used in rat poison and insecticides. The naturally occurring form of fluoride, calcium fluoride, is not toxic - but this form of fluoride is not used to fluoridate water.

Today, more than half the cities in the United States fluoridate their water supplies. In many states, it is required. Although many ailments and disorders - including Down Syndrome, mottled teeth, and cancer - have been linked to fluoridated water, fluoridation has become the standard rather than the exception.

The fluoride added to tap water can be a problem. Individuals have different levels of tolerance for toxins such as fluoride. In addition, many water sources have levels of fluoride higher than one part per million, the level generally recognized as safe and originally set as the acceptable limit by the EPA. After the EPA learned that water in many towns had natural fluoride levels much higher than this, the permissible fluoride limit was raised - quadrupled, in fact - to four parts per million. And this is in addition to fluoride encountered from other sources. Fluoride is the thirteenth most widely distributed element on earth, so it can turn up just about anywhere - in vegetables and meats, for example. Since so many local water supplies are fluoridated, there is a good chance that virtually any packaged food product made with water, such as soft drinks and reconstituted juices, contains fluoride. Additional fluorides are widely used in toothpaste products, so it is easy to see how many Americans may be ingesting excessive amounts of this potentially toxic substance.

If your tap water contains fluoride, and you wish to remove it, you can use reverse osmosis, distillation, or activated alumina filtration system to eliminate almost all of the fluoride from your water.

Water Analysis

Not all drinking water contains sigificant amounts of toxic substances. Some places rate higher in water safety than others. In addition, not all cities and towns process their water supplies the same way. Some do nothing at all to their water. Others add chemicals to the water to kill bacteria. Still others filter their water. It is up to the individual to find out how local drinking water is treated and to determine how safe the water coming out of the tap is.

The EPA has defined pure water as "bacteriologically safe" water, and it recommends - but does not require - that tap water have a pH between 6.5 and 8.5. This allows for a great deal of leeway in what passes as acceptable water. If you are concerned about the safety of the water coming out of your tap, you can contact your local water officials or local health department, which may test your tap water free of charge. In some cases, you may have to contact your state's water supply or health department. Typically, however, these agencies test the water only for bacteria levels, not for toxic substances. Therefore, you might want to contact a commercial laboratory or local state university laboratory to test your water for its chemical content. If you find that your tap water is unacceptable either because of its taste or because of its toxic chemical content, you may choose to use one of the alternative water supplies described in this section.

The Water Quality Association is prepared to answer questions about the various types of water and methods of water treatment. In addition, the EPA operates the toll-free Safe Drinking Water Hotline, which can help you to locate an office or laboratory in your area that does certified water testing. There are also a number of laboratories that will send a self-addressed container for you to fill and return by mail for testing. The cost starts at thirty-five to forty dollars per tap. Results are usually available in two to three weeks.

To help you understand the results of water testing, you should obtain information on the EPA's Recommended Maximum Contaminant Levels. This and other water-quality information is available from NSF International, Inc. and the Water Quality Association.

Improving Tap Water

Tap water can be improved in several ways. Heating tap water to a rolling boil and keeping it there for three to five minutes will kill bacteria and parasites. However, most people find boiling their drinking water too impractical and time-consuming. In addition, this procedure has the effect of concentrating whatever lead is present in the water, and the water must then be refrigerated if it is to be used for drinking. The taste of chlorinated tap water can be improved by keeping the water in an uncovered pitcher for several hours to allow the chlorine taste and odor to dissipate. Water can also be aerated in a blender to remover chlorine and other chemicals. Nevertheless, neither of these last two methods will improve the quality of the water - only the taste.

Filtration is a means by which contaminants in water are removed, rendering the water cleaner and better tasting. There are many different ways in which water can be filtered. Nature filters water as the water runs through streams and as it seeps down through the soil and rocks to the water table. As water passes through the earth or over the rocks in a stream, the bacteria in the water leech into the rocks and are replaced with minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

There are also man-made ways of filtering water. There are three basic types of filters available: absorbent types, which use materials such as carbon to pick up impurities; microfiltration systems, which run water through filters with tiny pores to catch and eliminate contaminants (the filter may be mad of any of a number of different materials); and special media such as ion-exchange resins that are designed to remove heavy metals. Filters are often arranged in series, so that the filtering media that are most effective for specific types of contaminant can be used. The primary advantage of filters is relatively low cost and ease of use.

Water filtration systems vary in effectiveness. Two types that are considered good are reverse osmosis and ceramic filtration systems. In reverse osmosis filtering, the water is forced through a semipermeable membrane, while charged particles and larger molecules are repelled. It is the best system for treating water that is brackish (high in salt), high in nitrates, and loaded with inorganic heavy metals such as iron and lead. However, no filter can remove absolutely all contaminants. Each pore of even the finest filter is large enough for some viruses to permeate. To remove parasites such as cryptosporidia, the EPA and CDC recommend purchasing a filter that has an NSF rating for parasite reduction and that has an absolute pore size of one micron or smaller.

Other water treatment systems that remove various contaminants include distillers and ultraviolet treatment units. The latter are used to kill bacteria and viruses in water. Each treatment method has its advantages and disadvantages, but using a combination of methods can result in the best overall quality drinking water. Even the quality and taste of distilled water can be improved by passing the water through a charcoal/carbon filter as a final step.

Before you purchase a water treatment unit, contact NSF International or the Water Quality Association. These non-profit testing and certification organizations verify manufacturers' claims and certify that the materials used are nontoxic and structurally sound. They conduct periodic unannounced audits of the products they certify to ensure that the products still comply with standards.

One manufacturer of home distillation units that has certification for different models from both NSF International and the Water Quality Association is Waterwise, Inc. This company offers options combining both pre-distillation and post-distillation carbon filtration, and also manufactures a showerhead water filtration system that rids shower water of chlorine and various other contaminants. Pure Water, Inc. manufactures home and small business distillation systems that are in use throughout the world. Reverse osmosis system manufacturers whose products can claim certification by NSF International and the Water Quality Association include EcoWater Systems and Rainsoft.

Bottled Water

Because of concerns over the safety and health effects of tap water, many people today are turning to bottled water. Bottled water is usually classified by its source (spring, spa, geyser, public water supply, etc.), by its mineral content (containing at least 250 parts per million of dissolved solids), and/or by the type of treatment it has undergone (deionized, steam-distilled, etc.). Because there is a lot of overlapping among these criteria, some water fits more than one classification. In addition, most states have no rules governing appropriate labeling, so some bottled water claims may be misleading or incorrect.

While the EPA is charged with the regulation of public water supplies, it is the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that has responsibility for overseeing the quality and safety of bottled drinking water. The FDA defines the terms used to describe bottled drinking waters in specific requirements last revised in April 1997, making the choices for the consumer somewhat clearer than in the past. the FDA regulations for bottled water allow for the various terms that have been defined to be used with on another if bottled water meets more than one definition, so it is possible for some water labels to include a number of different terms.

All the terms that are legally necessary to describe bottled drinking water are discussed in the paragraphs that follow. Any term you find on a label that is not defined or included here is a marketing slogan added to entice the consumer to buy the product. It can mean anything that the manufacturer of the product says it means.

Artesian Water

Artesian water, or artesian well water, is water drawn from a well where the water is brought to the surface by natural pressure or flow.

Deionized or Demineralized Water

When the electric charge of a molecule of water has been neutralized by the addition or removal of electrons, the resulting water is called deionized or demineralized. The deionization process removes nitrates and the minerals calcium and magnesium, in addition to the heavy metals cadmium, barium, lead, mercury, and some forms of radium.

Ground Water

This is water that comes from undergroung, in the water table, that is under pressure equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure, and that does not come into contact with surface water. Ground water must be pumped mechanically for bottling.

Mineral Water

Mineral water is water containing not less than 250 parts per million total dissolved solids (TDS), originating from a geologically and physically protected underground water source or spring that has been tapped at the spring opening or through a borehole. Mineral water is distinguished from other types of water by constant levels and relative proportions of minerals and trace elements at its source, allowing for seasonal variations. No minerals may be added to this water. If the TDS content of mineral water is below 500 parts per million, the water may be labeled low mineral content.. If it is greater than 1,500 parts per million, the label high mineral content may be used.

Depending on where the source is, the minerals the water contains will vary. If you are suffering from a deficiency of certain minerals and are drinking mineral water for therapeutic reasons, you must be aware of which minerals are in the particular brand of water you drink. If you are drinking mineral water containing minerals that you do not lack, you could be doing yourself more harm than good.

Most mineral waters are carbonated. However, some sparkling waters, such as club soda, are called mineral water because the manufacturer added bicarbonates, citrates, and sodium phosphates to filtered or distilled tap water.

Natural Spring Water

The term natural spring water on a bottled water label doesn't tell you where the water came from, only that the mineral content of the water has not been altered. It may or may not have been filtered or otherwise treated. While the number of gallons of "natural spring water" flowing through water coolers and from bottles has more than doubled in recent years, the meaning of these words on a label has neen firmly defined only since the final changes in the FDA bottled drinking water regulations have been in place.

Spring water is wter that comes from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earth. It must be collected at the spring or through a borehole tapping the underground formaton that feeds the spring. To meet the definition of spring, there must be natural force bringing the water to the surface opening. The location of the spring must be identified on the label of any water labeled as spring water.

If you use a water cooler for bottled spring water, you should be sure to clean the cooler once a month to destroy bacteria. Run a 50-50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda through the reservoir and spigots, then remove the residue by rinsing the cooler with four or more gallons of tap water.

Sparkling Water

This is bottled water that contains the same amount of carbon dioxide that it had at emergence from the water source. It can be a healthful alternative to soda and alcoholic beverages, but if it is loaded with fructose and other sweeteners, it may be no better than soda pop. Read labels before you buy. Soda water, seltzer water, and tonic water are not considered bottled waters. They are regulated separately, may contain sugar and calories, and are considered soft drinks.

Understanding where the carbonation in sparkling water comes from isn't always easy. A "naturally sparkling water" must get its carbonation from the same source as the water. If a water is "carbonated natural water", that means the carbonation came from a source other than the one that supplied the water. That doesn't mean the water is of poor quality. It can still be called "natural" because its mineral content is the smae as when it came from the groung, even though it has been carbonated from a separate source. People suffering from intestinal disorders or ulcers should avoid drinking carbonated water because it may be irritating to the gastrointestinal tract.

Steam-Distilled Water

Distillation involves vaporizing water by boiling it. The steam rises, leaving behind most of the bacteria, viruses, chemicals, minerals, and pollutants from the water. The steam is then moved into a condensing chamber, where it is cooled and condensed to become distilled water.

Once consumed, steam-distilled water leaches inorganic minerals rejected by the cells and tissues out of the body.

I believe that only steam-distilled water or reverse osmosis filtered water should be consumed. They should be used not only for drinking, but in cooking as well, because foods such as pasta, rice, and beans can absorb chemicals found in unpurified water.

Flavor can be added to distilled water by adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar per gallon of distilled water. Vinegar is an excellent solvent and aids in digestion. Lemon juice is another good flavoring agent, and has cleansing properties as well. For added minerals, you can add mineral drops to steam-distilled water. Concentrace from Trace Minerals Research is a good product for this purpose. Add 1 1/4 teaspoons of mineral drops to every 5 gallons of water.

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Why I Now Say No to Distilled Water Only

By Chet Day

I bet you recognize the names of the above three "big gun writers" of the modern natural health and raw food movement. Each of these men advocated a predominantly uncooked vegetarian diet (though Walker allowed cheese and Bragg allowed occasional meat or fish), and each also advocated distilled water as the only kind of water to drink.

It's amazing to me how blindly most health seekers follow the advice of the above three gurus as well as the advice of modern health writers who use Bragg, Walker, and Shelton as their main sources of truth.

Indeed, if you spend more than about ten minutes reading many modern natural health writers, you'll quickly learn that all serious health seekers should shun any kind of water other than distilled water. Why? Because Paul Bragg, Norman Walker, and Herbert Shelton said so.

Well, I bought into this commonly-accepted "truth" back in 1993 when I started my health journey, and I continued to buy into it for more than five years before I started to question its validity. I started to question the value of drinking distilled water for the long-term when I finally opened my eyes enough to realize I was relying on information that was, in most cases, more than 50 years old.

Let me say here that I still consider distilled water the water of choice when detoxing or working to heal a serious health challenge. To quote Dr. Zoltan Rona, who feels the same way:

"Distillation is the process in which water is boiled, evaporated and the vapour condensed. Distilled water is free of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the special property of being able to actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them. Studies validate the benefits of drinking distilled water when one is seeking to cleanse or detoxify the system for short periods of time (a few weeks at a time). Fasting using distilled water can be dangerous because of the rapid loss of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) and trace minerals like magnesium, deficiencies of which can cause heart beat irregularities and high blood pressure. Cooking foods in distilled water pulls the minerals out of them and lowers their nutrient value."

I opened my eyes because about two years ago I started hearing from long-term distilled water drinkers who had been consuming only distilled water and who had developed troubles with their hair either thinning or falling out in clumps. I've subsequently learned that hair loss is a condition often associated with various mineral deficiencies.

Since I'd been advised by a serious natural health student whose opinions I value very much that distilled water might well contribute to such problems, I started telling people with hair problems that they might try going back to filtered water or bottled water to see if doing so wouldn't help resolve the symptoms. Interestingly enough, many reported that their hair loss problems improved when they stopped drinking distilled water.

Digging deeper, I started reading more carefully the advice of natural health experts who weren't necessarily coming out of the raw food and Natural Hygiene schools of health, and I couldn't find a single one of them who recommended distilled water as the water of choice.

Yes, all of these experts advocated drinking lots of water -- at least eight full glasses of water every day -- and all of them said a good filtered or bottled water was just fine. For example, I know Lorraine Day, MD, (no relation) doesn't advocate distilled water and neither does the Iranian medical doctor F. Batmanghelidj, who wrote what I consider the bible on water, "Your Body's Many Cries for Water."

Dr. Gabriel Cousens, a living foods advocate who writes on page 509 of his book "Conscious Eating," "distilled water is dead, unstructured water so foreign to the body that one actually gets a temporary high white blood cell count in response to drinking it."

Additionally, my understanding of medical doctor Zoltan Rona's article is that long-term distilled water consumption may well contribute to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems. Dr. Rona writes, "The longer one drinks distilled water, the more likely the development of mineral deficiencies and an acid state. I have done well over 3000 mineral evaluations using a combination of blood, urine, and hair tests in my practice. Almost without exception, people who consume distilled water exclusively, eventually develop multiple mineral deficiencies."

Given what these health-oriented MDs have concluded about distilled water, doesn't it make sense to further research the topic rather than relying on opinions formed more than 50 years ago?

If you prefer to ignore what these health-oriented medical doctors have discovered in their active practices, then let's take a look at the brutally deceptive "organic and inorganic mineral" argument that so many natural health writers use to justify distilled water drinking. (They also mistakenly use the same argument to erroneously conclude that all supplements and all cooked foods are bad.)

Unfortunately, their oversimplification of the organic and inorganic mineral theory and, indeed, their general lack of understanding about college level chemistry and physical laws, calls into deep question the validity of many of their conclusions about health and diet.

The health writers who like distilled water better than a ripe nectarine usually write a lot about the Hunzans, the folks in Pakistan's Hunza Valley who allegedly live healthfully well into their 90's and beyond. Interestingly enough, these same writers don't mention the point that the Hunzans drink a glacial water so full of minerals it's almost milky in appearance.

Another point involves alkalinity and acidity. Natural health writers generally agree that the body maintains best health when it maintains a ph leaning to the alkaline side rather than the acidic side, and yet distilled water quickly turns highly acidic, about 5.8 in an open air container.

Does it still make sense to you to drink eight glasses a day of distilled water that can potentially help to over-acidify the body?

I'd been putting off writing this article for over a year because I didn't feel that I had all the facts. I still feel the same way, but I also feel confident enough with what I have learned to present my current viewpoint to help others make a more informed decision before investing a lot of money in an expensive distiller that may well contribute to health problems in the long run.

You will note, of course, that the most vociferous advocates of distilled water are also those who sell high-profit margin distillers. They are also the ones who continue to quote Paul Bragg and Norman Walker as the sources of their extensive research.

In closing, I do know tap water isn't good because of all the chemicals and pollutants and Lord knows what else in it, but I don't have all the answers as to the best water for human health, so please don't consider this article definitive.

I trust this article raises some questions in your mind that you can now research in more detail on your own so you can then come to an informed conclusion about what type of water is best for you and your family. I opened my eyes because about two years ago I started hearing from long-term distilled water drinkers who had been consuming only distilled water and who had developed troubles with their hair either thinning or falling out in clumps. I've subsequently learned that hair loss is a condition often associated with various mineral deficiencies.

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Distilled Water and Coral Calcium

Dr. Weil

The only water that we drink and cook with is distilled water that we make ourselves. When we first did this we noticed better health right away. We also noticed that our food tasted better when we used it for cooking. We use the Coral Calcium to add the proper forms of minerals to the water. To learn about this form of mineral, go to the Nutrition Main Page and the Calcium Problem and Solution page.

To be sure, there is a great controversy surrounding the use of distilled water. Distilled water is very reactive, making it the best form for transporting minerals and oxygen in the bloodstream, but it is also very aggressive at leaching chemicals out of the plastic bottles if you buy your distilled water. Because it may leach out some of the unwanted minerals out of your body, your body may become slightly more acidic, because even the unwanted minerals may keep the pH level stabilized. But when you add the minerals of the proper form (biological and ionic), the water becomes very alkaline and gives you the health benefits that you are looking for, without the toxic effects of the wrong forms of minerals.

Drinking only distilled water, without supplementing with the proper forms of minerals, may not be a good idea, unless you are doing it temporarily to detoxify your body. But we have seen phenomenal results with distilled water fortified with the ionic minerals that are in Coral Calcium, when it is used on a continual basis. I, for one, would not drink exclusively distilled water without the Coral Calcium supplement.

So, what you are doing, basically, with Coral Calcium enriched distilled water, is to remove the inorganic, random, large sized minerals from the water and replacing them with the biologically active ionic form of over 70 different minerals all in the right proportions to one another. Because the water is distilled and mostly 6-sided forms, all of those minerals are transported by the blood very effectively to be used where they are needed. I really do believe that this is the very key to the understanding of what type of water to drink.

In conclusion, since your body is made up of 70% water, and water is involved with every function of your body, it makes sense to drink the best quality of water that is possible. If you are doing everything else to try to be healthy, including exercise, food supplementation, proper rest, etc., don't neglect the importance of drinking the proper form of water. I know it made a difference in my life. It is not my purpose here to tell you everything about water and it's important functions. It would fill a whole book, but I hope that you will learn more about water and it's effect in our bodies.

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IONIZED ALKALINE WATER

read this article and article #12 before you decide

(USING PLATINUM ELECTROLYSIS)

WHAT IS WATER?

The nature of water, the understanding of its functions, is far more difficult that you might imagine.

Water is a solvent; that is, it is composed of the basic H2O, two parts of hydrogen to one oxygen.

That is its solvent quality. It also carries solutes, invisible ingredients like minerals and nutrients and waste products. For example, blood is a solute form of water, with 90% of its makeup being water.

If water is treated by a magnetic or electric field, its surface tension, which is measured in dynes, and some of of its other structural activities will tend to remain as is. Thus water has memory, which is measured with nuc nuclear magnetic resonance technology.

Water has different structures. Its two hydrogen atoms do not circle its oxygen at a 180 degree angle, but at a 105.5 degree angle, when it is in liquid form, and at a 109.5 degree angle, when it takes the form of ice. Thus solid water, possessing a more open structure than when liquid, has a lower density, and will float in liquid Water.

Water can kill. At 10 degrees centigrade, pure distilled water, is 96% to 97% pentagonally structured liquid. In this type of structured water, fish and algae and plankton will die.

Water is alive. Hexagonally structured water is healthier to drink. A good example is the snow flake. Snow- melted water has always been popular to drink. Water from mountain lakes and streams, that comes from snowpacks, has long been known to be the healthiest water in the world. It is what we call "living water."

WATER CAN BE IONIZED

When an atom or molecule gains or loses an electron, ionization occurs. When water is ionized, the molecule splits into two parts, the hydrogen ion (H+) and the hydroxyl ion (OH-). These ions combine with other solutes in water, often minerals like calcium or potassium, to create an active chemical reaction.

ACID AND ALKALINE WATER

When water carries more hydrogen that hydroxyl ions, it is said to be acid; when hydroxyl ions predominate, then science calls water alkaline. Our blood system is always working to keep itself at that narrow range of pH 7.3 to 7.45. This process is called homeostasis.

When we drink a popular soft drink like colas, which have an acidic pH of 2.5, the bloodstream does not lower itself to that level. Rather, the sugars and other elements in the drink are processed by the blood into acid wastes: some are eliminated, and others are stored at various locations in the body.

HOW WE AGE

What is it that causes us to grow old? Many theories exist today, and they all seem to have one quality in common: they cannot stop, hinder, or slow down the aging process. For example, the Wear and Tear Theory argues that aging is genetic; and that theory is closely related to the Limited Number of Cell Division Theory, which proposes that the cell has only a limited number of divisions, and when used up, the body dies. Another theory tells us that aging is related to the breakdown of glucose, blood sugar. All these theories, and numerous others, lead to dead ends. They certainly have not produced better health.

A NEW THEORY OF AGING

Modern medicine has not been able to answer the Why We Age question. Yet another theory of aging and illness has been around for a long time. It has been voiced by natural healing practitioners all over the world, in America, Asia and Europe. Briefly, this theory holds that aging (and many diseases) result from the accumulation of acid waste products in the body.

WHAT CAUSES ACID WASTED BUILD-UP?

Bad diet, either a present routine or one from your past, can cause acid wastes to be stored in the body. A meat and potato diet, for example, can cause the body to become more acidic. When acid wastes enter the blood- stream, the blood, in order to maintain that narrow pH range, must store these wastes somewhere. These wastes, lodged in the body over decades, will overburden the whole system. A method has to be found to rid the body of wastes.

WHAT IS ALKALINE WATER?

One of the longest-lived race of people in the world are called the Hunza. These people, located in the northern Pakistan, are found in several high-altitude mountain valleys. Many Hunza claim to be 150 years old; many others are documented centenarians (over age one hundred). For many years, scientists have pondered the mystery of what makes them so healthy, for they rarely suffer the diseases the rest of us know so well. Some researchers are beginning to believe that the Hunza miracle derives from the water that they drink. The mountain water that flows into the Hunza villages comes from the surrounding glaciers. Structured hexagonally, this water is filled with mineral solutes, and it tests out as highly alkaline

As we have said before, the body uses the blood stream system to dispose of wastes; these are removed in liquid form, and are often deposited in the lungs and kidneys. If there are too many wastes to handle, they are deposited in various organ systems, like the heart, or the pancreas, or the liver, or the colon, or in other locations. Sometimes theses wastes are left on the walls of arteries, and over the years can spread throughout the body.

The break-down of this disposal process, especially of acid wastes, is how we define the aging process. To slow down and reverse this direction, one must begin removing acid wastes from the body.

The best way we have found to do this is to drink alkaline water. This water, having a pH of between of 9 and 11, will first neutralize harmful stored acid wastes, and if you consume it every day, will gently remove them from your body. Yet, since the water is ionized, it will not leach out valuable alkaline minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, or sodium.

Japanese doctors have treated their patients for over four decades with alkaline water. They believe that the immune system looses its power to throw off disease when the body becomes too acidic. They advocate drinking alkaline water, eating alkaline foods.

Asian medicine assigns two categories to human diseases: communicable and adult. Contagious or communicable diseases are caused by viruses and bacteria. Influenza, the common cold, aids, plagues, all fall into this category, and medical doctors are quite proficient at treating them. Adult diseases include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, gout, arthritis, kidney diseases, hemorrhoids, asthma, hay fever, allergies, obesity, tooth and gum disease, skin disorders, and many others.

They are caused by poor circulation, by deficient cellular activity, and by the accumulation of acid wastes in the body. Asian medicine says that many adult diseases can be treated by alkalizing the bloodstream.

Medicine of America does not attempt to remove acid wastes from the physiological system; so today's modern medicine is rather deficient in treating adult diseases. Even if the medicine cures the disease, if acids are not removed from the body, the treatment's effectiveness will at best only be temporary.

WHAT CAUSES ACID WASTES?

Bad diets - including meat and potatoes, fried foods, soft drink colas, sucrose and other sugars - build up acid salts in the body. Often these deposits, by having to be stored away from blood flow, can remain in the body for decades.

Stress - both mental and physical - can also form acid deposits in the body. Mental stress can make you feel depressed. While the physiological, scientific connection to stress in the body has not been completely established, there exists a school of thought in psychology, called psychosomatics, which maintains that one's mental state will influence health. Doctors in Japan, following more than forty years of research and testing, believe that daily drinking of alkaline water can lift depression. Let us look at some of the healing benefits of drinking ionized alkaline water.

OBESITY

Overweight is a major health problem in America. It arises form the overeating of carbohydrates and fats. When the metabolic process is not able to burn them away, the blood must place these fatty acids somewhere. It first stores them under the skin, around the waist in men, and around the hips, thighs and breasts in women. Then it deposits wastes around organs and tissues, which then receive a smaller supply of nutrients and are thereby damaged. This second stage is more deadly. An easy gentle way to lose weight is to wash fatty acids out of the body by drinking six to eight glasses of alkaline water a day. This practice has been employed in Japan for the last thirty years, and doctors there record numerous instances of weight loss.

CANCER

Dr. Keiichi Morishita in his book, The Hidden Truth of Cancer, states that if the blood develops a more acidic condition, then these excess acidic wastes have to be deposited somewhere in the body. If this unhealthy process continues year after year, these areas steadily increase in acidity, and their cells begin to die. Other cells in the affected area may survive by becoming abnormal; these are called malignant. Malignant cells do not respond to brain commands. They undergo a cellular division that is out of control. This is called cancer. modern medicine in America treats these malignant cells as if they were bacteria or viruses. It uses chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery to treat cancer. Yet none of these treatments will help very much, if after all of that, the acidic environment remains. Drinking water that has high alkaline pH, because of its de-acidifying effect, will help in preventing cancer. In Asia, alkaline water is regularly served to patients, and is considered a regular part of treatment.

BLOOD PRESSURE & HEART DISEASE

Acidification of the body begins in the blood. Remember that the blood must keep its pH within that safe range of 7.3 to 7.45, and will do so by transforming liquid wastes into solid ones and storing them. This physiological state of homeostasis is maintained by chemicals called buffers. When buffer levels are too low, possibly from the ingestion of too many acid foods or drinks, then a condition called acidosis develops. Japanese doctors feel that people with high blood pressure have an acidosis condition. They cite many successful clinical cases where the ingestion of high pH alkaline water has lowered blood pressure. These doctors cite several causes for their success in lowering blood pressure through administering alkaline water. When the pH of blood is raised or alkalinized, and if you raise it from 7.3 to 7.45 you increase its pH by 68%, then excess oxygen is added to the blood, and the heart does not have to work as hard. Also, the ionized calcium added to the blood from the alkaline water may be dissolving the plaque and cholesterol build-up on the walls of the arteries. While the effect of alkaline water is gentle, and its greatest health benefits do not happen in a day or a month, you should be able to lower your blood pressure within a few months of drinking alkaline water. Japanese doctors have been using alkaline water to successfully treat high blood pressure for years..

DIABETES

The adult disease of diabetes is called insulin independent diabetes mellitus. It usually affects people over the age of 40. People who have this ailment usually eat too much and are overweight. Age is a factor here, because the efficiency of the pancreas decreases as we grow older. A shortage of calcium ions in the body impairs the production and release of the insulin hormone. That can lead to an acidic blood condition. Clogged blood vessels caused by excess protein buildup also impair pancreatic function. Alkaline water, by supplying calcium in an ionized form, and by preventing excess protein buildup, can help this condition. The Japanese have been successfully clinically treating diabetes with alkaline water.

ARTHRITIS

Many different forms of arthritis and gout are the result of the accumulation of acid wastes in the joints. Ointments simply cover-up symptoms. Aspirin, being acidic, can offer short-term relief, but over a longer period, it can add to the pain. Alkaline water is employed by Asian doctors to alter the acidic condition in the body so that the body can fix the problem by itself.

KIDNEY DISEASE

As the body consumes toxins, the kidneys become over-burdened with acid wastes. Nephritis, uremia poisoning, and bladder diseases are all acid related conditions which can be treated by the consumption of alkaline water. Kidney stones begin as tiny specks; they gradually build into solid stones, composed of phosphates, urates, etc. They are another form of acidic salts. Drinking plenty of alkaline water will prevent kidney stones from forming, and even after their formation, it can dissolve them. Japanese doctors have used alkaline water for years to treat the kidneys.

THE ALKALINE WATER MAKER

Alkaline water is produced using electrolysis to electrically split filtered tap water into alkaline and acid water. The machine was first developed in Japan in the early 1950's, and approved for use as a medical device by The Health & Rehabilitation Ministry in Jan. of 1966. The ionized minerals found in city tap water are important. Common alkaline minerals are sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium; the common acid minerals are chlorine, lead, sulfur and phosphorous. The water ionizer has two chambers, with a positive and a negative electrode. When the process is complete, one chamber provides alkaline water with its ionized alkaline minerals. This is what we drink, the water that is so healthy for us.

ALKALINE WATER EXPERIENCES

A woman in her forties under high stress was diagnosed with high blood pressure and was told she had abnormally high cholesterol levels. She began consuming one and a half quarts a day of alkaline water. After a few weeks, both her cholesterol and blood pressure were lowered; and as an added benefit, her stomach began to feel much better. A teenager with a severe acne began drinking the water, and after three months, the condition was cleared up. He consumed two quarts a day of alkaline water. A man worried about the effect of the prescription drugs that he was taking for overweight began consuming two quarts of the water per day. after six months, he had thrown away his drugs, and had lost over thirty pounds. In California, a man had been suffering from hyper-acidity for many years, and after eating a meal would unpredictably vomit. He began consuming six glasses of the alkaline water per day. Within a week his acidity ended; he also lost fifteen pounds in three months, and discovered a dramatic rate of increase in his ability to heal small ailments, like cuts and bruises. A woman had suffered constipation for thirty years, and began drinking water on a regular basis, and completely rid herself of this condition. She had also lacked an appetite for years, but has now developed a healthy one. One man who likes to consume alcohol moderately, noticed when he began consuming the water on a regular basis, that he quit suffering hangovers, and that the drowsiness he regularly experienced had left him. A female athlete in her twenties began consuming the alkaline water for a stomach condition; she felt an increase in her general energy level, and after a day of strenuous training, found that the alkaline water minimized the aches and pains she had always previously experienced. For years, a woman had suffered ulcers, and was feeling nauseous from her medication; a regular consumption of the water allowed her to cease her medication and the ulcer began to go away. One could go on and on with these stories, and there are many more, but what we suggest you do is simply try the water yourself.

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Add Coral Calcium to Your Drinking Water

No mater what water you add the coral calcium to, it will soften the water, lower it's viscosity, and hydrate your body. Remember, sip rather than gulp. However, the lower the quality of the water, the less value of the coral calcium is left over for you. In other words, you don't want to lose many of the antioxidants simply to cleaning up the water.

Coral calcium can give your water a perfect pH balance while supplying the basic ingredient for the rejuvenation of your body. Defy arthritis, osteoporosis, fatigue, insomnia, nerves, and lack of mobility.

Raises drinking water's pH to approximately 8.5 regardless of previous quality.

Binds heavy metals.

Removes chlorine.

Hinders growth of bacteria.

Adds ionic coral calcium and essential minerals to water.

Fact: If your body's pH is not balanced, you cannot effectively assimilate vitamins, minerals and food supplements.

Fact: There is more calcium in the body than any other mineral. 20% of an adults bone calcium is reabsorbed and replaced every year.