Clean Water:  A Key to Vibrant Health

Hippocrates said fresh air and clean water were essential parts of good health.
We all know we should drink plenty of water.  I recommend eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day in addition to fresh vegetable juice.  But toxins in the water can make us sick.  I have been asked many times what water filter system is the best.  I’ve also been asked about alkaline water.  After much research, I have found some answers.  I have also found a water filtration system that I feel confident in recommending.

TAP WATER IS DANGEROUSLY POLLUTED

In the past several years scientific analysis of municipal drinking water supplies has detected many new unregulated toxic contaminants. The Associated Press did an investigative report and found that water supplies to at least 41 million people contained trace amounts of pharmaceuticals including anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones. Many non-prescription drugs were also detected including acetaminophen and ibuprofen. This is on top of many known contaminants detected in drinking water such as chlorine by-products, aluminum, industrial chemicals, pesticides, fluoride, lead, arsenic and naturally occurring radioactivity such as uranium.

Pinpointing the exact number of toxins in the average glass of water would be impossible, but experts have a disturbingly good idea. Research indicates that there could be up to 500 different types of toxic chemicals in the U.S. water supply at any given time. Increasingly common toxins include MTBE (methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether), a volatile, flammable and colorless liquid almost exclusively used as a fuel additive in motor gasoline; and perchlorate, a chemical found in both fertilizers and explosives.

CHLORINE STOPPED THE SPREAD OF CHOLERA BUT ITS BY-PRODUCTS ARE CARCINOGENS

Despite the fact that it has been definitively linked to cancer and heart disease, among other illnesses, chlorine remains the government’s disinfectant of choice for contaminated water. The irony is that it creates far more toxins than it eliminates, specifically trihalomethanes (THMs). These are new chemicals created when chlorine reacts with naturally occurring organic matter in water. Suspected of heart, lung, kidney and liver damage, birth defects, and increased risk of bladder and colorectal cancer, THMs have no redeeming qualities. So you might ask, does the government know about this little chemistry experiment playing out at your expense? Of course it does. It has gone ahead and started adding ammonia to water to reduce the THM fiasco, in turn creating chloramines, toxic byproducts that interfere with the endocrine system and normal hormonal function. The unappetizing taste of chlorine is the least of its faults.

THE EPA HAS PUBLISHED A LIST OF CONTAMINANTS AND THEIR HEALTH IMPACTS

It is well established that consuming these environmental toxins over a period of years contributes to a wide range of health disorders including   cancer, leukemia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, neurological  and cardiovascular disease.  http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/

BECAUSE YOUR DRINKING WATER MEETS GOVERNMENT STANDARDS DOES NOT MEAN IT IS HEALTHY

“People are being misled to believe that water is safe because it meets government standards,” says Dr. Roy Speiser, a water quality specialist and health care practitioner with 35 years of experience in the field of environmental health. “If your local water report says the amount of a certain chemical is ‘negligible’, whether that’s the truth or not, consider what ‘negligible’ translates to over months and years.” Bioaccumulation, referring to the consistent absorption of a toxic substance at insignificant amounts over an extended period of time, accurately describes the worsening problem in our bodies. Chemicals and heavy metals keep accumulating until they reach toxic levels and manifest as a health disorder.

THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT YOUR HEALTH IS TO FILTER YOUR WATER

“Water filtration is essential,” insists Dr. Speiser. “The more we continue to drink unfiltered water, the sicker we become, no matter what precautions we take in every other area of our life. Filtration is a measure both preventative and necessary. If you want to avoid illness, you cannot drink toxic water; if you are sick and want to get better, you cannot drink toxic water.” Conclusion: You cannot drink toxic water if you endeavor to be a healthy person free of disease.

“If you are sick, then you won’t be able to undergo a thorough detoxification regimen if you are drinking unfiltered water,” explains Dr. Vastola. “While I am trying to restore healthy probiotics,  the chlorine, fluoride and ammonia in toxic water kill them off again, rendering the person’s progress futile. It only makes sense that true healing is dependent on the purity of the single most important carrying agent in our lives”.

Basic water filtration systems, like the kind you attach to a kitchen sink are not adequate to remove the most toxic contaminants. At best they can only reduce a diminutive fraction of the toxins in your water and need to be refilled about once every two weeks to remain even the slightest bit effective.  Since we cannot be assured of high quality water that is free of unhealthy contaminants, it is necessary to combine the most advanced filtration technologies to be absolutely certain that your drinking, cooking, rinsing and bathing water is as clean and safe as possible.

I am recommending the CWR water filtration system, which has available a range of advanced filtration technologies that are tested and certified to reduce the most challenging water contaminants. Dr. Speiser is a water quality specialist who analyzes your local water quality report and recommends a filtration equipment solution suited to your needs.  Usually this involves combining a filtration tank for the whole house with a series of SPECIAL MEDIA filters under the sink to remove all the contaminants detected.  You can start with a filtration system for your drinking water if funds are limited.

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Problems with Alkaline Water Machines

Lawrence Wilson M.D. has written a very good article on the problems presented with alkaline water machines.  He makes the following points:

• The cause of acidity is a deficiency of alkaline reserve minerals at a cellular level.  They include calcium, magnesium, zinc, and selenium.  Unfortunately, drinking artificially alkalinized water does little or nothing to replace vital minerals.  It may deplete them by making the body think it is alkaline so the body does not hold onto alkaline reserve minerals as much, and it eliminates some of them making a person more deficient.
• Water from alkaline water machines replaces vital minerals with cadmium, lead, arsenic, and other toxic metals found in tap water, which is not filtered by carbon filters.  He also notes that reverse osmosis and KDF water filtration systems also damage the water.
• Alkaline water machines also replace good minerals with a little platinum and titanium found in the plates the water passes over.  Both are very toxic metals.  Dr. Wilson has also discovered slightly higher nickel levels in those who use alkaline water machines which he believes is leached from some part of the machine.
• The filter is a carbon filtration system, which does not effectively remove all the chlorine, fluoride, aluminum, copper, pesticides, and drug residues.

Reference
http://www.myjourneytoacure.com/uploads/3/5/3/7/3537881/alkaline_water_and_why_avoid_it.pdf

Dr. Mercola’s Comments on Alkaline Water

If you drink alkaline water all the time, you’re going to raise the alkalinity of your stomach, which will buffer your stomach’s acidity and impair your ability to digest food, as low stomach acid is one of the most common causes of ulcers. This can open the door for parasites in your small intestine, and your protein digestion may suffer. It also means you’ll get less minerals and nutrients over time – in fact, some of these health effects can already be seen in hardcore alkaline water drinkers. Alkalinity is also potentially a problem because it is antibacterial, so it could potentially disrupt the balance of your body’s beneficial bacteria.[xvi]

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/11/alkaline-water-interview.aspx