 | Ed Martin is owner of Healthy Choices, Inc. of Wichita. Ed has been involved in the energy and health fields for over 30 years, focusing on pioneering new technologies and bringing cutting-edge products and services to the marketplace. You can reach Ed at; 316-207-7343, or by e-mail at healthychoices1@cox.net |
Health & Wellness
2012-03-22 15:36:06
The importance of water for good health
Q: Does it matter what water I drink, and how much I drink?
A: I am going to answer this question by first restating something that was in my column last month.
The theory of many acclaimed research scientists and medical doctors is that all disease can be traced back to two simple problems:
1. Dehydration – Water is the fluid of life. Not drinking enough easily absorbable water leads to dehydration. When we become dehydrated, we reduce our body’s ability to process nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Further, we starve the body of the fluid by which it cleanses and detoxifies the organs and the blood, leaving toxins running rampant in our bodies.
2. Over-Acidification – Our bodies prefer an alkaline environment. When acid builds up, it robs every available resource from the body to maintain pH balance. Excess acid is stored in the body and slowly poisons us over time.
Now, let’s discuss the need for water. Most Americans don’t drink enough water. Many substitute other liquids such as coffee, tea, soda, fruit juice, or even energy drinks and think they can replace water, but that is not the case. They are almost without exception, all acidic and are not the right pH for what the body needs. As a result, the body absorbs as little as possible and the bulk passes right through as waste. Even bottled water, in most cases, is not a good solution, because most bottled water is purified through reverse osmosis which makes the water acidic. The net result of drinking these acidic liquids is that there can still leave the body without proper hydration, or dehydrated.
It is estimated that at least 75% of Americans are dehydrated enough that it affects their health in a negative way. Many people interpret their thirst as hunger. In a University of Washington study, drinking one glass of water when feeling hungry stopped the hunger pangs in 98% of the dieters surveyed.
The body is, on average, 70% water. Drinking enough water is critical to good health.
Here are a few examples based on various research and reported studies:
1. The main cause of most daytime fatigue is simply lack of water.
2. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day may significantly ease back pain and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
3. If the average person drank 10 - eight ounce glasses of plain water every day, it has been estimated that the risk of getting breast cancer would be reduced by 79%, colon cancer by 45%, and bladder cancer by 50%.
4. Just a 2% drop in the body’s natural water level can bring on mental confusion, short-term memory loss, inability to focus, and forgetting how to do simple math calculations.
5. Chronic lack of drinking sufficient quantities of plain water can lead to a body’s dehydration, over acidification, increased toxicity, and weight gain, all of which are detrimental to good health.
6. People can live for months without food, but only about 72 hours without water.
It is recommended that a person’s minimum daily water intake should be half of their body weight in ounces. For instance, a 200 pound person should drink at least 100 ounces of water, or about 3 quarts, every day. For someone who is very overweight or suffering from a chronic disease, that recommended minimum amount should double.
Where does good quality water come from? Tap water quality varies from community to community, and the pH is too low. Although studies commonly state that most tap water is healthier for you than bottled water, many people are distrustful of drinking it. Having your own well may not be the best answer either, because much well water is contaminated from decades of dumping chemicals and waste into our rivers, streams and soil that has reached the aquifers.
Carbon Block and Granular Carbon Filters:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes granular activated carbon as the best available technology for the removal of bacteria and organic chemicals like herbicides, pesticides and industrial chemicals. However, these filters leave the minerals in the water but do not improve the natural pH of the water.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Distillation Systems:
An RO system exposes water under pressure to a semi-permeable membrane with very fine pores. Water that passes through is stripped of its minerals and other inorganic compounds, but many chemicals have smaller molecules than water, so they pass through also. A typical RO system wastes 2-3 gallons of water for every gallon it produces. A distillation system boils water and then condenses the vapor. However, distilled water is also stripped of its minerals and still can contain chemicals that vaporize at a lower temperature than water. Both types of systems must be used along with a carbon filter to be sure organic chemicals are removed.
Water that has been stripped of minerals contains more hydrogen which raises its acidity. Several very credible research reports and books state that the long-term consumption of de-mineralized water can be dangerous. Dr. Zolton Rona, author of The Joy of Health, states, “The longer one consumes distilled water, the more likely the development of mineral deficiencies and an acid state.”
When we consume an acidic substance, our body tries to eliminate it and then to neutralize what’s left by pulling minerals from our teeth and bones to produce bicarbonate. It has been proven that when our body fluids become more acidic than alkaline, the production of free radicals increases, causing greater cancer risks. Many studies suggest that cancer can only grow in an acid environment. This theory seems to be supported by the fact that the areas around the world where people live the longest most disease- free lives are the areas that have water that is the most alkaline and has the highest mineral content.
There is nothing one can drink that can have as great an impact on your life and good health as naturally mineralized high pH alkaline water, and there is nothing more difficult to find. It is just not readily available – unless you make it yourself. That is where good quality home water ionizers come in.
Good quality home water ionizers utilize a carbon filter to clean the water and remove organic chemicals, but the natural minerals are left intact. In fact, the mineral content is required for the ionizer to raise the water’s alkalinity to the desired pH. There are other qualities that separate a good quality ionizer from lesser quality units such as being constructed from the best materials, having adjustable pH, being self-cleaning, having a proper warranty, etc. However, we can discuss those qualities another time.
In conclusion, the answer to today’s question is yes, it does matter what kind of water you drink, and it does matter that you drink it in sufficient quantities every day. For the best health, documented evidence shows there is one beverage that everyone should drink above all else. That is high pH alkaline water. Where do you get it? From your own home water ionizer.
