Learn why water is so important to your health, the types of water, options for filtration, what to look for in a filtration system, and about systems that turn good water into great water.

Water – A simple way to improve your health (Part 1)

Water is the essence of life. More than 70% of your body is water; your brain is 75-85% water, and your blood is 50% water. Water is so important to all the functions of your body and your cells, that without water you will die. Water helps maintain key bodily functions - circulation, assimilation, digestion, elimination of toxins, metabolism, and temperature control - plus, it gives you energy!

Dr. Batmanghelidj wrote a book called “You are not sick, you are thirsty. Water: For Health For Healing, For Life.” He believes that most chronic conditions and disease are a result of chronic dehydration. We don’t drink enough water nor do we drink enough good water to support our body in its daily healing and repair work. Plus, it does not help that we are one of the most acidic countries in the world due to our diets. Dehydration accelerates aging too. Look at the difference between the skin of a child and an elderly person. Hydration is critical as it enables the cells to detoxify.

Chronic dehydration signals from “Your Body’s Many Cries for Water” by Dr Batmanghelidj:

• Sinus problems, allergies and breathing problems
• Joint discomfort and pain (back, neck, knee, etc.)
• Obesity and digestive problems
• Headaches
• Heart problems, high cholesterol and high blood pressure
• Sleep disorders
• Impotence
• Depression
• Brain dysfunction

Want to make a big improvement in your overall health and energy? There is no fancy secret here. Just drink enough water to keep you well hydrated and your body functioning at its peak. The amount of water needed on a daily basis depends on your lifestyle. A rule of thumb is normally ½ ounce per pound of body weight. Athletes and people in hot climates might need more. Everyone is different, but remember water (just like anything) can be dangerous if too much is consumed.

Water is an amazing substance. There are big difference in water quality. The bioavailability and absorbability are critical components. After all, it is not how much you drink that matters, it is how much your body absorbs.

Options for water – Which is best?:

      Tap Water:

Unfortunately, the quality of tap water can vary greatly. Most areas use chlorine, which is a known carcinogen, for water treatment. While it kills bacteria, it does nothing to remove the dead bacteria from the water. Fluride and calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and potassium carbonate are also used to purify water. All of these substances are unhealthy for us. Pharmaceuticals wind up in the water supply (either flushed or excreted) and there is nothing in place for water treatment facilities to deal with this problem at the moment. Further, pesticides, animal waste, toxic waste, lead, oil and chemical runoff, fertilizers, cleaning chemicals, arsenic, flouride and even rocket fuel has been detected in tap water. As water delivery lines age, there is a buildup of mineral, biological and chemical deposits. Tap water is not something you want to be putting in your body.

Bottled Water:

There are too many unknowns with bottled water. What is the source? Over 25% of bottled water is just tap water. If it is filtered, how often are the filters changed? How long did it sit on a dock? What kind of heat was it exposed to (chemicals from plastics leach into the water at temperatures above 80)? How long did it sit on the store shelves (fluorescent lights change the water)? What about the environmental impacts of all the plastic bottles? It takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to produce the plastic bottles in the U.S. alone each year, not to mention the environmental costs of disposal and recycling. If it is a reusable bottle, what kind of process was done to purify the bottle? If it is in your office, does anyone ever clean the water unit? Most importantly, this is the most expensive kind of water you can buy – even more expensive than gasoline! If you drink the required amount of water, you’ll spend about $1400 annually!

Reserve Osmosis Water:

The good thing is reverse osmosis takes everything out. The bad thing is reverse osmosis takes everything out, including the minerals your body needs from water. The process wastes water. It takes about 3 gallons to get 1 gallon of water. The resulting water is more acidic too.

Distilled Water:

This water is very acidic and is technically dead water. Do not drink distilled water.

Water Softening:

Water softening can be very expensive. There can be additional health problems resulting from the added sodium. It also does not remove organics, metals and microbes.

Purified or Filtered Water:

This is the best option. It gives you the ability to know exactly when the filters need to be changed and know exactly the quality of water you are getting. It is also the most ecomonical option and is environmentally friendly.

Filtration of your drinking, cooking and fruit/veggie washing water is very important to your health. In the next part of the water series, we will explore what to look for when selecting a water filtration system. It is important to be a good consumer to benefit both your health, your pocketbook and the environment.

Water Part 2 – How to select a Water Filtration System

In the Water Part 1 article, we learned that adequate hydration will improve your health. It is also important to filter your water so your body doesn't have to act as the filter. Filtering your own water keeps you in control of regular filter changes, saves you lots money over bottled water and also saves the environment.

Questions to ask to find the best water filtration or optimization system for you:

• What are you trying to remove? Look online or call your local water bureau for their annual water report. Got to http://www.safe-drinking-water.org/pdf/makesense.pdf to learn how to make sense of the report. If you have a particular concern, make sure the filter you are considering effectively removes it. You can also have your water tested by a certified water consultant.

• Is it certified by a secondary party? Any company can say their product is great, but make sure you have independent certification that a system is removing the organic materials, inorganic materials and pollutants. National Science Foundation (NSF), Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the Water Quality Association all independently certify water filtration systems. It is important that the filter is actually certified versus just tested to standards.

• Which standards is it certified in? Look for a system that is certified to the ANSI Standard 53 for health effects (variety of chemicals, cysts, volatile organic compounds and substances) and ANSI Standard 42 for aesthetic effects (chlorine taste and odor reduction).

•  What type of filtration does it use? Does it have a multi-stage filtration system? Does it address what you are trying to remove from your water?

 The following filtration info was pulled from http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/gfilters.asp.

Activated Carbon Filter

How it works: Positively charged and highly absorbent carbon in the filter attracts and traps many impurities.

Gets rid of: Bad tastes and odors, including chlorine. Standard 53-certified filters also can substantially reduce many hazardous contaminants, including heavy metals such as copper, lead and mercury; disinfection byproducts; parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium; pesticides; radon; and volatile organic chemicals such as methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), dichlorobenzene and trichloroethylene (TCE).

Cation Exchange Softener

How it works: "Softens" hard water by trading strong positively-charged minerals for ones with less of a charge.

Gets rid of: Calcium and magnesium, which form mineral deposits in plumbing and fixtures, as well as barium and some other ions that can create health hazards.

Distiller

How it works: Boils water and recondenses the purified steam.

Gets rid of: Heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and mercury, as well as arsenic, barium, fluoride, selenium and sodium.

Reverse Osmosis

How it works:  A semi-permeable membrane separates impurities from water. (Note: This filtration technique wastes a substantial amount of water during the treatment process.)

Gets rid of: Most contaminants, including certain parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia; heavy metals such as cadmium, copper, lead and mercury; and other pollutants, including arsenic, barium, nitrate/nitrite, perchlorate and selenium.

Ultraviolet Disinfection

How it works: Ultraviolet light kills bacteria and other microorganisms.

Gets rid of: Bacteria and parasites. Class A systems protect against harmful bacteria and viruses, including Cryptosporidium and Giardia, while class B systems are designed to make non-disease-causing bacteria inactive.

•  Does it leave minerals in the water that the body needs? Does it add trace minerals? Remember, reverse osmosis takes away important minerals along with the bad stuff. It also takes 3 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of reverse osmosis water, which is not environmentally friendly.

•  Does it leave the water acidic or alkaline? Disease cannot thrive in an alkaline and oxygenated environment (Nobel prize from 1930). Some filtered waters are more acidic and your body needs to pull buffers from your body to make it more alkaline. Make sure the filtered water is not acidic.

•  Is it cost effective? Filter systems vary a great deal in price and quality ranging from about $30 to thousands. Even the less expensive units can quickly become costly if you are constantly changing the filters. Find out the cost and frequency of replacement filters. More importantly, use your filtered water for everything – cooking and cleaning veggies. Many bottled water users use tap water for these functions, which defeats the purpose.

•  Is it bioavailable? Kick your water quality up a notch with technology. How much your body is able to absorb is critical to good health. Do you feel like the water you drink just sits in your stomach? Do you run to the bathroom every few minutes? If so, your water is likely not being absorbed and utilized by your body as much as it could be. Does the filtration system structure the water so it is more absorbable and useable by your cells? These systems take good quality filtered water a step further to create great water. One patented system “optimizes” the water by using strong complex-field magnetics, pi and cyclone oxygenation which adjusts the pH, reduces clustering, enhances mineral composition, adds ions and adds pi (life). Another patented system creates “intelligent” water which transforms the water’s molecular structure to hydrate cells faster along with numerous other benefits. If you are going to drink more water, why not drink the best water available?

• Get a shower system. Your skin is your largest organ. Your pores open up in the warm water and your body absorbs the chlorine and other contaminants. A five minute shower is equal to drinking several glasses of unfiltered tap water.

Nikken PiMag Water Filtration Systems - Watch a short clip explaining the technology

Systems to make Filtered Water Even Better