Water Ionizer

[Saman]

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_ionizer:

A water ionizer separates water into an alkaline fraction and an acid fraction. It does this by exploiting the electric charge of the calcium and magnesium ions present in nearly all sources of drinking water. When a source of water lacks mineral ions -- such as distilled water or water filtered via reverse osmosis -- a water ionizer has negligible effect.

I was recently introduced to the concept of water ionization. After some research, I decided to purchase a model from the web. I am not going to mention who introduced me to the concept and what line of water ionizer I finally chose to purchase after some looking into the matter.

Just thought to mention the concept for the benefit of others who like me were not aware of this notion.

Here is once source that debunks the concept and benefits of ionized water:

_http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html

Here is just one reply, and most likely there is more out there, to this debunking:

_http://www.waterforlifeusa.com/index.php?page=water-ionizer-comparison-chart:

[...]
Chem 1 and Chemist Mr. Stephen Lower:

Chem 1 is a company run by chemist Stephen Lower that specializes in "debunking" fradulant water products. Unfortunately, Mr. Lower believes that water ionizers are also fradulant. He doesn't believe that the charged titanium plates have enough effect on the water to actually separate the alkaline from acidic properties. He backs this up with his formulas and theories and concludes that any benefit gained by drinking "ionized" water is a placebo effect. He calls any research on the subject "pseudoscience."

Anyone who owns or sells a water ionizer is bothered by these claims. Every water ionizer company distributes pH drops with their machine, including ours, to show that the pH is changing. The KYK Harmony even measures the pH and ORP automatically. Those who are more skeptical, we encourage to buy pH and ORP meters to see the results for themselves.

The truth is if a water ionizer couldn't lower ORP, raise pH, and fill your glass with oxygen like we claim, with the abundance of water testing materials available to the everyday consumer, how could water ionizer companies stay in business? Why aren't we all in jail for fraud? Does Mr. Lower actually believe that in 35 years of distribution, 15 here in the US, no one bothered to test the pH from their water ionizer? The fact is everyone does. Everyone who spends $900, $1000, $1200 on an ionizer tests their water -- most quite thoroughly. And it is the glowing testimonials and referrals from these customers that have built the foundation for companies like KYK and Water for Life USA.

What Mr. Lower fails to take into account is every water ionizer uses a membrane to separate the alkaline from the acidic properties of water. This is what makes ionization possible, it stops the alkaline and acidic properties from cancelling each other out (like he claims). If Mr. Lower actually reviewed and tested one of our machines, like we have offered on a couple separate occasions, he would see that the membrane makes all the difference and once he factors that into his formulas, his conclusion will be what thousands of doctors and scientists have already concluded -- alkaline, electrolyzed water is not only possible, but profound.

Since testing began nearly fifty years ago on ionized water -- the research has been staggering. Lowering or raising the ORP of water has amazing effects on what that water comes in contact with. In plants, ionized acidic water is used to increase growth and production and fend of pests (insects hate it). In people, ionized alkaline water has been used as a natural solvent for weight loss and high blood pressure, as a neutralizer to carbolic acids in our joints from arthritis and other diseases, as a natural energizer for fatigue, and as an overall body balancer by raising our pH over time. In our resource center on this site, you will find fifty years worth of research on all types of human ailments, all showing positive benefits from ionized, alkaline water, all from respected scientists from around the world.

Why? Because ionized water is essential to our bodies, giving them an abundance of oxygen and energy, that all our bodily systems use to repair, balance, and enhance their functioning. Every person, young or old, sick or healthy, needs a strong supply of oxygen and energy everyday. That's why it's profound when we can get all we need from our water, like mother nature intended.

Mr. Stephen Lower is doing his community and his world a tremendous disservice by spreading this misinformation about water ionizers. We have asked him politely to remove his articles. But since he has refused, all major water ionizer distributors are teaming up to collectively form the World Water Ionizer Association, to challenge Mr. Lower's claims, and it's only a matter of time before truth will prevail over his ignorance. Don't take this man's word. Run your own tests. We give every buyer sixty days to try out our product risk free just for this reason.
[....]

Here is a small list of books that were recommended to me for reading:


Alkalize or Die Dr. Theodore A. Baroody
Reverse Aging Sang Wang
The pH Miracle for Weight Loss Robert Young, PhD
Your Body’s Many Cries for Water F. Batmanghelidj, MD
Natural Cures “They don’t want you to know about Kevin Trudeau
The pH Miracle – Balance your diet, Reclaim your health Robert Young, PhD
Acid & Alkaline Herman Aihara
Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook Jeanne Marie Martin
Eat Right for Your Type Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo

Just thought to inform others of this notion and its potential benefits in case they are not aware of it already.

 

[Rabelais]

Just thought to inform others of this notion and its potential benefits in case they are not aware of it already.

Have you noticed any observable benefits since you began using your unit? Are you able to control the pH of the end product? Are you using this machine with raw tap or RO water?

The reason that I ask is that I am currently studying the effects of different pH levels in some fruit and vegetables that I am growing in containers. They seem much more sensitive to pH variation than the plants in the ground. I am using soil pH test kits to determine the acidity or alkalinity of the growing medium. The best way to compensate for soil that does not match the needs of the plant is through water pH. That is why I wonder about the ability of this equipment to dial in a specific desired pH.

There is also a large body of evidence that points to the benefits of a less acidic environment in the human body.

 

[Saman]

Have you noticed any observable benefits since you began using your unit?

Haven't started yet.

Are you able to control the pH of the end product?

There are models out there that claim to be able to do this.

Are you using this machine with raw tap or RO water?

I will be using tap water.

 

[ScioAgapeOmnis]

Have you noticed any observable benefits since you began using your unit?

Haven't started yet.

Are you able to control the pH of the end product?

There are models out there that claim to be able to do this.

Are you using this machine with raw tap or RO water?

I will be using tap water.

Raintree, I'd be interested in knowing if you have had any observable changes at this point in time from drinking alkaline water. It seems that the pH balance of our bodies is important, but I wonder how important is the pH balance of the water we drink.

Mods: Would it make sense to combine this thread with the Water thread? There are 2 distinct ways to possibly make water better: Increase the pH value which lowers its acidity, and filtering/distilling it. I have read that water with calcium deposits tends to be alkaline and that distilled water tends to be on the acidic end (I'll have to find some good sources to be more sure of this though). So if we distill water, I wonder if it would also make sense to then make it less acidic as well, and how much that matters for the body.

 

[weasel3d]

I've been using a water ionizer for about 6 or 7 months. It runs off my tap water and that tap water is NYC tap water. The unit allows for various pH settings to as high as alkaline 12 and acidic water which can be used for disinfecting. I've checked the pH with drops and the machine is consistent in its various settings.

I've become used to drinking 9.5 alkaline water as a norm. In the beginning my energy level was obviously effected by it. I'd get outright giddy and had to work my way up from 7 to 8, 8.5, 9 and then 9.5. I noticed this for at least the first couple of months and maybe longer. Aside from energy boosts, my wife and I found that the condition of our skin and hair texture improved. Also, we both went through a period of detoxing, which I directly attribute to use of the high pH water.

Another interesting thing is that I found that when I pour the 9.5pH water into a vase of wilting flowers, they burst back to life within about 15 to 20 minutes. It's very exciting to watch the flowers that you'd normally write off as gone, burst to life like that.

Supposedly, though I don't have the means to confirm this, the process changes the clustering size of the water molecules, from 12-24 to 4-6 per cluster. Supposedly this is absorbed faster and more efficiently through your cell's walls, resulting in fast and complete rehydration. It's also supposedly gets through the bloods brain barrier more efficiently. All I can say is that side by side with the tap water, it tastes 'wetter'. The consistency is different, it tastes lighted and of course cleaner, but that would be so just from the filtering process alone.

 

[ScioAgapeOmnis]

Seems that ionizing is a bit pricey, the machines appear to be between $1,500 and $2,000 from my cursory search. The benefits, at least from personal accounts such as yours, weasel3d, seem to be pretty worth it. However, I still wonder if it is a benefit of alkaline water, or is it that alkaline water changes the overall pH balance of the body, and that is what results in the perceived/felt benefits?

There is some interesting info here about pH balance of the body itself:

_http://www.trans4mind.com/nutrition/pH.html

Research shows that unless the body's pH level is slightly alkaline, the body cannot heal itself. So no matter what means you choose to take care of your health, it won't be effective until the pH level is balanced. If your body's pH is not balanced, for example, you cannot effectively assimilate vitamins, minerals and food supplements. Your body pH affects everything.

Acidosis will decrease the body's ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease it's ability to repair damaged cells, decrease it's ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumor cells thrive, and make it more susceptible to fatigue and illness.

An acidic pH can occur from an acid-forming diet, emotional stress, toxic overload, and/or immune reactions or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals. If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a build up of acids in the cells will occur. Acidosis can cause such problems as:

Cardiovascular damage.
Weight gain, obesity and diabetes.
Bladder conditions.
Kidney stones.
Immune deficiency.
Acceleration of free radical damage.
Hormonal problems.
Premature aging.
Osteoporosis and joint pain.
Aching muscles and lactic acid buildup.
Low energy and chronic fatigue.
Slow digestion and elimination.
Yeast/fungal overgrowth.
Lack of energy and fatigue.
Lower body temperature.
Tendency to get infections.
Loss of drive, joy, and enthusiasm.
Depressive tendencies.
Easily stressed.
Pale complexion.
Headaches.
Inflammation of the corneas and eyelids.
Loose and painful teeth.
Inflamed, sensitive gums.
Mouth and stomach ulcers.
Cracks at the corners of the lips.
Excess stomach acid.
Gastritis.
Nails are thin and split easily.
Hair looks dull, has split ends, and falls out.
Dry skin.
Skin easily irritated.
Leg cramps and spasms.

It seems having our bodies be slightly on the alkaline side is highly beneficial, and this can be accomplished with specific foods. I wonder if that would have the same effect as drinking alkaline water, and if so, would eliminate the need for an expensive water ionizer?

 

[Gaby]

It seems having our bodies be slightly on the alkaline side is highly beneficial, and this can be accomplished with specific foods. I wonder if that would have the same effect as drinking alkaline water, and if so, would eliminate the need for an expensive water ionizer?

I think that the diet is a key factor. One could also add some sodium bicarbonate in the water to help "alkalinize" the body.

I read in the Enzyme Factor by Hiromi Shinya about these water ionizers. Its seems that the benefits of ionized water is mostly due to the stronger reduction power (the power to reduce other substances where electrons are received by molecules, which is good for detox purposes) and this means that the water will have a lower electrical potential. He cites "kangen water". He also says:

Alkaline ion purifiers and minus ion purifiers also use the same mechanism to produce water with reduction power, but when electrolysis occurs in these devices, minerals such as calcium and magnesium from the water attach themselves to the cathodes. Therefore, water that has been electrically treated can collect more minerals. Furthermore, when electrolysis occurs, active hydrogen is also produced, serving to remove excess free radicals from the body. When water passes through these purifiers, chlorine and chemical substances found in tap water get removed. The result is what I call "good water," pure, clean, alkaline water with plenty of minerals.

Recently, people have begun talking about small water molecules called "clusters" as being a requirement for good water. But at present, opinions are divided over the pros and cons of these clusters, so there is no clear understanding of this matter.

To put it another way, good water means water with strong reduction power that has not been polluted with chemical substances

The book is from 2007. In my case, I'm sticking to my diet, a little bit of sodium bicarbonate in distilled water and a good multivitamin/mineral (plus the magnesium which will help balance the calcium) :) It seems that water ionizers are rather expensive, so one can choose alternative ways of getting around them.

 

[Gaby]

Here is an update from Dr. Mercola.

If You Fall for This "Water Fad" - You Could Do Some Major Damage

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

[...]

Alkalinity Research I: Flora and Fauna

Although the research is clear that alkaline water has detrimental effects on plants and animals, there are not many studies with humans.

A review of the literature turns up a variety of anecdotal evidence about the importance of ph to various living organisms, however, and as you might expect, optimal pH varies, depending on the organism.

The scientific literature indicates pH is important for nutrition and vitality. For example:

*Michigan State University studied greenhouse growth media (including the pH of that media), finding it is extremely important for the media pH to be properly adjusted prior to planting. Too high of a pH (greater than 6.5) increases the chances of micronutrient deficiencies. Too low of a pH (less than 5.3) results in calcium and/or magnesium and/or manganese toxicity. [vi]
*Ohio State University Extension Service reports that alkaline water affects a plant’s ability to obtain nutrients from the soil and can alter the soil’s pH over time.[vii]
*An ecological study in the Netherlands found that an influx of alkaline water led to the demise of a native plant called Stratiotes aloides L. [viii]
*Fish chronically exposed to alkaline soft water exhibit signs of stress (sometimes fatal), while fish in alkaline hard water experienced no such adverse effects, according to a study at the University of British Columbia. [ix]

If you are a gardener, you can view a helpful illustration of the environmental effects of pH in your own garden. If your pH is low, your hydrangea produces pink flowers, but if your pH is high, you’ll get blue flowers.

But what about us bipeds?

Alkalinity Research II: Humans

There has been a great deal of debate about battling cancer by making your body alkaline. This has become a focus of interest as cancer rates have skyrocketed (along with many other chronic, debilitating diseases), while our bodies have become more acidic from our processed-food diets.

The scientific research about the benefits of alkalinity is by no means conclusive.

PH appears to have a major influence on cell mitochondria:

*Normal cells die under extremely alkaline conditions. A study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry found that alkalosis (rising cellular pH) causes alkaline-induced cell death as a result of altering mitochondrial function. [x]
*Another study out of Cornell University states that antioxidants have not proven to be effective against many neurodegenerative diseases, and they state it may be a result of how the mitochondria operate within the cell in certain pH conditions.[xi]

There are some scientific studies that really argue against alkalinity, at least with respect to preventing or treating cancer.

Consider the research by Robert Gilles, who has studied tumor formation and acidity.[xii] According to Gilles, tumors, by their very nature, make themselves acidic - even in an alkaline cellular structure. In other words, they make their own acidity.

Scientists who are in the process of developing prototypes for potential new anticancer agents that selectively kill tumor cells by interfering with the regulation of intracellular pH, have found that alkaline treatments do NOT have the desired effect - but strongly acidic treatments do.[xiii]

Talk about fighting fire with fire - they are fighting acid-loving cancer cells with acid!

LESS alkalinity inside a cancer cell seems to be what you want, not more.

So, all of those ionizer salesmen promising alkaline water will lower your cancer risk are completely clueless when it comes to what the scientific research actually shows.

Even more interesting is a 2005 study by the National Cancer Institute, which revisits the use of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to treat cancer. They found that, in pharmacologic doses administered intravenously, ascorbic acid successfully killed cancer cells without harming normal cells.[xiv] This is yet another example of cancer cells being vulnerable to acidity, as opposed to alkalinity.

It’s clear that the relationship between alkalinity and cancer has been grossly oversimplified by those jumping to premature conclusions - and of course by those trying to profit off your fear.

The bottom line is that alkaline water isn’t cancer’s magic bullet.

Balance is Key

As is true with many things, in the end it’s a matter of balance.

Water that is too acidic or too alkaline can be detrimental to human health and lead to nutritional disequilibrium. This was demonstrated in a Swedish well water study [xv], which found both pH extremes to be problematic.

Your body simply was not designed to drink highly alkaline water all the time.

So I believe it’s best to be VERY careful when it comes to something as foundational as the water you drink on a daily basis. If you get it wrong, you could really cause yourself some major damage.

It makes sense that you are designed to drink water that occurs naturally, which excludes alkaline water with pH levels of 8 and above.

And 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 hard-core 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]

Living Water

What you want is pure water - water that is clean, balanced, and healthful, neither too alkaline nor too acidic. Ideally, the pH of your water should be close to 7, which is neutral.

Somewhere between 6 to 8 is likely fine.

And some of the most healthful waters in the world - that emerging from mountain springs - are actually acidic in the range of 6.5. and would absolutely be my preference if it were readily available.

If this is something that interests you there is a web site, FindaSpring.com where you can find springs in your local area.

That is “living water,” which is living in the same way that raw food is “living food.”

One reason I am such an advocate for eating plenty of fresh, organic raw food is for its biophotons. Biophotons are the smallest units of light, which are stored in and used by all biological organisms - including you. Vital energy finds its way into your cells from the biodynamic foods you eat.

In the same way that raw foods are alive with biophoton energy, natural water is “alive” in a similar way.

If you really want to alkalinize your body it would seem wise to encourage it with the highest quality water possible which is obtained from vegetable juice. Green vegetable juices will help your body normalize your body’s pH naturally.

If this is new to you and you are interested in more information you can review my juicing manual for free.

I cannot think of “living water” without thinking of the visionary work of Dr. Masaru Emoto, the Japanese researcher who experimented with the crystal forms of water. What he discovered is that different forms of energy influence water’s ability to organize into beautiful crystal forms.[xvii]

He demonstrated that water crystallization depends on the natural health of the water. He found that water from natural springs, healing water sources, etc., formed beautiful and complex crystalline geometries - like snowflakes. Water that had been distilled or polluted lost its inner order, and its ability to crystallize was profoundly disturbed.

You wouldn’t want to eat dead food... so why would you want to drink dead water?

Water Ionizers are NOT Filters!

It is really important to understand that the ionization process in no way, shape, or form purifies your water. Many of them have additional carbon-based filtration systems added, as reverse osmosis or distilled water will not allow the ionizer to produce alkaline water.

If for whatever reason the information I am presenting here does not convince you to avoid using ionizers, then you will need to carefully analyze the water filter that is being used.

This article only addresses ionizers and alkaline water. In the near future I will post a comprehensive review of water filters as it is complex issue that is beyond the scope of this article.

[...]

 

[Jacques]

From Dr. Mark Sircus

http://blog.imva.info/medicine/water-confusion

Today there is considerable confusion about what kind of drinking water is the most health promoting and what kind of home water treatment produces the best drinking water. Water is a critical element for health and survival with hydration being on top of the list of medical concerns among sensitive and knowledgeable healthcare practitioners.

It is horrible but necessary to come to grips with the reality that most public water supplies are loaded with hazardous contaminants, chlorine, heavy metals, fluoride, pharmaceutical drugs; even rocket fuel is present in many states in America, and probably Russia as well has massive amounts of pesticides.

These pollutants all have to be filtered out for us to enjoy a good and healthy existence. Bluntly speaking, most public drinking water in the United States and some other countries like Brazil deliberately poison their public’s water with fluoride and this is one of the most insane things man has ever done. Unfortunately fluoride is one of the most difficult pollutants to filter out of water.

The subject of water takes us into many important but hidden areas of life. Knowledge about water is almost as precious as the possession of the pure life-giving waters that so few have access to anymore. We are entering an age of water and food shortages and the tragedy of this is amplified by the staggering pollution we have managed to accumulate during the last hundred years.

In medical terms this all rams home hydration issues, which are largely ignored by the rank and file allopathic physician and by many others as well. It should come as no surprise that pediatricians are sued more for ignoring hydration issues than anything else. How many people and doctors know that Pepsi and Coke are highly acidic and actually push our bodies into dehydration because the body needs water to process these corrosive liquids and thus ends up in a water deficit.

(Bold are mines)

In my Natural Allopathic Medicine, water is the most basic and important medicine. Our devotion to water should border on the religious, and in fact prayer and water go together. Pure water is like pure consciousness so when we address water we are walking on holy ground. And yes, as we will learn to see, there is something to holy water that makes it special and different from stagnant polluted water that has been listening to incongruent music.

As we go deeper and deeper into the mystery of water we find that even the structure of the water – how the molecules cling together – also matters. Water is life and we find it responding to life’s emanations. Water responds like plants do to thoughts and emotions so when we pray over water or put water in the presence of fine classical music we find the structure of water change.

This means that water has a memory; it contains information about its history, its environment. And in fact water acts as a binary computer would. We enter an interesting level of life when we descend down to the world of information and how it flows and is recorded.

Humans are informational vortexes highly dependent on constant interaction with others as well as the environment. We are like black holes of interstellar space – hungry for information, eating it up like the black holes eat light. Since we are water with lots of minerals and other good things added, we are able to understand and remember everything in our largely watery brain cells.



In this book the universe of information meets up with the physical world of structure. We will pay much attention to the structure of water as well as the information that structure contains. It is hard to get away from the conclusion that how we address water and liquids in general has got a lot to do with our intelligence. We, as intelligent watery beings, would naturally be interested in our water and its quality especially since the quality of our water can have a direct effect on both our intelligence and health.

In human physiology the river of life is the blood, and the kidneys (the bloods filtering system) represent the water element in ancient Chinese medicine. The study of the blood is directly tied into our understanding of water where structure, purity, pH and beta potential are all crucial parameters.

It is terrible to contemplate what contemporary medicine does to the blood with their highly toxic vaccines. Like the fluoridation of water, vaccination programs highlight the inhumanity and arrogance of medical doctors who insist on turning their backs on all the harm being done in the name of good medicine. When chemical fluids in the form of vaccines are injected into the waters of life (our blood), a great disturbance is created and not everyone lives through the experience. And many who live through it are greatly harmed.

The issue of water pH – alkaline versus acidic water is important and very popular these days in the alternative health community. There are quite a few astonishing health claims being made about alkaline water that are important for us to follow up on because our polluted world has become an acid world. Processed foods produce acid bodies and stress itself is acid producing for our organs and tissues.

My book Sodium Bicarbonate, Rich Man’s Poor Man’s Cancer Treatment deals deeply with the issue of pH because bicarbonate levels in the blood and tissues are directly related to body pH. Adding bicarbonate minerals to water is the quickest and least expensive way of adding alkaline water to our life and many practicing physicians use quality alkalinizing machines to dispense medicinal water to their patients.

Mark Sircus Ac., OMD
Director International Medical Veritas Association
http://publications.imva.info
http://blog.imva.info


Special Note: It is unfortunate that healthcare professionals like Joseph Mercola throw monkey wrenches into people’s understanding of water filtration and pH issues. In his recent attack on water ionization and water pH he has given millions of readers a distorted view of alkaline water, whose powers for healing and cure are actually unparalleled. Mercola infers that using water ionizers or drinking alkaline water will cause major damage to one’s health. His interview with Houston Tomasz is less than convincing in light of the fact that Mr. Tomasz seems to have no credentials other than being a “10-year veteran in the water filtration industry.” The fact is that Tomasz represents a company called Aquasana that sells water filters. Tomasz makes a few “unscientific” statements such as: “I mean, millions of years of evolution can’t be all that wrong.” Also: “This is my take. We’re mineral water machines. All the water you find on the planet has minerals in it. I absolutely believe that we should all be – from our dogs and cats and fish, to us, that all of our water should have minerals in it.”

And Mercola himself states that, “All of those ionizer salesmen promising alkaline water will lower your cancer risk are completely clueless when it comes to what the scientific research actually shows,” indicating that they are all multilevel salesmen anyway so we should pay no attention to them and their claims. Joseph should not be talking down on salesmen, being one himself. Though I sometimes agree with him and I shy away from multilevel marketing, it does not mean that they do not have fine products.

One of my readers wrote me saying, “You really can’t condemn alkaline water without condemning alkalinity itself and therefore calcium, magnesium and potassium. Most docs know that chronic disease is ALWAYS chronic acidity and anything one can do to make the body more alkaline is beneficial, from green leafy vegetables to alkaline water to transdermal magnesium. Mercola was respected by his peers before he became a huckster. He says he does not sell a water filtration product but – you can bet – he will. He is not a fool when it comes to merchandising and he knows it is more effective to criticize the competition BEFORE you announce a product of your own.”

There are over 400 comments on Mercola’s page after the essay.

 

[Gaby]

It is an interesting debate. For one, ascorbic acid has proved to have healing capacities, but that may or may not depend on its pH effect on our body.

I wonder if there is something to ionizers that it may be beneficial for detoxing, but not as a long-term measure? Looking forward to hear more about it. I noticed that Dr. Rodger Murphree from Beating and Treating Fibromyalgia has started promoted alkaline water as well, Kangen water.

 

[Jacques]

It is an interesting debate. For one, ascorbic acid has proved to have healing capacities, but that may or may not depend on its pH effect on our body.

I wonder if there is something to ionizers that it may be beneficial for detoxing, but not as a long-term measure? Looking forward to hear more about it. I noticed that Dr. Rodger Murphree from Beating and Treating Fibromyalgia has started promoted alkaline water as well, Kangen water.

Yes I have noticed it too. And the Kangen water system is the most expensive on the market.

And as you have said in another post I think, the sodium bicarbonate can do the job and it is a lot cheaper.

 

[Gaby]

I think sodium bicarbonate can be very handy and I believe Mark when he says that it has helped a lot of his patients. But alkalizing supplements or elements (for example magnesium) are discouraged after eating as they counteract stomach acidity needed for proper digestion.

The other thing that I find interesting is that the "alkaline debate" is also related to the vegetarian hypothesis. A high protein diet (rich in meats) is considered to be too acidic for the body and thus, it is discouraged. It is believed that if you are acidic, then you can have osteoporosis as the bone minerals goes to the rescue to counteract acidity. Meats are related to cancer because they are acidic, and so forth. Yet, people with primal diets rich in meats have also strong and healthy bones and our ancestors who ate meats were also healthy. Meats were grass fed and they were less toxic for one. People sensitive to lectins often do better on a low carb diet, rich in meats. It seems that there are several factors that go missing if one merely focuses on terms of acidity or alkalinity.

 

[Keit]

I think sodium bicarbonate can be very handy and I believe Mark when he says that it has helped a lot of his patients.

Regarding sodium bicarbonate, is it possible that it won't be beneficial for everyone or there will be other factors (fungus, candida, leaking gut, etc.) that would prevent it? In my case, for example, adding sodium bicarbonate to the water causes bloating and general uneasiness in the stomach. And it's doesn't matter if it's on empty stomach or with food. The only relation I could find is that according to blood type diet, carbonated water is bad for those with blood type B (my type as well), and carbonated water has the same effect. But maybe it is something else. Don't know.

 

[Jacques]

Speaking of water, here's the latest article from Dr Mark Sircus

http://blog.imva.info/medicine/dehydration

Dehydration is one of the most
overlooked and basic causes of disease.​

Most people do not look at water as a nutrient but it is, and it is the most important one. We can live for a few months without food but will last only about 10 days without water. Next to the air we breathe water is the most important element. Every life-giving and healing process that happens inside our body happens with water. Most experts insist that the majority of Americans are chronically under-hydrated and should drink more water, and the reasons behind their insistence are solid.

Dr. Charles Peterson of NIH says dehydration is mainly a problem among Americans suffering from other illnesses, such as diabetes, or those who undergo extreme exertion, but this is not really true. Anyone can suffer from dehydration and the facts seem to point to the fact that most people suffer from mild dehydration at one time or another. Though everyone understands the vital importance of water, it is impossible to find solid information about dehydration statistics. On the Internet the consensus is that 75 percent of Americans are dehydrated but medical science does not weigh in on this statistic.

We can assume that dehydration is a real problem, especially for those who believe that beverages like coffee and sodas can substitute for pure drinking water. Eating and drinking the wrong foods will lead to dehydration. Foods such as fruits and vegetables are supposed to provide 20 percent of our water intake – junk foods do little tohelp us remain fully hydrated. [1]

Thus under normal circumstances many of us flirt with mild dehydration over sustained periods. This is where things start to go wrong and doctors routinely make matters worse by not only failing to recognize dehydration but also by prescribing medicines that further depress water levels in the body and blood.

According to a study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, more than 70% of preschool children never drink plain water. Pediatric medicine does not pay attention enough to dehydration that occurs when acute diseases strike [2] and children can pay with their life for this if doctors then go ahead and administer vaccines when the blood is compromised. One of the most common lawsuits in pediatric emergency room medicine is overlooking dehydration; this tells us of a gaping hole in pediatric medicine that need not be there.

Shortness of breath is a common symptom of dehydration and when someone experiences this he merely has to drink several glasses of water to feel the body’s almost instant response to hydration. Add some sodium bicarbonate and the response is even greater.

The first objective sign of dehydration is seen in the vital signs, in an increase of the pulse rate between 10% and 15%. The body tries to maintain cardiac output (the amount of blood that is pumped by the heart to the body); and if the amount of fluid in the intravascular space is decreased, the body has to increase the heart rate, which causes blood vessels to constrict to maintain blood pressure. Other common symptoms of dehydration may include nausea, fatigue, headaches, dry mouth and reduced mental acuity.

Symptoms of moderate to severe dehydration include:


Low blood pressure
Fainting
Severe muscle contractions in the arms, legs, stomach, and back
Convulsions
A bloated stomach
Heart failure
Sunken fontanelle– soft spot on a head
Sunken dry eyes, with few or no tears
Skin losing its firmness and becoming wrinkled
Lack of elasticity of the skin (when a bit of skin lifted up stays folded and takes a long time to go back to its normal position)
Rapid and deep breathing, faster than normal
Fast, weak pulse


Dehydration, the simple lack of sufficient quantities of water affects cell life profoundly. Water shortages in different parts of the body will manifest different signs and symptoms (cries of thirst), but we normally do not think to treat the cause of the problem with water. It is almost blasphemy among contemporary physicians to think that water can cause or cure diseases.

Drinking enough water is crucial and when we don’t drink enough, the first sign of that is darkening urine. The color of urine in a dehydrated person will be dark yellow to orange. The more hydrated we are the lighter the color of our urine. Any dark color at all in the urine could indicate a water deficiency.

Mild dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%. One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. Drinking five glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45% and the risk of bladder cancer by 50%.

Dehydration is an underappreciated etiology in many diseases. Most doctors fail to understand – or refuse to consider – that water plays such a huge part in disease states probably because it is too common of a substance. Water is the first thing we should take as a medicine but physicians rarely prescribe water, and you’ll never hear of a pharmaceutical company recommending it, yet water can prevent and cure many common conditions because intake of sufficient amounts of it is a basic or underlying cause of disease.

From the perspective of Dr. F. Batmanghelidj [3], the famous water doctor, most so-called incurable diseases are nothing but labels given to various stages of chronic dehydration. In my work Natural Allopathic Medicine water is the most primary medicine and before one embarks on more radical medical approaches, full hydration with the best water one can manage is a good idea. According to Batmanghelidj, water can relieve a broad range of medical conditions. Bysimplyadjusting our fluid and mineral intakes we can treat and prevent dozens of diseases and avoid costly prescription drugs, surgery and other medical procedures and tests.

Dehydrated Cells

Cells are more vulnerable to chemical poisoning when in a dehydrated state. One overlooked factor in metabolic syndrome and inflammation is dehydration. When you do not drink enough water inflammation feels worse because it gets worse. Certainly dehydration is a contributing and complicating factor in diabetes.

When for any reason the body cannot deliver the necessary nutrients to the cells and carry away metabolic wastes, we set up the conditions for disease. Dehydration leads to damage from deterioration, because the transporting of nutrients and wastes is diminished and even cut off at strategic points in the body. One of the first protocols for a patient in the emergency room is an intravenous saline solution. Emergency room doctors are well aware that dehydration, second only to oxygen deprivation, robs life fastest.

Protoplasm, the basic material of living cells, is made of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, salts, and similar elements combined with water. Water acts as a solvent, transporting, combining, and chemically breaking down these substances. A cell exchanges elements with the rest of the body by electrolysis, and in a normal case, minerals and microelements pass through the cell membrane to the nucleus by electro-osmosis. The body needs electrolytes (minerals like sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate) for its basic functions.

The cells are made of water and they live in a water solution. Our blood is mostly water and serves to dissolve, process, and transport nutrients and eliminate waste materials. When dehydrated the blood becomes thick and saturated and is unable to flow freely. The excess of toxins must then be stored within the interstitial space surrounding the cells, pending elimination for life to continue, and over time this space begins to resemble a toxic waste site – an acidic medium. Since the cells cannot have the proper oxygenation and nutrition they begin to change in form and function in order to survive.

Dr. Sang Whang, author of the Reverse Aging, says the aging process is basically the accumulation of acidic wastes built up within the body. He says, “The nutrients that we deliver to our cells burn with oxygen and become acidic wastes after giving energy to our body. The body tries its best to get rid of these acidic wastes through urine and perspiration. Unfortunately, our lifestyle, diet and environment prevent our body to get rid of all the wastes that it generates. Gradually, these leftover acidic wastes accumulate somewhere within our body. Since acid coagulates blood, the blood circulation near the waste areas becomes poor, causing all kinds of degenerative diseases to develop...”

When the blood becomes concentrated and acidic, as in dehydration, then abrasions and tears are produced in the arterial system. L-lactic acidosis is thought to arise from poortissue perfusion due to dehydration or endotoxaemiawith subsequent anaerobic glycolysis and decreasedhepatic clearance of L-lactate. We must look beyond what allopathic medicine thinks and see that the body makes more cholesterol in part as a reaction to chronic dehydration, a condition where the body is trying to fix these abrasions and tears that are produced in the arterial system. Cholesterol actually saves people’s lives because it acts as a bandage – a waterproof bandage – that the body has designed.

The body manifests dehydration in the form of pain with the location of the pain being the point or points where dehydration is most settled. Tests consistently reveal that chronic pain patients suffer from chronic dehydration. A significant number of these patients also have a lower than normal venous blood plasma pH. A person with low venous plasma pH has what is termed acid blood. Acid blood is typically dark in color due to low oxygen content. [Note: The body does whatever is necessary to maintain its blood pH within a narrow window – 7.35-7.45. If this level is not maintained, it is a serious medical emergency.

Painful joints are often a signal of water shortage, thus the use of painkillers does not cure the problem but instead exposes the person to further damage from these pain medications. Intake of water and small amounts of mineral salts will address this problem especially if that mineral is magnesium.

Dr. Norman Shealy says, “Every known illness is associated with a magnesium deficiency” and that, “magnesium is the most critical mineral required for electrical stability of every cell in the body. A magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more diseases than any other nutrient.”The benefits of drinking water are amplified immensely with water high in magnesium and bicarbonates.



Like water we need magnesium every day. When magnesium is present in water, life and health are enhanced. One of the main benefits of drinking plenty of magnesium-rich water is to prevent heart disease and stroke. Fullhydration is essential to help prevent clogging of arteries in the heart and brain and when waters are rich in magnesium, water becomes the primary treatment for hypertension. Full hydration with water and magnesium is crucial in treating high blood pressure without using diuretics or other pharmaceutical medications.

Mark Sircus Ac., OMD

 

[Gaby]

Regarding sodium bicarbonate, is it possible that it won't be beneficial for everyone or there will be other factors (fungus, candida, leaking gut, etc.) that would prevent it?

It might be entirely possible. Alkalinization seems to help balance the bowel germs by treating yeast overgrowth and other pathogens in the gut. So perhaps in some cases, it could be die-off symptoms.