|
 The
human body is a water machine‚ designed primarily to run on water
and minerals. Every life giving and healing process that happens
inside our body... happens with water. In just the last decade
medical science has begun to focus more on the tremendous healing
ability our body has and how much that ability depends on water.
Our body instinctively knows how and strives to sustain youthful
longevity‚ and in its every effort... water is the key.
The human body is made up of over 70%
water. Our blood is more than 80%‚ our brain ... over 75%‚ and the
human liver is an amazing 96% water!
The function of every cell in our
body is controlled by electrical signals sent through our nervous
system from the brain. Our nerves‚ in reality‚ are an elaborate
system of tiny waterways. If the fluid inside our nerves thickens
due to dehydration‚ or is contaminated with synthetic chemicals or
toxic heavy metals like lead‚ the vital signals can get distorted.
Many experts now believe that the distortion of these signals may
be the root cause of many degenerative diseases and neurological
illnesses like Attention Deficit Disorder‚ Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome‚ anxiety‚ depression and even Alzheimer‘s disease.
Considering the major role that water
plays in the function of our brain and nervous system‚ its purity
is possibly the most basic and essential key to healthy longevity.
Proper digestion and nutrient absorption depend on a healthy intake
of water. In order for our body to get the nutritional value from
our foods and supplements‚ we must consume plenty of good water.
Since sugars and carbohydrates are absorbed more rapidly‚ even a
slight degree of dehydration can cause us to get the caloric intake
without the nutrition from the foods we eat.
Our energy level is greatly affected
by the amount of water we drink. It has been medically proven that
just a 5% drop in body fluids will cause a 25% to 30% loss of
energy in the average person... a 15% drop in body fluids causes
death! Water is what our liver uses to metabolize fat into useable
energy. It is estimated that over 80% of our population suffers
energy loss due to minor dehydration. An increased intake of
healthy water will help metabolize and shed stored fat... resulting
in more energy and less fat.
Detoxification is probably the single most important component to
long-term health... and one that relies almost exclusively on an
adequate intake of good water. Water is our body‘s only means of
flushing out toxins‚ the key to disease prevention. In our
industrialized‚ chemical society‚ we are exposed to literally
hundreds of harmful substances daily. Our air‚ our foods and
everything we touch... contain traces of harmful chemicals.
Unfortunately we can‘t keep toxins from getting into our body‚ but
we can help our body to get rid of them by drinking plenty of
healthy water. The more water we drink... the more we allow our
body to purify itself. Almost all-degenerative disease is the
result of toxins building up in our body.
The quality of the water we drink is
equally as important as the amount. If water already contains
chlorine and other chemicals‚ it has less of an ability to carry
toxins out of our body. If we consume water that contains traces of
synthetic chemicals‚ then we force our liver and kidneys to be the
filter... ultimately damaging or destroying two of our most vital
organs. With an abundant intake of clean‚ healthy water we allow
our body to perform all the healing processes that it is naturally
capable of.
Question: Is bottled water or
filtered water better?
Answer: While much bottled water is of good quality, there
are little or no regulations or means of ensuring bottled water
quality... it is a self-policed industry for the most part. In
contrast, the home water treatment industry is very heavily
regulated. Manufacturers must do extensive testing and reporting to
prove their products effectiveness at providing quality water.
Manufacturers are required to supply "Performance Data Sheets"
demonstrating the products ability to remove certain contaminants;
bottled water companies are not required to demonstrate their
waters quality. See Bottled Water,
Is It Better?
Question: What is TDS?
Answer: Total Dissolved Solids, the total measurement by
weight of all solids that are dissolved in water. The dissolved
solids in water are primarily calcium and magnesium and would not
be a measurement of contamination. Tests which measure the
conductivity of water (often used by companies selling reverse
osmosis and distillation system ) only give a rough estimate of
dissolved solids, mostly minerals, and do not show water
quality. Implying that these tests show water quality is highly
misleading and should be considered unethical.
Question: Is Chlorine harmful?
Answer: Chlorine was first added to a community water system
in 1908 in Chicago and was instrumental in eliminating many types
of water-borne disease such as Cholera and Typhoid fever. Prior to
chlorination, many major cities had death tolls of 1 in 1000 people
from Typhoid alone. Chlorine has been used to disinfect municipal
water for over 80 years and has had some positive effects on public
health. In the 1970's it was discovered that chlorine, when added
to water, forms Trihalomethanes (chlorinated by-products) by
combining with certain naturally occurring organic matter such as
vegetation and algae. In 1992 the American Journal of Public Health
published a report that showed a 15% to 35% increase in certain
types of cancer for people who consume chlorinated water. This
report also stated that much of these effects were due to showering
in chlorinated water. The National Cancer Institute estimates
cancer risks for people who consume chlorinated water to be up to
93% higher than for people who do not. The effects of drinking
chlorinated water have been debated for decades. However, most
experts now agree that there are some significant risks related to
consuming chlorine and chlorinated by-products in drinking water.
Chlorine and Cancer
Question: Why do some areas test
negative for chlorine?
Answer: Virtually all city water systems contain some level
of chlorine. The level will vary based on outdoor temperature, the
season, distance from water utility and current usage. While
chlorine may sometimes be undetectable on a certain day with a
standard OTO test kit, that level can change dramatically day to
day. Also some cities use ammonia at certain times as a
disinfectant in order to reduce chlorination by products. Without
chlorine the dangers of water borne disease would be too
significant. An undetectable chlorine level, on a certain day, does
not eliminate the need for an effective home filtration system.
Question: What do you do if you
have water contaminated by radioactive matter?
Answer: Move! Radioactive water is not very common in this
country and is a more serious problem than should be dealt with by
a home water filtration system. Many people confuse the contaminant
"Radon" with radioactivity when in fact they are quite different.
Radon is produced from decaying Uranium ore and can be effectively
removed by carbon filtration.
 Question: What are VOCs?
Answer: Volatile Organic Chemicals are synthetic compounds
that turn into vapor at relatively low temperatures. VOCs typically
vaporize at a much lower temperature than water. Most synthetic
chemicals found in water, such as pesticides and herbicides, are
VOCs.
Question: Do people on private
wells need to use shower filters?
Answer: There are many health and cosmetic benefits to
removing chemicals and compounds from shower water, even on
non-chlorinated private wells. Virtually all ground water contains
traces of some chemical or chemicals that can be absorbed through
the skin or inhaled. Also the Aquasana shower filter system helps
balance the waters pH, which is also a very noticeable cosmetic
benefit.
Question: What is the best
container for storing filtered water?
Answer: Glass is always best, however if glass is not
practical, then a high grade polycarbonate material is best. Clear
plastic bottles and pitchers with a #1 in the recycle triangle on
the bottom, like the bottles used by Evian and the higher quality
bottled waters, are the best option for water storage since they
have been shown to release the lowest levels of plastic component
chemicals into water. Translucent, colored or bottles with a number
other than 1 on the bottom should be avoided because there is the
possibility of higher levels of chemicals leeching into the water
from the plastic.
Question: Do water treatment
products require FDA approval?
Answer: No. However, the certifications which apply to the
Aquasana products require proof that all wet component materials
meet FDA requirements for food grade materials. The performance
claims of the Aquasana 4000 system have been validated and
certified by the California Department of Health Services and
include toxicology extraction tests to show no harmful release of
any substance into the filtered water.
Question: Are whole house systems
(P.O.E.- point-of-entry) better than counter-top filters (P.O.U.-
point-of-use)?
Answer: P.O.U. systems are by far the best way to ensure the
highest quality water since many water-borne contaminants come from
the plumbing in your house, especially lead and vinyl chloride from
the piping. By filtering water at the point-of-use you remove
contaminants just prior to consumption, eliminating the chance of
recontamination. Point-of-entry systems offer certain benefits but
do not replace the benefits of point-of-use filtration.
Question: What are the benefits of
magnetic water treatment?
Answer: While there are manufacturers that make beneficial
claims for magnetic water treatment, there are no credible studies
or documentation that magnetics offer any measurable benefits for
drinking water, consumers should beware of undocumented claims.
Question: How do you know if there
are contaminants in your water?
Answer: All public water systems contain some level of one
or more unhealthful chemicals. Regulations only require periodic
testing of about 90 chemicals. There are now more than 75,000
chemicals used in our society with over 1000 new ones being
developed each year. Contaminant levels fluctuate throughout the
year making it impossible to know the actual level of contamination
in a central water system. So far over 2100 toxic chemicals have
been detected in America's water systems. The risk is high; the
cost for a sure solution is low, 9 cents per gallon with Aquasana.
Question: Are some people more
sensitive to chemicals in drinking water and shower water than
others?
Answer: Definitely, small children and the elderly are
especially more affected by contaminants in water due to a reduced
capacity to deal with toxins and an under-developed or less
tolerant immune system.
Question: If my municipal water
company's Annual Water Quality Report shows that it meets all EPA
guidelines, does that mean its safe?
Answer: On October 1st 1999 a new federal law went into
effect that requires water utilities to send each customer a
detailed report showing what is in their water, appropriately
called "The Right To Know Amendment." The most important thing to
remember is that no matter how insistent these reports are that
"contaminants in your water do not necessarily pose a health risk",
any level of contamination in our drinking water does in fact
represent a danger to our health. Of the over 75,000 toxic
chemicals used in our society, the EPA has only set standards (MCLs)
for about 90, and those 90 Maximum Contaminant Levels are not
necessarily set on "health effects." The EPA considers limited
health studies based on consumption of one certain chemical by a
175 lb. adult when setting these standards. No consideration is
given to the effects on small children or the combined effects of
two or more contaminants, which some studies show are magnified by
as much as 1000 times. Water utilities are only required to test
for the 90 contaminants that the EPA has set standards for.
Nobody knows how many toxic chemicals
may actually be in tap water. According to the Ralph Nader Research
Group, after reviewing thousands of pages of EPA documents acquired
through the Freedom of Information Act, more than 2100 toxic
chemicals have already been detected in U.S. water supplies.
Virtually all public water systems have some level of
contamination. The water utilities are usually quick to point out
that the chemicals found in their water are "below EPA's Maximum
Levels", and in most cases they are. The fact is that even the
smallest trace of a toxic chemical causes damage and science is
just now starting to realize to what extent. In a recent report
from the National Cancer Institute to the Surgeon General it was
stated that "No level of exposure to a chemical carcinogen should
be considered toxicologically insignificant to humans," and we are
learning the hard way the truth of this statement. |
