I was watching a video the other day from one of the water ionizer dealers. The commentator was pointing out the bubbles that formed in the glass of water that he had just filled from his electric water ionizer. He informed viewers that the bubbles showed all the healthy generating benefits of hydroxyl ions produced by his machine.

The comments sounded good….too bad the information is incorrect. The entire electric water ionizer industry has been built upon incorrect “facts” offered by companies and sales people. The industry has focused on mechanical features such as power and plates, and on measurable results such as pH and ORP. However, nobody ever bothered to explain to people how and why the machines provide such wonderful health benefits. It’s actually very simple. The health benefits come from hydrogen atoms, which are split away from water molecules during a process called ionization.

Despite the fact that the electrical water ionizer sellers have their facts all wrong, the good news is that the machines work and provide wonderful health benefits.

The bubbles that you see forming in your glass when you first receive water out of your machine are hydrogen gas bubbles (H2). They are produced by electrolysis during the “ionization” process used by electric water ionizers. As water passes over the electrically charged plates, the violent electrical action causes water molecules to separate into hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions. The unstable hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions immediately begin to reform into stable water molecules, or two hydrogen ions join together and form stable hydrogen gas.

Hydrogen provides incredible health benefits derived from water ionizers. Therefore, it is important to drink the water before the hydrogen bubbles, which are lighter than water, float up to the surface of the water and are lost into the air.

Does that mean that there is no benefit to drinking ionized water if you don’t consume the water in the first 60 seconds? Not at all. Free hydrogen ions will continue to remain in the water as long as there are minerals in the water. Ultimately, the degree of natural/sustainable ionization for any source water will depend upon the concentration of minerals in the water. But, the massive initial production of hydrogen bubbles will quickly disappear if you don’t drink the water right away. Therefore, always try to drink the water produced by an electric water ionizer before the bubble float to the surface

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author

Related posts:

1. ORP, pH, and Hydrogen…A New Perspective
2. How Antioxidant Filters Ionize Water Without Electricity
3. Chill Out when it comes to testing pH and ORP

In my thousands of hours of reading and researching about ionized water, I have never been able to find a good explanation of how or why electric water ionizers work. I keep reading about the wonderful benefits of hydroxyl ions and the hydrating properties of the water, but to quote an old advertising campaign “where’s the beef”. I know from personal experience and from speaking to hundreds of others with their own personal experiences, that ionized water works. However, I’ll be darned if I can find a reasonable explanation as to why.

I always assumed that the lack of widespread acceptance of electric water ionizers was due to the high prices charged for the machines, but perhaps the real reason is that people just won’t buy into something that they don’t understand. If the seller can’t provide a plausible explanation and the medical community condemns the product, the buyer is asked to make a leap of faith. At a price of $2,000 to $4,000 that is a big leap.

My quest to understand how and why water ionization works has lead me in recent months to the world of Dr. Hayashi (pictured above) and his theory that hydrogen is the key to healthy water.

Due to my inability to “get to” Dr. Hayashi, I have been reading about and talking with his most loyal supporters in America. If you are interested in learning additional details about hydrogen and its health benefits, check out the writings of Craig Hoffman at his website at www.hydrogenfriends.com or see what Bruce Curtis has to say atwww.LivingWaterUSA.com.

As my education about water ionizers has progressed, I have come to the realization that many of my original thoughts about ionized water were incorrect. You have to start somewhere, and like so many others, I began my journey by listening to a sales presentation from an excellent Enagic representative. Finding myself intrigued but concerned about the $4,000 price tag, I checked out the “unbiased” ionizer review sites which turned out to be totally biased towards the companies that paid for the sites. At that point in time, the “more is better” game was on for me and so was the preoccupation with pH and ORP. Today, I understand that the real factor behind the health benefits of ionized water is hydrogen. Before I get into a discussion about hydrogen, I think it is appropriate to review what I have learned about ORP and pH.

ORP – Oxidation Reduction Potential

In its simplest form, ORP is the measure of the availability of electrons (measured as an electrical charge) in a solution such as water. Negative ORP values in a solution have the ability to reduce the destructive nature of free oxygen (aka “free radicals”) in the body. The lower the ORP of a solution, the greater its ability to feed electrons to the electron hungry free oxygen in the body, and thereby neutralize the nasty effects of oxidation. So far so good….lets get negative!

Before you start accepting the electric water ionizer industry mantra that “more is better”, both intuition and my research indicate that moderation is the key. A steady diet of anything that doesn’t occur in nature is not a good thing and more is definitely not better. Based upon what I have read and experienced, mildly negative ORP values, in the range of -10 to -200 are the best for the human body over the long term. It seems logical to me that a good “flush” of the system in terms of a mild “detox” every six months or so makes sense. However, it also seems logical to me that drinking strong alkaline water on a sustained basis will force your body to compensate from what it naturally requires. I believe that drinking alkaline water and eating an alkaline diet are good for you and will eventually overcome years and years of bad dietary choices, but over doing it can be harmful as well.

A negative charge can be created by electrolysis in electric water ionizers through the creation of hydroxyl ions (OH-). ORP can also be created through natural ionization by both electric and non-electric water ionizers such as antioxidant filters or hydrogen sticks. Natural ionization can be achieved by means of introducing water to magnesium or other alkali earth metals such as calcium, sodium, or potassium, which I will explain below.

Electric water ionizers actually split the source water into two separate streams. In the separation process, the machines create alkaline water with potentially very low negative ORP values due to the creation of a large amount of OH- (hydroxyl ions) produced. The negative charge associated with hydroxyl ions (OH-) is unstable and short lived if the water is jostled or if the water comes in contact with air. The presence of light will also dissipate the ORP charge. Electric water ionizers also create free hydrogen due to the presence of minerals in the water. Ultimately, the water produced by an electric water ionizer will return to the natural level of ORP generated by the mineral content of the source water.

Non-electric water ionizers creat ORP because of the stronger attraction between oxygen and magnesium than the attraction between oxygen to hydrogen. When water comes in contact with magnesium, the oxygen atoms disassociate from hydrogen and bond with the magnesium. As a result, hydrogen atoms are left free in the solution. While atoms are not ions and don’t carry a specific electrical charge, the hydrogen atom has one free electron that essentially acts like an ion because it can easily donate its electron. Since the ORP being created occurs naturally due to the presence of magnesium, the ORP is much more consistent/stable/long lasting under normal conditions.

Electric water ionizers can produce stronger initial ORP readings because of the creation of short term OH- (hydroxyl ions), but the hydroxyl ions themselves are not beneficial. The process of electrolysis produces hydrogen in massive quantities as witnessed by the collection of hydrogen gas bubbles in your glass when you first recieve water from the machine. Unfortunately, the gas bubbles are lighter than water and rise to the surface and dissipate. I always drink water produced by an electric water ionizer within ten seconds after it is produced if possible. That way, I can receive all the healthy benefits of the hydrogen before it dissipates into the air.

pH

pH is often referred to at the potency or potential of hydrogen. What the “p” really stands for is “negative logarithm” and it can be associated with other elements besides hydrogen. Sorensen, the creator of the pH scale ultimately defined pH as the negative logarithm of the concentration of hydrogen.

In pure water with a pH of 7.0, the number of H+ (hydrogen ions) is equal to the number of OH- (hydroxyl ions). At a pH of 7.0, there is one hydrogen ion present for every 555 million water molecules. That means that hydrogen ions are very rare. If the water has ten times as many hydrogen ions as normal, the pH will be 6.0 and if the water has ten times fewer hydrogen ions, the pH will be 8.0.

If the number of hydroxyl (OH-) ions exceeds the number of hydrogen ions (H+) in water, the water will become alkaline. The higher the ratio of OH- to H+, the higher the pH. If you subscribe to the marketing efforts of the electric water ionizer industry, you would believe that a machine that produces the higher pH is superior for health benefits. Unfortunately, that is not true, because it is the amount of free hydrogen in the water that makes you healthy, not the ration of hydroxyl ionis (OH-) to hydrogen ions (H+). Therefore, the key factor is how much hydrogen is in the water, not how you can get the pH level. If you want to gain a better understanding of the relationship between hydroxyl (OH-) and hydrongen ions (H+) and water molecules, check out the following links which provide useful graphics: http://www.johnkyrk.com/pH.html and http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/ph-scale. In the second link, click on the Run Now button highlighted in green

Hydrogen

I believe Dr. Hayashi is the leading authority in the world on the subject of ionized water. Dr. Hayashi believes that consuming hydrogen is a significant factor when it comes to being healthy. At one point in time, Dr. Hayashi supported the use of electric water ionizers, but he changed his mind at the turn of the century. Although you still see websites using his name and his research to support the use of electric water ionizers, I can assure you that he they are doing so without his authorization.

So, why is hydrogen so important to our health? It seems that there are two reasons which include
antioxidant properties and chemiosmosis.

Antioxidant Properties of Hydrogen

Those of you who have been following my blog will understand the antioxidant properties of hydrogen. For those that are reading about this for the first time, here is a quick recap. Our bodies require oxygen to survive. Unfortunately, we only use about 98% of the oxygen that we breathe. The other 2% of unused oxygen forms nasty free radicals which attach to other cells and begin the decaying process of oxidation. Hydrogen is the perfect antidote as hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water. Therefore, the ingestion of free hydrogen, or hydrogen gas molecules (H2) which get broken down into hydrogen atoms in the body by hydrogenase, is critical in combating free radicals.

Chemiosmosis – Energy Producing Properties of Hydrogen

What the heck is chemiosmosis? According to Wikipedia: Chemiosmosis is the movement of ions across a selectively-permeable membrane, down their electrochemical gradient. More specifically, it relates to the generation of ATP by the movement of hydrogen ions across a membrane during cellular respiration. For a more in depth description and a graphic, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemiosmosis

What does the relationship between hydrogen and chemiosmosis and ATP and mitochondria have to do with your life in layman’s terms? Consuming hydrogen helps the mitochondria in your cells to produce energy. More and more athletes are turning to the consumption of hydrogen as they get an energy “boost” and they receive more sustained energy from consuming hydrogen. Most of the people that I have spoken with over the years experience and energy boost when they first start drinking ionized water. Now I know why, and it has nothing to do with oxygen. I will dedicate a future article to the topic of chemiosmosis and how it relates to the production of energy in the cells in our body.

Summary

What is the best way to get free hydrogen to the places in your body that matter the most? By that I mean into the mitochondria in your cells and to the potentially damaging free oxygen that exists in your body. The answer is ionized water because it is absorbed quickly and handled efficiently by your body. The same process can also be achieved by means of consuming an alkaline diet, which also has additional benefits, but drinking ionized water full of free hydrogen is fast and easy.

What is the best ionized water to drink to help as an antioxidant and in chemiosmosis? You can achieve the same beneficial results from ionized water produced by electrolysis or by natural means via hydrogen producing products such as antioxidant filters or hydrogen sticks.

The makers of hydrogen sticks take the position that water produced by electric water ionizers is bad for you. They lobbied Dr. Mercola for three years about the perils of using electric water ionizers before Mercola spoke out against the use of electric water ionizers last fall. I’m not convinced at all that the position of the hydrogen stick people is correct as the water has had an incredibly positive effect on my life over the years without any negative side effects. The fact that Dr. Mercola supports their position doesn’t impress me as he clearly didn’t do his homework on the issue.

I’m now reasonably certain that the water produced from antioxidant filters will provide all the same health benefits as electric water ionizers for a fraction of the price. In addition, the antioxidant filters are far superior filters to the filters provided in electric water ionizers as they remove fluoride, chloramines, THMs, VOCs, lead, mercury and a lot more on top of the sediment and chlorine that the filters in electric water ionizers remove.

I much prefer antioxidant filters to hydrogen sticks for home use for several reasons. Antioxidant filters are fast and convenient, they are capable of producing a much stronger output if the user desires a range of outputs, and they remove contaminants from the source water. The hydrogen sticks do provide a very useful function for those wanting access to effective ionized water when they are on the go. The sticks are extremely portable and they continually produce hydrogen which is useful when water is being jostled around.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and the people mentioned in the article.

Related posts:

1. How Antioxidant Filters Ionize Water Without Electricity
2. Antioxidant Filters ($329 to $499) Vs. Electric Water Ionizers ($1,500 to $4000)
3. Free Radicals Explained

Contaminants in water…bad! Water filters…..good!

Acidic and sugary drinks …bad! Alkaline water….good!

Acidic fast food diets….bad! Alkaline fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds…good!

Electric water ionizers…good! Antioxidant filters….gooder! Huh! Did he say “gooder”? Yup, he did.

Personal Bias vs. Research and Due Diligence

Everything in life is relative to one’s perspective. From political to religious issues, from likes to dislikes, one’s perspective alters one’s beliefs and hence, one’s opinions.

When it comes to water ionizers, I know firsthand from personal experience that they work. I have also spoken to thousands of others who have experienced the benefits of ionized water. The fact that the pharmaceutical backed medical community doesn’t support water ionizers doesn’t influence my belief at all. I have never spoken to a doctor or a representative from the pharmaceutical industry who has actually used a water ionizer and performed proper due diligence before sharing their opinions. As such, personal bias and personal agenda’s enter the equation.

Water ionizers work…and they work well! At least my opinion is based upon personal experience and research.

A water ionizer in every home

Sales of electric water ionizers in North America have been on the decline for the past year. The three primary factors in the decline are the economy, Dr. Mercola’s biased and untested opinion that serve his personal agenda, and the high price of electric water ionizers.

I have been a champion of water ionizers for years. I have also been a champion of lower prices for water ionizers so that people can afford them. I believe that every home should have a water ionizer, because the quality of life of everyone that uses a water ionizer improves. The trick is to figure out how to make that happen.

Why I believe Antioxidant Filters are “Gooder” than Electric Water Ionizers

Both machines work when it comes to delivering health benefits from the drinking water. Antioxidant filters are exponentially better filters. Electric Water Ionizers deliver a wider range of pH levels that can produce acidic water for disinfecting and cleaning the pesticides off fruit and vegetables. In my opinion, clean water that has had contaminants such as fluoride and chloramines plus many more impurities is more important, but there I go with my own personal bias.

Industry research tells me that people use alkaline water for drinking water up to 30 times as often as they use acidic water or very high pH water for cleaning their fruits and vegetables. Let’s assume you are one of the people (like my wife) who is a big fan of acid water for cleaning and therefore attaches a high value to a machine that does have a wide range of pH levels. For me, at this point, the discussion gets down to the cost of being able to have the additional benefit of a wide range of pH values.

The Money Aspect

Anyone that reads this blog is aware that I’m a big fan of the Antioxidant Filters. I like them because they deliver the health benefits and they purify the source water for $399. The purification aspect is important and the affordability means that my dream of a water machine in every home is now a reality.

Every electric water ionizer dealer will point out that Antioxidant Filters won’t produce acid water or produce the high pH values required for removing pesticides off the surface of fruits and vegetables. I can’t argue with the fact that Antioxidant Filters don’t produce acidic water because they don’t. I dispute the claim that the Antioxidant Filters won’t remove the pesticides from fruit and veggies as the unit that I use produces a pH level of 10.2 when it runs at 1 liter per minute. If you don’t believe me, you can purchase three 16 ounce bottles of “Fruit and Veggie Cleaner” from our good friend Dr. Mercola for $14.95 that I expect would last for a long time, or you could make the product yourself from the list of ingredients provided on the bottle. You can find the product at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/07/7-tips-for-cleaning-fruits-vegetables.aspx

The cost to purchase an Acidic Water machine: You can purchase units for $179 from Active Ion that produce outstanding disinfectant water without chemicals. You can check them out at www.activeion.com. I have written about the product in the past as Bill Nye the Science Guy made a great promotional video for them.

Summary

Both Electric Water Ionizers and Antioxidant Filters provide wonder health benefits from drinking water. Antioxidant Filters cost $399 while the leading brands of Electric Water Ionizers cost $1,695 to $3,980.

Antioxidant Filters provide far superior water purification capabilities. If you purchase an Electric Water Ionizer, you should always purchase a decent pre-filters system that will eliminate many of the same contaminants eliminated by Antioxidant filters for about $250.

Electric Water Ionizers provide Acid Water for cleaning without chemicals. You can purchase an acid making machine from Active Ion for $179 that is much more reliable and consistent that what Electric Water Ionizers offer.

Electric Water Ionizers produce very high pH levels of water capable of removing pesticides from your fruits and veggies. Antioxidant Filters also produce high pH levels of capable of removing pesticides. Some of the expensive Electric Water Ionizers produce higher pH levels than Antioxidant Filters under ideal source water conditions or by using a very powerful electrical charge or chemicals. Both types of machines require soaking fruits and veggies for about 20 minutes. Dr. Mercola claims that his fruit and veggie spray will remove pesticides in one to two minutes. I don’t know about you, but the one to two minute option for $14.95 per year seems like a far more convenient option to soaking for 20 minutes.

If you want the full spectrum of the health benefits of drinking ionized water, plus contaminant removal, plus the best disinfecting machine, plus the benefit of removing pesticides from fruits and veggies, the total cost should be ($399 + $179 + $15) = $593. I think the future growth of the water ionizer industry lies with the Antioxidant Filters. I just don’t see how the MLM companies or even the direct distribution companies can compete.

Related posts:

1. Free Radicals Explained
2. Antioxidant Filters ($329 to $499) Vs. Electric Water Ionizers ($1,500 to $4000)
3. Explaining How Water Ionizers and Antioxidant Filters Work

This article is a bit long and requires you to link to another longish article, but if you want to understand how and why water ionizers work, I believe it is well worth the read.

Hydrogen Sticks….The Beginning of My Journey into Hydrogen

I first learned about hydrogen ions when I investigated Hydrogen sticks a couple of years ago. When I tested the sticks, I was amazed that they actually raised the pH and lowered the ORP of water without electricity. How could that be? What happened to the acidic water? What do you mean they don’t produce acidic water? How can that be? How can they produce alkaline pH water and a negative ORP without producing hydroxyl ions?

Despite my mild curiosity, I didn’t really like the hydrogen sticks other than as a travelling device. They are inconvenient as they take a long time to ionize the water, they didn’t purify the water, and they were expensive if you wanted stronger results because you needed three sticks at a time.

The Korean Engineer and Hydrogen Machines

I took a trip to Korea in early 2010 to learn why water ionizers worked so well and to visit a number of manufacturing facilities. Specifically, I wanted to learn about ORP. During my visit to Korea, the engineer that impressed me the most introduced me to hydrogen machines. The engineer explained to me that electrolysis was old technology and that hydrogen machines were then “next” thing. I was too busy trying to understand ORP to pay much attention to what the engineer had to say.

The engineer did mention a few things that stuck with me despite my preoccupation with learning about ORP. He told me that you needed to drink the water from an electric water ionizer in the first ten seconds before all the hydrogen bubbles floated to the surface. He indicated that once the hydrogen bubbles reached the surface and reacted with air, the benefit of the hydrogen in the bubbles was lost. When I asked him why that was important, he told me that Hydrogen was the key to good health, as opposed to the temporary negative charges associated with the hydroxyl ions produced by electrolysis. He also told me that he thought North Americans were crazy because we drink ionized water that is far too strong in terms of pH for our long term health. I listened politely and got right back to my questions about ORP. I should have paid more attention at the time as it would have saved me a lot of work. I don’t know whether to blame my stubborn streak on being male, or Irish/Welsh, or perhaps it just comes naturally to me.

Ian Hamilton’s Alkastream

In September 2010, Ian Hamilton, one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject of ionized water contacted me and asked me to take a look at his new Alkastream hydrogen ion producing machine. When I did my testing, the results were stunning. The results were beyond dispute, but the machines had many flaws. Despite all the design flaws, I was really excited about the machines. Affordability has always been a big issue for me, and I recognized that a $399 price tag would be affordable to almost anyone. I agreed to help them with the technical and design problems and spent several months tearing apart their test machines. I drove them crazy with all of my suggestions for required changes, but they did everthing I asked and more.

Dr. Hayashi Explains How Hydrogen Eliminates Free Radicals/Free Oxygen Atoms

When I came to realize that hydrogen ions were the key component of ionized water when it comes to health benefits, I found my way to the work of Dr. Hayashi. I believe that the man is by far and away the leading authority on ionized water in the world. I found that his explanations were difficult for me to understand. I attributed my confusion to my extremely rusty chemistry skills rather than his “science”. After brushing up on the periodic table and electron layers/orbits, I found that his chemistry made a lot of sense.

The basis for Dr. Hayashi’s work is that oxygen, which is vital to our survival can also be very harmful to the body if it not all used up. It is believed that 98% of the oxygen we breath in is used up in the process of combustion within our cells in order to produce energy to sustain the cells. The remaining 2% of oxygen goes unused and becomes dangerous to our bodies because oxygen atoms are electron hungry (this relates to the periodic table and electron levels/orbits). We have all witnessed the oxidation of unprotected steel on our cars or on old bridges, or the oxidation of copper on a roof. Well, the same oxidation process happens in our bodies. Free oxygen atoms, commonly known as “free radicals” will attach to cells in order to stabilize their electron layer/orbit and in the process will start decay process in the cells.

Dr. Hayashi explains that the best way to rid the body of electron hungry free oxygen/free radicals it to introduce electron donating free hydrogen into the body to create water. Dr. Hayashi explains that free hydrogn can easily be created by running water across magnesium. The attraction of oxygen to magnesium is much stronger than the attraction of oxygen to hydrogen. Therefore, when water comes into contact with magnesium, the hydrogen bonds are broken and free hydrogen is released into the water. When we drink the water with the free hydrogen, we are providing our bodies with the ultimate antioxidant.

Understanding How Antioxidant Filters Ionize Water Without Electricity

Gabe Hunninghake contacted me on this blog about a year ago. He was selling Vollara products at the time and introduced me to their products. Gabe is a brilliant guy who is a real straight shooter. He has written an excellent article with easy to understand illustrattions about how the antioxidant technology works. Check out his explanation at the blog section of his website at: http://www.alkastream.us/antioxidant/how-does-the-alkastream-ionize/

Summary

My testing and personal experience tells me without a doubt that the technologies of both the antioxidant filters and the electric water ionizers work extremely well. There are thousands of testimonials available regarding the health benefits of electric water ionizers. Although the antioxidant filters are relatively new to North America, the technology and science behind the machines has been avalable for eleven years since Dr. Hayashi introduced the concept. Now we are seeing numerous testimonials pouring in about the effectiveness of antioxidant machines from industry experts who have been testing the machines themselves. It seems that the engineer in Korea was right about antioxidant filters being the “next” thing.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.

Related posts:

1. Antioxidant Filters: A Star Is Born
2. Explaining How Water Ionizers and Antioxidant Filters Work
3. Affordable ($329) Antioxidant Filters Coming Soon

After spending a few years in and around the water ionizer business, I have come to accept the fact that people are looking for the magic bullet when it comes to water machines.

Perfection isn’t ever going to happen because the bouncing ball never stops moving. The machines are not the problem…the water is. To be more specific, the water conditions are constantly changing, which makes it impossible for the machines to get it right every time. If there was such a thing as constant source water conditions, it would be easy to regulate the output from a water machine. The reality is that a constant supply of source water is never going to happen unless you distill the water. Even reverse osmosis systems, which take almost everything out of the water are subject to variation.

The never ending variation in test results drives some people crazy who are looking for the perfect solution. My reaction to the concerns of the “perfection seekers” is to “chill out”. I perosnally don’t think that it makes sense to strive for consistency, because the water supplied from natural sources is always changing.

My recent involvement in testing the Alkastream antioxidant filters on behalf of my friend Ian Hamilton has provided more confirmation of people’s insatiable need to “know the truth” through test results so they can “choose the best machine”. Ian sent out two dozen machines to prominent water dealers and experienced water people around the USA and Canada. The general feedback was very impressive other than some noted deficiencies associated with any beta testing program of a new product. I love the beta testing methodology, because it allows a company to get real feedback from experienced people under different conditions. The feedback allowed Ian to make modifications to his product that have made it a much better machine.

What really struck me about the feedback from Ian’s beta testing was the anguish that some testers expressed about varying results that they noted from time to time during their testing periods. I have become accustomed to the never ending changes because I have been testing all kinds of machines in my lab for the last three years. However, people that are suddenly thrust into “test mode” are often surprised by the lack of consistency of test results. My reaction to their “need” to have the perfect answer, in the words of my kids, is to “chill out”.

The concept of “perfect” natural water is considered to be fast moving water from a clean mountain stream that tumbles over over rocks. The idea is that the water in uncontaminated, it picks up natural minerals that will provide ionization, and it takes on a hexagonal configuration as it get bounced around during its journey. If you think about the “perfect” source water, you will come to realize that the content and hence the properties of the source water would be changing every moment.

When my wife and I visited a number of water ionizer factories in Korea last year, I learned from the “old pros” of the industry that they change the pre selected level of drinking water that they drink from their machines all the time. Taking my cue, I now drink strong alkaline water first thing in the morning and before going to the gym, and I drink weak alkaline water before bedtime.

I also learned that the real secret behind ionized water is hydrogen ions, as opposed to pH and ORP. That doesn’t mean that pH and ORP don’t count, but it does mean that our North American preoccupation with measuring those two variables and trying to reach higher highs and lower lows simply doesn’t make sense.

For those that are still “stuck” on ORP created by electrolysis, I suggest a quick test that is easy to do if you have a pH/ORP meter. Fill a glass of strong alkaline water, which should have an ORP reading of -200 to -600 depending upon the source water and the power setting. Place the meter in the water and take a reading. Once you have taken the reading, remove the meter and place the palm of your hand over the top of the glass and shake the glass vigourously for ten seconds. When you take another reading with the meter, you will notice that the ORP level will be very close to zero.

What does the test mean??? Are all the health benefits disappeared??? The answer is that the temporary or unstable ORP created by electrolysis has disappeared due to the vigour movement, but there will still be health inducing hydrogen ions in the water. As the kids would say, “It’s all good”. The lesson to be taken from this test is that it is not the huge negative ORP level that makes you healthy. Therefore, ignore the silly claims of the marketing companies that tell you that their plates are bigger or they have more power etc. etc. etc. Bigger is not better!

I have learned that it is best to drink the water produced by an electric water ionizer in the first ten seconds after the water has been created. The bubbles that the machine creates in the drinking water are hydrogen gas. You will notice that the bubbles quickly rise to the surface of the water and disappear. One the bubbles rise to the surface, they combine with air and their healing power is lost. That means that you should drink the bubbles if you want to maximize the effectiveness of the machine.

So, my advice would be to drink pure ionized water, either from an electric water ionizer or an antioxidant filter as they are both good for you. In addition, chill out about the pH and ORP discussions, as they are simply a way for the water ionizer sales people to show you that “something” is happening.

As always, the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.

Related posts:

1. Doctors are Over Prescribing Drugs and Testing Procedures

It is great to see that Dr. Young has provided an intelligent response to the self-serving nonsense published by Dr. Mercola in regards to alkaline water.  Dr. Young has written about the function of the stomach and the important role that an alkaline diet or drinking alkaline water plays.  Unlike Dr. Mercola, I believe that Dr. Young actually writes his own material.  Dr. Young has a research staff who provides him with research and background material, but the man actually writes his own articles.  

I have a difference of opinion than Dr. Young on a couple of the things that he talks about.  He mentions that you should drink 1 liter of water each day for each 50 pounds that you weigh.  That is a lot of water for a person that weighs 200 pounds.  I don’t think you need to drink that much water, but it certainly won’t hurt to drink that much.  He also recommends drinking water with a pH of at least 9.5 while I wouldn’t drink water any stronger that 9.5.  In fact, if you are advanced in years or if you have health issues, my experience in talking to many others would be that you should drink water be in the pH range of 8.0 to 9.0, especially in the early stages of being on the water.  It is really important for everyone to start slowly to avoid headaches, or flu like symptoms, or even diarrhea.  Other than those differences… go Doc!

If you have been questioning the benefit of using a water ionizer because of the fluff published by the likes of Dr. Mercola or Stephen Lower, please read the article below “written by Dr. Robert Young”. 

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Is There A Need For Hydrochloric Acid In The Stomach?

Last week Dr. Joseph Mercola made several statements concerning the negative affects of drinking alkaline water.

According to Dr. Mercola drinking alkaline water is of no value because it will be minimized by the hydrochloric acid of the stomach.

That’s exactly the point Mercola! You want to minimize the hydrochloric acid residues in the stomach!!!!

Of course what Mercola does not explain is the biochemistry of the digestive system and especially the stomach. The facts are that for every molecule of hydrochloric acid produced in the stomach an equal amount of sodium bicarbonate is produced by the cover cells. The equation is as follows: NaCl + H20 + CO2 = NaHCO3 + HCL.

The stomach pulls sodium, chloride, water and carbon dioxide to make sodium bicarbonate, an alkalizing compound with the waste product of hydrochloric acid.

The stomach will always produce sodium bicarbonate to alkalize the food we eat or the liquids we drink to prepare the food and drink for biological transformation into stem cells in the crypts of the small intestine. The more acidic the food or drink the more sodium bicarbonate will be produced to buffer the acids of the food or drink. This of course leaves you with a belly full of acid which leads to all sorts of stomach disorders including the acidifying of the blood and then tissues.

The stomach does not need to produce any sodium bicarbonate when we are eating or drinking alkalizing foods or alkaline drinks, including electron rich alkaline water.

The key here to remember is this: the stomach is NOT an organ of digestion but an organ of contribution and its main contribution is to alkalize the food and drink we ingest.

You want to drink electron rich alkaline water to neutralize or buffer the hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

The stomach is NOT an organ of digestion but an organ designed to alkalize the acids from food and metabolism.

Bottom-line the best thing you can do to support the stomach is to drink electron rich alkaline water with a pH of at least 9.5 or better. You will be preventing serious stomach disorders and preparing the food and drink for its ideal pH in the small intestine at 8.4 for biological transformation into stems cells in the crypts of the small intestine.

My best advise is to drink at least 1 liter of 9.5 pH alkaline electron rich water for every 50 pounds of weight. You will be hydrating, alkalizing and energizing your body. There is nothing more important than drinking alkaline electron rich water

Related posts:

1. The pH Debate
2. Eliminate acid reflux with alkaline diet or ionized water
3. An alkaline diet is great… but is it enough?

There is a tremendous amount of information about water ionizers on the internet.  Most of what you read is marketing hype, and virtually all of the “good stuff” is borrowed from others.  There is very little original material, and there are only a handful of people that I have found that actually have something useful to contribute.   

The health industry focuses on the importance of the benefits of being alkaline (pH over 7.0) because disease can’t exist in an alkaline environment. 

pH is the measure of the acidity (hydrogen rich H+ ions) or alkalinity (hydroxyl rich OH- ions) of water.  The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14 with 0 being the strongest acid, 14 being the strongest alkaline.  A pH of 7 is neutral (neither acidic or alkaline), as in the case of distilled or pure water.  The pH scale is logarithmic, which means that a pH level of 5.0 is ten times more acidic than a pH level of 6.0

The primary discussion about pH revolves in the health industry is focused on the pH level of blood because of the vital role  that pH plays in your health and survival.   The pH level of your blood will remain in a very tight range of 7.35 to 7.45, or the results can be very profound and dangerous.  As a result, your body has very sophisticated acid-alkaline balancing mechanisms that will ensure that your blood level will remain in the required range.  Your body will beg/borrow/steal anything available in the body to make sure the pH level remains in the very tight range mentioned above.  A good discussion of the acid-alkaline balance of your blood can be found at  http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/ch159/ch159a.html. 

Your body contains other fluids such as urine, saliva, and cerebrospinal fluid.  It is easy to test the pH of your urine and saliva with pH test strips.  When you test your urine or saliva, you should do so first thing in the morning before eating.  You will likely find that the pH levels are much lower than the pH level of your blood.   The pH level of advanced cancer patients can be in the low 5s while vegetarians often have a pH values in the high 6s.  When alkaline ionized water is added to the diet, most people will notice a significant increase in their urine and saliva levels.   Vegetarians often find that their pH levels will finally move into alkaline territory after drinking alkaline ionized water, as it appears that the water is the final ingredient in helping them become alkaline.

I’m aware of three individuals that post on the internet that alkaline ionized water can’t possibly work because the acidic level of the stomach neutralizes the alkaline properties of the water.  None of the naysayers actually drink the water, and they refuse to test it.  You may find it useful to check out the following link which is a technical (and somewhat dry) article written by Sang Whang.  The article explains how drinking alkaline water causes the body to produce important alkaline bicarbonate buffers in the blood when the stomach produces hydrochloric acid to neutralize the alkaline water:  http://alkalineworld.wordpress.com/2010/03/07/alkaline-water-stomach-acid/

Mr. Whang, the author of Reverse Aging, concludes the above article with the statement: “What is diminishing, as we age, is the alkaline buffer.  To maintain the alkaline–acid balance in the blood, we must recharge the alkaline buffer in the blood.  Drinking alkaline water is the best way.  This is better than any alkaline food”

I agree with the summary provided by Mr. Whang, as it makes sense.  However, I believe there is more to the water than the simple alkalinity argument.  Mr. Whang believes that ORP (oxidation reduction potential, which is measured by milivolts) doesn’t play an important role in the health benefits of alkaline ionized water.  My experience and research tells me that ORP also plays an important role in removing acid buildup and helping the body become more alkaline.

Virtually all substances that you consume end up in your stomach for a prolonged period of time to be processed.  However, it is well documented that sugar, alcohol, and ionized water pass directly through the stomach into the intestines, and into your blood.  We are all aware that police officers use this fact to test blood alcohol levels, as a two or three quick drinks can end up in DUI charges, as alcohol passes through the stomach immediately.

Having witnessed my father (a physician) pour maple syrup down the throat of my uncle during a diabetic seizure, I can tell you from experience that the results are very rapid and effective. The glucose from the maple syrup obviously bypassed the stomach.

You can easily prove to yourself that ionized water passes through the stomach immediately into the intestines.  If you attempt to drink 3 sixteen ounce glasses of tap or bottled water (48 ounces in total) in 2 minutes, you will find it very difficult to do so.  In addition, you will feel bloated and uncomfortable for hours.  If you drink the same 48 ounces of ionized water in the same two minute period, you will find that it is much easier to drink the water and you will not feel the unpleasant bloated feeling. 

So, what does this little drinking water experiment tell us? Negatively charged ionized water bypasses the stomach as advertised, just like the example of using maple syrup in the story about my uncle.  So, with all due respect to Mr. Whang and his logical argument, it appears there is more going on (as in the fact that ORP does play a role) than the simple creation of alkaline bicarbonate buffers when the stomach produces hydrochloric acid to neutralize alkaline water.   The stomach could not possibly create enough hydrochloric acid and the corresponding bicarbonates in such a short period of time.  Funny how a scary childhood experience would be part of this blog nearly 50 years later.   

As always, the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and those quoted in the article and are not intended as medical advice.  Always consult your health care provider with health issues.

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Slowly but surely, people are discovering the benefits of drinking alkaline ionized water.   Most of us take our health for granted until something goes wrong, so most inquiries about the water come from people who are trying to “fix” something.  I suspect it will remain that way for years to come, but my hope is that eventually people will learn to take care of their health before they have problems.  Proper maintenance is always a superior solution to repair.

If you are investigating water ionizers on the internet, there is a good chance you are getting confused.  The confusion is understandable.  While every website tells you that the machines are great, they also try to influence your buying decision by focusing on the attributes of their particular machine.

Here is a list of things I think you should know about water ionizers before you consider buying a machine:

1)      All water ionizers work.  They use a simple process called electrolysis to separate tap or bottled water into two separate streams of water.  One stream is rich in OH- (hydroxyl ions)  which is for drinking, and the other is rich in H+ (Hydrogen ions) which is for external use on the skin or for disinfecting germs in its strongest form

2)      There is no such thing as the “best” water ionizer.  Different machines perform differently in different water conditions.  Before buying, you should focus on your source water conditions, what you want to use the water for (as they do more than simply improve your health), and your budget

3)      The high priced Multi Level Marketing machines are not superior, and in many cases are inferior to many lower priced brands

4)      Your source water conditions, the speed of the flow of the water through the machine, and the amount of power run through the machine are the primary factors affecting the performance of the machine.  Don’t be mislead by the “bells and whistles” offered by various brands attempting to entice you.

5)      Water ionizers are designed to ionize water.  They are not designed to work as filtration systems other than for removing chlorine.  While the filters of some brands offer somewhat better filtration, it is important to learn what is in your water supply and install a pre-filtration system.  It makes no sense to spend thousands of dollars on a water ionizer and not spend a couple of hundred dollars to remove harmful contaminants from your water.

6)      The “independent” review sites are not independent at all.  They are sophisticated marketing tools designed to lead you towards purchasing a specific brand of water ionizer.

7)      According to the engineers that I met in Korea, no machine for residential use needs to have more than 300 Watts of power.  In fact, adding more power is likely detrimental as it will act to corrode the platinum coating on the titanium plates.  More is not better.

8)      The engineers confirmed our findings that 7 plates provide up to 20% better results than 5 plates, but only under hard source water conditions.  In soft and medium water, there is very little difference.  However, 9 plates offer absolutely nothing more in terms of performance over 7 plate machines and can be viewed as a gimmick.  More is not better.

9)      In regards to pH levels, there is somewhat of a consensus among the scientists and engineers that I have spoken to.  It is recommended to start drinking alkaline water for about a week at a level of 8.0 to 8.5 so your body can detoxify slowly.  Starting with water that has higher pH levels will not harm you, but you are more likely to experience headaches, mild flu-like symptoms, and possibly diarrhea.  Once your body has adjusted to detoxifying, most healthy adults should drink water in a pH range of 9.0 to 10.0 

10)  The opinions among the scientists in regards to the effectiveness and level of ORP for drinking water are much more divergent.  Some medical doctors and scientists who have never tested the water believe that the acidic level of the stomach immediately neutralizes the negative ORP values, thereby rendering the effect of the ORP as worthless.   Others scientists claim that the antioxidant values of the negatively charged ions are life changing and can lead to sustainable good health.   

Ionized water, alcohol, and sugar, are the only known substances that pass immediately through the stomach.  You can prove this to yourself with a simple test.  Drink 3 sixteen ounce glasses of tap or bottled water within a five minute period.  You will feel bloated for hours.  However, it you drink 3 sixteen ounce glasses of ionized water in the same five minute period, you won’t feel bloated at all.  Based upon this test and the fact that ionized water helped me get rid of severe arthritis and acid reflux while several forms of pharmaceutical drugs failed, my vote goes to the beneficial effects of negatively charged water.

The scientists that do believe in the beneficial antioxidant properties of negatively charged water have varying opinions in regards to what level of negative ORP should be consumed.  The scientists from Japan and Korea who have been around working on the water for 25 years seem to be of the opinion that you should drink water with a negative ORP level of -10 to -15.  Others claim that you should drink water that has a negative ORP of -180 to -200, as that is the value of the juice of a live orange on a tree.   There does seem to be some consensus that drinking water should not have an ORP of greater than -400.  However, Dr. Robert Young has indicated that he has had success with using -800 ORP for cancer patients, but that of course is a more extreme measure.

Related posts:

1. Marketing hype in the water ionizer industry

If you are reading this, you are probably aware of the great work that is being done by people like Dr. Robert Young and Tony Robbins and others in regards to providing information about the importance of eating an alkaline diet. The authors are doing a wonderful job of informing the world (or those that choose to be informed) that Americans are eating their way to various different diseases and sickness. For example, the explosion in the number of cases of stage 2 diabetes is reaching near epidemic proportions in North America, and the sad thing is that the problem can easily be erased by taking simple steps to change the way you eat, drink, and live.

The culprit of so many of the nasty diseases and ailments that plague our society is “acidosis”, or the state of being acidic. It has become abundantly clear that getting our bodies alkaline is the key to good health. The question is how do we do it?

The alkaline diet pundits tell us that we should be eating a diet rich in alkaline foods… all that green stuff that our Moms told us to eat. We intuitively know that they are right, but it is a difficult task that is beyond the grasp of most of us, who are rushing around trying to survive in a busy world. However, there are people such as vegetarians and vegans who are much more disciplined with their pallet than I will ever be. They are able to turn the other proverbial cheek when it comes to taking the easy way out with food. But are they able to achieve a stable alkaline pH of 7.2 to 7.5 as measured by the saliva? In most cases, the answer is no.

So, if the health food nuts have difficulty achieving the promised land of a pH level of 7.346, how do people reach that lofty goal? According to the experts, it is a combination of food, water, exercise, and reducing the amount of stress in your life.

Let’s look at the components one at a time. While I find it admirable that vegetarians have the discipline to eat a predominantly alkaline diet, it will never work for me. So what can the average person do? For starters, reduce the amount of meat, sugars, flour, and processed food. Does that mean eliminate them? No. But 4 ounces of meat per day is plenty. Sugars are a killer. If you have a sweet tooth like me, trade in the chocolate and candy for fruits. Maybe they are not quite as satisfying, but they produce natural sugars that are much better for you. Reduce the amount of flour from breads and pasta. That doesn’t mean eliminate those items, but cut down. Another culprit is snacks. Most of the time that we eat snacks is to curb our cravings for salt. We need salt in our diets. Many of our junk food binges are sparked by a lack of minerals in our body. Consume the proper minerals, and a lot of your food cravings will go away.

Speaking of cravings and food binges, the cause of the problem is often created by dehydration. We often mistake our need for water as hunger. If you drink water with a proper balance of essential minerals, your need and consequently your cravings for will diminish. You should drink half an ounce of water for every pound of body weight each day to start working towards better health. That means that if you weigh 140 pounds, you should drink 70 ounces of water. That is a lot of water. If you are working towards getting healthy, you should drink even more water.

Drink Water

Why water? Your body is made up of about 70% water, so water is the natural way to nourish your body. The greatest cause of aging is dehydration, so drink up. What should you drink besides water? Nothing else is required. It is as simple as that. What kind of water should you drink? Tap water from a city source is generally the best water around and it is free. Yes, tap water is better for you than virtually any bottled water. If you have the financial means to purchase a water ionizer, that is even better, but let’s leave that discussion for another day.

While it is essential to drink water, it is just as important to get off the sodas and coffee. If you drink one cup of coffee, research indicates that it takes 8 cups of water to cleanse the acid problems created by the coffee. If you drink a can of soda, it takes 32 cans of water to offset the damage done by the soda. Think about that for a minute. If you don’t take the Coke out of your fridges and pantries, you are just hurting yourself and your children. If you can’t do it for yourself, then at least do it for your kids. Alcohol is also bad, as it is very acidic. Hard liquor is worse than beer as it is more acidic – again, everything in moderation (except for soda, which is just terrible for you).

Exercise

What about exercise? We all know that we are supposed to exercise, but many of us find that we don’t have time. Take the time. Exercise gets your lungs working and your blood pumping. Exercise doesn’t have to mean hard physical exertion at a gym, or a long run. Get you exercise doing things that you like. Exercise doesn’t have to be torture. Get outside and work in the yard, or go for a walk, or let the dog take you for a walk. Go for a swim, or a bike ride around the neighborhood. You might find that you actually like your neighbors. Play with your kids, as they will give you a workout. Just make it enjoyable.

Exercise is simply a matter of moving around and using your body. It might seem like a huge undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be. Just start doing things and you will be amazed at how much better you feel in a very short time. Get your blood pumping a bit and get your lungs working. Athletes and people who exercise a great deal don’t live longer. In fact, they usually have shorter lives, because they typically suffer from dehydration over their lives, and the body is not meant to be tortured.

Reduce Stress

Finally, let’s take a look at stress. Stress is a huge contributor to sickness. My kids like to tell me to “chill Dad”. It is easier said than done, but it not only can be done, it has to be done. Stress is a killer. Take the time to exercise or just take a break. No matter what you do for a living, it is only work. Work is a way to support your life, it isn’t your life. Don’t be fooling yourself by believing that you work so hard for your family. Your loved ones would much rather have down time for fun time with you, than see you slaving away so that you can “get ahead”. Another source of stress is often provided by the people in your life. It has taken me a long time to realize this one out, but I have finally started surrounding myself with people that make my life better, and removing myself from those that cause me stress. It sounds so simple, and it is. The trick is to just realize it.

So there you have it. You know what to do. Eating well can be achieved in small steps. Try to make lifestyle changes slowly as opposed to dieting. Drink water…lots of water! Drinking more water is the most important change that you can make to improve your health, and it is simple. You can cut your calorie intake substantially by drinking water to fill many of your cravings. Exercise! Make it fun, not torture. And finally, start getting rid of stress by excising, taking breaks, and avoiding the people or events in your life that create the stress.

© This Alkaline Water article was posted on Waterfy

Related posts:

1. Achieving a more alkaline body for better health!
2. Eliminate acid reflux with alkaline diet or ionized water
3. Beating arthritis with ionized water or alkaline diet!

It drives me crazy when I review water ionizer websites that claim that their machines are far superior to their competitor’s machines. They also seem to revel in bashing the competition. Why would anyone want to do this? All it does is confuse potential buyers and make the company look really stupid. The pharmaceutical industry must just be sitting back and chuckling at the ridiculous behavior of the participants in the water ionizer industry.

Bashing other companies or products in order to make your product look good by comparison is pathetic. The public is looking for information and the truth, not a sales pitch. Can you imagine GM using its marketing dollars to tell people not to buy a Ford or Chrysler because they make lousy cars? I think it was about 15 to 20 years ago that Coke and Pepsi went through a short period of bashing each other. The strategy turned the public off and people started looking to alternatives. The management teams at both Coke and Pepsi figured out very quickly that people don’t like that type of approach. I hope that the water ionizer companies learn the lesson quickly, so that they can start to focus on the important issues. I believe that everyone in the health care industry should be morally obligated to become as well informed as possible, as customers are putting their trust in their hands.

Now it’s time to take an honest look at what it takes to produce the best results from a water ionizer machine. I will start by saying that you can ignore most of the marketing hype that you see on the internet. While some sites provide excellent information, most focus their efforts on selling you their product. Marketing people emphasize the virtues of the products, and minimize the factors that are lacking in their machines.

Despite all the flashy proclamations on the internet, there are two key elements to producing the best results for ionized water. Marketing companies illustrate other virtues, but they are secondary factors in producing good results. The primary factors are:

1) The amount of electrolysis that actually occurs in the ionizing chamber of a water ionizer.
2) Dealing with the factors presented by the source water.

Dealing with issue number one (the time that water is exposed to the ionizer plates) is easy. It is simple physics to understand that the more electrolysis that takes place, the better the results in terms of producing pH and ORP. So, how do the machines achieve maximum electrolysis? The ionizer companies go on and on about the plate size, the material the plates are made of, solid plates vs. mesh plates vs. slotted plates, and power. The simple fact is that the more exposure to the surface area of the plates, the more electrolysis takes place.

More surface area can be achieved in three ways… more plates, bigger plates, and introducing slots in the plates. More plates cost more and therefore push the price up. Bigger plates make the machines bigger and therefore make the appearance of the machine on your counter more conspicuous. Slotted plates add 25% more surface area (according to the physicists) without changing the size or number of the plates. So, it seems that slotted plates are a “no-brainer” as it doesn’t affect cost or size. You will see the companies that don’t have slotted plates present an argument about clogging, but it is nonsense. Putting slots in plates is a positive thing and it doesn’t increase the cost, so all the companies should be doing it. In every case, if you slow the flow of the water flow over the plates down, the results will improve, because more contact with the plates means more electrolysis. The review sites use water flow rates as one of the tricks to make their machines look like they produce the best results.

The manufacturers have been engaging in a battle of the number of plates for the past year. I believe that the primary reason for this strategy has been to combat the claims of one of the Multi Level Marketing companies that their machine was better because it had more plates. It is obvious that more plates are better, but how much is enough? I personally wasn’t convinced that moving from 5 plates to 7 plates would actually make a significant difference in performance, as I assumed it was just more marketing hype that would allow companies to raise their prices. However, when testing 5 plate versus 7 plate machines, the 7 plate machines do in fact produce better results under soft water or hard water conditions. If your source water is ideal (pH level of 7.1 to 7.3 and moderate hardness 80 to 140 parts per million), then you can achieve reasonably good results with a 5 plate machine.

Choosing a machine for its plate size becomes a personal issue. Bigger plates are better, but it makes the units bigger and more cumbersome. A bigger unit on the counter bothers some people, but not others. If a machine has small plates, the shortfall can be overcome somewhat by a machine that has more power. Personally, I can’t wait until the industry provides a wide array of under the counter “UTC” units that are priced more reasonably than what is available at this time. UTC units will allow for outstanding output from machines without worrying about the size, because the machine will be hidden away.

Now we need to deal with the more tricky factors, the source water. Canada and the USA have many different source water issues. We have to deal with great variations in the amount of hardness in the water, and we also have to deal with other water issues such as impurities. In cities, most people have to deal with chlorine and fluoride, which are negative factors, as well as concerns about the contents of older pipes. Rural areas don’t have to deal with chlorine and fluoride, but they typically have to deal with sediment in the water, and sometimes nasty things like nitrates (on farms) or heavy metals.

Unfortunately, the water ionizer companies have basically ignored the various issues and focused on selling their units. It is a typical case of greed, where profits are more important than safety. I believe that they can do a much better job. The only issue that the companies have addressed at all is the issue of soft water. Soft water is a problem for water ionizers because soft water contains very few minerals, and the ionizer requires minerals to work.

There are two different strategies that the various companies have chosen to deal with soft water. The old fashioned way to deal with a shortage of minerals in the water is with a calcium port, and the two oldest ionizer companies use this method. Companies that use this system have their customers purchase calcium and inject it into the machine. This system is effective, but I personally don’t care for it, because the amounts injected are not metered out in any systematic and accountable way, and the cost is both high and unnecessary. In my opinion, the better way to deal with soft water is to use filters that slowly introduce minerals into the water as the water moves through the filters. This system makes a lot more sense on an intuitive level, and there are no additional costs. While I would like to say that the manufacturers have perfected this system, it appears that they still have some work to do. Fortunately, one company in particular seems to be getting much better results than others when it comes to dealing with soft water, so it is just a matter of time until the competitors make the adjustment.

When it comes to the nasty things that we find in the water, I find that the manufacturers just don’t seem to care. Maybe they do care, but they certainly haven’t done anything about it yet. I think they can do a much better job. To that end, I have been doing some research with manufacturers of purification systems that could be used in combination with the water ionizer systems. I don’t have anything definitive yet, but the prospects are promising. I believe that we should be able to combine the positive aspects of the purification properties of reverse osmosis systems with the healthy contributions made by water ionizers. There are some logistical problems that we are working on, but I think a cost effective solution is possible. I will keep you posted as things develop.

This is totally off topic, but I thought it was funny. I was talking to a lady the other day about her new water ionizer, and I asked how she liked it. She said that she enjoyed the taste of the water, and that she had more energy, but what really impressed her was that her cat wouldn’t drink regular water anymore. It reminded me of a message on a magnet that my Mom used to have on her fridge. The message said “The more I get to know people, the more I like my cat”.

© This Alkaline Ionized Water article was posted on Waterfy

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