How Much Water Do You Know Water Inside Your Body?

20 Interesting and Useful Water Facts

1. Roughly 70 percent of an adult’s body is made up of water.

2. At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent of an infant’s body weight.

3. A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48 cups) of water per day. 1 Gallon = 3.7854118 liters . A gallon is comparable to 3.8 liters. One Liter is a little more than a quart in liquid measurement.

4. Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.

5. Water intoxication is most likely to occur during periods of intense athletic performance.

6. While the daily recommended amount of water is eight cups per day, not all of this water must be consumed in the liquid form. Nearly every food or drink item provides some water to the body.

1. Soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while made up almost entirely of water, also contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling to necessary locations in the body.
2. Pure water (solely hydrogen and oxygen atoms) has a neutral pH of 7, which is neither acidic nor basic.
3. Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it.
4. Somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
5. Much more fresh water is stored under the ground in aquifers than on the earth’s surface.
6. The earth is a closed system, similar to a terrarium, meaning that it rarely loses or gains extra matter. The same water that existed on the earth millions of years ago is still present today.

1. The total amount of water on the earth is about 326 million cubic miles of water.
2. Of all the water on the earth, humans can used only about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.
3. The United States uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day.
4. The United States uses nearly 80 percent of its water for irrigation and thermoelectric power.
5. The average person in the United States uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of this water.
6. Approximately 85 percent of U.S. residents receive their water from public water facilities. The remaining 15 percent supply their own water from private wells or other sources.
7. By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.
8. The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not fat.

10 Reasons to Drink Water

1. Water is absolutely essential to the human body’s survival. A person can live for about a month without food, but only about a week without water.


2. Water helps to maintain healthy body weight by increasing metabolism and regulating appetite.


3. Water leads to increased energy levels. The most common cause of daytime fatigue is actually mild dehydration.


4. Drinking adequate amounts of water can decrease the risk of certain types of cancers, including colon cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.


5. For a majority of sufferers, drinking water can significantly reduce joint and/or back pain.


6. Water leads to overall greater health by flushing out wastes and bacteria that can cause disease.


7. Water can prevent and alleviate headaches.


8. Water naturally moisturizes skin and ensures proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin to give it a healthy, glowing appearance.


9. Water aids in the digestion process and prevents constipation.


10. Water is the primary mode of transportation for all nutrients in the body and is essential for proper circulation.

Reverse Osmosis  

Reverse osmosis was developed as a water treatment method more than 40 years ago. The process first arose as a technique of desalinating seawater. Once the method’s decontaminating capabilities were recognized, reverse osmosis systems began to be commercially produced for home water purification purposes. Such systems were installed in homes as early as the 1970s. Reverse osmosis systems seemed a viable option to the more costly and energy-wasteful distillation units.

  The Process: The reverse osmosis process depends upon a semi-permeable membrane through which pressurized water is forced. Reverse osmosis, simply stated, is the opposite of the natural osmosis process of water. Osmosis is the name for the tendency of water to migrate from a weaker saline solution to a stronger saline solution, gradually equalizing the saline composition of each solution when a semi-permeable membrane separates the two solutions. In reverse osmosis, water is forced to move from a stronger saline solution to a weaker solution, again through a semi-permeable membrane. Because molecules of salt are physically larger than water molecules, the membrane blocks the passage of salt particles. The end result is desalinated water on one side of the membrane and a highly concentrated, saline solution of water on the other side. In addition to salt particles, this process will remove a select number of drinking water contaminants, depending upon the physical size of the contaminants. For this reason, reverse osmosis has been touted as an effective drinking water purification method.

Pros and Cons:
Reverse osmosis is a valuable water purification process when mineral-free water is the desired end product. Most mineral constituents of water are physically larger than water molecules. Thus, they are trapped by the semi-permeable membrane and removed from drinking water when filtered through a reverse osmosis system. Such minerals include salt, lead, manganese, iron, and calcium. Reverse osmosis will also remove some chemical components of drinking water, including the dangerous municipal additive fluoride.

Although reverse osmosis does extract several contaminants from drinking water, its removal capabilities are not ideally suited to the challenges of the municipally treated water that the overwhelming majority of people receive. Municipal water contains such contaminants as chlorine and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). Because these contaminants are physically smaller in size than water, the semi-permeable membrane cannot prohibit them from passing through with the water. Thus, they remain in drinking water.

Reverse osmosis, also, by removing alkaline mineral constituents of water, produces acidic water. Acidic water can be dangerous to the body system, causing calcium and other essential minerals to be stripped from bones and teeth in order to neutralize its acidity. Trace elements of minerals were intended to be in water; their removal leaves tasteless, unhealthy drinking water.

Reverse osmosis, although it is less wasteful than distillation, is still an incredibly inefficient process. On average, the reverse osmosis process wastes three gallons of water for every one gallon of purified water it produces. 

 Distillation 

 The process of distillation has been known and used for millennia. Although it has primarily been employed as a method of producing alcoholic beverages like whisky and vodka, distillation also works as a technique of water purification. In the 1970s, distillation was a popular method of home water purification, but its use is now largely confined to science laboratories or printing industries.

The Process:

The distillation process utilizes a heat source to vaporize water. The object of distillation is to separate pure water molecules from contaminants with a higher boiling point than water. In the distillation process, water is first heated until it reaches its boiling point and begins to evaporate. The temperature is then kept at a constant. The stable temperature ensures continued water vaporization, but prohibits drinking water contaminants with a higher boiling point from evaporating. Next, the evaporated water is captured and guided through a system of tubes to another container. Finally, removed from the heat source, the steam condenses back into its original liquid form. Contaminants having a higher boiling point than water remain in the original container. This process removes most minerals, most bacteria and viruses, and any chemicals that have a higher boiling point than water from drinking water. For this reason, distillation is sometimes valued as a method of obtaining pure drinking water.

Pros and Cons:
Distillation, similarly to reverse osmosis, provides mineral-free water to be used in science laboratories or for printing purposes, as both functions require mineral-free water. It removes heavy metal materials like lead, arsenic, and mercury from water and hardening agents like calcium and phosphorous. Distillation is often used as the preferred water purification method in developing nations, or areas where the risk of waterborne disease is high, due to its unique capabilities to remove bacteria and viruses from drinking water.

Distillation has several qualities that make it undesirable for the purification of municipally treated water, especially when compared to the decontamination capacities of water filters. Although distillation processes remove mineral and bacterial drinking water contaminants, they do not remove chlorine, chlorine byproducts, or VOCs. These chemicals, which have a lower boiling point than water, are the major contaminants of municipally treated water. Most dangerous metals and bacteria are removed from water prior to its arrival at a home’s plumbing system. Thus, a distillation system, targeted at the removal of these contaminants, is unnecessary and irrelevant for most people.

Distillation, like reverse osmosis, provides mineral-free water that can be quite dangerous to the body’s system when ingested, due to its acidity. Acidic drinking water strips bones and teeth of valuable and essential mineral constituents.

Furthermore, distillation is an incredibly wasteful process. Typically, 80% of the water is discarded with the contaminants, leaving only one gallon of purified water for every five gallons treated.

Filtration

 Water filters have a long history as a method of water purification, beginning as early as 2000 b.c.e. in ancient Egypt. Filtration has evolved from the simple Hippocratic sleeve of ancient Greece, made from cloth, to the complicated solid block carbon and multimedia water filters currently on the market. Hippocratic Sleeve - A simple water filter designed by Hippocrates of ancient Greece. The filter consisted of a cloth sleeve through which water was poured. Water filtration is now the premier method of water purification, removing more water contaminants, more efficiently, than any other technique.

The Process:  

 The filtration process involves some type of filter media, over which water flows. This filter media blocks passage of contaminants through physical obstruction, chemical adsorption, or a combination of both processes. Material construction of the filter media varies widely, but the most effective medias are made from carbon or a combination of carbon with other elements. Modern filtration technology allows water filters to remove more and more contaminants through the chemical process of adsorption. In the adsorption process, contaminants are encouraged to break their bond with water molecules and chemically adhere to the filter media. Generally, water goes through several stages of filtration to ensure that each filter media will remove the ultimate number of contaminants. Water normally passes through a water filter at a relatively low speed, in order to ensure adequate contact time with the filter media. Once the water has passed through the required stages of filtration, it emerges as pure drinking water, free from contamination.

Pros and Cons:
Unlike reverse osmosis and distillation process, water filters are not limited in the type or size of contaminants they can remove. Thus, water filters are able to remove far more contaminants than any other purification method. Also, because they use the chemical adsorption process, water filters can selectively retain healthy trace minerals in drinking water.

Filtration is the only one of the three water purification methods that is capable of removing chlorine, chlorine byproducts, and VOCs from drinking water. Chlorine and VOCs are the most dangerous and threatening contaminants of municipally treated drinking water. Besides the removal of these dangerous chemicals, water filters also extract from drinking water the chlorine-resistant protozoa giardia and cryptosporidium. These protozoa have plagued the water treatment industry for several decades and have caused a number of epidemics of severe gastrointestinal disease, contracted through drinking contaminated water. 

Cryptosporidium - A chlorine-resistant protozoan that makes its way into municipal water facilities. The protozoan can cause severe gastrointestinal illness. Giardia - A chlorine-resistant protozoan that makes its way into municipal water facilities. The protozoan can cause severe gastrointestinal illness. 

Water filters, because they do not require the costly energy sources of reverse osmosis and distillation, provide a source of relatively inexpensive, purified water. Also, water filters waste very little water, as compared to reverse osmosis and distillation systems.

Depending upon the type of filter used, water filtration may be a less than ideal form of water purification. For example, granular filters do not utilize the chemical adsorption process, allowing several contaminants to pass through the filter media. Likewise, rapid water filters allot water inadequate contact time with the filter media, limiting the number of contaminants that may be removed. Solid block carbon filters solve both of these problems by using both adsorptive and slow filtration processes. Solid block carbon filters are absolutely the best and most effective water filters available.

Phthalate - Phthalate is a colorless liquid that has a bitter, disagreeable taste. It is a synthetic substance that is commonly used to make plastics more flexible.

VOCs - Volatile Organic Chemicals. VOCs are synthetic chemicals dissolved in water—such as insecticides or herbicides—which vaporize at low temperatures.


WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature. The WWF is a global organization with several offices throughout the world. Its goal is to protect and preserve environmental resources.

Chapter 11- DYING OF THIRST

Chapter 11- DYING OF THIRST

Clean water for drinking, bathing, and growing food is one of the most precious commodities on the planet. You constantly read in the news about how we're running out of oil and energy—how
these resources can only last another 20-30 years. But the simple fact is, that's 20-30 years longer than we have for water. Already, in many parts of the world, lack of clean water is the biggest problem facing huge numbers of people[1]. Just to hazard a guess, in the next 50 years, more wars will be fought over water than oil.

  Why is water so important? Quite simply, it's essential for life. And the sad fact is...most people just don't get enough. The vast majority of people living in the industrial world (even where
water is abundant) are dehydrated.

      Quantity

   In advanced societies, thinking that tea, coffee, alcohol, soda pop, or other forms of manufactured beverages are desirable substitutes for the purely natural water needs of the daily "stressed" body is a common, but potentially deadly, mistake.[2]

[1 China is currently running a water deficit equivalent to seven times the water usage of the entire state of California.
In the next few years, that deficit will triple. Already, the Yellow River, one of the most important rivers in China, is so low in water that it failed to reach the ocean on 226 days in 1997.]


[2 Batmanghelidj, F., Your Body's Many Cries for Water, Falls Church: Global Health Solutions, Inc., 1995.]

Water is the solvent in our bodies, and as such, it regulates all the functions of our bodies, including the action of all the solids dissolved in the water. In fact, every function of the body is
monitored and pegged to the efficient flow of water. Think for a moment of just a few of the functions that water regulates in our bodies:
>The movement of blood

>The transport of nutrients into our cells

>The movement of waste out of our cells

>The flow of lymph fluid

>The movement of nerve impulses through our nerves

>The movement of hormones throughout our bodies

>The functioning of our brains

   If we were to become dehydrated, all of these functions (and a thousand more) would be impaired. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens for the vast majority of us. Over time, as we
become increasingly dehydrated, our thirst mechanism gradually fails,[1] which leads to even more dehydration. Symptoms of chronic dehydration include allergies, asthma, chronic pains, constipation, acidosis, dry skin, and the shrinking of internal organs and thinning of skin associated with aging—to name just a few.

   We need to consume between 64 and 96 ounces of pure water a day. Pure, fresh (not bottled or canned) fruit and vegetable juices may be substituted for some of this quantity—as may limited
quantities of non-diuretic herbal teas (without sugar). In general, however, pure water is the key.

     Quality

   When you look at the big picture, state and federal authorities have done a remarkable job in providing "clean" water for the country as a whole. Water-borne epidemics such as cholera are almost unheard of in the United States. On the other hand, acknowledging what has been accomplished does not mean that we should close our eyes to the problems that exist.

  Keep in mind that the MCLs (maximum contamination levels) that water districts so proudly adhere to merely represent a compromise standard designed to be econonomically feasible for water districts to meet. They in no way come close to the safety standards established by the US government's Safe Water Drinking Act.

  On average, drinking water in the United States currently contains over 2,100 toxic chemicals that are known to cause cancer, cell mutation, and nervous disorders. This is not particularly surprising
considering that there are close to 100,000 chemicals now in everyday use—with over 1,000 new ones being added each year. In fact, according to the EPA, US industries generatesome 79 million pounds of toxic waste each year that is not disposed of properly.
What is probably more surprising to most people, though, is the fact that, according to the EPA, 53 million Americans unknowingly drink tap water that is polluted by feces, radiation, or ....

[1 Even when our thirst mechanism is functioning properly, it's not a reliable indicator of dehydration since "thirst" is one of the last symptoms of dehydration to manifest.]

.... other contaminants. Also according to the EPA, some 45 million people drink water contaminated with the parasite cryptosporidium that killed more than 100 people in Milwaukee in 1993. Or that
over half of all Americans drink water that has been used at least once before.[1]

   According to an ABC News Special, US industries generate some 88 million pounds of toxic waste a year, 90% of which the EPA estimates is improperly disposed of, whcih makes its way into our water supplies. With close to 100,000 chemicals now in use and with the introduction of 1,000 new ones each year, it's impossible for treatment plants to keep up. Each year, at least 400,000 cases of illness can be attributed to contaminated water.

   With all due respect for the great job that all of the water departments in all of the states and cities do, you still don't want to be drinking tap water. It may not kill you immediately, but as sure
as the sun rises in the morning, it will compromise your health over time. The bottom line is that you need to drink filtered (or distilled water). Tap water, well water, and bottled water[2] are all suspect.

  Chlorine

  Chlorine is the primary disinfectant used to purify drinking water. Let me make it absolutely clear that I am not advocating eliminating chlorine from the purification process. That would be
stupid. Chlorination controls many water-borne diseases, including typhoid fever, cholera, and dysentery. When chlorination was stopped in Peru, for instance, there was a cholera epidemic of
300,000 cases.

However, it should be understood that:

> Chlorine is one of the most toxic substances known. It does everything from drying your skin and destroying your hair to wiping out the beneficial bacteria in your colon.

> And the byproducts of chlorination (such as chloroform, dichloro acedic acid, and MX), which are found in drinking water, are all proven carcinogens.

> According to the US Council on Environmental Quality, the cancer risk among people drinking chlorinated water is 93% higher than among those whose water does not contain chlorine. There is a higher incidence of cancer of the esophagus, rectum,breast, and larynx and a higher incidence of Hodgkin’s disease among those drinking chlorinated water.

> Chlorine has been strongly implicated as a major factor in the onset of atherosclerosis and its resulting heart attacks and strokes.

> By the same mechanisms that chlorine narrows blood vessels that feed the heart, it also narrows the blood vessels that feed the brain. Consequently, chlorine has been implicated as a major factor in the onset of senility.

[1 You probably shouldn't think about this particular statistic too long if you have any tendency toward a weak stomach.]

[2 Yes, if you're on the road and you're thirsty, picking up some bottled water at a 7-11 is a better alternative than drinking from the water fountain or buying some coffee or soda.]

There's no question but that the use of chlorine in drinking water has helped stopped the spread of many virulent water-borne diseases. On the other hand, there's also no question but that
chlorine in our drinking water presents us with serious long-term health implications. The bottom line on chlorine is that it pretty much needs to remain part of the city water purification  process. That means that you need to remove it from your water at your house.

      Fluoride

  At the risk of being accused of being a Luddite, let's take a look at the use of fluoride in our drinking water.

  Exactly what is water fluoridation? In fact, all water contains some fluoride. Fluoridation is
the process of adjusting the level of fluoride in the water supply to theoretically protect against
tooth decay. This concentration varies from 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million (ppm). While it is true that
"organic" fluoride itself is present naturally in soil, water, plants and many foods,[1] the "industrial"fluoride used in water fluoridation is a toxic waste product.[2]

  Does it work? Now that's a question of more than some debate. There's no question that since fluoridation began, the incidence of dental caries has gone down significantly in the United States.
Score one for water fluoridation! But hold on a second. It's gone down throughout the country—even in states that don't fluoridate their water! In fact, there is no good statistical evidence that fluoride (either in your water or your toothpaste) makes one iota of difference in terms of dental health.[3]  All of the improvement in dental health that we have seen in the United States can easily be attributed to better dental hygiene (brushing and flossing), not fluoridation.

  Which brings us to the key question: Is it safe?

  Well, to be fair, community water fluoridation is supported by the U.S. Public Health Service,[4]the American Dental Association,[5]
 the American Medical Association,[6] the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the National Academy of Sciences. On the other hand, the devastating, toxic effects of fluoride are well documented by mainstream organizations such as: 

>Numerous articles have appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association challenging the safety of fluoridation. 

>National Institute of Environmental and Health Sciences has shown that fluoride
causes cancer.

>Scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency have come out against fluoridation because they have confirmed that it does not reduce tooth decay and that there is clear evidence that fluoride causes cancer.

>The Pasteur Institute in France, and the Nobel Institute in Sweden have caused fluoride to be banned in France and Sweden respectively because the health risks from using fluoride far out-way any possible benefit.


>Fluoridation is also banned in Finland, Holland, Chile, and Japan among others.

[1 Tea, for example, is an extremly high source of fluoride (even when made with unfluoridated water).]

[2 American industry loves water fluoridation. Instead of having to pay for the disposal of a toxic waste product, they now get paid by cities by selling them this same toxic waste. It's probably no surprise then that the industries producing fluoride byproducts are some of the biggest proponents (and backers) of water fluoridation.]

[3 In fact, as New Zealand's former chief dental-health officer, Jon Colquhon, a one-time proponent of fluoridation, said, "When any unfluoridated area is compared with a fluoridated area with a similar income level, the percentage of children who are free of dental decay is consistently higher in the unfluoridated area."]

[4 While at the same time, curiously, pushing for a reduction in our daily fluoride intake. Maybe you can explain that to me.]

[5 It's worth noting that the American Dental Association is on the horns of a dilemma. To admit that promoting the use of fluoride was a mistake would open up the floodgates of litigation.]

[6 While at the same time repeatedly publishing articles in their magazine proving the dangers of fluoride. No one ever said this has to make sense.]

Fluoride is a potent toxin[1] that accumulates (about 50% a day for adults and 75% a day for children) in the body. Each exposure stays in your body and adds to the accumulated levels. And that's the key. We are constantly being exposed to high levels of fluoride other than in our water. It is in our toothpaste.[2] It is sprayed on our food.[3] It is present in pharmaceutical drugs ranging from birth control pills to antibiotics. It is in soda pop, which is manufactured from fluoridated water. Once you look at the scope of the problem, you realize that there is no way in the world to determine what your flouride intake is, but it's far higher than is healthy.

  Health problems associated with fluoride include:

>Destruction of the immune system

>Up to a 39% increase in various cancers—with an astounding 80% increase in rectal cancer

>Genetic changes both in sperm and other cells

>Dramatic increase in heart-related deaths

>Brittle bones[4]

>Chronic fatigue

>Gastrointestinal disturbances

[1 Fluoride is used as a pesticide particularly for roaches, ants, and rats.]

[2 Note: fluoride toothpaste can double the level of fluoride in the blood within five minutes of being used—just from the amount absorbed through the cheeks and gums.]

[3 Apples and grapes are particularly high in fluoride for this reason.]

[4 One of the claims for fluoride is that it helps builds bones. That claim is so deliberately misrepresentative of the truth that it borders on the criminal. Yes, while it is true that there are studies that confirm that fluoride builds thicker bones, it is gross misrepresentation to cite those studies without also mentioning that fluoride makes bones more brittle. And, in fact, there are numerous studies that have appeared in the Journal of the American Medical
Association that show a significant increase in hip fractures in areas with fluoridated water. In addition, The New England Journal of Medicine reported that fluoride treatment of osteoporosis patients resulted in higher hip fracture rates.]

>Increase in Infant Mortality

>Skin rashes after bathing

>Miscarriages

>Dizziness

>Vision problems—including blindness

>Not to mention mottled teeth

   Also, it is well established that fluoride is an extremely potent enzyme inhibitor.

  The bottom line is what freakin right does anyone have to force such a potentially toxic substance into your drinking water[1] for no proven benefit.[2]

  Oh yes, I almost forgot, the aluminum/fluoride connection. New research has revealed that fluoride in drinking water makes the aluminum that we ingest more bioavailable. In the presence of fluoride, more aluminum crosses the blood-brain barrier and is deposited in the brain. As was reported in Brain Research, Vol.7 84:98, the combination of aluminum and fluoride causes the
same pathological changes in brain tissue that are found in Alzheimer's patients. Now don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that aluminum/fluoride is the cause of Alzheimer's. That would be premature. All I'm saying is that it might be prudent to limit your exposure until we know more one way or the other. Remember, even O.J. was found innocent in the end.

    Bathing

  As it turns out, it's not enough just to worry about the water you drink. The water you bathe and shower with is equally, if not more, important.

  You absorb more chlorine through your skin in a 15 minute hot shower[3] than you do by drinking 8 glasses of that same water throughout the day. (So much for that nice safe feeling you had drinking only bottled water.)

    Just for fun, stop by your local swimming pool supply store and pick up a chlorine test kit. Fill a glass with some of your local tap water and test it with your kit. The water will change color according to how much chlorine there is in the water. Now fill up another glass with water from the tap. This time, soak your hand in the water for 60 seconds before testing. Notice how the water shows no chlorine. In just 60 seconds you absorbed all of the chlorine in the water into your body through your hand. The absorption factor is that dramatic. (Note: the younger you are, the more absorbent your skin tends to be. And women should take special note; breast tissue is the most absorbent tissue in the body. Soak your breast in the same water, and it will clean out all of the chlorine in just 20 seconds.)

[1 At least with toothpaste, you have a choice to buy a non-fluoride brand]

[2 There are now at least 10 studies that prove as fluoride intake goes up, so does tooth decay!]

[3 Actually, when you shower, you absorb more chlorine through your lungs in the form of vapor (produced by the small droplets of hot water) than you do even through your skin.]

The trick is, if you want to protect your skin (and your body as well), you've got to mount a defense at the surface of the epidermis. Once a substance gets past this tough outer layer of dead skin cells, it generally has a much easier time passing through the living area of the epidermis and then into the body.

     Bioavailability

  Although all water consists of the same basic H20 molecules, water nevertheless varies according to how these molecules bond together to form "water molecule groups." To put it simply,
it is in the size of these groupings that water differs. The smaller the groupings, the more bioavailable the water is—the more easily it is able to pass through cell walls, to circulate through your body as a whole.

   What holds water molecules together in clusters is surface tension. This is what you see when you wash your car and the water beads up in droplets on the hood. When washing your car, you use detergent to break that surface tension—which makes the water wetter and better able to clean. Obviously, you can't use detergent to "improve" the bioavailability of your drinking water.

  But you can use magnetics. Magnetizing your drinking water breaks its surface tension, making it wetter and more useable by your body. In addition, there's a strong secondary benefit. Applying
a magnetic field to water raises its pH. This is of vital importance as we will see in the next chapter.

      General Recommendations

> You need to treat the water that comes into your house to remove the chlorine, fluoride, chemical residues, heavy metals, bacteria, parasites, etc. in your water. And you need to remove all of these toxins not only at the tap where you drink, but also where you bathe and shower. So how do you do it? You really only have 4 choices.

  Get a system for the entire house that treats the water where it enters your house.

  This is obviously the most expensive way to answer the problem, but if you actually get a good system that removes all of the toxins, it's the best way to go.

   There's no question that a good water distiller will provide the "cleanest" water you can get, but you need to be sure it incorporates a charcoal filter, since toxins like chlorine vaporize and recondense along with the water you're trying to clean.

- There's one other question to consider. Distilled water, by definition, has no mineral content. For years there has been much debate as to whether that's good or bad. "Distillerites" claim that demineralized water is more natural—like rain water and glacier water—and that minerals in the water end up in your joints. The argument against distillers is that most animals drink water that has had contact with the ground and acquired a high mineral content. Prime examples are the high mineral water of the Hunzas and the coral calcium water of the islands off of Okinawa—two areas renowned for the age and health of their inhabitants. As for me, I don't think it matters, provided that if you drink distilled water, you make sure that your diet and supplements provide an abundant supply of minerals.[1]
   And as for the question of mineral-laden water leading to joint deposits, studies have proven that the calcium which deposits in joints comes from inside the body—leached from your own
bones because of too much acid in your diet.


[1 Understand, because it is devoid of minerals, distilled water is bioelectrically dead.]

   Reverse osmosis units produce a good quality drinking water. The problem I have with them is that they waste a huge amount of water—many gallons of waste for each gallon of usable water. I'm not really sure that's justifiable nowadays with the looming water shortage we face.

   A good water filter is probably your best bet, but keep in mind that it will cost you more than $29.95 or even $100. To find one that will truly remove ALL of the bad stuff, while leaving in the beneficial minerals, you will need to pay $250-$300.

> Drink 8-12 glasses of pure water a day. (To follow the water-cure-protocol formula, see below) 

> When possible, use glass to hold your water, not plastic. Absolutely avoid drinking water that has a strong plastic smell or taste.

> Apply a magnetic field to your water for at least 20 minutes (depending on how large your bottle is).

> If you're not using a central home purification system, remember to get a good shower filter to remove the chlorine from the water you shower in. Understand that the filter is on the shower, not the bath. The bath water (unless you fill the tub from the shower) will still be toxic.

(To follow Water-Cure protocol formula: Drink at least 10% of your own daily water-quota (31.42 ml multiply by your present body weight(kg), every 90 minutes. Use 1/4 teaspoon of sea-salt in your daily diet, for every 1250 ml water drank.)