All The Drinking Water On The Planet

Figuring out what type of water you should be drinking can be more than confusing, it can be a year-long research project. The first thing is to realize why the quality of our drinking water is so important.

Do you know how many things can be found in your water: environmental pollutants, bacteria and viruses, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, synthetic chemicals, even human waste material as Federal guidelines permit up to 25% raw sewage can be added to water destined for your tap prior to treatment. You may even think that because you drink well water, you are safe from many of these things. But the truth is that even well water is contaminated from runoff, acid rain, pesticides and pollutants in our soil.

Or you may think that tap water is safe and healthy. By law, there is a certain percentage of reclaimed water (treated sewage water) that can be included in your municipal drinking water and a certain level of contaminants that are considered safe for human consumption. But even the healthiest of individuals can have reactions to and illnesses that stem from contaminated water. And if an individual is elderly or has a weakened immune system, the effect may be much worse. And we're not talking about Mexico...

Pollution The truth is that there are many contaminants in our sewage that no municipality is prepared to test for, nor to remove, such as nitrates, pharmaceutical remnants or viral pathogens. By law and policy, health care workers are instructed to dispose of unneeded prescription medication by flushing them down household toilets. This may explain why many individuals are developing side effects from medications that they don't even know they are taking.

But it's not just what is in your water, it's also the level of health that your water can provide. All water is not alike in the way it affects our body tissues. Two important considerations of the effects of water on living tissue is pH and ORP. pH was a concept developed in 1909 and is thought to stand for "the power or potential of hydrogen". It is a measurement of the activity of the hydrogen ions concentrated in any solution. The activity of these ions can create an acidic or an alkaline solution measured on a scale of 0-14 with 7-14 being alkaline while 0-7 being acidic.

Anatomy In the human body we have many different pH levels in different areas. For instance our stomach can be 1.0-3.5 while our blood is 7.3-7.45 and our lymphatic fluid is 6.3-7.5. We have built-in buffering systems within our body to help maintain these pH levels, but if these systems are compromised or overloaded, then we are at the mercy of the pH inherent in what we are taking in. The majority of this damage can occur because of the oxidizing effect of the foods and beverages that we ingest. This is where ORP comes in. ORP stands for Oxidation - Reduction Potential which is the potential of a substance to reduce oxidation. Oxidation is similar to rust, it is the breakdown of any substance when exposed to oxygen. A certain amount of oxidation is necessary to life, but too much and the living structure being oxidized loses its integrity and its ability to properly function. This is what we mean by free radicals, the ions that cause oxidation.

So if we are consistently eating and drinking substances that have a high ORP (increase oxidation) we are damaging our living tissues with every bite. The higher the ORP, the more oxidative damage that will occur. Food, especially can have a very acidic effect as well as increase oxidation. One way to help strengthen our buffering systems and to prevent oxidation is by increasing our antioxidants and reducing acidic substances. But don't think that means you have to become a vegetarian tomorrow. First begin with what you're drinking...

pH Scale Let's look at the pH and the ORP of some of your favorite beverages:

Coke has a pH of 2.8 making it one of the most acidic of beverages, just slightly less acidic than sulphuric acid. Its ORP is also +410 making it very damaging to cells.
Pepsi is just a bit better in the pH at 3.2, but its ORP is worse at +450.
Propel Fitness Water is a step up from that at 3.6, but is still very acidic, and when it is marketed to athletic individuals it can wreak havoc with tissues, since muscle strengthening and conditioning alone create large amounts of metabolic acids such as lactic and pyruvic acid. Its ORP is better at +280 which explains why it tends to make people feel more energetic.
Red Bull is also very acidic at 3.2 pH, but it's the ORP that kills at +462.
Gatorade is a 3.5 pH and its ORP is +325 which is due to the high level of sodium it contains.
Reverse Osmosis water may have a much more acceptable pH of 6.5 (making it still on the acidic side of the scale), but its ORP is the highest of almost any beverage at +586.
Aquafina water may have a pH of 5.2 making it better than some, but its ORP is an astounding +542.
Wine has quite an acidic pH of 4.05, but its ORP is lower at +232 which is explained in many clinical studies of the antioxidant effect of grapes and red wine.
Starbucks coffee actually appears to be one of the best choices at a pH of 5.5 and an ORP of +175, but don't forget the effects of the caffeine. Decaffeinated coffee will have a much lower pH, making it not the healthy choice you may have thought.
Tap water comes in at a pH of 7.2 and has an average ORP of +370, but both of those amounts tend to be chemically produced by additives and purification processes that municipalities utilize.

So let's talk about our current options for drinking water:

Artesian water/artesian well water is water from a well whose source is a layer of rock or sand that contains water and is confined to a particular area. Well water can contain more minerals than most waters, and used to be quite healthy. Now, with acid rain, pesticides, toxic run-off and leaking municipal pipes, nothing may be safe.

Distilled water are waters that are mineral-free, so they may be perfect for your appliances, but not so great for long-term drinking. Distilled water may provide lubrication in the human digestive tract, but cannot be absorbed into body tissues without the chemical reactions essential via the minerals found in water naturally. In many countries, distilled water is considered dead water.

Filtered water means that the water has been filtered in any one of a number of ways, such as Carbon Block, Ultraviolet Light, KDF, or ozonated. All drinking water should be filtered, but the quality of the filtration is dependent on the filter technology used. Now with pharmaceuticals, toxins and new strains of virus and bacteria, constant research into improving filtration is essential.

Flavored waters will contain added sugar or artificial sweeteners making them more of a food than a water. Often the added sugar may be in the form of high fructose corn syrup which can create added health concerns. And ingesting large quantities of sugar in your drinking water can really increase insulin resistance, weight gain and fatigue.

Ionized water is where water is passed over electrified metal plates, generally of titanium or platinum which ionizes the hydrogen ions in the water creating higher alkalinity and a stronger antioxidant action. It does not add anything to the water, nor filter the water unless there is a filter attachment. Kangen Water is a type of ionized water.

Mineral water is distinguished from other types of bottled water by its fairly consistent proportions of mineral and trace elements. The problem is that many "mineral waters" are actually tap water that has been filtered, so you don't know what you're truly drinking. Also most mineral waters are bottled in plastic which creates numerous negative effects in the water.

Ozonated water is where ozone gas is passed through the water providing a strong antibacterial action and is favored by many public water facilities. However it can create by-products such as formaldehyde and ketones.

Reverse Osmosis water is a two step process that forces pressurized water first through a series of filters and then through a smaller membrane to remove smaller particulants. It is a very effective filter method, but the process can actually increase the ORP dramatically making it less effective than any other water at preventing oxidation of body tissues.

Sparkling water or Carbonated water has added carbon dioxide to give it the bubbles and many may even have added sugar or buffering agents. They can often create digestive gas and bloating, especially if they contain large amounts of sodium.

Spring water by definition must be obtained from an underground natural spring which comes from the earth. This is very similar to well water and suffers from the same issues with toxic run-off, pesticides and other waste materials.

Tap water is simply the treated water that municipalities provide to their districts. The FDA mandates the quality of municipal water, and many municipalities have to add numerous chemicals to their water in order to meet those standards. So you could be drinking many chemicals you aren't even aware of.

Vitamin water is a marketing ploy for water that contains any number of added synthetic vitamins most of which are not absorbable without stimulating the digestive process, which water does not do.