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During nearly 19 years of clinical
practice I have had the opportunity to observe the health effects of drinking
different types of water. Most of you would agree that drinking unfiltered tap
water could be hazardous to your health because of things like parasites,
chlorine, fluoride and dioxins. Many health fanatics, however, are often
surprised to hear me say that drinking purified water on a regular, daily basis
is potentially dangerous. Paavo Airola wrote about the dangers of purified
water in the 1970's when it first became a fad with the health food crowd.
Distillation is the process in
which water is boiled, evaporated and the vapor condensed. Purified or reverse
osmosis water is free of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the
special property of being able to actively absorb toxic substances from the
body and eliminate them. Studies validate the benefits of drinking purified
water when one is seeking to cleanse or detoxify the system for short periods
of time (a few weeks at a time). Fasting using purified water can be dangerous
because of the rapid loss of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) and
trace minerals like magnesium, deficiencies of which can cause heart beat
irregularities and high blood pressure. Cooking foods in purified water pulls
the minerals out of them and lowers their nutrient value.
Purified water is an active
absorber and when it comes into contact with air, it absorbs carbon dioxide,
making it acidic. The more purified water a person drinks, the higher the body
acidity becomes. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
"Purified" water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive,
in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact. Notably,
carbon dioxide from the air is rapidly absorbed, making the water acidic and
even more aggressive. Many metals are dissolved by purified water.
The most toxic commercial
beverages that people consume (i.e. cola beverages and other soft drinks) are
made from purified water. Studies have consistently shown that heavy consumers
of soft drinks (with or without sugar) spill huge amounts of calcium, magnesium
and other trace minerals into the urine. The more mineral loss, the greater the
risk for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, coronary artery disease,
high blood pressure and a long list of degenerative diseases generally
associated with premature aging.
A growing number of health
care practitioners and scientists from around the world have been advocating
the theory that aging and disease is the direct result of the accumulation of
acid waste products in the body. There is a great deal of scientific
documentation that supports such a theory. A poor diet may be partially to
blame for the waste accumulation. Meats, sugar, white flour products, fried
foods, soft drinks, processed foods, alcohol, dairy products and other junk
foods cause the body to become more acidic. Stress, whether mental or physical
can lead to acid deposits in the body.
There is a correlation between
the consumption of soft water (purified water is extremely soft) and the
incidence of cardiovascular disease. Cells, tissues and organs do not like to
be dipped in acid and will do anything to buffer this acidity including the
removal of minerals from the skeleton and the manufacture of bicarbonate in the
blood. The longer one drinks purified water, the more likely the development of
mineral deficiencies and an acid state. I have done well over 3000 mineral
evaluations using a combination of blood, urine and hair tests in my practice.
Almost without exception, people who consume purified water exclusively,
eventually develop multiple mineral deficiencies. Those who supplement their
purified water intake with trace minerals are not as deficient but still not as
adequately nourished in minerals as their non-purified water drinking
counterparts even after several years of mineral supplementation.
The ideal water for the human
body should be slightly alkaline and this requires the presence of minerals
like calcium and magnesium. Purified water tends to be acidic and can only be
recommended as a way of drawing poisons out of the body. Once this is
accomplished, the continued drinking of purified water is a bad idea.
Water filtered through a solid
charcoal filter is slightly alkaline. Ozonation of this charcoal filtered water
is ideal for daily drinking. Longevity is associated with the regular
consumption of hard water (high in minerals). Ionized Water is the best
possible drinking water. Disease and early death is more likely to be seen with
the long term drinking of purified water. Avoid it except in special
circumstances.
REFERENCES
Airola, P.
1974. How To Get Well. Phoenix, AZ: Health Plus Publishers.
Baroody,
Dr. Theodore A. Jr. Alkalinize or Die. California:Portal Books, 1995.
Haas,
Elson M. Staying Healthy with Nutrition. The Complete Guide to Diet &
Nutritional Medicine. Berkeley, California:Celestial Arts, 1992; p. 22.
Rona,
Zoltan P. and Martin, Jeanne Marie. Return to the Joy of Health, Vancouver:
Alive Books, 1995.
Rona,
Zoltan P. Childhood Illness and The Allergy Connection. Rocklin,
California:Prima Books, 1996.
Dr.
Zoltan P. Rona is a graduate of McGill University Medical School (1977) and has
a Master's Degree in Biochemistry and Clinical Nutrition from the University of
Bridgeport in Connecticut (1985). He is the author of the Canadian bestsellers,
"The Joy of Health" and "Return to the Joy of Health". He
is a past president of the Canadian Holistic Medical Association and is a
consultant on nutritional medicine to the Motherisk Program of the Department
of Pharmacology of the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children.
Born
22/2/51 in Budapest, Hungary; raised in Montreal, Quebec. Canadian citizen.
This web site is not intended as
medical advice. Rather they are meant to demonstrate that aging can be slowed
and even reversed and that Great Health achieved when the most fundamental
nutritional needs of the human body are met. Always consult a medical doctor or
other medical professional when you consider it necessary.