Monday, June 25, 2007

The benefits of drinking alkaline water

According to health and longevity enthusiasts like MIT's Ray Kurzweil and Dr. Terry Grossman (whose incredibly informative book Fantastic Voyage I am reading now), the blood's pH level is very tightly controlled to fall somewhere between 7.35 to 7.45. To maintain this pH level, the body neutralizes acidic drinks like softdrinks with alkaline blood buffers.

The problem is that when we keep on ingesting acidic foods and drinks, we use up our body's limited supply of alkaline buffers and thus they become unavailable to neutralize the other acidic waste products continually produced by our bodies, including organic byproducts of digestion such as acetic acid, lactic acid, carbonic acid, and uric acid. When we don't have enough alkaline buffers to neutralize these acidic waste products, our bodies sustain health damage and become ideal for the development of cancer cells.

Because of this need to preserve the alkalinity in the blood, Kurzweil and Grossman specifically recommend to drink only alkaline water (of pH up to 9.5 and 10).

The above recommendation by Kurzweil and Grossman is the most controversial. Some say that this quack science is one proof that even a most brilliant scientist like Kurzweil could be so thoroughly misled. Water, these critics say, is basically electrically neutral.

Kurzweil and Grossman insist that that while water is indeed neutral, the location of the electrons make a huge difference. The side of the molecule with the hydrogen atoms is slightly positive in electrical charge, whereas the oxygen side is slightly negative. Because of these slight charges, water molecules combine to assume hexagonal or pentagonal shapes and these three-dimensional electrical properties of water are quite powerful in breaking apart strong chemical bonds of other compounds.

So should we all begin drinking alkaline water? Well, I don't know enough chemistry to independently evaluate both sides of the debate. However, when I telephoned one water supplier (Aqua Health) I learned that five gallons of alkaline water (pH 7.5) cost just about the same as the regular distilled water we were regularly ordering(Pesos 40-50).

Kurzweil and Grossman may be grossly wrong, but what if they're right? Therefore, for the same price as our old water supply, I began ordering alkaline water. I figured out I got nothing to lose, and a whole long life to gain.

19 comments:

Bonn Juego said...

Plano ko rin ito. Go alkaline tayo! ;)

Resty Odon said...

I tried alkaline water. i felt weird after. i stopped it immediately. i trust in my own body's mechanism to balance the good chi and the bad chi, the yin and the yang

Ronnel Lim said...

We've been drinking alkaline water at home for a week now and so far have had no problem at all.

I remember reading that Sassy Lawyer also had problem with alkaline water. Perhaps one reason could be that they were drinking water of such high alkalinity to which their bodies was unaccustomed; thus the adverse reaction.

The book recommends to gradually build up the alkalinity of the water you're drinking. I believe we are currently drinking pH 7.5, just a little alkaline. Aqua health said they can adjust the alkalinity if you want it higher but it's going to be more expensive.

Athena said...

Now I'm totally convinced. Hehe. The most times we were out you've been telling us about it. :-)

Ronnel Lim said...

The claims in favor of alkaline water may actually be hokum, but if you can get alkaline water for the same price as your regular distilled water why not try it? Chemists say it's just water, no different than your regular water.

Most don't recommend it because they say you might be paying more for the same distilled water. But if you can find alkaline water for the same price as distilled water, why not shift then?

Anonymous said...

im selling alkaline water maker? cnu po may gusto contakin nyo lang me. you can visit this site too para malaman nyo kung anung klase yun offer ko. www.hominsn.com.. its a tumbler with minerals that converts your regular water into alkaline. heres my number. 09062877060. yu may email me also at cheerpingcardinal_rhon2x@yahoo.com. live healthy ^_^

Anonymous said...

additional: you can also make it your business ^_^

Anonymous said...

I tried PI water before which they tagged as "living water." It also went thru the process of being alkalinized, magnetized, ionized, and energized. Sounded like toning water from Ernie Baron's pyramid.

It's 5 x more expensive. It never really had an effect on me though the water tasted good than distilled or purified water you get from water stations. Then my dad, a chemist, told me that it's all a hoax.

So I googled it up a bit and found a much thorough explanation that these claims don't hold any scientific basis... here's the website > http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html

Anonymous said...

maybe you're drinking sodas.. soda will void the effect of alkaline water in your body. 5 galons of alkaline water will only cost you 60 pesos. ^_^

Anonymous said...

tell your dad to stop being a chemist coz he doesn't know what is the most beautiful form of water. i guess he doesn't know that distilled and purified water are acid water. try searching the net for benefits of alkaline water rather than being a critic. besides its only water. peace out.

Anonymous said...

if I'm living in the Quezon City, Philippine were can I buy that product of your? do you have a company here in the Philippines were I can go and buy your product?

Anonymous said...

if I'm living in the Quezon City, Philippine were can I buy that product of your? do you have a company here in the Philippines were I can go and buy your product?

Anonymous said...

just contact me and ill juz deliver the product to you. also check imuswellnesscenter2.multiply.com for additional information. my number is 09062877060. say no to soda ^_^

Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vL39i1W2zI
check this url to see the video of portable alkaline water maker ^_^

Anonymous said...

the chem 1 "scientist" refused to actually try the water from a water ionizer, which I call contempt before investigation. a mind works best when it is open.


It has been shown that for every alternative (non-drug) health solution there is counter argument or a “debunker”. There are “pros and cons” on the internet for everything from supplementation to crystals to chiropractic care and other “natural therapies”. Water ionizers are no exception; there are many sites that praise the benefits and sites that say it is “snake oil on tap”.

The primary debunking site for alkaline water and ionizers is http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html This site has been on the web for at least three years. It was written by a man named Steven Lower who is a retired chemistry professor from Simon Fraser University in BC. It employs what looks to be at first glance a very compelling and scientific-looking argument to “debunk” our product, the technology and the benefits. He has some very basic flaws in his argument. First and foremost, he claims to be a scientist and protector of the scientific method, but by his own admission has never seen or tested an ionizer. Scientists are objective and interested in validating outcomes rather than taking positions. He has taken a position; and done so without testing anything. So, his argument is purely theoretical. If he tested a unit and the water it produced he would immediately see repeatable and verifiable results. Bottom line is that the alteration in the water is measurable (using scientifically accepted methods) and he would find that to be true - if he bothered to test our equipment.

Further he prostitutes sound science in an egregious attempt to prove something that is not related to our technology. Because he has not investigated our technology, he is not aware that there is a membrane in the water cell in the ionizer.

I have actually spoken to the Mr. Lower and we had a most unsatisfactory and short conversation. It was during this conversation that he admitted that he had never seen or tested ionized water and never seen an ionizer. He got very gruff when I suggested he test his hypothesis in a truly scientific manner by actually performing some experiments using one of our units to see that we are able to alter the pH and ORP. IonLife and a few other importers have all offered to provide him an ionizer FOR FREE. To date he has refused to experiment with one. Not really very scientific.

We have had the opportunity to work on the Tennant Company’s “ech2o Project” (www.tennantco.com - “ech2o” is featured right on the home page. The Tennant Co. in conjunction with one of the top scientific consulting firms in the world compiled the first substantial body of western scientific research on our technology and the water it produces. Their work has already been peer reviewed by Cambridge University and will enter the public domain shortly now that the “ech2o product has actually launched. One of the lead scientists on the “ech2o” project is a well published chemistry PhD with a specialty in water. When I asked him about the snake oil site he told me: “It is obvious the guy doesn’t understand your technology – he doesn’t know there is a membrane inside the water cell. If he researched your technology he would know that - and he would have to change his argument. He is also not a scientist in the true sense, because scientists are objective, not emotional. He clearly has some sort of axe to grind.”

Not only does he not understand our technology, his arguments are flawed in some very basic ways. One glaring example is that he states “you can not perform electrolysis on pure water”. We do not say we can. There is nothing in the water to create a pathway for electrolysis in pure water. He says ordinary tap water does not have conductivity to be receptive to electrolysis. Again I would invite him to test our unit on his tap water! His other primary argument is based on “stomach acid”. See: http://ionizers.org/alkalife3.html Once you look past the his formulae and bluster you can begin to see his site only looks convincing and in reality is only peppered with accurate science where convenient – other than that it is mostly a bunch of drivel.

There are plenty of rebuttals of our good friend the chemistry professor turned snake-oil-debunker such as:
http://www.detoxifynow.com/snake_oil.html or http://www.watershed.net/debunker_rebuttal.htm

Or, sites that expose the debunkers in general (a few years ago the chiropractic industry won a huge judgment against its primary debunker):
http://www.quackpotwatch.org/ or http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/history/quackery.htm

Another “debunker” site is: http://www.wellness.com.au/Home/Comparisons/AlkalineIonisers/tabid/37/Default.aspx These guys are direct competitors who sell a system that – guess what – alters the water. It is primarily an expensive filter that includes some “functional” media. The functional media is there to “alter” the water! If you go to this page on their site: http://www.wellnessfilter.com/About/Enhancement.asp - you can see they claim all the same benefits that we do. The forwarded link is from their Australian distributor (see .au) and is an aggressive and slanderous attempt to sell an outdated form of ionization. This is being addressed in court I believe. “Wellness” technology is really passé in Asia as ionization technology has passed it up.

A lot of people also read the references to ionization on Wikipedia which is more of a blog than an actual objective scientific site. Reference Wikipedia’s own explanation of itself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Introduction From that page: “Wikipedia is an encyclopedia collaboratively written by many of its readers. It is a special type of website, called a “wiki”, which makes collaboration easy. Many people are constantly improving Wikipedia, making thousands of changes an hour, all of which are recorded on article histories and recent changes. Inappropriate changes are usually removed quickly, and repeat offenders can be blocked from editing. If you add new material to Wikipedia, please provide references. Facts that are unreferenced are routinely removed from the encyclopedia.”

We have watched the shifting sands of Wikipedia change considerably. When the entry first appeared it was written exclusively by Steve Lower – the guy behind the “snake oil” web page. The page used to say (based on Lower’s input) that you can not even ionize water. Now they say you can. As we beef up the science in the western world (much exists in Asia) it will change many more times I am quite sure.

We could go on and on – but it would be more productive to turn our energy to the people who are interested in trying our wonderful technology.
To succinctly sum up my own take on the debunkers:
A lot of people thought the world was flat (I am reasonably sure the snake oil man would have been vocally against the concept of a round earth).
Their uninformed belief did not make the effect different when Columbus sailed off the edge of the horizon.
Similarly, the skeptics and their uninformed beliefs will not change the effects the water produces once consumed.
So keep the faith and stay the course!

Hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

there may be lots of rebuttals and the like against the technology. so what if you can separate the acidic from the alkaline component, but can you provide the biochemical processes that ensures your alkaline water can really alter the greatest factory in existence: our bodies?

let's take a trip down memory lane. elementary pa lang tayo, tinuruan na tayo ng digestive process. take note that our stomachs are acidic for a reason: to kill ingested bacteria and to activate enzymes needed for digestion of proteins. the pH gradually becomes alkaline as food is being digested in the small intestine (pancreatic juices, etc are being secreted to further break down food) and eventually absorbed in our bodies.

where does ingesting alkaline water come in? doesn't it affect the stomach's acidity and cause problems in doing so? isn't this just a marketing hoax (AGAIN) to make a run for people's money?

my two cents

Aquahealth said...

Very interesting discussion. I agree with Gavin. For every scientific finding, you will find a debunker.

However, I did read up on Alkaline water and how it interacts with the body. It had sound logical backing.

I also drink the stuff and I like it. We also had our water tested and it has an 8.85 PH (Alkaline). We also passed the lab tests so I know the filtration works. Without going high tech, to me that's good enough reason to drink it.

Although we can go a little high-tech if you want.

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

It was what I was seeking! Thanks!