The world is made up of 70% water. That water is scattered across oceans, glaciers, rivers, lakes and in the ground. It evaporates into the air, condenses into pretty clouds, then precipitation occurs in the form of rain, snow and hail, falling back onto the earth to cycle again and again. It’s pretty fascinating, don’t you think?
What’s also intriguing is what we’ve done with Earth’s water supply. There have been so many ways we’ve gathered, consumed, used and transformed water.
From sustainable water recollection systems to harnessing energy from falling water or even something as simple as “bottling” water for human consumption, we’ve managed to come up with a multitude of uses from this precious resource.
Alkaline water has the spotlight today. As some of you know, drinking alkaline water (or ionized water), has been regarded highly among the health-conscious community. Though the benefits of drinking this particular water seem promising, is it truly healthy or just a hoax?
First, let’s tap into what alkaline water actually is.
Alkaline Water
There are several types of water suitable for humans to drink including: tap water, bottled water, spring water, reverse osmosis water, distilled water and alkaline water.
Alkaline water is water with a pH level that is greater than 7. This water is usually produced by a water ionizer, which is a filtering machine that “splits” apart water molecules with electricity, resulting in artificial alkalized water. Kangen and Jupiter are two of the most popular water ionizers on the market.
Of course there are natural ways to create alkaline water, like using pH drops, which are liquid alkaline minerals, such as Dr. Young's PuripHy Drops. You may also use a few drops of fresh lemon or lime juice! These fruits are acidic in their natural state, but alkaline-forming in the body. So, the juice itself doesn’t actually change the pH of the water, but has an alkalizing effect on the body, basically delivering the same benefits.
So ionized water describes water that is made alkaline with an ionizer, whereas alkaline water exists naturally and can be created through other means apart from an ionizer.
Benefits of Drinking Alkaline Water
People have claimed that drinking alkaline water on a regular basis helps to:
- Detoxify and wash away acid waste from the body
- Hydrate your body more efficiently
- Oxygenate and neutralize free radicals
- Alkalize your body’s pH level
- Strengthen the immune system
Hundreds of hospitals all over Japan have been using Kangen water ionizers for decades. These devices have been shown to improve the health of these patients going through intense therapies. Several studies have been done on the positive effects of drinking alkaline water longterm.
Is Ionized Water a Hoax?
With these fancy ionizing machines being all the hype these days, is this expensive water as healthy as it claims to be?
There are some controversies associated with drinking alkaline water. Most of these don’t have extensive research behind them, but have been suggested by chemists and other scientists in the field:
- Drinking alkaline water long term will raise the alkalinity of your stomach (which by nature is highly acidic). This can weaken your ability to digest food properly, resulting in stomach ulcers.
- Alkaline water is antibacterial, potentially compromising the beneficial bacteria in your gut overtime.
- Alkaline water ionizers require high mineral content in the source water supply being filtered in order to create a substantial alkalinity of water.
- The benefit of alkaline water is source-dependent: Drinking alkaline water without minerals does not alkalize your blood stream, therefore this water does not contribute to balancing your body’s pH. For the ionized water to be effective, acid-neutralizing minerals are required to create an acid-alkaline balance within the body (ie, water from a spring versus municipal water, which has low mineral content)
- There are some alkaline ionizing machines that do not have adequate filtration systems, resulting in contaminated water.
- Ionizer machines are very expensive!
What it all boils down to is one’s experience with drinking alkaline water. For some, it’s done wonders, while others may not experience a difference at all, or even have had ill-effects from consuming alkaline water long term. Is it possible that drinking this “miraculous” healing water is just placebo? Tell us your story!
Has alkaline water contributed positively to your health? What is your experience drinking this water?
By: Abby Stoecker
Sources:
http://bodyecology.com/articles/best_water_to_drink.php#.VD1W80vpgds
http://www.drlwilson.com/articles/water.htm
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/09/11/alkaline-water-interview.aspx
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22844861
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18175936
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19003049
http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/09/25/alkaline-water-not-fountain-youth
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/watercontroversies1
Is there proof or scientific evidence of alkaline water benefits?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19202298
http://www.aqualiv.com/education/65-alkaline-water-report
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19202298
http://www.ionza.co.nz/content/Intestinal-fermentation-Alkaline_Water.pdf
http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html
Abby Stoecker is a Licensed Esthetician with 9 years of experience in the beauty industry. Her journey has led her to experience first hand the entire cycle of the esthetics industry—first working as a practitioner, then as an Account Manager/ Brand Evangelist at a skin care product company (ASC), and previously as an Educator at Cinta Aveda Institute where she originally studied for her Esthetics License almost 10 years ago. Currently, she is freelancing with start up skin care brands in the green beauty space. Her objective is simple—spread awareness, educate and make people feel their best when it comes to the decisions they make for their wellness and beauty. Abby finds immense joy in navigating clients through the world of skin, helping each person craft their own at-home rituals to achieve balance, inside and out. You can find her on most mornings with a face mask on, coffee in hand, listening to “The Daily” podcast.
Share
what’s your skin score?
Take the Quiz
Our skin is affected by many factors, including our environment, health, the food we eat, and more. Get your free personalized results and find out your skin score!
3 Healthier Halloween Recipes: Treats You and Your Body Will Love
Yes, it’s an expensive hoax. Healthy guru’s like Dr. Andrew Weil have gone on record explaining why. Even those alkaline units with a filter do a VERY inadequate job of cleaning the water; your body deserves purity; do yourself a favor and make the investment in a home steam distiller. Your body, health, skin, digestive system, all the down to the cellular level, will respond positively to pure, healthy steam distilled water. Why risk even one sip of contamination? Water carries everything it’s come in contact with; pure steam distilled water is a natural carrier of nutrition to every cell, then acts as the most effective detoxifier by cleanses each cell of its waste products. Pure water is the key to optimal health! Call me, Frankie, for more info @ 866-333-6702
PS. LOVE my AnnMarie Skin Care products 🙂
This is a lot of regurgitated and somewhat antiquated information. The benefits of alkaline water seem to have very little to do with “alkaline” and much more to do with the role of Hydrogen in the body and how water delivers it. Cellular hydration and the body’s improved waste processes are also critical.
It’s beginning to look like the benefits that have been marketed all along are legit, but the reason for them is what has been wrong all along. Which is probably why there has always been such a push-back from the natural/alternative community. What was marketed/sold didn’t make sense…and for good reason. The causes are now finally starting to catch up to the effects.
Oh…and prices have really fallen. You can easily find good systems for a family under $300, and for 1-2 people/portable under $100.