Clean Water

Your body is composed of about 75% water and it’s common to mistake the hunger urge for the thirst urge. It amazes me how people don’t drink enough water in general and how many people drink tap water without any filtration. You must filter your water. Tap water is not considered safe and is harmful to your health. Chlorine and fluoride are the two biggest harmful additives in tap water. Research of city water systems have repeatedly shown that pharmaceuticals are present in tap water as well. But don’t think this is just because of people flushing pills down their toilets! Americans ingest a lot of pharmaceutical drugs. The body flushes these out through the urine and feces. These waste products go into the water system and therefore contaminate it. Municipal water treatment facilities do not have any type of filtration for pharmaceutical drugs.

_ Americans make up less than 5% of the world’s population, but take 75% of the world’s prescription drugs. _

The Associated Press (AP) estimates that hospitals and long-term medical care institutions across the United States dump about 250 million pounds of pharmacologically active drugs directly into public sewer systems each year.100 The scale of the problem is so large that the EPA has classified pharmaceutical products as "major pollutants of concern."101 According to a report from CNN in September of 2008, forty-six million people across the United States were found to have trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in their water. The scary part is that the overwhelming majority of communities in the United States have yet to test their water for pharmaceuticals. For example, Chicago,

_ Remnants of everything in your medicine cabinet can now be found in the water supply.

_ Illinois amounts medication and a nicotine derivative in their city water. Many cities have also found carbamazepine, an anti-convulsant . Officials in Colorado Springs, Colorado, say found measurable of a cholesterol they have detected five pharmaceuticals, including a tranquilizer and a hormone in their water supply. While the comprehensive risks are still unclear, researchers are finding evidence that even extremely diluted concentrations of pharmaceutical residues can harm fish, frogs, and other aquatic species in the wild and impair the workings of human cells. Remnants of everything in your medicine cabinet can now be found in the water supply.102

According to the EPA, chlorine is added to the city water supplies in order to protect public drinking water from disease-causing organisms and pathogens. While chlorine does protect us from typhoid, cholera, dysentery, and giardiasis, certain microbial pathogens such as Cryptosporidium, are highly resistant to chlorine. Likewise, chlorine kills good bacteria in the digestive tract and reacts with other naturally occurring materials to form carcinogenic byproducts, such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids.103

“Fluoride causes more human cancer deaths, and causes it faster than any other chemical.”

- Dean Burke, M.D. of the US National Cancer Institute

Fluoride is commonly added to our water supply and unfortunately has nothing to do with treating the water. It’s added essentially as a pharmaceutical drug. While fluoride is a naturally occurring element (calcium fluoride), the fluoride that is added to our water supply is a byproduct of the fertilizer industry. Sodium silicofluroide , hydrofluorosilicic acid, or sodium fluoride, are added to your local city water supply and are classified as hazardous chemicals. Entire countries like Israel and many cities in the United States have stopped adding fluoride to their water supply (Albuquerque, New Mexico; Portland, Oregon; Wichita, Kansas; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Santa Barbara, California to name a few).

_ The effects of fluoride toxicity are not immediate and can take 20 years or more to become evident. _

The idea of adding fluoride to our water system was based on a flawed study done in 1940. It was shown that fluoride, when applied topically to the teeth, was a benefit to people. However, there is a big difference between topically applying fluoride to the teeth and ingesting it systematically over time. Research shows that fluoride is toxic and is a reactive element that damages body tissues, particularly the nervous system, after continuous exposure. Fluoride induces changes in cerebral morphology and biochemistry, which affect the neurological development of individuals as well as their cognitive processes, such as learning and memory. The effects of fluoride toxicity are not immediate and can take 20 years or more to become evident.104

In November of 2006, the American Dental Association (ADA) sent out an email to alert its members of their recommendation to parents to not use fluoridated tap water to make infant formula.105 Like iodine, chlorine and fluoride are halogens. It has been shown that increased exposure to chlorine and fluoride displace the healthy iodine from the body.

If you use city water, the town or city you live in is required by law to publish water reports on what is in the water (both the identity of the contaminants and their amounts). Simply do an online search for your community with the words “water report” with it to find the report. However, I want you to understand that they do not test everything in the water supply. I always recommend individuals test their own water (especially when the person is not convinced that they need to filter their water). Professional water analysis testing companies are able to test for heavy metals, microorganisms, water hardness, iron levels, sediment, radon, and even pesticides in the water.

While municipal water systems are not doing a good job filtering the water, I have to say that water from private wells isn’t much better. Due to environmental pollutants, it’s estimated that only 1% of the world’s water is truly drinkable.106 The concern I have with well water has to do with run-off from residential lawns and farms. The chemicals that are sprayed on the land such as pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides make their way into your well and you consume the tainted water.

Take Away Message

Regardless of whether you are using city water or well water, it is important to filter your water. Not All Water Filters are Created Equal

The popular Brita® water filter that I used in college has been shown to be one of the worst-performing water filters. In tests conducted by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, via ICP-MS instrumentation with parts per billion sensitivity using methodologies based on EPA 200.8, using nitric acid digestion, sample normalization, 4-point external standards calibration and in-run calibration checks. The Natural News Forensic Food Lab is pending ISO 17025 certification.

The Brita® only removed 14% of lead and about 12% of arsenic. At the same time, it actually increased the amount of aluminum in the water by almost 34%. Here are the actual results from the testing107:

Brita® Water Filter: Aluminum: increase of 33.9% Copper reduction: 8.6%

Arsenic reduction: 12.1% Strontium reduction: 3.6%

Cadmium reduction: 6.6% Cesium reduction: 9.5%

Mercury reduction: 74.6% Lead reduction: 14.1%

Uranium reduction: 10.0%

ZeroWater® Filter: Aluminum reduction: 100% Copper reduction: 99.1%

Arsenic reduction: 99.3% Strontium reduction: 100% Cadmium reduction: 99.2%

Cesium reduction: 100% Mercury reduction: 99.4% Lead reduction: 99.2%

Uranium reduction: 99.1%

You can see a big difference between Brita® and ZeroWater® gravity filters. Generally speaking for those that live in a house I recommend investing in a point of service unit that is hooked up directly to your sink at minimum.

My preference is to consider a whole house water filtration system that filters not only chlorine, but also fluoride (if present in your water), along with a point of service unit at your kitchen sink. Most water used in your house is NOT for drinking! It’s used for showering, bathing, washing dishes (dishwasher), and washing clothes.

Every minute you spend in the shower is equivalent to drinking one 8 ounce glass of tap water in regards to the amount of chlorine you are absorbing through your skin. This means that a 10 minute shower is equal to drinking 10 glasses of tap water if it’s not filtered. And that doesn’t even include the stream of chemicals you’re breathing into your lungs and directly into your bloodstream! Any filtration is good, but it’s important to note that only whole house water filtration systems remove the fluoride from your water.

_ According to the EPA, the air inside your home is 2 to 5 times more toxic

than the air outside. _

Dishwashers are also a concern because the chlorine and fluoride in tap water react with the chemicals in traditional dishwashing detergent. These chemicals convert into trihalomethane gas at a rate of one liter per minute and can permeate your home. It’s no surprise that the EPA has found the air in an average home is 2-5 times more toxic than the outdoor air and sometimes even 100 times more!108 Beyond filtration and purity of water, there are 3 essential aspects to water you must understand.

Three Essentials of Water

ORP (Anti-oxidation)

ORP stands for “oxidative reduction potential” and a negative ORP number shows that the element being analyzed is an anti-oxidant. A positive ORP number means that it causes oxidation. Oxidation is bad and damages organs, cells, and tissues. For example, oxidation occurs when a nail rusts or when an apple turns brown once it has been cut open.

pH (Alkalization)

Alkalinity and acidity refers to the pH of a substance (such as water). An acidic body allows for viruses, bacteria, inflammation, and other harmful things to thrive! An alkaline body does not allow for viruses and bacteria to thrive and drives down inflammation!

Size (Clustering of Water)

Water molecules cluster together (small clusters absorb into your body easier).

So the question is, how much water should you drink? I suggest that you drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day plus an extra 5 ounces for every 15 minutes of strenuous exercise.

Signs of Dehydration

To test for dehydration in children, have them hold their arms straight out in front of them with the back of the hands together (palms out). If they cannot do this, it’s an indicator of dehydration. A simple test for adults is to pinch the skin on the back of your hand, hold for 2 seconds and release. If the skin does not snap back this can indicate dehydration. Please note that older individuals tend to have less elasticity and therefore their skin will not bounce back the way a younger person’s skin will. Technically, the pinch test is looking at skin turgor, which is the skin’s ability to resist change and use elasticity to return to normal. Dehydration reduces elasticity of the skin.

The easiest test is to look at the color of your urine when you go to the bathroom. Dark yellow urine indicates dehydration. The goal is to have clearer urine every time you use the bathroom through the day. Please note that certain supplements will darken your urine (yellow), like certain B Vitamins.

The most accurate clinical dehydration tool that is available today is a Bio-electrical Impedance Analysis machine. This machine tests body composition and specifically looks at metabolic tissues, intracellular water, extracellular water, bone tissue, and fat. From this, total body water, body cell mass, extracellular mass, fat-free mass, and fat mass can be determined. When looking at intracellular water as representing nutrient status, more is better. Likewise, a lower level of extracellular water, which represents toxin status, is ideal.

A three year study on aging at Tufts University determined that body composition (muscle mass) is the most important factor in determining how healthy we will be in our later years.109 A professional model from Tanita® is recommended for this testing. Doing a Tanita® scan is quick, painless, and non-invasive. I recommend going to the bathroom before running this test. Simply take your socks and shoes off and stand on the machine. Within 10 seconds you receive a report with all the information you need.

On the report will be a listing labeled TBW (total body water). Take the TBW and divide it by your total body weight and then multiply that number by 100 in order to find the hydration percentage of your body.

/_ X 100 = TBW Weight Estimated Hydration Level %

Note: Individuals who are severely dehydrated may receive an inaccurate measurement. Tanita’s® Tanita’s® 50-65% for males. I have found this range to be too low. Hydration numbers I look for are 55-60% for females and 60-65% for males.

Recommended Hydration Range (based on current research) is 45-60% for females and Another important measurement from a body composition reading is the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). The BMR reflects the amount of calories used by the body to maintain normal functions when at rest. Daily activities and exercise increase BMR by approximately 15%. BMR helps you establish how many calories your body needs to achieve proper energy balance every day. Knowing this number will help you put together a nutritional plan that will be optimal for you.