You are what you eat, but you are also what you drink. Holistic and natural approach to having a quality of life.
Your body is around 60% water. Water is essential for keeping the natural physiological processes in the body functioning correctly. This includes proper cellular function along with removing toxins and metabolic waste from the body. The quote is “you are what you eat,” but you are also what you drink, and the quality of the water you drink will have a significant impact on your health. Substances like fluoride, heavy metals, pesticides, trace pharmaceutical drugs, and many others in the water will impact your health. And going back if you are 60% water, then it would be safe to say you could potentially accumulate the most toxins in this area of your body.
Some of the health issues that have been linked to poor drinking water are thyroid dysfunctions, headaches, sterility, increased risks for cancers, and many other health problems. I am going to recommend to you as I do with all my patients to research some of the things in your water that impact your health.
A lot of my patients who have changed their drinking water have said they have noticed improvements in their life. They have experienced greater mental clarity and less frequent headaches. Their energy levels have increased.
If there is one thing, I tell my patients if nothing else the best benefit of reverse osmosis is the removal of fluoride from their drinking water. Charcoal filters, bottled filters, and most other types of filters except reverse osmosis cannot remove fluoride. Fluoride is not healthy for consumption in pretty much any quantity and is one of the most toxic substances you drink daily. If you do not believe me next time, pick up your toothpaste look at the back. The toothpaste label will instruct you to contact poison control if you consume too much of the toothpaste. But fluoride is in your drinking water daily, and you have no clue how much you drink. A concept I instruct my patients is that just because you do not feel the effects immediately after consuming a toxin does not mean that there is a lack of health detriments. Your body will have health issues being exposed to a toxin daily over months and years of.
Some of the questions I get from my patients are as follows:
Question: I already have a charcoal filter doesn’t that already filter out everything?
Answer: No. Ideal drinking water is between 0-50 parts per millions of solutes (PPM) in the water. Most drinking water from your faucet can range from 200 parts per million to even as high as 500 parts per million of solutes. I recommend my patients to buy a water quality tester to measure the parts per million in the water and a pH meter to test the acidity of the water. I have not had a patient report to me yet that their charcoal filter has ever gone below 150 parts per million and a lot of them barely see much of a drop in the part per million using other types of filters. The difference with reverse osmosis systems is that they can get to the 0-50 parts per million. The other issue can also rise with reverse osmosis is reaching the parts per million too low as well. If the parts per million of drinking water is too little, it can also mineral scavenge in the body. I recommend to my patients if they are to buy a system try to buy one that replaces minerals like calcium, magnesium and other minerals. This will help replenish the minerals which are beneficial for the body and does not allow for leaching of minerals from the body.
Question: Does the pH of the water really mean much?
Answer: Yes. The ideal pH of the body is around 7.4 pH. This pH is the proper cellular environment for the body to complete its physiological processes. I have had patients reports to me their drinking water can range into the 5.6's for pH. Even some bottled waters can be in the 6s for pH. The pH scale ranges between 1-14 pH. The closer you get to one the more acidic the water and the closer to 14 you get the more alkaline. This scale works on a logarithmic scale which means a 1 point change is multiplied by 10. For example, going from a pH from 6 to 5 means the water is 10 times more acidic. So if your water is a 5 and your body pH is over a 7, then the water you are drinking is 100 times more acidic than your pH. Keeping fluids close to your body’s pH is more natural and helps with keeping the physiological functions workings more efficient.
Question: How long will it take to feel differently?
Answer: This varies person to person. Toxins from the water can accumulate in the body and can take some time before these are removed. Some of my patients have told me it takes a few weeks, but again results vary.
Question: Which reverse osmosis system would I recommend to patients or do I personally use?
Answer: I personally use ZIP countertop reverse osmosis water filter every day and recommend it for the majority of patients who look for a reverse osmosis system. These are the reasons why I recommend this system:
1. It is, in my opinion, the most cost-effective way for clean drinking water. Most people spend 1-3 dollars a day on bottled water. Doing the math that is between $365-$1095 a year if they are drinking bottled water. This also does not provide enough water if you wish to cook food or make teas. Having reverse osmosis for your cooking water and beverages prevents those impurities from going into what you eat and drink. Also if you are looking at more traditional models which go under the sink, a decent system usually starts at $500 without installation or models making a whole house or condo RO will easily cost thousands of dollars. The ZIP reverse osmosis system is not only the cheapest of these options but also it does not require a plumber to install, and the maintenance costs are low. Also for some of you buying water bottles now, it could potentially save you money over long-term use. Saving my patients money is a priority to me, and I would not give them advice I would not do myself.
2. The system is portable. A lot of my patients live in apartments or in some type of housing that does not allow for modifications to their plumbing for the under sink system. Also if you need to move, you can just pick the system up and take it with you with ease.
3. As previously stated, you want a system that replenishes minerals and has the proper pH in the water. ZIP provides that out of the box.
With this system, I also recommend having a separate BPA free container that you can store a few gallons of water. This way you can either keep it cold in the refrigerator for drinking or have enough for your cooking water or beverages.
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Fluoride articles
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/fluoride-childrens-health-grandjean-choi/
https://www.litalee.com/documents/Fluoride%20-%20A%20Modern%20Toxic%20Waste.pdf