There is a lot of controversy these days over alkaline water, ionizers, and if they really do what they say they do. I want to produce the opposing view point and comment at the end. Here is a quote from well known Dr Weil (who makes a fantastic living n the internet selling his own products!).
Does Alkaline Water Promote Health? Manufacturers of water ionizers state that their products produce more alkaline water, which allows your body to better absorb minerals and antioxidants from water. Are these health claims real? Do you recommend ionizers?
Home water ionizers, which I’ve seen offered for sale on the internet, are just the latest twist in the ongoing effort to promote the notion that alkaline water is somehow protective of your health. The underlying idea is that you can prevent disease by balancing your body’s pH. Promoters claim that alkaline water is energizing, hydrates the body more effectively than regular water, improves the taste of food when used in cooking, promotes "regularity," helps the body absorb nutrients more effectively, and on and on. I’ve even seen claims that it can cure everything from obesity and high blood pressure to breast cancer.
None of these claims are true. Furthermore, your body needs absolutely no help in adjusting its pH. Normally, the pH of blood and most body fluids is near seven, which is close to neutral. This is under very tight biological control because all of the chemical reactions that maintain life depend on it. Unless you have serious respiratory or kidney problems, body pH will remain in balance no matter what you eat or drink. As for water, you should consider the fact that alkaline water is common throughout the western states but to my knowledge it has not protected anyone from the diseases and disorders that occur elsewhere in the U.S.
The health claims for water ionizers and for alkaline water are bogus. Save your money.
Andrew Weil, M.D.
So are health claims for ionizers and alkaline water bogus? Dr Weil doesn’t give a reason for stating that health benefits are bogus so it is difficult to address his assertion.
I can, however, address the "your body needs no help adjusting its pH" claim.
Let us look at this rationally. Your body DOES have an intricate system that maintains the internal pH of your body. What happens if you continuously stress that system?
We already know that there is acidity in our outside environment. (Think Acid Rain) Acid rain is caused from chemicals, pollutants and a number of other materials both manmade and natural (volcanic ash). The air we breath is acidic for the same reasons. The food we eat (processed and pesticide/herbicide treated) are often acidic.
So we breathe, eat and drink compounds that are already acidic or create acidity once in our bodies. Our body must work very very hard to combat these toxins and poisons and it is not adapted to that through evolution yet. When it gets overcome with poisons (which cause acidity) then disease occurs. Now what about in the meantime… before our body shows signs of over toxicity by way of disease, our body is working overtime to maintain a pH of around 7. It has a number of controls (buffers) that allow it to do this.
Do you think that if you removed some of the exposures to acid inducing pollutants, detoxified the body of heavy metals and toxins, and drank alkaline, oxygenated water instead of acid rain… do you think that there would be LESS burden on this delicate buffering system. IF there was less burden on this buffering system, does it make sense that it would last longer and continue to be able to maintain a safe and healthy pH?
To say that this system needs no help to maintain body pH is ludicrous. DEATH occurs when this system fails without help. This is a typical doctor answer though. I mean the body has a very intricate system of maintaining blood sugar too doesn’t it? UNTIL it fails… and then diabetes results. But you can help THAT system and even prevent diabetes type 2. ALL body systems can be ‘helped’ to prevent overload and reduce stress on the system, thus giving the system longer life. But if Dr Weil wants us to continue drinking acid rain, it certainly does help him sell his supplements and gives him people to write prescriptions for.
I believe alkaline, ionized real water – is a MUCH healthier alternative to drinking Acid Rain. Does Dr Weil REALLY disagree with that? How could he?
Shelley Penney is an RN (retired) with a keen interest in health, peace and abundance. Shelley has penned several e-books, currently runs several successful business ventures from her home office, and has time to write, meditate, travel, and spend time with her family. Visit Shelley at www.shelleypenney.com for interesting articles and stimulating discussion.
If you liked this post please consider subscribing (that orange button)
Or help us get the word out through Del.cio.us, Technorati, Stumble Upon, or Digg!(the rest of those buttons!)
Your quick and simple click will make the world of difference to us. THANKS!
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Related posts:
- Acid is Stored in our Fat Cells – Scientific Study By Alderin Ordell, MA, based on the IonLife Report : ...
- Why Alkaline Water is Healthy Water Alkaline Water I've only vaguely understood the importance of pH...
- What Mike Adams Thinks of Ionized Water. (NaturalNews) Drinking water with higher alkalinity is good for your...
- Ray Kurzweil and Alkaline Water Ray Kurzweil was inducted in 2002 into the National Inventors...
- Diabetes and Alkaline Water Below is a peer-reviewed scientific study showing a link between...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
admin
) 
Brian
sal
way of the samurai
Mark in Boynton Beach
April 25, 2009
I am a chemist and a physicist. I have spent nearly 30 years observing specific properties of water for a variety of reasons. I am continually astonished at the gullibility and increasingly pseudo-science hype afforded to such nonsense as this. All to many of my friends have fallen prey to a host of multi-level-marketing, pseudo-science-based health scams such as yours. This is worse than snake oil.