By Dr. Bob McCauley
There is nothing more important for the body than water. If people simply drank enough water and kept their bodies sufficiently hydrated, 60% to 80% of the chronic disease we find today would be seriously abated if not complete eliminated. However, putting poor quality unfiltered water into the body can be worse than not drinking water at all. Chlorine and other contaminants are common in many waters through the country and these should not be consumed. However, with proper filtration, most water can be turned into high enough quality that it can be consumed without fear of it hurting you.
Municipal Water
Water Ionizers can be used with most municipal (city) water. Even though the quality of municipal is usually not the greatest to begin with, with proper filtration it can raise to the level of acceptable drinking water. The biggest problem with municipal water is that it has chlorine, which is an oxidant and a known carcinogen that can cause liver damage if consumed on a regular basis. Another danger is showering in chlorinated water, especially in a hot shower where you are exposed directly to chlorine gas by breathing it in and by having it directly absorbed into the skin pores that have been opened up by the hot water.
Gold Fox Water Ionizers have activated carbon filters in them that will remove chlorine from the water. They also have particulate filtration, which filters particulate (junk floating in the water) down to 1 micron. The Gold Fox Water Ionizer has the option of the 0.01 micron hollow-membrane ultra filter, the same kind used in kidney dialysis.
Mineral Content in Your Water
The amount of minerals in your water will directly effect the strength of ionized water you will be able to produce with your water ionizers. The more minerals in the source water, the stronger the ionization. Stronger ionization means higher pH and lower ORP (oxidation reduction potential), which is what you are looking for with a water ionizer. The Miracle Fountain Water Ionizer has mineral ports where more minerals may be added to the water to produce stronger Ionized Water. You can add any water soluble mineral to the mineral port, which will then be absorbed by the water then ionized as it goes through the Water Ionizer. Once a mineral has been ionized, it will be taken into the body much more efficiently because it has taken on an extra electron.
Filtration Options
Additional pre-filtration options are available for underneath the sink and on top of the counter. The Watershed Wellness Center offers 10 micron granulated carbon filters,1.0 micron carbon block filters, 0.5 ceramic filters and iron resin filters, fluoride/arsenic filter, sulfur filters, as well as the filter housings for them. You can never filter your water too much and filtration never removes the dissolved minerals from the water.
Fluoride
Most municipal water companies add fluoride to the water, especially in large cities. There is much controversy about this process. Since fluoride is a acid mineral, it will tend to migrate to the acid side of the water and go out the acid tube. On the strongest ionization level, you will loose about 50% of the fluoride in the drinking side of the Ionized Water.
Well Water
Water Ionizers can be used with most Well Water. The two most common problems found in well water are hydrogen sulfide and high iron content. Both of these can be filtered out. Hydrogen sulfide can be filtered with a granulate carbon filter. Iron can be filtered with a resin filter at point of use. If your well is deep, over 150′, that is usually enough natural filtration not to be concerned about the water being contaminated. If your septic system is within 50′ of the well, you should run a bacteria test.
Hydrogen Sulfide
If your water smells like rotten eggs (sulfur), you have hydrogen sulfide in your water. As it off-gases the bad sulfur smell, people are lead to believe the water is undrinkable. Hydrogen sulfide can be filtered out using a granulated carbon filter. You can also use a granulated carbon pre-filter installed either under the sink or on the countertop.
Iron Content in Water
High iron content in water can cause problems for a Water Ionizer. If you wish to use a Water Ionizer with water, we recommend using a iron resin pre-filter. They can be used on the countertop or installed directly into the line below the sink. They are installed on the cold water line since only cold water should be used with a Water Ionizer.
High iron content in well, and sometimes municipal water supplies, is more often caused by the well casing and the already corroded pipes in the house. Less often it is the actual high level of iron in the existing ground water, although it can be quite high in many places around the country. Iron can be filtered to a great degree. There are whole-house iron filters that are costly, but effective.
Salt Softened Water
Salt softened water should never be consumed because of the high sodium content in the water. Salt is also a corrosive element that builds up in pipes. In a hot shower, you will breath in large amounts of sodium. If you do have a water softener and wish to use a Water Ionizer, you must either turn off the water softener or run a line before the water softener and use the Water Ionizer on the raw, unsoftened water. If you turn off the water softener, you may want to consider using a Magnetic Water Conditioners.
Magnetic Water Conditioners
Magnetic Hard Water Conditioners are a chemical free, salt free, and the permanent healthy answer to your hard water problems. Prior existing scale is magnetically dissolved in the water. Scale is removed from your water heater and plumbing system thereby saving you energy and money. Magnetic Hard Water Conditioners also create de-gasification, which decreases the taste and smell of chlorine. Water becomes wetter and softer. Soap works better, clothes become cleaner. Bathing feels fresher and hair is softer and silkier. The Watershed Wellness Center offers Magnetizer brand Magnetic Hard Water Conditioners. We offer the RWES for home use. MC1: 11-70 grains hardness.
Water Ionizers and Purified Water: Reverse Osmosis & Distillation
Ionized Water can not be created using Purified Water because there are no minerals in the water. Purified Water should NOT be consumed under any circumstances. This is because purified water leaches minerals from the body and does not properly hydrate the body because the pentagonal shape of purified water molecule clusters. (Ionized Water molecules are hexagonal in shape and therefore extremely hydrating, up to 6 times more penetrating and hydrating than conventional water). Check the label of any bottled water you purchase and be sure that it is NOT water purified, stripped of its minerals, by distillation or reverse osmosis. Penta Water and Aqua Fina are both purified bottled waters. There are many proponents of drinking purified water who have elaborate arguments as to why purified water is so healthy to drink. We at the Watershed Wellness Center find their logic mere sophistry.
Using 5 Gallon Bottled Water with your Water Ionizer
If you wish to use water that comes in 5 gallon bottles of water, The Watershed Wellness Center offers the Flojet BW1000A Bottled Water Dispensing System. This on-demand electric pump will allow you to pump water through your Water Ionizer from several feet away. All that will be required is a 1/4″ hose clamp to be used at the connection between the Water Ionizer and the Flojet BW1000A. You will need to operate the Flojet BW1000A manually when using the dispenser in this way, turning it on and off each time you wish to use the Water Ionizer.
