Water is water, right? Not necessarily. Alkaline water can help to create proper health in your body. Read on to learn more.
The Importance of the Acid-Alkaline Balance
Optimal health in the body starts with having the correct acid-alkaline balance. The pH levels of our internal fluids affects every cell in the body and an extended acid imbalance of any kind can lead to health problems. The body will maintain a very narrow pH range, especially in the blood. Most interior living matter has a pH of around 6.8. The blood plasma and the other fluids that surround the bodily cells have a pH of 7.2 to 7.45. A blood pH of 6.9 can induce coma and death. All bodily systems are secondary to the importance of pH balancing. If the pH becomes too acidic, the person may experience low energy levels, fatigue, excess weight, poor digestion, aches and pains, and even more serious problems. The acidity cycle occurs through people eating acidifying foods; pathogens creating acidifying toxins in the body; and the body not eliminating acids properly. The process of reestablishing the correct acid-alkaline balance begins with proper nutrition. This includes eating alkalising foods, proper supplementation, and drinking plenty of alkaline water that is ionic and structured.
Why Water is so Important in Maintaining the Acid-Alkaline Balance
Water is the most essential element in establishing and maintaining the correct acid-alkaline balance. The quality of the water is just as important as how much of it you drink, as the water that you ingest must be capable of preventing toxins and chemicals from accumulating and creating destructive influences within the cells. It also transports minerals and nutrients that are necessary for cell metabolism, and remove substances that can damage the cell. The water that you drink should have a pH of between 9 and 10.
The water needs to be alkaline and ionised. Alkaline water helps to neutralise the stored acids and toxins in the body. Once neutralised, the body can then remove them. Alkaline water that is also ionised acts as a conductor of electrochemical activity from cell to cells. Studies have shown that ionised, alkaline water can help the body to resist disease and slow aging by increasing intercellular hydration, replenishing essential minerals, stabilising and protecting cells, helping to maintain a normal blood flow and acid-alkaline balance, flushing out and preventing waste from accumulating in cells, and preventing free radicals from forming and damaging other cells.
Free radicals are unstable positively charged oxygen atoms that are created by the body with the purpose of oxidising putrefactive matter, but they are over produced by a body that is out of balance. To stabilise themselves, free radicals will steal electrons from stable cells. When the cell loses the electron from a pair, it loses energy and diets. Ionised water can prevent the cells from losing these electrons and restabilise the oxygen molecule, thus neutralising the free radicals.
Creating Alkaline Water at Home
Water distillers heat tap water electrically to boiling point. The purified condensation then drains into a clean container, leaving the impurities behind in the boiling chamber. The process of distillation kills and removes bacteria, viruses, cysts, and heavy metals. It has more oxygen ions and fewer hydrogen ions, making the water more alkaline than other types of water.
Water ionisers ionise water by running it over positive and negative electrodes. This separates the water into alkaline and acidic. This is great as the alkaline water is used for drinking while the acidic water can be used on the outside of the body as it is proven to kill many types of bacteria. Some water ionisers also come with an alkalinity adjustment, allowing you to set your preferred level of alkalinity.
Reverse osmosis water filters use a fine membrane to filter water, allowing the removal of bacteria, sugars, salts, proteins, particles, dyes, and other damaging elements. The membrane is semi-permeable, allowing the water through while removing the contaminants. Reverse osmosis water is far more alkaline than tap or bottled water.
Originally published on Oct 20, 2008
