Drink Spring Water To Support The Health Of Your Organs
Drink Spring Water To Support The Health Of Your Organs
Drinking enough water daily is likely the easiest thing you can do to support the health of your organs. Water makes up most of the body. It is very important to consume enough water daily to replenish the body’s used water.
Nature provides naturally mineralized and filtered water in the form of spring water. Spring water supports health and vitality over other sources of water because of these properties.
A wide array of minerals from the earth’s crust and rock mineralize spring water as the water travels through them. The flow of the water also naturally filters the water providing a natural ratio of minerals that supports organ health.
The ratio of minerals in spring water normally results in water that is slightly to highly alkaline. This is a benefit which also supports the alkalinity needed in the blood.
Water in of itself is essential for providing proper organ hydration. The natural mineral content of spring water is also important to help with water absorption and to support organ function.
Spring Water Recommended Over Artificial Alkaline Water
Alkalinity plays a natural and important role in the body, which has led producers to the develop ionized or artificial alkaline water.
Natural alkaline spring water is preferred over artificial alkaline water. Water producers make artificial alkaline water by adding one or a few alkaline minerals.
Artificial alkaline water doesn’t contain the natural array of minerals of spring water and therefore can throw off the electrolyte balance in the blood.
Water producers use tap water as the source for ionized water. They then purify it and then add one or a few minerals to alkalize it.
Spring Water Recommended Over Tap Water
Municipal water agencies purposely treat their water with chemicals to kill harmful pathogens. Unfortunately these chemicals like sodium fluoride are also toxic to people.
Also other toxic chemicals inadvertently make their way into the municipal water supply.
Spring Water Recommended Over Distilled Water
Distilled water is pure H2O. Pure H2O doesn’t exist in nature in the rivers and streams, which naturally provide us with drinking water.
Nature provides minerals in water which buffers it, alkalizes it, and kills pathogens that collect in it. The body uses these minerals to help with proper water absorption and to help kill pathogens in the body.
The water picks up minerals and compounds, like calcium, potassium, magnesium, bicarbonate, and sodium, as it passes through rocks and soil.
The natural levels of sodium and other minerals in natural spring water helps the body absorb water from the intestines into the bloodstream.[1]
Distilled water might quench your thirst, and not adequately hydrate and protect the body.
Water and Dehydration
Many people don’t drink the daily recommended amount of water and end up either mildly or severely dehydrated.
Dehydration
Chronic dehydration results in the increased risk of increase urinary tract infections, fractures in the elderly, bladder cancer, colon cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, lung disorders, cataract formation, and decreased immune function.[2]
The U.S. Institute of Medicine recommended adult men consume 3.7 liters (approximately 1 gallon) of water throughout the day, and adult women consume 2.7 (approximately 3/4 gallon) of water throughout the day.
This recommendation is for total water consumed from food and water. Alternative medicine’s general recommendation is to drink 1 gallon of spring water a day.
Drinking one gallon of spring water throughout the day is safe for both men and women. Drink one gallon of spring water a day to properly hydrate the body. The body will remove the water it doesn’t need.
Can I Drink Too Much Water?
The real issue is not drinking too much water, and the issue is drinking too much water too quickly. Drinking a gallon of spring water throughout the day isn’t a cause for alarm.
Science determined chugging 6 liters or 1 1/2 gallons of water at once can result in death. The video below illustrates this point.
Some people pass on misinformation which can deter people from drinking the recommended amounts of water daily.
Flooding the body with 6 liters of water at once throws off the balance of water and sodium and can result in hyponatremia. The gradual addition of water throughout the day does not have this effect.
Bottling of Water
Most people don’t have access to their own spring and need to buy bottled water. We mostly buy water in glass or plastic bottles.
Glass would be the better bottling option because it is safer. Buying water bottled in plastic bottles is cheaper which leads many people to buy water in plastic bottles.
Plastic bottles came under fire because of BPA plastic which leeched estrogen chemicals into the water. Most water bottlers or producers don’t use BPA anymore and use the much safer PET plastic to bottle water.
Even though it is safer, glass appears to be the better option overall. Read more is this article: Are BPA-Free Water Bottles Safe?
Spring Water and pH
Though alkalinity in water is important, it is more important the alkalinity is natural and the water source is from spring water.
Artificial alkaline water throws off the balance of electrolytes in the body and though it alkalizes the body it also undermines homeostasis or optimal organ function.
Natural alkaline water supplies a higher ratio of alkaline minerals and compounds to acidic ones, which helps to maintain the blood’s slightly alkaline 7.4 pH.
PH stands for “potential hydrogen,” which is the measurement of a molecule’s ability to attract hydrogen ions. The scale for the pH measurement ranges from 0 to 14. 0 represents the highest acidic level and 14 represents the highest alkaline level.
The more hydrogen present in the blood the more acidic the blood will be.
Alkaline minerals, like calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and manganese, reduce the amount of hydrogen and alkalize the blood.
Acidic minerals, like phosphorus, sulfur from animals, and chlorine, increase the amount of hydrogen and acidify the blood.
The body needs both alkaline and acidic minerals and compounds, and it also needs the balance to be slightly on the alkaline side.
Testing The PH Of Bottled Spring Water
I tested the pH some of the more popular and accessible spring water brands. This is not an exhaustive list and you may have access to other local spring water brands that are also alkaline.
You can easily test the pH of spring water brands with a pH tester. I prefer a digital pH reader over pH strips and pH solutions because the digital reader is more accurate.
Unfortunately it is also more difficult to use because you need to calibrate the digital pH reader to get a more accurate reading.
(Note: Crystal Geyser is a great buy because of its low price. The issue with Crystal Geyser and possibly other brands is Crystal Geyser is sourced from different locations and some of the water sources may produce spring water that is slightly acidic. I bought the Crystal Geyser I tested in the video in New Jersey and it was alkaline.)
Spring water can have a pH in the mid-8s to 9 and above, which would make it a very high alkaline water.
Starkey
Starkey spring water is a reported to have an incredibly high 9.6 pH, making it a very high alkaline water. My jaw dropped when I saw how high its pH was! Starkey sources its water from a 2.2 mile deep geothermal spring in the mountains of Idaho. Starkey alkaline water comes in glass bottles to avoid the BPA of plastic bottles. Cost: $2.79 per liter at Whole Foods. Uses glass bottles. (I retested the pH using a digital pH reader on 10/12/16 and received a 9.6 pH reading.)
Waiakea
Waiakea alkaline spring water is sourced from spring water filtered through 14,000 feet of porous lava rock of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano. It is a high alkaline water that is reported to have a 8.8 pH and is rich in silica, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, and other minerals. Waiakea uses 100% recycled polyethylene terephtalate (RPET) bottles that are BPA free.
Iceland
Iceland is another high alkaline water and this spring water also has a reported pH of 8.8. The company sources its water from a nature reserve called “Heiðmörk” near Reykjavik. Cost: $1.69 per liter at Whole Foods. (I retested the pH using a digital pH reader on 10/12/16 and received a 8.45 pH reading.)
Icelandic
Icelandic sources its alkaline water from the legendary Ölfus Spring in Iceland. The spring is shielded by an impenetrable barrier of lava rock, and the melting ice is naturally filtered through the volcanic rock and supplies Icelandic with alkaline spring water reported to have an 8.4 pH. The alkalinity of this water is also pretty high. BPA free plastic bottles.
Eternal
Eternal alkaline sprint water is sourced from the Alleghany Mountains south of Springville, NY, the Great Smoky Mountains of Eastern Tennessee, and the Shasta-Trinity Alps of California. The Eternal spring water has a reported pH ranging from 7.8 – 8.2 depending on where it was sourced. Cost: $1.69 per liter at Whole Foods. BPA free plastic bottles. (I retested the pH using a digital pH reader on 10/12/16 and received a 7.55 pH reading.)
Mountain Valley
Mountain Valley alkaline water is sourced from a spring nestled in a remote valley of the Ouachita Mountains. The Ouachita Mountains are a mountain range in west central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma of the U.S. The spring provides Mountain Valley with alkaline water that has a reported 7.8 pH. Cost: $3.39 per liter at Whole Foods. Uses glass bottles. (I retested the pH using a digital pH reader on 10/12/16 and received a 7.27 pH reading.)
Fiji
Fiji water is alkalized in natural artesian aquifer deep below the earth’s surface in the Fiji islands. The aquifer supplies Fiji with spring water that has a reported 7.7 pH. Cost: $1.99 per liter at Stop & Shop. BPA free plastic bottles. (I retested the pH using a digital pH reader on 10/12/16 and received a 7.18 pH reading.)
Evian
Evian spring water is sourced from water that is filtered through the Northern Alps and supplies Evian with alkaline water that has a reported 7.2 pH. Cost: $1.99 per liter at Stop & Shop. BPA free plastic bottles. (I retested the pH using a digital pH reader on 10/12/16 and received a 7.23 pH reading.)
Crystal Geyser
Crystal Geyser is sourced from various places in the U.S. that include: Olancha Peak, in the Sierra Nevada, Mt. Shasta in Weed, California, the mountains in the Cherokee National Forest in Benton, Tennessee, the Blue Ridge Mountains in Salem, South Carolina, the Ossipee Mountains of Moultonborough, New Hampshire, Ouachita Mountain range of Norman, Arkansas, and the Adirondack Park of Johnstown, New York. The pH of the water varies depending on where it was sourced, and various sources list the Crytsal Geyser alklaine water as having a pH from 7.1 – 7.4. Cost: $1.00 per gallon at the Dollar Store. BPA free plastic bottles. (I retested the pH using a digital pH reader on 10/12/16 and received a 7.65 pH reading.)
Crystal Geyser was by far the winner when it came to price. It only cost $1.00 for a gallon of alkaline water in comparison to the Mountain Valley alkaline spring water that cost $3.39 for a liter.
Crystal Geyser’s pH was tied for last out of the bunch at 7.2, though it was an alkaline water. This is the best bet financially for an all purpose water used daily for cooking and for drinking. BPA free plastic bottles.
Starkey topped the alkaline waters with a 9.6 pH, and is a good water to drink periodically for a quick alkaline boost.
Sources:
[1] Absorption of Water and Electrolytes
[2] B Benelam, L Wyness. Hydration and health: a review. Nutrition Bulletin. 2010; 35:3–25.
[3] Waugh A, Grant A. Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness. 10th edition. Philadelphia, Pa, USA: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2007.
[4] Metabolic acidosis – Medline Plus
[5] B Benelam, L Wyness. Hydration and health: a review. Nutrition Bulletin. 2010; 35:3–25.
[6] Absorption of Water and Electrolytes
[7] Potential Benefits of pH 8.8 Alkaline Drinking Water as an Adjunct in the Treatment of Reflux Disease
[8] Acid-Base Balance and Hydration Status Following Consumption of Mineral-Based Alkaline Bottled Water
[9] New Strategy for Management of Metabolic Acidosis
[10] Preliminary Observation on Changes of Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar and Blood Lipids After Using Alkaline Ionized Drinking Water
