What is Alkaline Water and the Benefits?
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Alkalinity or Alkaline Water is any water that has a pH (potential hydrogen) greater than 7.0. Pure distilled water has a neutral pH of 7.0, and it it is neither acidic or alkaline. Any water that has a pH less than 7.0 is acidic water. There are different types of alkaline water - store bought alkaline water, alkaline water produced by a water ionizer, and purified water made alkaline by adding mineral drops (salts + minerals + electrolytes), which raise the pH of your purified water above a pH of 7.0. Here are some examples of bottled alkaline water below:
These store bought alkaline waters have artificial additives (e.g. salts, minerals, electrolytes, etc.) added to them so they can sit on a store shelf for weeks or months at a time without losing their alkaline pH. Some of the additives they use are sodium bicarbonate, dipotassium phosphate, magnesium sulfate and calcium chloride, and electrolytes for taste.
Many waters with a pH < 6.5 are acidic, soft, and corrosive. Sodium compounds like Sodium Bicarbonate (e.g. baking soda) are added during water treatment in order to raise the pH level of the water by chemically neutralizing the acidity as well as to soften the water. In raising the pH you also make the water alkaline.
Dipotassium Phosphate is used as a preservative and a flavor enhancer. This artificial type of salt is made from the elements sodium and phosphorus.
Magnesium Sulfate is an inorganic salt (e.g. Epsom salt). It is a naturally occurring mineral that is important for many systems in the body especially the muscles and nerves. Magnesium sulfate also increases water in the intestines and helps with constipation. It is added to water in a very small amount as a flavor enhancer.
Calcium Chloride is an inorganic salt used as an electrolyte in bottled water. Calcium chloride ingested in large amounts can cause health problems, but the trace amounts found in your water bottles is safe. They regulate fluid levels in the body, keep the blood’s pH level balanced and enable muscle contractions like the beating of your heart.
Drinking store bought alkaline water is costly, could contain residual amounts of microplastics and pharmaceuticals, contains additives that make the water alkaline by synthetic and artificial means, and all the plastic bottles are terrible for the environment, landfills and oceans. For these reasons we do not recommend for drinking store bought alkaline water. True alkaline water can be produced without additives or harming the environment using a water ionizer.
What Does a Water Ionizer do?
A water ionizer uses a process called electrolysis to separate your source water into two streams - an acidic and an alkaline stream. The ionizer uses electrical current to artificially break the water molecule (H2O) into positive hydrogen atoms and negative hydroxide ions at a rate that far exceeds what happens naturally in nature. This machine contains both a positively charged electrode (e.g. anode) and a negatively charged electrode (e.g. cathode) in a bath of water. The electrodes are made out of solid titanium coated in platinum.
Titanium is harder than platinum and does not damage or lose shape easily. One of the most notable advantages of titanium is its strength. It's among the strongest and most durable metals on the planet, which is why it's used in so many industrial applications. In fact, titanium has the highest strength-to-density ratio of any metallic element on the periodic table, attesting to its benefits. Platinum metal holds up well under high temperatures, boasts stable electrical properties and is highly resistant to chemical attacks. Platinum does not tarnish or corrode and does not wear thin with usage. Platinum and titanium will not leach particulates into water during ionization, and platinum is preferred during ionization for its ability to speed up electrolysis enabling real-time ionization of your source water.
After the electrodes break the water molecules apart, the water containing more hydroxide ions (OH-) and positive ions (such as calcium ions) is collected as alkaline water, and the water containing more positively charged hydrogen ions (H+) is collected as acidic water. Alkaline water produced by an alkaline water machine or water ionizer is alkalized water because electrolysis was used to create the alkalinity without synthetic and artificial additives. This is the only kind of alkaline water we recommend for drinking.
What are the Benefits of Alkaline Ionized Water?
Alkaline ionized water produced by a water ionizer has many benefits for anyone who drinks it. This water helps to reduce the acidity in your body, makes your tissues alkaline, improves your gut health, is micro-clustered and structured for enhanced and faster hydration and improved absorption of essential nutrients. Hydroxyl ions (OH-) remove free radicals from cells improving cellular regeneration, and it is antioxidant rich with molecular hydrogen (H2).
Drinking alkaline ionized water can help with weight loss due to good pH balance in the body, detoxification by assisting with removal of free radicals and toxic metals, bone health, better hydration due to smaller water molecule cluster size, heart health, immune health, healthy skin, good digestion, stronger muscles and joints and managing pain due to it’s amazing anti-inflammatory benefits. You will have more energy, endurance and faster recovery because alkaline ionized water can help fight off lactic acid buildup in the body.
Potential Hydrogen (pH) Balance and Weight Loss Benefits
pH balance in the body is important to keep your digestive system and other functions working well enough to curb appetite and keep you energetic. Acidic foods deplete your energy, leave you fatigued and contribute to other health problems. When your body is acidic toxins will naturally get trapped in fat cells, the lymphatic system and the blood stream. How does this contribute to weight gain? High acidity and trapped toxins cause a condition known as insulin sensitivity that forces excessive insulin to be produced. As a result, the body is flooded with so much insulin that it diligently converts every calorie into fat.
So, what can you do? Limit your intake of acidic foods for better health and a leaner body, drink alkaline ionized water, and eat alkaline foods to cleanse toxins from your body and maintain the correct pH balance.
Alkaline Ionized Water May Help with Cancer Prevention
Two main factors leading to cancer are an acidic pH and a lack of oxygen. Research has proven that terminal cancer patients have an acidity level up to 1,000 times more than normal healthy people. The vast majority of terminal cancer patients have a very acidic pH. Without oxygen, glucose undergoing fermentation becomes lactic acid. This causes the pH of the cell to drop to 7.0. In more advance cancer cases, the pH level can range from 5.7 - 6.5. The basic truth is that our bodies simply cannot fight diseases if our pH is not properly balanced. Hence, drinking alkaline ionized water to reduce acidity in the body may help with cancer prevention.
(About The Author Michael Lam, M.D., M.P.H., A.B.A.A.M. is a specialist in Preventive and Anti-Aging Medicine. He is currently the Director of Medical Education at the Academy of Anti-Aging Research, USA)
Tap Water vs Alkaline Ionized Water Molecule Size and Hydration Benefits
Tap, purified, and bottled water have a larger water molecule cluster size around 15-26 molecules per cluster. Alkaline ionized water produced by a water ionizer has a smaller cluster size around 5-6 molecules per cluster, and this smaller cluster size is why we call this special water micro-clustered.
This smaller cluster size means that the water can be more easily absorbed into the cells and tissues, thereby providing superior hydration for the body and helping to dissolve and flush out acidic solid waste and toxins that have accumulated in the body and
Micro Cluster Alkaline Ionized Water Hydration Benefit
How Do I Drink Alkaline Ionized Water?
You will be surprised to know that alkaline water with a high pH is not for everyone. People who consume green leafy alkaline foods or follow an alkaline diet will need alkaline ionized water with a lower pH because they follow an alkaline rich diet. People who consume acidic foods regularly will need alkaline ionized water with a higher pH to neutralize the acid in their body.
Water ionizer alkaline levels range from 8.5-9.5 pH, and these levels are the recommended for drinking water. You can start with the water ionizer on the lowest setting - 8.5 pH and use this water for a week. After a week, if you feel good, you can try the ionization level 9.0-9.5 pH. Alkaline ionized water with a pH greater than 11.0 can be used for cooking, cleaning and soaking your fruits and vegetables in to remove oil-based pesticides. Alkaline ionized water with a pH of 7.0 is great for making baby formula and taking with fast dissolving medication. Do NOT drink the acidic water that any water ionizer produces.
How Do I Use Acidic Water Produced by a Water Ionizer?
The acidic water produced by a water ionizer has many benefits. It can be used as a disinfectant to clean your kitchen, stove and glass surfaces because it kills all bacteria, microbes, and pathogens. The acidic water can also be used on your skin for facial tightening, toning and lifting and hydrating the skin. You can use it on cuts and scrapes to help stop bleeding and to treat inflammatory skin conditions. It also works great as a facial astringent for acne.
