Drink to Your Health

“Water your roots, so your soul can blossom.”

Life cannot exist without water!

Proper hydration is essential to a healthy life. Water comprises over two-thirds of our body weight and is one of the most essential elements of maintaining well-being. Water is important in every physiological process. Water helps your body with circulation, assimilation, digestion, elimination, and temperature control.

Researchers estimate that about 75% of Americans are chronically dehydration. This can lead to many health issues such as fatigue, joint pain, headaches, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, ulcers, and high blood pressure. Chronic dehydration may affect your organs and lead to kidney stones, cholesterol problems, constipation, and liver and muscle damage.

Water and Immune Function

Proper hydration is essential for a healthy immune system and at this specific point in time concerning the global pandemic it is of paramount importance for us all.

Even mild dehydration can decrease salivary rate and decrease the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA), which is one of the first lines of defense of the immune function on pathogens.

Maintaining healthy skin is another primary barrier to potential pathogens. In addition to providing a passive physical barrier against infection, the skin also contains elements of the innate and adaptive immune systems which allow it to actively fight infections. Proper hydration is a prerequisite for healthy skin.

Staying hydrated helps the body naturally eliminate toxins and other bacteria that may cause illness. Dehydration reduces the overall volume of blood and lymphatic fluids that are integral to a healthy immune system. 

Lymph flows throughout the body to collect bacteria and waste. It transports collected waste to the lymph nodes which serve as filters. Drinking water works like a waterfall for lymphatic organs. The higher the amount, the stronger the push to the edge. In this scenario, water pushes bodily waste into the lymph nodes where lymphocytes destroy them. Eliminating toxins and waste materials become a difficult task when dehydrated. Not being able to remove this debris, your body is more susceptible to infection. Not staying hydrated diminishes energy levels, leading to a lack of exercise and a weakened immune system.

Water is vital for the functioning of all of your organs, and it’s a huge part of keeping your immune system functioning at an optimal level,” says Dr. Jyothi Tirumalasetty, assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergies. “We are made of 60 percent water. If we are dehydrated, the whole system of immunity could start breaking down.”

 Water is not just a beverage choice

Water is not just a beverage choice; it is our most essential nutrient. When we think of water in this way it becomes apparent that we must drink enough each day.  We can live for 3 weeks without food, but only 3 days without water!

Be Healthy by Choice.

If Mother Nature Poured You a Glass of Water...

If Mother Nature Poured You a Glass of Water...

The solution to our global water issues and the plastic pollution of our planet is very complex and people often wonder what can they do as individuals to make a positive impact. One thing we all can do is to not to contribute to landfills by filtering tap water rather than purchasing bottled water. In recent blogs we have talked about the pollution problem with bottled water and about how to choose a water filtration system.

Waterfall for Healthy Water

Filtering our tap water is convenient, cost effective and the best way to provide ourselves and our families with healthy water. Our personal choice for water filtration is the Nikken Waterfall. Imagine if we could create fresh spring water in our own home or office? This is the strategy behind the Nikken Waterfall.  The Nikken Waterfall System is an advanced, technically sophisticated, well designed countertop home filtration system that converts tap water into fresh spring-like water. Using a multi-stage filtration process which cleans, alkalizes, mineralizes, ionizes, energizes and oxygenates the water, the Waterfall produces a light, velvety fresh-tasting water which is highly absorbable and healthy.

Put simply, the Waterfall produces water the way nature intended water to be. Free of contaminants but maintaining an alkaline pH with minerals that are added back after the filtration process. The water is run through a magnetic field that provides a water structure as it occurs in nature.

The Waterfall Gravity Water System has a modern, compact profile and fits conveniently into most kitchen environments. All Nikken water products are designed to the highest standards, using non-leaching, and free of BPA and other estrogenic chemicals. With its Gold Seal of Approval from the Water Quality Association, the Waterfall meets rigorous standards for performance, capacity, and integrity, removing a variety of drinking water contaminants.

The Nikken Waterfall meets contaminant-reduction specifications of National Sanitary Foundation (NSF) Standards 42 and 53 and reduces objectionable tastes, odors, colors, aesthetic chlorine, chloramines, VOCs and mercury from municipally treated tap water. This is considerably better performance than you'd get with many conventional faucet or pitcher--type or water filters. The filtration efficiency is equivalent to more complex and expensive water filtration systems costing $1000’s of dollars.

The water tank components are bio-degradable plastics that will not leach potentially harmful chemicals into the contents of the tank. Nor will they release these chemicals into the soil.  The Waterfall is environmentally responsible in several ways. It reduces the number of discarded plastic water bottles that become trash in landfills. This also decreases consumption of fossil fuels used in manufacturing those bottles. The waterfall is made with recyclable and biodegradable materials, including a polymer that does not leach chemicals into water as some plastics will. 

Features and Benefits that we like most about our Waterfall:

·      Simple operation

·      Multiple-stage filtering process, advanced water-contaminant reducing technology

·      Certified filtration to reduce contaminants, NSF Certification

·      Gold Seal of Approval from the Water Quality Association

·      Natural, gravity-fed filtration – no need for electricity

·      Minerals added back to adjust pH to create alkaline water

·      Filter life LED indicator (The filter-life LED indicator turns from green to red when it is time to replace the filter)

·      Fits perfectly onto kitchen counter-top

·      Non-leaching and BPA free materials

·      Made of bio-degradable plastics for no environmental impact

·      Ease of operation and maintenance

·      Cost effective solution for healthy water

·      Does not require a power source which makes it perfect for power outages or travel

The Waterfall is good for your family, your pocketbook and our planet!

Find out more from your Nikken Wellness Consultant. 

Be Healthy by Choice, not by Chance.

The Plastics Problem

Plastic, Plastic Everywhere: The Plastics Problem

In Mike Nichols film “The Graduate”, young college grad, Ben Braddock is given one word of advice for the future by Mr. McGuire, Plastics. As it turns out Mr. McGuire was quite prophetic, plastics are everywhere. It may have been good business advice but not necessarily good advice for our health or the health of our planet. Plastic is used pervasively but for this post I will concentrate on plastic water bottles. Many people are aware of the negative health and environmental impacts associated with plastic bottled water.

Environmental Burden

The effect of plastic bottles on our environment has been documented and although we have an awareness of the problem it is getting worse not better. There are over 100 million plastic bottles used each day globally and nearly 80% of these end up in our landfills. This means that only 20% are recycled. Approximately 1500 bottles end up in landfills and the ocean every second accounting for 2 million tons of plastic bottles that are landfilled each year.  It takes 700 years before plastic bottles start to decompose and can take up to 1000 years to fully decompose. Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form (except for the small amount that has been incinerated).

According to the Ocean Conservatory, plastic bottles and plastic bags are the most prevalent form of pollution found on our beaches and in our oceans, every square mile of the ocean has over 46,000 pieces of floating plastic. Ten percent of the plastic manufactured worldwide ends up in the ocean, the majority of that settling on the ocean floor where it will never degrade.

Up to 13 million tons of plastic ends up in the world’s oceans each year to be ingested by sea birds, fish and other organisms. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation by 2050 the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish.

Some of it is already finding its way into the human food chain. Scientists at Ghent University in Belgium recently calculated people who eat seafood ingest up to 11,000 tiny pieces of plastic every year. Last August, the results of a study by Plymouth University reported plastic was found in a third of UK-caught fish, including cod, haddock, mackerel and shellfish. Last year, the European Food Safety Authority called for urgent research, citing increasing concern for human health and food safety “given the potential for microplastic pollution in edible tissues of commercial fish”.

Consumption of natural resources related to plastic water bottles is another concern. Producing the bottles for American consumption required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil and an additional 18 million barrels are used to transport the bottled water. More energy is needed to fill the bottles with water at the factory, move it by truck, cool it in grocery stores or home refrigerators, and recover, recycle, or throw away the empty bottles. The Pacific Institute estimates that the total amount of energy embedded in our use of bottled water can be as high as the equivalent of filling a plastic bottle one quarter full of oil. Bottling water also wastes water, it takes three gallons of water to produce one gallon of bottled water.  Key environmental issues with bottled water, according to environmentalist David Suzuki, are waste and uncertainty over the long-term health effects created by plastic. "Not only does bottled water lead to unbelievable pollution…but plastic has chemicals in it. Plastics are ubiquitous. I don't believe that plastics are not involved in a great deal of the health problems that we face today."

Any way you look at it, bottling water is a tremendous waste as far as resources and a major contributor to the pollution of our planet.

Health Effects: Our Body Burden

As I have written before (The Body Burden) it is estimated that each one of us carry an average of over 200 toxic chemicals in our body. Everybody is being exposed to some degree at any given time from gestation through death to toxic chemicals from plastics. Plastic bottles are known to release harmful chemicals such as Bisphenol A. BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are commonly used in containers that store food and beverages, such as water bottles. BPA is one of many man-made chemicals classified as endocrine disruptors, which alter the function of the endocrine system by mimicking the role of the body's natural hormones.

A study of 77 Harvard College students found one week of drinking water from polycarbonate bottles increased the levels of BPA in by two-thirds (1). This suggests that regular consumption of water from such bottles significantly increases exposure to BPA. Bio-monitoring by the Center for Disease Control and other studies have detected levels of bisphenol A in the urine of 95% of the adult population of the United States.  

Health problems associated with BPA’s include, overweight, early puberty, hypertension, ADHD, heart disease, liver failure, breast and prostate cancer to name a few.

One other contaminant that is associated with plastic bottled water is antimony. Antimony is a regulated contaminant that poses both acute and chronic health effects in drinking water. In small doses, antimony can cause nausea, dizziness and depression. In large doses, it can be fatal. The longer water is stored in plastic bottles, the higher the concentration of a potentially harmful chemicals can be, a recent study states.

Given the environmental impact of bottled water, the potential health risks that we know of, and the potential for risks we may not be aware of warrants serious consideration as to your choice for water.

When we consume bottled water, we pay far too much for it in terms of expense, our health and the health of our planet. Skipping the bottle is one step toward Being Healthy by Choice.

Visit the H2O shop for environmentally safe bottled water alternatives. 

The Great Alkaline Water Debate

What is Alkaline Water?

Water is our most essential nutrient and is vital to our survival and good health. You may know that two-thirds of your body is water, however, in terms of the number of molecules, your body consists of over 99 percent water molecules! Because water is so vital to our health, the type and quality of water we take into our body is very important.

I have written before that filtering tap water is the best way to get healthy water, see What to Look for in a Water Filtration System. Basically, when treating water for drinking, we should “take out the bad” and “leave in the good.”. We want to remove toxic chemicals and impurities then add back the essential minerals that nature intended to be in water.

Water from natural springs have been highly sought after for centuries because those who drank it claimed it had amazing health-restorative abilities. There are many natural springs on Earth where this has been observed. Tlacote, Mexico, Nordenau, Germany, Nadana Village, India, Yankalilla, Australia, The Himalayan Mountains in China and recently in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. It is of note and interest that indigenous people that consume these waters display exceptional health and longevity where people are reported to live to 100 to 135 years of age. All these waters in their natural state are alkaline. The alkalinity is due to minerals in the water including calcium, silica, potassium, magnesium, and bicarbonate.

The “alkaline” in alkaline water refers to its pH level. The pH level is a number that measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is on a scale of 0 to 14. For example, something with a pH of 1 would be very acidic, and something with a pH of 13 would be very alkaline. Alkaline water has a higher pH level than regular drinking water. Because of this, some advocates of alkaline water believe it can neutralize the acid in your body. Normal drinking water generally has a neutral pH of 7. Alkaline water typically has a pH of 8 or 9.

Alkaline Water Debate

There has been much debate as to whether drinking alkaline water is healthier than drinking pH neutral water (7.0) or acidic water (less than 7.0).  There are scientific studies that report benefits and those that do not. Those in favor of alkaline water claim it provides a range of health benefits. Namely, that it boosts the metabolism, reduces bone loss and slows the aging process, and metabolizes nutrients easier by neutralizing acid in the blood that causes disease. They believe low-grade acidosis may not always be detected with testing, leaving your body to suffer the consequences. The opposing side agrees there might be benefits but is unsure whether the benefits come from the high-pH-level alkaline water itself or the minerals it contains. 

One recent and interesting study in mice, Alkaline Water and Longevity: A Murine Study, reported, “statistical analysis revealed that alkaline water provides higher longevity in terms of “deceleration aging factor” as it increases the survival functions when compared with control group; namely, animals belonging to the population treated with alkaline water resulted in a longer lifespan.” Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016; 2016: 3084126.

I suggest that a little common sense regarding this debate is the answer. Alkaline water is water that’s less acidic than tap water, filtered water, and most bottled waters. Concentrating on the pH level of our water might be not be the aspect we want to focus on.  If alkaline water is healthier, that is intrinsically due more to the minerals it contains rather than its pH level. This means it is rich in alkalizing minerals that our bodies need. Yes, we can get minerals from the food we eat and many health and nutrition experts advocate alkaline diets. Drinking alkaline water seems a simple and efficient way of providing minerals in addition to our food choices. Also, we absorb minerals more efficiently from water than we do food.

In nature, water flows down mountain streams and picks up minerals from rocks in the stream to give it it’s alkalinity. Water filtration systems that create naturally alkaline water work the same way.

Water is not just a beverage choice, it is our most essential nutrient. Drinking half your weight in ounces per day of healthy water is one aspect of Being Healthy by Choice, not by Chance.

What to Look for in a Water Filtration System

What to Look for in a Water Filtration System

We all need water, as I say, “Water is not just a beverage choice, it is our most essential nutrient”.  Replacing our daily water needs is paramount to being Healthy by Choice. If you are a fan of The Impetus you are already aware that bottled water is not the choice I recommend (see Is Bottled Water Healthier than Tap Water). Given that tap water is 2000 times less expensive than bottled water and that municipal tap water is monitored and regulated, the healthy choice is to filter your tap water.

There are many choices for home water filtration. Each person’s needs and expectations are different. The best water filter for you depends on what's in your water and what you want to remove. For many people, an aesthetic choice for improving taste and smell is all they are interested in, but for those wanting healthy water, removal of noxious contaminants and chemicals is imperative. Cost is a major concern and can range from inexpensive pitchers, faucet mount systems and refrigerator door filters, ($20 to $100) for aesthetic concerns to high priced under-counter or whole house systems ($1000 up) for improving taste and smell and removal of toxic substances. Each can have their merits and shortcomings.

The Most Important Aspect is Removal of Harmful Chemicals

I think the most important aspect when deciding on a system for healthy water is the removal of harmful chemicals and contaminants. Forty-four percent of the US population relies on groundwater for its drinking water supply, according to the National Ground Water Association, groundwater is at risk of pesticides, solvents, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds that have seeped into the water table. Any company can say that its water filter removes contaminants, but the average person doesn’t have a lab or the means to confirm it’s factual. That’s why I strongly suggest getting a system that has third-party corroboration in the filters effectiveness in removing harmful substances. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) have set water treatment standards, and agencies like the NSF and the Water Quality Association (WQA) test against those standards. A filter certified for both NSF-42 and NSF-53 standards is recommended.

NSF-42 Filters that are certified to reduce aesthetic impurities such as chlorine and taste/odor. These can be point-of-use (under the sink, water pitcher, refrigerator, etc.) or point-of-entry (whole house) treatment systems. These filters improve taste and odor by reduction of chlorine and chloramine.

NSF-53 certifies the reduction of metals and chemicals that can affect your health. NSF-53 is a bit more complex as multiple compounds fall under this certification and they’re each certified separately. Reduction of mercury and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

I also recommend a system that is certified NSF-372 to remove heavy metals such as lead from water. The main threats to human health from heavy metals are associated with exposure to lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic.

 An effective way of providing yourself and your family with healthy water is filtration of tap water. There are many types of systems to accomplish this. Common methods of filtering can remove the chemicals but it also removes important minerals our bodies need. Guidelines I suggest looking for when comparing systems are advanced filtration that is corroborated and meet or exceed ANSI/NSF standards of 42 and 53.  Look for a system that adds minerals back to the water and creates a slightly alkaline water. I am also a proponent of micro-clustered water that helps with absorption and I suggest getting a system that is easy to use and maintain and cost effective.

We use a system in our home that sells for about $400 that meets all these guidelines. We use a sports bottle for healthy water on the go and filter our shower/bath water. Visit the H2O shop in the Emporium for product details. 

Not only do we want healthy choices for our bodies, but also for our planet. I advocate for systems such as these that are environmentally responsible and made with recyclable and biodegradable materials. 

What do you want in a home/on the go water filtration system? Enter a comment below. Let's chat. 

Be Healthy by Choice, not by Chance

The Beginning of Discovery

Skeptical or Cynical?

Following a recent event where I was speaking, I was approached by a woman who said she really enjoyed the Self Care Awakening talk I had given. I thanked her and asked if she had questions about the information presented. She responded with, the information was very good, but that she was a very skeptical person. For those of you that have been following Self Care and our subject matter, you might ask as I did, what is there to be skeptical about? Thankfully the teacher in me surfaced and I really wanted to know if she was skeptical or cynical. I have no issue with skepticism as it is a very important part of the discovery process.  It’s easy to confuse being a skeptic with being a cynic The word skeptic is derived from the Greek skeptikos, meaning “to inquire” or “look around.”, which is a good thing. I do take issue with a cynic, who distrusts anything that is contrary to their belief. The first thing I had to ascertain before continuing the conversation was if I was talking to skeptical or cynical individual. As the conversation continued it became apparent that she was skeptical and looking for more information to help her process the Self Care Awakening. We talked about each of the subjects that I had just presented.

Water Matters

I asked our guest if she was skeptical about being well hydrated and if drinking enough water each day to counter balance our daily loss of water (about 10 cups) was a good idea.  I referred her to “Down the Hatch”

Sleep Matters

Was she skeptical that sleep matters and we need 7.5 to 9 hours sleep a night to avoid sleep debt? That lack of quality sleep can adversely effect our health and that sleep is our most important part of our day. Referencing What Sweet Dreams are Made of…

Weight Matters

Might it be a good idea to have some measure of how much sugar we are consuming daily? And that it might be a good idea to limit that consumption to a healthy level.  Self Care Defense 101: Hidden Sugar

Environmental Toxicity and Pollution in People

Was she skeptical that we live in a toxic world and that accumulation of these toxic chemicals could influence our health? Might it be a good idea to filter our air, drinking water, bathing water and take steps through good sleep, proper hydration and limiting processed foods to lower our internal pollution, our Body Burden. The Body Burden

These may sound like simple steps to be Healthy by Choice, but sometimes the simplest ideas have the greatest skepticism. Welcome the skeptic and provide the information so they can take the next step to be Healthy by Choice. None of us can afford to be cynical enough to leave our Health to Chance.

author: Gary Lindner, Ph.D.

Bottled Water vs. Tap Water

Is Bottled Water Healthier than Tap Water?

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One reason that many people choose bottled water is that they think it’s a healthier choice than tap water. This is good news as many people are looking for healthier options. In fact, 2017 is the first year that bottled water sales have exceeded soda sales in the United States. Bottled water consumption in the U.S. hit 39.3 gallons per capita last year, while carbonated soft drinks fell to 38.5 gallons, marking the first time that soda was knocked off the top spot.

More than one-quarter of bottled water revenue last year was shared by the soda giants Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo which sell Dasani and Aquafina respectively. In the four decades since the launch of Perrier water in the U.S., consumption of bottled water surged 2,700%, from 354 million gallons in 1976 to 11.7 billion gallons in 2015, according to the International Bottled Water Association.

Ok, some people are making healthier choices to drink water instead of soda, but is their choice to drink bottled water rather than tap water fact founded or just the results of good marketing by bottled water companies. People are led to believe that bottled water is spring water with the advertisements and labels portraying pristine mountain streams, waterfalls, or glacial Alpine landscapes. However, nearly 50% off all bottled water is tap water, according to Peter Gleick, a scientist and author of “Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water.”

Contrary to the image of purity advertised by the bottled water industry, bottled water may contain a lot more than simple H2O. In 2008, testing commissioned by Environmental Working Group (EWG), found 38 pollutants in 10 brands of bottled water, including disinfection byproducts, industrial chemicals, radioactivity and bacteria. Two of the brands tested bore the chemical signature of municipal tap water, meaning that they were chemically indistinguishable from what comes from the faucet.

In 2008, scientists at Texas Southern University evaluated 35 brands of bottled water and found that four were contaminated with bacteria. In 1999, the Natural Resources Defense Council tested 103 bottled waters and detected potentially worrisome contaminants, including microbes and regulated chemicals, in about 50% of the samples tested.

This is a quite disturbing from a financial standpoint as bottled water is 2,000 times more expensive than tap water. Another perspective would be going to a sandwich shop for a six-dollar sandwich and paying $12,000 dollars for that sandwich. Just because it is marketed as a healthier sandwich, would we make the same choice. No way.

Don’t we all too often trade convenience at the expense of our health?

The other reason people tell me that they choose bottled water is that it is convenient. My response to that is, don’t we all too often trade convenience at the expense of our health?

Drinking plenty of water is good for your health, but both tap and bottled water can contain contaminants that may be harmful. The best option for getting the safest water possible is to filter your tap water. There are many different types of water filters at a wide range of efficiency and pricing.  I suggest selecting a system certified by NSF International. NSF certifies drinking water filters to standards applicable to each type of treatment option. You may notice the NSF mark on a product along with numbers such as NSF/ANSI 53 or NSF/ANSI 42, which refer to the standard to which the filter has been certified. These models are designed to filter out specific contaminants, so you can purchase one based on your needs.

NSF/ANSI standard 42 is for aesthetic properties of smell and taste.  A healthy choice for a water filtration system would also conform to standard 53 for volatile organic compounds such as trihalomethane, trichloroethylene and many others. These standards should be published and readily available when deciding on which product to purchase. I would also recommend a unit that complies with NSF/ANSI standard 372 for heavy metal reduction. Just as important in removal of harmful substances is the filter systems ability to add back beneficial properties and minerals for a healthy water the way Nature intended.

Be Healthy by Choice, not by Chance. Drink half your body weight in ounces a day of good quality, healthy water.

Author: Gary Lindner, PhD