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Permalink Reply by RawZi on May 12, 2008 at 10:35pm

Some people consider distilled the best (for their purposes), and I mean naturopaths. Filtering tap water helps, depends on what your expectations are I guess. That def wouldn't be good for fasting. I currently use a little naturally sparkling natural mineral water.

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Permalink Reply by Billions upon us on May 12, 2008 at 11:16pm

Early Death Comes From Drinking Distilled Water

During nearly 19 years of clinical practice I have had the opportunity to observe the health effects of drinking different types of water. Most of you would agree that drinking unfiltered tap water could be hazardous to your health because of things like parasites, chlorine, fluoride and dioxins.

Many health fanatics, however, are often surprised to hear me say that drinking distilled water on a regular, daily basis is potentially dangerous.

Paavo Airola wrote about the dangers of distilled water in the 1970's when it first became a fad with the health food crowd.

Distillation is the process in which water is boiled, evaporated and the vapor condensed. Distilled water is free of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the special property of being able to actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them.

Studies validate the benefits of drinking distilled water when one is seeking to cleanse or detoxify the system for short periods of time (a few weeks at a time).

Fasting using distilled water can be dangerous because of the rapid loss of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) and trace minerals like magnesium, deficiencies of which can cause heart beat irregularities and high blood pressure. Cooking foods in distilled water pulls the minerals out of them and lowers their nutrient value.

Distilled water is an active absorber and when it comes into contact with air, it absorbs carbon dioxide, making it acidic. The more distilled water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, "Distilled water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive, in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact.

Notably, carbon dioxide from the air is rapidly absorbed, making the water acidic and even more aggressive. Many metals are dissolved by distilled water."

The most toxic commercial beverages that people consume (i.e. cola beverages and other soft drinks) are made from distilled water. Studies have consistently shown that heavy consumers of soft drinks (with or without sugar) spill huge amounts of calcium, magnesium and other trace minerals into the urine.

The more mineral loss, the greater the risk for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and a long list of degenerative diseases generally associated with premature aging.

A growing number of health care practitioners and scientists from around the world have been advocating the theory that aging and disease is the direct result of the accumulation of acid waste products in the body.

There is a great deal of scientific documentation that supports such a theory. A poor diet may be partially to blame for the waste accumulation. Meats, sugar, white flour products, fried foods, soft drinks, processed foods, alcohol, dairy products and other junk foods cause the body to become more acidic. Stress, whether mental or physical can lead to acid deposits in the body.

There is a correlation between the consumption of soft water (distilled water is extremely soft) and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Cells, tissues and organs do not like to be dipped in acid and will do anything to buffer this acidity including the removal of minerals from the skeleton and the manufacture of bicarbonate in the blood.

The longer one drinks distilled water, the more likely the development of mineral deficiencies and an acid state. I have done well over 3000 mineral evaluations using a combination of blood, urine and hair tests in my practice. Almost without exception, people who consume distilled water exclusively, eventually develop multiple mineral deficiencies.

Those who supplement their distilled water intake with trace minerals are not as deficient but still not as adequately nourished in minerals as their non-distilled water drinking counterparts even after several years of mineral supplementation.

The ideal water for the human body should be alkaline and this requires the presence of minerals like calcium and magnesium.

Distilled water tends to be acidic and can only be recommended as a way of drawing poisons out of the body. Once this is accomplished, the continued drinking of distilled water is a bad idea.

... Disease and early death is more likely to be seen with the long term drinking of distilled water. Avoid it except in special circumstances.

Zoltan P. Rona MD MSc

REFERENCES

Airola, P. 1974. How To Get Well. Phoenix, AZ: Health Plus Publishers.

Baroody, Dr. Theodore A. Jr. Alkalinize or Die. California:Portal Books, 1995.

Haas, Elson M. Staying Healthy with Nutrition. The Complete Guide to Diet & Nutritional Medicine. Berkeley, California:Celestial Arts, 1992; p. 22.

Rona, Zoltan P. and Martin, Jeanne Marie. Return to the Joy of Health, Vancouver: Alive Books, 1995.

Rona, Zoltan P. Childhood Illness and The Allergy Connection. Rocklin, California:Prima Books, 1996.

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Permalink Reply by Valine on May 13, 2008 at 1:07am

That was a really great post, really helpful - thanks so much!!

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Permalink Reply by Andrew J on May 13, 2008 at 8:05am

Absolutely. Very interesting indeed.

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Permalink Reply by Danielle on May 13, 2008 at 8:11pm

wow, thanks for that!

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Permalink Reply by anthony on May 13, 2008 at 12:22am

can i ask you what you think of to not take in any foods that are not raw and do you only eat raaw?

i am a new raw dieter but i find great benifit from it well if you wish to shine some beauty on me with you practices......love for peace

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Permalink Reply by buddhababy on May 13, 2008 at 12:29am

I personally would never ever drink distilled water- it's dead and leaches minerals. I drink high PH alkaline water from a deep underground spring, passed through dual filters and then ionized. PH varies from 9.5 to 10. I can make it higher PH but choose not to.

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Permalink Reply by RawZi on May 13, 2008 at 1:35am

lol, that's why I like rejuvelac. It's living water, not dead water like the rest (except for coconut water of course).

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Permalink Reply by Pink Lady Apple on May 13, 2008 at 11:11am

Buddhababy, which system do you use? I would be interested in something I can attach to my sink. Thanks

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Permalink Reply by Pete Vincent on May 13, 2008 at 2:50am

On the topic of water there is some great work by Wasaru Emoto that you will find interesting ( CLICK HERE to find a vid clip about his work shown in film What The Bleep). When veiwed under a darkfield microscope the crystals of water all look completely different. Water has a memory and is affected depending on what happens to it and what it is exposed to. Sounds like complete rubbish but his photos prve it. Amazing stuff.

I agree with the Distilled water only for short periods of time thinking and I use an Ionizer most of the time and just in case that turns out to be rubbish for you in time I also drink a bit of water from everywhere else just in case to cover all bases. I know people who have stressed about what water to drink for years and years which doesn't do you any good what so ever.

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Permalink Reply by Breanna on May 13, 2008 at 9:00am

I love Emotos findings. Have you ever heard of H2Om?

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Permalink Reply by Pete Vincent on May 13, 2008 at 9:44am

Dr Emoto's bottled water? It looks like a great idea but can't help thinking that we can do most of that ourselves and that some of it may well be marketing hype. Have you tried it yourself?

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