I have been warning against the use of purified waters for decades, but there are still those who insist that the practice is healthy. Hopefully this article will help them to understand why drinking purified waters is dangerous to our health. This includes reverse osmosis (R/O) water. If using purified waters be sure to saturate the water before drinking it to reduce the water's solvency. I prefer adding silica, but trace element salt, such as Celtic sea salt, or trace minerals can also be used.
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 vapour 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 U.S. 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 slightly 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.
Water filtered through reverse osmosis tends to be neutral and is acceptable for regular use provided minerals are supplemented.
Water filtered through a solid charcoal filter is slightly alkaline. Ozonation of this charcoal filtered water is ideal for daily drinking. Longevity is associated with the regular consumption of hard water (high in minerals). Disease and early death is more likely to be seen with the long term drinking of distilled water. Avoid it except in special circumstances.
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.
Thank You! Really interesting article. I have been drinking distilled pure water for months now.
Also, looks like here comes the debate of acid and alkaline that everybody is talking about. I have followed numerous of your posts where you have debunked the myth about alkalizing the body but If I understood the article correctly then water we consume should be alkalizing and absent of minerals in water makes the water acidic ? Actually it's still pretty comprehensive for me and you probably have talked about it on other threads so don't bother :)
Also, looks like here comes the debate of acid and alkaline that everybody is talking about. I have followed numerous of your posts where you have debunked the myth about alkalizing the body but If I understood the article correctly then water we consume should be alkalizing and absent of minerals in water makes the water acidic ? Actually it's still pretty comprehensive for me and you probably have talked about it on other threads so don't bother :)
I don't mind. purified waters will remove carbon dioxide from the air producing carbonic acid. But this is not a major problem. The biggest problem is the solvency of the water. You can take a glass of distilled water and dissolve more sugar in it than you can in tap water because purified waters are more solvent. The reason I bring this up is because water is known as the "universal solvent". It is going to look for things to dissolve and saturate with. And as I pointed out the more pure water is the more solvent it is . In fact ultrapure (type 1) water can be quite caustic. When we drink purified waters the water is going to look for something in the body to saturate with. But it does not have a brain to say I will only take the bad stuff and leave the good stuff. Instead it will saturate with vitamins, minerals, toxins, etc. As the water is expelled from the body it carries these substances with it. So among other things purified waters will "rob" the body of valuable vitamins and minerals. This is why studies have shown a much higher risk of heart disease in individuals consuming purified waters.
I have actually had people argue with me claiming that the water only carries toxins out of the body and not vitamins and minerals. Asking them why it is your urine changes color when you take too much vitamin C or B vitamins usually stumps them enough to stop the debate. You can also ask them how do we develop calcium oxalate kidney stones if the water does not dissolve calcium? Then there is always the obvious of how do the vitamins and minerals get in to the body without the aid of water? The fact is that water not only dissolves these substances, but it allows the passage of many substances in to the body. Consider teas that dissolve the vitamins, minerals, alkaloids, etc. from the plant then that we drink for those benefits. If water could not dissolve these things to make them accessible to the body then we would be in a world of hurt.
The best water is spring water, but purified waters can be pre-saturated with silica or mineral drops to reduce the solvency of the water. When you drink saturated water there is an exchange reaction as the water gives up what it is carrying for toxins and other substances. But saturated water will not rob the body of beneficial compounds.
I do use mineral drops or seasalt and have the silica water for drinking.
It would be helpful if I could use the silica water eg in soup etc.
Yes, due to the poor solubility and absorption of silica the more frequently you ingest tiny amounts of silica the more you will get in to your system rather than taking single large doses. So using it in cooking is good. And the heat and acids in the soup will help with the saturation and absorption.
So, should we be drinking spring water only? Not purified water? What about the Britta or other faucet filters? I've heard that these aren't that effective? What type of water for taking a coffee enema?
I watched an episode of why many people in some foreign countries seem to live long and healthy lives. They claim it to be the hard natural water with its countless minerals to be the answer!
So, should we be drinking spring water only? Not purified water?
Spring is best as long as the spring is not contaminated. For example when Perrier water was found to contaminated with benzene.
Also check bottle carefully since some "sping waters" are purified by distillation, reverse osmosis and deionization.
Campgrounds are also a great place to get mineralized water.
For those who don't want to buy spring water or don't have access to it, or clean well water, the next best option is reverse osmosis water but resaturate the water with silica, trace minerals or a little trace element salt.
What about the Britta or other faucet filters? I've heard that these aren't that effective?
They are generally just activated carbon filters, which are not effective. Activated carbon actually has a very short active life. How long will depend on the amount of carbon to the amount of fluid being filtered as well as amount of contamination. As an example though activated carbon for aquariums only lasts a couple of weeks. We still leave it in the filter system after that though since it works great as a bacteria bed for the "biological filter".
And carbon filtration does not filter out all "bad" stuff.
What type of water for taking a coffee enema?
Reverse osmosis water is fine. You will be saturating the water with the coffee before use. Although the caffeine you are using to stimulate the liver is not good for the adrenals. If you want to cleanse the liver digestive bitters will do a better job and is safer.
I watched an episode of why many people in some foreign countries seem to live long and healthy lives. They claim it to be the hard natural water with its countless minerals to be the answer!
The minerals are very important, especially magnesium that helps to keep the arteries clean and dilated, helps to form ATP............ This is why drinking purified or "soft" waters increases the risk of heart disease.
The minerals also have other benefits such as bone strength, proper muscle function, insulin formation, anticancer properties, immune enhancing properties.......
This is good info! I think the coffee enema's do serve their purpose. But I knew that since taking them, I feel ten foot tall and bullet proof for hours afterward. The next day, I feel quite exhausted due to the adrenals being whacked! I'm going to try the bitters now and follow your suggestion.
It looks as if many of those water purification sites give bogus info! Figures!
Hi Hv, I've been using Distilled Water w/ my Silica. Is that what I should be doing or should I be using Spring Water or something else? I thought it was supposed to be Distilled Water for the Silica to settle in.
Sorry Hveragerthi but that is very controversial. There are many scientific studies that go entirely against the theory that distilled water pulls out minerals from the body. Here is just one:
DOES DISTILLED WATER LEACH OUT MINERALS FROM OUR BODIES?
No, in fact, just the opposite has been found to occur in cellular research studies. It is a mistaken belief that drinking pure distilled water reduces valuable minerals from living human tissues.
ORGANIC MINERALS VS. INORGANIC MINERALS
There are two types of minerals, organic and inorganic. Human physiology has a biological affinity for organic minerals. Most minerals for body functions are absorbed from dietary plant foods. A growing plant converts the inorganic minerals from the soils to a useful organic mineral. When an organic mineral (from a plant food) enters the stomach it attaches itself to a specific protein-molecule(a process called chelation) in order to be absorbed, and then it gains access to the tissue sites where it is needed. Once a plant mineral is absorbed within the body, it is utilized as a coenzyme for composing body fluids, forming blood and bone cells, and the maintaining of healthy nerve transmission.(Balch & Balch 1990) Without a healthy organic mineral balance inside and outside the cells of muscle, blood, and bone substructures, the body will began to spasm, twitch and cramp, eventually deteriorating to a full "rigor complex", and/or complete failure. Minerals can be likened to the key to your car: it is a small component, but nevertheless an essential one. And a small amount of inorganic minerals are needed(like sodium), but food is still the best source.
INORGANIC MINERALS FROM TAPWATER ARE "BAD NEWS".
Tap water presents a variety of inorganic minerals which our body has difficulty absorbing. Their presence is suspect in a wide array of degenerative diseases, such as hardening of the arteries, arthritis, kidney stones, gall stones, glaucoma, cataracts, hearing loss, emphysema, diabetes, and obesity. The minerals available, especially in "hard" tapwater, are poorly absorbed, or rejected by cellular tissue sites, and, if not evacuated, their presence may cause arterial obstruction, and internal damage.(Dennison 1993, Muehling 1994, Banik 1989)
ORGANIC MINERALS ARE PREFERRED
It is no wonder that the body prefers the richest source of minerals, from organic foods, instead of the hard-to-absorb minerals in tap water. Even if human tissue suddenly developed the ability to absorb inorganic minerals from tap water, it would take an enormous amount of tapwater to supply the bare minimal mineral quantities for proper life functions. If(for example) the ample inorganic mineral content of the tap water in Reno, Nevada were modified so that it would convert the daily Calcium requirement(RDA) from its inorganic calcium solutes, one would have to drink 7.4 gallons of their tap water.
DISTILLED WATER ACTUALLY ENHANCES MINERAL ABSORPTION RATES
Yes, and this is correllated to the ability of hard water to conduct electricity. Distilled Water will not conduct electricity(even when 2 parts per million inorganic minerals or less are present). Water with 5 parts inorganic content per million parts water(or more) will conduct electricity, completing a simple circuit and lighting a tester bulb. The higher the inorganic content is in a per million count, the less effectively water transmits organic minerals to tissue sites. Bottled water, tapwater, reverse-osmosis filtered water, and carbon-block filtered water(when tested) will conduct electricity, substantiating that these are not the best carriers for mineral-transport and mineral-absorption(Muehling 1994). Tapwater in the USA has been shown to contain 19 "inorganic metals of concern"(1994 Safe Water Drinking Act), for which maximum contaminant levels have been set.(Tone 1994) Most American tapwater tested falls between the ranges of 350 parts per million to over 1000 parts per million total contaminants.(Colgan 1993)
REPEAT THE QUESTION PLEASE...
Does drinking distilled water leach minerals from the body? No, quite the opposite. If inorganic minerals (and other substances like chlorine, heavy metals, bacteria, etc.) are removed from tapwater, by converting it into pure distilled water, the result is improved absorption of all nutrients, including minerals, and improved elimination of wastes at the cellular level.
REFERENCES
Muehling EC, "Pure Water Now: Its Time For Action," 2cd Ed., Pure Water Inc., Lincoln, Neb., 1994:1-42.
Dennison C, "Why I Drink Distilled Water", Reprint Form 6300, Pure Water Inc., Lincoln, Neb.,1993.
Tone J, "Your Drinking Water-How Good Is It?", National Testing Laboratories Inc., Cleveland, Ohio,1994:21.
Banik AE, "The Choice Is Clear," ACRES USA, Metaire, Louisiana, 1989:37.
Balch JF, Balch PA, PRESCRIPTION FOR NUTRITIONAL HEALING, Avery Publishing Co., Garden City, NY, 1990:17.
Colgan M, OPTIMUM SPORTS NUTRITION, Advanced Research Press, New York, NY, 1993:23-24.
Whenever I read something that is not true, regardless of the fact it was posted years ago, I feel I need to respond. Especially since distilled water is the most pure clean, clear healthy element on earth next to air.
First of all, it should go without saying, that before you quote someone as an authority, make sure they are and that what they are saying is true.
Just because they have a title of M.D. after their name doesn't mean they are infallible or for that matter, that they even know what they are talking about.
In my opinion, if a medical doctor makes a definitive statement about distilled water bringing early death by drinking it regularly, I would not listen to anything he has to say about, health, healing, nutrition or listen to any advice he has to offer. If he can be that wrong about such an elementary subject, he loses all credibility in my book.
First of all, I personally have been drinking one and a half gallons of distilled water per day since 1973 and in addition, I have fasted a minimum of 21 days per year on just distilled water! I have NEVER been sick, not a cold, flu, sore throat, not even a headache, nor have I ever taken any medication for sickness, not even an aspirin!
So don't tell me "Early Death Comes From Drinking Distilled Water" That statement only reveals the doctors gross ignorance, irresponsibility and lack of professionalism.
I refuse to educate the reader on all the healthy benefits derived from drinking pure, clean, healthy H2O when Dr. Andrew Weil Newsweek Magazines- listed one of "Americas Top 100 Most Influential People" says it is not only the best water to drink, but drinks it himself. Harvard Medical School says it is the best... The Mayo Clinic says it is the best... the American Medical Association says it is the best... Thousands of Medical Doctors, Nutritionists, Scientists say it is the best and healthiest!
But guess what? "a man with an experience is not at the mercy of a man with an argument" I have drank over 42,ooo gallons of distilled water since 1972 and gone without eating well over 840 days and I have not died an early death, in fact you should be so healthy. Quote the experts, not the people trying to sell their "whole house" filter systems, especially if they call themselves an "Expert"
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Early Death Comes from Drinking Distilled Water 
