Re: Water fasting; how to know if your electrolytes are out of wack?

Thank you for the thumbs up, Chris! It took some Science plus personal interest and research. I reciprocate and thank you for your enormous contribution to us. I admire the depth of your knowledge and experience in fasting and body's functions. Furthermore I appreciate the altruistic and effective way you share them with us.

Back to some of my thoughts ...
Chemicals are building blocks for the living beings, and you are right that chemistry and biology intersect to a significant part. It is absolutely true, without water or other solvent no mineral is going to act as electrolyte. Medical tests and sources, though, would use interchangeably the terms mineral and electrolyte. In bones calcium, phosphorous and fluoride are referred to most often as minerals, but when they dissolve into blood, saliva or any liquid they act as particles with electrical charges, being able therefore to influence every process in the body. Our hearts keep the rhythm requires electrolytes and electrical impulses, our muscle cells contract when influx of electrolytes goes through cell membranes, your brains work using electrical impulses and so on.

Amazing enough, water, H2O, also has electrolytic properties, without being strictly a mineral, or salt. This is where electrolyte properties and pH come together. Simplistically, pH is a measure of the concentration of H+. When it is 100%, pH is 0, when it is when it is 0%, pH is 14 It dissociate to H+ and OH-, positive and negative ions respectively. H+ being acid and OH- being alkaline, but the resultant summary charge of these two ions is neutral, or pH 7. Most distilled waters, mine inclusively, have pH as low as 5.5, i.e. acid. I make my distilled water using tap water with acidic pH, this what comes out of my faucet. I find it logical, that I end up getting acidic distilled water. Also, so far I've accepted one more explanation: presence of carbon dioxide dissolved from air, combining with water ions, where CO2 + H+ + OH- leads to H+ + HCO3- ion. H+ is "more acidic" than HCO3- is being alkaline, resulting in acid pH. Rain water in the industrial world, and I suspect now everywhere, would have acidic pH, due to similar process, dissolving SO2 from the polluted air...

But, I have still some problem with the notion that I am going to be drinking distilled water with low pH during my fast. Another reason to build alkaline reserves. HCO3-, the bicarbonate ion, is essential for pH balance, so I feel it is plausible trying to build reserve of it through baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, or Na+ HCO3-). I found out 1/4 to 1/2 tsp bicarbonate increase the pH of 1.2 liters (one big beer bottle filled with water)from pH 5.5 to around/above pH 7. Well, I admit, what I am doing is a bit experimental. And a raw diet with lots of vegetable juice will to the job over few months, but I can not wait that much. My official doctor would rather discourage this, but he would also discourage distilled water altogether, ... so, to go forward I am left with the experiments on myself. On the water fast I would not dare to add electrolytes in the water, besides the existing ions of hypothetical CO2 origin, unless I feel it would save the day and my life.

I can not agree more with you on nutrition and electrolytes being diverse and often confusing matter, with contradicting theories on both. Shelton is a medical giant. It does not hurt, in my opinion, to build further on his legacy. Indeed, I learned some of the facts on human mineral balance from Dr Jerry Tennant, but also through my own research. Actually he happily discovered, that his own brain infection was duly brought in control by replenishing electrolyte deficiencies. He tells: electrolytes are our "battery" and no "Cadillac can run without battery". He states that below certain concentration of electrolytes body's capacity to heal is nearly brought to halt. This is the reason why I, myself, was concerned about not going into fast with the proper amount of useful minerals. Sighing ... I had given myself another 20 to 30 days to replenish some.

It is very interesting that you brought the question about vitamin deficiency being unheard of as result of fasts. I am not competent enough. I can make an assumption, that, since they are mostly enzyme co-factors, or catalyst /inhibitors, which the body recycles, using the same vitamin molecule again and again, they would be less prone to depletion in a state where the body holds to all its reserves. The same is not true for electrolytes, they end up being excreted through all fluids, urine, saliva, sputum stool, and anything else, expelled even if sparingly in most cases, but are lost on the long run, especially when having distilled water. I love distilled water, for its undeniable property to help clean the body from the toxins. Although, I tend to find the idea of some of the forum participants to have ocean salt in bath water, if feeling exhausted, very clever. I would, maybe, try this if my weakness is too pronounced, just as a trial. If I feel it helps me to continue the fast, I would probably resort to it periodically. But, it is true, I am starting to get concerned that I might disturb the body's wisdom, its own plan and strategy, by doing so. This is why I appreciate our forum so much, there is always the knowledge and experience of others to lean on and get inspired from. Thank you again, Chris! And thank you all!

DL

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