Unhealthy drinks

Water is vital to life. Without water, there won’t be life as we know it on earth. Our body is 50-75 percent water, averaging around 57 to 65 percent. Infants are 75-78 percent water, dropping to 65 percent by age one year. And the value of water is even more evident during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Drinking distilled water, even during this pandemic, as the main source of liquid daily is not as healthy as one might think. Water filtered by Zero Water filter is basically distilled water, with Zero TDS (total dissolved solids). The process of distillation produces vapor/moisture (the purest water one can get) that is collected in separate chambers, eliminating important essential minerals, besides chlorine and other harmful chemicals.

The widespread misconception that distilled water, being the “purest,” is the best water for drinking, is scientifically and medically flawed. Drinking distilled water regularly every day is a health risk to everyone, especially children.

Distilled water may be used temporarily or occasionally as drinking water if filtered water purified through 8-stage reversed osmosis is not available. While distilled water is free of bacteria, parasites, and toxic chemicals, the process of distillation also removes all valuable minerals like fluoride, calcium, magnesium, etc., which are vital to our health.

Information from APEC, one of the top-rated Reverse Osmosis and Whole House Systems in the United States, is worth noting:

“According to research articles and news, most tap and well water in the U.S. now are NOT safe for drinking due to heavy industrial and environmental pollution. We have reached a point where all sources of our drinking water, including municipal water systems, wells, lakes, rivers, and even glaciers, contain some level of contamination. Contaminants range from naturally-occurring minerals to man-made chemicals and by-products. While many contaminants are found at levels not enough to cause immediate discomforts or sicknesses, it is proven that even low-level exposure to many common contaminants will, over time, cause severe illnesses including liver damage, cancer, and other serious ailments. Even the chemicals commonly used to treat municipal water supplies such as chlorine and fluoride are toxic and are known to have significant adverse effects on the human body.”

“Environmental water contamination is the leading worldwide cause of death and disease and it adversely affects over 1 billion people every day in developing countries. Even here in the United States we often struggle with water pollution caused by natural disasters and human activities. A recent national report on our water quality revealed that 45% of assessed stream miles, 47% of assessed lake acres, and 32% of assessed bays square miles were classified as polluted. Ground and well water sources may also become contaminated due to the problems associated with industrial dumping, hydraulic fracking, and agricultural byproducts.”

Distilled vs filtered water

Distilled water, as we have alluded to above, is the purest water one can get. But for drinking, we do not need the purest because our body needs the minerals naturally present in water from mother nature. What we need, which modern-day 8-stage reverse osmosis filtration does to water, is the removal of the chlorine and other contaminants, such as harmful heavy metals, parasites, bacteria, and odor, to make drinking water safe and palatable. Drinking distilled water regularly leads to 15 percent deficiency in calcium (osteoporosis), 30 percent deficiency in magnesium (heart rhythm, abnormality), and almost 100 percent in fluoride, which results in tooth decay. Distilled water is not the best for the human body. Genuine bottled water, which has gone through 8-stage reverse osmosis filtration manufactured by reputable companies, is the safest water to drink today.

Alkaline water: waste of money

 The hype about alkaline water as a healthier choice is nothing but a profit-motivated scam victimizing misinformed, unsuspecting, gullible consumers. Even the Mayo Clinic has warned the public about the health risks of alkalosis for those drinking alkaline water daily, which could lead to hypocalcemia and hypothyroidism. There is currently no scientific evidence that alkaline water is safe or beneficial to health. All advertised claims are unfounded, baseless, and theoretical, at best. Caveat emptor, as always!

Our God-gifted body has an excellent electrolyte and acid-base regulator system that continuously monitors our levels of electrolytes to strictly maintain our blood pH between 7.38 and 7.42. Our bicarbonate buffering system regulates the carbon dioxide concentration to maintain an optimal pH level, shifting any acid-base imbalance. If we ingest acidic or alkaline food or drink, this natural buffering system adjusts to maintain a healthy balance.

So, drinking alkaline water daily will only induce the body to form more acid to equilibrate the system, a risky added work for our acid-base balance equalizer. If our body becomes too acidic from the food or drinks we consume, it normally automatically adjusts itself, without the need for drinking alkaline liquid, which has a pH of 8 to 9, compared to normal drinking water, which has a pH of around 7, the healthy level.

The only indication for drinking alkaline water is when a person has cancer or other illnesses which make their blood pH level too acidic because the acid-base buffer system is not functioning properly. For all others, drinking alkaline water, instead of regular filtered water, could be hazardous.

A life-threatening complication of regular consumption of alkaline water is metabolic alkalosis, which could lead to gastrointestinal problems (nausea, vomiting, hand tremors, muscle twitching, and skin irritation), or organ failure. A bit acidic stomach works best in killing bad bacteria, and alkaline water would deprive the stomach of its normal physiology and protection…and your wallet with less money.

Even more unhealthy than distilled water and alkaline water are soft drinks of any variety on the market, “toxic liquid candy” as I call them, because, as a beverage, it increases the risk for the development of metabolic syndrome in adults, and more severely among children. Fruits juices with added sugar, especially those with preservatives, are also unhealthy. It is better to eat the fruits or juice them yourself, with no additive, except perhaps healthy seeds (chia, flaxseeds, hemp seed, etc.). Today, nothing beats clean, 8-stage-filtered, water!

            Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, a Health Advocate, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com   Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com

Editor’s Note: Images used in this article have been randomly selected but not to endorse, specify or name the product brand.