Is Alkaline Ionized Water Snake Oil On Tap? A Review Of The Evidence

If you do a Google search for 'Alkaline Water' the first page you get is by aretired chemist Stephen Lower. He says that alkaline water is Snake Oil; WaterIonization is not possible because pure water does not conduct electricity andin any case there would be no more health benefit from it then baking soda! Hecalls the scientists involved crackpots!Let us look briefly at his statements:1. Dr Lower: "Ionized water is nothing more than sales fiction; the term ismeaningless to chemists."Response: Not true - Ionized Water is an emerging science. In 10 years timeIonized Alkaline and Acid water based systems will be common in most homes.Sanyo has announced a washing machine that uses ionized water that will notrequire any washing powder. Think of the potential benefits.In the UK, High Street Chemists do stock Ionized water in bottles and somepromote water ionizers.2. Dr Lower: "Most water that is fit for drinking is too un-conductive toundergo significant electrolysis."Response: No true. Test ionized water for yourself using litmus paper or a pHmeter and you will see for yourself.3. Dr Lower: "Groundwater containing metal ions such as calcium and magnesiumcan be rendered slightly alkaline by electrolysis, but after it hits the highlyacidic gastric fluid in the stomach, its alkalinity is gone"Response: Virtually all tap water contains ions, that's why Water Ionizers workin 99% of household water supplies. Water ionization separates the positive(acid) and negative (alkaline) ions present in the water. In the UK well over70% of the drinking water is Groundwater.The stomach produces gastric juices on demand depending on the food you eat. Itis a scientific fact that the stomach does not have a pouch to store thehydrochloric acids!Clinical studies have shown conclusively that the body is able to assimilate theminerals from alkaline ionized waters.4. Dr Lower: "Pure water can never be alkaline or acidic, nor can it be made soby electrolysis....pure water can be considered to be ion-free, as evidenced bythe fact that it will not conduct an electric current."Response: Not true. What I assume Dr Lower means is that pure distilled H2O isneutral, but chemically pure H2O does not exist in nature. Even when you makedistilled water it soon absorbs atmospheric gases and its pH becomes slightlyacidic. Chemically pure H2O is not pure water, but an artificially createdsubstance - it does not have any ions and cannot conduct electricity. But suchwater does not occur anywhere outside the chemistry lab.Try telling an electrician that tap water doesn't conduct electricity, so youcan pour it on electric power sockets!5. Dr Lower: "The claims about the health benefits of drinking alkaline waterare not supported by credible scientific evidence"Health benefits are difficult to quantify with any natural substance like cleanwater, fresh air or live food. But this does not mean that there are no healthbenefits. Common sense tells us that good clean water would be more beneficialfor our health then dirty, poisoned water. Pure natural water from high altitudemountain springs and glaciers is alkaline water with pH around 8.If you were to go to the Alps and live there, you'd find after several months animprovement in your general health.Researchers that have looked at the heath of high mountain people have traced itto the local water that they are drinking and the fresh air.There is plenty of credible evidence to suggest there are some benefits fromalkaline water - seek and you shall find. Our clinical studies section listsabstracts from some 100+ published scientific papers.Is not one of them even a teeny, weenie bit credible Professor?Do we need something labeled as 'credible scientific evidence' to know thatclean water or clean air or clean food is good for our health? Isn't a littlecommon sense enough?I would be very interested in any evidence (credible or incredible, published ornot published) that pure, unpolluted water is NOT good for your health, andpolluted water is.Take 2 glasses of water, one tap water which has chlorine, fluoride, female sexhormones and 100's of other toxic substances in it; the other glass has the samewater, but with all those poisons taken out of it.Which would be better for your health?Do you need credible scientific double blind studies published in prestigiousjournals to prove that drinking toxic sludge is NOT good for your health beforeyou stop drinking it?Who decides what is credible?Surely if world renowned experts like Dr Gabriel Cousin's, Daniel Reid, SangWhang, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Ray Kurzweil, Dr Terry Grossman, Dr TheodoreBaroody, Dr Sherry Rodgers, Dr Susan Lark, Dr Robert Young and countless othersworldwide are drinking alkaline water and recommending that you should drink ittoo, then it's worth considering?Do these people have anything to do with water ionizer manufacturers?Do they benefit in any way from the water that you drink in your home?Do you really think that these people are snake oil peddlers?Could it be that these experts are giving honest advice, based on their personalexperience?SUMMARYWater Ionizers, particularly from established manufacturers like JupiterScience/Royal Water do work as per the device specifications, and this can beeasily tested using simple measuring devices like pH and ORP meters.The question of the health benefits is not so easily resolved, but certainlythere is no harm from drinking water that has all the poisons and acid moleculestaken out of it.James Khan is a holistic therapist. He edits http://Glowing-Health.com thatpromotes Jupiter Water Ionizers, Alkaline Water, FIR Sauna, Greens, Raw Foodsand Juices to help you get healthy, lose weight, stop cancer, beat diabetes andbuild bones. Email: info@...