The Water Issue
The Water Issue has been one of my most popular blogs ever and its high time I gave it an update…because, well, things change.
Water affects all of us, all the time. We drink it, shower in it, bathe in it, clean with it and more.
First, it's important to note this information applies to all water sources, even those on a well. Unfortunately, having a private water source doesn't mean the quality is optimal!
In this issue we’ll cover:
The ideal drinking water: what should be in your water?
Ph
Hydrogen
Electrolytes
Contaminants: What should not be in your water.
Mold + Bacteria
Chemicals
Metals
Tips and tricks to optimize your water
What filtration systems I use and recommend
What testing kits I use to determine water quality
In order to get the full effect from your water it must be maximally usable by the body. This means it must be pH balanced, free of environmental toxicants and rich in electrolytes. Bonus points if it's also living and structured.
What is pH and why does it matter?
PH determines the alkalinity of the water. Your body is a very tightly controlled system of acids and bases that rests between 7.35-7.45. This system is affected by your diet, your fluid intake and the air you breathe. Most people on a standard American diet tend toward an acidic state, which promotes disease. Those on a plant-based diet tend toward a more alkaline state which is generally good but can become dangerous if it becomes too alkaline, as I experienced when following a raw vegan diet and drinking copious amounts of hydrogen water in my mid 20’s. The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle.
If you want to test your home water, you can simply buy some pH strips at your local drug store and test it. If you find that you have acidic water, consider investing in an ECHO Ultimate (which will do it all, keep reading to learn more) to alkalize your water or if you’re on a budget, add a squeeze of lemon or a magnesium tab to create an alkaline ash.
What is hydrogen water and how is it made?
Water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H2O). Living water is rich in hydrogen and structured in a highly organized manner- think beautiful snowflake. Hydrogen water is infused with additional hydrogen bonds that are free floating and ready to react with other elements. This creates a negative oxygen reduction potential, which allows your water to act as an antioxidant and stimulate growth of beneficial anaerobic bacteria when it hits your gut.
Hydrogen is required for just about every reaction that happens in the body, so boosting your hydrogen pool with hydrogen rich water has the potential to improve energy and cognition, speed up muscle recovery and tissue healing, and reduce inflammation.
Hydrogen-rich, living water is found naturally in free-flowing streams where water cascades over rocks, generating extra hydrogen molecules and “fluffing” the water molecules. Unfortunately our city water processing systems destroy the structure of water, leaving just the basic elements behind.
So what is the answer to having hydrogen-rich water available 24/7? The ECHO water system. The Echo filters are designed to fit any budget with travel models to whole home filtration systems.
There are also a few supplements designed to create hydrogen water when added to basic tap water but I caution you on long-term use of these for a few reasons. The drops and strips don't have the same oxygen reduction potential which means they wont have as great an effect on reducing inflammation as the hydrogen generated electrically. They also rely on magnesium as a carrier of hydrogen, which leaves the magnesium depleted and nonrenewable after it is used, meaning your body can't use it. This route may be a tempting, cheaper alternative in the short term, but it will add up over time, so if you’re committed to the hydrogen life, invest in a machine that can make you unlimited amounts of hydrogen-rich water, forever.
I recommend ECHO systems above other hydrogen/pH systems like Kangen (which I used to own) because these machines use a patented system to prevent minerals from building up on the coils that create the hydrogen; which means your machine will last much longer than the other guys and won’t require as much maintenance.
What are electrolytes and when should I use them?
Electrolytes might be my favorite water hack and one of my secret weapons in helping people heal. Electrolytes are mineral salts naturally found in water that help our body absorb and distribute fluid throughout the body. Most water movement in and out of cells depends on osmosis, which is a passive flow of water toward solutes. These solutes are minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium and sodium which the body carefully shuttles into cells by active transport proteins. The minerals will pull water molecules toward them wherever they are, which is why electrolytes are so critical for proper cellular hydration.
Have you ever tried to drink more water and felt like all it did was make you have to pee more?
Without electrolytes to pull water into the cells, water simply goes in one end and out the other like a dried up plant whose soil can't retain water!
Electrolytes have many other functions in the body and often get stolen by stealth infections, depleted by certain medications, and used up during times of high stress. Clinically, when I see low blood pressure, frequent urination or chronic dehydration it's generally due to electrolyte deficiency. We just don't get enough of these vital mineral salts in our regular diets, especially with salt being villainized in mainstream medicine, many conscious people deplete themselves by avoiding salt in general!
Proper electrolyte supplementation will help with cellular hydration, may reduce or eliminate swelling in some cases and help balance out low blood pressure, but improper supplementation of electrolytes can cause a worsening of blood pressure issues and swelling, stress the kidneys, spike blood pressure and cause heart rate variability. If you have kidney issues, high blood pressure or any other serious health condition, I do not recommend starting a new electrolyte regimen without consulting your doctor first about what type, and how much, is best for you.
It's also important to note that the adrenals are responsible for maintaining electrolyte balance, so if you have chronic stress or fatigue, or are fighting a chronic disease you will likely need more electrolytes to maintain optimal function until those issues can be properly addressed.
My favorite brand of electrolyte is Jigsaw Health because it’s sugar free, dye free, packed with active B-vitamins for energy and comes in three amazing flavors! You can find it here. Note: this is on the sweeter side, more like Gatorade. Body Bio makes another sweet option that has the added benefit of amino acids.
If you prefer a saltier electrolyte, try LMNT or Relyte by Redmond Real Salt. They are also sugar free and dye free but do not contain any additional vitamins.
I have also experimented with Bouy and Trace Minerals Research liquid flavorless electrolytes. These work well for those who prefer plain water or have multiple Carroll Intolerances to avoid.
What’s most important when choosing an electrolyte is to ensure it does not contain sugar, artificial sweeteners, dyes, or artificial flavorings. Aim for something sweetened with monkfruit and/or stevia and colored with fruit/vegetable powder or juice.
Natural electrolyte rich options include bone broth and coconut water. In a pinch, just a few shakes of high quality salt will do the trick.
For those using the Carroll Food method, its worth noting that Jigsaw does test for potato, LMNT stick packs do test for grain but the sparkling option is grain free. I LOVE the sparkling option, especially on a hot summer day. The Body Bio is sea-salt free and the only fruit-free options are LMNT watermelon and chocolate and Body-Bio Watermelon. Relyte unfortunately tests for dairy.
Contaminants in water: What should NOT be in your water.
Many people jump straight to buying bottled water thinking it is healthier. This is a mistake. The truth is most bottled water is just city water stored in a plastic bottle. Those plastic bottles are then stored in warehouses at unregulated temperatures often topping 100F causing chemicals to leach out of the plastic right into the water.
German researchers recently found that a single bottle of water can contain up to 25,000 chemicals, many of which have negative effects on your sex hormones! EEK!! So if you’re going to buy bottled water, make sure it's spring water in a glass bottle.
The problem with city water is that most of it is recycled and the city filters are not designed to remove contaminants like metals, petrochemicals and medications during the recycling process. To add insult to injury, most water processing facilities add even more chemicals, like chlorine and fluoride, during the processing. These chemicals are not taken out afterward, but left to remain for you to drink.
Heavy metals are another common contaminant in public water supplies. This occurs mostly in older cities and towns where the pipes themselves are leaded and leach into the water directly or the pipes begin to break down and leach metals from the soil.
If you are on a public water system and you want to know exactly what is in your water, you can go to https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/ and type in your zip code for a full report. I love this site because they show you what is in the water, what the government standards for “safe” contaminant levels are vs what the actual “safe” levels should be based on the research of known contaminants and associated diseases.
Well water comes with its own set of challenges, namely mold and algae, but also heavy metals and radiation. This is why home filtration is absolutely essential, even if you are on a well. If you are going to drink unfiltered well water, I recommend having your water tested at least every few years.
Mold is by far the most common problem I see associated with well water and it's a BIG problem. If you are drinking mold and algae, there is no way your gut can keep up with the ongoing burden of trying to balance out your microbiome. Symptoms of yeast and mold are fatigue, bloating, gas, sugar cravings, itching, skin rash, thyroid problems, hormone imbalances, weight gain, allergic rhinitis and many many more.
Tips and Tricks to Optimize Your Water:
If you are on a well or just want to test your tap water or even your filtered water, I recommend getting a Comprehensive Drinking Water Analysis from Doctors Data for $129 to determine if you need to up your filtration game.
Bottom line is that no matter your water source you need a filter sensitive enough to remove metals, fungi, bacteria, medications, petrochemicals, radiation and chlorine just to maintain your status quo and not add to your total body burden.
Second, you will likely need to add electrolytes back into your water after the filtration process.
And for extra credit, if you can structure your water in a way that it is living and full of hydrogen, you will reap the benefits of extra antioxidants and increase your energy potential.
Besides the ECHO systems, there are a few other filters I recommend.
In my home and office I use the Boroux filters (previously Berkey). What I love most about these is that they do not require electricity so can be used in emergency situations. They are also portable and don't require installation, so are ideal for rental situations.
Disaster strikes and no running water is available? You bet I'll be hauling river water and filtering through my carbon Boroux filter!
And if you find that you have radiation in your water, you may need something stronger than the Berkey/Boroux or even the ECHO to remove it. This is where distillers come in.
I previously did not like to recommend water distillers because they are often large and more cumbersome to use and they deplete the water of absolutely everything. That being said, sometimes they are the best choice because if you start with pure water you can add to it whatever you want.
For those who are very toxic or extraordinarily sensitive to environmental toxicants, a distiller might be your best bet. I had the opportunity to speak with the folks at Pure Water and I was impressed with their units and commitment to quality standards. They provided the purest third party testing results of any water filter I have seen and their units are not unreasonably expensive. If you want to consider this option check them out here and use code DRTERRA to claim a 5% discount on your purchase.
And finally, if you’re not investing in a whole-home filtration system, you may want to consider adding in a shower and/or bath filter. Your skin absorbs water and whatever toxins it contains at an even higher rate than drinking water. There are many options out there for these and I don't have specifics to recommend, it will depend on your preferences. Check out Aquasana and Jolie to start.
I hope this was helpful and happy drinking!
As always, wishing you health and happiness!
