Below are the articles I found on the healthfulness of drinking
distilled water...makes me want to drink it all the time:
Distilled Water versus Mineral, Carbon Filtered, and Reverse Osmosis Waterby Ron Kennedy, M.D.,
There is circulating a point of view about distilled water,
undoubtedly promulgated by producers and sellers of mineral water.
This point of view is that water should be mineralized in order to
have health benefits and that distilled water somehow leaches out
minerals from the body.
To understand the truth about this matter one must know a little about
mineral chemistry in living systems. In order for a mineral to be of
any use to the body it must be presented in a form in which it can be
used. That form involves an association with an organic (carbon based)
molecule. Carbon based molecules are to be found in living systems,
and are not found in the ground which is where mineral water comes
from. Water from the ground comes with minerals alright, but these
minerals are in salt form. When salt is presented to the body (with
rare exceptions such as sodium chloride) it must be either stored or
excreted. A good example is CaCO3 (calcium carbonate). Carbonate is
not a sufficiently complex organic molecule and therefore cannot
properly contribute its calcium to living systems. The calcium comes
out instead in ionic form (with a positive charge) and precipitates by
forming other salts. Common locations for precipitation of calcium are
the lens of the eye (cataracts), the kidneys (kidney stones) and the
walls of arteries (arteriosclerosis). Unbound minerals must be
excreted, which is extra work for the kidneys) or stored. This makes
dust of the argument that healthy water is mineralized, and dust is of
course the source of minerals in mineral water.
Incidentally, CaCO3 comes from lime stone and comprises the bulk of
most calcium supplements, including that in “calcium enriched orange
juice.” If you want cataracts, kidney stones, and arteriosclerosis, be
sure to eat and drink “calcium enriched” foods.
Now as to the argument that distilled water leaches out minerals. This
is true, and this is exactly what we want it to do. The minerals it
leaches out are of the unusable, ionic form and we want these to leave
the body rather than be deposited and cause disease. Distilled water
does not leach out significant amounts of biologically available
minerals because these are quickly taken up by the body on an as
needed basis. If they are present in excess then they are filtered
through the kidneys and this is exactly what needs to happen with all
things which are in excess in the circulation. Distilled water
cleanses the body through promoting healthy kidney function.
Finally, if mineral water is not a good source of biologically
available minerals, then what is? Think about it. Minerals are present
in the ground and must be biologically bound in order to be used by
the body. Where would that come from? Plants, or course! Your mineral
source should be plants not water. The purpose of water is to cleanse
the body. To do the best job of that, it must be free of everything
else. Only distilled water fits that bill.
As to carbon filtered and reverse osmosis water, these are better
solutions than tap water or mineral water, however they still fall far
short of the standard set by distilled water.
Nature knows best and nature supplies distilled water in the form of
rain. However, rain water is no longer pure due to atmospheric
pollution. The only remaining option is for us to distill our own
water. To that end, I have found no equal of the WaterWise 9000 for up
to five people in a home or office.
If you would like to read more I recommend two books: The Truth About
Water and Your Body’s many Cries For Water.
The Importance of Pure Water:Only oxygen is more essential than water in sustaining the life of all
living organisms. Human beings can live for several weeks without
food, but only a few days without water. The quality of your tissues,
their performance, and their resistance to disease and injury are
linked to the quality and quantity of water you drink. Experts agree
that in order to maintain optimum health one needs to drink 8-10
glasses of water per day. The daily cleansing of wastes from each
cell, the flushing of the alimentary canal and the purifying of the
blood are all dependent on our water consumption.
The Present Condition of Water:
Most people get their water from the household tap.
This water originates from lakes, rivers, streams, and underground
sources. The majority of water goes through a cleaning system at a
local water treatment plant. However, many harmful pollutants and
water borne diseases are present in the finished treated water
Fifty percent of the
up of recently discharged wastewater. And like the treatments for
drinking water, wastewater treatments do not remove many of the toxic
substances. Prevention Magazine
According to scientists from the World Health Organization (WHO) and
the National Cancer Institute (NCI), it has been estimated that
between 60 to 80 percent of all cancer is caused by chemicals in the
air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. The NCI
expressed concern over 20 years ago that increases in carcinogens in
water and our inability to remove them could result in serious
exposure of the general population.
What is distilled water?
Distilled water is water which has been heated to the boiling point so
that impurities are separated from the water which itself becomes
vapor or steam. It is then condensed back into pure liquid form. The
impurities remain in the residue which is simply thrown away.
Distilled water contains no solids, minerals or trace elements, and
has no taste. Distillation removes the debris, bacteria, and other
contaminants.
Distilled Water and Your Health:
“Do I need to tell you why drinking plenty of good quality water is as
essential to health as eating properly? In a nutshell: one of the main
activities of the body’s self-healing system is filtration of the
blood, a job performed mostly by the kidneys which a little help from
the mechanism of perspiration. Kidneys are such efficient, compact
and miraculous filters that they put to shame the dialysis machines
used the maintain the patients with renal failure. T he heart, blood,
and kidneys are a single functional unit the constantly cleanses and
purifies itself, removing all the toxic wastes of metabolism and the
breakdown products of harmful substances that get onto our bodies one
way or another. This purification system can operate efficiently only
if the volume of water flowing through it is sufficient to carry away
the waste. Further, as good quality steam distilled water enters the
body, it has the ability to pick-up mineral deposits accumulated in
cells, joints, artery walls, or wherever such deposits occur and begin
to carry them out. Gallstones and kidney stores then decrease, and it
also lessens arthritic pain as joints become more supple and movable.”
Dr. Andrew Weil, Natural Health, Natural Medicine
What about minerals?
There are two forms of minerals, organic and inorganic. Inorganic
minerals refers to non-vegetable or non-animal matter, i.e. not
living. This includes carbonate and lime compounds, calcium, iron and
magnesium. Because these components are non-living, our bodies can no
make use of these minerals and our cells reject them. The result of
ingesting these minerals is an accumulation of debris in our bodies.
Organic minerals living and are found in vegetables, fruit, seeds,
grains, meats, and nuts. These are easily assimilated by our cells and
are essential for good health. If your rely on water as the source of
your required minerals, you are sadly lacking. T he minerals in water
are inorganic, and the body cannot make use of them. The body
continually assimilates the much needed minerals from the food we eat.
Does distilled water rob the body of essential minerals?
No, this is physiologically impossible. Some have been lead to
believe that because distilled water is so pure, it will leach healthy
minerals and trace elements from the body. In our bodies distilled
water cleans out our impurities and replenishes the essential nutrient
required for human life: pure, clean, healthy water. Our cells use
the organic minerals for body growth and maintenance; however, the
impurities that the body cannot make us of are flushed out with
distilled water. Distilled water flushes out all the inorganic
minerals and pollutants which would otherwise be retained in the body
and accumulate in vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, and
intestines. These minerals and pollutants are gradually increased by
drinking impure water. A continuous or prolonged exposure to these
minerals and pollutants may cause carcinogens to form within tissues.
The cancer may only manifest itself months, years or even decades
after such contacts have ceased. And often the causative agents may
have totally disappeared from the tissues.
Distilled Water and Disease:
It has become apparent that pollution and contamination exist within
our drinking water. With the amount of sewage dumped into drinking
water sources, many water borne diseases are present in the so-called
“treated” drinking water. This leaves our bodies vulnerable to
infection and disease.
The viruses of major concern in relation to drinking water are those
of intestinal origin, excreted by infected animals or humans, which
reach water sources by way of the soils unlimited potential for
serious disease and contamination of the human body. Canadian
Nutrition Guide
