Water Guide

WHY YOUR WATER MATTERS

Establishing that you are properly hydrated helps ensure you have the energy and fluid you need to optimize detoxification and drainage via your liver, kidneys, lymphatic system, and colon. Water is life. The human body is made of 60% water, and this is a clear enough indication of the importance of water. Humans need to be adequately hydrated for their physiological systems to function.

Additionally, water helps maintain organ health and allows the blood to maintain the consistency it requires to flow freely and transport oxygen and nutrients to every cell of the body. Essentially, drinking clean water is foundational to our health!

Think about how much water you consume over the course of a day, month, and year! We want to make sure there are no additional, harmful toxins coming in with that water.

WHAT CONTAMINANTS COULD BE IN YOUR WATER?

• Heavy Metals (lead, mercury)

• Radioactive Elements (uranium)

• Disinfection Byproducts (perchlorate)

• Endocrine Disruptors

• Arsenic (very common)

• Industrial Solvents

• Pesticides & Herbicides

• Pharmaceuticals

• Run-Off Chemicals

These contaminants often go overlooked, or are deemed acceptable in small amounts. However, these are very difficult to detox and place a cumulative strain on your detox, digestive, and endocrine systems. The rising rates of fertility issues, low testosterone, early onset puberty, disease, and more, point to the importance of limiting disruptive toxins in our environment and water!

To find out what's in your water, ask your water provider for a report or visit: www.ewg.org/tapwater

NOT ALL WATER FILTERS ARE MADE THE SAME

There are 3 main categories of water filtration: carbon filters, reverse osmosis, and distillation.

All of these use different processes to remove toxins and contaminants from the water, but of these methods, distillation is the only method that separates water from the contaminants vs. pushing the water through a filter. Reverse osmosis, in our opinion, is the second best option. This filters out most compounds like fluoride and pesticides, heavy metals and other common contaminants. However, some things can slip through an RO filter. These may include certain fungicides, some dissolved gasses like hydrogen sulfide, certain organic compounds, and some chlorine, depending on the amount that is in the water to begin with.

WHAT ABOUT BERKEY, BRITA, AND OTHER COUNTERTOP FILTERS?

While there are many options for water filtration, distillation is our favorite. Many filters like the ones mentioned above filter out some compounds but not others. This is better than nothing, but of course we want water to be as clean as possible.

Generic plastic water pitchers and filters usually fail to filter out radioactive elements and heavy metals, to name a few. The Therasage TheraH20 pitcher and Clearly Filtered Pitchers are a good option for those wanting some protection from water contaminants, but are also on a budget.

Brita filters do not remove heavy metals and pathogenic bacteria. A Berkey filter removes most but not all heavy metal and uranium. If filters are not replaced frequently, it can lose its effectiveness in removing fluoride. It's a great option for families on a budget, and can be a helpful step in the journey towards getting a distiller.

If you are looking into purchasing a certain filter, do lots of research and look for third party testing to confirm what it does and does not remove.

WHAT DISTILLED WATER IS & WHY IT'S BETTER

The process of distillation involves converting water into vapor through the process of boiling, and then subsequently condensing the vapor back into liquid form. This process leaves behind the elements in the water that have a boiling point higher than water, such as heavy metals (lead, arsenic, mercury), inorganic compounds like uranium, and it also kills microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses.

ADDING MINERALS BACK

When distilling your water it is important to add minerals back into the water as distillation strips the minerals out. This applies to other methods as well, such as Reverse Osmosis. We recommend Concentrace Mineral Drops (1/2 tsp or 40 drops), Celtic Sea Salt (1/2 tsp per quart of water), or CT Minerals from Cellcore Biosciences (if tolerated). For those who tolerate CT-Minerals, we recommend 1-2 capsules dissolved per gallon.

Other mineral-rich additions to water can include coconut water, lemon or lime juice, Master Mineral drink, or electrolyte powders like Dr. Bergs, Re-Lyte, or LMNT. SaltStick can also be used for sodium!

THE DISTILLER WE RECOMMEND:

You can certainly purchase distilled water from any grocery store as an alternative, but in our office and home I use a My Pure Water Distilling system. This system is a high-quality water distiller that comes in several sizes from countertop units to whole-house systems.

Distillers come in various capacities, usually measured in liters per hour. If buying a distiller is not an option for you right now due to cost, you can buy gallons of distilled water from the store while you save up.

Click here to view more information on our favorite distiller! Use the code “drjaban” for 5% off!