You want to drink WHAT?

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You want to drink WHAT?

• CHIP Alumni
• February 21, 2006
• By Dr. Christine Simpson

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Principle no. 1

• The original diet given 6,000 years ago contains
  EVERYTHING the human body needs for daily life,
  and is also designed for optimal health (as born
  out today by medical science). This includes
• what we eat, AND
• what we drink..water and vegetable or fruit
  juices.

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Principle no. 2

• These foods should be prepared simply,
• and as grown for optimal health.
• In selecting our food in todays society,
• we must choose those natural foods from
• what is AVAILABLE.

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In other words, ask yourself

• 1) What is BEST for me to eat or drink?
• Ie. is it wholesome and unharmful?
• NOT but whats wrong with it?
• 2) What are my modern day options?
• Natural
• Refined, purified
• supplemental

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When it comes to beverages

• A) Unnatural, Harmful
• alcohol, caffeine, carbonated drinks
• B) Natural, Beneficial
• water, fruit or vegetable juices

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Unnatural, Harmful

• Alcohol and its detrimental effects
• 1) gastrointestinal problems
• cirrhosis of the liver, reflux disease,
  hepatitis, pancreatitis
• 2) immune system
• eg. a moderate drinker exposed to HIV has a
  greater
• likelihood of becoming HIV positive.
• affect the B-lymphocytes, causing an increased
  susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections,
  such as Klebsiella pneumonia

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• Alcohol..
• 3) cancer risk
• increases the chance of metastasis
• breast cancer, esophageal, mouth and throat
  cancers, colon ca.
• cirrhosis of the liver, which is the biggest
  cause of liver cancer
• 4) high blood pressure, stroke, elevated
  triglycerides, impaired sexual function,
  chronic fatigue, osteoporosis, gout, anemia,
  arrhythmias, sudden death, cardiomyopathy,
  malnutrition, aggravation of menstrual cramps,
  etc.

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• Alcohol..
• 5) decreased mental performance judgment,
  foresight, moral reasoning,
• with even small amounts (eg. just a single
  drink) cerebral atrophy, peripheral
  neuropathy, psychosis, seizures
• 6) depression, accidents, social violence and
  abuse, destruction of the family, fetal alcohol
  syndrome, etc.

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? Beneficial effects of alcohol?

• A) the French paradox it is actually the
  flavinoids in the grape juice which cause the
  blood to be less sticky, hence promoting fewer
  heart attacks.
• B) the World Health Organization says
• Light drinking is unlikely to lower heart
  disease risk in people who are already taking
  other lifestyle precautions like exercising
  regularly, not smoking and eating less fat. The
  publicity given to the use of moderate amounts of
  alcohol for heart disease prevention is not the
  result of rigorous scientific research, but is to
  a large extent inspired by commercial purposes.
  The less you drink, the better.

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• Alcohol is..
• A depressant,
• A sedative,
• A hypnotic!

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Unnatural, Harmful contd

• Caffeine, a stimulant
• undermines the frontal lobe, the center of
  reasoning and judgment, leading to impaired
  decision-making capabilities
• produces dependence and causes withdrawal
  reactions
• can cause or worsen psychiatric illnesses, eg.
  depression
• interferes with sleep
• co-carcinogen cancers of the kidney, bladder,
  breast, colon, pancreas, ovaries, etc.
• elevates blood pressure
• contributes to the development of osteoporosis
• can cause palpitations and precipitate heart
  arrhythmias
• causes or worsens heartburn/reflux
• can worsen menstrual cramps or PMS
• diuretic, leading to chronic dehydration
• can trigger the onset of migraine headaches.

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Unnatural, Harmful contd

• Non-Caffeinated Soda Drinks
• contain tannins, that increase acid production
  which can
• impair healing of the stomach lining and promote
  ulcers
• can elevate triglycerides
• dental cavities, obesity, lowered immune system,
  oxidizes LDL, worsens PMS, decreases cognitive
  functioning especially in children (association
  with attention deficit disorder), contribute to
  osteoporosis through the carbonation alone, etc.

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Sodas..

• The average American drinks 52 gallons of soft
  drinks per year!!
• This is the highest source of refined sugar in
  the American diet.

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Natural, Beneficial

• Juices
• NOTE pure, no additives or refinement
• Fruit and vegetable juices should be
  considered a food, not a beverage.
• Pure vegetable or fruit juices may play a role in
  some
• individuals lives, but in general, it is better
  to consume the whole fruit or vegetable..
• Why? To gain the benefit of the fiber
• To prevent the over consumption of
  fructose, a semi-refined sugar in fruits
• To maintain calorie control.

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When to drink beverages

• 1) Water should be drunk at least 30 minutes
  before meals, or at least 60 minutes afterwards
• prevents dilution of the digestive juices, which
  can cause prolonged digestion or indigestion
• helps prevent snacking, because the stomach is
  full
• 2) Avoid drinking juices between meals.
• can stimulate cavity formation
• lead to greater caloric intake over the course of
  the day and a tendency towards obesity.

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Natural, Beneficial contd

• Water
• the best beverage!!
• studies still support the consumption of 6-8
  glasses per day
• more energy, less fatigue
• better sleep patterns
• higher mental concentration capacity
• less infectious illnesses
• better skin tone and quality
• less risk for heart disease, stroke, HTN and
  obesity
• less risk for bladder cancer, kidney or
  gallbladder stones
• less chance of developing or improvement in
  arthritis

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What type of water should we drink?

• Things to keep in mind
• The majority of dangerous contaminants that are
  liable to be in the your drinking water are
  typically present in minute amounts, so therefore
  tend to contribute to health problems after YEARS
  of exposure.
• Those who need to be most concerned
• Served by a small treatment plant
• Living in agricultural regions
• Using water from a shallow well

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Examples of contaminants

• Nitrates/nitrites
• Other inorganics dissolved gases, metals
• Disinfection byproducts
• Pesticides
• Biologics (E. Coli, Giardia, etc.)
• Trihalomethanes results from the use of
  chlorination

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Right from the beginning

• The simplest and most economical long-term
  solution to reduce the majority of contaminants
  and biologics to safe levels is a NSF certified,
  high-quality, solid block activated carbon (SBAC)
  filtration system with a sub-micron pore size
  installed in your home.

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Summary of treatment methods

• A) boiling
• Use only in an emergency
• Kills pathogens (live organisms)
• May drive out some of the dissolved gases
• Does NOT eliminate chemicals, metals, pesticides,
  solvents, etc.
• Energy is needed to boil water!

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Treatment Methods contd

• B) Distillation
• Causes water to vaporize, then recondenses the
  pure steam back into water (carbon filter is also
  used).
• Produces very pure water.
• Removes pathogens
• Takes time, uses electricity
• One of the more expensive methods (initial cost,
• plus the ongoing electrical energy expense)

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Treatment Methods contd

• C) Reverse Osmosis
• Forces water molecules through a membrane that
  has extremely tiny pores.
• With a quality carbon filter, the purity of the
  water approaches that of distillation.
• Pathogens generally removed as well.
• Produce more water per day than distillers, and
  less expensive to operate and maintain.
• Creates a lot of waste water (2-4 gal per 1 gal
  pure water).
• Should always have an activated carbon filter as
  well.
• Significant amount of maintenance required.

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Treatment Methods contd

• D) Ultraviolet Light
• Water exposed to UV rays
• No known toxic byproducts produced
• Removes some organics, leaves no taste
• Destroys pathogens
• Does not take out large amounts of organics
• Not effective against any inorganics

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Treatment Methods contd

• E) Deionized water
• Demineralizes the water with cation and anion
  exchange
• Reduces the hardness of water
• Does not remove uncharged particles from the water

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Treatment Methods contd

• F) Ozonation
• Causes the formation of ozone from O2 with the
  use of energy.
• Ozone is the most powerful and rapid acting
  oxidizer man can produce, and will oxidize all
  bacteria, mold and yeast spores, organic material
  and viruses.
• Primarily a disinfectant.
• Also oxidizes metals so that they can be
  precipitated and then filtered out of solution.
• Can create undesirable byproducts
• Requires significant electricity

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What about bottled water?

• Bottled water is regulated by the FDA, which
  requires regular sample submission.
• The concentration of contaminants must be less
  than the allowable levels, which in essence are
  the same as the required by water treatment
  plants.

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Furthermore..

• The bottled water industry also regulates itself
• International Bottled Water Association, IBWA
• Inspected annually, unannounced by the National
  Sanitation Foundation (independent)
• The NSF Bottled Water Certification Program is an
  annual, voluntary certification process that
  includes extensive product evaluation and
  auditing.
• NSF certified means that not only do the
  products perform as tested, the product
  advertisements are also evaluated for accuracy
  and truthfulness.

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Is it worth it?

• Advantages
• Emergency source in the case of power failure
• Convenient for drinking water outside of the home
• May taste better, as minerals are usually added
  back to bottled water
• MOST will contain fewer contaminants than
  untreated tap water

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Furthermore..

• Disadvantages
• Cost 10 gallons a week 250-750/year
• The average family of 4 needs at least 15-20
  gallons/week
• Filling your own bottle with distilled water,
  etc. costs less
• than 20 / month!
• Inconvenient in the home moving/storing large
  jugs
• environmental impact is significant

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If filling your own bottles

• Be faithful in maintaining the hygiene of your
  bottled water
• Store in a refrigerator
• Wipe the seal with a clean cloth after each use
• Avoid any type of build-up in the cap.
• Make sure your bottle is well-cleaned and rinsed
  before refilling.

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So, to invest in an in-home, installed water
treatment package

• Know what contaminants are possibly present in
  your water
• Top three methods
• Distillation
• Reverse osmosis
• SBAC (solid-block activated carbon filter with
• sub-micron pores)
• Bottled water

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Recommended

• SBAC
• 1) reliably remove the contaminants
• 2) lowest operating and maintenance costs
• its 30-40 year lifespan 2/week
• 3) easiest to use and requires the least
• maintenance
• But remember most people using regulated
  municipal water will have fairly clean,
  biologically safe water with known contaminant
  levels and a low risk of accidental
  contamination. Drinking adequate amounts of this
  water is STILL much better for you than drinking
  no water at all!!!

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Questions?Comments?Thoughts?