Bottled Water Myths

Most Americans prefer bottled water to tap water as they percieve it to be more safe and healthier, however the source of this perception related more with the marketing done by bottled water brands and not necessarily the hard facts. Just one basic measure of credibility explains what i mean here: Tap water is much better regulated than the bottled water industry, less regulation sometimes means less monitoring of quality, conformance to standards is not fully enforced by law and sometimes bottled water that is less below par flows through cracks of lose regulation.

This is has been a topic of discussion by health professionals and more recently the US Congress.

WASHINGTON — In 2008, Americans drank 8.6 billion gallons of bottled water, double the amount of a decade ago, with more than half saying they drink it because it is safer and healthier than tap water.

But at a hearing Wednesday, members of Congress were briefed on two new studies that question whether bottled water is safer than water directly from the faucet. Afterward, the committee sent letters to 13 companies requesting more information about the source of their water and how it is tested.

“Neither the public nor federal regulators know nearly enough about where bottled water comes from and what safeguards are in place to ensure its safety,” Read the Full Article

Firm Pushed Drug It Knew Didn't Work

U.S. Health care is in a sad state. We have too many bogus drugs that our health watch dog turns a blind eye to, too many patients deprived of health care because they can not afford insurance and too many cases of clear consumer frawd.

Many patients are being taken for a ride by the big pharma giants trying to make quick bucks. Whats more startling is that the bigger the name involved, the more serious is the nature of consumer abuse perpetrated by the company.

A recent case is that of an antipshycotic drug Zyprexa. Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly marketed it knowing it didnt work. Infact, Zyprexa was their best selling drug in 2008. Health insurers and States are suing Eli Lilly for the above.

Read the full article here

Great Skin Starts With Great Nutrition

What is it and why is it important?
Good looks start with a great blemish free skin, this we all agree is a universal truth. A glowy, smooth skin is one of the first things we notice about a person. People want to care for their skin to the extent that we’ve made skin care a multi million dollar industry. There are a number of different products and skin care activities that we can do from lotions and creams to hiring trained skin care experts to exfoliate, moisturize, steam and apply fruit acid peels to our skin.

But before all that, we should acknowledge that great skin is a true reflection of a healthy body. If the body is not healthy the skin tells the tale. So therefore; a great skin can only be built inside out.

The skin protects us from various diseases and bacteria; it helps us lose metabolic waste throughout the day. It acts as our first line of defense. So there it pays to take good care of it.

Risk Factors:
If we are having problems with our skin, the usual internal and external culprits are:

- Over exposure to the sun, smog and environmental pollutants
- Whatever we eat feeds the skin, good or bad
- Soda, caffeine, alcohol and red meat all dry it out
- Junk foods, saturated fats and hydrogenated oils produce harmful free radicals that reduce the elasticity of the skin
- Smoking is the biggest cause of skin aging. Avoid smoky places, request your friends no to smoke around you

Dietary Considerations
The Dos and Don’ts of eating for great skin:

• Water is the most important factor. You should ideally drink 6-8 glasses of water. It also depends on the nature of our diet and weather conditions. Since most Americans’ consume low water containing food in as part of their diet, so it’s important that we hydrate our selves in the appropriate amount. A great way to do that is to consume alkaline ionized water, which is thought to be 6 times more hydrating than normal bottled, distilled or tap water. A water ionizer can easily be bought and installed in your kitchen.

• Fruits and vegetables is the way forward. They contain nutrients that are extremely good for our skin. Having fruits and vegetables for breakfast is a great idea because that is the time when our body is recycling. Most fruits will help clear acid waste leaving the body and especially the skin healthy.

• Having our bodies absorb the right kinds of oil is also very important. We can do it internally and externally. Avocados are a good source of olive oil which is great for the skin. For those who have a dandruff problem, olive oil can be applied externally to moisturize the scalp and eradicate dryness. Most good shampoo brands address this need.

• Saturated fats and hydrogenated oils are bad for the skin. These are a source of harmful free radicals in the body that destroy cells and eat into arteries and veins. Chips, cookies and other pre packaged foods contain these hydrogenated oils that interfere with prostaglandins that keep the skin healthy. Other fried food, like French fries contain oils that have been chemically changed through high heat. They generate free radical damage to the skin and else where.


Suggestions & Supplementation
Supplementation of nutrients is very important because some deficiencies can be a cause for a lot of skin problems.

Vitamin C
It is one of the most protective nutrients for the skin, internally or applied topically in sun lotions. It slows skin aging and wrinkling process by inhibiting radiation damage to the skin.

Anti oxidants
These neutralize free radicals that cause damage to the skin and cells in general

Zinc
Important to the production of new and healthy skin cells

Water (Alkaline Ionized Water):
6-8 glasses of alkaline water a day will flush out harmful acids toxins from the body. Alkaline water hydrates the body quickly and neutralizes the over acidic conditions that cause damage to skin. Alkaline water is also a very powerful natural anti oxidant. It can be obtained easily through a water ionizer.

Can Alkaline Water Really Improve Your Health?

You may have seen advertisements for water ionizers that you can buy to place on your faucets at home. These advertisers claim that drinking alkaline water can prevent disease by balancing out your body's pH. They also claim that alkaline water can be energizing and hydrates your body more effectively than regular tap water, or even bottled water. Some have even stated that drinking alkaline water can reverse and cure diseases such as obesity, heart failure, migraines and other common illness and disease. 

 Recently some doctors have said that these claims simply are not true. They say that your body does not need aid in adjusting its pH level. Most have expressed that the pH of your blood and body fluids in most healthy adults, maintains a pH level close to 7, which is very close to the alkaline ionizers dealers claim, that your body should maintain a pH level of 9-10, to neutralize acids. Most doctors suggest that as long as you do not suffer from any respiratory or kidney problems, then your body’s pH will maintain a normal balance no matter what type of water or liquid your drink.

Drinking plenty of water is very important to maintain healthy organ function. Your body is made up of mostly water and most organs in your body rely on proper hydration. Your brain is a major organ that relies on water to function properly. Your brain works to send signals to other vital organs and ensures that your body is operating properly.

Becoming dehydrated has been proven to be harmful to your health. Letting yourself become dehydrated can lead to problems such as; headaches, ulcers, obesity, heart failure, poor sleep and asthma. Drinking plenty of water will keep toxins flushed out of your body and give your organs the fluid they need to work properly. Along with proper diet and exercise, drinking water should be a part of your daily routine.

Drinking alkaline water has never been proven to be harmful to body, and in fact, science indicates that alkaline water, or maintaining an alkaline system, IS actually beneficial. As such, taking the extra step of buying a home ionizer, certainly will not harm your health. It is important to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water every day. Whether you are drinking water from your tap at home, or buying bottled water from the store, or even using a home alkaline water ionizer, you know you are taking the right steps to keeping your mind body in good health.

The Power of Alkaline Water

There is a new rage in the world of filtered water and health, and it is alkaline water. This water is run through a special ionizing filter that raises the pH of the water and lowers the acidity. The reasons for doing this are varied. Many believe that alkaline water helps to energize the body, helping the person to be less tired and to have more energy throughout the day. It is also considered that alkaline water is more easily absorbed into the body’s system, helping a person get all of the benefits of drinking water. Many feel that using alkaline water in cooking helps improve and enhance the taste of the food. Some even believe that the alkaline water helps to lower blood pressure, enhance weight loss and help the body heal quickly. Also, many believe in the antioxidant power of the alkaline water, feeling that the water will help slow the effects of aging. Although the actual results of alkaline water have not been proven, the systems to provide such water have become quite popular.


These systems are called water ionizers. Ionizers use the method of electrolysis to separate the water into its two different forms, acidic and alkaline, which are opposites. By doing this, the ionizers can reduce the acidity in the water and only retain the alkalinity. These ionizers connect to your regular tap and claim to turn your tap water into alkaline water in less than five minutes. Most water ionizers cost five hundred dollars or more. And many of them include a regular water filter in addition to the ionizing part of the system.

While the actual results of drinking alkaline water have not been determined, it has been proven that it will not actually change the body’s pH level. The water may in fact be more helpful and do some of the things that it is claimed to. However, drinking regular filtered water is just as beneficial, and you will not have to spend upwards of five hundred dollars on a water ionizer. In the end, the decision is yours. Do the research, and read about the benefits of alkaline water. If you feel that it will help you, then you can begin shopping for a water ionizer. There are plenty of ionizers on the market, and the Internet is an excellent source for comparison shopping and researching.

University Health Study Shows Drinking Alkaline Water can Improve your Health

The Shiga University of Medical Health recently did a study involving the effects of ionized water when used for the treatment or improvement of abdominal complaints. The double-blind clinical tests used clean water as the placebo and the overall improvement rate was far higher when using alkaline ionized water than that of the group using the placebo. Alkaline ionized water rated higher in the treatment of such conditions as chronic diarrhea and other abdominal complaints. It should come as no big surprise that drinking alkaline ionized water can rapidly improve conditions such as these and provides a greatly reduced effect of other conditions as well.


Alkaline ionized water was first approved for its antacid qualities back in 1966, by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law. Since this time, people who consume alkaline ionized water have experienced the efficacy it provides against gastrointestinal disorders such as indigestion, hyperchylia, chronic diarrhea and other forms of gastrointestinal disorders. These reasons alone should make you aware of the various healthful benefits that can come from regular consumption of alkaline ionized water.

In the double-blind clinical study regarding alkaline water, 163 of the participants complained of indigestion, abdominal complaints of abnormal gas and diarrhea, and irregular dejection. Each subject received either regular clean water or the alkaline ionized water, the subject who received the alkaline water noticed a significant improvement of abdominal complaints.

With the case of subjects consuming alkaline water, the study noted two very significant improvements. The results were as follows, 26 subjects experienced a fair improvement, 36 cases experienced a slight improvement, 13 cases had no change. This statistical data shows that consuming alkaline water can have a significant affect on your health and digestive system.

There was one significant case of diarrhea in the placebo group, so the study was discontinued. However, this was not the case for the group consuming alkaline water. Consuming alkaline ionized water can make a significant improvement in many areas of their health. You can improve your health by adding the right amount of alkaline water to your diet.

Now that you've had a chance to review all the health related statistics in regards to alkaline water consumption, you should give serious thought to adding it to your daily diet. Having an improved digestive system is just one of the great ways drinking alkaline ionized water can truly give you better health and overall quality of life.

How Alkaline Water Improves Your Health

Water is a necessity for every living thing -- plants, animals, cells and humans. Water is an essential part of having a healthy body and we cannot live without it. If we followed the recommendations outlined, we should be drinking 64 ounces of water per day. Now, imagine if this water was coming straight from a polluted or unclean source, chock-full of impurities and damaging acids -- what would this do to the human body? This is why more and more people are becoming aware of the various health benefits of alkaline water.

A lot of the foods we eat produce acids that accumulate in our systems. Drinking alkaline water helps a great deal with cleansing the human body of these acids. As a result, we can maintain health and optimum energy levels. This is just one of the health advantages of consuming alkaline water.

An accumulation of acid waste in the body can lead to the waste being dumped into the kidneys and liver. When the cells of the body experience an abundance of acid, it can lead to a very negative affect on our health. Consuming alkaline water may allow the kidneys and liver to flush the body more effectively and remove harmful toxins from accumulating in our bodies.

Cells in an overly acidic body environment cannot function properly and this leads to the body being thrown out of whack. To have your body properly hydrated, you need to drink water that is both mineral rich and alkalizing. Drinking alkaline water will help neutralize the acidic conditions in the body and bring the cells back into a regular more natural environment.

Ideal body pH ranges from a 9 to a 10, and the average person should be drinking between 3-5 liters of water per day. When you obtain proper body hydration, you will in turn actually crave more water. Many times a person craving food is actually thirsty -- you may be more thirsty than you first thought. Drinking enough alkaline water will help you keep your body at top hydration and eliminate food cravings.

Alkaline water can is a great way to help your body stay in top condition. It may alleviate certain health conditions and increase your immune system functions. Drinking alkaline water is just one more way that we can give our bodies an advantage in an increased immune system function, ability to detoxify acids and wastes more effectively and as a result, be more healthy in the long run.