Drinking Adequate Amounts of Pure Water

Water, Water Everywhere

 

By now, most people are aware how important water is for our health.  The human body is about 60-75% water.  Babies and kids usually have a higher body percentage of water than adults.  Men generally have a higher percentage than women.  People with higher muscle mass have a higher percentage, and conversely, people with higher fat content have a lower percentage.  Water is necessary for every single bodily system to even exist and/or function.  Water is required at the cellular level.  Plasma, which makes up about 55% of blood volume, is 92% water.  Vital organs (brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys) are 65-85% water depending on the organ.  Even bones are 15-20% water.  Maintaining proper hydration is beneficial for circulation, detoxification, proper digestion, relief of muscle and joint inflammation, healthy skin, and maintaining a healthy weight.

 

As I did cancer research, the importance of drinking enough water was made obvious, and drinking enough pure water was emphasized even more.  Seventy to eighty percent of Americans are in a state of chronic dehydration, and they don't even realize it.  The more one is hydrated, the less the risk of several kinds of cancer.  So one of the simplest ways to increase your health and reduce your cancer risk is to drink more water.

But what kind of water should we drink?  Tap water, bottled water, distilled water, purified water, mineral water, spring water, alkaline water?  It can get complicated!  Hopefully I can help clear it up a little.

 

Tap water contains high amounts of arsenic, aluminum, fluoride (fortunately Kiel's city water is not fluoridated), and chlorine (which are all toxic), parasites, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, hormones, and disinfection by-products (DBPs).  Chlorine is nasty in and of itself, but DBPs are the results of disinfecting water with chlorine, and are 10,000 times more dangerous than chlorine!  DBPs are potent carcinogenics and have been linked to serious kidney, liver, and nervous system problems.

 

Bottled water is often just bottled tap water.  And plastic bottles contain more harmful chemicals that leach into the water.

 

Distilled water is actually dangerous to drink on a long-term basis.  Distilled water is boiled and evaporated away from its dissolved minerals, leaving the water acidic and seeking to balance itself by drawing minerals right out of your body.  For the same reason, it also draws out contaminants from the container it's stored in.  What's worse, any contaminant in the water that vaporizes at a lower temperature than the water, such as volatile organic compounds like DBPs, will be condensed and actually concentrated in the finished distilled water. So you end up with contaminants that are even more dangerous than those present in the water when you started!  There may be a place for drinking distilled water on a very short-term basis for detoxification purposes only, since it will draw out toxins from the body, but otherwise it should be avoided.

 

Alkaline or ionized water is highly touted in some health circles as the ultimate healthy water--especially for fighting cancer.  Cancer is generally recognized as thriving in an acidic state, so changing from acidic to alkaline would fight cancer.  However, alkaline water causes problems, too--especially among individuals with digestive problems related to having too little digestive acids.  Alkaline water, like distilled water, should only be used for a week or two at most for detoxification.  Alkaline is the opposite extreme of acidic, and neither extreme is beneficial overall.  The body needs balance.  A side point is that ionizing water machines are usually very pricy and sold by multi-level marketing companies which can have questionable ethics.

 

Spring Water, specifically mountain spring or gravity fed spring water is neither too alkaline nor too acidic--its pH is neutral (between 6.5 and 7.5) which is the ideal balance for the body.  It is also living water (just like we encourage eating living foods) with naturally occurring minerals that structure the water to be very beneficial to the body.  (And I don't mean the jugs of "spring" water sitting on store shelves.)  There is a very cool website called http://www.findaspring.com/ that will direct you to local gravity-fed springs where you can collect your own water--using glass or stainless steel containers, of course.

 

Purified Water is the best option for in-home use, but there are many choices here, too.  There are all kinds of water filter systems available from faucet filters, showerhead filters, whole-house filter systems, etc., using different types of filters at a wide range of costs.  I used to be interested in a reverse osmosis system, but I found that the process actually results in acidic water, and the units are very expensive and require a plumber to install.  To keep a long story short, I will share the system that I purchased for my home after doing quite a bit of research.  I bought the Berkey Water Filtration system, which is a highly recommended, guaranteed & warranteed free-standing, gravity-fed purifier that is a very high quality, portable, economical, and the most simple system I found.  There are different sizes of units based on your family/group size.  We've been using it since January, and I absolutely love it!  I receive no incentives for promoting this product; I just love it.  :)  Check out their website, and read every bit of information on it for yourself.  http://www.berkeywaterfilters.com/

The Mighty Avocado

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, I was told that the cancer I had was estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor positive (ER+ and PR+), which means that the cancer cells had receptors for estrogen and progesterone hormones and were "fed" by them.  One of the treatments recommended by the doctors was a drug named Tamoxifen which lowers estrogen levels in the body.  It sounds like a no-brainer...take Tamoxifen to lower estrogen levels, thus depriving the evil cancer cells of one of their sources of vitality.  But I discovered that it's not that straightforward.  Tamoxifen induces menopause along with all its lovely symptoms as well as a host of other unpleasant side effects.  Ugh.  One of the common side effects is weight gain...being overweight increases the risk of cancer.  Do you see the contradiction?  Tamoxifen is commonly prescribed for FIVE YEARS.  The kicker, though, was discovering that Tamoxifen causes uterine cancer.   Yes, you read that correctly.   I have since heard of woman after woman who did, in fact, develop uterine cancer after taking Tamoxifen for breast cancer.  I was not too keen on trading one cancer for another.  The doctors do offer an alternative to taking Tamoxifen: have a hysterectomy and remove the hormone producing organs altogether.  Needless to say, I did not find that an acceptable option.

What I did do was more research.  I learned that estrogen dominance is very common and is the cause of all kinds of adverse health conditions besides cancer--for men as well as women.  Too much estrogen results in low testosterone levels for men and low progesterone levels for women.  I learned that we are all exposed to high levels of false estrogens from environmental toxins, cleaning and beauty products, hormone-laden animal products that we consume, plastic, and even thermal receipt paper.  What I found was that not only does a healthy lifestyle (healthy diet, exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, etc.) automatically help keep estrogen levels low, but there are also foods that are specifically anti-estrogenic...foods that block the estrogen receptors in cells and reduce the body's absorption of estrogen.  Avocados are one of these anti-estrogenic foods--they are a rich source of cytochrome P-450 enzymes which are involved in estrogen metabolism--and they offer so much more.

The mighty avocado protects the liver, improves cholesterol, and improves osteoarthritis symptoms.  It is antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-aging.  Avocado oil can reduce age spots, soften and rejuvenate the skin, and boost collagen.

Avocados contain almost all of the essential nutrients that our bodies are not capable of making on their own.  Avocados are very high in antioxidants, fiber, and potassium--they contain 1/3 of the recommended daily allowance of fiber and twice the potassium of a banana.  They also contain Vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C (33% RDA), D, E, and K (36% RDA) as well as folic acid, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, and boron.

Avocado is able to penetrate to the mitochondria of a cell and activate its energy production.  This allows cells to function properly even when they are constantly attacked by free radicals.

Avocados are an excellent source of monounsaturated fat--a good fat that helps lower cholesterol and is good for heart health.  A diet high in healthy fats is very good for weight loss and treating Type 2 Diabetes.  Avocados contain oleic acid, which studies have shown to be able to treat and prevent Type 2 Diabetes.

Avocados contain the amino acid lecithin which protects against liver overload, helps balance weight, and boosts brain function. 

Avocados are rich in phytochemicals called carotenoids including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthan which are beneficial for eye health and can prevent age-related macular degeneration.  They also boost the body's ability to absorb fat-soluble nutrients like alpha- and beta-carotene and lutein. 

As is the case with most fruits and vegetables, the skin and seed contain the highest concentration of nutrients.  The seed contains 70% of the anti-oxidants in an avocado, and most of the soluble fiber.  Avocado seeds are anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic, and boost the immune system.  They are used to treat gastro-intestinal problems and prevent gastric ulcers.  They also contain a flavonoid that has been shown to stop tumor growth.

Avocado skins have antibiotic and antiparasitic properties, and the leaves can also be used in poultices to speed wound healing or as a tea to treat sore throats and diarrhea.  

Avocados taste great raw in salads, smoothies, and guacamole.  Add them to sandwiches, including burgers, or as a garnish for almost any dish.  Avocado oil can be used as a high-heat cooking oil as well as a base for salad oils and dressings. Avocado seeds can be dried and ground up for use in smoothies, etc.

Avocados are one of the staples in my diet, and hopefully this information encourages you to add this mighty fruit to your diet regularly as well!