Water Ionization - Scam or Miracle ?
It's very difficult to get to the truth about water ionization without running into several opposing forces. On one hand you have the medical and scientific embrace of it by doctors and scientists in Japan, and in the US you have chemists and scientists (along with medical doctors) who call water ionization a scam. East is East and West is West.
While ionized water is known to create alkaline water, that is water with an altered pH, lost in the controversy is the effect of the altered ions and the anti-oxidant properties above and beyond the chemical effect on the body.
According to water ionizer companies electrolysis is accomplished by using negatively and positively charged electrodes or plates. With this process water Adams give electrons to the electrodes or receive them. The result is a chemical reaction that makes water more acid or alkaline. So while Water typically has a pH of seven, considered neutral, alkaline water has a pH of more than seven while acid water has a pH less than seven.
Benefits???
If you were to attend a Kangen meeting in the US you hear many testimonials about ionized water under the freedom of speech amendment. These benefits can include more energy And a host of other health benefits, some of them sounding miraculous.
One of those benefits is claimed to be better performance by athletes through the process of improved hydration.
The claim is that water ionization creates smaller clusters of water
molecules that are found in ordinary water and that these micro clusters
are better able to penetrate into organs and cells.
In a marketing brochure by Enagic USA it says that "Healthy Kangen Water"—which has a pH of 8.5 to 9.5—"helps your body balance the acidic effects" of eating foods such as meat and eggs.
ForChanson Water CEO Ronnie Ruiz says a nuclear magnetic resonance test, the results of which are posted on the company's website, shows that its water microclusters. He says 70% of customers who provide feedback report benefits, such as improvement in diabetes, improvement in depression, lower cholesterol levels. Mr. Ruiz says customers "love it, use it daily and see the absolute value in owning the machines. Science will at one point absolutely validate the health benefits." Many of the benefits are due to the fact that the water has a negative charge and is an antioxidant, he adds. Prof. Kuwata Keijiroo, Doctor of Medicine- Japan "When I was serving in the Fire Insurance Association, I used
to examine many diabetic patients. Besides treating them with drugs, I
provided them with antioxidant water. After drinking antioxidant water
for one month, 15 diabetic patients were selected and sent to Tokyo
University for further test and observations. Digestive Problems Prof. Kogure Keizou, Kogure Clinic of Juntendo Hospital
"The stomach is readily upset both by diseases affecting the
stomach and by other general illnesses. In addition, any nervous tension
or anxiety frequently causes gastric upset, vague symptoms when This
information is under some strain. |
Against Many doctors, scientists, and chemists in the United States say the
claims of water ionization are not backed by high quality studies: "Human evidence is lacking, safety profile is lacking and it's very expensive," says Catherine Ulbricht, co-founder of National Standard Research Collaboration, a Cambridge, Mass. scientist-owned group that evaluates natural therapies.
Santa Barbara, Calif., gastroenterologist John
Petrini, past president of the American Society for Gastrointestinal
Endoscopy had this to say: "There is no basis for any health claims at all" for alkaline drinking water, adds . After digestion, food and water goes into the stomach and—no matter what pH it was when it entered—ends up leaving the stomach at a pH of about 6.8, Dr. Petrini says. And no matter what you eat, your body has effective mechanisms to keep your blood in a narrow range between 7.35 and 7.45." However the structure of water—including how its
molecules cluster—isn't yet fully understood, scientists say. |
Conclusion
East is East and West is West.
Just as the ancient roots of energy medicine are now being recognized by the West, despite hundreds of years of resistance, it will be interesting to see if water that is altered by ionization will become a recognized treatment for disease in the West.
