What’s really in our bottled water?     

Plastic packaging is not without its downsides, and if you thought mineral water was ‘clean’, it may be time to think again. According to Martin Wagner and Jörg Oehlmann from the Department of Aquatic Ecotoxicology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, plastic mineral water bottles contaminate drinking water with estrogenic chemicals.

In an analysis of commercially available mineral waters, the researchers found evidence of estrogenic compounds leaching out of the plastic packaging into the water. What’s more, these chemicals are potent in vivo and result in an increased development of embryos in the New Zealand mud snail. These findings, which show for the first time that substances leaching out of plastic food packaging materials act as functional estrogens, are published in Springer’s journal of Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

Wagner and Oehlmann looked at whether the migration of substances from packaging material into foodstuffs contributes to human exposure to man-made hormones. They analyzed 20 brands of mineral water available in Germany – nine bottled in glass, nine bottled in plastic and two bottled in composite packaging (paperboard boxes coated with an inner plastic film). The researchers took water samples from the bottles and tested them for the presence of estrogenic chemicals in vitro. They then carried out a reproduction test with the New Zealand mud snail to determine the source and potency of the xenoestrogens.

They detected estrogen contamination in 60% of the samples (12 of the 20 brands) analyzed. Mineral waters in glass bottles were less estrogenic than waters in plastic bottles. Specifically, 33% of all mineral waters bottled in glass compared with 78% of waters in plastic bottles and both waters bottled in composite packaging showed significant hormonal activity.

By breeding the New Zealand mud snail in both plastic and glass water bottles, the researchers found more than double the number of embryos in plastic bottles compared with glass bottles. Taken together, these results demonstrate widespread contamination of mineral water with potent man-made estrogens that partly originate from compounds leaching out of the plastic packaging material.

The authors conclude: “We must have identified just the tip of the iceberg in that plastic packaging may be a major source of xenohormone* contamination of many other edibles. Our findings provide an insight into the potential exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals due to unexpected sources of contamination.”

*man-made substance that has a hormone-like effect

 Source – www.ScienceDaily.com  (Mar. 27, 2009)

I think we all probably know at this point that disease, particularly cancers, cannot grow in an alkaline system/body. Colon Care Institute has many products that assist us in achieving an alkaline system.

For those of you who don’t know, the saliva tests will not show you whether or not your system is acidic or alkaline. According to Premier Research Labs the following article tells you how to do a proper test…

pH — From Acid to Alkaline by Premier Research Labs

Key to beating Candida albican overgrowth

Key to stopping and reversing Osteoporosis, evidenced by bone loss, joint pain, creaky joints, poor range of motion.

Calcium and Magnesium and maintaining healthy urine pH are key to ending chronic infections, chronic asthma, bronchitis, cancer, flus, colds, etc.

Key to preventing and ending bone spurs, calcium deposits, kidney and other stones.

Key to preventing and ending arthritis.

Key to preventing and overcoming Heart Disease.

Key to preventing lactic acid build up and aching muscles after hard exercise; stiff and hard muscles.

Key to balanced, healthy emotions.

Correcting your pH will help you overcome the body’s cravings for sugar, caffeine, alcohol and other drugs and health-destroying habits.

Read: 30 Reasons to Drink a shot of NingXia Red a Day!

To test your own body’s pH, collect a small sample of your first morning urine (any time after 5am, before eating or drinking anything) in a clean cup (or just dip it in the stream). Check the pH of your urine by dipping a small piece of pH tape into your urine; then immediately match the color of the tape to the pH color chart on the roll. The number corresponding to the color tells you the pH. After you wet the tape, do not wait.

Immediately match the color. If you delay for a few minutes you may get a false reading.

Another good time to test your pH is 2 to 3 hours after your noon meal. You can not drink anything but water after lunch for 2 to 3 hours before testing your urine. You can also test your urine after 5pm before your evening meal if you have not eaten or drank anything but water for 2 to 3 hours.

Ideal pH:
An ideal urine pH range is between 6.4 to 7.0.

Acid pH:
A urine pH below 6.0 is in the acid range (minerals badly needed; time to rebuild your mineral status).

Highly alkaline pH:
a urine pH over 8.0 is often a danger sign, warning you that your pH is too far out of range. (Minerals are exhausted; you may be in emergency alkalosis where the body is using anything it can [i.e. ammonia] to try to buffer the increased acid load.)

As the body’s pH comes into better balance (ph 6.4 to 7.0), it is like a sunny spring day; your body can easily assimilate minerals that were very difficult to absorb at a more acid pH. The first morning urine pH is the best reflection of the body’s tissue pH. Obtain a roll of pH tape at your local pharmacy to measure your own urine pH.

In an alkaline environment, you have abundant oxygen. As the pH of the urine drops, less and less oxygen is available to the tissues. Small changes of 1/10 to 2/10 in pH can mean 10 to 20 times more oxygen availability. Ionized calcium is the key mineral to help keep the pH near ideal.

It is also important to lessen the use of acid producing foods and drinks, such as sugar, coffee, alcohol, soft drinks, junk food and too often eating lousy food out in restaurants.”

Read more about hidden sources of MSG, and MSG and obesity.

Water Facts

About pH and ORP

Ionized alkaline drinking water is saturated with negatively charged ions. These negatively charged ions attract the positively charged ions of harmful acids and neutralize them. Scientists have devised ways to measure and assign values to the electron activity. The measurement is known as oxidative reduction potential, or ORP.

Acidity in the Body

The human body creates acid, all day, every day, as a byproduct of metabolism. In addition, acid is introduced into the system through eating and digestion. Many secreted and digested acids are swept away by the blood stream, filtered out by the kidneys, and released from the body in the urine. Other acids leave the body through perspiration. Your body can only process a certain amount of acids, however, so it is possible to overload the system and for the body to become acidic.

Alkaline Water Benefits

The ionization process breaks down water molecules in to micro-clusters allowing rapid delivery to cell walls for a superior hydrating effect at a cellular level. Micro-clustered water delivers nutrients to the cells more efficiently. Among several other benefits including proper hydration, detoxification, and balance in your body’s pH levels, drinking alkaline water can ultimately contribute to weight loss and anti-aging.

Bottled Water

Concerned about contaminants and the taste of their drinking water, millions of Americans are turning off the tap. As a result, bottled water has become a leading source of hydration.

How Ionizers Work

First developed in Japan in the 1950s, water ionizers use an electrical charge to split water into alkaline water (with a pH above 7.0) and acidic water (with a pH below 7.0). The higher the pH of the drinking water, the more effective it is at combating the damaging effects of acids in the body.

Hydration

Hydrated cells are healthy cells. A well-hydrated cell absorbs oxygen and nutrients and disposes of toxins and waste efficiently. Dehydrated cells are inefficient cells. Unfortunately, thirst is not an accurate guide to the body's hydration levels. By the time you feel thirsty, you already are dehydrated.

What is Acidic Water?

Most tap water in the United States is acidic. Most commercially sold bottled water is also acidic. The pH of drinking water varies from area to area, depending on the mineral concentrations, and other additives used in the processing of the water system (chlorine, fluoride, etc).