How To Know Whether Alkaline Water Drops Are The Best Health Choice

By Greg Hansen


Viewed from space, the Earth is a liquid world. While the salty seas host innumerable forms of life, human beings must drink fresh supplies. As populations grow, sources of this sustaining liquid are dwindling, and in areas fortunate enough to escape drought, there may be serious quality issues. Concerned consumers wishing to avoid potential health problems may be considering treating home supplies with alkaline water drops.

Unlike fluoride or chlorine, this type of additive does not remove impurities or prevent tooth decay. Drops cannot eliminate parasites or harmful microorganisms, and they usually fail at making local supplies taste like a mountain spring. They are meant to turn sources that predominantly test high in acids into supplies that demonstrate greater alkalinity. This process takes place continuously in nature, and in those homes with installed ionizers.

Health fads appear and disappear with astonishing rapidity in the digital era. People who are skeptical of the marketing surrounding this new product question whether it is really necessary, especially in regions enjoying ample and reasonably pure supplies. The drops are said to reproduce the ionization process, including most of its direct health benefits, without having to purchase costly appliances.

All naturally occurring sources contain both acidic and alkaline properties, which are measurable by taking pH levels, a simple test common in high school science classes. In general terms, when a level is greater than seven on that scale, a liquid is considered predominantly alkaline, and when lower, mainly acidic. Both states occur naturally, leading skeptics to claim that measured levels are basically meaningless.

Proponents say they matter because of the way the human body responds. Higher acid levels are capable of blocking the absorption of necessary minerals, impede digestion, and encourage cellular degradation through oxidation. Greater alkaline levels encourage antioxidant activity, make complete hydration simpler to accomplish, and bolster levels of free radicals, agents considered important in fighting modern scourges such as diabetes.

The physical process of boosting those properties requires altering the numbers of electrons associated with individual water molecules. Called ionization, it can be accomplished by using the same principles that make electroplating possible. The H2O designation means that there are two oxygen atoms for each hydrogen, and running a small current through the liquid temporarily alters that balance by adding an extra electron.

This occurs in nature during lightning storms, and increasingly with the aid of electronic devices for home use. Proponents claim that exclusively drinking ionized sources not only strengthens the immune system, but also helps reduce inflammation and the cumulative effects of aging. While there have been few officially regulated studies, the personal testament of users generally backs up these claims.

It can be prohibitively costly to purchase and install an ionizer, and mineral additives in the form of drops are increasing in popularity. Advertising campaigns tout them as an affordable alternative to hooking another appliance into the main pipes, and say they should be used primarily with bottled or tap water already stored in other containers. Detractors say that the additional minerals do little to affect pH balance.

No matter which point of view is favored, practical economic considerations play an important part in deciding which method to use. A bottle of droplets is significantly costly, and does not last long in a household of active people. The cost of replacement adds up very rapidly. The added minerals do little to remove microorganisms or chemicals, and there is no concrete scientific proof of actual ionization.

Using distilled water as a manageable alternative to ionization is not recommended. The mineral content is practically nil, and there are no beneficial antioxidants. Distillation may have short term benefits for water ingested during a specific period of detoxification, but long term use encourages a loss of electrolytes and trace minerals. When a distilled product contacts air, the result is actually greater acidity, making it useful for cleaning, but not for everyday drinking.

For people who are serious about maintaining healthy acid and alkaline balance, the most sensible economic choice remains an electrical home ionizer. While there are still questions regarding the health benefits of ionization in general, the output of a machine can be measured accurately, and can change the electrolytic balance in a way that simply adding additional mineral content cannot.




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