Drinking Pure Water: An Overlooked Key to Optimal Health! Talking about pure drinking water may seem a bit boring but making sure that you are adequately hydrated and that the water you drink is free of chemicals and toxins is paramount to your health. Perhaps nothing is more basic but more important!
Did you know that blood is 92% water, brain is 75% water, and muscles are 75% water?
Getting enough pure clean water is key in achieving optimal health. Water makes up two thirds of the body and helps maintain blood volume, which maintains your energy. Proper hydration improves your concentration and reaction time. It allows the body to remove toxic waste and keeps your skin looking supple and healthy. In fact, dehydration may be a hidden factor in many types of illness.
Do you have any of these symptoms? If so, you may be dehydrated…
- Feeling sleepy or tired for no reason
- Dry sticky roof of your mouth
- Craving sweets or hunger after just having eaten
- Low blood pressure
- Throbbing headaches
- Dry, scaly skin, rashes or eczema
- Constipation or pellet-like stools
- Dizziness upon standing
- Confusion or irritability
- Infrequent urination
- Muscle cramping
- Rapid heartrate
Fun Facts about water:
- It is responsible for carrying food and oxygen to our cells and carrying away waste.
- It is the biggest playing in our blood and lymphatic drainage systems
- It helps flush out our kidneys to get rid of toxic substances.
- It moistens our eyes, mouth, and nasal passages.
- It controls the balance of electrolytes in our cells and body and regulates blood pressure
- It allows the body to cool when it is hot and insulates the body from cold.
- It cushion the body’s organs, acting like a shock absorber
- It provide many of the trace minerals we need if drinking spring or non-RO filtered water
- It assists joints with lubrication and is part of your sweat, tears, and saliva.
Most important, though, is that you have a clean source of drinking water. Whole house filters are wonderful for those who can afford them but reverse osmosis also pulls the essential minerals from your water leaving it quite acidic. It is essential to use a quality filter that gets all impurities, chemicals and toxins out! You can read articles all over the internet on the contamination of our water supply, like arsenic in well water here. In fact, a recent EPA study shows there is alarming contamination of our water supply with pharmaceutical drugs… and no one is doing anything about it. Here is the Consumer Report and the WHO report regarding prescription drugs in your drinking water. One of my favorite handouts to give patients on the topic of clean water is the EWG’s Guide to Safe Drinking Water.
So, in order to practice what I preach to patients, I recently revisited the importance of clean drinking water myself and did my homework. I did researched and decided against an RO system and instead purchased my first Big Berkley (see photo below) Best. Purchase. Ever!
Dr. Jill’s New Big Berkey Water Filter
Berkey water filters produce purified drinking water, surpassing standards set by the military in order to be able to differentiate between water filters of different abilities. They set the bar high so that very few are able to achieve this classification. Berkey water filters not only meet this standard but surpasses it. The technology that Berkey uses to purify water is able to handle the very smallest of water contaminants, even viruses, making it on of the most powerful water filtering systems available. Better yet, you can even get a travel version! This ability is all possible using the most simple, foolproof methods, starting with micro-filtration with a pore structure so small that minute organisms are not physically able to pass through the filtration medium. For more answers to frequently asked questions, read this. If you know me well, I only tell you about things that I use myself and have found profoundly beneficial in my own healing journey. Berkey water filters are one of them 😉 So here’s to all of use having healthy clean drinking water!
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Why did you decide against a RO system (or at least one under the kitchen sink)? We bought a Berkey (with both black & fluoride filters). We then tested Berkey’s water for “Total Dissolved Solids” with a TDS meter and found it took our 400 TDS tap water to about 350. We then measured distilled water which comes in at “0”; Nestle purified water was 17; and alkalinized water was 27 TDS. We like the way purified and alkalinized water tastes so bringing our tap water down from 400 to 350 is not good enough for us. We are still on the hunt for a system for the house, and returned the Berkey. We know we need to get the minerals and don’t want the fluoride that tap currently gives us…
The RO is an excellent filtration method but removes minerals so you have to be sure you are supplementing…..
Thanks Dr. Jill! I have been wanting to buy a water filtration system for a while but couldn’t decide which one. I didn’t want to have something installed but couldn’t find a pitcher or container style that did a good job of filtering out chemicals and other nasty things. I do have one question. Do you know if this produces alkaline water? Or is that dependent upon the water you start with. I know my tap water is acidic and I’m wanting to know how I can alkalize it. I’ve seen alkaline drops and alkalzing machines but they don’t purify. Thanks for the info!
I don’t recommend alkalinized water systems….
Hi Dr. Jill! Can you tell me if the water from your Berkley system tastes metallic? I don’t like the stainless steel water bottles for this reason. Thanks in advance!
Hi Bobbie,
I don’t think it tastes metallic at all!
warmly
Dr Jill
What are your thoughts on Mountain Valley Spring water??
I would check the third party purity ratings to be sure but most spring water is a good option as long as you use all glass bottles and no plastic.
We also just purchased a Berkey water system, and within a week I went from ALWAYS being thirsty, never being able to drink enough water to barely drinking my 8 glasses a day and I never feel thirsty now…….any ideas why that would happen? I do have some autoimmune issues, and was starting to worry I might have type 2 diabetes (blood test always comes back negative) because I was so thirsty all the time! I find it very curious. Love the Berkey though, especially that it filters out fluoride! (Don’t worry I’m not dehydrated now, have been watching for signs)
yeah! check with your doctor…. you may have diabetes insipidus
I thought it was interesting drinking purified water helped reduce headaches. I’ve also heard that it helps keep teeth composition strong and balanced. My little brother loves to use lots of fluoride, so it’s good to know that drinking purified can help balance the pH level of his teeth. Does regular tap water have chemicals that break down teeth?
H Bethany – recommend purified water over tap water
This is opening to a new light! I’ve never realized that RO can remove the minerals in water too. We would want to have clean drinking water out eliminating the minerals to keep us healthy.
Hi I have well water that taste bad. And dont have money to buy a expensive filtration. I buy bottled water regularly.
What bottle water do you reccomend? Should I look for spring water?
Hi Krystal – best to buy glass bottles of mineral water like San Pelligrino or Voss and avoid all plastic
Hi Dr. Jill!
I got this Berkey water filter for Christmas and since then I have been seeing negative things about it!
I have seen that the filter has aluminum oxide which leaches into your water. Is this a legitimate concern?
I have also seen that the add-on fluoride filter only filters out around 40% of the fluoride. Boo.
I just don’t feel as confident in my Berkey now and I’m bummed because it’s brand new and I did not learn these things until after my purchase!
Excellent write-up. I certainly love this site. Keep it up!