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Euhydration

The Essence Of Life


-A New Living Translation-

This work is an ANNOTATED translation of Chapter 14 from the Life Science Health System by T.C. Fry

Presented by Chew Digest; edited by Michael J. Loomis


Euhydration

The Essence Of Life


Water is the prime essence of life! The functioning of our planet is dependent upon its massive reservoirs of water and its complex system of atmospheric water dispensation. In our oceans, rivers, underground aquifers, and streams, water prevails and abounds. No one would argue with the statement that without water, life as we know it would be impossible. Even if life were possible without water, most of the beauty of life would be lost in its absence. Dull, barren rocky landscapes devoid of vegetation would be prevalent everywhere. The clouds that color rosy and multi-hued in our sunrises and sunsets would be nonexistent.

The fact is that water is a significant need of all forms of life. Fortunately for us, in most places on Earth, water is abundant. There’s water in all of the foods we eat. Even dry foods like nuts and seeds have water content. Fruits possess plenty of pure water, which is ideal for human functioning.

How does our body use water? What is the best kind of water for its functioning? These are questions this lesson addresses.

Water’s Role In The Body

How the Body Obtains Water

The average adult is composed of almost 60% fluid. That’s more water than the total of all other substances in the body! Our body’s water is obtained from the liquids we drink and from the water content of the foods we eat. Water, also obtained from the body’s internal oxidation reactions. The oxidation process occurs by combining hydrogen and oxygen in the foods we eat and the oxygen we breathe. Some animals are dependent on the oxidative water they produce for their very existence.

Minerals In the Body Fluids

The water within our body contains many materials in solution; that is, it has many substances dissolved. The complement of minerals dissolved in the body fluid is called salt. These salts include sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, chlorine, phosphorus, and other elements. They possess electric charges and are called electrolytes.

Some salts possess positive electrical charges, and others have negative charges. These charges, inherent in the salts, are part of the body’s regulatory process of fluid movement. The positively and negatively charged particles exist in equally balanced amounts in the body. The resultant charge between the particles is therefore neutral.

The balance of salts is indeed crucial to the proper functioning of the human organism. However, we don’t need to add table salt, baking soda, mineral supplements, or mineralized water to our diet to ensure the proper salt levels. Our bodies can assimilate and utilize only organic minerals as are found in foods. Adding table salt to the diet is adding poison.

Cellular Fluids

About three-fourths of the body’s fluid is stored within the cells and is known as cellular fluid. The extracellular fluid is composed of plasma and interstitial fluid.

Blood plasma, a clear, yellow-colored fluid, is approximately 92% water. The plasma carries within it a considerable volume of substances. It transports mineral salts and has carbohydrates, proteins, gases, enzymes, fats, and hormones. There are specific plasma proteins that are always present in the plasma. Other materials are in a constant state of change. The amounts of food materials such as glucose, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen waste constantly change in the plasma. Interstitial fluid is similar to plasma, except it does not contain the plasma’s complement of proteins. However, interstitial fluid does contain glucose, minerals, and urea, and it continually bathes the cells, providing them with all they need.

In addition to the circulatory system formed by the blood, another system exists and flows through the lymph vessels. The lymph circulation, along with the blood, is responsible for the flow and mixing of the extracellular fluid. One of the primary functions of the lymph vessels is the return of the proteins to the circulation after they leave the bloodstream. The lymph provides the only routing whereby these “plasma proteins” can be restored to the circulation. Another part of the lymphatic system consists of small filtering organs called lymph nodes, which filter the lymph fluid as it passes through.

The Inner Sea and Its Movements

The fluids in our body are true life-keepers. They can be likened to an ocean where trillions of cells, consisting primarily of water, are immersed. Within this “ocean,” the materials we need for our survival are carried. In addition, the same system is responsible for carrying away our wastes, such as nitrogen, unusable minerals, and other toxic substances.

The nutrients our body needs are broken down from foodstuffs in the digestive system. After they are broken down, they are water-soluble, which means they can be mixed with water and dissolved. When the nutrients are put into solution, they pass through the capillaries (small tubes) within the intestinal wall. The blood flowing in these walls picks up the tiny particles of nutrients. Finally, through the system, the nutrients are distributed by the fluids surrounding and bathing the cells.

When the circulatory system finally distributes the nutrients to the cells, how do they make themselves available for use by the cells themselves?

It is the responsibility of the circulatory system to distribute the nutrients and bathe the cells with them. The process by which needed materials are absorbed (and also by which wastes leave the cell) is known by the names diffusion, osmosis, and active transport.

Diffusion is merely the arbitrary action of particles through the cell walls. The movement of the particles is limited by the size of the pores of the cell wall (cellular membrane). The cellular membrane is semipermeable—it allows only certain substances in particular forms to pass through it. This factor is very crucial to the cell’s existence. If the cellular membrane could not keep some substances outside of the cell and others permanently inside, the cell would be no different in composition from the fluid surrounding it. It would not be able to maintain its distinct life.

Osmosis refers to the particular process in which the balance of salts takes place. Water tends to go where the greater concentration of salt lies; in other words, water will pass through the semipermeable membrane from a lower concentrated salt solution to a higher one. The result is that the proportion of positive and negative electrolytes is balanced. An easy way to remember the term osmosis is that it’s a fancy way of saying that water goes where the salt is.

At this point, mention should be made that this action of water is not an intelligent one done by the water. The body utilizes water; it is itself an inert substance and does not act upon the body.

In addition to osmosis and diffusion, a process called active transport occurs, in which electrolytes move across the cellular membrane from an area of lower salt concentration to a place of higher salt concentration.

Fluids constantly flow through the cellular membranes in both directions through these processes of diffusion, osmosis, and active transport. However, the total amount of cellular fluid and extracellular fluid remains constantly balanced during this interchange. There is a real need for this precisely balanced flow of fluids between the cellular fluid and the extracellular fluid so that the cells within the body do not continually shrink and expand.

An example illustrates the importance of this balance of fluids. If the cells were immersed in distilled water, they would grow to the point of bursting because distilled water is so much less dense than the fluid in the cells! Conversely, if a strong salt solution surrounding the cells, they would lose their sufficient hydration and shrivel up. These examples are an impossibility in the functioning of our organism. Still, they point to the need to properly balance the amount and types of fluid to which our cells are exposed.

Now let’s see what happens when the processes of diffusion, osmosis, and active transport occur within the body. Glucose, or blood sugar, is a primary nutritive factor derived from foods. It is the primary fuel of the cells of the body and is distributed by the extracellular fluids. The liver is responsible, among other things, for regulating the amount of blood sugar that reaches the cells. It also forms proteins from amino acids, which are then dissolved in the plasma. These plasma proteins float in the watery part of the blood. They are easily absorbed by the individual cells, which break them down again into their component amino acids.

Minerals can be directly absorbed from the small intestine and put into the bloodstream without undergoing chemical change.

Waste Removal

We have been discussing water’s role in delivering nutrients to the body’s cells. Water plays an equally significant role in removing the waste of the body. One of the more persistently produced wastes by humans and animals alike is carbon dioxide. The body uses a small amount of carbon dioxide but would expire could it not expel its excesses! In carbon dioxide expulsion, the cells firstly allow their excess carbon dioxide to diffuse into the extracellular fluid. Later the lungs exhale the unneeded carbon dioxide. Blood can carry carbon dioxide because carbon dioxide is easily dissolved in the blood’s water.

Another waste that the body continually produces is nitrogen. Nitrogen is a by-product of protein metabolism. The elimination of nitrogen is not as simple as that of carbon dioxide; it cannot merely be discharged as nitrogen gas. Our organism has not developed the capacity to release nitrogen. If nitrogen were combined with hydrogen in the bloodstream, it would form the highly toxic substance ammonia. The ammonia would then poison the body. Therefore, nitrogen must be expelled by the body in a form that is not itself toxic to the human body. Ammonia combines with carbon dioxide, itself a waste product of humans, to form urea. Urea itself is a solid, but it is easily dissolved in the water within the bloodstream.

Urea would quickly reach a toxic level within the body were it not for the functioning of the kidneys. It is the job of the kidneys to filter the blood. They also return to the bloodstream the substances in the blood that the body needs. Waste products, including urea, are not reabsorbed but are mixed with water to form urine, which is afterward expelled through the bladder.

As stated earlier, nitrogen is a by-product of protein metabolism. It costs the body energy to expel this substance in the form of urea. Following a lifestyle of eating raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds will not have as much nitrogenous waste as someone following a conventional diet of processed foods, meats, dairy products while expending less energy expelling this food waste. The urine of a person eating a traditional diet high in protein is apt to be darker and thicker than the urine of a person who eats Hygienically.

Water Cools the Body

One significant reason water balance in the body is so crucial to our health is water’s direct relationship to the body’s temperature regulation. Some animals, such as the camel, actually undergo significant changes in body temperature depending on the air temperature around them. Yet, an internal temperature change of even a very few degrees can mean death to a human being.

A “normal” human adult gains about two and one-half quarts of water daily while also losing approximately the same amount to maintain overall balance. This water is gained from food and liquid sources and also from oxidative sources. Oxidative water is merely water formed by the chemical reaction of hydrogen combining with oxygen within the body.

The body loses water through the kidneys and bowels. It also loses water through the lungs and the skin as perspiration. Sweat cools the skin when it evaporates, which helps to maintain body temperature. Still, it can be dangerous or even fatal if the body loses too much water. We may lose as much as a quart of water per hour through sweat on a sweltering day. Losing eight quarts by this method would mean death.

When the blood loses water, the blood becomes denser. When this happens, water is drawn into the capillaries from the intercellular fluid so that the blood can maintain its flow and carry away unneeded heat in the body.

The skin stops the evaporation of the water in the body. It is the structure from which 85% of the body’s heat is lost. Sweat is a clear fluid mainly consisting of water, but it may contain toxins as well. It is excreted through the pores of our skin. As a result, our skin is cooled by the radiation of heat and the evaporation of sweat. Through this process, we can lose up to 16 ounces or half a liter a day.

Other Uses Of Water

The body needs water for the proper functioning of its glandular systems. The salivary glands in the mouth and the glands in the tongue help prepare food for digestion and keep the mouth moist. Our body regulates everything about water from the hypothalamus in our brain: conservation, elimination, and refreshing. It can be affected by the type of water you drink since inorganic mineral deposits can impair its functioning. Also easily damaged by impure water are the thyroid, adrenal, and pituitary glands.

The pancreas manufactures digestive juices and insulin, and it utilizes water in its making.

Water In Our Diet

Since water is so vital to the proper functioning of our body, we need to understand when, how much, and what kind of water best suit our body.

Natural Diet Is Water Sufficient

Firstly, we should stress that there are no hard and fast rules about how much water a person needs. Those people eating naturally—raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds—will need less water than a person eating a conventional diet of meat, bread, cooked foods, etc. A person accustomed to the Hygienic diet partakes of a diet that is water-sufficient. Under most circumstances, the foods themselves contain enough water for optimum functioning. The naturally ripened fruits that we eat typically have upwards of 80% of the purest distilled water. Such water is ideal for human consumption.

How Much Water Should Be Drunk

There are times, however, when a person subsisting on the Hygienic dietary might need additional water. Such times would include days of heavy toxin elimination and during a fast. We also may require extra water when exerting ourselves in the hot sun. The body will determine its particular water needs and manifest this need as thirst. We should readily accommodate our thirst with the purest of water.

A person who eats a Standard American Diet must drink a great deal more water than someone partaking in a Hygienic lifestyle because the Standard American Diet is far from being water-sufficient. The high salt content in most of these “foods” requires a large volume of additional water to keep the salt in solution. The same is true of many condiments and spices such as pepper and garlic, commonplace in processed foods.

Other food additives like MSG must also be kept away from our cells in a highly diluted form not to be toxic. Even a moment’s thought will reveal that the body considers such substances harmful; or else why keep them in diluted solution? Even in such a dilute solution, some of the toxic materials may cause damage. It would seem sensible to avoid such toxic material, thereby saving the energy needed for their elimination.

Some health advocates prescribe that we drink anywhere from three to eight, or even more, glasses of water daily. My suggestion is: Listen to your body! Partake of a diet that is water-sufficient in itself. If you find that you need water in addition to the water you get from foods, let your thirst guide you as to how much you should drink.

When We Should Drink Water

Now we must consider when to drink. Drink only when thirsty, and never drink during a meal or directly afterward. If you must drink near mealtime, it is suggested that you drink at least thirty minutes before eating or two hours after eating. When drinking with meals, we often tend to swallow food that is only partially masticated. In addition, the water will hinder the process of digestion by diluting the digestive juices. Of course, undigested or partially digested food is toxic and cannot be assimilated.

Water: Is It Fit To Drink?

The importance of water in our diet has been well established. Although it is best for us to obtain our water from food sources, sometimes we need additional water.

For example, when a person works in the sun for several hours on a hot day, his need for water will be proportionately more significant than the water content of most foods. When the need for additional water exists, what kind of water should be taken?

Tap Water and Its Processing

Most people in this country drink the water that is readily available to them. Commercial “purified” tap water is readily available and is used for drinking water by most people. Nevertheless, few of those drinking such water are aware of precisely what constitutes the water they are drinking. At least in the United States, some people still drink tap water without giving it a second thought.

Any person who carefully considers the nature of tap water and its constituents will be unlikely to continue to drink it. Besides the barrage of chemicals added to the water at the “purification plant” (which we’ll go into later), in most cases, the water must travel through an intricate web of pipelines before reaching its destination. These pipes pose the additional danger of adding even more unneeded materials to the water.

Our continual disregard of the environment has left most of our natural waters contaminated by chemical pollutants. For instance, DDT has been found in the far reaches of the North Pole. Other contaminants like soap, wood pulp, oil, sulfuric acid, copper, arsenic, paint, pesticides, and even radioactive wastes! Among the most prevalent inorganic minerals in our waters, which are unusable and toxic to the body, are calcium, magnesium, sodium, chlorine, and sulfur.

Unfortunately, there are many pollutants in our natural waters. What is even more unfortunate for the tap water drinker is that more chemical pollutants are added to the commercially available water supplies. These chemicals are supposedly added to purify the water and kill its “disease-producing bacteria.” The chemicals are more harmful, though than the bacteria they’re supposed to rid the water.

Let’s take a closer look at the major methods commonly used in water treatment.

  1. Sedimentation: When water is allowed to stand still, its heaviest particles will naturally settle to the bottom. This principle can be illustrated by stirring some standing water laden with sediment. If you stir up the bottom and watch for a while, its murkiness will dissipate, and it will become relatively clear again in time. Particles that tend to sediment include sand, rocks, and heavy particles.
  2. Filtration: Filtration is a process that strains out particles in the water that do not settle. Commonly, the water is made to pass through some kind of porous material, such as sand or diatomaceous earth. The porous material acts like a net and captures the particles in the water mixture. Water is sometimes put under pressure in the filtration process.
  3. Coagulation: A process that involves the use of jelly-like binding materials. These materials can include aluminum hydroxide, aluminum sulfate, and activated silica. The theory goes that these chemicals will bind with impurities and cause them to settle out. However, there’s a strong likelihood that at least trace amounts of these toxins will remain.
  4. “Softening”: Many of the waters used for commercial water supplies in this country are “hard,” mineral-laden waters. In water treatment facilities, chemicals such as calcium hydroxide and sodium carbonate are added to the water. These substances form chemical bonds with the “hardening” minerals, particularly calcium and magnesium. The resultant chemicals from the reaction are then filtered as much as possible. Sometimes this filtering is done by reverse osmosis, where the purer water is transported towards the area of least salt (mineral) concentration. This process is the reverse of regular osmosis. It is done by artificial means of transport such as water pumps. The idea of removing hardening minerals from the water we drink is hygienic. But we just can’t agree with this methodology. Anytime unnatural substances are added to the water, our chances of ingesting these chemicals substances are increased. Since our body can indeed use only the water content of the water we drink, it is best to avoid water that has been chemically softened.
  5. Chlorination: With few exceptions, chlorine is added to the water supply of every large city in the United States. It is added at the rate of approximately one-half to one part per million. Theoretically, chlorine is added to the water to poison and kill the germs contained therein. However, we must only remember World War I to imagine the deadly effects chlorine produces on the body. Chlorine has, for instance, been found to be a contributing factor in atherosclerosis. From my own childhood experience, I can remember swimming in a sizeable chlorinated pool. Chlorine was added to the water in which I was swimming! Fortunately, I was not seriously injured— it probably was not a strong chlorine solution. However, I can still remember the stinging of my skin and the feelings of nausea and disorientation I experienced from even such a short exposure. From this experience, I must question the advisability of taking any amount of a deadly toxin such as chlorine into the body! Even such a small amount as one part per million, considered “safe” by the scientific community, is harmful.
  6. Bromine and iodine addition: Instead of chlorine, which is the most widely used germ killer added to commercial water supplies, bromine and iodine are sometimes added. Both of these substances are deadly poisons to humans and are best avoided.
  7. Fluoridation: Probably, there is no more controversial additive to water than fluorine. The significant reason usually cited in favor of fluoridation is its supposed value in the protection of teeth. Some studies have shown that, at best, fluoridation only delays decay. Others have shown no improvement at all in “dental health” from the use of this poison. Reasons aplenty exist, however, for the avoidance of fluoride. If excessive fluoride consumption persists, teeth stains and mottling of the teeth, eventually resulting in brittleness, can ensue. The Mayo Clinic Department of Orthopedics wrote that, although fluoride administration has been shown to stimulate new bone formation, the bone formed thereby is poorly mineralized. Fluoride is mainly stored in bones, and it increases skeletal mineralization. In tests with animals, it has been found that abnormal amounts of bone formation occurred in those animals to which fluorine was administered. Fluoride can contribute to the calcification of ligaments and tendons—even eventually contributing to the spine becoming a solid column of bone. In addition to bone storage, fluorine can be stored virtually anywhere in the body, including the aorta, the main blood flow artery of the heart. There is considerable evidence that fluorine impairs kidney function. In some studies, fluorine has been linked to genetic damage, congenital disabilities, and cancer. Fluorine can mix with hydrochloric acid in the stomach, turning it into a highly corrosive acid. This hydrofluoric acid can lead to hemorrhaging in the upper gastrointestinal tract! The harmfulness of fluorine in our waters is abundant! The so-called benefit of “protection of the teeth” cannot compare to the known health detriments of fluoridation. Fluoride, as it is added to water, is in an inorganic, unassimilable form. Although fluoride can be found in people’s bodies with healthy teeth, it is sometimes absent. What has been stated above is ample cause for the avoidance of fluoride and its concurrent pathological effects. We’ve not even discussed all the possible problems to be found in tap water. Its toxins include lime, soda ash, fluorine, chlorine, and sulfur. Some city water supplies have been found to contain many other substances thought to be carcinogenic. Perhaps the most important thing to remember about tap water is this: It’s more than just water! The chemicals added to the water are unusable poisons; the inorganic minerals in that water are a little better! Let’s relegate our tap water to uses other than for drinking, and our health will benefit immeasurably. We hope that this discussion of tap water has convinced you of the merits of its avoidance! Let’s continue our discussion of other types of water you might consider drinking.

Salt Water

Lots of folks are proclaiming the health benefits of seawater and sea salt. They say the complement of minerals in seawater is similar to our blood. Yet seawater is not a food; it’s drinking occasions vomiting and can produce death. Sailors will die of thirst before drinking it. All its elements are in an inorganic form (see the following section on mineral waters). They are unusable and toxic to the body. We’re best off avoiding seawater as well! Its salt content requires extra pure water to keep the salt in solution away from body tissues.

Mineral Water

Considerable controversy exists concerning the benefit of mineralized water in the diet. Some of the most important things to remember about mineral waters are:

  1. The body cannot use minerals unless they are in their organic un-fragmented form. 
  2. The body must expend considerable energy to expel these unneeded materials from the body before the water itself can be cured.

Let’s go into this subject a bit more thoroughly. Minerals are only usable to the body as they are found in organic life forms such as plants. Only plants form the link between the earth-minerals and animal life! We cannot digest rocks. Although inorganic minerals may have the same chemical composition as organic minerals, they differ in structure and the relative position of the component molecules. This difference is crucial, for it determines the usability of the substance by the body.

How does a plant transform Earth’s inorganic minerals into usable forms? First, the plant takes in sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and elements from the Earth. By photosynthesis, the plant’s chlorophyll captures the sunlight and forms carbohydrates from water and carbon dioxide. In the plant’s growth, the minerals from the Earth become organically part of the plant itself.

Then, and only then, can the minerals be absorbed by our body.

  1. The body deposits the inorganic minerals found in mineral water in tissue structures and bones. Mineral deposits can lead to kidney stone and gallstone formation, hardening of the arteries, ossification of the brain, arthritis, and heart disease. Inorganic minerals excreted through the skin can cause tissue degeneration.
  2. When harmful substances enter the body, they are encountered by the white blood cells, which are a part of the body’s inherent defense mechanism. Continued ingestion of harmful substances, including inorganic minerals, can result in an over-proliferation of the white blood cells. This condition is called leukocytosis.
  3. It has been suggested that the different stages of life—from infancy to old age—are just differences in the state of ossification of the body parts. The significant difference in body tissues between youth and old age is the greater rigidity and toughness of tissues in advanced age.

Rainwater

What can be more refreshing than a soothing summer shower? Rainwater was once a prime choice for drinking. However, we must begrudgingly recognize that the “waste products” of all the technological boons of humankind have befuddled our waters. Our atmosphere is polluted, and rainwater tends to absorb and wash these toxins out of the air. Although that’s great for the air, it makes rainwater drinking unfeasible in most circumstances. Suppose you have a heavy rainstorm and begin collecting water several hours into it. In that case, the water will be good (unless you live in an area where the. air is severely polluted). Otherwise, rainwater is best avoided for drinking.

Well Water

Most well waters are heavily laden with inorganic minerals. When this is the case, well water is best left in the ground or used only for cleaning, swimming, and bathing.

Spring Water

Some spring waters are heavily mineralized; others are fresh and soft. Soft pure spring water can be good to drink—but unless you know it’s pure, pass it up! When you buy spring water from the store, there’s little way of knowing just what you’re getting.

Distilled Water

Distilled water is the purest water available. Nothing but water is in it. When the need for additional water other than what we get from our diet exists, distilled water is unequivocally the best choice for drinking. Perhaps the most prominent objection to the use of distilled water is that distillers are not to be found anywhere in nature. However, the process is a natural one. How about rainwater and the water in fruit? For excellent health, we must partake of food, air, and sunshine as they are found in nature. To the great discredit of exploitative humankind, our natural waters have been fouled to the point of toxicity with the waste matter of our so-called “advanced” civilization. It is for this reason that it’s dangerous to drink even rainwater! Distilling water is perhaps our only natural choice in ensuring the purity of our drinking water. Nevertheless, it is a shame that we must use unnatural mechanical procedures to make pure water available to our bodies once more.

The proponents of hard water drinking have claimed that distilled water is dangerous to drink because it leeches out minerals from the body. There is some truth in this statement, but not the way they mean it. Distilled water does aid the body in removing harmful, disease-producing inorganic minerals from the tissues and bones where those not eliminated are stored. However, distilled water does not leech out the organic minerals that have become part of our cellular structures. We must remember that the body chooses what it does with the water that is ingested. The water does not act upon the body. It is the body that acts upon the water! The body will relegate the proper usage of the pure distilled water it receives.

Sources Of Pure Water

Fresh raw fruits are our best source of pure water. The plant itself has already done the distilling! There are no intermediate steps needed.

Our body is about 60-70% water; fruits are typically 80-90% water! Vegetables are high in water content, too. If we eat an abundance of fresh raw fruits, including melons in the hot seasons, little or no water for drinking will be needed! There are no “dry” foods. Sunflower seeds are approximately 5% water. At the other end of the scale, watermelon is around 92% water. It’s sweet and delicious, too!

Here are some typical water contents of readily available fruits and vegetables:

  • Avocados – 73%
  • Grapes – 81%
  • Bananas – 75%
  • Oranges(peeled) – 86%
  • Peaches – 89%
  • Strawberries – 90%
  • Celery – 94%
  • Broccoli – 89%
  • Lettuce – 95%
  • Tomatoes – 93%
  • Cucumbers – 95%
  • Carrots – 88%

Even “dry” vegetables have high water content. Potatoes are almost 80% water.

If nuts and seeds are eaten, the possibility of the need for additional water increases. Pecans are about 3% water, cashews 5%, almonds about 5%, and brazil nuts are about 4% water. The water in raw fruits is preferable to that found in vegetables. In contrast, the water in the leaves has not been distilled by the plant as much as fruit.

When fasting, working in the sun, or if you’ve deviated from a water-sufficient diet (heaven forbid!), then you need pure distilled water at your local grocery store. However, you should be careful in its purchase and usage. If it has any odor, color, or taste, it should be avoided.

The best way to ensure your distilled water is truly pure is to do your distillation. However, you should take care to purchase the proper non-contaminating distilling equipment. Distilled water is obtained by a mechanical method in which water is first heated to boiling. Then the resulting vapor, which has separated from the boiling water, is collected. In the process, the chemicals and sediments in the water are removed, leaving only the water.

Since distilled water has a fantastic ability to dissolve metals and minerals, it should only be stored in a glass or stainless steel container. To avoid air contact, I suggest storing it in a narrow-necked container having as little contact with the air as possible. Also, keep distilled water from air contact by keeping the container closed.

High-quality steam distillers, using stainless steel and glass components, should be used in distilling water.

Questions & Answer

If fluorides in the water are supposed to help fight cavities, why does an excess weaken the teeth (and bones)?

In truth, adding fluorides to water is an economic measure, not a health measure. Fluorides are industrial waste products for which a market was created for the industry’s financial advantage. It’s not that it’s wrong to seek profit or economic advantage; however, it is when it’s at the expense of people’s health. The fact is that fluorides in water do not help fight cavities. While “excess” fluorides will result in brittle teeth and bones, smaller amounts cause problems of all kinds, too. As stated in the lesson, fluorides are toxic. All toxins are carcinogenic and interfere with normal body functioning. Anyone seeking health should stay completely clear of known toxins, including fluorides.

You spoke of water containing impurities, and you mentioned inorganic minerals, chemical additives, and softening agents. Are there other impurities in water? If so, what are they?

Anything and everything in water is an impurity. The main reason why waters usually contain so many impurities is that water easily dissolves many substances. That is to say, and many substances are water-soluble.

Most of the impurities in water include living and dead organic matter, like bacteria. Also, corrosive products from pipelines, including lead, zinc, copper, iron, carbon dioxide, magnesium, and manganese, are taken into solution in the absence of dissolved oxygen; and algae. Some of the impurities in water make it taste awful or give it an unappetizing color. The organic matter may decompose and make water smell unappealing.

Soft water is better at cleaning and washing because it doesn’t contain inorganic minerals that make it hard. Keep in mind that impurities in water are not acceptable to our body and ultimately contribute to its progress towards a diseased state.

You spoke of hard water and soft water. What do you mean by those terms?

Soft water is free from or lacking inorganic mineral substances, such as calcium and magnesium salts, that prevent the lathering of soap. Hard water contains enough calcium, magnesium, and other mineral salts to prevent the lathering of soap.

As you can see, water does not have to be devoid of minerals to be labeled “soft.” It only has to be “deficient in” minerals, to the extent that soap will lather, to be labeled “soft.” Distilled water is the softest water there is since it is devoid of inorganic minerals. However, not all soft water is distilled or suitable for drinking. Spring waters are generally softer than well water. Seawater is hard water, as are mineral waters, by definition. Hard water is just another word for mineral water—or vice versa.

As a final note, I might mention that water softened by the addition of chemicals is more harmful than those naturally softened or distilled. 

Naturally, soft waters are harmful to whatever extent they contain any impurities. As stated in the lesson, distilled water is the only water fit for drinking.

What kind of water should be used for bathing?

The water used for bathing is not so crucial as the water used for drinking. Soft water is preferred over hard water because of its greater solubility, which means that more dirt, oil, etc., from the body can be taken into solution, which means you can get cleaner more easily when you bathe with soft water.

In your entire presentation on water, you mentioned nothing of water use in enemas, colonics, etc.! Please speak on these subjects.

The only place where water should enter the body is through the mouth. The body does the cleaning of its internal parts. Putting water in parts of the body where it doesn’t belong constitutes an interference with normal body processes. It is draining to take enemas or colonics, and this leads to toxemia and disease.

The symptoms of enervation that people experience after an enema or colonic are usually mistaken for signs of well-being, which is a common error that needs to be corrected if health is obtained. One can make an analogy between enemas and drugs. Amphetamines, also known as “uppers,” definitely give a feeling of well-being. Yet, they do not bring health and are highly detrimental to health. Just because something makes you feel good (at first) does not mean it is good for you. It could be that it’s stimulating and enervating you and setting the stage for disease.


Michael J. Loomis | Editor at Chew Digest | Scribe at Terrain Wiki