water and pH

[Guest guest]

regarding ayurveda, water and pH:

 

ayurveda has nothing to say about the pH of water because the specific

concept of acid and alkaline water wasn't known - its a (modern) scientific

concept

 

nonetheless, it appears that the acharyas knew well the benefits of

different kinds of waters, and for this reason often recommended

mineral-rich waters from glacial streams and artesian wells that tend

to have a higher pH (i.e. are more alkaline); however, the acharyas

also recommended rain water, which is naturally acidic because of

dissolved gases like CO2 in it (HOWEVER - the pH of rain water depends

on the region of evaporation and precipitation - in coastal regions the

rain may contain more dissolved sea salt, whereas inland regions may

contain more chalk, and this does not even factor into the equation all

of the man-made pollutants like sulfur dioxide and heavy metals from

industrial operations that can make the water very acidic in some

regions)

 

as far as glacial and well water goes, this is usually abundant in

mineral salts, and it is this abundance of dissolved minerals that

makes it "hard"

two commonly dissolved salts in hard water are calcium and magnesium

carbonates

in water, these molecules dissolve to form ions: Ca2+ (calcium), Mg2+

(magnesium), CO32- (carbonate), HCO3- (bicarbonate)

 

the carbonates and bicarbonates function as buffering agents, and

directly influence the pH, i.e. the more carbonates, the greater the

pH, the more alkaline

 

in contrast, magnesium and calcium ions make the water harder, and

while they can influence pH buffering, they do not directly contribute

to the pH

 

its important to note that buffering agents like carbonates are easily

precipitated, for e.g. boiling water will precipitate buffers (and

minerals), and cause them to build up as lime in your kettle

 

in epidemiological studies, people that drink "hard" water appear to

live longer, probably due to all the minerals and trace minerals in

their water and the myriad health benefits these have, unlike what

would be found in "soft" water, that is more acidic

 

however, there are sooo many other factors that it is very difficult to

reduce water a simple argument of pH

 

as far as copper water goes, the pH would depend upon the water you put

into it

as a result of putting water into a copper vessel there may be more

copper ions in the water, but this will not affect the pH because no

buffering agents are released

 

anyway, the purported benefits of using copper have nothing to do with

affecting pH, but are related to the infusing the water with a

particular kind of energetic vibration related to the copper itself -

like doing the agni hotra in an inverted copper pyramid - perhaps Dr.

Masaru Emoto has checked into copper water (?)

Caldecott

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for replying to my message.

 

You have a lot of knowledge about all these things. Do you recommend

Alkaline water? Do you think it can really help people combat all

kinds of diseases as it says.

 

Thanks again

Himali

[Guest guest]

hello himali

 

how is it that this water is made alkaline - is it naturally occurring, or an

additive? is

this in reference to water "ionizers" available on the internet - if so, avoid

these -

they are nothing but an expensive scam that make all kinds of impossible and

unproven claims - see more here: http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html

 

some of best waters are more alkaline because of their rich mineral content -

but this

is naturally so, not because bases have been added to the water to make it more

alkaline - examples include glacial and artesian well water - these waters are

also

ancient, and thus often free of the contaminants you would find in surface water

 

obviously not everybody has access to this kind of water, and thus most people

have

to drink surface water

in some places you can collect the pure melting snow, and this can be very good

-

but its comparatively acidic - here i'm thinking of all the people that live in

rural areas

and rely upon snow melt for their water - i used to live in the mountains in

canada,

and this was the water we drank, day in and day out - it was very tasty,

although

because we didn't purify it we were always at risk of some kind of

gastrointestinal

infection

 

this is important to mention, because there are only a few ways to safely purify

water

of microbial infection: the best and most simple way is to simple boil it for

one

minute - additives like chlorine, iodine, bleach etc. are also possible, but

they

seriously contaminate the water quality - there are also other filters (e.g.

ceramic)

that can be used in a pinch

 

for the rest of us who have to drink municipal water, i recommend at least a

high

quality dual stage carbon filter - for added benefit reverse osmosis filters can

be

added between each carbon filter, but only the very best of these are actually

worth it,

and even then, are susceptible to microbial invasion - some studies have shown

that

reverse osmosis water is no better than drinking the municipal water in

developing

countries because microbes can invade the RO membranes

 

distilled water is another method of purification, but this results in a neutral

pH

water, and will actually pull minerals OUT of your body if you consume it on a

regular

basis - for this reason its good for cleansing, but not for every day use

 

dual stage carbon filters will give you a very good tasting and affordable

water, and

are often better quality than anything you can buy in a plastic bottle

 

once you have this water you can then do various things to it to make it more

healthful

if the water has few dissolved minerals you add minerals back to it - there are

companies that produce a trace mineral extract that you can add back to your

water;

but if the water is already rich in minerals then you needn't bother - you can

usually

get a copy of the analysis of your municipal water that is done by your local

government

 

once you have this water, you can do all manner of things to improve it -

sun/moon

infusions in crystal bowels, blessing it, chanting auspicious mantras, infusing

it with

herbs and flowers, etc, etc

 

i will often shake my water to infuse it with more oxygen, so it has more of the

quality of a fast moving river, which the acharyas consider best

 

a Japanese fellow names Masaru Emoto has done some interesting research freezing

water that has been "treated" by different methods (i.e. prayer, chanting etc.),

and

then photographing its frozen crystalline structure - water that has undergone

these

methods has a beautiful, geometric shape (http://www.hado.net/)

 

todd caldecott

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much Todd. I appreciate your time and effort.

 

I got this alkaline water from Alkalife.com and they wouldn't say how

this water is made. I am sure it is not from natural resources.

 

Hado.net was very informational as well. The website makes us think -

that blessed waters must mean something. The priests in India often

bless the waters while doing yagnas and let all the people drink it

while doing puja.

[Guest guest]

> I got this alkaline water from Alkalife.com and they wouldn't say how

> this water is made. I am sure it is not from natural resources.

 

i checked out their website

one product, described below:

 

> Product features BicarboLifeTM is a patent-pending mineral dietary

> supplement to add bicarbonates to the blood stream. Two tablets a day

> is equivalent to 10 drops of AlkaLife®. It is much more convenient

> than drinking 5 glasses of alkaline water a day. BicarboLifeTM comes

> in a 60-tablet bottle, one month supply, and costs only $22.00,

> shipping included.

 

this is too much!

you can buy a huge box of baking soda for $2-3, and add this to your

water to "add bicarbonates to your blood stream"!

without a doubt, this is a scam!

 

consuming bicarbonates unchecked is potentially VERY dangerous - the

blood needs to be kept within an optimal pH range, between 7.35 and

7.45 - any higher and the result to could be a life-threatening

alkalosis!

 

stick with Ayurveda!

ksharas (alkalis) rich in bicarbonates are used in Ayurveda, but only

in particular circumstances as a therapeutic agent - not for everyday

use

 

Caldecott

todd