Pure and Simple

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - Pure and Simple

Tue, 15 Feb 2005 08:52:29 -0500

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - Pure and Simple

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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February 15, 2005

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Cure for Memory Loss from Backyard Herb

 

Think you have memory challenges? Imagine memorizing all those complex

picture-characters in Japanese writing.

 

Maybe that's why hundreds of Japanese patients were so grateful

recently when a doctor reversed their short-term memory loss with a

simple tea made from the herb eyebright -- a herb that can be grown in

your own garden.

 

While eyebright as a memory booster is new, its power to help vision

has been famous since the 14th century. It strengthens the optic

nerve, making it less vulnerable to cataracts. This nerve-boosting

also may help the brain, which, after all, is made up of nerve cells.

 

 

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Dear Reader,

 

There was a time when you could probably find clean water that was

unadulterated. But today, almost all drinking water is at least

partially contaminated by pesticides, herbicides, and nitrates from

fertilizers - not to mention additives such as fluoride.

 

And you can't assume that bottled water is a contaminant-free

alternative. According to a study by the environmental advocacy group

National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), more than 25 percent of

today's bottled waters, labeled as " pure " and " spring water, " actually

come right out of a faucet.

 

So where do you turn for water free of impurities? Many people choose

distilled water. In fact hospitals use distilled water in kidney

dialysis machines and other equipment because only distilled water is

guaranteed to be as close as possible to 100 percent pure. But as

we'll see, complete purity also has its drawbacks.

 

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Downstream drawback

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An HSI member named Irene sent an e-mail with this question:

 

" I am confused about drinking distilled water, having been told in the

past by a couple of different health professionals that it is

excellent to drink it for about 4 - 6 weeks to detox the body but not

for longer. The reason they give is that they say distilled water

contains no natural minerals and being very soft actually has a

chelating effect drawing necessary minerals out of the body. I would

really appreciate the opinion of HSI research on this view. "

 

To sort out the " pure " from the " impure " on this topic, I asked HSI

Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., for his thoughts on distilled water:

 

" Right off the bat, given the amazingly sorry state (in my opinion) of

most municipal water supplies, I'd have to say that distilled water is

a far superior solution (and fairly simple). If you live at the source

of the river, that's lucky for you, but every town along the river

below you is processing and drinking your WASTE WATER (fun thought)! I

still remember flying over Knoxville, TN, and seeing 2 immense pipes

dumping waste water directly into the Tennessee River. Since I lived

in Chattanooga, 100 miles downstream, it gave me pause to think!

 

" The solution, other than ozonation and ultraviolet irradiation (a

European solution but more expensive), is to dump in highly reactive

chemicals (predominantly chlorine) to kill obviously undesirable

organisms. Then add some aluminum compounds to help clarify it (yep),

and some toxic waste products from the aluminum industry (ie,

fluoride, ostensibly to help with our teeth, but don't get me started)

and you have some neat municipal drinking water.

 

" Give me distilled over that anytime. "

 

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Mineral void

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In spite of the drawbacks with unfiltered public water, Dr. Spreen

confirms the advice that Irene has heard about not drinking distilled

water for long periods.

 

Dr. Spreen: " One of (by far) the most brilliant men of the recent era,

Dr. Hans Nieper (M.D. and Ph.D.) was against the long-term ingestion

of distilled water due to the fact that there were no minerals on

board to give it a 'charge' as opposed to being pure H2O (which

doesn't occur in nature). There does exist research (from more than

one source) suggesting that even the intake of minerals from food

doesn't make up for high-volume intake of totally mineral-free water

in terms of maintaining health. For sure the final chapter isn't in

yet on this issue.

 

" The problem is, it's a Catch 22 - the simple stuff is toxic, and

really pure, clean, natural water is very difficult to obtain.

Everyone wants to sell spring water because they can charge more, but

getting reliable stuff is tough. What do you do?

 

" To me, reputable, deep-well artesian spring water is the best to

drink, but finding and affording it is tougher.

 

" Maybe we should all just switch to beer and forget the whole thing. "

 

I'm sure that Dr. Spreen is kidding with that last comment. (At least

I think he is.)

 

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....and another thing

 

Ladies, if you've got a man in your house, coax him to eat his vegetables.

And if he puts up a fuss, tell him this: A study published in the

International Journal of Cancer shows that men whose fiber intake

comes mostly from vegetables may have greater protection from prostate

cancer than those who get their fiber from other sources.

 

Italian researchers conducted a dietary survey of more than 1,700

middle-aged and elderly men. About 1,300 had prostate cancer, and the

rest were cancer-free. Researchers found that a high intake of any

type of fiber reduced prostate cancer risk slightly. Soluble fiber

intake appeared to offer some protection, but when fruit, vegetable

and grain fiber intakes were compared, vegetable fiber was associated

with the lowest risk.

 

But a question remains: Was the fiber responsible for the preventive

risk, or was it the lifestyle? As one researcher noted, those with a

high intake of vegetable fiber may be more likely to incorporate other

healthy habits in their daily routines. So in addition to eating more

veggies, some exercise wouldn't be a bad idea (of course), along with

sufficient sleep, some basic vitamin supplements, no smoking, moderate

drinking...you know the list.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

" Bottled Water: Pure Drink or Pure Hype? " National Resources Defense

Council, nrdc.org

" Fibre Intake and Prostate Cancer Risk " International Journal of

Cancer, Vol. 109, No. 2, 12/22/03, interscience.wiley.com

" Vegetable Fiber Tied to Lower Prostate Cancer Risk " Amy Norton,

Reuters Health, 4/14/04, reutershealth.com