Healthy Water, Healthy Living: Alkalinize First!

Water constitutes about 60-70% of our weight. Thus, we are encouraged by healthcare professionals to drink plenty of water every day. Yet, study after study warns us about the dangers of drinking contaminated water. As we know, municipal water supplies often contain dangerous, carcinogenic substances, chemicals, toxins, and metals, along with doses of chlorine and fluoride to "make it just right" for human consumption. So, armed with the latest water safety concerns, we head out to our grocery stores to purchase clean, purified, bottled water. Some of us add expensive water purifying systems to our wells and to our faucets to ensure safety. We purchase distilled water, sparkling water, artesian well water, mineral water, ground water, de-ionized water, and natural spring water. We rest at ease and feel certain that we've taken care of a major piece of the health puzzle... clean, fresh water. And yet, have we really? The Alkaline Connection A healthy body maintains an alkaline pH of around 7.36 in the blood stream. This involves a dynamic internal balancing act, depending upon how the body is being fueled. Without proper life-enhancing fuel, the body can become acidic and ultimately diseased. But wait a minute - weren't we just discussing water, the fuel constituting nearly 70% of our bodily weight? Yes... healthy people drink clean pH balanced water. All bodily functions are dependent upon the maintenance of an internal alkalinity, and water, water, water, is just about everywhere inside! Consider, in an acidic system: Calcium is pulled from the bones to buffer and keep the blood alkaline. Enter stage left: Osteoporosis. Plaque is produced to protect the arteries, so that acid does not burn a hole in the arteries. Enter stage right: High cholesterol, and Atherosclerosis. And: Yeast and parasitic infections grow beautifully in an acidic environment. Dental cavities thrive in acidity. Cancer cannot grow in an alkaline system. Our Cells Remember that it all starts in our cells. In a healthy state, our body's cells are slightly alkaline. All of our metabolic processes, and the enzymes that initiate chemical reactions in the body, will function at their best in a slightly alkaline environment. Healthy cells contain large amounts of alkaline substances, such as oxygen, bicarbonate, and calcium. In our childhood years, with an abundance of mineral reserves in the bones and healthy kidneys, lungs, digestive function, and blood and tissue buffers, our bodies can more efficiently regulate pH. But by age 40, more and more people are less able to regulate pH changes as efficiently due to lifestyle stresses and depletion of reserves and buffers. There are signs that, in today's rushed and hustle world, this threshold is actually affecting us even at much younger ages. Important Questions If you answer "yes" to one or more of the following questions, you are probably overly-acidic. I have thin, porous bones and poorly developed muscles. I cannot tolerate acidic condiments like vinegar and lemon juice. I am susceptible to heartburn, canker sores, allergies, and sore throats. I do not feel my best when I eat fast food, fried food, red meat, or desserts. I drink more than one cup of coffee or tea a day. I catch colds and flu frequently. I often experience lack of stamina or fatigue, and feel exhausted after vigorous exercise. So how do we get acidic? From emotional stress, excess starches, processed foods, sugar, poor diet, acidic water intake, lack of physical exercise, or a combination of the above. The Test Using inexpensive pH strips, we can measure our pH by saliva or by urine. The ranges for alkalinity are: Mouth: 6.8-7.2 (usually lower in the a.m.) Urine: 6.6-6.8 (usually higher in the a.m.) Restoring pH Balance There are three steps to restoring your acid/alkaline balance: Follow a more alkaline diet consisting mostly of non-starchy vegetables, fruits such as melons and papaya, grains such as millet, amaranth, quinoa, and oats, beans, small amounts of raw seeds and nuts, free-range poultry, and fish. Restore your alkaline mineral reserves. Supplement with calcium, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Nutri-West products like DSF, Hypo-D, Upper GI, Total Enzymes, and Total Veggie may be indicated. Make healthy lifestyle changes. Healthy people drink water, get exercise and fresh air every day, have a passion for their work, build quality relationships, and eat alkalinizing foods. Jump Start Begin consuming an alkaline diet. Drink 4oz of 7.0 pH balanced water every hour throughout the day for three days. This will help you get started on the road to alkalinizing your system. Indulge in relaxing apple cider vinegar baths. Reduce emotional stress. Crush a Nutri-West "Total Veggie" in water and drink first thing in the morning. Add pH drops to water that is acidic. The Alkaline Habit Drink 8 ounces of clean pH balanced water every day before you consume anything. The brain is the first to dehydrate when thirsty - especially during sleep. Whatever hits the brain first sets the stage for the day. For example, without drinking water first, a cup of coffee sends the caffeine directly to the brain. And, the coffee brings reserve energy to the surface. What a waste of fuel! Avoid diet soda - no calories, no fuel, acidic, may slow the body's metabolism by 30% for 12 hours, what a way to gain weight! And, it does not quench your thirst. The Absorption Factor Some say that water companies are adding acidic enhancers to their bottled water to keep you thirsty so you will buy more and more of it. Some say it is for better taste. But know that alkaline water is highly absorbable and thirst quenching and healthy! Feel Good Know that clean pH balanced water is a healing agent. Drink two liters of such water a day, and more with increased physical activity. Avoid dehydration, which contributes to fatigue, mental confusion, toxicity, illness, and disease. Take a stand for your health! And, remember Dr. Taylor's encouraging words: "It's Your Body, Your Health, Your Choice!"