Not drinking water

[Monica]

Really? How did that all go down? We feel fine...

When I was 21, I got into Edgar Cayce, and read about his recommendations for colonics. I had female problems and sinus headaches, so went to a nutritionist who put me on distilled water for detox. I also got off all junk foods and did the colon cleansing, juicing, etc. It did me a lot of good, but also a lot of damage. Colonics are ok for a short while for detox, but this woman didn't know when to stop! She didn't educate her clients on how to have a healthy lifestyle, but had them keep coming back to her. I realized later there was a lot of control going on there, but at the time, I was young and naive.

The excessive cleansing for over 3 years undoubtedly depleted me, which made me more susceptible to more depletion from the distilled water. I felt great at the time and was very healthy. I never got sick anymore. For about the next 10 years, I was fine. Of course, during that time, I continued to do a lot of juicing, was eating a middle-of-the-road lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, and consumed bluegreen algae. I now believe that all those things kept me going. I quit drinking distilled water in favor of a basic water filter, most due to the expense of an actual distiller. (This was before they had countertop distillers so a good distiller was about $1000.)

So, for about 10 years, I drank purified water and had an excellent diet, and was fine. Then, when I was around 30 or so, I acquired a distiller, thinking I was doing a good thing for my family. It took a couple of years for problems to manifest. I began having receded gums, but the kicker was when the heart problems started. I started having palpitations, sometimes 20 or 30 times per day, accompanied by an inability to get a deep breath. It was terrifying!

I simply never made the connection to the distilled water. Keep in mind, that this was before the age of the internet. So all I had to go on was this 'expert' who told me that distilled water was the best, purest water to drink. I had no reason to even question that!

Later, I learned that there was some controversy about it. Some practitioners were saying not to drink it because it leached minerals. But others scoffed at that and cited examples of children being brought up on distilled water and never being sick. It was confusing. So, I thought I'd err on the side of caution and began adding liquid ionic minerals to the water. I thought I had it covered!

Meanwhile, I spent a fortune seeking help for my serious problems. Over the next 15 years, I went to MDs, homeopaths, naturopaths, acupuncturists, etc. but no one could figure out what was wrong with me. I tried various diets, and even held my nose and forced myself to eat salmon and chicken for awhile! (What does THAT tell you about how desperate I was? heh)

But none of those things helped. The only thing that seemed to be keeping my heart from failing was the bluegreen algae and an algae concentrate called StemEnhance. I am very grateful for both of those! I am absolutely convinced I wouldn't be here were it not for the algae.

I also had other problems developing as well: chronic female problems, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, advanced periodontal disease, severe bone loss, severe insomnia, and swelling and tingling in my hands and feet, leading me to suspect onset of diabetes.

I was a mess!

I finally put 2 and 2 together. Thanks to the internet, I was able to research all my symptoms myself, instead of just relying on a few 'experts.' All my problems had a common denominator: magnesium deficiency. So I hit it hard, with various forms of cal-mag, trace minerals, extra mag, slow mag, extra green juices, etc. Those things might have helped a bit here and there, but I still couldn't breathe!

You couldn't tell by looking at me. I was a stay-at-home mom with a home business, then later worked just part-time due to homeschooling and insomnia. I'd be at work, when a breathing episode would occur, and I knew by now to just sit there and eventually a breath would come. Or so I hoped. Each time it happened, I never knew if "this was it" and would be my last. It was like getting waterboarded 20 times a day! It was terrifying!

Of course, this too was catalyst. I confronted a lot of my inner demons during this time, and cleared a lot of deep emotional issues. So some good did come from it.

Then, about 6 years ago, I began to despair. I was so tired of not being able to breathe...so tired of living in constant stress over what should be a normal bodily function. I prayed desperately for an answer. I remember praying, "If I could just breathe, I will never complain about anything in my life ever again!"

Like the Christians say, I was on my knees, in agonizing prayer, reaching out with all my heart and soul.

Well, right around that time, my distiller broke and flooded our garage, ruining some stuff.

I didn't listen.

Then, a few months later, the distiller broke again and flooded our garage again.

This time, I paid attention!

I was a good example of what you've been talking about, Tenet. I was so locked into my belief that distilled water was healthy for me, that I failed to recognize what it was doing to me, all those years. But I had no vested interest in distillers. I didn't sell distillers. I really didn't care at all about distilled water. There was no emotional charge about it. I just honestly believed it was the cleanest, purest, healthiest water, because that is what I had been taught by an 'expert' whom I trusted at the time! So it was totally innocent and understandable on my part. Nevertheless, my submitting to that 'authority' cost me dearly!

After the 2nd flooding, I opened myself to the possibility that maybe my Higher Self was trying to tell me something! I remember thinking, "What if, just what if it's really true that distilled water depletes one's minerals?" So I got online and began shopping for a water filter, intending to buy just some basic filter to remove chlorine, but would leave the minerals intact.

That's when I discovered water ionizers. Not knowing the difference, I bought one of our main competitors, a Jupiter machine. I spent $1400, with high hopes that it would somehow improve my health.

At best, at least I didn't get any worse. It was certainly better than the distilled water! But neither did I get any better. I basically stayed the same. We all drank the water from that machine for 2 1/2 years, until it suddenly broke. (I expected it to last longer than that, considering its price tag.)

During the time we were drinking the Jupiter water, I developed a sharp pain in the area of one of my ovaries. I put off going to the doctor, because I knew they'd surely find something and probably want to do a hysterectomy. I continued to search for answers as to why my health had deteriorated.

Also during that time, my elderly dog developed arthritis so bad he could barely walk. I used to have to pick him up and carry him outside in the morning. He grumbled and growled whenever I woke him up. His eyes were milky white, and he was both blind and deaf.

This is where we were at, after drinking the water from the competitor who claims to be 'as good as' the medical grade machine.

After it broke, a friend told me about the medical grade machine. I was like, "you gotta be kidding! been there done that...I'm not wasting my $$ AGAIN!" but he showed the hospital footage and the medical certification, so I realized that there was a major difference in quality. I'd just been laid off, and we were broke. I never saw any testimonials, so I had no expectations that it would actually help my myriad problems. I bought it strictly in the hopes that its antioxidant value might help prevent cancer, so at least maybe I wouldn't have to worry about that on top of all my other problems! So despite our financial situation, we put it on the credit card.

Within 2 days of drinking the genuine ionized water, constipation, acid reflux, and insomnia cleared up. Within 2 weeks, my dog woke us up at 6am, running and ready to play! Heart palpitations reduced to maybe 2-3 times per day. Within 3 months, ALL those problems I had were either 100% resolved, or 90% better. Heart palpitations/breathing problems only occurred about once or twice a month, over the next year, until they finally disappeared completely. Within 3 months, my husband and I both got our hair color back. Not completely, but almost completely for me and about half for him. I was 48 when I got my machine and in the throes of perimenopause. I hadn't ovulated for 5 years. Within 3 months, I was having regular ovulatory cycles. (NOT that I want any more kids! But what does that mean, that I got my hair color back and started ovulating again? Is my body youthing?) Whatever it was in my ovary seemed to be gone. No more pain. I don't care what it was. It's gone.

NOTHING else was changed. All I did was change my water. I didn't increase my water. I already drank over a gallon a day. I just switched the water to the best ionized water.

It's now been 3 1/2 years since I got my machine. My dog is still deaf but he's no longer blind. He can still run. He's almost 20 years old. I used to get bronchitis every winter, without fail, and be coughing for 3-4 weeks. I haven't had a single cold for the past 3 winters I've been drinking this water. I started to get sick a few times but it never grabbed hold and was gone within a day or 2.

It is strange how different people can react so differently to something as seemingly simply as water! I have seen the same food or supplement, for example, have completely opposite effects in different bodies. Makes it kind of hard to draw any firm conclusions...

Sometimes I get frustrated when I hear of health food store employees recommending this or that product "for" this or that condition. I know that is their job, and they are genuinely trying to be helpful. But it seems that they are sometimes a little overzealous about a particular product and don't realize that a certain product might not be the best fit for every person.

I agree in the case of 'health foods' and supplements. I think it's because different people have different nutritional deficiencies, different metabolisms, etc. Taking some supplement that might help another person because they're deficient in it, might exacerbate a problem in someone who has an excess of that or can't digest it for whatever reason. Look at how some people can't handle wheat or peanuts...

I don't think this applies to water though. From what I understand, the chemistry is the same for everyone. There just might be additional factors for some...as with my having already gotten depleted from excessive cleansing, which might have predisposed me to getting depleted more quickly from the distilled water. But there is no question that the distilled water depleted my minerals. I just might not have had the same reserve as you did, due to the previous cleansing. But the chemistry is the same.

I've seen inconclusive results with various health foods and supplements. Even the bluegreen algae - a foundational and primal food - didn't work the same for everyone. Some people got a sudden burst of energy, while others just noticed a subtle feeling of well-being, while others experienced detox and felt worse before they felt better, while still others noticed nothing until months later when they realized their allergies no longer bothered them.

But with the water, it's pretty consistent. Some detox and others don't, but aside from that, I tend to see predictable results with water. ALL human bodies are at least 70% water, so there is no reason that water should react any differently from one person to another. I see the same pattern with virtually everyone who drinks this water. They sometimes detox, they feel better, they reduce or eliminate their meds...same pattern.

I think distilled water leaches minerals the same with everyone. But it affected me more, because I was already depleted from excessive colonics. So it just happened faster with me. It was a combination of factors, but there is no question in my mind that the distilled water was the main culprit, because when I changed my water, the problems were all resolved.

Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to convey the context of what happened to me and why I feel distilled water is dangerous long-term.

This water detoxifies better than distilled water, but without the mineral depletion. It actually helps restore minerals, because there is a concentration of minerals, in ionized form, meaning they are tiny enough to be absorbed.