Alkaline water. Amazing health benefits or Snake oil?

I think you may be referring to Lithium water.

Sold here in N TX under the 'Crazy Water' moniker.

An entire town was famous for it many decades ago.

http://drinkcrazywater.com/cw/

Lithium is a well know mood altering substance. If you were talking about Alkaline water I have nothing to add so - well, I guess nevermind.
 
Oh, I stumbled across some stupid infomercial for this thing you add to the faucet that cures cancer, herpes, and SIDS or something... Hell I don't remember.

I all I know is after watching the thing, I really wanted one.
I started looking up alkaline water and apparently it is all the rage.

Something about acid diets causing cancer and parvo or something.

Heres 6 minutes you'll never get back
 
You'll never take my 6 minutes. I should be in bed anyways...
 
If you were born in 1700, your life expectancy was around 40 years (average)

If you were born around 1900, your life expectancy was around 49 years.

Today, more than 80 years.

A lot of this has to do with the quality and safety of public water systems. (Not to ignore pest control, vaccines, and antibiotics to mention a few other massively beneficial developments). Despite the nostalgia for well water, if you lived downhill from someone who had an outhouse your well could easily be contaminated. And the water might have other objectionable qualities such as iron (not dangerous but stains teeth and hair), sulfur (rotten eggs smell), and no natural presence of flouride.

If you still have all or most of your teeth, thank your public water system for putting a little flouride in it. One of the greatest public health advances ever. The human misery caused by dental caries is rarely discussed but hugely impactful.

But in 1700 and 1900, you could find snake oil salesmen and that hasn't changed. Your liver and kidneys are very efficient at ridding your body of un-needed nutrients and electrolytes - most of the stuff you buy at GNC goes right down the toilet. So does any excess sodium, potassium, etc. "Alkaline" water would simply stimulate the lungs and kidneys to excrete more CO2 (lungs) and acid ions (kidneys) to balance your pH. If the intake of an alkali (or acid for that matter) overcomes the lungs/kidneys ability to compensate you will get very sick, very fast. If you want to see what excess alkaline blood feels like, hyperventilate on purpose for about 30 seconds. You won't like it - and chances are you'll pass out before the 30 seconds are up.
 
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For some reason, I'm reminded of "Bulletproof Coffee":


Don't forget your Yak butter.
 
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mturnerb said:
If you were born in 1700, your life expectancy was around 40 years (average)

If you were born around 1900, your life expectancy was around 49 years.

Today, more than 80 years.

A lot of this has to do with the quality and safety of public water systems. (Not to ignore pest control, vaccines, and antibiotics to mention a few other massively beneficial developments). Despite the nostalgia for well water, if you lived downhill from someone who had an outhouse your well could easily be contaminated. And the water might have other objectionable qualities such as iron (not dangerous but stains teeth and hair), sulfur (rotten eggs smell), and no natural presence of flouride.

If you still have all or most of your teeth, thank your public water system for putting a little flouride in it. One of the greatest public health advances ever. The human misery caused by dental caries is rarely discussed but hugely impactful.

But in 1700 and 1900, you could find snake oil salesmen and that hasn't changed. Your liver and kidneys are very efficient at ridding your body of un-needed nutrients and electrolytes - most of the stuff you buy at GNC goes right down the toilet. So does any excess sodium, potassium, etc. "Alkaline" water would simply stimulate the lungs and kidneys to excrete more CO2 (lungs) and acid ions (kidneys) to balance your pH. If the intake of an alkali (or acid for that matter) overcomes the lungs/kidneys ability to compensate you will get very sick, very fast. If you want to see what excess alkaline blood feels like, hyperventilate on purpose for about 30 seconds. You won't like it - and chances are you'll pass out before the 30 seconds are up.
Click to expand...

I agree with most of your points, except for the use of the public water system as a means to deliver "flouride" (fluoride rather). It's extremely inefficient, only beneficial to to those with developing teeth, and can result in overdose (tooth spotting) if the kids are brushing with fluoride toothpaste, which they all do these days. I didn't grow up in areas that had fluoridated water supplies, I owe my teeth to the fluoride supplements and toothpaste I used as a kid.

Yes, I know, some people will argue that "the underprivileged kids that don't have access to..." but you know what, if you're so irresponsible as a parent that you can't provide proper dental hygiene to your kids as almost no cost to you, there are bigger issues going on than just tooth decay prevention.

Politicians seem to think it's a good idea. Dentists are across the board on the issue. Water system engineers think it's completely asinine.
 
And most Western water is naturally alkaline.

Especially those of us who live on the Pacific Plate (at least those who don't import the water from Yosemite). We have the calcium deposits on EVERYTHING to prove it.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I agree with most of your points, except for the use of the public water system as a means to deliver "flouride" (fluoride rather). It's extremely inefficient, only beneficial to to those with developing teeth, and can result in overdose (tooth spotting) if the kids are brushing with fluoride toothpaste, which they all do these days. I didn't grow up in areas that had fluoridated water supplies, I owe my teeth to the fluoride supplements and toothpaste I used as a kid.

Yes, I know, some people will argue that "the underprivileged kids that don't have access to..." but you know what, if you're so irresponsible as a parent that you can't provide proper dental hygiene to your kids as almost no cost to you, there are bigger issues going on than just tooth decay prevention.

Politicians seem to think it's a good idea. Dentists are across the board on the issue. Water system engineers think it's completely asinine.
Click to expand...

 
RussR said:
For some reason, I'm reminded of "Bulletproof Coffee":


Don't forget your Yak butter.
Click to expand...

Quality unsalted butter and coconut oil works fine. I make a cup once in a while.
 
There are medicinal benefits to alkalization in the acute care inpatient setting for certain patients for certain conditions.. specific sorts of overdoses, for instance, severe metabolic acidosis and other similar conditions... that help in the elimination of the specific toxic substance ingested or its toxic metabolites.

As far as the layperson is concerned, that is beyond the scope of home remedies. My explanation should not be extrapolated to be synonymous with over the counter remedies that "purge" the "toxins" from your body.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I agree with most of your points, except for the use of the public water system as a means to deliver "flouride" (fluoride rather). It's extremely inefficient, only beneficial to to those with developing teeth, and can result in overdose (tooth spotting) if the kids are brushing with fluoride toothpaste, which they all do these days. I didn't grow up in areas that had fluoridated water supplies, I owe my teeth to the fluoride supplements and toothpaste I used as a kid.

Yes, I know, some people will argue that "the underprivileged kids that don't have access to..." but you know what, if you're so irresponsible as a parent that you can't provide proper dental hygiene to your kids as almost no cost to you, there are bigger issues going on than just tooth decay prevention.

Politicians seem to think it's a good idea. Dentists are across the board on the issue. Water system engineers think it's completely asinine.
Click to expand...

For every person with a minor issue from water fluoridation, there must be hundreds or even thousands who have benefited. All public health measures have exceptions (in terms of individual benefit) but society as a whole benefits immensely from the effort: thankfully politicians have recognized the benefits. Vaccinations are another example where even those who stubbornly refuse to participate benefit from herd immunity: of course when the disease is introduced from an external source (check recent rubeola outbreaks) herd immunity is of no help to those who have opted out.

I suspect dentists varied opinions are driven in part by the lack of business generated when teeth are not riddled with caries (joking here).
 
mturnerb said:
For every person with a minor issue from water fluoridation, there must be hundreds or even thousands who have benefited. All public health measures have exceptions (in terms of individual benefit) but society as a whole benefits immensely from the effort: thankfully politicians have recognized the benefits. Vaccinations are another example where even those who stubbornly refuse to participate benefit from herd immunity: of course when the disease is introduced from an external source (check recent rubeola outbreaks) herd immunity is of no help to those who have opted out.

I suspect dentists varied opinions are driven in part by the lack of business generated when teeth are not riddled with caries (joking here).
Click to expand...

That may have been true in the 1950's, but now fluoride supplements and toothpastes are pretty standard, and the practice of fluoridation of the water supplies is going by the wayside. It's not that common in California.
 
I'm just sitting here drinking my terrible well water with both iron and sulfur in it and I'll probably keel over dead before I finish this post...
 
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