Losing Weight by Drinking Water - 7-Ways Water Helps You Lose Weight Just by Drinking It

Everyone knows that a human cannot live without water; but is water a miracle drug? Many health care professionals would say that it is. Dr. Masaru Emoto, author of The Messages From Water series of books, would certainly support the age-old practices of priests in many religions of imparting blessings and "miraculous" healing properties to water using nothing more than prayer, or intention. Some might say that Holy water, or healing waters, may only have power in our minds; but remember - our minds have power over our bodies, our health, and our lives.

Dr. Batmanghelidj, in his book, Your Not Sick, You're Thirsty: Your Body's Many Cries For Water, lists many healing benefits of water - including implications for weight-loss. And common sense tells us that we are made of mostly water and that we should replenish our essence. Though there is no hard-and-fast rule; the amount of water you should drink depends on your circumstances, your body, and other individual factors and characteristics. Even if you know how much water you need to drink each day, that amount would probably change if you were in a drier climate, or if you were working and sweating more, or if your diet changed or became more "toxic" or "polluted."

Common sense tells us we need water; but what do we "need" it for? The fact is that you are mostly water; and you need water to function properly. If you do not replace the water you use, you will become toxic and dehydrated; you will not get that fabulously fit body you're after if you are chronically dehydrated and your body isn't functioning as it should. You don't simply need water to quench your thirst; thirst is simply a signal letting you know that your body needs more water in order to keep functioning properly.

The thought that thirst can be quenched with any beverage has led to a nation that is mostly overweight (66% of Americans are overweight); and soft drinks, beer, kool-aid, and milkshakes - though delightful - are just a few of the tools we've used to create this reality. If nothing else, drinking water will help you avoid the hazards of dehydration, and the harmful effects of drinking so many chemicals, sugars, and artificial colors; but there is much more to the water story. Water helps you maintain a healthy functioning body; and it does many things that support and sustain healthy, natural weight loss.

Here are seven of the simpler ways water can help you lose weight:

1. Water helps you lose weight by making you feel full. We all stop eating when we're full - even if someone offers us one of our favorite foods. If your stomach is full, you don't eat; and, if your stomach is full of something that has no calories, then you aren't gaining weight. Unless you're dead, you are losing weight if you aren't gaining it. Of course, there are some people who do keep eating well past the point where they feel full; if you have clinical disorders, water can still help you in all of these ways, but consider trying one of the new Energy Psychology techniques (like EFT and Z-Point, for example) to possibly eliminate your disorder - quickly, safely, effectively, inexpensively, and completely.

2. Water helps curb food cravings. Most people can't tell the difference between their "thirst-signals," and their "hunger-signals;" so, most people eat when they are actually thirsty. Unneeded calories adds unwanted weight; changing the way you address your cravings changes the amount of calories you put into your body. Eating when you are actually thirsty will help you gain weight; so, it naturally follows that, if you drank water when you were thirsty - instead of eating a snack - your body isn't receiving something it can store or burn, so it has to use fuel it already has onboard.

3. Water quenches your thirst. Besides the fact that people eat when they are thirsty, and water turns-off that impulse; people also drink sodas, and other fattening beverages when they are thirsty. If you are drinking enough water, it will be difficult to continue guzzling those sugar-and-chemical-laden beverages. And, if you stop drinking sugar, you will probably lose some weight.

4. Water flushes toxins from your system. This is a simple matter of common sense; if you don't pee, stuff stays inside you. If you don't drink water, you don't pee. Not all scientists and doctors say the same thing; so you really need to follow your own intuition on all things medical. Water is a fluid; but your body isn't simply made of "mostly fluid." Your body is made of mostly water - Hydrogen and Oxygen. You are an electric entity; you need Hydrogen and Oxygen - not simply random liquids. People who don't drink enough water often think they are supposed to feel sluggish, and that their urine is supposed to have that color and odor... You're not, and it's not; those are actually signs of dehydration you just aren't reading properly.

5. Water increases metabolism. There is a significant thermogenic effect from drinking at least 500ml of water. With no caloric value to "pay for" the energy created as a direct result of drinking water, the body must use it's own fuel stores to heat and process the water you consume.

6. Water Hydrates you. Being hydrated improves digestive function, and every part of your overall health picture. Being dehydrated can put your body in the stress response - which causes your body to produce stress hormones such as cortisol (the hormone responsible for helping your body convert and store undigested food as fat). Hydrated cells are healthy cells; a healthy body is made of healthy cells.

7. Water can be used as a Placebo. Drinking water for any of the reasons listed above could be effective at helping you lose weight for no other reason than you (1.) Think or Believe that drinking water could produce a certain effect; and, (2.) You actually drink water as directed for the prescribed purpose. In other words, placebo studies have shown that people who are given a "remedy" with no known curative properties often benefit simply because they believe they should. So, if you drink water because you believe it has weight-loss benefits, you have increased your chances of experiencing the benefit you seek. Sterile water is often used as a placebo in medical trials; and water has actually cured "incurable" and potentially fatal conditions when used as a remedy in a clinical or therapeutic setting. Placebos show us that it really is "the thought that counts."

No matter what your reasons for drinking water, you need to drink it; this is simply a matter of common-sense if you want to maintain a healthy body and live a healthy, happy life. But, if you seriously consider water as a weight-loss tool, implement, or technique for losing weight, then you are going to find at least the same results you'd achieve with any other weight-loss plan - without harmful side effects. But, most likely, you'll notice profound changes in your health, life, and body within a few days of simply drinking an adequate amount of water for your body and your level of activity. You don't have to do anything crazy or extreme; just drink enough water to keep yourself properly hydrated and see what happens.

*To download your FREE, Illustrated Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Manual, go to: http://www.ExploreExpandEvolve.com/free_download/ (It only takes about 10-seconds to get your Free EFT manual and start erasing fears and limiting beliefs!)

Pete Koerner is the author of The Belief Formula: The Secret to Unlocking the Power of Prayer. The Belief Formula is a look at how you can use ancient wisdom and modern scientific awareness to learn how to use your mind to reclaim your health and create the life of your dreams.

For a Free Report on Making The Belief Formula Work for You, visit: http://www.TheBeliefFormula.com/

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Quenching a Nation's Thirst - Making Water From Air!

Bottled water is everywhere these days and has become a multibillion dollar business. You can't escape their presence anywhere, whether at a grocery store, convenience store, the beach, work place, home, etc, bottled water is there. The overall success that the bottled water industry has experienced, and the enormous profits from the sale of its water to the general public can probably be attributed to two factors. They provide convenience, and give the perception that drinking bottled water is much healthier. Nevertheless, you really have to look past the enticing pretty little label on the front of the bottle or 5 gallon water jug, and ask the question, is bottled water more beneficial to my health? Are there other sources of water that is better for my health? What is the cost of bottled water to the environment?

Each and every hour Americans discard an alarming 1.5 million plastic water bottles, which if they aren't recycled properly end up in a landfill somewhere for the next 100 years. This figure applies only as long as they are discarded properly. I often have the pleasure of seeing plastic water bottles on the side of many sidewalks, streets, and highways where they have been casually tossed by the previous owner; I guess that is another convenience for some bottled water drinkers. Then of course located in offices and homes around the country are water dispensers/coolers with the 3 or 5 gallon water jugs on top of them. The people using these have to take delivery of the jugs, store the jugs, lift the jugs, and replace the jugs each time one runs out.

A Few Little Known Facts

The bottled water you drink is considered by the Federal Government to be a food. This means that according to federal guidelines bottled water falls under the authority of the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.). However, tap water falls under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) which has much stricter guidelines regarding water purity and contaminant levels than the F.D.A. The E.P.A. requires that water plants provide the public with reports on the water source, testing conducted, and contaminant levels (violations) if any are found. The bottled water industry does not have to adhere to these standards. You may find, depending on the particular brand of bottled water you drink, that your tap water is actually cleaner. Not to mention that many bottled water companies are misleading consumers by selling reconstituted tap water; not the refreshing spring water like the label would suggest.

Your local municipal water source is also required to test several times per day for microbiological impurities in the water. Bottled water companies are only required to test for this once a week. Local tap water also has to be tested much more often for chemicals than is required for bottled water companies. We then throw in the fact that the F.D.A. does not necessarily require (by way of loopholes) the same standards for bottled water from state-to-state. The numerous problems associated with bottled water and regulation of its quality should become self-evident.

Does All This Let Tap Water Off-the-Hook?

Unfortunately, tap water doesn't get off either. A National assessment of tap water quality conducted by the Environmental Working Group, dated December 20, 2005, concluded the following in their summary. "Tap water in 42 states is contaminated with more than 140 unregulated chemicals that lack safety standards, according to the Environmental Working Group's (EWG's) two-and-a-half year investigation of water suppliers' tests of the treated tap water served to communities across the country."

Recently, in Montgomery County, Maryland an estimated 440,000 households were without tap water due to a major main break that took eight hours to locate because it was in a wooded area. This left many residents and businesses without water for days. Some businesses were shut down altogether until this problem was resolved. Initially, the resident's who finally got their water flowing again were strenuously encouraged to boil the water before drinking it because of the tremendous concern by local authorities over impurities and contaminants that may still be present in the water.

In the national news you can see impending threats, or occurrences of problems to municipal tap water sources by way of natural disasters such as hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc, almost every week. In addition, the same radical cowardly groups that caused 9/11, could also turn their eyes to our nations fresh water supply as a way to create terror, and wide spread panic by successfully or unsuccessfully attempting to release biological or chemical agents into our water.

States all over the nation are vying for water resources, and many of them have fresh water resources that are dwindling. Some states that are otherwise friendly neighbors are locked in disputes now over water rights. If you go to the New York Times and look up an article by Andrew C. Revkin entitled "New Climate Report Forsees Big Changes," the problem only appears to be getting worse for the United States, and the rest of the world.

The cost of municipal tap water appears to be on the rise as well. Just do a comparison of your water bill today vs. your water bill 3 years ago and I am sure you will see a noticeable increase.

Technology and Innovation to the Rescue!

The world is in desperate need of a viable realistic alternative to the increasing demand for safe, clean drinking water. The Earth's surface is 75% water, but only 2.5% is a fresh water resource, or usable by mankind. Three quarters of the 2.5% available is frozen in glaciers. That leaves about .625% available for use by mankind. From that small amount left over for use by mankind, and other living organisms, 70% is used world wide for agriculture, and another 15% for industrial use.

Science and technology have come to the rescue. There is now available a revolutionary patented technology that will change all of this. It was developed by a company who's insight, innovation, and desire to help mankind drove them to provide a more sustainable, more environmentally friendly source of water. I have spoken to many people over the past several weeks about the technology, and most of them are completely unfamiliar with it. Innovation now allows us to create pure drinking water from air by way of an atmospheric water generator.

At any given time there is approximately 3.1 quadrillion gallons of water in Earth's atmosphere. The hydrological cycle (evaporation, condensation, and precipitation) manufactures billions of gallons of water recycling in the atmosphere everyday, making this supply almost limitless and accessible in most parts of the world.

They have created an atmospheric water generating unit on the market today that extracts the water through a sophisticated condensation process and sends it through a series of state-of-science purifiers. The unprecedented technology removes all inorganic materials, undesirable odors and tastes, particulate matter smaller than .01 microns, and all forms of bacteria, metals, minerals, viruses and other elements that might pose any kind of health risk. The unit also serves to both dehumidify the air, and purify the air it uses to create water. This is a remarkable technology that is destined to become the future of water, and will ensure accessibility to clean safe drinking water for millions in the United States and world wide.

International Water From Air L.L.C is committed to providing the general public with up-to-date useful information that will assist in helping them to make intelligent and informed decisions regarding drinking water and living a healthier lifestyle.

Visit us today at Atmospheric Water Generators

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What Are the Best Water Purification Systems For Home Use?

There are a number of water purification systems on the market. Do you need one? And how do you go about choosing the right one for you and your family?

These are two important questions you'll want answered before you spend your money on the wrong thing.

Let's take the first question, first.

Why You Need a Water Purification System!

Unless you've been living on some other planet, I'm sure you've been reading about the information that's come out recently about the lack of quality of our municipal water supplies.

Over 90% of U. S. water systems contain traces of at least 10 synthetic chemicals and lead. A report done recently by Ralph Nader stated, "after reviewing over 10,000 pages of EPA documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act...[it was found that] over 2,300 chemicals that can cause cancer have been detected in U. S. tap water."

A number of scientists believe that this rise in carcinogenic chemicals found in our water supply correlated with the rise in cancers over the past fifty to one hundred years.

A big part of the problem is the age of our water treatment plants, and the technology they use.

Most water treatment plants in the United States are fifty to one hundred years old. Some even older!

They were designed to purify our water of things like cholera, not high-tech pesticides.

Most of our water is purified by letting the water settle through sediment to get out the particulate matter, then it's sterilized by injecting an amount of chlorine in the water.

The chlorine kills any bacteria that can cause disease. The chlorine is, however, actually left in the water after it leaves the treatment facility. This is done because the transit time from the treatment plant to your house could be as long as a week or more. In that time, your water could become re-contaminated.

The problem here is you actually drink the trace amounts of chlorine when you drink tap water. That's certainly better than getting sick with cholera, but there has to be a better way!

You're right, there is!

Now, before you run off thinking that bottled water is going to save you from drinking all of these contaminants and toxins, think again!

Unfortunately, most bottled water comes straight out of a tap, just like your water. As a matter of fact, there are fewer restrictions on the quality of bottled water than there are on the quality of tap water!

The bottom line: you need to re-filter your water at the tap before you drink it.

How to Choose the Right Water Purification System

There are a number of water purification systems out there. Some work better than others. Oddly enough, some work too well!

There are also whole house filters, filters you attach to one faucet, and water pitchers that filter water. Which one should you use?

Most pitcher filters use a water filtration system that's too simple. They just can't get out all the stuff you need filtered out!

If you're just interested in filtering the water you drink or cook with, then you might want to consider filtering the water from just one tap. Drinking water, however, is not the only way you get water-born impurities into your body!

Your skin is actually your body's largest organ! We don't usually think of our skin as an organ, like the liver, but it is!

We both discharge and absorb toxins through our skin. When you take a shower, for instance, the hot water opens up your pores allowing impurities in your water to seep in.

To sum up, you might want to really consider filtering all of the water in your house, either with a whole house filter, or with a filter for each tap and for each shower head.

Some of the technologies used in water filters are granular activated carbon filters, metallic alloy filters, microporous ceramic filters, carbon block resin filters, and ultra-thin membranes.

The best water filters on the market use a combination of these technologies to filter and purify your water.

One thing you need your filter to do is to leave in the trace minerals naturally found in water so that it tastes good and so that we get these minerals into our bodies. Minerals like calcium are necessary to our health, and drinking water with trace amounts of calcium in it is one of the ways our bodies acquire that mineral.

There are a number of water purification systems to choose from. What you need now is an informative website you can use to further educate yourself.

These are two important questions you'll want answered before you spend your money on the wrong thing.

Let's take the first question, first.

Why You Need a Water Purification System!

Unless you've been living on some other planet, I'm sure you've been reading about the information that's come out recently about the lack of quality of our municipal water supplies.

Over 90% of U. S. water systems contain traces of at least 10 synthetic chemicals and lead. A report done recently by Ralph Nader stated, "after reviewing over 10,000 pages of EPA documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act...[it was found that] over 2,300 chemicals that can cause cancer have been detected in U. S. tap water."

A number of scientists believe that this rise in carcinogenic chemicals found in our water supply is correlated with the rise in cancers over the past fifty to one hundred years.

A big part of the problem is the age of our water treatment plants, and the technology they use.

Most water treatment plants in the United States are fifty to one hundred years old. Some even older!

They were designed to purify our water of things like cholera, not high-tech pesticides.

Most of our water is purified by letting the water settle through sediment to get out the particulate matter, then it's sterilized by injecting an amount of chlorine in the water.

The chlorine kills any bacteria that can cause disease. The chlorine is, however, actually left in the water after it leaves the treatment facility. This is done because the transit time from the treatment plant to your house could be as long as a week or more. In that time, your water could become re-contaminated.

The problem here is you actually drink the trace amounts of chlorine when you drink tap water. That's certainly better than getting sick with cholera, but there has to be a better way!

You're right, there is!

Now, before you run off thinking that bottled water is going to save you from drinking all of these contaminants and toxins, think again!

Unfortunately, most bottled water comes straight out of a tap, just like your water. As a matter of fact, there are fewer restrictions on the quality of bottled water than there are on the quality of tap water!

The bottom line: you need to re-filter your water at the tap before you drink it.

How to Choose the Right Water Purification System

There are a number of water purification systems out there. Some work better than others. Oddly enough, some work too well!

There are also whole house filters, filters you attach to one faucet, and water pitchers that filter water. Which one should you use?

Most pitcher filters use a water filtration system that's too simple. They just can't get out all the stuff you need filtered out!

If you're just interested in filtering the water you drink or cook with, then you might want to consider filtering the water from just one tap. Drinking water, however, is not the only way you get water-born impurities into your body!

Your skin is actually your body's largest organ! We don't usually think of our skin as an organ, like the liver, but it is!

We both discharge and absorb toxins through our skin. When you take a shower, for instance, the hot water opens up your pores allowing impurities in your water to seep in.

To sum up, you might want to really consider filtering all of the water in your house, either with a whole house filter, or with a filter for each tap and for each shower head.

Some of the technologies used in water filters are granular activated carbon filters, metallic alloy filters, microporous ceramic filters, carbon block resin filters, and ultra-thin membranes.

The best water filters on the market use a combination of these technologies to filter and purify your water.

One thing you need your filter to do is to leave in the trace minerals naturally found in water so that it tastes good and so that we get these minerals into our bodies. Minerals like calcium are necessary to our health, and drinking water with trace amounts of calcium in it is one of the ways our bodies acquire that mineral.

There are a number of water purification systems to choose from. What you need now is an informative website you can use to further educate yourself.

To learn more about water purification systems visit my website!

R. Lee Cole is an avid health and exercise enthusiast who loves to make his research available to everyone via the Internet. Check out Lee's website for more information about this important topic.

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Tankless Water Heaters - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

Tankless water heaters are selling like hotcakes these days. But like just about everything, they have their good points, and their bad points. Before examining the pros and cons, let's take a look at how they work.

For our example we will use a gas heater, because it is easier to visualize than electric, but it's pretty much the same for an electric model as a gas model.

A tankless water heater can be pictured as a coil of pipe over a campfire. As you run water through the pipe, the heat from the flames gradually heats the water in the pipe, and by the time the water has gone through the entire length of pipe it is hot. The more slowly the water travels through the pipe, the hotter it will get. If the water travels through the pipe very quickly it might not be in the flames long enough to get hot. Some heaters can modulate the heat source to even out the temperature rise for different water flow rates.

With a conventional water heater you have a big tank full of heated water, which is slowly losing heat to its surroundings, even with lots of insulation. If it's a gas heater it has a pilot light as well, which consumes energy 24 hours a day. Since the tankless heater does not have a pilot light and does not have a big tank full of heated water losing energy constantly, it is more energy efficient.

One nice thing about the tankless heaters is that you never run out of hot water. Endless water is one of the selling points for the tankless water heater, but be careful, it could lead to an increase in water usage by the homeowner who now believes his hot water is cheaper.

With the tankless units a minimum flow, typically ½ gallon per minute, is required to turn on the heater. So say goodbye to low flows of warm water, because low flows won't keep the heater turned on.

The tankless heaters need larger flues than tank type units if they are gas and larger gas lines, and if they are electric they need larger diameter wires to handle the high amperage currents they draw. (It takes a lot of electricity to heat water fast.) They are also quite a bit more expensive than tank type units and much more complex. If they ever need repairs they are more expensive to repair, and sometimes parts are hard to get, but then there is no tank to rust out either.

Since the tankless water heaters need to heat the water before sending it to the fixture, it takes longer to get water than with the storage type water heaters. That leads to wasting water which no one wants to do.

There is a solution to the water wasting problem, and it's called a demand system. It's a small pump that installs under the sink furthest from the heater. When you want hot water you activate the pump, which pumps the water in a big loop from the water heater past the sink and on through the cold water piping back to the inlet of the water heater. When heated water reaches the pump it shuts off. Now you have instant hot water and you did not run any water down the drain.

Demand systems use less than $2.00 per year in electricity since they run for such brief periods of time. Don't confuse a hot water demand system with a traditional circulating system. The demand systems only run for a few moments when hot water is demanded. Typical circulating systems run continuously for long periods and will void the warranty on the tankless units.

A tankless water heater will save energy over a conventional water heater, but will waste water when compared to a tank type unit. To save both energy and water install a hot water demand system pump along with the heater. That's called being nice to mother earth.

Learn about tankless water heaters, hot water circulating systems, hot water demand systems and more at: Faster Hot Water

Visit Mr. Lund's blog about water heaters, tankless water heaters, hot water pumps and more: The Hot Water Guy

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Faster Hot Water Provides Water Conservation - Be Green!

We all do it. Run water down the drain while waiting for hot water. Who is going to jump into the shower when the water is freezing cold! Well no one. Is there a way to avoid running all of that water down the drain?

Yes. A hot water circulating system will eliminate the need to run that water down the drain. There are several types of hot water circulating systems available, and they are fairly easy to understand.

The first type of system is the full-time circulating system. In this type of system the hot water outlet of the water heater connects to a pipe that runs past each fixture in the home, and then back to the water heater. A small pump circulates the hot water through the pipe, thus there is always hot water near every fixture. Instant hot water!

But there is a price to pay! This is an expensive system to operate, since the pump consumes some energy and is running constantly; you have to pay for that energy. But far greater is the expense of heating the water. Heating water is very expensive, and so when you pump it through a long pipe, and the pipe is losing heat energy to the atmosphere around it, you end up spending a lot of money to heat the hot water piping and its immediate surroundings.

You can place the pump on a timer, so that during periods that people don't normally use hot water, the pump is turned off. That helps, but it is still very expensive. Some systems also control the pump by monitoring the temperature of the water. The pump turns off when it reaches a set point, and then back on when the water drops to the lower set point. This reduces the energy consumption by the pump, but does little to reduce the far larger energy losses of the heat loss from the system.

Another problem with these systems is that they require a dedicated return line from the furthest fixture back to the water heater to function. This is an expensive option when building a home, and a far more expensive option to add on to an existing home.

There is another class of hot water circulating systems that do not require a return line. These systems use the cold water line as the return line. The cold water line always connects to the inlet of the water heater, so it will always work. There are a number of approaches being used for these cold water return type hot water circulating systems.

In some instances, for instance, where the water heater is lower than the rest of the system like in homes with a basement, a gravity type system can be used. Since hot water is less dense than cold water, the hot water rises up from the water heater to the fixtures and the cooled off hot water goes down the cold water return line back to the heater. A connection is required between the hot and cold water lines, and a valve that responds to temperatures is installed between them. Without a valve, the hot and cold water would always mix when you used either one.

Some systems use a pump connected between the hot and cold water lines with a built in valve, and as with the full time systems, some are operated via a timer, some are temperature controlled, and some use both methods.

Another type of system is known as a "hot water demand system". With the demand type system, the user must push a button or utilize some other signal to start the pump, and then when hot water reaches the fixture, the pump shuts off.

The demand system is the lowest cost in terms of operating costs since it does not cause any more heat loss than if you just used the hot water fixture without the system. It only pumps when you "demand" hot water. Typically such systems use only $1 to $2 per year in electricity for running the pump.

You obtain your hot water more quickly than if you ran the faucet full blast, and you don't wastefully run water down the drain. You're happy and the environment is happy!

William Lund is a successful inventor and webmaster. For more information about hot water systems and water heaters visit Mr. Lund's website: All About Water Heaters

Mr. Lund also has a blog: Pondering Everything

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Water Filters Guide - What You Should Know Before You Invest In A Water Treatment System

To some "Water, Water, Everywhere!" is a comic story but to others in other parts of the world, it's not amusing. Despite its abundance on earth, water has been one of the scarcest commodities both in quantity and in quality. In spite of advances in technology, drought and water borne diseases are common place globally. Drinking water supplies are exposed to all sorts of contamination sources and therefore causing confusion among consumers about their water quality. On one hand we are lead to believe that drinking water is well treated and safe to drink, on the other hand we can see news reports about few inefficient water treatment plants, or operators who try to manipulate water testing results. Water advisories are common-advising consumers to flush their water before they drink when certain contamination is discovered.

One sort of relief is that EPA indicated in "Water on Tap" report that the "actual events of drinking water contamination are rare, and typically do not occur at levels likely to pose health concerns." But the report says further that "there are growing numbers of activities that can contaminate our drinking water." Drinking water supply (surface and groundwater) can be exposed to such contaminants from combined sewer overflows, sanitary overflows, stormwater runoffs, concentrated animal feeding operations, failed septic tank discharges, and a host of others. These contaminants range from fertilizer, pesticides, pharmaceutical drugs, toxic wastes, oil, adionuclides, and metals. (USEPA, 2003)

Contamination from the source

Drinking water supply is sometimes exposed to harmful contaminants right from the source. Disease-causing bacteria can get into municipal drinking water, well water, or contaminated ice. According to the 2002 CDC report, from 1985 to 2000, 251 outbreaks and 462,169 cases of waterborne illness related to contaminated drinking water were reported. Some of these cases were linked to surface water supply sources that have been contaminated by sewage. Some drinking water contaminations have been linked to Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO) and raw sewage discharges into water distribution lines. Forty two percent of water water-borne disease outbreak was linked to Giardia.

EPA identified 59 CSO outfalls in seven states having outfalls within one mile of drinking water intake. Although the Report to Congress did not find any relationship between a CSO discharges from these outfalls and the transport of contaminants to the vicinity of drinking water intake, it says a more complex modeling is needed to do a better study. (USEPA, 2004)

Contaminants from home plumbing systems:

Water can be contaminated by lead in home plumbing systems. Lead contamination can lead to a variety of health problems. According to EPA, "in babies and children, exposure to lead in drinking water above the action level of 0.015 mg/l can result in delays in physical and mental development." While it is rare that lead can contaminate water from the supply, lead can leach to drinking water from corroded pipes in homes that have lead pipes, joints, and solder.

How to obtain fresh tasting and healthy water - The good news is that advancement in water treatment technology has made it possible to remove these water contaminants from our drinking water. Although, technology has not caught up with the pharmaceutical water contamination, most water treatment devices can remove drugs that contain volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). According to the NSF International, although many of the NSF certified water treatment devices are specifically designed to remove pharmaceuticals right now "many of these products can help provide additional protection against wide array of other contaminants." Consumers have a wide selection of water treatment devices to choose from and you don't have to buy bottled water-which can cost you lots of money annually, to obtain healthy water. In fact, studies have shown that some bottled water contains some level of bacteria. This is because tap water and bottled water are not regulated by the same standards and the same agencies.

An NRDC study showed that one third of 103 brands of bottled water tested contained some levels of contamination which includes traces of arsenic and E. coli. (NRDC, 999). Also, home filtration systems can improve the taste or appearance of tap water at a minimal cost. According to an FDA Consumer magazine article "water purified with these products typically costs less than buying bottled water. According to Brita, its high-end faucet filter system provides water for 18 cents a gallon, a considerable saving from $1 or more typically charged for an 8- to 12-ounce bottle of water." (FDA, 2002)

Before you buy a water treatment device Experts recommend that you should find out what types of contaminants are in your water before you decide on which water treatment device to buy. Home water testing kits cost between $9.00 for single parameter to about $99, or more, if you want to test for multiple parameters. The bottom line is the cost of testing your water is less because you don't want to buy or be pressured to buy a certain water filter just because a salesman says it's good.

A typical water filter device is designed to treat one or more contaminants. Most water treatment devices are certified by National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) International. NSF (not to be confused with National Science Foundation) is an independent third party organization that has tested and certified thousands of water treatment devices such as home water filters, softeners, and purifiers to confirm treatment claims. Once you have confirmed what's in your water and have researched two or three water filters, you should confirm claims of treatment by these water filter manufacturers, then, make selection for the best water filter or purifier. If the treatment device you find is not certified, call the manufacturer to find out why. Beware that a treatment device may be tested but not necessarily certified by NSF.

What choices do you have?

Again, your choice of a filter device will depend on what your test confirms. For most, using a water filter may not be an issue but for those with compromised immune systems, it may be a necessity. Different options are commercially available. You may purchase a point-of-entry (POE) water treatment device if you want to treat all the water coming to your house. A POE or a whole house water filter is installed at the water main where water enters the house which will require an experience plumber to install. A point-of-use (POU) device is installed at the points where water will be dispensed around the house. These types of devices come as undersink or under counter, countertop, carafe, showerhead, and refrigerator water filters.

A POE (whole house water filter) can be fitted with activated carbon and reverse osmosis filters in that order. Some come as multiple-stage units fitted with more than one series of activated carbon filter to protect the reverse osmosis filter. Multi-Pure ($629), Apec ($385-$469), Aquasana ($799) are some of the few POE filters that are NSF-certified.

Water softeners are ideal for homes with hard water. You may want to check with your local government is water softeners are allowed due to elevated chlorides discharge from softeners. Most wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to remove excess chlorides resulting in excessive violations of their permits. As a result, water softeners are being banned by some local governments. Prices vary for all types of water softeners.

For POU water treatment devices, countertop or tabletop water filters are available in various shapes and models. A tabletop water filter is ideal for home owners who do not want to tamper with plumbing, and for a tenant whose lease does not allow him/her to modify the plumbing system.

Undersink water filters require some plumbing work. This is ideal for water treatment at a single location in the house. Prices will depend on the models and type of filters in the device.

In conclusion, before you choose an appropriate water treatment device, review your CCR report or have your water tested. Consider the long term cost and health benefits and most important of all is to read the fine print. Research NSF-certified water treatment devices.

To learn about choosing the best water filter system for your home, you may visit the author?s website at Water Filters and Water Purifiers Guide

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You Need A Water Ionizer And Your Pool Does Too

A water ionizer is a simple, safe and cost-effective tool for purifying treating water. From swimming pool water, indoor and outdoor water features to fish ponds and hot tubs, water ionizers provide crystal clear, fresh sparkling water without the need to use any harsh chemicals.

A water ionizer is used to enhance or maintain high water quality by the electrolysis of pure copper or copper and silver alloys. Water ionizers are widely deployed in swimming pools, spas, jacuzzis, fish ponds or water features to remove algae and bacteria and leave pure, odorless, crystal-clear water.

Aside from use in water ionizers, copper and silver have been recognized and used for their water purification qualities for centuries. The ancient Egyptians and Romans used copper vessels to store and transport water, and many of NASA's manned missions make use of a water ionizer to sterilize the drinking water on their spacecraft.

Copper's is a powerful algaecide and silver has an equally effective ability to kill bacteria. Because of this, these metals make an excellent choice for building a cost-effective water sanitizer.

Whilst a functioning water ionizer generates soluble copper and silver ions as part of the water chemistry, the levels of copper and silver in the water do not pose any health risks. Water ionizers used to treat drinking water for livestock or pond water for fish have never resulted in any adverse effects on those creatures. Indeed, ionized swimming pool water can be used on the garden or consumed by humans without any side effects whatsoever.

Although a water ionizer will easily produce pure, fresh, clear water without much difficulty, they are not a "set and forget" solution.

For a water ionizer to be effective, there are some important caveats:

First, in common with alternative methods of treating swimming pool water the effectiveness of water ionization will depend on close attention to the water's basic chemistry. The levels of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), the Total Alkalinity (TA), the temperature and pH of the water all play important roles.

Second, the system should have an effective and well-maintained pumping system. The effectiveness of any water ionizer will be proportional to the effectiveness of its pumping system.

Third, water chemistry must be regularly observed an maintained. Water is a living, breathing thing and must be monitored and adjusted as required. This is not a particularly laborious task. For example, private pools need only be tested weekly.

With many people now reluctant to use complex chemical cocktails to treat their swimming pool water or other water features and with the ever-growing needs to find greener solutions to everyday problems, water ionizers will continue to be the water treatment solution of choice in future years.

If you're considering a water ionizer in your swimming pool, compare it to the other methods of water treatment available to you and ask yourself: If I wouldn't drink this water, why would I let my children swim in it?

Angus Horwood is the creative genius behind Aquavic, an Australian-based company that develops and distributes high-quality water ionizers worldwide. Aquavic is the industry leader in water purification technologies for swimming pools, spas and water features and boasts an impressive track record in solving small and large-scale water purification issues on a domestic and commercial level.

Aquavic's website can be found at www.aquavic.com.au

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