Alkaline Water Health Benefits

Is it a super health product or just a scam? Advocates of high
alkaline water say drinking it can help your body maintain an
appropriate pH balance and prevent numerous types of diseases.
People who want to drink alkaline water can buy tablets to add
to water or purchase machines that create alkaline water from
tap water.
Measurement
A pH designation measures acidity and alkalinity of a substance
on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral, higher numbers
alkaline and lower ones acidic. Distilled water theoretically has
a pH of 7, although the
number tends to run a bit
lower because the water
picks up carbon dioxide
from air. Human blood has
a normal pH of around 7.4.
The scale determines
hydrogen ion
concentration, and
machines designed to
create alkaline water are
often called ionizers. In
pH, the "p" is for the German word potenz, which means power,
while the "H" represents hydrogen. If you are interested in
discovering the pH of your saliva, you can buy pH strips at
certain pharmacies or order them online.

Claimed Health Benefits
People who support drinking alkaline water for health benefits,
such as the marketers of Kangen water systems, say it prevents
disease and slows the aging process. They also claim it stops
free radicals from forming, flushes toxins from cells and
prevents toxins from accumulating, provides essential minerals,
promotes normal blood flow and maintains normal blood pH.
Alkaline water also is said to be better at hydrating the body
because it penetrates cells more effectively.
Acidic Diet Effects
Proponents say alkaline water can improve health because when
people eat an acidic diet and drink water which is not alkaline,
the body has to balance blood pH by leaching important
minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium from
tissues, bones, and teeth. This contributes to bone loss, tooth
decay, and cellular aging. People with systems that are acidic, as
measured by saliva pH, can have many symptoms and disorders
including muscle and joint pain, fatigue, headaches, indigestion,
excessive mucous and dry skin and hair. On the other hand,
proponents say high-alkaline diets prevent and treat
degenerative diseases, such as arthritis, cancer, heart disease and
kidney disorders.

Science
Many claims related to alkaline water are unsubstantiated by
science. Although saliva and urine pH levels change, blood pH
is always very close to the same number, and excess acidity is
mainly expelled by breathing out carbon dioxide. In addition,
regions of the western United States that have alkaline well
water show no difference in average numbers of degenerative
conditions compared to the rest of the country. Some websites
selling alkaline tablets say people should be drinking water with
a pH between 9 and 10, which is about the alkalinity of Milk of
Magnesia. Distilled water can be brought to a pH of around 8.3
by adding baking soda. Any substance with a higher pH than 10
gets into the realm of soap.

Alkaline Water Machines
These machines
produce alkaline water
from tap water by the
process of electrolysis,
adding an electrical
charge to minerals in
the water. Distilled
water cannot be used,
as it does not contain
minerals. The machines separate the water into acidic and
alkaline channels. The alkaline water has concentrated calcium,
potassium, and magnesium.
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Article Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_4743810_alkalinewater-health-benefits.html