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Water sustains all forms of life, including human life. The Chinese character "sea" consists of three parts, namely water, man and mother. In other words, sea is the mother of mankind. Although water is all around us, it is one of the most mysterious substances on this planet. Scientists are still discovering amazing facts about water.
Most substances are lightest in the gas state, heavier in the liquid state and heaviest in solid form. However, water gets lighter in its solid form than in its liquid form, that's why ice floats in water. If water didn't have this mysterious property, lakes and ponds would freeze from the bottom up in the cold of winter, killing all living things within them. One can appreciate the great wisdom of the Creator in the preservation of life. Water not only sustains life, but also protects it.
More than 70% of our body weight is water; that translates into about 10 gallons of water for a person of 120 lbs. It is very important to have a good understanding of water and to drink the right kind of water. Water is a strong solvent; therefore, it carries many invisible ingredients: minerals, oxygen, nutrients, waste products, pollutants, etc. Sea water is salty because, through eons, it dissolved minerals and salts from the mountains and carried them down stream to the ocean. Inside the human body, blood (90% of which is water) circulates throughout the body distributing nutrients and oxygen, and collecting wastes and carbon dioxides, delivering them to the disposal organs. If water was not a strong solvent, it could not perform these functions.
Water molecule is H2O; that is two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom stuck together. The shape of the water molecule is like a Mickey Mouse face; the head is oxygen and the two ears are hydrogen1). Since oxygen is electrically negative and hydrogen is positive, the water molecule is electrically polarized. For this reason, a water molecule cannot exist independently; it must combine with other water molecules to form a five- or six-sided structure called a water cluster2). In lower temperatures, most of the structures are hexagonal; therefore, snow flakes are hexagonal.
In distilled water, at room temperature, one out of 10 million (1 in 107) water molecules is ionized. When a water molecule is ionized, it is split into hydrogen ions H+ and hydroxyl ions OH-. Neutral water means that the number of hydrogen ions equals the number of hydroxyl ions in a container. The number is 10-7 times the entire number of water molecules in that container (that number we will call N). We abbreviate this by saying that the water has a pH value of 72).
Acid water has a larger number of hydrogen ions than that of hydroxyl ions. For example, the number of hydrogen ions in acid water, with a pH value of 4, is 10-4 times N, and that of hydroxyl ion is 10-10 times N. The law of nature is such that the exponents must add up to 14 (4+10). The number of hydrogen ions in alkaline water, with a pH value of 9, is 10-9 times N, and that of hydroxyl ion is 10-5 times N. Note that 10-5 is larger than 10-9 by 10,000 times and, again, 5+9 is 14. Because the exponents must add up to 14, pH value of 7 is considered neutral. Since the value of pOH is 14 minus the value of pH, we don't measure nor mention its value; it will be known once the pH value is known. For that reason, there are only pH meters and no pOH measuring instruments3).
Since alkaline water has more OH-s than H+s, there are more oxygen atoms in it than in neutral water; that's why alkaline water is sometimes called oxygen rich water. In the same manner, acid water is oxygen deficient water. An interesting trivial fact is that there are approximately 1025 H2O molecules in a 10 ounce glass of water. If that water has a pH value of 10, there are approximately 1021 hydroxyl ions (OH-) and approximately 1015 hydrogen ions (H+). The number of hydrogen ions is one millionth of that of hydroxyl ions, which is negligible.
It is this abundant amount of hydroxyl ions that neutralizes acid hydrogen ions in our body to reduce the accumulated acid wastes, thus reversing the aging process.
1) Emiliani, Cesare - The Scientific Companion, John Wiley & Sons, 1988
2) Aihara, Herman - Acid & Alkaline, George Ohwawa Macrobiotic Foundation, Oroville, CA, 1986
3) Whang, Sang - Reverse Aging, JSP Publishing, Miami, FL 1990
Copyright 1997 by Sang Whang Enterprises, Inc.
Health Aspects of Calcium and Magnesium in Water
Beginning about 50 years ago, numerous epidemiology studies in many countries concluded that populations consuming 'hard water' containing calcium and/or magnesium have a lower risk of certain types of cardiovascular disease. These studies have not always observed the 'hard water' benefit effect, but in 2004 a committee report to WHO concluded that, on balance, the benefits hypothesis was probably valid, especially for magnesium in drinking water. A more detailed scientific assessment of the benefits hypothesis is necessary before WHO can make a decision with respect to guidance on magnesium and calcium in drinking water.
Symposium Summary
- There is consensus that most of the world's people are deficient in magnesium and calcium, resulting in vast numbers of deaths and debilitating illnesses worldwide.
- There seemed to be agreement that there are only two ways of delivering adequate dietary Ca and Mg to the global population, without requiring consumers to change their behaviors or habits:
Adding calcium and magnesium to tap water. But that is very expensive, as 99% of tap water is not used for drinking. And, the best mineral profile for the plumbing is probably not the best mineral profile for health. Fortifying tap water might take many years to implement. Fortifying tap water is apparently NOT the way to deliver adequate Ca and Mg to consumers. A small token effort may be made, adding a tiny 10 mg/L magnesium or calcium to tap water, but that will only make a small dent in the global dietary deficiency of Ca and Mg.
Requiring bottlers to add the optimal calcium and magnesium to bottled products (probably 100 mg/L magnesium, and 200 mg/L calcium). This is quick, easy, paid for by bottlers, and requires no changes in consumer behavior or habits. Coca Cola's speaker said that adding magnesium doesn't change flavor, but adding calcium is harder to do without affecting flavor. Peter Featherston of Integrated Pharmaceuticals claims to have invented a calcium additive that won't impact flavor when delivering 200 mg/L calcium in beverages. Bottled beverages are clearly the MOST PRACTICAL way of delivering adequate Ca and Mg to global consumers. This will most likely will be the final recommendation in 2008, as all other alternatives are probably impractical.
When both calcium and magnesium are deficient, heart attack, stroke, and osteoporosis may occur.
When magnesium is adequate, but calcium is lacking, damage is not as extensive.
When calcium is adequate, but magnesium is lacking, then the calcium may cause calcification of soft tissues like the heart and brain, causing strokes and heart attacks, and unwanted deposits on bones.
So the balance between calcium and magnesium is important. Most researchers think the total dietary ratio of Ca/Mg should be between 2-to-1 and 1-to-1.
The WHO may recommend in 2008 that beverages be fortified with 100 mg/L magnesium, and 100-200 mg/L calcium.
Source: http://www.camgwater.org
Alkaline Water and Stomach Acid by Sang Whang
Among the people who question the validity of alkaline water, the biggest question is, "What happens to the alkaline water once it reaches the stomach, which is highly acidic?" People who have some knowledge of the human body, including medical doctors, ask this question. Let me answer that question once and for all to erase any doubts about the health benefits of alkaline water.
In order to digest food and kill the kinds of bacteria and viruses that come with the food, the inside of our stomach is acidic. The stomach pH value is maintained at around 4. When we eat food and drink water, especially alkaline water, the pH value inside the stomach goes up. When this happens, there is a feedback mechanism in our stomach to detect this and commands the stomach wall to secrete more hydrochloric acid into the stomach to bring the pH value back to 4. So the stomach becomes acidic again. When we drink more alkaline water, more hydrochloric acid is secreted to maintain the stomach pH value. It seems like a losing battle.
However, when you understand how the stomach wall makes hydrochloric acid, your concerns will disappear. A pathologist friend of mine gave me the following explanation. There is no hydrochloric acid pouch in our body. If there were, it would burn a hole in our body. The cells in our stomach wall must produce it on an instantly-as-needed basis. The ingredients in the stomach cell that make hydrochloric acid (HCl) are carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), and sodium chloride (NaCl) or potassium chloride (KCl).
NaCl + H2O + CO2 = HCl + NaHCO3, or
KCl + H2O + CO2 = HCl + KHCO3
As we can see, the byproduct of making hydrochloric acid is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) or potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3), which goes into blood stream. These bicarbonates are the alkaline buffers that neutralize excess acids in the blood; they dissolve solid acid wastes into liquid form. As they neutralize the solid acidic wastes, extra carbon dioxide is released, which is discharged through the lungs. As our body gets old, these alkaline buffers get low; this phenomenon is called acidosis. This is a natural occurrence as our body accumulates more acidic waste products. There is, therefore, a relationship between the aging process and the accumulation of acids.
By looking at the pH value of the stomach alone, it seems that alkaline water never reaches the body. But when you look at the whole body, there is a net gain of alkalinity as we drink alkaline water. Our body cells are slightly alkaline. In order for them to produce acid, they must also produce alkaline, and vice versa; just as a water ionizer cannot produce alkaline water without producing acid water, since tap water is almost neutral.
When the stomach pH value gets higher than 4, the stomach knows what to do to lower it. However, if the pH value goes below 4, for any reason, the stomach doesn't know what to do. That's why we take Alka-Seltzer, which is alkaline, to relieve acidic stomach gas pain. In this case, hydrochloric acid is not produced by the stomach wall, therefore, no alkaline buffer is being added to the blood stream.
Let me give you another example of a body organ that produces acid in order to produce alkaline. After the food in the stomach is digested, it must come out to the small intestine. The food at this point is so acidic that it will damage the intestine wall. In order to avoid this problem, the pancreas makes alkaline juice (known as pancreatic juice). This juice is sodium bicarbonate, and is mixed with the acidic food coming out of the stomach. From the above formulae, in order to produce bicarbonates, the pancreas must make hydrochloric acid, which goes into our blood stream.
We experience sleepiness after a big meal (not during the meal or while the food is being digested in the stomach), when the digested food is coming out of the stomach; that's the time when hydrochloric acid goes into our blood. Hydrochloric acid is the main ingredient in antihistamines that causes drowsiness.
Alkaline or acid produced by the body must have an equal and opposite acid or alkaline produced by the body; therefore, there is no net gain. However, alkaline supplied from outside the body, like drinking alkaline water, results in a net gain of alkalinity in our body.
Copyright 1997 by Sang Whang Enterprises, Inc.
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The Fallacy of the "Free Radical" Theory by Sang Whang
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"Free radicals" and "anti-oxidant" are the latest buzzwords of the health industry. The claim is that oxidation of some foods creates free radicals and that these free radicals' transfer of electrons or "holes" (this is a semiconductor terminology for the absence of electron) damages the human cells. To prevent this phenomenon we have to eat anti-oxidant food or take anti-oxidant vitamins.
Technically, this doesn't make sense. To begin with, the health industry misunderstands the technical meaning of free radicals. Free radicals must have either positive or negative polarity. If the oxidation of food creates free radicals, they all must be of the same polarity. Otherwise, "free" radicals of opposite polarities will mate with each other immediately and there will not be any "free radicals".
If they were all positive polarity free radicals, as the health industry implies, all the positive "holes" will go to the skin surface immediately, because the human body is a good conductor. Remember, like charges repel each other; and the skin surface will become positively charged. If this should be the case, we would get electrical shocks whenever we shake hands with another person.
One example of this phenomenon that we experience physically is when we walk on a carpeted floor in a dry climate and build up positive charges in our body. When we touch a doorknob or shake hands, we get a shock. This is the phenomenon of free radicals. To avoid the pain of shock, we can grab a metal key firmly and touch the doorknob with the key. We will then see sparks from the key as it touches the doorknob, this means that all the charges are discharged instantly. This is how good a human body conducts electricity.
In the human body, there is a high conductivity network that spans throughout the body, in addition to the nerve, blood vessel, and lymph networks. When true free radicals, such as negative ions in the atmosphere, enter the human body in a random stochastic manner, they don't go through our body randomly. They enter and leave our body through this high conductivity network end points. Electrical current always travels through the minimum resistance path, i.e., the high conductivity path. Scientists can detect these high conductivity end points by using conductivity measuring devices. We now know that these high conductivity end points correspond to the acupuncture points that the Chinese had to learn in the hard way through the centuries.
In our body, the function of this high conductivity network is the same as a lightning arrester. The lightening arrester provides a path for the surge of current to go through so that it will not disturb the house or its electric/telephone wires. If not for this high conductivity network in our body, free radicals entering our body will travel randomly and thus disturb the nerve network, sabotaging the orderly flow of brain commands. God has provided this protective network within our body for us to live within an atmosphere where there are many free radicals hitting our body. If there were any so-called free radicals generated in our body, they will be discharged immediately through this acupuncture network.
Free radicals such as negative ions in the atmosphere are good for us. They stimulate the high conductivity path, providing micro level acupuncture treatment. Living in an urban area, we miss negative ions. Up in the mountains or near the sea, there is a higher concentration of negative ions, generating euphoric feeling in us, and people live longer in these areas. Fortunately for us, we can buy a negative ion generator to generate negative ions.
If these troublemakers were indeed "free radicals", the simple solution would be to have a negative ion generator in a room to neutralize all the free radicals and be done with it instantly; and there will not be any need to take so-called anti-oxidants. It is true that oxidation creates acidic waste products, but oxidation also provides energy that is necessary for us to live. Anti-oxidant, therefore, is not the solution. The solution is to discharge the acidic waste products that oxidation creates. Some food products, vitamins or herbs are helpful in getting rid of acidic waste products or transforming these waste products into a safer form. Perhaps these products are what are erroneously called "anti-oxidant agents".
Acidic wastes do have hydrogen ion (H+) radicals but they are not free; they are always mated with organic or inorganic acid elements and not with hydroxyl (OH-) ions, thus creating an acidic environment. To reduce these H+ ions, we need OH- ions. For this, alkaline water is the best remedy. By calling acidic waste products resulting from oxidation "free radicals", we confuse the issue and, therefore, cannot come up with the proper solution. When we truly understand the problem, a solution is easy to find.
If we substitute "free radicals" with "acidic wastes" and "anti-oxidants" with "waste removing alkaline substances", all the published articles on "free radicals" make more sense scientifically. We get old because of our "waste mismanagement". Understanding the fact that waste products are acidic, and not free radicals, we are on the right path to finding the solution to anti-aging, or "Reverse Aging". |
Copyright 1998 by Sang Whang Enterprises, Inc.
How does alkaline water work to extend life By Sang Whang
Alkaline water and stomach acid
We all know that we get old and sick because of excess acid accumulation in our body, and that alkaline neutralizes acid; therefore, drinking alkaline water makes sense. But do we know how alkaline water works in our body? Some doctors say that our stomach acid will kill the alkalinity and, therefore, drinking alkaline water is useless. How do we answer that? Have you thought about that?
This is what happens in the stomach.
The stomach maintains its pH around 4.0. When we drink high pH alkaline water, the water pH comes down; but stomach pH goes up as a result. How high it goes up is a function of the amount and the pH of the alkaline water we drink. When the stomach pH rises above 4.5, the stomach will produce more hydrochloric acid and put it in the stomach to bring the stomach pH down to below 4.0.
How the stomach produces hydrochloric acid is not well known to medical doctors, except pathologists. The chemical formula of hydrochloric acid production is:
H2O + CO2 + NaCl = HCl + NaHCO3
Water, carbon dioxide and sodium chloride (table salt) produce hydrochloric acid and sodium bicarbonate. The hydrochloric acid goes into the stomach, and the sodium bicarbonate goes into the bloodstream.
[Note: An interesting fact is that the formula above looks simple, but no scientist in a laboratory can produce hydrochloric acid and sodium bicarbonate from water and carbon dioxide and salt. Only living cells can do that. In the lab, the reverse is easy: adding hydrochloric acid to sodium bicarbonate will instantly produce water, carbon dioxide and salt.]
Sodium bicarbonate is an alkaline buffer in our blood. In our blood, there are alkaline buffer and acid buffer constantly monitoring the blood pH to maintain a constant blood pH of 7.365. When the blood becomes too alkaline, the acid buffer works to bring the pH down; and when the blood becomes too acid, the alkaline buffer works to raise the pH.
Alkaline buffers are bicarbonate (HCO3-) mated with alkaline minerals. Examples of them are sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3), calcium bicarbonate (Ca(HCO3)2) and magnesium bicarbonate (Mg(HCO3)2). Acid buffer is mainly carbonic acid (H2CO3), a water and carbon dioxide combination. Carbohydrate completely burnt becomes carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O); therefore there is no shortage of acid buffer.
DISCOVERY BY DR. LYNDA FRASSETTO
In 1996 Dr. Lynda Frassetto at the University of California, San Francisco, discovered that as we age, starting around age 45, we lose the alkaline buffer – bicarbonates - in our blood. By the age of 90, we lose 18% of bicarbonates in our blood.
Figure 2, graph B of
Journal of Gerontology: BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, 1996, Vol. 51A. No. 1, B91-B99
By Dr. Lynda Frassetto of University of California, San Francisco
Dotted line added by Sang Whang
Insufficient amount of bicarbonates in our blood reduces our capabilities to manage (neutralize and dump) the acid our body produces. This is the cause of aging. The age of 45 is the average age when human beings start to show symptoms of diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis and many other adult degenerative diseases. And since we cannot manage the acid, we accumulate acidic wastes in our body. These wastes show up as cholesterol, fatty acid, uric acid, urate, sulfate, phosphate, kidney stones, etc.
Which is the most important property of alkaline water?
There are many properties in alkaline water, such as surface tension, structure of water, molecular size, oxygen reduction potential, pH value, which alkaline minerals are used to sustain the pH value, etc. However, with the exception of the water’s pH value, nothing else helps the blood receive bicarbonates. Also, all the other properties change as the water reaches the stomach and interacts with the stomach acid. Even the pH value changes in the stomach. However, the change of pH value causes the stomach to produce hydrochloric acid that goes into the stomach, and the bicarbonates go into the bloodstream. The most important function of alkaline water is to increase bicarbonates in the blood because we lose bicarbonates as we age.
When we say that we alkalize our body, we don’t necessarily mean increasing our saliva pH or urine pH; it means increasing the bicarbonates in our blood. The blood pH does not change, but the ability of our blood to neutralize acid in the body increases.
In the January/February 2003 issue of American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, Dr. Gospodinka R. Pradova published the result of a 10-year study of industrial pollution in Bulgaria. The study compares two groups of people in a plastic manufacturing plant: one group working in the plant with chemical pollution, the other in the non-polluted office environment of the same company. The conclusion shows that people living/working in a polluted environment have less amount of bicarbonates in their blood than people working in a clean environment.
We live in a world that was changed from an agricultural environment to an industrial environment, which produces more pollution. Our stressful life-styles create more acid, which causes us to use up more bicarbonates. Some foods are more acidic than others, especially, high protein meat products and highly acidic soft drinks. These are the reasons why we lose bicarbonates in the blood as we age.
The medical society considers the reduction of bicarbonates in the blood as an inevitable fact of aging. I argue that the reduction of bicarbonates in the blood is the cause of aging and diseases, not the result of aging. As long as we can replenish bicarbonates in the blood, we don’t have to age!
This is the good news about alkaline water!
When to drink alkaline water
Since bicarbonates enter the bloodstream only when the stomach produces hydrochloric acid, it is important that we drink as high a pH value alkaline water as possible. I recommend we drink alkaline water on an empty stomach. On an empty stomach, the stomach pH value may be high but the amount (volume) of hydrochloric acid in the stomach is small; therefore, drinking high pH (9.5 to 10) alkaline water will raise the stomach pH relatively high. That may cause the stomach to produce more hydrochloric acid, allowing more bicarbonates to enter the bloodstream.
Another possibility is that alkaline water may pass into the intestine immediately, since there is no solid food in the stomach to be digested. When that happens, the blood will absorb alkaline water into the bloodstream from the intestine. If alkaline water is introduced directly into the bloodstream from the intestine, the acid buffer (carbonic acid, H2CO3) will interact with the alkaline water to bring down the blood pH and the acid buffer will become the alkaline buffer.
Ca(OH) 2 + 2(H2CO3) = Ca++(HCO3-)2 + 2(H2O)
An increase of bicarbonates in the bloodstream will prevent aging and the onset of adult degenerative diseases. Now you know the scientific mechanics of how alkaline water extends life.
The above example is based on calcium hydroxide-rich alkaline water. This kind of water is produced with a water ionizer because the alkaline mineral in tap water is predominantly calcium.
Alkaline water made with AlkaLife® contains potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide in a patented ratio. When potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide goes into the bloodstream, again the acid buffer, carbonic acid (H2CO3) reacts with them and they become bicarbonates and water.
KOH + H2CO3 = KHCO3 + H2O
NaOH + H2CO3 = NaHCO3 + H2O
Only alkaline water!
Various kinds of commercially produced water claim health benefits: energy water, Pi water, snow melted water, special spring water, magnetically-treated water, oxygenated water, hexagon structured water, etc. However, none of them adds bicarbonates to the blood except high pH alkaline water. When we think of health, we think of diet and exercise. But no diet or exercise adds bicarbonates to the bloodstream.
Some people argue that we can ingest bicarbonates (baking soda). It will be like ingesting salt because our stomach acid will break that down into water, carbon dioxide and sodium salt; no bicarbonates will reach the bloodstream. And we all know what salt can do to the human body.
Only alkaline water can extend your life!
© 2005, Sang Whang Enterprises, Inc.
For more information please visit http://www.alkalife.com/scihealth.aspx. |
