Distilled Water and Health

the following 7 paragraphs are from  http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/water.html

Distilled water is one of the world's best and purest waters! It is excellent for detoxification and fasting programs and for helping clean out all the cells, organs, and fluids of the body because it can help carry away so many harmful substances! Water from chemically-treated public water systems, and even from many wells and springs, is likely to be loaded with poisonous chemicals and toxic trace elements. The water in our homes, offices, schools, hospitals, etc., is likely to be overloaded with zinc (from old fashioned galvanized pipes) or with copper and cadmium (from copper pipes).

Ask yourself these questions: How can I stop the chemicals and inorganic minerals from turning my brain and body into stone? How can I stop my joints from becoming stiff and cemented? How can I help stop the formation of gall, kidney, and bladder stones? How can I keep my arteries, veins and capillaries from this unnatural hardening? How can I prolong youth? How can I delay the onset of premature aging?

The temperature of the body is controlled through water. The amount of water in the human body averages 65%. Water makes up 92% of the blood of the body. You have 15 billion brain cells which are 70% water.

A sign of dehydration is constipation. Burning, irritating urine is another sign. When you drink a glass of water, it goes directly to your stomach. Part of the water is absorbed directly into your blood stream through the walls of the stomach. The remainder goes to the intestines to keep the food you eat in a liquid state while being absorbed; this is later absorbed directly into the blood.

The right kind of water is one of your best natural protections against all kinds of virus infections, such as influenza, pneumonia, whooping cough, measles, and other infectious diseases. When the body tissues are kept supplied with the correct amount of water, they can fight off the attacks of viruses. If the body cells are water starved, they become parched, dry, and shrivel, making it easy for viruses to attack.

One of the most important functions of water is to flush out toxins and salt from the body. People who drink the right amount of liquids (distilled water, fresh fruits and vegetables and their juices) have better circulation which is most important to super-health and long life.

Water improves your mind and brain power. Excessive nervous people and/or the mentally upset person dopes himself on alcohol, tea, coffee, and cola drinks and thus complicates his nervous condition by burning, toxic acid forms in the stomach with no food or water to dilute it. So he also suffers from depression, acid stomach, heartburn, gas bloat, and other miseries. Instead of drinking water, these people dope up on aspirin, cigarettes and other stimulants.

What some experts say about the use of
Steam-Distilled Water


MEDICAL PROFESSION

"To the best of our knowledge, there would not be any adverse health effects from the continued ingestion of distilled water."

May 17 1985; American Medical Association; Division of Personal and Public Health Policy; Jack A. Bell - Assistant Director
"Distilled water should be used if the usual water supply (tap or bottled) contains more than 20 mg. of sodium per liter."

American Heart Association(1986)
"The body's need for minerals is largely met through foods, not drinking water."

American Medical Journal
"There are no essential nutrients dissolved in tap water which humans depend on from this source for their survival or well-being. All essential nutrients can be obtained from foods and proper dietary supplements."

"There have been some recent rumors that the consumption of "hard" water actually lessens the chances of heart and blood vessel disease.

These rumors are uncorroborated. Winton and McCabe ("Studies relating to Water Mineralization and Health" - Journal American Water Works Association, January, 1970, pp. 26-29.) conclude that a review of the literature on this subject does not reveal ANY conclusive evidence that water "hardness(mineral content)" benefits heart and blood vessel diseases".

Allen McDaniels, M.D., from his book: "Water–what's in it for you?"
"If you decide on bottled water, make sure it's distilled, (however), in the long run you'll save money if you clean your water at home. It's more convenient than hauling gallon jugs from the store. The 'gold standard' for purifying your water is a system that distills your water and filters it. You have the comfort of knowing there is no chlorine, fluoride, bacteria, viruses, pesticides, or lead. You get nothing but H2O."

"Maximum Health", Dr. Robert D. Willix, Jr., M.D.
"Water Hardness is the underlying cause of many, if not all, of the diseases resulting from poisons in the intestinal tract. These(hard minerals) pass from the intestinal walls and get into the lymphatic system, which delivers all of it's products to the blood, which in turn, distributes to all parts of the body. This is the cause of much human disease."

"Water Hardness is inorganic minerals in solution(in water). When these minerals enter the intestines in drinking water, there is an immediate reaction between them and the fats, oils and fatty acids present, causing precipitation of inorganic calcium, magnesium, iron and so on – to form new, insoluble compounds."

Dr. Charles Mayo (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota)

INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN NUTRITIONAL EXPERTS

"The Secret of health lies in internal cleanliness! To be 100% healthy, a body must be absolutely free of deposits of inorganic minerals that come from drinking city tap water, water from lakes, rivers, wells and springs. Inorganic minerals contaminate the human body, (they) form incrustations that clog and obstruct the human pipe system (arteries and digestive tracts) and impair the vital organs."

"When distilled water enters the body, it leaves no residue of any kind. It is free of salts and sodium. It is the most perfect water for the healthy functioning of the kidneys(83 water). It is the perfect liquid for the blood (83% water), the ideal liquid for the efficient functioning of the lungs (86% water), stomach, liver (85% water) and other vital organs. Why? Because it is free of all inorganic minerals. It is so pure that all liquid drug prescriptions are formulated with distilled water."

"The greatest damage done by inorganic minerals – plus waxy cholesterol and salt – is to the small arteries and other blood vessels of the brain (75% water). Hardening of the arteries and calcification of blood vessels starts on the day you start taking inorganic chemicals(and minerals from tap water) into our bodies."

Dr. Paul Bragg, N.D. Ph.T., from his book: "The Shocking Truth About Water"
"Let me classify the nine kinds of water. They are hard water, raw water, boiled water, soft water, rain water, snow water, filtered water, de-ionized water, and distilled water. All are kinds of water - but remember this: only one of these nine kinds of water is good for you. Distilled water is water which has been turned into vapor, so that all its impurities are left behind. Then, by condensing, it is turned back to pure water. It is the only water which is pure - the only water free from all impurities".

"Distilled water is the greatest solvent on earth. (It is) the only water that can be taken into the body without damage to the tissues."

"What we as scientists and the public have never realized is that minerals collected in the body from water are all inorganic minerals, which cannot be assimilated(digested) by the body. The only minerals that the body can utilize are the organic minerals (from fruits and vegetables). All other types of minerals are foreign substances to the body and must be disposed of or eliminated."

"Today, many progressive doctors prescribe distilled water to their patients. All kidney machines operate on distilled water."

Allen E. Banik, M.D. from his book: "The Choice is Clear"
"The best system to purify water is distillation, which boils the water into steam to kill organisms and also remove impurities"

"The Great Book of Health Secrets" 1991 Boardroom Reports Inc.
"Distilled water is the purest form available. Distilled water helps to excrete excessive heavy metals from the body."

"Who Killed Candida?" 1991 Vicki Glassburn
"There is only one water that is clean, steam distilled water. No other substance on our planet does so much to keep us healthy and get us well as water does."

"Dietary Wellness" 1993 Dr. James Balch, M.D.
"Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers are instructed to drink distilled water."

"How to Stay Out of the Doctor's Office" 1994 Dr. Edward M. Wagner
"The 'gold standard' for purifying your water is a system that distills your water and filters it."

Dr. Robert D. Willix, Jr. M.D.; Cardiac Surgeon; Editor-Health & Longevity Newsletter
"Distillation provides us with the purest water obtainable...by all means make the smart choice in the type of water you drink. There should only be one choice - PURE! And pure means distilled."

Fit For Life II: Living Health, Harvey & Marilyn Diamond

"If you wish to drink water, you should drink distilled water if it is available. Mountain spring water is not ideal for the human body because it contains inorganic minerals that the human body can neither use nor precipitate out. These inorganic minerals tend to hook up with cholesterol in the body and form a thick plaque in the arteries. Distilled water does not have this effect."

"When you eat a piece of fruit or a vegetable, you are consuming distilled water. The minerals are taken from the soil, the plant distills them, and then you consume them."

"You may have heard that distilled water "leaches" minerals from the body. That is partially true. The minerals that are leached(removed) by distilled water are the inorganic minerals that the body cannot use. The effect, therefore, is healthful.

"Distilled water will not leach (organic) minerals that have become part of the structure of the body cell system. Once a mineral has become part of the cell structure, it cannot be leached."

Harvey and Marilyn Diamond; from their book "Fit for Life", Warner Books - pp. 35, 1985
"Distilled water has an inherent quality, acting almost like a magnet. It picks up rejected, discarded, and unusable minerals and, assisted by the blood and lymph, carries them to the lungs and kidneys for elimination from the body. The statement that distilled water leaches necessary minerals from the body has no basis in fact. It doesn't leach out minerals that have become part of the cell structure. It can't and won't. It collects only minerals that have already been rejected or excreted by the cells... To suggest that distilled water takes up minerals from foods so that the body derives no benefit from them is absurd."

Harvey and Marilyn Diamond; from their best-selling health and nutrition book "FIT FOR LIFE II: LIVING HEALTH"
"Even tap water invariably contains a variety of poisons such as chlorine, chloramine, asbestos, pesticides, fluoride, copper, mercury, and lead. The best way to remove all these contaminants is by distilling."

"How To Save Your Teeth: Toxic-Free Preventative Dentistry", Dr. David Kennedy, D.D.S.
"The home distiller is the best method and also the best way to get distilled water. It is the only reliable home water purification for taking fluoride out of the water."

"Fluoride: The Aging Factor", Dr. John Yiamoyuiannis, Ph.D.
"The only type of water that seems to be fit for consumption is distilled water, which is water that is absolutely free of any minerals or chemicals. Distilled water is made pure by first being heated to the point of vaporization, so that all of the 'impurities' are left behind. Then, the water vapor is condensed. The process results in water that is in its purest form. Distillation is the single most effective method of water purification."

"A Diabetic Doctor Looks at Diabetes", Peter A. Lodewick, M.D.

UNITED STATES MILITARY

"Distilled water is safe to drink and should have no adverse effects on your health. Distillation merely removes most of the dissolved materials, which are found in all natural waters."

Department of the Army
U.S. Army Health Services Command; Raymond H. Bishop, Jr. M.D.
Major General, Commander - Medical Corps.May 23, 1983
"There is nothing about distilled water that would make it harmful for the body. It may be helpful to remember that distilled water is the only water available for crews of Naval vessels at sea."

May 26, 1983, United States Department of Agriculture
Consumer Nutrition Division
Frank N. Hepburn; Chief, Nutrient Data Research Branch
It is difficult to maintain a sodium-restricted diet when water supplies contain more than 20 milligram per liter of sodium.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – 1976
National Academy of Sciences – 1977.

CONSUMER AFFAIRS

"Highly mineralized water has been associated with the formation of (kidney) stones in the urinary system"

California Department of Consumer Affairs
Drinking Water Report – July, 1976

WATER QUALITY ASSOCIATION

"...the amounts of minerals found in water are insignificant when compared to those found in the foods we eat. Because tap water varies substantially in the amount and proportion of mineral content, the most reliable source of those essential mineral nutrients come from a normal daily diet consisting of fish, meat and vegetables."

Water Quality Association Brochure # S20 - "Discover Distilled Water"