NutriTeam

Where's the EPA?

2011-02-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

U.S. drinking water is contaminated with a toxic chemical that your own government calls a "probable carcinogen."

So what's that same government doing about it? Same things as usual: Nothing!

The chemical is called hexavalent chromium, and if the name sounds a little familiar then you've probably seen the film "Erin Brokovich." It's the toxic compound that set off her battle with Pacific Gas & Electric after it was found in the groundwater of Hinkley, California.

Now, we all may as well be living in Hinkley -- because tests by the Environmental Working Group on water in 35 cities across the country found the chemical in 31 of them.

Twenty-five of those cities had hexavalent chromium levels in excess of limits being proposed by California. And if you're in Norman, Oklahoma, congratulations -- you're drinking 200 times that proposed limit.

We have to go by California's proposed limit because the EPA doesn't have one -- proposed or otherwise.

And that's where this gets really bizarre... because while the EPA doesn't set limits for hexavalent chromium, it does care about total chromium levels.

In other words, it lumps this toxic compound into the same category as the essential mineral trivalent chromium.

One is needed by the body to control blood glucose levels, the other might give you cancer, wreck your kidneys and liver, and maybe even kill you -- but it's all the same to the EPA. How much sense does that make?

But let's look on the bright side here: Hexavalent chromium probably isn't the worst thing in your water right now. Iit's positively healthy next to the rocket fuel, cocaine, aspartame, hormone drugs, and more regularly found in U.S. drinking water -- and I'm not talking about isolated incidents here.

If you are trusting in local or federal governments to protect your water supply, you should think again, and do it right away.

More later,
Sam/Nutriteam
www.nutriteam.com
www.steamdistiller.com

Waste Water is Your Drinking Water

2010-12-25T01:54:00.000-08:00

Every hour, an enormous quantity and variety of human-made chemicals, having reached the end of their useful lifespan, flood into wastewater treatment plants. These large-scale processing facilities, however, are designed only to remove nutrients, turbidity and oxygen-depleting human waste, and not the multitude of chemicals put to residential, institutional, commercial and industrial use.

So what happens to these chemicals, some of which may be toxic to humans and the environment? Do they get destroyed during wastewater treatment or do they wind up in the environment with unknown consequences?

Check out this Science Daily link to learn more:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101221131554.htm

More later,

Sam/Nutriteam

www.nutriteam.com

Coal for Christmas?

2010-12-22T03:10:00.000-08:00

The aftermath of burning a mountain of coal isn't pretty. It's not just the ash itself; it's also the toxic elements that have been purified by fire out of the "fossilized sunshine."
Those toxic elements come along for the ride when the coal ash spills, like it did near Kingston, Tenn., on December 22, 2008. The "Christmas coal ash spill" was the largest such disaster in U.S. history and covered more than a square kilometer of land before the roughly 4 billion liters of slurry ended up in the Emory and Clinch rivers. Those stretches of river effectively died.
The rivers are now recovering, thanks to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)—a government-owned corporation that runs power plants throughout that region—which may ultimately spend more than a billion dollars to clean up its coal ash mess. Even so, a scientific survey found arsenic and other contaminants at high levels in water in the rivers sediment 18 months later.

It would seem obvious, given the scale of the clean up and its impacts, that such coal ash would be considered hazardous waste.
It is not. Instead, it is put to "beneficial use" in products such as roadbeds, cement and wallboard. It's even added to soil. And when it's not being used, some companies simply dump it back into the mines from whence it first came.
Unfortunately, the toxic metals in the ash have a tendency to interact with groundwater and percolate into drinking supplies. The only way to prevent that is to dispose of the ash in specially lined landfills to prevent such leaching—something that would be required if coal ash were deemed hazardous waste.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been mulling over whether to reclassify coal ash as hazardous waste even though its analysis of the constituents of coal ash leaves no question. But the U.S. produces more than 100 million metric tons of the stuff every year and those charged with disposing of this massive amount of waste are not disposed to face additional hurdles to finding a place to get rid of it.
And that means that coal ash continues to pile up in more than 580 sites across the country, including elsewhere in the Tennessee Valley. After all, the TVA alone generates more than 6 million metric tons of such ash every year. In fact, just one month after the Christmas coal ash spill near Kingston, the TVA spilled some 37,000 liters of coal ash slurry in Alabama near Scottsboro.

This article was derived from a newsblog on Scientific American web site,
December 22, 2010.

More later,
Sam/Nutriteam
www.nutriteam

Cancer Causing Chromium in Water

2010-12-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

Here's another good reason to clean up your water with the best known system,
a water distiller.

Carcinogenic hexavalent chromium, the "Erin Brockovich chemical" was found in the tap water of 31 cities out of a total of 35 tested by The Environmental Working Group. The scientists estimate that at least 74 million people in the USA in 42 states regularly drink chromium-tainted water, and a considerable proportion of it is in the carcinogenic hexavalent form.

Hexavalent chromium is recognized as a human carcinogen. Some workers are exposed to the chemical, and exposure is known to sometimes occur among those who handle chromate-containing products, as well as those who arc weld stainless steel. The European Union has the world's strictest laws regarding hexavalent chromium. Hexavalent chromium use in the European Union in electronic equipment, for example, is largely prohibited by the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive.

Highest levels of hexavalent chromium in tap water were found in Norman; Oklahoma, Riverside; California, and Honolulu; Hawaii. Safety limits proposed by California regulators were exceeded in samples from 25 US cities, the scientists revealed.

Hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium-6 in drinking water shows "clear evidence of carcinogenic activity" in animal studies, significantly raising the likelihood of the development of gastrointestinal tumors.

An EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) draft toxicological review this year also found that tap water tainted with hexavalent chromium is "likely to be carcinogenic to humans".

A public health goal of 0.06 ppb (parts per billion) was proposed by Californian authorities in 2009, in an attempt to protect humans from cancer risk. The aim was to eventually set this limit nationwide.

Despite growing evidence of the dangers of hexavalent chromium in tap water, the EPA has done nothing about legal limit requirements. Water utility companies don't even have to test for levels in their tap water.

The average hexavalent chromium levels in the tested tap water was 0.18 ppb, compared to the recommended 0.06 ppb.

Top five cities tested:

Norman, Oklahoma, population - 89,952
Hexavalent chromium level 12.9 ppb
Honolulu, Hawaii: population - 661,004
Hexavalent chromium level 2.00 ppb
Riverside, California, population - 280,832
Hexavalent chromium level 1.69 ppb
Madison, Wisconsin, population - 200,814
Hexavalent chromium level 1.58 ppb
San Jose, California, population - 979,000
Hexavalent chromium level 1.34 ppb

One of the samples tested by the Environmental Working Group in Norman, Oklahoma had hexavalent chromium levels 200 times higher than the Californian-proposed limit.

With so many tens of millions of Americans exposed to hexavalent chromium on a daily bases, the Environmental Working Group is urging the EPA to act - to set a legal limit on chromium-6, and make water utility companies regularly test levels of it in their tap water.

In a communiqué, the Environmental Working Group wrote:

"The state of California must establish a strong standard for hexavalent chromium in tap water immediately. A truly health-protective hexavalent chromium regulation will reduce the cancer risk for Californians and serve as a model for the nation. With an enforceable standard already six years past the statutory deadline and the health of millions of Californians at stake, the state cannot move too quickly

A footnote to this is that the EPA admits that they do not have the tools currently available to detect this chemical in tap water at the levels proposed for "safe" drinking water.

More later,

Sam/Nutriteam

www.nutriteam.com

Protozoan Water Test

2010-12-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

Here's a Science Daily report on a potentially life changing
technology because it works so well and is also inexpensive:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101210102914.htm
I hope they can get this into the system soon!
More later,

Sam/Nutriteam
www.nutriteam.com

Test Your Water?

2010-12-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

People often tell us how shocked they are at the appearance of
the residue left over from the process of distillation. They say,
with good reason, "I was drinking THAT?!"

You may assume, as I did for a long time, that the only way
to find out ahead of time if your water needs purification is
to submit to a barrage of tests from a private or State run
laboratory. And as you can guess, this process is pricey and
painful; each contaminant has to be isolated individually, and
at significant cost.

This is no longer true. We are able to offer 3 different levels
of testing, starting at only $10, that will tell you accurately
whether you have bacteria, heavy metals, hardness, etc.
Check out our website for more details: www.nutriteam.com

Please listen to the overwhelming body of evidence that says
your tap water is not safe. Not spring water, not well water,
not municipal water. A recent ScienceDaily.com report commented
that up to 90 percent of pharmaceutical drugs pass through the
human body unmetabolized. Where do you think they end up?

More later,
Sam Allen
www.nutriteam.com

More Vitamin C

2010-11-09T07:06:00.000-08:00

Vitamin C is such an amazing substance, I urge everyone
to get to know more about it. A great source of information
is orthomolecular.org, an organization started by a group of
MDs, PhDs, and other researchers including the likes of
Linus Pauling. Great stuff, and almost totally ignored by the
mainstream medical establishment.
But back to a practical application for those of you making
distilled water, the preferred method for the safest, most
pure form of drinking water.
A small amount of vitamin C(a teaspoon or less) will not only
make your boil chamber much easier to clean, if you have
hardness minerals, but it will also eliminate chlorine and chloramine,
the 2 chemicals most often used by municipalities to kill harmful
pathogens in delivered water systems. Just add half a teaspoon,
more or less, to each batch of water you plan to distill; it's that
simple.
What a super, double-duty application of an inexpensive yet
highly valuable substance!
Many of you have already discovered our vitamin C shower filter
on nutriteam.com to keep your hair and skin from being damaged
by these chemicals.
Of course, distillation is still the workhorse for purifying
water, as it leaves behind or kills all pathogens, heavy metals,
flouride, radon, pharmaceutical residues, etc.
Good health to you!
More later,

Sam
nutriteam.com
steamdistiller.com

How Bad is Plastic?

2010-10-19T09:59:00.001-07:00

We are frequently asked our opinion on plastic water
containers. People are particularly worried about a
hardening agent called Bis-Phenol-A(BPA).

The original ruckus developed a few years ago when a
researcher claimed that if you paint pure BPA onto the
naked bellies of lab rats, they develop lesions that could
be pre-cancerous. That's when a California politician got
onboard and declared that she would save her constituents
from this deadly threat. Since then, the prime focus of
concern has been on the possibility of hormone disruption
from over-exposure to this substance.

Of course I'm concerned about the volume of plastic going
into landfills, and the health issues that almost have to be
associated with manufacturing the stuff. But really, in
perspective, how bad is plastic?

Aren't you glad you have a plastic bag to throw your veggies
into on the way home from the supermarket? Can you imagine
how much good food would be priced out of range if all plastic
were replaced with glass? Is it possible that plastic has done
more good than harm over the years? I honestly can't answer that
question with meaningful statistics, but neither can plastic's
detractors.

Is it not quite probable that the hormones, pecticides, colorings,
preservatives, flavor enhancers, etc., in the food and drink we
buy are more harmful than the container? Politicians and the big
Industries that pay for their re-elections tend to focus on issues
that might make them look good, like 'get rid of a poison in the
environment'. Don't expect them to tackle something big, something
they might be accountable for later on.

It's true, I'm not a chemist or a biologist. No-one knows what the
cumulative effect of exposure to synthetic products will eventually
yield; and each human being is a unique package with a unique
fingerprint of sensitivities, strengths and weaknesses. We should
all make the best decisions we can at every turn.

It's good to refocus on the big picture once in a while.

More later,
Sam
www.nutriteam.com

Why Not RO?

2010-10-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

Reverse Osmosis(RO) is a popular way to filter water,
especially where a 'whole-house' system is desired. But RO
has a lot of deficiencies, particularly for drinking water.
To begin with, RO is an energy glutton because a lot of water
has to get pushed passed the membrane to get a little water
to go through to the other side; and the biggest problem with
this method is that in many cases as much as 5 to 10 percent
of the contaminants remain in the 'filtered' water. You may
reason that this is acceptable for washing or bathing, but that
amount of contamination is unacceptable for drinking.

And then there's the cost: RO has to be both plumbed and
wired, and it fills a small cabinet base, even for a small
volume unit. The membrane has to be changed frequently,
along with the pre-filters. And if there is any chance of
bacterial activity(remember that cryptosporidium is not
killed by chlorine), you need another whole system for
disinfection that can itself be costly to install and maintain.

Our advice: at least for now, stick with distillation for
all of your drinking water needs. Try our vitamin C shower
head to remove chlorine from your bath routine. Add
vitamin C to the bath and veggie wash.

If you really need a 'whole-house' water system, you may
want to find a better house. You are made up of nearly
70 percent water. Your health depends on good water.

More later,
Sam
www.nutriteam.com
www.steamdistiller.com

A Human Right?

2010-09-29T03:53:00.000-07:00

Water is a valuable resource, which is why the Fraunhofer Alliance SysWasser is demonstrating how we can extract precious drinking water from air, discover a leak in pipeline systems and even effectively clean sewage water at the IFAT/Entsorga fair (September 13-17 in Munich, Germany).

As the General Assembly of the UN resolved on July 28 of this year, 2010, clean drinking water and basic sanitary provision are human rights. Unfortunately, there are more than one billion people all over the world who do not have access to drinking water, while as many as 2.6 billion people live without any sanitary systems at all -- that is well over one-third of the world's population.

Not only that, water is a pre-eminent economic factor because agriculture and industry consume more than four-fifths of this precious commodity these days. A study by the UN indicates that in the future water will be more important in strategic terms than petroleum. This is the reason why 14 Fraunhofer institutes have joined forces in the Fraunhofer Alliance SysWasser to come up with sustainable water system technologies. They will be unveiling "Research for Tomorrow's Water Utilization" in hall A4, stand 201/302 at the IFAT/Entsorga fair, to be held in Munich, Germany in September of this year.

Drinking Water from the Air

Drinking water can be extracted from the humidity in the air even in the desert or in the middle of a megacity, which is made possible by a technology developed by Fraunhofer. The principle behind it is a salt solution that runs down from a tower-shaped system and absorbs water from the air. The hygroscopic brine is then pumped into a tank that stands a couple of meters high and contains a vacuum. Then, energy from solar collectors heats up the brine and the evaporated salt-free water condenses over a distillation bridge. The brine concentrates again and flows down on the surface of the tower to absorb humidity in the air.

This process is exclusively based on regenerative sources of energy such as simple solar collectors and photovoltaic cells, meaning that this method is completely energy self-sufficient. That means that it functions in areas where there is no electrical infrastructure. This process is particularly well suited for extracting drinking water in arid and semi-arid areas where more water evaporates than precipitation falls.

Don't expect to see this technology in your local hardware store soon, but be assured that distillation, whether enhanced with vacuum pumps, solar cells, or not, is still the gold standard for water purification.

More later,

Sam

www.nutriteam.com

www.steamdistiller.com

Treating Well Water

2010-08-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Do you have a well for your domestic water use?
If you have ever had to replace your submersible
pump, you are aware that health regulations require
the technician to 'shock' the well with at least one
gallon of chlorine bleach at the end of the process.

While chlorine is a great disinfectant and has saved
millions of lives over the years, it has also contributed
to many adverse health conditions. The break-down
products of both chlorine and chloramine(becoming
more popular with municipalities because it is cheaper
and more stable) are known to be cancer-causing.

So, similarly, if you have had your well 'shocked' to
avoid the possibility of bacterial contamination, you
now have chlorine in the water, and it tastes terrible
and is not good for you either.

Here is a simple fix: treat your well with just one
pound of vitamin C, premixed into as much water
(a five-gallon bucket of warm water would be great)
as you can reasonably handle. Let that diluted vitamin
C set in the well overnight, and then run your faucets
until you do not detect any odor of chlorine.

Vitamin C converts chlorine into harmless chloride
molecules, which can vary depending on which minerals
you have in your well water. But be assured, vitamin
C changes the chlorine, it does not just mask the odor
or flavor.

This principle applies to chlorinated water wherever
you go, as I have written previously: just a squeeze of
lemon in a glass of tap water is enough to protect you
from the harmful effects of chlorine.

We do have 1-pound and 2-pound pouches of vitamin
C available for a very low price($12.95/lb) on our website.
Look for "water distillers", click, and scroll down to
the listing 'Water Residue Cleaner', which is 100%
food-grade vitamin C.

More later,
Sam
www.nutriteam.com
www.distiller.com

Vitamin D

2010-07-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

It may seem like a stretch to link vitamin D with a water blog,
but ongoing research is so compelling on the need for vitamin D,
that this nutrient is bound to affect your body's ability to use
water, use other nutrients, boost your immune system, and
protect you from premature death in countless ways.
Reported Monday in Science Daily, the lead author stated that
"half the world's population" is chronically deficient in vitamin
D. It is worse in Northern climates and 3rd-world countries.

Current recommendations for vitamin D supplementation are
for 200IU and 400IU for adults. Most serious researchers are
now saying that 2000 to 4000IU and more is better. Lack of
sun exposure is a major issue, especially in countries where
drug companies pushing sunblock have succeeded in scaring
people away from nature's intended source of this vital nutrient.
As an example, just 15 to 20 minutes of exposure to summer
sun can produce 10000IU or more through skin absorption.
This tells you that toxicity is really a non-issue.

And vitamin D is an unusual substance. It is needed for mineral
absorption, hormone production, and may be involved in hundreds
of processes at the cellular level. It is believed to have some direct
anti-cancer activity, but the mechanism is still unidentified.

What is clear is that a deficiency of vitamin D can have adverse
effects at virtually every level of human health. For a starting
place for more research on this subject, check out the website
vitamindcouncil.org
This is an excellent source of info. Here's an interesting tidbit:
The Chicago Blackhawks were the first professional sports team
to actually begin a routine supplementation for all its athletes
to bring vitamin D levels up to a healthy standard. The result?
In about 1 and 1/2 years, they came from relative obscurity to
win the Stanley Cup, the 'SuperBowl' of hockey. Just a coincidence?

More later,
Sam
nutriteam.com
steamdistiller.com

Watering the Chickens

2010-06-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

In a science news report I came across this weekend,
researchers in Taiwan examined eggs from "free range"
chickens and eggs from conventional sources.

Regrettably, they found that the free range eggs
had significantly higher amounts of dioxins, a nerve
damaging group of poisons typically derived from
industrial and vehicle exhaust. So just getting outside
for a walk in the sun exposed the chickens to enough
poison to make their eggs a riskier meal. What do
you think might be the implications for the water
supply in that area?

Obviously, we can not protect ourselves from every
source of every toxin. Take fish oil as an example.
Two months ago a lawsuit was filed against RiteAid,
NatureMade and CVS because 10 out of 10 fish oil
supplements tested had some level of PCBs, a once-
common component of plastics. Congress banned
PCBs in 1979, but here they are showing up in a
health supplement, 31 years later!

One thing we should do is to drink the best water
available, and that means distilled water when possible.
Water is the transport medium for getting nutrients into
our cells, and getting waste materials out, so it only
makes sense to start out as clean as possible.

The chickens and the fish don't have a choice.

More later,
Sam
www.nutriteam.com
www.steamdistiller.com

Water Over the Dam

2010-06-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

As our title suggests, people tend to take water for
granted, like "water off a duck's back". But throughout
history, water has been a factor at virtually every major
turning point. Let's take a look at an interesting example,
involving the use of water as vapor for steam power.

It was James Watt's invention of a better steam engine
that transformed England into a military, political, and
economic giant. Steam power changed everything:
manufacturing moved from water power to steam which
allowed cities and their growing populations to flourish.

The industrial revolution changed lives more in a couple
of hundred years than through all the thousands before it.
Steam power was required to unlock the age of iron which
led to the conquering of the world's oceans in huge, iron-
clad vessels.

Every era has been shaped by water in some form. Steam
power is still at the heart of energy production, even though
the issues surrounding the use of nuclear energy to turn
steam turbines have not been resolved. The biggest issue
is simple yet seemingly unsolvable: where will the volume
of fresh water come from to care for the population growth
that is already outstripping the available supply?

If you think that these issues will not affect you, think again.
Even now, water is being trucked, piped, sluiced, ducted,
and diverted in every conceivable way to areas of water
shortage. How long can this last? What will happen when
water "Haves" and "Have-Nots" come to a boil? What will
happen, for example, when China and India reach their
tipping points from unsustainable water management?

World history is set for a major change, and water will be
a driving force. Maybe it's time for a few more people to
get steamed up on this subject,
More later,
Sam
www.nutriteam.com
www.steamdistiller.com

Minerals and Water

2010-06-08T02:53:00.000-07:00

One of our most frequently asked questions is about
minerals in water. For example, it is known that distilled
water is pure; hardness minerals are removed along with
contaminants of all kinds. Is this a health risk?

The answer is an unequivocal NO. The best source of minerals
is from food: leafy greens, dairy products, meat and fish are
among the best sources. The minerals in water are very difficult
to assimilate for several reasons. When you eat minerals that
are part of plants and animals you are getting organic forms of
the needed minerals which are much easier to process, digest, and
assimilate.

It's ironic, but despite the concern over getting enough minerals,
many Americans are getting overloaded with minerals, in particular
calcium in the form of 'anti-acids'. The problem here with both
over-the-counter and prescription antacids is that they neutralize
stomach acid, which inhibits the absorption of many macronutrients
including protein, fat, and calcium. Many experts contend that
the overuse of antacids could be the leading contributor to the
problem of osteoporosis in older Americans.

This is not to say that it would be wrong to take a mineral supplement,
if you have reason to believe that you are lacking certain key minerals
in your diet. In particular, a supplement containing the full range of
'trace' minerals would be good for anyone eating a diet that is highly
processed or known to come from factory farms where minerals
are rarely if ever reintroduced into depleted soils. But be aware that
many mineral supplements today contain mineral combinations that
are too alkaline to aid in proper digestion. We will discuss this issue in
more detail in later posts.
Looking out for your health and well-being,
Sam
www.nutriteam.com

Water - Running Out?

2010-06-02T05:20:00.000-07:00

Some of us, like me living in New England, have a relative
abundance of water and tend to take it for granted.

With this post, I want to put a little perspective on the issue.
Some 40 percent of the world's population "carry their water from wells,
rivers, ponds, or puddles outside of their homes", according to
Diane Ward in her book, Water Wars - Drought, Folly and the
Politics of Thirst. In some countries, women may spend 6 hours a
day or more fetching water in buckets from questionable sources.

The fact is that over a third of the world's population
is seriously affected by a water and sanitation crisis. In
Africa, 6 out of 10 people do not even have a proper toilet.
This of course contributes to the spread of deadly bacteria,
viruses and parasites.

Principal rivers in many countries no longer have anything
left to pour into the sea. Nations are squandering their most
precious commodity at such an alarming rate that many doubt
that their could be a viable solution.

Do you think this will eventually affect the water-rich Western
countries? Politically? Economically? Of course it is, already.
Yet here in the United States little is being done to protect
our water sources. Water infrastructure in major cities is old
and dilapidated. Testing for many of the newer and more
dangerous drugs in water is literally non-existent. Many people
still consider it their 'right' to have unlimited clean water when
that is no longer the case anyway, and enormous cost increases
are just around the corner. The major disinfection agent for
municipal water, chlorine, has no doubt saved millions of lives
over the years, but it is itself a health risk of high order. And
many cities and towns are turning to an alternative, chloramine,
which is cheaper but poses more risks and is harder to remove
at the point of use.

In the meantime, do not take for granted the quality of water
you are using for drinking and sanitation. Your health is
on the line.

More later,
Sam

Alkaline vs. Alkalyzing

2010-05-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

Hello, Waterbloggers,
Did the title above intrigue you? It should, because there are
more and more attempts being made to mold your thinking,
and spending, on this subject.
I would just like to whet your appetite on this subject, for now.

While it is true that the human body needs both acid and alkaline
substances for good health, it is not true that all alkaline foods
and beverages are good for you. There is a growing media and
marketing hype to get you to ingest too many alkaline things, one
of which is both expensive and dangerous - alkaline(also called
'ionized') water.

Here's the basic problem: Your stomach needs to maintain a low
pH, between pH2 and 3(7 is neutral), to break down the macro-nutrients
before they go into the alkaline environment of your intestines.
Anti-acids, both prescription and off the shelf, are designed to
neutralize this vital step in the digestion process. Overuse of these
products and many other so-called 'alkalyzing' supplements can
do immense damage over the long haul. Among the potential
problems are incomplete or ineffective digestion of proteins, fats,
and minerals. These insufficiencies can lead to osteoporosis, nerve
damage, malnutrition, and colo-rectal cancer, among others.
(I'll get into this in more detail at a later post...)

Just so you don't think I'm making this up, do a quick web-search
on "acid and alkaline" or something similar. There are thousands
of web pages that will come up, most with charts on which foods
and beverages are 'acidifying' and which are 'alkalyzing'. There is
absolute, universal agreement that citrus fruits are at the top of
the list for 'alkalyzing' foods. See what I'm getting at?

Citrus fruits not only supply plenty of vitamins and minerals
which are needed by a healthy body, but the low pH of citrus
foods allows the stomach to work without hindrance, without
requiring large, additional acid secretions. Foods eaten with
citrus can be broken down and assimilated more efficiently,
without causing the free-radical attack induced by incorrectly
prepared or combined foods.

OK, enough for now. But be aware: the anti-acid business is
a multi-billion dollar a year industry. More and more supplements
are marketed as "alkalyzing" when they are "alkaline", and not
"alkalyzing". Adding a little organic apple-cider vinegar or a little
lemon juice to your diet might just be the best thing you could
do for yourself right now at almost no cost.
More later,
Sam

Clean water and vitamin C

2010-05-24T06:23:00.000-07:00

My intent is not just to spout off about water, but to be as helpful as possible.
Since I have been a proponent of clean water for years, and also a major
cheerleader for the use of vitamin C, I am amazed that I overlooked an important
connection until just recently.
Here it is: a small amount of vitamin C will completely convert chlorine into
harmless substances. This means that with very little effort - such as a squeeze
of lemon into a glass of tap water - we can drastically reduce our exposure to a
group of dangerous chemical compounds. One great part of this news is that
vitamin C works with chloramine as well. Chloramine is an even more dangerous
chemical than chlorine, but it is being used by more municipalities because it
is more stable and thus more long-lasting(read: cheaper).
1/8 of a teaspoon is enough ascorbic acid to neutralize the rinse cycle in
a washing machine. A teaspoon or two will take care of a bathtub full.
Many waste-water treatment plants have been using vitamin C for years to
prevent the discharge of chlorine into lakes and streams.
Now we have an inexpensive tool with the potential to improve
the health of millions. Share the news!
Sam

Water Boys

2010-05-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

Hi. This is the first of many- I hope - posts about water: how amazing it is,
how much we need it, and how to deal with the deteriorating water quality
and quantities around us.

Water has rightly been called the most studied chemical compound in the
world, but the least understood. H2O looks on paper like it should be a
simple matter, but that is far from true. As the universal solvent, water
changes its energy, its electromagnetic force, with every exposure to new
substances, new sounds, new physical impacts. Water has a memory.
Water molecules come together in groups and then disassociate just as
quickly. Water molecules crystalize at low temperatures and vaporize at
higher temperatures.

From a distance, the Earth looks like it should be called Water. Where
did this huge volume of water come from? Very little can be detected
outside of our gravitational field. Some exceptions are the ice-clouds
that pass by every few decades or millenia, i.e. Halley's Comet and
the like.

Why should we worry about water? Because the shortage of safe, clean,
abundant water for drinking, bathing, and agriculture now affects
billions of people and this shortage may soon become the biggest
obstacle to peace on the planet. Recent economic difficulties prove that
all earth's inhabitants are 'in it together'. Water should be viewed as
a universal barometer of the human condition; even a brief look into
this situation is a little scary.

Please follow along for more insights into this most amazing and
vital substance.

Helping you find the pure source,
Sam Allen