What Exactly Are Free Radicals And What Does Ionized Water Have To Do With Them?

Free Radicals

Free radicals are everywhere. They are in the air, our bodies, water and all the material around us. They are what cause rust to eat away at your car, your apples or bananas to brown, paint to fade, etc. And even more importantly, they are what cause age-related illnesses, cancer, strokes, heart attacks and numerous other diseases.

So, simply speaking, what exactly is a “free radical”? Let's start with an atom.

At the center of an atom you have the nucleus, which is composed of protons and neutrons (except for hydrogen – hydrogen is the only element that doesn't have neutrons). Circling the nucleus you have layers, or shells, of electrons. The first layer has 2 electrons when full, the second shell, if it's complete will have 8, the third shell will have 18, and so on. Let's take the simplest of atoms, the hydrogen atom. It has in its nucleus 1 proton and circling it, it has 1 electron. Since there is one of each proton and electron, there is no electric charge in this atom.

Every element on the periodic table is neutral, meaning it has the same amount of electrons going around the same number of protons in the nucleus. Tracking so far?

Now let's say we take a sodium atom (abbreviated Na). It has in its first shell two electrons. In its second shell it has 8 electrons, which makes that shell complete. Now in its outermost shell it only has 1 electron. These atoms want to have paired up electrons and the sodium atom has an unpaired electron. What does that mean? Well, let's say we take a chlorine (Cl) atom. In chlorine's outermost shell it only has 7 electrons. It needs 8 in order to be complete and have all electrons paired. Ok, so let's say we put these two atoms in proximity, what will happen? The unpaired electron that the sodium atom has will give that extra electron away to the chlorine atom so that they are both even. Ta-Da!

But, wait. That means that now the sodium atom has one less electron than it does protons. That makes it positively charged. More protons = positively charged. More electrons = negatively charged. So the sodium atom is now a positive ion and the chlorine atom is a negative ion.

Hold on, What is an Ion?

An ion is an atom that has either gained or lost electrons, therefore becoming either positively or negatively charged. Simple.

Now what does this have to do with free radicals, you ask. Let us take a molecule, which is made up of multiple atoms. If there are unpaired electrons, it will actively search out electrons it can “steal” from other molecules. So, let's say there are free radicals in your body, which there always is, but let's say there is an excess of them. They will attack healthy tissue by “stealing” electrons from them in order to complete their outer shells. This then causes the molecules it “stole” from to become free radicals, too, which causes them to seek out electrons and thus turning other molecules into free radicals. This then can cause a chain reaction that can lead to the destruction of that healthy tissue. Bad news.

What is Ionized Water?

Ok, so the water molecules that have been processed through the electronic water ionizer have been split. Water, chemically speaking, is called H2O, right? So that means it has 2 hydrogen atoms bonded, or stuck to, 1 oxygen atom. Now, when the water is put through your water ionizer, the H2O molecule is split to leave the oxygen atom, which normally has 8 electrons and 8 protons, attached to one of the hydrogen atoms, which has 1 electron and 1 proton. But, it was split in such a way that the hydrogen atom it was split from didn't take it's electron with it. Therefore the lone hydrogen atom has just one proton, making it positively charged (remember more protons than electrons = positively charged). And the hydrogen and oxygen atoms that are stuck together have 10 electrons but only 9 protons, which means they are negatively charged (more electrons than protons = negatively charged).

Ionized Water and Free Radicals

Ok, so now we have these negatively ionized water molecules with an excess of electrons, right? And remember those pesky free radicals in search of an electron to “steal”? Welllll...... the ionized water can supply these free radicals with their needed electron so they don't leach it from your body! Pretty awesome, right? I think so, too!

This is why ionized water is so extremely important to your health and why I work tirelessly to educate everyone regarding it. Since I have started drinking ionized water over 20 years ago, the successes I have seen with it have been nothing short of miraculous! Really! Check out my successes here that customers over the years have sent me. And read my own personal testimonial here.

 Please feel free to browse my website, learn what you can about ionized water, watch my videos, and of course feel free to contact me with any questions or if you need help.  

Are Alkaline Water and Alkaline Ionized Water the same thing?

Are Alkaline Water and Alkaline Ionized Water the Same Thing?

So, what is Alkaline Ionized Water? Is it different than Alkaline Water? It is very common to hear these two terms used interchangeably, but they are, in fact, two very different things.

Alkaline Water simply has a pH above 7.0, and it can be created in many ways by adding minerals to it (such as baking soda, which we have discussed previously), lemon juice, Himalayan Salt, to name a few, to make the pH higher. You can also purchase expensive bottled alkaline water at stores such as Wal-Mart.

Alkaline Ionized Water is water that has been ionized and made alkaline by a procedure called Water Electrolysis. It is full of antioxidants and is far more absorb-able and hydrating than regular water or water that has minerals added to it to make it alkaline.

As you can see in the Alkaline Water Plus Blog simply adding baking soda to alkalize your water is not an effective measure. In fact, the high level of sodium alone is detrimental to your health, especially if you already deal with such conditions as high blood pressure or water retention.

The many great benefits of Alkaline Ionized Water aren't simply from the fact that it is alkaline, but that it is ionized. Drinking water that is merely alkaline is not providing anywhere near the benefits as drinking alkaline ionized water.

The Benefits of Drinking Alkaline Ionized Water

There are several different qualities to Alkaline Ionized Water that make it so beneficial to your body and health.

These qualities are:

• The water raises the alkalinity of your body
• The water is rich in antioxidants and very oxygenating
• The water is far better at hydrating than any other water

Let's take a look at each of these qualities separately.

The Water is Alkaline

Our bodies tend to be very acidic. This is due to the average diet, smoking, alcohol, stress, pollution, etc. We store deposits of acidic toxins in our body that can (and do) cause disease, malnutrition or, if you are lucky, just an overall since of not feeling well.

Drinking alkaline ionized water has been shown to prevent and reverse disease, malnutrition, lack of energy, etc., by ridding the body of these acidic waste build-ups and creating an environment in the body that disease and malnutrition cannot survive in.

The Water is Rich in Antioxidants and is Oxygenating

Antioxidants seek out and neutralize the free radicals in your body. Since the antioxidants have an excess of electrons, they can give these electrons to the free radicals that are in need of them, which keeps them from leeching electrons from healthy tissue. The body is then left with an excess of oxygen molecules that it can use for energy production and oxygenating the tissues in the body.

The Water is More Hydrating

When the water is ionized, the water molecules are made smaller, called “microclustering”, and are therefore easier for your cells to absorb. This provides even greater hydration than drinking tap, bottled, distilled, filtered or reverse osmosis water. And right along with this, if you have, for example a powdered vitamin supplement mixed into your alkaline ionized water, this vitamin supplement will be absorbed by your cells in a greater amount than it would otherwise be if you were drinking regular tap water.

As you can see, there are many great benefits to be had from drinking alkaline ionized water. These same benefits cannot be found by simply alkalizing your water by adding minerals to it. I very highly recommend obtaining a water ionizer for you and your family as soon as possible.

Also, I will be writing blogs in future weeks that go over in greater detail some of the points we have covered here, like what exactly a free radical is, what antioxidants are, water electrolysis and so forth. So stay tuned...

Alkaline Water and Free Radicals

Alkaline water has helped many people with many different ailments.  I have personally seen it help with skin conditions, gout, energy levels, allergies, spider veins.  The list is endless.  In this post, I want to go over why these things occurr with a person drinking this water, so some of the mystery is resolved.  I have heard people call this miracle water, or the fountain of youth, and after you read this blog, you will understand why.

First and foremost, alkaline water is alkaline. Duh. It says it right in the name! But what does this mean? Well, alkalinity measures how acidic or how basic something is.  Your blood needs to be a certain pH in order for you to function properly.  Most of your organs also need to be alkaline as well. But, a lot of people nowadays lead very acidic lives drinking lots of coffee and soda, eating meat and carbs, and leading stressfull lives.  All of these can cause someone's pH level to drop.  Drinking alkaline water will help keep your body balanced and at the correct pH it needs to be.  The other benefit to drinking alkaline water is that it will allow for your body to more easily get rid of acidic waste, because your body will not have a problem sacraficing some of its alkaline fluids if it has an abundance of it.

Secondly, alkaline water has a TON of antioxidants in it.  The technical name for it is ORP (oxidation reduction potential).  When this number is positive, it oxidizes, when it is negative, it antioxidizes.  Now everyone in this day and age has heard of free radicals, right? Well these are those unstable molecules that go around your body damaging cells and causing mutations amongst other things.  Antioxidants have the ability to knock out these free radicals.  They neutralize them.  Here is a depiction of what free radicals can do:

So, alkaline ionized water can counter these negative effects of free radicals to a great degree!  Water ionizers can vary in the ORP quite a bit.  To get the best results, I would recommend finding an ionizer that has the lowest negative number -the more negative the better- for the pH that you will be drinking at.

For more successes and information, visit www.alkalinewaterplus.com

What is ORP and why is Alkaline Water Good for You?

There is another benefit to alkaline water that I should go over with you.  This is called ORP or oxidation reduction potential.   This is another way of saying antioxidant.  

Here is an example of oxidation in an apple.

Oxidation is a chemical reaction. Active oxygen [O2+] circulates the body, stealing electrons & damaging the cells. This is called a free radical. A free radical is an unbalanced oxygen molecule with an unpaired electron. It needs another electron to be stable and steals it from your cells. This process is called oxidation. 

 

Ionized water produces a Negative ORP [oxidation reduction potential]...which is really good. With a Negative ORP you get lots of extra negatively charged electrons to combine with the free radicals formed by oxidation. This makes them stable again and non-threatening to your cell health. There are no better, more easily absorbable antioxidants that a person could consume than those found in the OH- ions in alkaline ionized water.

One additional advantage to alkaline ionized water is that it is micro-clustered.  This means that the water molecules are in smaller clusters or bunches and it makes it much easier to absorb into the body.  So you can get the benefits of alkaline ionized water much better and faster than regular water and since it is alkaline and ionized the benefits are far greater than regular water!

 

 

 

Visit our site to learn more: http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com

 

Alkaline Water Basics- Balancing Your Body's pH

I often get questions on why alkaline water is better than any other type of water.  Today I want to go over the basic ideas behind body pH and why alkaline water is key in balancing your body's pH.

To start off, the average person in today's society lives a very acidic lifestyle.  Meats, grains, dairy, tea, coffee, soft drinks, to name a few, are all acidic.  Your blood must maintain a balance of 7.365 pH at all times. The alternative is death.  Therefore, your body will do anything in it's power to keep the blood at that pH.  It will take calcium from your bones, it will trap acidic wastes in fat cells and store them in order to protect itself against becoming over acidic.

I actually have a good friend who was recently diagnosed with cancer of the colon.  She had to have a colostomy.  She tested her body's pH with our pH paper and her saliva pH was at a 6.5 before she started drinking alkaline water.  A healthy adult should be at around 7.3-7.4 pH.  She started religiously drinking alkaline ionized water. About three months later tested again and she tested at a 7.2!  She is now doing really well and does not have any signs of any more cancer developing.  In fact, I know at one point she was thinking about getting chemotherapy but now she doesn't think that it will be necessary.

For more information on pH paper please visit our site: http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/product/pH

Alkaline water is key in balancing out the acidic diets that we consume.  It will actually start to change the pH of your body by allowing your body to rid itself of the acidic wastes it has been storing in fat cells etc.  In fact, often times, people who start drinking alkaline water will be able to lose weight much easier as a result of the body being able to release those toxins.  There are many benefits to alkaline water.  It varies from person to person what benefits you will see and feel, depending on your current health and lifestyle.  In any case, alkaline water will help anyone in their endeavor to live a healthy and active life!

Water is a very powerful resource.  Where you find water, you find life.  Imagine how much you could improve upon your life if you had all the benefits of the healthiest type of water you can find!

Why would I want to drink alkaline ionized water rather than regular tap, filtered tap or bottled water?

A: There are basically five reasons why you should drink alkaline ionized water rather than regular or bottled water:
1. Our bodies are acidic. Acid wastes from our cells, tissues and organs can't be released into the blood and make their way out of the body unless our body has enough alkaline in it to create a neutral balance. With most people, many wastes sit in the cells for long periods or forever waiting to be eliminated. The longer acid wastes stay in the cells the greater the chances of diseases or mutations (cancers). Research shows that diseases thrive in an acid environment. The modern fast-food diets we eat, sodas we drink, and stressful lifestyles we live only make that acid environment inside our bodies worse over time. To combat this, drinking alkaline water helps to buffer this acidity and neutralize our bodies, allowing our cells to be cleansed...leading to a longer, healthier life potential and more energy on a daily basis. An interesting study was conducted by Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Alexis Carrell. Carrel did an experiment to keep cells from a chicken heart alive and healthy, reproducing new healthy cells, for 28 years [and all signs showed they could have lived on and on forever]! Chickens only live 3 years! This study proves that in the right environment cells do not "age" or become diseased. The bottom line of this research was...our cells need to be cleaned and stay cleaned [daily]. The only way to do that is to drink plenty of alkaline ionized water daily.
2. Good alkaline water ionizers use high quality filters, and you can also purchase extra pre-filters, which remove harmful substances from the water (such as chlorine and lead) and allow the good minerals (such as calcium) to pass through, so you can get the highest quality of ingredients in the water you drink - and without the bad stuff.
3. Have you ever heard of "making water wetter"? Most water clusters itself in groups of 11 - 16 molecules stuck together. These clusters are so large that it's hard to actually penetrate through cell membranes. The process of ionizing the water splits the water into smaller clusters of 5-8 molecules and so making it easier to get the water into your cells.
4. Good water ionizers create water that is not only alkaline (to help buffer our bodies' acidity), but also has a high "Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP)", as measured by an ORP meter. You're probably more familiar with the expression "anti-oxidant". Alkaline ionized water's ability to act as an anti-oxidant in your body is much, much greater than regular or bottled water. As a matter of fact, research shows that bottled water is bad for you. Regular tap water, normally filtered tap water and bottled water have high oxidation potentials. That means ... high potential to oxidize and damage your cells. This is the opposite of ORP. The ionization process reverses the oxidation potential of tap water and creates as much as -200 or -300 ORP, which is a high strength of antioxidant potential. Antioxidants are needed to keep our cells from oxidizing and mutating. When they mutate you see this as the body's aging process. Severe mutations you see as cancer.
5. Alkaline ionized water using a good quality machine is cheaper than both bottled and regular water! Divide the cost of the machine (let's say you get a machine that costs $1,800.00) by 365 days and again by 5 years (the warranty period of a good water ionizer). That is less than $1.00 per day to create all the alkaline ionized water you and your family can drink per day. Given the fact that most machines last for over 10 or even 20 years without needing repairs, it follows that your cost of water will probably be less than even 50 cents per day to drink as much water as you like. Not only that, but an even more compelling reason I say alkaline ionized water is cheaper than regular water from the tap or bottled water is because of all the preventative health benefits. Remember that old saying: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?" That's what I mean by real savings!!! Look at all the doctor bills you save when you simply don't get sick.
Written by...
Cathleen LoGrasso
For more information visit: http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com