My Story

My greatest discovery this decade has been water. This sounds ridiculous, the answer I have been searching for all these years is right in front of my nose! I was dealing with a nasty injury that has been difficult to heal. I was already on a life mission to bring good health to my community and the world, however, this injury and the need to cure myself really increased my drive. I was determined to find the answer, and so it is – H20, Water. However, the more I looked into it the harder it was to find good clean water.

Water improves oxygen delivery to cells; transports nutrients; enables cellular hydration; moistens oxygen for easier breathing; cushions bones and joints; absorbs shocks to joints and organs; regulates body temperature; removes wastes; flushes toxins; prevents tissues from sticking; lubricates joints; improves cell communications; maintains normal electrical properties of cells; empowers the body’s natural healing process; adds weight to faeces.

How many glasses of water do YOU actually have a day?

Many people only have one or two cups of tea or coffee a day, especially the elderly. I have spoken to teachers who admit they limit their kids water intake to minimise toilet breaks. Often we are so busy at work; we do not even have time to sip water, we just guzzel about half a litre at breaks, if we get a break. I was constantly dehydrated when I was nursing full time, pushing fluids into patients, but never myself.

While we have all experienced the effects of dehydration, even minor dehydration can cause major problems. Hydration is actually a massive public health issue that is in great need of attention.

Mild dehydration causes dizziness, lethargy, headaches, muscle aches, depression, and loss of appetite, extreme appetite and confusion. Intermediate signs of dehydration are heart burn, joint pain, back pain, migraines, headache, fibromyalgia, constipation, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome and angina or chest pain. Desperate signs of dehydration are asthma, allergies, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, and auto immune disorders such as lupus and psoriasis and chronic fatigue.

Adequate hydration can improve allergies, asthma, high and low blood pressure, obesity, Alzheimer’s, back pain, migraines and depression. Adequate hydration is 2 cups (200ml) an hour of good quality water. If you have a cup of coffee or a unit of alcohol or carbonated drink, or a cigarette you must replace it with 1 litre of fluid. We do know hydration makes you feel better, if you come into hospital we put you on a drip and you will feel better. When you have joint pain we reach for painkillers, such as anti inflammatory, we just hand them out and never check your water and salt levels (which can be done simply with a urine test).

Water balance is maintained by electrolytes. In early dehydration there is insufficient water to reach the cells. The cells then have to draw upon the extra cellular fluid; this causes the brain to tell us to retain water, to keep the cells safe. This causes edema, water retention, which is a primary cause of high blood pressure.

So, how do you know if you are dehydrated? Look at your pee! It needs to be clear, all the time, even first thing in the morning (when did you last see that?). If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Statistics prove that hydrated people are less likely to get cancer. People who drink only 5 glasses of water a day are 45% less likely to get kidney cancer. Why? Simple, water flushes out the toxins from the body before they can do any damage.

And then I stumbles accross a local water report.

It was a water report about our local water source that really changed my life. I had noticed I was not satisfied by water anymore. I craved the Tasmanian rain water I grew up taking for granted. I was using a Brit filter, I was constantly dehydrated. I brought bottled water, I felt worse. Then I started to boil my water for 30 minutes, amazed at the layers of sediment which would gather on the bottom of the pan, I would strain the water, then add Himalayan rock salt and a touch of spirulina or blue green algae to put electrolytes back in, but it was still not enough. At this stage I realized I needed to work out what was in the water, and how I could treat it at home and safely drink it. This is what led me to this report.

Can you drink tap water?

Ok, simple, you have got the message, drink more water. The problem now is that our water sources are in dire straits, you basically cannot drink the tap water – especially in the western world. Current EPA (environmental protection agency) guidelines allow “acceptable” levels of pollutants such as chlorine, lead, fluoride, arsenic, and aluminum in our water. In water tests I did in Hobart, Perth and Palma Mallorca, I found: Chlorine, Fluoride, Arsenic, Cyanide, Nitrate, Atrazine and Halacacetic acids. You can read more about these HERE, and why they are used. These chemicals certainly do their job and free us from all kind of diseases, we just don't need to drink them after they have done their job! It's logical, if they kill little organisms on mass, they can't be great for us either.

Bottled water is properly filtered though, isn't it?

Now, don’t think bottled water keeps you safe. Bottled water companies do not even have to disclose their water analysis (which at least municipal tap water providers do). Bottled water costs 2000 times more than tap water and it is a disaster for the environment. It takes twice the amount of water to fill a bottle, and the plastic is inorganic and the plastic water bottle industry uses 86 million barrels of oil a year to manufacture the bottles. I believe it is our moral obligation, as consumers, to cease using bottles. 

And Rain Water Tanks?

A tank of rain water is generally safe, providing you live in an unpolluted area, and the tanks and fittings and pipes are all “food grade” materials. Many old houses, especially shacks have old lead and copper pipes and galvanized tin tanks, whose galvanization has worn out. There are also many microbes which get in the water from the drains. However I’d drink the microbes from a dead possum any day compared to drinking chlorine and fluoride. It must also be noted that our entire water table is polluted now and many inorganic chemicals are found in even the most pure rain. Also, if your tank water runs out, you are usually buying municipal water and hence, you are lured into a false sense of security and think your drinking pure rain water, that some old codger actually filled up in town from his backyard hose, which is municipal water. Test your tank water.

So, what's the verdict?

The answer, it’s actually pretty simple. Filter your own clean water and carry it with you everywhere. After a year of solid research I have chosen simple carbon block filters, with small pores. The smaller the pores, the cleaner the water. I have one on each tap (I'd have the whole house done, if I could only find the mains for our apartment and fit it!). I travel with one for hotels, and yachts. Plus I have a day to day one in a drink bottle that I take everywhere. For my main water tap, I enrich it with an ionizer. Ionised water is generally called kangan water these days. The combination of the carbon filter and ionizer has truly changed my life, not to mention my communities. This water system has totally revolutionised our lives. I have never felt so hydrated and I take the machine with me as often as I can when I travel. If I could only have one appliance it would be this, seriously. You can find out more about it HERE

I have people rocking up with their tanks to be filled daily. The combination of the carbon block filter and kangan water produces water with the same properties as a glacial spring. Not only does it taste amazing, like the water we use to drink out of our rivers, I have noticed a 90% recovery from my injury, loss of joint and bone aches, improved knees, nil constipation, flatter stomach, nil bloating, weight loss, younger skin, no knee or hip or back pain, no dry lips, softer hair, more energy, a better outlook on life, good vibes, more stable moods, needing less sleep, improved memory, increased motivation and I am really enjoying a speedy recovery, nearly medication free, from an injury I was told I would have for life and was prescribed a range of opiates and strong pain killers for.

Stay tuned, I look forward to talking about my water loads more! Until then, drink safe and have and beautiful week. Stay Hydrated and Keep well.