Benefits of Alkaline, Ionized Water
By Dr. Hidemitsu Hayashi, M.D.
Director, Water Institute of Japan
Water, The chemistry of life.
Whenever we attempt to determine whether there is life
as we know it on Mars or other planets, scientists first seek to
establish whether or not water is present. Why? Because life on earth
totally depends on water.
A High percentage of living things, both plant and
animal are found in water. All life on earth is thought to have arisen
from water. The bodies of all living organisms are composed largely of
water. About 70 to 90 percent of all organic matter is water.
The chemical reactions in all plants and animals that support
life take place in a water medium. Water not only provides the medium to
make these life sustaining reactions possible, but water itself is often
an important reactant or product of these reactions. In short, the
chemistry of life is water chemistry.
Water, the universal solvent
Water is a universal, superb solvent due to the marked
polarity of the water molecule and its tendency to form hydrogen bonds
with other molecules. One water molecule, expressed with the chemical
symbol H2O, consists of 2 hydrogen
atoms and 1 oxygen atom.
Standing alone, the hydrogen atom contains one positive
proton at its core with one negative electron revolving around it in a
three-dimensional shell. Oxygen, on the other hand, contains 8 protons
in its nucleus with 8electrons revolving around it. This is often shown
in chemical notation as the letter O surrounded by eight dots
representing 4 sets of paired electrons. The single hydrogen electron and
the 8 electrons of oxygen are the key to the chemistry of life because
this is where hydrogen and oxygen atoms combine to form a water
molecule, or split to form ions.
Hydrogen tends to ionize by losing its single electron
and form single H+ ions, which are simply isolated protons since the
hydrogen atom contains no neutrons. A hydrogen bond occurs when the
electron of a single hydrogen atom is shared with another
electronegative atom such as oxygen that lacks an electron.
Polarity of water molecules
In a water molecule, two hydrogen atoms are covalently
bonded to the oxygen atom. But because the oxygen atom is larger than
the hydrogen's, its attraction for the hydrogen's electrons is
correspondingly greater so the electrons are drawn closer into the shell
of the larger oxygen atom and away from the hydrogen shells. This means
that although the water molecules as whole is stable, the greater mass
of the oxygen nucleus tends to draw in all the electrons in the molecule
including the shared hydrogen electrons giving the oxygen portion of the
molecule a slight electronegative charge.
The shells of the hydrogen atoms, because their
electrons are closer to the oxygen, take on a small electropositive
charge. This means water molecules have a tendency to form weak bonds
with water molecules because the oxygen end of the molecule is negative
and the hydrogen ends are positive.
A hydrogen atom, while remaining covalently bonded to
the oxygen of its own molecule, can form a weak bond with the oxygen of
another molecule. Similarly, the oxygen end of a molecule can form a weak
attachment with the hydrogen ends of other molecules. Because water
molecules have this polarity, water is a continuous chemical entity.
These weak bonds play a crucial role in stabilizing the
shape of many of the large molecules found in living matter. Because
these bonds are weak, they are readily broken and re-formed during
normal physiological reactions. The disassembly and re-arrangement of
such weak bonds is in essence the chemistry of life.
To illustrate water's ability to break down other
substances, consider the simple example of putting a small amount of
table salt in a glass of tap water. With dry salt (NaCl) the attraction
between the electropositive sodium (Na+) and electronegative chlorine (Cl-)
atoms of salt is very strong until it is placed in water. After salt is
placed in water, the attraction of the electronegative oxygen of the
water molecule for the positively charged sodium ions, and the similar
attraction of the electropositive hydrogen ends of the water molecule
for the negatively charged chloride ions, are greater than the mutual
attraction between the outnumbered Na+ and Cl- ions. In water the ionic
bonds of the sodium chloride molecule are broken easily because of the
competitive action of the numerous water molecules.
As we can see from this simple example, even the
delicate configuration of individual water molecules enables them to
break relatively stronger bonds by converging on them. This is why we
call water the universal solvent. It is a natural solution that breaks
the bonds of larger, more complex molecules. This is the chemistry of
life on earth, in water and on land.
Oxidation-reduction reactions
Basically, reduction means the addition of an electron
(e-), and its converse, oxidation means the removal of an electron. The
addition of an electron, reduction, stores energy in the reduced
compound. The removal of an electron, oxidation, liberates energy from
the oxidized compound. Whenever one substance is reduced, another is
oxidized.
To clarify these terms, consider any two molecules, A
and B, for example.
When molecules A and B come into contact, here is what
happens:
B grabs an electron from molecule A.
Molecule A has been oxidized because it has lost an
electron.
The net charge of B has been reduced because it has
gained a negative electron (e-).
In biological systems, removal or addition of an
electron constitutes the most frequent mechanism of oxidation-reduction
reactions. These oxidation-reduction reactions are frequently called
redox reactions.
Acids and Bases
An acid is a substance that increases the concentration
of hydrogen ions (H+) in water. A base is a substance that decreases the
concentration of hydrogen ions, in other words, increasing the
concentration of hydroxide ions OH-.
The degree of acidity or alkalinity of a solution is
measured in terms of a value known as pH, which is the negative
logarithm of the concentration of hydrogen ions:
pH = 1/log[H+] = -log[H+]
What is pH?
On the pH scale, which ranges from 0 on the acidic end
to 14 on the alkaline end, a solution is neutral if its pH is 7. At pH
7, water contains equal concentrations of H+ and OH- ions. Substances
with a pH less than 7 are acidic because they contain a higher
concentration of H+ ions. Substances with a pH higher than 7 are
alkaline because they contain a higher concentration of OH- than H+. The
pH scale is a log scale so a change of one pH unit means a tenfold
change in the concentration of hydrogen ions.
Importance of balancing pH
Living things are extremely sensitive to pH and function
best (with certain exceptions, such as certain portions of the digestive
tract) when solutions are nearly neutral. Most interior living matter
(excluding the cell nucleus) has a pH of about 6.8.
Blood plasma and other fluids that surround the cells in
the body have a pH of 7.2 to 7.3.
Numerous special mechanisms aid in stabilizing these
fluids so that cells will not be subject to appreciable fluctuations in
pH. Substances which serve as mechanisms to stabilize pH are called
buffers. Buffers have the capacity to bond ions and remove them from
solution whenever their concentration begins to rise. Conversely,
buffers can release ions whenever their concentration begins to fall.
Buffers thus help to minimize the fluctuations in pH. This is an
important function because many biochemical reactions normally occurring
in living organisms either release or use up ions.
NOTE: Dr. Hayashi is a Heart Specialist and Director of the Water
Institute of Japan.
Oxygen: Too much of a good thing?
Oxygen is essential to survival. It is relatively stable
in the air, but when too much is absorbed into the body it can become
active and unstable and has a tendency to attach itself to any
biological molecule, including molecules of healthy cells. The chemical
activity of these free radicals is due to one or more pairs of unpaired
electrons.
About 2% of the oxygen we normally breathe becomes
active oxygen, and this amount increases to approximately 20% with
aerobic exercise.
Such free radicals with unpaired electrons are unstable
and have a high oxidation potential, which means they are capable of
stealing electrons from other cells. This chemical mechanism is very
useful in disinfectants such as hydrogen peroxide and ozone which can be
used to sterilize wounds or medical instruments. Inside the body these
free radicals are of great benefit due to their ability to attack and
eliminate bacteria, viruses and other waste products.
Active Oxygen in the body
Problems arise, however, when too many of these free
radicals are turned loose in the body where they can also damage normal
tissue. Putrefaction sets in when microbes in the air invade the
proteins, peptides, and amino acids of eggs, fish and meat. The result
is an array of unpleasant substances such as:
- Hydrogen sulfide
- Ammonia
- Histamines
- Indoles
- Phenols
- Scatoles
These substances are also produced naturally in the
digestive tract when we digest food, resulting in the unpleasant odor
evidenced in feces. Putrefaction of spoiled food is caused by microbes
in the air; this natural process is duplicated in the digestive tract by
intestinal microbes. All these waste products of digestion are
pathogenic, that is, they can cause disease in the body.
Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia are tissue toxins that can
damage the liver. Histamines contribute to allergic disorders such as
atopic dermatitis, urticaria (hives) and asthma. Indoles and phenols are
considered carcinogenic. Because waste products such as hydrogen
sulfide, ammonia, histamines, phenols and indoles are toxic, the body's
defense mechanisms try to eliminate them by releasing neutrophils (a
type of leukocyte, or white corpuscle). These neutrophils produce active
oxygen, oddball oxygen molecules that are capable of scavenging
disintegrating tissues by gathering electrons from the molecules of
toxic cells.
Problems arise, however, when too many of these active
oxygen molecules, or free radicals, are produced in the body. They are
extremely reactive and can also attach themselves to normal, healthy
cells and damage them genetically. These active oxygen radicals steal
electrons from normal, healthy biological molecules. This electron theft
by active oxygen oxidizes tissue and can cause disease.
Because active oxygen can damage normal tissue, it is
essential to scavenge this active oxygen from the body before it can
cause disintegration of healthy tissue. If we can find an effective
method to block the oxidation of healthy tissue by active oxygen, then
we can attempt to prevent disease.
Excess Production of Active Oxygen Occurs!
Excess active oxygen can damage normal ,healthy biological cell molecules and alter their genetic codes!
Antioxidants block dangerous oxidation!
One way to protect healthy tissue from the ravages of
oxidation caused by active oxygen is to provide free electrons to active
oxygen radicals, thus neutralizing their high oxidation potential and
preventing them from reacting with healthy tissue.
Research on the link between diet and cancer is far from
complete, but some evidence indicates that what we eat may affect our
susceptibility to cancer. Some foods seem to help defend against cancer,
others appear to promote it.
Much of the damage caused by carcinogenic substances in
food may come about because of an oxidation reaction in the cell. In
this process, an oddball oxygen molecule may damage the genetic code of
the cell. Some researchers believe that substances that prevent
oxidation -- called ANTIOXIDANTS -- can block the damage. This leads
naturally to the theory that the intake of natural antioxidants could be
an important aspect of the body's defense against cancer. Substances
that some believe inhibit cancer include vitamin C, vitamin E,
beta-carotene, selenium, and gluthione (an amino acid). These substances
are reducing agents. They supply electrons to free radicals and block
the interaction of the free radical with normal tissue.
How we can avoid illness
As we mentioned earlier, the presence of toxic waste
products such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, histamines, indoles, phenols
and scatoles impart an offensive odor to human feces. In the medical
profession, it is well known that patients suffering from hepatitis and
cirrhosis pass particularly odoriferous stools.
Excessively offensive stools caused by the presence of
toxins are indicators of certain diseases, and the body responds to the
presence of these toxins by producing neutrophil leukocytes to release
active oxygen in an attempt to neutralize the damage to organs that can
be caused by such waste products. But when an excess amount of such
active oxygen is produced, it can damage healthy cells as well as
neutralize toxins. This leads us to the conclusion that we can minimize
the harmful effect of these active oxygen radicals by reducing them with
an ample supply of electrons.
Water, the natural solution
There is no substitute for a healthy balanced diet,
especially rich in antioxidant materials such as vitamin C, vitamin E,
beta-carotene, and other foods that are good for us. However, these
substances are not the best source of free electrons that can block the
oxidation of healthy tissue by active oxygen.
Water treated by electrolysis to increase its reduction
potential is the best solution to the problem of providing a safe source
of free electrons to block the oxidation of normal tissue by free oxygen
radicals. We believe that reduced water, water with an excess of free
electrons to donate to active oxygen, is the best solution because:
The reduction potential of water can be dramatically
increased over other antioxidants in food or vitamin supplements.
The molecule weight of reduced water is low, making it
fast acting and able to reach all tissues of the body in a very short
time.
What is IONIZED WATER?
Ionized water is the product of mild electrolysis which
takes place in the ionized water unit. The production of ionized water,
its properties, and how it works in the human body are described in the
next section. Ionized water is treated tap water that has not only been
filtered, but has also been reformed in that it provides reduced water
with a large mass of electrons that can be donated to active oxygen in
the body to block the oxidation of normal cells.
THE IONIZED WATER UNIT
Tap water: What it is and isn't.
Normal tap water, for example, with a pH of 7 is
approximately neutral on the pH scale of 0 to 14. When measured with an
ORP (oxidation potential) meter its redox potential is approximately
+400 to +500 mV. Because it has a positive redox potential, it is apt to
acquire electrons and oxidize other molecules. Reduced Ionized Water, on
the other hand, has a negative redox potential of approximately -250 to
-350 mV. This means it has a large mass of electrons ready to donate to
electron-thieving active oxygen.
Before discussing the properties of Ionized Water
further, let's take a look at what happens inside an Ionized Water
producing unit.
How an IONIZED WATER Unit works
The Ionized Water unit, slightly taller and thicker than
a large dictionary on end, is an electrical appliance connected to your
kitchen water supply to perform electrolysis on tap water before you
drink it or use it in the kitchen for cooking or cleaning.
A special attachment re-directs tap water out of the
faucet through a plastic hose into the Ionized Water unit. Inside the
Ionized Water unit, the water is first filtered through activated
charcoal. Next, the filtered water passes into an electrolysis chamber
equipped with a platinum-coated titanium electrode where electrolysis
takes place. Cations, positive ions, gather at the negative electrodes
to create cathodic water (reduced water). Anions, negatively charged
ions, gather at the positive electrode to make anodic water (oxidized
water).
Through electrolysis, reduced water not only gains an excess amount of electrons (e-), but the cluster of H2O
seem to be reduced in size from about 10 to 13 molecules per cluster to 5 to 6 molecules per cluster.
The reduced water comes out of the faucet, and the
oxidized water comes out of a separate hose leading into the sink. You
can use the reduced water for drinking or cooking. The oxidation
potential of the oxidized water makes it a good sterilizing agent, ideal
for washing hands, cleaning food or kitchen utensils, and treating minor
wounds.
What the IONIZED WATER Unit Produces
Redox potential comparison:
After electrolysis of the water inside the Ionized Water
unit, reduced water comes out of the cathodic side and oxidized water
comes out of the anodic side. Compare these measurements of these three
types of water: tap water before electrolysis, the reduced water, and
the oxidized water.
Redox potential, not pH, is the crucial factor
Traditionally we have judged the properties of water
from the standpoint of pH, in other words whether water is acidic or alkaline.
In my opinion, redox potential is more important than pH. The
importance of pH is over emphasized. For example, the average pH of
blood is 7.4 and acidosis or alkalosis are defined according to
deviation within the range of 7.4 +- 0.005. But nothing has been
discussed about ORP, or oxidation-reduction potential.
The pH of tap water is about pH 7, or neutral. When tap
water is electrolyzed into Ionized Water, its reduced water has a pH of
about 9 and the oxidized water a pH of about 4. Even if you make
alkaline water of pH 9 by adding sodium hydroxide or make acidic water
of pH 3 by adding hydrogen chloride, you will find very little change in
the ORP values of the two waters. On the other hand, when you divide tap
water with electrolysis you can see the ORP fluctuate by as much as +-
1,000 mV. By electrolysis we can obtain reduced water with negative
potential that is good for the body.
USING IONIZED WATER
What IONIZED WATER Does
The Ionized Water unit produces two kinds of water with
different redox potentials, one with a high reduction potential and the
other with a high oxidation potential.When taken internally, the reduced Ionized Water with
its redox potential of -250 to -350 mV readily donates its electrons to
oddball oxygen radicals and blocks the interaction of the active oxygen with normal molecules.
A biological molecule (BM) remains intact and undamaged.
Undamaged biological molecules are less susceptible to
infection and disease. Ionized Water gives up an extra electron and
reduces the active oxygen (AO), thus rendering it harmless. The AO is
reduced without damaging surrounding biological molecules. Substances
which have the ability to counteract active oxygen by supplying
electrons are called scavengers. Reduced water, therefore, can be called
scavenging water.
When taken internally, the effects of reduced water are
immediate. Ionized Water inhibits excessive fermentation in the
digestive tract by reducing indirectly metabolites such as hydrogen
sulfide, ammonia, histamines, indoles, phenols and scatoles, resulting
in a cleaner stool within days after reduced water is taken on a regular
basis. In 1965, the Ministry of Welfare of
Japan announced that reduced water obtained from electrolysis can
prevent abnormal fermentation of intestinal microbes.
Oxidized Water
Oxidized water with its redox potential of +700 to +800
mV is an oxidizing agent that can withdraw electrons from bacteria and
kill them. The oxidized water from the Ionized Water unit can be used to
clean hands, kitchen utensils, fresh vegetables and fruits, and to
sterilize cutting boards and minor wounds. Tests have shown that
oxidized water can be used effectively to treat athlete's foot, minor
burns, insect bites, scratches, and so on.
Dr. Yoshiaki Matsuo, Vice Director of the Water
Institute of Japan, has developed another apparatus capable of producing
hyperoxidized water with a redox potential of +1,050 mV or more, and a
pH lower than 2.7. Tests have shown that this hyper oxidized water can
quickly destroy MRSA (Methecillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus).
Although hyperoxidized water is a powerful sterilizing
agent, it won't harm the skin. In fact, it can be used to heal.
Hyperoxidized water has proven effective in Japanese hospitals in the
treatment of bedsores and operative wounds with complicated infections.
But perhaps the most exciting future application of
hyperoxidized water is in the field of agriculture where it has been
used effectively on plants to kill fungi and other plant diseases. Hyperoxidized water is non-toxic, so agricultural
workers can apply it without wearing special protective equipment
because there is no danger of skin or respiratory damage. An added
benefit of using hyperoxidized water to spray plants is that there is no
danger to the environment caused by the accumulation of toxic chemicals
in the ground.
Ionized Water superior to antioxidant diet
Today we read much about correct dieting principles and
paying attention to what we eat in order to stay healthy. This is a
sensible practice, but it is surprising that many of us don't realize
that the bulk of what eat is composed of water. Vegetables and fruits
are 90% water; fish and meat are about 70% water as well.
Even advocates of the importance of vitamin C in diet
staples have to admit that its potency, namely, the redox potential of
this important vitamin, rapidly diminishes with age and preparation
for the dining table. Carbohydrates, the main consistent of vegetables
and fruit, has a molecular weight of 180 whereas water has a much lower
molecular weight of 18.
Ionized Water, with its low molecular weight and high reduction potential, makes it a superior scavenging agent of active
oxygen. But electrolysis inside the Ionized Water unit not only charges the reduced water with electrons, it also reduces the size of reduced
water molecule clusters.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance analysis reveals that
tap water and well water consists of clusters of 10 to 13 molecules. Electrolysis of water in the Ionized Water unit
reduces these clusters to about half their normal size -- 5 to 6 water molecules per cluster.
As the graph shows, the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance signal that measures cluster
size by line width at half-amplitude shows 65 Hz for reduced water and
133 Hz for tap water, revealing that the reduced water clusters are
approximately half the size of tap water clusters.
This is why Ionized Water is more readily absorbed by
the body than untreated tap water. Ionized Water quickly permeates the
body and blocks the oxidation of biological molecules by donating its
abundant electrons to active oxygen, enabling biological molecules to
replace themselves naturally without damage caused by oxidation that can cause diseases.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Upstream and downstream theory, Prevent disease at the source.
According to Dr. Hidemitsu Hayashi, Director of the
Water Institute of Japan, "To eliminate the pollutants in a large stream
that is contaminated at its source, we must work on the problems
upstream at the headwaters -- the source of the pollution -- not
downstream where we can only try to treat the evidence of damage caused
by the pollution. Ionized Water's contribution to preventive medicine is
essentially upstream treatment."
Upstream
Defecation of Cleaner Stools
For example, consider the typical balanced diet of meat
and vegetables. Meat protein is metabolized into amines while nitrates
from fertilizers used to grow vegetables metabolize into nitrites in the
digestive tract. These amines and nitrites combine to formnitrosamine, a
recognized carcinogen.
We've already discussed that odoriferous feces are
evidence of excessive fermentation in the digestive tract, so reduced
water performs a very important function upstream in the digestive tract
by reducing this excessive fermentation as evidenced by cleaner stools
within days of starting a steady regimen of reduced water.
Downstream
Downstream
Downstream from the digestive tract, starting at the
liver, reduced water quickly enters the liver and other organs due to, first, its lower molecular
weight, and, secondly, the size of its clusters.
At tissue sites throughout the body, reduced water with
its safe, yet potent reduction potential readily donates its passenger
electrons freely to active oxygen and neutralizes them so they cannot
damage the molecules of healthy cells. Normal cells are protected from
the electron thievery of active oxygen and allowed to grow, mature,
function and regenerate without interference from rogue, oddball oxygen
radicals which tend to steal the electrons from the molecules of normal,
healthy biological molecules.
The water boom
We are now in the midst of a water boom. In Japan and
other countries consumers are buying various kinds of bottled and canned
water even though water is one of our most abundant vital resources.
Research data reveals that mineral waters have an ORP of +200 mV,
slightly lower than the +400 mV measured for ordinary tap water. We can
say that at least mineral water is marginally better than tap water from
the viewpoint of ORP. Compared to any processed water for sale, however,
Ionized Water with its reduction potential of -250 to -300 mV is beyond
comparison due to its ability to scavenge active oxygen radicals.