Ray
Kurzweil was inducted in 2002 into the National Inventors Hall of
Fame, established by the U.S. Patent Office.
He received the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize, the nation's largest
award in invention and innovation. He also received the 1999
National Medal of Technology, the nation's highest honor in
technology, from President Clinton in a White House ceremony.
He has also received scores of other national and international
awards, including the 1994 Dickson Prize (Carnegie Mellon
University's top science prize), Engineer of the Year from Design
News, Inventor of the Year from MIT, and the Grace Murray Hopper
Award from the Association for Computing Machinery. He has received
twelve honorary Doctorates and honors from three U.S. presidents.
He has received seven national and international film awards. Ray's
books include The Age of Intelligent Machines, The Age of Spiritual
Machines, and Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever.
Four of Ray's books have been national best sellers and The Age of
Spiritual Machines has been translated into 9 languages and was the
#1 best selling book on Amazon in science.
Question: I have read on the Internet that it is not
possible to create alkaline or acid water from pure water and that
water that is pure enough to drink can't be split into alkaline and
acid components. Is this true?
Answer: As responsible scientists, we had the
same skepticism when we first heard about alkaline water.
Therefore, the first thing we did was to purchase a water
alkalinizer as well as an accurate electronic pH meter. We ran tap
water with pH 7.1 from our home faucet into the device and found
that the water coming out of the alkaline outlet had a pH of 9.5
(indicating very alkaline), while the water from the acid outlet
measured pH 4.5 (indicating very acidic).
We
repeated this experiment with a variety of tap waters obtaining
alkaline outputs with a pH ranging from 9.5 to 9.9. It is true that
"pure" or distilled water can not be ionized. If you were to try to
"split" distilled water, it would not work. Tap or spring water,
however, has dissolved minerals in it. It's the minerals in the
water; primarily calcium, potassium and magnesium that allow water
to be "split" by an electric current into alkaline, "electron-rich"
(i.e., containing negatively charged ions that can engage in
chemical reactions to provide electrons to positively charged free
radicals) and acid, "electron-deficient" components. Individuals who
say it is not possible to split tap or spring water are misinformed.
One site on the Internet states:
"Ionized water is
nothing more than sales fiction; the term is meaningless to
chemists. Most water that is fit for drinking is too unconductive to
undergo significant electrolysis."
The above statement is easily shown to be
incorrect with a simple pH meter and an electrolysis machine. Most
tap waters run through the machine produce highly alkaline water as
measured by a pH meter.
Question:
Since you advocate drinking alkaline water, why
not simply mix something like sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) with
water and drink that? There are, in fact, alkaline waters sold that
are made by mixing water with bicarbonate. Wouldn't that work as
well and be much less expensive than a water alkalizer?
Answer: There are more benefits to "alkaline
water" than simply the alkalinity or pH. The most important feature
of alkaline water produced by a water alkalinizer is its oxidation
reduction potential (ORP). Water with a high negative ORP is of
particular value in its ability to neutralize oxygen free radicals.
ORP
can also be directly tested using an ORP sensor and meter. We have
conducted these experiments as well. We found that water coming
directly from the tap had an ORP of +290mV, while the water coming
out of the water alkalinizer had a negative ORP. The more negative
the ORP of a substance (that is, the higher its negative ORP), the
more likely it is to engage in chemical reactions that donate
electrons. These electrons are immediately available to engage in
reactions that neutralize positively charged free radicals. This is
the key benefit of water produced by a water alkalizer that is not
available by simply drinking water than has had some bicarb or other
compounds dissolved in it to make it alkaline.
Although water mixed with bicarbonate is indeed alkaline, it does
not have a negative ORP; rather it has a positive ORP, meaning that
it is unable to neutralize dangerous oxygen free radicals. Alkaline
water produced by running tap water through an electrolysis machine
does have a high negative ORP, meaning that it does have the ability
to neutralize oxygen free radicals. We have confirmed these ORP
measurements through our direct tests.
Question:
OK, why is it important to drink alkaline water with a high
negative ORP?
Answer: All chemical reactions occur with the
transfer of electrons. Negatively charged entities are said to be
reducing agents, meaning they are relatively electron rich and are
able to donate electrons, reducing the charge of the entity with
which they react. Relatively electron-poor entities are referred to
as oxidizing agents, meaning they tend to pull electrons away. Thus,
each substance in our body may act as either an oxidizing or
reducing agent.
However, not just any negatively charged ion will be able to engage
in the specific chemical reactions needed to neutralize oxygen free
radicals. The HCO3- (bicarbonate) ions in alkaline bicarb water do
not have this potential, whereas the OH- and mineral-rich water
coming from an electrolysis machine (from tap water) does have this
potential. That is implied in the negative value of the "oxidation
reduction potential."
Free radicals are among the most damaging molecules in the body and
are highly unstable molecules that are oxidizing agents and are
electron deficient. They are a principal cause of damage and disease
in the body. Oxygen free radicals contribute significantly to a
broad variety of harmful conditions in the body ranging from
life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, stroke and
cancer, to less severe conditions such as sunburns, arthritis,
cataracts, and many others. Free radicals MUST get electrons from
somewhere and will steal them from whatever molecules are around,
including normal, healthy tissues.
Damage to tissues results when free radicals strip these electrons
from healthy cells. If the damage goes on unchecked, this will lead
to disease. For example, the oxidation of LDL cholesterol particles
in arterial walls by free radicals triggers an immune system
response that results in atherosclerosis, the principal cause of
heart disease. The negative ions in alkaline water from an
electrolysis machine are a rich source of electrons that can be
donated to these free radicals in the body, neutralizing them and
stopping them from damaging healthy tissues. Specifically, these
ions have the potential to engage in the chemical reactions
necessary to neutralize oxygen free radicals.
Vitamin C and E, grape seed extract and alpha lipoic acid, for
example, are all powerful electron donors. The vegetable-rich diet
we recommend is alkaline and helps donate electrons to the body.
Alkaline, electron-rich water falls in the same category. It can
help with your body's need for electrons to counteract free
radicals.
Interestingly, we also tested vegetable juice with the ORP meter and
found that it also has a high negative ORP, meaning that it is able
to neutralize oxygen free radicals. So at least one of the important
benefits of eating vegetables can be obtained from drinking the high
negative ORP alkaline water from an electrolysis machine.
Another benefit of drinking alkaline water is that it assists in the
absorption of minerals. We know that if the body is not absorbing
enough minerals, it will rob minerals from the body's mineral
reserves, chiefly calcium from the bones.
It is well known that many chronic diseases result in excess acidity
of the body (metabolic acidosis). We also know that the body tends
to become more acidic due to modern dietary habits and lifestyles
and the aging process itself. By drinking high negative ORP alkaline
water, you combat metabolic acidosis and improve absorption of
nutrients.
The blood is carefully buffered to keep it in a narrow range between
pH 7.35 to 7.45. The body keeps blood pH stable by utilizing
alkaline buffers, chiefly bicarbonate, to neutralize acidic liquids
(such as colas, which have a pH as low as 2.5) and other acidic
products and byproducts. But as the blood stream receives these
acidic substances, the alkaline buffers get used up.
Drinking alkaline water helps
reduce the burden on the limited alkaline buffers which are needed
for the body's natural detoxification processes.
Question:
Is there research that actually shows the benefits of drinking
alkaline water?
Answer: A number of studies are summarized below. One study
described below suggests that alkaline water encourages "friendly"
anaerobic microflora in the human intestinal tract, and discourages
"unfriendly" aerobic organisms. The researcher (see Vorobjeva NV
below) writes: "Many diseases of the intestine are due to a
disturbance in the balance of the microorganisms inhabiting the gut.
The treatment of such diseases involves the restoration of the
quantity and/or balance of residential microflora in the intestinal
tract. It is known that aerobes and anaerobes grow at different
oxidation-reduction potentials (ORP). The former require positive
E(h) values up to +400 mV. Anaerobes do not grow unless the E(h)
value is negative between -300 and -400 mV. In this work, it is
suggested that prerequisite for the recovery and maintenance of
obligatory anaerobic microflora in the intestinal tract is a
negative ORP value of the intestinal milieu. Electrolyzed reducing
water with E(h) values between 0 and -300 mV produced in
electrolysis devices possesses this property. Drinking such water
favours the growth of residential microflora in the gut. A
sufficient array of data confirms this idea."
Dr. Grossman has also had many of his patients report of health
benefits they have experienced from drinking alkaline electron-rich
water.
Question:
How can alkaline water with a pH of 9 or 10 be expected to affect
the body when the pH of the stomach is 2 or less?
Answer: It is important to remember that large amounts
of hydrochloric acid are present in the stomach primarily when food
is there. There is only a small amount of acid in stomach when it is
empty, and this can be easily overcome when alkaline electron-rich
water is consumed. Therefore, in order to gain maximum benefit, we
recommend drinking alkaline water in between meals. Water consumed
between meals will very quickly pass through the stomach and the GI
tract.
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A sample of studies on the health benefits of
alkaline electron-rich water.
Huang KC, Yang CC, Lee KT, Chien CT. Reduced
hemodialysis-induced oxidative stress in end-stage renal disease
patients by electrolyzed reduced water. Kidney Int. 2003
Aug;64(2):704-14.
*********************************************
BACKGROUND : Increased oxidative stress in
end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients may oxidize macromolecules
and consequently lead to cardiovascular events during chronic
hemodialysis. Electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) with reactive oxygen
species (ROS) scavenging ability may have a potential effect on
reduction of hemodialysis-induced oxidative stress in ESRD patients.
METHODS: We developed a chemiluminescence emission spectrum and
high-performance liquid chromatography analysis to assess the effect
of ERW replacement on plasma ROS (H2O2 and HOCl) scavenging activity
and oxidized lipid or protein production in ESRD patients undergoing
hemodialysis. Oxidized markers, dityrosine, methylguanidine, and
phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide, and inflammatory markers,
interleukin 6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined.
RESULTS: Although hemodialysis efficiently removes dityrosine and
creatinine, hemodialysis increased oxidative stress, including
phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxide, and methylguanidine. Hemodialysis
reduced the plasma ROS scavenging activity, as shown by the
augmented reference H2O2 and HOCl counts (Rh2o2 and Rhocl,
respectively) and decreased antioxidative activity (expressed as
total antioxidant status in this study). ERW administration
diminished hemodialysis-enhanced Rh2o2 and Rhocl, minimized oxidized
and inflammatory markers (CRP and IL-6), and partly restored total
antioxidant status during 1-month treatment. CONCLUSION: This study
demonstrates that hemodialysis with ERW administration may
efficiently increase the H2O2- and HOCl-dependent antioxidant
defense and reduce H2O2- and HOCl-induced oxidative stress.
Shirahata S, Kabayama S, Nakano M, Miura T,
Kusumoto K, Gotoh M, Hayashi H, Otsubo K, Morisawa S, Katakura Y.
Electrolyzed-reduced water scavenges active oxygen species and
protects DNA from oxidative damage. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1997
May 8;234(1):269-74.
Active oxygen species or free radicals are considered to cause
extensive oxidative damage to biological macromolecules, which
brings about a variety of diseases as well as aging. The ideal
scavenger for active oxygen should be 'active hydrogen'. 'Active
hydrogen' can be produced in reduced water near the cathode during
electrolysis of water. Reduced water exhibits high pH, low dissolved
oxygen (DO), extremely high dissolved molecular hydrogen (DH), and
extremely negative redox potential (RP) values. Strongly
electrolyzed-reduced water, as well as ascorbic acid, (+)-catechin
and tannic acid, completely scavenged O.-2 produced by the
hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase (HX-XOD) system in sodium phosphate
buffer (pH 7.0). The superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity of
reduced water is stable at 4 degrees C for over a month and was not
lost even after neutralization, repeated freezing and melting,
deflation with sonication, vigorous mixing, boiling, repeated
filtration, or closed autoclaving, but was lost by opened
autoclaving or by closed autoclaving in the presence of tungsten
trioxide which efficiently adsorbs active atomic hydrogen. Water
bubbled with hydrogen gas exhibited low DO, extremely high DH and
extremely low RP values, as does reduced water, but it has no
SOD-like activity. These results suggest that the SOD-like activity
of reduced water is not due to the dissolved molecular hydrogen but
due to the dissolved atomic hydrogen (active hydrogen). Although SOD
accumulated H2O2 when added to the HX-XOD system, reduced water
decreased the amount of H2O2 produced by XOD. Reduced water, as well
as catalase and ascorbic acid, could directly scavenge H2O2. Reduced
water suppresses single-strand breakage of DNA b active oxygen
species produced by the Cu(II)-catalyzed oxidation of ascorbic acid
in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that reduced water can
scavenge not only O2.- and H2O2, but also 1O2 and .OH.
Vorobjeva NV. Selective stimulation of the growth
of anaerobic microflora in the human intestinal tract by
electrolyzed reducing water. Med Hypotheses. 2005;64(3):543-6.
96-99% of the "friendly" or residential microflora
of intestinal tract of humans consists of strict anaerobes and only
1-4% of aerobes. Many diseases of the intestine are due to a
disturbance in the balance of the microorganisms inhabiting the gut.
The treatment of such diseases involves the restoration of the
quantity and/or balance of residential microflora in the intestinal
tract. It is known that aerobes and anaerobes grow at different
oxidation-reduction potentials (ORP). The former require positive
E(h) values up to +400 mV. Anaerobes do not grow unless the E(h)
value is negative between -300 and -400 mV. In this work, it is
suggested that prerequisite for the recovery and maintenance of
obligatory anaerobic microflora in the intestinal tract is a
negative ORP value of the intestinal milieu. Electrolyzed reducing
water with E(h) values between 0 and -300 mV produced in
electrolysis devices possesses this property. Drinking such water
favours the growth of residential microflora in the gut. A
sufficient array of data confirms this idea. However, most
researchers explain the mechanism of its action by an antioxidant
properties destined to detox the oxidants in the gut and other host
tissues. Evidence is presented in favour of the hypothesis that the
primary target for electrolyzed reducing water is the residential
microflora in the gut.
Chen H, Kimura M, Zhu Z, Itokawa Y, Evaluation on
ionized calcium as a nutrient. The 11th symposium on Trace Nutrients
Research, Japan Trace Nutrients Research Society, p131-138, 1994.
*********************************************
Summary: To clarify effect of ionized calcium
water for drinking water in rats, 36 Male Wister rats weighing about
50g were randomly divided into 6 groups, and given following diet
and drinking water : (1) Ca-sufficient diet, tap-water; (2)
Ca-sufficient diet, tap-water;(3) Ca-sufficient diet, calcium
lactate added-ionized calcium-water : (4) Ca-deficient diet, calcium
lactate added-water ; (5) Ca deficient diet, calcium lactate
added-water :(6) Ca-deficient diet, calcium lactate added ionized
calcium-water. The diets were given by paired-feeding method 4 weeks
and drinking water was ad libitum. The significant change of calcium
concentration in the rats were was follows; Ca concentration of
plasma, spleen, of plasma, spleen, kidney, testis and tibia in Ca
deficient groups (4), (5), (6) were significantly low compared with
these in Ca sufficient groups (1),(2),(3) Ca concentration in brain
of groups (4),(5),(6) was low compared to these in groups (2), Ca
concentration in heart and muscle of group (4) was low compared to
Ca deficient groups (1),(2),(3), but these in group (5) drank Ca
added-water was recovered and these in group (6) drank
ionized-Ca-water was higher than these in any other groups. Ca
concentration of liver in groups (4) were significantly lower than
that in group (1),(3) and Ca concentration of liver in Ca deficient
rats (groups (5),(6)) drank Ca-added-water were high compared to
these in group (4). In 24 hours urine discharge of group (2) was
high compared with groups (4), (5), (6). These results suggest that
ionized Ca in drinking water may be active for intestinal
absorption.
Vormann J, Worlitschek M, Goedecke T, Silver B,
Supplementation with alkaline minerals reduces symptoms of patients
with chronic low back pain, J Trace Elem. Med. Biol. Vol. 15, pp.
179-183, 2001
Abstract: The cause of low back pain is heterogeneous, it has been
hypothesized that a latent chronic acidosis might contribute to
these symptoms. It was tested whether a supplementation with
alkaline minerals would influence symptoms in patients with low back
pain symptoms. In an open prospective study 82 patients with chronic
low back pain received daily 30 g of a lactose based alkaline
multimineral supplement (Basica) over a period of 4 weeks in
addition to their usual medication. Pain symptoms were quantified
with the "Arhus low back pain rating scale" (ARS). Mean ARS dropped
highly significant by 49% from 41 to 21 points after 4 weeks
supplementation. In 76 out of 82 patients a reduction in ARS was
achieved by the supplementation. Total blood buffering capacity was
significantly increased from 77.69 ± 6.79 to 80.16 ± 5.24 mmol/L
(mean ± SEM, n=82, p < 0.001) and also blood pH rose from 7.456 ±
0.007 to 7.470 ± 0.007 (mean ± SEM, n=75, p < 0.05). Only
intracellular magnesium increased by 11% while other intracellular
minerals were not significantly changed in sublingual tissue as
measured with the EXA-test. Plasma concentrations of potassium,
calcium, iron, copper, and zinc were within the normal range and not
significantly influenced by the supplementation. Plasma magnesium
was slightly reduced after the supplementation (-3%, p < 0.05). The
results show that a disturbed acid-base balance may contribute to
the symptoms of low back pain. The simple and safe addition of an
alkaline multimineral preparate was able to reduce the pain symptoms
in these patients with chronic low back pain.