BEST BOTTLED WATER

There are lots of categories by which people judge the quality of water.  One is taste.  But taste has two components--the upfront taste and aftertaste.  Another category is the effect of the water.  Does it energize you or make you feel weak? A third category is hydration.  Does the water hydrate you enough? Does it quench your thirst?  

Spending a lot of time in and around Denver, I found myself constantly dehydrated. I found a great wine store in Denver, Total Beverage, that had different bottled waters.  One brand that I tried was El Dorado.  On taste it was pretty good.  Taste was refreshing.  And little to no metallic after taste.

One popular brand of bottled water is Aquafina, owned by PepsiCo, Inc., which alone should alarm any food or beverage consumer.  Every time that I have tried Aquafina I have found a metallic aftertaste that gives me worrisome images.  Aquafina's claim to fame is their HydRO-7 purification system that involves seven distinct steps to remove "impurities."  

Here are the 7 steps of their purification system: 

1  1.    Pre-filtration process.  But they don’t explain what is involved in that process.

    2.    Polishing filters.  They do not explain what chemicals are used on or in the filters to polish the water.

    3.    High intensity UV light to eliminate organic matter.

    4.    Reverse osmosis using pressure and hyperfilters to remove 98% of dissolved solids or TDS.

    5.    Charcoal filtration is used to remove trace elements that affect taste and smell.

    6.    Polishing filters to give the water a crystal clear appearance.

    7.    Ozonation.  Water is exposed to oxygen-rich air via a generating cell.

Another brand is Dasani.  It sounds Persian.  The company boasts that 30% of the materials used to manufacture the bottle are from plants.  But from what plants?  It doesn't say.  Dasani is owned by CocaCola, another company that any consumer of food or beverage should be concerned about.  Calgary, Alberta Canada is the source of Dasani's water.   

"The first source of Dasani water in Canada was Calgary, Alberta.^[3] A second bottling plant was later opened in Brampton, Ontario. The Calgary and Brampton plants produce Coca-Cola's plain-water (Dasani) and sugar-water (soft drinks) products. The company's administrative and marketing activities continue to be based in Atlanta, Georgia."

Here are the ingredients it uses to clean its water:

"Coca-Cola uses tap water from local municipal water supplies,^[13] filters it using the process of reverse osmosis,^[13] and adds trace amounts of minerals, including magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), potassium chloride and table salt (sodium chloride)."

I have in the past drank Arrowhead bottled water, whose water comes from the springs in the San Bernardino mountains north of Palm Springs, CA.  Here is a little history on the springs and on the company.  The Arrowhead water I usually drink is Arrowhead's distilled water. 

I like the taste and purity of the water has been reliable, but I do not always like drinking water out of plastic bottles that sit in freight trucks for days or hours in the hot sun where the heat softens the plastic and the chemicals in the bottle's structure leech into the water. And while on the road, I generally drink Arrowhead's Spring Water.  

I have recently enjoyed the Mountain Valley Spring Water from the springs of Arkansas.  They have distribution centers in Downey,CA.  Their spring water tastes clean and their mineral water is the best on the market in my opinion.  And their water comes in glass bottles, which is a wonderful alternative to all the plastic that we consume.  Also, at least according to this list, it contains no fluoride.  That to me is unheard of.

But in Denver I began drinking Fiji bottled water.  Its claim is that it is a Natural Artesian Water.  What is that and what does that mean in terms of purity and taste?  Wikipedia says that "According to marketing materials, the water comes from an artesian aquifer in Viti Levu."  

The other question is where is Fiji?  And if the wisdom of local is better, what then does this say about the quality of Fiji Water?  It seems to me that the water is ladened with a successful marketing campaign, one that is felt when you pay $3 for a 12 or 16oz bottle of Fiji Water.  I am not saying that the water isn't any good.  I like the taste.  But I have felt a mild pain in my kidneys following a drink of the water.  Is that me passing a kidney stone?  No.  Clearly the water is bottled in Fiji, which means that the plastic bottles sit on a freight tanker for as long as it takes for the tanker to reach Long Beach.  From there how long does it sit in harbor or how long does it take to be loaded onto trucks and then delivered to retail outlets?  Or does the water sit for an extra two or three days or longer in the trucks prior to being loaded on the shelves in stores?

One does wonder what standards and regulations of water from a New Zealand neighborhood can do for thirsty drinkers here in the US.  Does the US not have Artesian wells?

ALKALINITY OF WATER
 
MY RANKING OF THE BOTTLED WATERS REVIEWED ABOVE
If I were to rank the waters, it would look like this:
1.  Mountain Valley Spring Water.
2.  Arrowhead Distilled Water.
3.  Arrowhead Spring Water.
4.  Fiji water.
5.  El Dorado.
6.  Dasani.
7.  Aquafina. 
8.  Kirkland, a CostCo product.

GARLIC IS GREAT 
Great visual on how phytonutrient minimize DNA damage caused by cooked meats, which are good for you and important. Just best served when eaten with vegetables like garlic. 
The caption to this clip states that "Garlic and flavonoid phytonutrients found in fruits, vegetables, greens, and grains appear to protect against DNA damage induced by mutagenic chemicals found in cooked meat," meaning that garlic and flavonoids work well against DNA damage caused solely by cooked meat. It makes no claims about DNA damage caused by X-rays, radiation of other kinds, or other toxic substances. Only about cooked meat. - See more at: http://tv.greenmedinfo.com/amazing-video-of-garlic-preventing-chemically-induced-cancer/#sthash.ZfZoQMo1.dpuf

WHAT IS YOUR COFFEE DOING TO YOU? 

I have read so many pros and cons with coffee drinking, that I kind of threw my arms and said the heck with it.  I love coffee.  Love the taste.  Love the warmth.  Love that it's dark and opaque.  And when it comes to the my earliest memories of coffee, it always causes me to recall road trips with my dad pouring me a hot cup of coffee from a Thermos at 5am on Interstate 101 in California on our way to Monterey.  Loved him.  Great memory.

But caffeine does have its drawbacks.  The acids in the coffee obviously are not good for your teeth's enamel.  Coffee will color you teeth light brown or yellow.  But the worst part for the teeth is the loss of enamel, for it takes too much time and conscious effort to rebuild it.  

The acids in the coffee also put your blood in an acidic state, again not good if you're trying to keep a PH that is biased in the favor of a healthy base.  So we cannot drink coffee with abandon, cup after cup throughout the day.  Not to mention what the caffeine does to your adrenal glands.  Coffee will deplete your energy by day's end, contrary to how you might expect caffeine to perform.  I'd read something this evening that was a bit alarming with regard to coffee consumption.  It was this:

Caffeine may make renal failure worse. Researchers noted in the 2007 issue of “Renal Failure” that previous studies had shown caffeine exacerbates renal failure if there is kidney disease in combination with metabolic syndrome. In experiments on diabetic rats, the researchers found that within two weeks of starting on caffeine the rats developed increased protein in the urine and increased heart rate. In addition, the arteries in the kidney became less flexible, which can increase blood pressure, although the rats in the study did not show signs of increased blood pressure.

What is renal failure?  According to that Wikipedia article, "Renal failure is mainly determined by a decrease in glomerular filtration rate, the rate at which blood is filtered in the glomeruli of the kidney. This is detected by a decrease in or absence of urine production or determination of waste products (creatinine or urea) in the blood. Depending on the cause, hematuria (blood loss in the urine) and proteinuria (protein loss in the urine) may be noted."  So one symptom that presents itself with renal failure is the lack of urine production; in other words, infrequency of pee-ing.  Clearly, one of the remedies for this condition would be to increase water consumption. 

REMEDIES

The causes of renal failure are listed in that Wikipedia article, but what cures, if any, can be had from kidney failure or chronic kidney weakness? 

KIDNEYS & YOUR KNEES

(from earthmedicine.com)

"An interesting point to make about the kidneys is their relationship to the knees. One of the fundamental principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) philosophy is that ‘Everything that happens on the outside of the body reflects an imbalance within the body’. As the knees represent the kidneys in TCM, any injury of damage to the knees, can affect the kidneys and vice versa. According to TCM philosophy, the kidney meridians run through both knees thereby potentially causing kidney problems to manifest in the knees. Therefore, there can be an association between people who work in jobs that cause knee stress such as carpet layers or floor tilers and the increased likelihood of renal issues due to the connection between the kidneys and the knees. Stiffness, inflexibility or rigidity in the knees can also suggest inflexibility of the mind, reservation or stubbornness (to accept new ideas) or a resistance to move forward so be aware of these mind-body connections whenever you have negative thoughts."

I've heard this very connection between the kidneys and the knees.  When your knees hurt, it may be because of arthritis, but more than likely it is because of some food or toxin that your kidneys are dealing with, particularly large portions of protein, caffeine, or salt.  So back off on these when when you experience knee pain.  Also from earthmedicine.com is this:

Renal disorders can cause a large number of symptoms and health problems ranging from excessive sweating, fluid retention, weakness, high blood pressure, fatigue, shortness of breath, vein conditions, kidney stones, urinary system problems, heart rhythm disturbances, right through to kidney failure. However, as previously stated, there are usually no symptoms until the condition is really serious.  

Fortunately most kidney conditions are preventable through adequate water intake, low toxin exposure, preventing systemic inflammation, trying to avoid taking drugs that cause kidney damage (e.g. NSAIDS [aspirin], etc), maintaining normal blood glucose levels through diet and exercise and having a healthy diet that tends to be more alkaline than acidic. Therefore avoiding a diet that is high in animal proteins and opting for a more plant-based diet can often be beneficial for optimum renal health. Those with high acid levels are also more likely to suffer from skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis and other skin problems, particularly those that cause itching.

Nutritional deficiencies can play key roles in the development of CKD and low vitamin D levels have been found to be associated with this condition. In addition, nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, vitamin A and other nutrients can be important for optimum kidney health.

If you already have kidney disease, there are a number of herbal medicines that can be beneficial for kidney problems but speak to your naturopath, herbalist or naturopathic doctor before self-prescribing as they may not be suitable for you, especially if you are already taking medications. Depending on the condition, herbal medicines that may be beneficial in the treatment of kidney problems can include Apium graveolens (Celery seed), Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry), Zea Mays (Cornsilk), Barosma betulina (Buchu), Equisetum arvense (Horsetail), Agropyron repens (Couchgrass), Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion leaf), Eupatorium purpureum  (Gravel root) and Vaccinium myrtillus (Bilberry). Eating parsley and alfalfa have also been found to assist the kidneys as they can be alkalizing to your system.

MORE EXEMPTIONS TO OBAMACARE. WHAT WILL YOU DO?
Interesting exemptions from Obamacare in US Territories, like Puerto Rico, Guam, Virigin Islands, North Mariana Islands and others and the reasons for those exemptions. It almost destroyed those countries' insurance industry.

EAT LOTS OF EGGS
 There was a discussion on Alzheimer's this morning on a subscription forum.  One guy laid out a plan to improve cognitive functioning.  I have myself increased my egg consumption, eating the eggs either over-easy or sunny side up to keep the yoke liquid.  Keeping the yoke liquid means I retain all of the benefits from the choline and cholesterol that the food police have advised against.  Here are his comments:
 

Here is a list. You might want to print it out. There are two parts to this: diet and supplementation.

DIET
Eat lots of eggs. Yes, that is correct. Lots. Soft-boiled, poached, soft-scrambled, undercooked slowly in butter. No high-heat frying or hard-boiled. Raw is okay but it's best to cook the eggs somewhat. How many? 4-6 per day per 100 lbs. body weight. (Ex.: someone who weighs 200 lbs. should eat 8-12/ day. Your brain needs all the cholesterol you can give it, especially when it has been deprived of it for decades from bad medical theories! This is therapeutic nutrition we are talking about.

No fried foods. High-heat cooking and overheated fats and oils do a lot of free-radical damage inside the body.

No burnt foods, especially meats. Medium rare is best. (Cancer risk is also greatly reduced when you switch from well-done to medium rare.) Okay to boil in soup until the meat falls off the bones, but no frying or well-done. No well-done anything!

No processed meats: deli meats, lunch meats, ham, bacon, sausage, etc.--nitrates, nitrites, also fillers that are no good.

No vegetable oils--not even virgin coconut or olive (there are two camps on this issue, pro-oil, anti-oil). They all turn into trans-fats once inside the body. Oil is notoriously perishable, turns rancid quickly. Some people claim positive results with coconut oil. I err on the side of caution.

Definitely NO hydrogenated fats or oils. Unless you like machine lubricant in your diet.

Eat butter, cream, lard, avocado and nuts for healthy fats.

NO GLUTEN: wheat, barley, rye, oats. Gluten intolerance is a hidden pandemic that affects millions if not tens of millions/ hundreds of millions of people in this country. More Americans have gluten intolerance than they think:
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2013/09/17/surprising-signs-of-gluten-intolerance

 
We eat WAY too many grain products, wheat-based and otherwise. Eliminate as much as possible. A little gluten-free is okay: rice, millet, buckwheat, flax, for example. Corn is iffy because it is mostly GMO now.

That reminds me, NO GMO!

Eat fresh meats and poultry: grass-fed, free-range (local, organic, if possible), wild-caught fish packed in water. No farmed fish.

A little fruit. A LOT of vegetables. Sweet potatoes are very good nutritionally.

No sugar or corn syrup. Little to no honey, molasses or "natural" sweetener. The body gets all the sugar it needs from all of the above. Liquid nutrition products given to infants and the elderly are famous for their high fructose corn syrup and low nutritive value.

This is also a very good all-purpose, anti-inflammatory, anti-disease diet as well. Anyone would benefit from it. I follow it myself.

I would also skip vaccinations. Flu shots, shingles shots, etc. Too many viruses, too many toxic preservatives and adjuvants. Too little benefit with too many risks.

 
SUPPLEMENTS
I will have to come back to this. Time constraints! But I wanted to at least post the dietary side first.

. . . Alzheimers is not genetic. For that matter, NO disease is genetic. That is the latest trendy medical theory like bloodletting and the low-fat/low cholesterol myth. Genetics can be influenced by external-environmental factors. They are not etched in stone.

To be continued...