In yet another example of distortion, manipulation and misinformation being used to attack water ionizers, Alice Callahan of the New York Times wrote an article titled, “Is Alkaline Water Really Better for You?”
Ms. Callahan is correct in her assertion that, “despite the claims, there’s no evidence that water marketed as alkaline is better for your health than tap water.” Alkaline water made alkaline by minerals or baking soda does not have more health benefits than tap water. If it did, the entire Southern US would have better health than the North because the water in the South is full of alkaline minerals, like magnesium and calcium.
Here’s where the distortion and manipulation come into play. Callahan correctly states that, “Bottled waters marketed as being alkaline typically claim to have a pH between 8 and 10. Some are from springs or artesian wells and are naturally alkaline because of dissolved minerals.” But then she adds, “Others are made with an ionizing process, and water ionizing machines are also marketed for home use.”
Do you see what she did? She lumped together alkaline tap water, alkaline bottled water and water ionizers as a way to dismiss all three. The function of a water ionizer is NOT to make your water alkaline. Nor do water ionizer companies claim that alkaline water is healthier than other types of water.
The sole function of a water ionizer is to restore the antioxidants to your drinking water. Just like the sun, water ionizers transform H2O to OH-. What’s the difference? The minus sign indicates that each water molecule has an ion to give. This ion, called an hydroxyl ion, is a POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT with many PROVEN HEALTH BENEFITS.
In a New York Times article, which is supposed to be a highly esteemed, why would Ms. Callahan leave out this ESSENTIAL fact? Why would her editor allow this article to be published with such an obvious OMISSION of CRITICAL INFORMATION?
Ms. Callahan goes on to cite a study where rats were given 12 pH alkaline water and suffered skin burns. Of course they did! If Ms. Callahan had provided the necessary background information, she would have explained that a pH scale is exponential like an earthquake scale. The difference between 7 and 8 is 10 times. The difference between 7 and 9 is 100. 7 and 10 is 1000. 7 and 11 is 10,000. Finally, the difference between 7 pH water and 12 pH water is 100,000 times! That means these rats were fed water that’s a 100,000 times more alkaline than neutral water! This 12 pH water isn’t water anymore, it’s CLOROX. Of course it burned them!
Why does Ms. Callahan cite this study? To make you afraid of alkaline water, which she has lumped together with ionized water. She is again MANIPULATING the READER.
Ms. Callahan concluded her article by quoting a Doctor Fenton who said, “The only health effects that we know of are danger signs, so for people to continue to market alkaline water — they’re really as bad as the snake oil salesmen of yesteryear.”
There is another manipulation happening here. Do we know if this Dr. Fenton was asked to comment on alkaline water or ionized water? As explained before, they are very different waters. Ms. Callahan is using his quote to attack BOTH alkaline water and ionized water. But, was he aware of this?
Dr. Fenton does NOT comment specifically on ionized water or water ionizers. However, as a reader of this article, you probably think that he is against both. That is because of how Ms. Callahan chose to manipulate you as the reader with his quote.
At the very least, Ms. Callahan’s article on alkaline water fails to live up to even basic journalistic standards. As written, it is an absolute embarrassment to the New York Times.
In my fifteen years of experience as owner of Water for Life USA, I have seen this same attack on water ionizers many times. There is a clear agenda to lie, distort and manipulate people from buying them and drinking ionized water. Why?
Water ionizers have over 35 years of PEER REVIEWED research to back them up. You can go to pubmed.gov right now and search for “electrolyzed water” and you will find articles that show ionized (electrolyzed) water reduces the oxidative stress levels in our cells and improve multiple health conditions from diabetes, to acid reflux, to cancer. Water ionizers have been studied and vetted by prestigious universities in Japan, Korea the United States and even the US military.
Many professional sports clubs, including the Baltimore Ravens, give their players ionized water.
So, why do people like Ms. Calahan continue to attack them? Because they make money endorsing other products. And because water ionizers are a threat to established medical practices that earn mega corporations billions of dollars.
The message from water ionizer companies like mine is this: You have the power to improve your own health. If you eat a balanced diet and drink ionized water that’s full of antioxidants, you will lower your chances of getting adult onset diseases. You will improve your sleep and digestion. Your energy levels will increase. Your mood will improve. Everything in your life will get better WITHOUT NEEDING DOCTORS and PILLS.
Here at Water for Life USA, we will continue to fight all of this misinformation, distortion, and manipulation to keep you away from water ionizers. Do you own research. Don’t trust these so-called experts. Start at pubmed.gov and read articles from medical journals. Then make the decision for yourself. We think you’ll discover ionized water should be a part of everyone’s diet.
