Response to Various Opinions on Water Consumption

Response to Various Opinions on Water Consumption

By

Bob McCauley

This is a response to some of the opinions put forth by others, regarding the source of water and which water we should drink. In particular, I am responding to those in the raw food movement. I’ve been hearing and reading a lot about water from various individuals and I find myself in profound disagreement with some of them.

I am a raw foodist who believes we all should ideally be on a 100% raw food diet. There are many opinions regarding which foods we should consume and in what quantities and I can see that these arguments will continue for some time without a conclusive agreement amongst raw food “experts”. But water is a different matter. There is water that should be consumed and water that should not be consumed except in emergencies. Let me clarify which is which.

My Background in Water

I have been in the bottled water business since 1993 and have sold and promoted ionized water since 1996. I am a Certified Water Facility Operator in the state of Michigan (S5, D5). My father had a doctorate from MIT in Environmental Engineering, taught at Michigan State University for 15 years and ran his own engineering company for 17 years designing municipal water treatment and purification plants throughout mid-Michigan. He taught me most of what I know about water and its various sources.

Wild Springs

I have heard the term “Wild Spring” used lately, which apparently refers to a spring that occurs naturally. This is a term that has been invented out of thin air and now is beginning to be used as a term of reference. There are springs that have been built and developed where there was no spring before, but they do not differ from naturally occurring springs. Spring water is ground water that has been naturally pushed to the surface, usually from deep within the earth, but not always. Water that comes from springs has been exposed to pollution in the first 3 – 5 feet of the soil where it is most concentrated. It is best to draw the water you drink directly from the source from a deep well at least 100 feet down. It is best to draw water from this depth to avoid the pollution that is most highly concentrated in the first few feet of soil.

Springs are also prone to bacterial contamination since bacteria counts are highest in the first 3 feet of soil. Bacterial counts are even higher in surface water such as that found in lakes, rivers and streams.

Other kinds of water are artesian and mineral water. Artesian water is ground water usually below 100 feet that has been forced toward the surface by pressure. Artesian is not an indicator of quality, although it tends to be good quality water.

Water Filtration

I have heard some talk that suggests spring water should not be filtered and I could not disagree with that notion more. I personally don’t drink any water that hasn’t flowed through a carbon filter, preferably a one micron block carbon filter. They remove chlorine and particles from the water down to one micron. There are other filters with various media that can remove iron, fluoride, sulfur and other undesirable elements in water.

I heard one “health guru” state that if he couldn’t drink spring water that they would go days without drinking water until they could get some. This is an absurd statement, especially considering that finding a natural spring is quite difficult. In fact, the chances of finding a natural spring and collecting water from it are next to impossible. I personally am not aware of any natural springs that are open to the public in the state of Michigan. So where will we all go to find our natural spring water? It’s a completely impractical idea for the average person to even considering doing on a regular basis. And to go days without drinking water would be extremely detrimental to your health, therefore I am very much opposed to the Russian concept of dry fasting, that of eating or drinking nothing at all for days at a time.

Consuming Tap Water

I often hear it said that tap water (municipal or city water) should never be consumed under any circumstances. I do not agree with this notion at all. Most tap water can be consumed if it is properly filtered through an adequate carbon and/or KDF filter. Again, I recommend a 1 micron activated carbon filter for this. This removes the chlorine that is found in most tap water. For tap water that contains chloramines instead of chlorine to disinfect I recommend a carbon/KDF filter, since KDF is slightly more effective at removing chloramines than carbon.

I also recommend everyone use a KDF filter to remove chlorine and/or chloramines for your shower or bathtub. If you don’t, then you are absorbing these chemicals into your body through your skin and in your lungs, which is extremely dangerous since they are carcinogens. Carbon will not remove chlorine from hot water.

Pharmaceuticals and Caffeine in ground water

Larger cities quietly started recycling their water in recent years. This policy was kept quiet and not published in any of the trade magazines. Coconut shell carbon is the most effective way to filter out pharmaceuticals, but it certainly won’t get all of them.

The best way to remove anything and everything from your water source, including pharmaceuticals (even caffeine, which is any extremely small molecule), is with reverse osmosis (RO). This purifies the water, meaning it removes everything except the water molecules themselves so you end up with pure water. Distillation achieves the same results. This water should not be consumed since it is acidic, leaches minerals from the body and does not hydrate the body’s cells or tissue. If water is purified then it must be re-mineralized if you wish to consume it. Re-mineralization also makes the water more hydrating, less acidic and it will not leach minerals from the body.

Is water conscious?

I have heard it stated that water is conscious, perhaps even more so than Buddha and Jesus. This is one of the most ridiculous notions I’ve ever heard regarding water. Water is an inert, inorganic substance with two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen molecule. It has no more life than a stone, some plastic or a wooden table. Before the wood was fashioned into a table it was a tree. All plant and animal life created by God is conscious on some level. However, an inanimate object does not have consciousness and to state that two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule that have bonded now has consciousness is absurd and the claim has absolutely no scientific evidence to support it. The anthropopathic practice of assigning feelings or consciousness to inanimate objects has its roots in primitive cultures and has not been in vogue for thousands of years. Water does not think nor is it omniscient anymore than a plant is. Although a plant or animal is conscious, it is not sentient or does it have the ability of self-reflection. Only humans are sentient, which is a gift from God. As for water, when you consume it, you are not drinking anything that thinks.

The vortex effect of water spinning

It has been claimed that water spins from deep within the earth as it reaches the surface and there is no truth to this. It would be nearly impossible to prove that water actually spins as it rises to the surface. Victor Schauberger stated that nature creates vortices as a result of a tremendous and sudden release of energy. A tornado is a good example of this. But water spinning as it rises toward the surface of the earth is unfounded and improvable. It’s another idea that has been invented out of thin air.

Does Water self replicate?

It has been stated that water has the ability of self-replication. Inorganic substances cannot self-replicate or self-reproduce themselves. Living cells are capable of self-replication through mitosis or meiosis. As with regards to whether water is conscious, it is inert and therefore incapable of self-replication. Water is not a living thing.

The Best Drinking Water

Having clarified some of the issues regarding spring water the question remains which water is the best water to consume. That would be Ionized Water of which I have researched and written about extensively since 1996. I have done so because there is nothing more important for the body than water and quite often people recommend the wrong kind of water to drink, such as purified water. Ionized Water has two powerful antioxidant qualities, a negative ORP which reduces oxidation of the body and it is a free radical scavenger because it contains an abundance of electrons. It is alkaline and therefore helps balance the body’s pH. It also has smaller water molecules which penetrate bodily cells and tissue and hydrates them more efficiently than conventional water. This also pushes out substances that don’t belong in the body and are potentially harmful which we call toxins. You can read about Ionized Water in great detail in any of my books, in particular The Miraculous Properties of Ionized Water, which describes what Ionized Water, how it is produced and what we can expect when drinking it. My other publication, Consumer’s Guide to Purchasing a Water Ionizer explains the best way to choose a water ionizer, as well as filtration options.

I recommend the documentary called “Flow” (http://www.flowthefilm.com/) It explores the issue of water control and distribution, who is benefiting financially from it and who is getting hurt because of those decisions. It is quite an eye-opener and a cautionary tale about the future of the world’s fresh water supply.

The Watershed Wellness Center
Lansing, MI
1-888-826-4448
www.watershed.net

The ignorance of the cooked food diet.

Regardless of their age, anyone can have the body they had when they were in their twenties. At that age, most of us are physically and mentally in our prime. Physical decline is inevitable and starts in your thirties only if you are a cooked foodist. Physical decline only happens to a raw foodist if they never exercise and even then the decline will not lead to disease, but rather to physical atrophy.

http://www.watershed.net/

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I offer health tips and insights each day at http://twitter.com/bobmccauley51.

Seven Components of Great Health - No. 7: Positive Mental Attitude

Component 7: Develop a Positive Mental Attitude about your life

Once you achieve the level of physical health discussed in this book, what remains to complete the picture is cultivating a positive mental attitude, which will be enhanced by exploring your own spirituality. Great Health cannot be achieved without possessing a positive mental attitude. If your mind is against you, you don’t have a chance of being healthy or accomplishing the various goals you set for yourself. As we begin to put the right things in the body it becomes easier for the mind to motivate and inspire us, which is one of its central functions. With all this comes confidence and when confidence is combined with skill, you become unconquerable.

The mind is a critical component that can thwart our best efforts to be healthy. A negative attitude will drag the body down with it. Our mind and spirit have the final say in our health. A typically healthy body can be destroyed by disease if there is a breakdown in the human spirit. On the other hand, every function of the body is greatly enhanced when the mind and Spirit are focused together on the same affirmative goal of staying healthy and living to the best of our ability. We need to exercise the spirit the way we exercise the body, consistently, habitually and with determined purpose. Undoubtedly, great confidence will follow.

The First Steps toward Becoming a Raw Foodist - Part 5

Rice also tends to cause a lot of gas, which is created mainly in the large intestines and is the result of undigested starchy carbohydrates. Foods that cause these problems become their own reason for removing them from your diet.I slowly removed rice from my diet over the course of several months until I was eating it only once a week.

Eventually, I got rid of it completely. Only giving up dairy products did more to remove mucus from my body. It was the last profound positive change in my health I experienced, for now I was nearly 100% raw. From: Achieving Great Health

http://watershed.net/achieving_great_health.aspx

The First Steps toward Becoming a Raw Foodist - Pt 4

The next step would be to begin cooking your vegetables less and less, whether it is steaming, frying or baking. Start by steaming them only half the time your normally do, then reduce the time until you are merely warming them. If you keep the temperature of the vegetables below 105°F, you will not destroy the enzymes and other chemical nutrients in the food. Any raw food can be raised to a temperature of 105°F without the fear of damaging its nutritional potential. Many people miss warm food when first moving to the Raw-food Diet and if it makes you feel better to warm your food to 105°F or less, you should do it.

Juicing is another side door to the raw food lifestyle. Juicing is a world unto itself. The human body is essentially a juicer in the sense that it is the juice from plants that contains the nutrients that the body must extract. Anyone seeking to truly obtain Great Health must include juicing as part of their daily protocol. There are many types of juicers. Most separate the juice from the fiber, a valuable and necessary part of the food. Other juicers grind up the entire food, including the fiber. These are preferable. (to be continued . . . )

From: Achieving Great Health http://watershed.net/achieving_great_health.aspx

The First Steps toward Becoming a Raw Foodist - Pt 3

This monumental task that you have placed before yourself of changing a lifelong belief system must be done first in baby-steps that become bigger steps that turn in to leaps as your body cries louder each day for raw foods. Your reward will be perfect health and a disease free body when the transition is complete. Your body will punish you when you sometimes stray and revert to your old deadly cooked-food ways. It is tough love because your body knows what is right. The more you consume raw foods, the more traumatic this punishment becomes as you realize once and for all what poison cooked foods really are.

Another important step we can make is to begin moving away from pre-packaged processed foods to fresh cooked foods. It helps bring us out of the repetitious habit of our daily lives that shackles us to the cooked world. It is merely habit to come home tired and look for something easy to prepare for dinner. There is nothing easier than something that is already prepared and simply needs to be heated. Of course the ultimate fast food is a raw food because it is immediately ready to eat at any time. (to be continued . . . )

From: Achieving Great Health http://watershed.net/achieving_great_health.aspx

Bob McCauley's Story of Great Health - pt 6 (Final)

This is how I got into natural health. I thought I was healthy before I started, but I was not even close to understanding how healthy we can all be. I am no one special. ANYONE can do what I have done. ANYONE can take their health to a level they never thought was possible. It only takes the will and desire to do so. I tell people everyday: The human body is capable of curing itself of any disease. All we need to do is hydrate the body, alkalize the body and detoxify the body. The question is how can we do this. The protocol is simple: Ionized Water, Spirulina, Chlorella, Raw Foods, Angstrom Minerals, Exercise & Maintain Positive Mental Attitude. And it works each and every time it is tried, meaning that when my health protocol is followed, Great Health will result.

Bob's Bio: http://watershed.net/bio.aspx

Bob McCauley's Story of Great Health - pt 5

More than anything it takes understanding through experience and that is what I have done. This website provides the information of tools that I used to become truly healthy. I have reversed my aging process, rejuvenated my body at a cellular level. I am able to run six minute miles as I did when I was in my twenties because I have the body I had when I was in my twenties at a cellular level . I am in the best shape of my life, including my college days of track and cross country, although I don't train as hard as I did back then. (to be continued . . . )

Bob McCauley's Story of Great Health - Pt. 4

As far as medical advice, I can offer none whatsoever. Anything regarding medicine should be between you and your doctor.

I am not a formally trained medical, health or nutritional professional in any way. What I know of health is what I have read, experienced and spoken with others about. I offer on this website no medical advice, but rather guidance and ruminations about health. The reason I know almost nothing about medicine is because medicine does not lead to health. This book is essentially one person's opinion, that of my own. However, I challenge anyone to find flaw with the basic tenets of my health philosophy, which is that water and raw foods rule . What does it take to understand how to Achieve Great Health, a doctorate or a few letters behind your name? (to be continued . . . )

Bob McCauley's Story of Great Health - Pt. 3

I became first a lacto-vegetarian, then vegan and now a raw-food vegan. Many people change to the raw lifestyle because of a health challenge, but I am not one of them. I slowly changed to the raw food lifestyle and now feel as healthy as I did when I was in my twenties.
Over the last six years I have learned that the body can cure itself of any disease. Therefore, if you are sick, it is because you allow yourself to remain sick. It is not the foods we eat, but rather what the body does with the nutrients from those foods that it uses to heal itself. The source of all disease comes from our diet.

I am the author of three books on health. My first book, Confessions of a Body Builder, is the only book explaining ionized water for the layman. The second one, Achieving Great Health in 90 Days or Less, first published in 2005 outlines my entire health protocol. My most recent book, The Miraculous Properties of Ionized Water was published in 2006. It is the only book written exclusively on the topic of Ionized Water. (to be continuted . . . )

Bob McCauley's Story of Great Health - 2

I was a vegetarian for 18 years before I discovered Spirulina and Chlorella . I became a vegetarian while traveling through India in 1980 and always considered myself to be quite healthy. Becoming a cooked-food vegetarian is a small step toward health. Becoming a raw foodist is ten giant leaps. People take tiny steps toward health, which is good, but they wonder why they still get sick.

Around that same time I was introduced to Ionized Water. See my article on Ionized Water. I immediately realized that here was one of the most incredible things I had ever seen in my life. There is nothing more important for the body than water and there is no better water than Ionized Water. No other water even comes close. The first line of defense against disease is a properly hydrated body. Learning that and discovering Ionized Water are the best lessons I have ever learned about health. (to be continued . . . )

Bob McCauley's Story of Great Health

I got my first warning sign that I was heading for physical ruin in 1992 after a stressful move from New Jersey to Michigan. I became quite ill over a 12 hourperiod and had to be taken to the hospital. The stabbing pain in my side was likely a kidney or gall stone, but the doctors never determined exactly what the problem was. Then it happened again one year later. I was on the road to the demise of my health.

Back then, I was a lacto-vegetarian. I consumed dairy products, but no meat at all. Even though I'd lived on a meatless diet for 12 years, I had acidified my body and laid myself wide-open to disease. I was in my thirties and wondered how I could have lived without meat for so long and still get sick. I got at least one cold or flu annually. One year, I had a chronic cough that lasted six weeks and I was never so miserable in my life. I knew something was still missing in my health picture, but I didn't know what it was. I learned later that the foods I was eating were killing me because they were not raw. (to be continued . . . )

Spirulina and Chlorella

The most powerful foods on earth are Spirulina Platenis and Chlorella Pyrenoidosa. They complement one another in many ways because they are completely different foods with different nutrients. Spirulina is an extremely pure food, 95% digestible, extremely high in the Vitamin B-complex, iron, calcium and essential fatty acids such as Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), which is excellent for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis or bursitis. Spirulina is an excellent food to consume before a workout because of the explosive energy it provides to the body.
I take both Spirulina and Chlorella in tablet form for convenience. Neither of them tastes good, although some people don’t mind them. They are not culinary delicacies, but rather the most powerful foods in the world. It’s easy to grab a handful of tablets and pop them down either with a meal or when I’m feeling a little tired. They are the ultimate “fast health food”. www.watershed.net