When was alkaline water discovered

Here, in a nutshell, are a few basic facts that I believe anyone with a solid background in chemistry or physiology would concur with:. To a chemist like myself, the term is meaningless. True, it is possible for water to contain dissolved ions electrically-charged atoms or molecules , but that's something else again. Almost all waters found in nature acquire ions such as calcium and bicarbonate as they come into contact with rocks and sediments. Even the purest rainwater contains some hydrogen- and bicarbonate ions that are formed when it picks up carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Pure water consists almost entirely of H 2 O molecules loosely bound in a network-like structure in which individual molecules are constantly changing partners.

Water molecules exhibit a very slight tendency to dissociate "ionize" into hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions:. No electrical device or chemical additive is capable of increasing these ion concentrations in pure water above this very minute level which is so small that for most practical purposes pure water can be considered to be ion-free, as evidenced by the fact that it will not conduct an electric current.

Pure water, which contains equal numbers of both ions, is said to be neutral. Chemists express the degree of acidity or alkalinity on the pH scale which runs from about 0 to Acidic solutions have pH values of less than 7, alkaline solutions more than 7.

Pure water, being neutral, has a pH of exactly 7. Whether a water is acidic or alkaline, it will always contain equal numbers of positive and negative electric charges. This extra positive ion is almost always a metal ion such as sodium, calcium or magnesium. This means that waters whose pH differs from 7 are never "pure" in the chemical sense. Charge Balance : all ionic solutions must contain equal numbers of positive and negative charges.

Electrolysis refers to the breakdown of a substance by passing an electric current through it. This is accomplished by placing a pair of oppositely-charged electrodes usually of platinum or some other unreactive metal in the solution. Positive ions that find themselves close to the negative electrode will acquire electrons, and negative ions near the positive electrode will lose electrons. In the case of pure water, the reactions are as follows:.

If the regions near the two electrodes are surrounded by a semi-permeable barrier that inhibits diffusion of these ions into the bulk of the water, small local excesses can build up, but with pure water to start with, the acidity or alkalinity would be undetectable.

In other words, electrolysis cannot change the pH of ion-free water. None of the sites hawking these "water ionizers" mention this, of course, nor do they bother to tell you the even worse news:. One more thing about the electrolysis of water having very low ion content: because of the very small number of ions in such water, it conducts electric current very poorly, so the process is extremely slow and inefficient.

This means that if your water supply is free of dissolved minerals, no significant amount of electrolysis will occur. For electrolysis to occur to any practical extent, additional ions must be present in order to transport the current.

For example, the large-scale electrolysis of water to manufacture highly pure H 2 and O 2 is carried out by adding sulfuric acid. The sulfate ions help carry the current, but they do not react at the positive electrode because H 2 O is more easily decomposed. It should be noted that groundwaters are usually somewhat alkaline to start with. Many "water ionizer" devices depend on the addition of ordinary salt to make the water more conductive.

At the anode, chloride ions are oxidized to elemental chlorine. If some of this chlorine is allowed to combine with some of the hydroxide ions produced at the cathode, it disproportionates into hypochlorous acid HOCl, a weak acid and an oxidizing agent. Some ionizer devices allow the user to draw off this solution for use as a disinfecting agent. In many cases the two streams can be combined to form a mixture consisting of both HOCl and sodium hypochlorite equivalent to diluted ordinary laundry bleach , depending on the pH desired.

So buying a "water ionizer" is a very expensive way of obtaining a solution that is essentially the same as diluted laundry bleach. But would you want to drink this " eau de Clorox "? Don't try this at home! Studies have shown that placebos can relieve the symptoms in about 40 percent of those who suffer from chronic ailments. They are probably even more effective for those who are inclined toward "alternative medicine" or the "wellness" industry.

In other words, if you "believe" that something might help, it may well do so, and the more people are made to pay for it, the more eager they will be to have their beliefs confirmed. A recent study has shown that placebos can be effective even when "medications" clearly labeled as "placebos" are administered! For more on the placebo effect, see here and here. But if you are drinking electrolytically-produced "ionized" water, there is another plausible physiological explanation. The hypochlorite ions present in most such waters see above may make their way through the digestive tract and end up in the large intestine, where it comes into contact with the hundreds of species of [mostly] bacterial organisms that colonize everyone's colon.

It is now believed that these so-called gut flora can actively alter the nature of many food and metabolic products that enter the colon, and they vary greatly between individuals. It may be that the hypochlorite acts to kill off or suppress some organisms whose normal function is to remove substances to which one's body is allergic or otherwise harmful. Hypochlorous acid HOCl always present even in alkaline hypochorite solutions is now known to trigger a number of cellular processes connected with cancer, either through inducing mutations in DNA sequences, or by making epigenetic changes to certain DNA bases.

It is known, for example that HOCl leads to the formation of 5-chlorocytosine, which is believed to suppress some genes that normally act to inhibit cell proliferation and tumor growth. This is certainly not to say that "ionized water causes cancer", but there is far more evidence for this than for the patently false claims by Kangen and others that it prevents cancer. Don't be taken in by the pseudoscience peddled by quacks, cranks, kooks or crooks!

Acid-base chemistry plays a crucial role in physiology, both at the level of the individual cell and of the total organism. The reasons for this are twofold:. About two-thirds of the weight of an adult human consists of water.

About two-thirds of this water is located within cells, while the remaining third consists of extracellular water, mostly interstitial fluid that bathes the cells, and the blood plasma. The latter, amounting to about five percent of body weight about 5 L in the adult , serves as a supporting fluid for the blood cells and acts as a means of transporting chemicals between cells and the external environment.

It is basically a 0. Respiration , the most important physiological activity of a cell, is an acid-producing process. Carbohydrate substances are broken down into carbon dioxide, and thus carbonic acid:. Interestingly, the ingestion of "acidic" foods can make the body more alkaline.

It is remarkable that the pH of most cellular fluids can be kept within such a narrow range, given the large number of processes that tend to upset it. This is due to the exquisite balance between a large number of interlinked processes operating at many different levels. The major buffering system in the body is the carbonate system, which exists mainly in the form of HCO 3 — at normal physiological pH. Secondary buffering action comes from phosphate, from proteins and other weak organic acids, and within blood cells , the hemoglobin.

Deviations of the blood plasma pH from its normal value of 7. These conditions are known medically as acidosis and alkalosis. They can be caused by metabolic disturbances such as diabetes and by kidney failure in which excretion of H 2 PO 4 — , for example, is inhibited.

Numerous other processes lead to temporary unbalances. Thus hyperventilation , which can result from emotional upset, leads to above-normal loss of CO 2 , and thus to alkalosis.

Similarly, retention of CO 2 caused by bronchopneumonia, for example, can give rise to acidosis. Acidosis can also result from diarrhea loss of alkaline fluid from the intestine, while loss of gastric contents by vomiting promotes alkalosis. The idea, widely promoted on commercial quackery sites, that people need "alkaline" water supplements to "balance body pH" or "neutralize" acidic foods, has no scientific support.

The advent of the millennium brings a recent resurgence and growth in the alkaline water ionization, with good reason. People are sicker than ever. For all of our modern technology, medical procedures, and prescription drug use, disease rates continue to skyrocket in the majority of developed nations. Over the last forty years, it is estimated that somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 million Japanese citizens have used these devices. This could very well help explain the fact that Japan has the number one health care system in the world as reported by Dr.

Japan reports higher cancer survival rates and other disease recovery rates as well. Unfortunately, the United States ranked a miserable number thirteen in this report.

Could a partial answer to what plagues you lie in life giving and life sustaining ionized water? We think so. Linda Posch MS SLP ND: Has an eclectic clinical approach and strongly advocates the use of ionized water coupled with whole food liquid vitamins and whole food vitamin supplements.

Search this site. Explore Our Site Home. Could it be this simple? The Importance of Water. To be or not to be Alkaline. What if I can't give it up? But I Need Protien! Linda Posh The story of alkaline water ionizers is like a river with two major streams feeding into it. Development of water electrolysis apparatuses continued, and in , a continuous-type electrolytic water generator, which could be directly connected to the tap water, was approved.

Shortly thereafter, water filters were added to these machines, and the marketing of alkaline ionized water started to be common. This was a marketing strategy, which showed the water being used in hospitals and giving beneficial effects against diseases, such as diabetes. The media led people to believe that the water was recognized for ailments beyond what it had been approved for. However, because the original approval required addition of calcium lactate, and calcium was already recognized to help with gastrointestinal issues including chronic diarrhea, antacids, and indigestion, the medical community doubted the efficacy of the water itself 6 —as the benefits could easily be ascribed to the calcium.

In December of , product testing by the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan further cast doubt on the efficacy of the water reporting that it was unrealistic to believe that drinking alkaline water can have similar affects to gastrointestinal drugs, as it would require one to drink more than 10 liters of water to neutralize the stomach acid. In , a double-blind clinical study people conducted by the medical school of Kyoto University reported that there was no statistically significant improvement in the gastrointestinal symptoms of those drinking the alkaline ionized water, but a slight trend of improvement was observed.

When the Drugs, Cosmetics, and Medical Instruments Act of Japan was revised in , a device for the ERW production was re-authorized as a home managed medical device for the improvement of gastrointestinal symptoms. After meeting the requirements, an approval number is granted. Commercial products must show this approval number.

There are at least eighteen different water ionizer companies that have been approved and certified by the JMHLW. How can ionized water produce so many life-enhancing benefits? When you pour a glass of water from the tap or water cooler, the water molecules are clustered together in big groups — usually molecules per drop. But in micro-clustered ionized alkaline water , the clusters are made up of only 5 or 6 molecules.

This breakthrough discovery from Japanese scientists is the secret behind the incredibly potent hydrating power of ionized water — and the life-changing health benefits it unlocks. Water ionizers first appeared in Japanese hospitals and were approved for home use in the s.