There is circulating a point of view about distilled water, undoubtedly promulgated by producers and sellers of mineral water. This point of view is that water should be mineralized in order to have health benefits and that distilled water somehow leaches out minerals from the body. 

To understand the truth about this matter one must know a little about mineral chemistry in living systems. In order for a mineral to be of any use to the body it must be presented in a form in which it can be used. That form involves an association with an organic (carbon based) molecule. Carbon based molecules are to be found in living systems, and are not found in the ground which is where mineral water comes from. Water from the ground comes with minerals alright, but these minerals are in salt form. When salt is presented to the body (with rare exceptions such as sodium chloride) it must be either stored or excreted. A good example is CaCO3 (calcium carbonate). Carbonate is not a sufficiently complex organic molecule and therefore cannot properly contribute its calcium to living systems. The calcium comes out instead in ionic form (with a positive charge) and precipitates by forming other salts. Common locations for precipitation of calcium are the lens of the eye (cataracts), the kidneys (kidney stones) and the walls of arteries (arteriosclerosis). Unbound minerals must be excreted, which is extra work for the kidneys) or stored. This makes dust of the argument that healthy water is mineralized, and dust is of course the source of minerals in mineral water. 

Incidentally, CaCO3 comes from lime stone and comprises the bulk of most calcium supplements, including that in "calcium enriched orange juice." If you want cataracts, kidney stones, and arteriosclerosis, be sure to eat and drink "calcium enriched" foods. 

Now as to the argument that distilled water leaches out minerals. This is true, and this is exactly what we want it to do. The minerals it leaches out are of the unusable, ionic form and we want these to leave the body rather than be deposited and cause disease. Distilled water does not leach out significant amounts of biologically available minerals because these are quickly taken up by the body on an as needed basis. If they are present in excess then they are filtered through the kidneys and this is exactly what needs to happen with all things which are in excess in the circulation. Distilled water cleanses the body through promoting healthy kidney function. 

Finally, if mineral water is not a good source of biologically available minerals, then what is? Think about it. Minerals are present in the ground and must be biologically bound in order to be used by the body. Where would that come from? Plants, of course! Your mineral source should be plants not water. The purpose of water is to cleanse the body. To do the best job of that, it must be free of everything else. Only distilled water fits that bill.

As to carbon filtered and reverse osmosis water, these are better solutions than tap water or mineral water, however they still fall far short of the standard set by distilled water. Nature knows best and nature supplies distilled water in the form of rain. However, rain water is no longer pure due to atmospheric pollution. The only remaining option is for us to distill our own water. To that end, I have found no equal to distilled water. (R. Kennedy, MD) 

Benefits of Distilled Water
DISTILLED WATER is free of all inorganic minerals including salt and nitrates. Some of the benefits include: 

• Acts as a solvent in the body by dissolving nutrients so they can be assimilated and taken into every cell.
• Dissolves inorganic mineral substances lodged in tissues of the body so that such substances can be eliminated in the process of purifying the body.
• Does not leach out body minerals but does collect and remove minerals which have been rejected by the cells of the body and are therefore nothing more or less than debris obstructing normal functioning of the system.
• Is the ideal liquid for efficient functioning of kidneys, lungs, stomach, liver, and other vital organs.
• Is universally accepted as the standard for biomedical applications and for drinking water purity.

As a friend of mine notes: “the world's navy personnel have had nothing but distilled water to drink while at sea for the past 170 years, ever since steam propulsion was introduced.”

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