Many people are now hearing about alkaline water and wondering about the benefits of alkaline water. This introduction to alkaline ionic water and alkaline ionizers will explain the importance of body pH balance and the alkaline body and drinking alkaline water.

So What is Alkaline Water?

We all know that water is made up of 2 hydrogen molecules and 1 oxygen molecule known as H2O. Alkaline water in the simplest form exists when water contains more OH- ions than H+ ions. These ions are measured in terms called pH. What is pH? pH stands for "parts hydrogen". However, this ratio of 2:1 only exists in a neutral water of pH 7. Since alkaline water contains more OH- ions, one finds that alkaline water also has more oxygen molecules than half of the H+ hydrogen ions present. This decrease in H+ ions results in an alkaline pH 7+. The most popular method today for producing alkaline water in the home is the alkaline ionizer, also commonly called an alkaline water machine or alkalizer.

Body pH Balance and the Alkaline Body

Human blood maintains a body pH balance ranging in value of 7.3 to 7.45. Some common foods that are acidic include all kinds of soda. Soda can be easily found with a pH of 2.5. Add this to about 10 gallons of water with a pH of 7.4 and the pH will drop to about pH 4.6. Why is this important? The body contains about 10 gallons of slightly alkaline water. Thankfully, the body's homeostasis counteracts this stress on the body pH balance and prevents that fatal pH of 4.6. Nonetheless, damage is done and maintaining an acidic diet can take its toll on the alkaline body leading to acidosis, because the alkaline body becomes ill when under the stress of acidosis.
Other common acidic foods are lemons, apples, oranges, and grapefruit. However, even though an acidic food may register an acidic pH, this does not mean that that food necessarily causes the body to become acidic. In fact, many acidic fruits turn alkaline in the body and make for a beneficial alkaline diet. How could this be?

Acidic Alkaline Foods

What is meant by acid alkaline foods? Very simply, there are foods including the list of fruits above that will measure an acidic pH as an acidic food, yet in the body, these foods become a source of alkalinity. These foods contain minerals that are responsible for balancing pH in the body. Some common acid forming minerals are sulfur, phosphorous, chlorine and iodine. Alkaline minerals examples are potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and iron. This does not mean that all acid forming minerals are bad for you. The measure of a food being considered as an alkalizing food vs. an acidic food is in the proportion of the alkaline minerals compared to acidic minerals. Alkaline diets traditionally consist of alkaline foods with high proportions of alkaline minerals such as those high in potassium or rich in potassium.

So, back to our soda example, soda is high in phosphoric acid and depleted of alkaline minerals. Even though a fruit like oranges or apples will measure acidic pH when tested with litmus paper, the organic acids in these fruits burn off easily in the body, resulting in plentiful amounts of potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and iron.

Between stress and unhealthy diets, acidic wastes accumulate in the once alkaline body and the balancing of body pH is seriously compromised. Stress creates more acid and an ulcer is a great example of the effects of stress. Many other degenerative diseases are now being recognized as the result of an acidic environment.

List of Alkaline Foods and Acidic Foods

Here is a list of alkaline foods (alkaline forming foods) in order of alkalinity:
ginger, kidney beans, spinach, soybeans, bananas, chestnuts, carrots, mushrooms, strawberries, potatoes, cabbage, radishes, squash, bamboo shoots, sweet potatoes, turnips, orange juice, apples, egg whites, pears, grape juice, cucumbers, watermelons, eggplants, coffee, onions, tea, string beans, human milk, cow's milk, and tofu or bean curd. (From a table by Aihara¹)

This list of acidic foods is in order of acidity:
rice bran, egg yolk, oatmeal, brown rice, tuna, chicken, carp, bream, oysters, salmon, buckwheat flour, clams, scallops, pork, peanuts, herring eggs, beef, cheese, whole barley, shrimp, peas, beer, bread, chicken soup, butter, and asparagus. (From a table by Aihara¹)

Remember that it is the moderation and proper balance of these foods that provide both the acid forming and alkaline forming minerals needed by the body.

Alkaline Ionizers, Alkaline Water Machines & Drinking Alkaline Water

Removing waste products from the body is imperative. Since our goal is to remove the acidic wastes from an acidic diet, the right solution is drinking alkaline water. Besides converting to alkaline diets, alkaline water with a pH of 10 contains so many hydroxyl ions (OH-) that this translates into just over 33mg of ionized calcium in one glass. Other minerals found in the water will create ionized magnesium, ionized potassium, and ionized sodium. Drinking 5 glasses of alkaline water daily will gradually correct the body pH balance and restore the alkaline body by removing the acidic wastes build up causing body acidity and even more severely, acidosis - a medical condition in which the acid-base balance in the blood plasma becomes acidic, which can become a dangerous condition that weakens all body systems.

Alkaline ionizers actually produce alkaline water by splitting the filtered water into alkaline and acid water through the use of electrolysis by passing the water across electrically ionized plates. First developed in the 1950s in Japan, consumer alkaline water machines are now produced predominantly in Korea. After lengthy studies and data collected by doctors in Japan, it was concluded that alkaline water made by alkaline water ionizers was non-toxic, but also very beneficial for those with symptoms of adult diseases. Introduced in 1985 in the United States of America, toxicity tests first performed on April 14, 1986 following FDA specifications (FR vol 143 No. 163.81-1 1978) found no toxicity in the alkaline water produced by alkaline ionizers tested. The resulting alkaline water is structured water reported to hydrate, oxygenate, detoxify and alkalize the body.

As with any technology, alkaline water machines have certainly advanced. Although there are many varieties of alkaline ionizers in the marketplace, the Jupiter Science Ionizer line including the Jupiter Athena Ionizer, Jupiter Delphi Ionizer, Jupiter Isis Ionizer (formerly Jupiter Melody Ionizer) and the Jupiter Venus Ionizer provide from the very affordable, high-quality water ionizer to the very sophisticated, most advanced method of producing alkaline water.

So take charge of your health today!

References
1. Aihara, Herman - "Acid & Alkaline", George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation, Oroville, CA 1986
2. Whang, Sang Y - "Reverse Aging", Sang Whang, Miami, Florida 1990, 16ed. 2002