Yes. Water can be ionized, and it can be de-ionized. The first thing you need to know about is: What exactly
ionizes water in the first place? The answer to that is: Mineral salts. When you dissolve any salt into water, the elements that make up that salt ionize the water as they dissolve into it. That’s why when you de-ionize water, either by distilling it or reverse osmosis, what you are actually doing is removing the dissolved mineral salts from it.
A better question: Can water be ionized by electricity?
Many people, including some water ionizer sales people, believe that you can ionize water with electricity. That’s false, because water by itself won’t hold an ionic charge, you have to add mineral salts to it. A well-known skeptic has said that pure water can’t be ionized and he’s right. If you push enough power into pure water – and it would take 1000’s of watts – you would split water molecules in half. What you would end up with is a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen, not ionized water.
If electricity doesn’t ionize water, what exactly does a water ionizer do?
Water ionizers change how your water is ionized. To understand how it works, you need to understand how your tap water is ionized in the first place: There is no such thing as pure water in nature, all water found in nature will have some mineral salts dissolved in it. For tap water, the main mineral salts you will find in it are calcium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate. These salts are responsible for the hard water deposits that can plug up your appliances, and they are what leaves that white residue on faucets.
A water ionizer changes the calcium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate in your tap water into calcium hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide. A water ionizer does this by using an electromagnetic charge. Inside the machine, platinum-coated plates are charged with electromagnetism. That causes the calcium and magnesium to go towards the negatively charged plate, and the bicarbonate to go towards the positively charged plate. A special membrane between the charged plates separates them by charge: Negatively charged plates on one side, positively charged plates on the other. So the calcium and magnesium end up in one compartment, and the bicarbonate ends up in a separate compartment.
Once separated, the calcium and magnesium chemically react with water molecules to free up hydroxyl ions. As a result, the ionized alkaline water made by a water ionizer contains calcium and magnesium hydroxides – salts that are a combination of calcium, magnesium, and hydroxyl ions. The bicarbonate also reacts with the water in it’s compartment to form a dilute solution of carbonic acid.
Why the ionized alkaline water made by a water ionizer is better than plain water
Alkalinity The calcium and magnesium hydroxide rich ionized alkaline water has higher alkalinity – the ability to neutralize acids – than your tap water does. This is why alkaline water raises the pH of your urine when you drink it, and plain water doesn’t. It’s also why alkaline water neutralizes pepsin – the enzyme that triggers GERD – and plain water doesn’t.
Hydration Alkaline water from a water ionizer hydrates better and faster than plain water. The reason is that the mineral hydroxides in alkaline water are easier to absorb than mineral bicarbonates. For athletes, the combination of acid-fighting alkalinity and better hydration make alkaline water a powerful sports beverage.
Antioxidant potential The mineral hydroxides in ionized alkaline water enable it to hold an ionic charge. That charge gives ionized alkaline water antioxidant potential. Many health benefits have been attributed to that antioxidant potential, most important among them is that it enables the beneficial probiotic microbes in your gut to flourish. That can lead to better gut health if you suffer from poor gut health. It may also protect your brain and liver from oxidative damage.
There are over 40 Studies on the Health Benefits of Ionized Alkaline Water
To find studies on ionized alkaline water on Google, you have to know what to search for. The scientific name for ionized alkaline water is Electrolyzed Reduced Water. If you search for that, you’ll find the studies. The studies that have been done suggest that ionized alkaline water has a variety of health benefits – too many to list here in fact. If you want to know if there are studies that show health benefits for any kind of health condition, just give us a call. We’ll be happy to talk about it with you and offer any recommendations we can
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