Which Water Filtration System is Best?

There are many types of water purification systems.  Years ago, I had a Multi-Pure system, which utilized a solid carbon block filter.  I thought that was great, until I realized that it was not removing the fluoride that is added to most communities’ tap water.   Many folks and practitioners believe adding it to drinking water decreases tooth decay.   However, the form of fluoride that is added to drinking water is not naturally occurring.  Based on all I have learned over the years, regarding healing and health, I believe the best way to discourage tooth decay is maintaining a proper diet and tooth care.  I want a filter that removes this synthetic form of fluoride.  Solid carbon blocks, such as that used in the Multi-Pure Filtration Systems, though better than granulated carbon, does not remove all that concerns me, in particular chloramine and fluoride, so I continued to search.

Many people swear by reverse osmosis and water distillation.  True, both forms of purification remove additional unwanted substances.  However, I am concerned that they may be removing too much.  Some minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, and other alkaline elements, are beneficial, and their removal may not be ideal for our health and well-being.  And if you sprout or use your filtered water to water plants, you don’t want these minerals removed, as this would not allow proper growth….

Then a friend told me about LivingWaters™ Engineered Water Treatment Solutions.   Their owner and developer, Lono Ho’ala ND, a graduate of University of Colorado Medical School, a biochemist, Kahuna Priest, and naturopath (a healer in every sense of the word), developed these systems because he did not see ideal options on the market.   As Lono explains on their website, “Faucet mounted filters, drinking water pitchers, and refrigerator filters can't remove chloramine, many chemicals, fluoride, nitrates, arsenic, or pathogenic bacteria. In fact, they are a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria. Reverse-osmosis systems can't remove chloramine or dangerous bacteria.  They actually breed bacteria in the storage tank and post-filter. Because of a phenomenon called ‘break-through’, they can't be relied on for safe drinking water.  Water Ionizers can't remove chloramine or many other dangerous chemicals.   In fact, they actually concentrate dangerous cations like arsenic, lead, mercury and cadmium in the water - sometimes to very dangerous levels. Neither can they remove pathogenic microbiological organisms…” 

I believe Lono is one of the most knowledgeable folks out there on water, filtration, and much more….  His company, Living Waters, sells a variety of water filtration systems…above and below the counter filters, whole house filtration systems, and more.  I like the LWCT4 Premium Countertop filter because it reduces chloramine, fluoride, and arsenic, as well as pathogens in the water.  Though initially, it was a chunk of money at $499, when I added up the amount we used to spend on bottled water, and my frustration with how much plastic was being produced to support our water “habit” this was well worth it.  Replacement filters are available at $276.75, and needed every 1 – 1 1/2 years.  This averages out to about 75 cents a day, after the initial investment for the whole filter is made (and even that first year, spending about $1.35 per day was so much less than what we had been giving the bottled water industry…).  

If you are intrigued, check out http://consciouslivingsystems.com/livingwaters_systems.  Find a coupon code at the end of this blog post that will save you 10% off the list prices on their site!  Read about the technology behind the systems that Lono developed.   After reading more about water and filtration on their site, before making any decisions, I recommend calling and asking for Landon, their in-house water specialist.  He can help you pick the most ideal system for your needs.  If you have well water, you likely need not worry about removal of fluoride, chlorine, or chloramine but might need to be concerned about pathogens or run off from a nearby farm.  If living in a city, likely removal of the chemicals that are added to “treat” the water are your biggest concern.  After speaking more to Landon, I am reminded that their filters are adept at cleaning up the tap water after natural disasters, such as hurricanes, as well as removal of radon, pesticide residues, and disposed medications that have been detected in drinking water, as mentioned in the previous blog post.  To receive a 10% coupon toward your purchase, just enter (or tell Landon)  LTHL when you are asked for “Coupon Code”.  So consider the options, choose health, and make sure that the water you drink is pure!  Let’s drink to your health!  

What is in Our Water?

Water is the staff of life….  While we can live for weeks without food, without water, we would die in a matter of days. 

Today, I ponder, where does our drinking water come from?  Many of us live in cities or towns that have municipal water supplies.  That means there is a reservoir from which our tap water is drawn.   And we are told that tap water is safe to drink.  But what is in that water?  

Lead can enter water supplies, due to corrosion of pipes.  Pharmaceuticals have been detected in tap water http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-10-drugs-tap-water_N.htm.  Radon, though naturally occurring, is a radioactive gas which may be linked to cancer, and has been found in water that some of us are drinking.  http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/radon/index.cfm.  Pesticide runoff making its way into drinking water is of concern and not just in agricultural areas.  There is documentation of runoff from golf courses and even lawns http://dspace.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/22853/2/Assessment%20of%20Risk%20to%20Drinking%20Water%20from%20Turf%20Pesticide%20Runoff.pdf.  And who among us has not walked past a lawn in our neighborhood with one of those yellow signs which warn of pesticide application?   But my concern lies not just in what is making its way into our water supply by accident.

What needs to be added to municipal supplies to make the water “fit to drink”? Pathogens may be present in “untreated” water and hence the determined need for chlorination.  To prevent and control the growth and presence of these unwanted organisms in the water supply, chlorine, or more commonly chloramine, is added as a disinfectant.  Chlorine has been found to break down and create harmful by-products.  Chloramine (chlorine, bound to ammonia) is more stable than the form of chlorine that was used more commonly in the past; it does not dissipate prior to arriving at the consumer (coming out of your tap).  Unfortunately, that means you are consuming this substance.  If you are receiving water from your town or city's municipal supply, you can contact them via phone or visit their website for a list of what is added to the water in your area.

  

What about well water?  The concern of unwanted chemicals added to treat the water is likely not your issue.  Well…. your well is only as good as the ground water from which it comes.  So run off from farms or industry may be present and therefore taken in to your body, when you drink or even when you bathe…..   And micro-organisms, such as bacteria and viruses can pose health risks. 

Then there is bottled water.  Do we really know how much plastic leaches in to what we are drinking?  If that plastic gets hot, sitting in a warehouse, could that be polluting its contents even further?  And where does that water come from?  We may actually ingest what we are so diligently avoiding from our taps.

The answer lies in a reliable filtration system.  What is out there and what is best?  Tomorrow I am going to tell you more about my favorite water purification system.  It is the best I have found and I have been looking for years!  Tune in tomorrow for more details…..