(Image by: Fir0002/Flagstaffotos)
Water has long been recognized in traditional medicine as the source of life, and without it we would scarcely survive for more than a few days. Every system of traditional medicine paid great respect to water, for its importance and restorative effects, as well as its different attributes depending on its source and further processing. Ever since the dawn of human civilization, the protection and maintenance of a clean, uncontaminated water source has always been the first priority. In India we can see evidence of this in archeological remains of Harrapa and Moenjodharo, which had a water distribution and sewage network as early as 5000 years ago. Where cuture is advanced and evolved, water quality is considered a human right – and where industry and profit supercede this concern the society begins to self-destruct. Ensuring clean drinking water is the highest expression of human culture.
In the natural world water comes in many forms, and among these types many traditional cultures considered freshly collected rainwater highly valued for health. According to the ancient Indian system of healing called Ayurveda, rainwater is said to be rejuvenating (rasayana), strength-promoting (balya), life-giving (jivaniya), contentment-inducing (sukha), intellect-enhancing (medhya), and balances the metabolism (tridoshaghna). If you have never tasted freshly collected rainwater it is quite remarkable indeed. The fresh rainwater collected during a thunderstorm in particular has an effervescent and fertile quality: slightly earthy but more ethereal and dynamic. In the modern times however, rain often contains the residue of airborne industrial pollutants and may not be safe. Since weather patterns vary greatly and industrial pollutants are dispersed across the entire surface of the earth, just because one may live in a pristine environment does not mean that the rainwater is not contaminated.
According to Ayurveda the water from fast-flowing glacial rivers is considered to be the best substitute for rainwater. It is said to be rejuvenating (rasayana) and balances the metabolism. Considering that the water from melting glaciers is of ancient origin it is without a doubt the most pure, and therefore safest of all types of water. Melting from pristine glaciers the water crashes down steep slopes as a storm of negative ions, filled with the silt of the eroded rock bed. As I recounted in my introduction to this blog, glacial water is a dynamically alive and highly nutritive substance, and I have personally experienced the unique healing properties of glacial water. I have also observed that many of the longest-lived peoples reside high in the mountains next to glaciers: in the Alps, Caucasus, Himalayas and Tian Shian ranges.
Next on the list of water quality are artesian wells that tap equally ancient sources of groundwater. Stored in aquifers of rock such as limestone, well water is an often rich source of soluble minerals, and like glacial water, its regular consumption is similarly associated with enhanced longevity. Underground springs that come from deep aquifers have the same benefits as artesian wells, considered in Ayurveda to alleviate congestion, enhance digestion and strengthen the heart. The unfortunate problem with groundwater sources is that they are gradually replenished with runoff, from streams, rivers and lakes. Pollutants in the runoff eventually seeps into the ground water, and so in an increasingly large number of cases the ground water is thoroughly contaminated. This is especially the case in the SE USA, where decades of nuclear testing have spread radioactive particles throughout the local aquifer system.
While glacial, well and spring water are among the best types of water, most people get the water from rivers and lakes. Depending on the location of the water source the quality will vary to a large degree, but all are affected by the spread of industrial pollutants throughout our shared atmosphere. Local snow melt and the water from fast flowing rivers is generally of good quality, but where the water moves slowly, or is contaminated with algae, or is murky and brown, it is generally considered unsuitable. Unsullied lakes and other reservoirs may also be of reasonable quality – good enough to survive, but not necessarily optimal.
This of course raises the issue of water-purification, a question about which I am frequently asked. My general recommendation is to use some kind of carbon-filter for municipal sources of water. The water here in Vancouver is of excellent quality for a city of its size, but obviously contains some contaminants, everything from silt and dirt during the rainy months, from build-up bacterial colonies on the sides of pipes and the addition of chlorine. Since Vancouver like most urban regions does chlorinate I highly recommend a carbon filter in such places, which pretty much removes all the chlorine. Chlorine is a highly reactive oxidizing compound and it has antimicrobial properties for good reason – however – a lifetime of consuming slightly toxic water may not be good for you. But no need to freak – a standard Brita or better yet an under-counter carbon filter is all you need.
Additional purification however may be required in other regions where the water is truly contaminated, or is made in desalination plants. Here what you want is a carbon pre-filter and a reverse osmosis membrane. Another option is distillation. In both cases however the process of purification removes dissolved minerals in the water, turning it into a highly active solvent. Consuming this kind of water regularly will rob your body of minerals, but you can ameliorate this by either using it to make mineral rich broths (e.g. bones, seaweed, nettle tea), or fortifying it with trace-mineral additives. Given that our water here in Vancouver tends to be be rather soft, and fairly acidic, adding these minerals neutralizes the pH and boosts our mineral intake < read more>.
Apart from this basic approach to water purification, I am skeptical or at least agnostic on the issue of very expensive water devices that claim to make water better. The problem lies with the evidence to back up these claims, as most of it is proprietary research that has not been independently verified. While there may be benefit in using these water machines I will need more to convince me than an MLM enthusiast with a basket of confusing and often technically incomprehensible marketing material. Until then, I’m sticking with tradition and solid science.
In Ayurveda it is believed that there are some additional ways to change the quality of our water. Many people in India still store their water in copper vessels overnight, believing that the copper purifies water. Modern research has verified these claims, showing that enough copper ions are released into the water to elicit measurable and yet safe antibacterial action <read more >. Similarly, water that has been collected and allowed to sit in a crystal vessel and exposed to the rays of the sun all day, and then exposed to the rays of the moon all night, is said to have special healing properties.
If water is consumed in excessive amounts it tends to weaken digestion, and as such, the modern practice of consuming eight glasses of water a day may not appropriate for every person in every circumstance. In this regard, small amounts of room temperature water on a more frequent basis may be better approach, consuming more in summer and less in the other seasons. The best guide to water consumption is to rely on your desire for it (e.g. thirst), and to watch for symptoms associated with dehydration such dryness of the oral cavity, constipation, headache, or low blood pressure. Consuming water before eating inhibits digestive function and promotes weight loss, whereas consuming water after meals is stated to promote congestion and weight gain. Once again, Ayurveda recommends drinking small amounts of water with meals, to enhance digestive function and balances the metabolism. Consuming large amounts of water on an empty stomach has diuretic and mildly laxative properties, and is a good thing to do first thing in the morning, with a little lemon and/or cayenne to augment its cleansing benefits.
Cold water is best to relieve the effects of heat and poison, and is useful for intoxication, exhaustion, fainting, fatigue, vertigo, thirst, heat, and sun stroke. Cold water however is contraindicated in constipation, flatulence, throat diseases, fevers, rhinitis, upper respiratory tract infections, coughs, hiccough, chest pain, urinary tract disorders, cataracts, anorexia, anemia, poor circulation, and tumors. Cold water is especially avoided when eating any fatty food, as it turns the fat into a kind of poison (ama) that the body can’t digestion, e.g. hamburger and a coke, chicken wings and beer, etc. etc. Every once in awhile is probably not an issue, but if you can appreciate and incorporate simple suggestions like this you’ll save yourself some future troubles. Warm water stimulates digestive function, soothes throat irritations, cleanses the urinary tract, relieves hiccough and dispels the excesses of intestinal fermentation such as gas and colic. It is particularly useful in colds, flu and fever. Hot water is contraindicated in physical and mental exhaustion, convulsions, bronchial asthma, hunger, and hemorrhage.
There are still more things to know about water. Water is life after all. But I will just leave you with this. An independent researcher named Masaru Emoto has happened upon what he claims to be a very curious property of water. He found that when water is taken from clean healthy sources and then frozen, the water crystals have a beautiful, regular shape, whereas when water is taken from poor quality sources and then frozen, the crystalline structures are disorganized and broken looking. Further research on Emoto’s part showed that he could also change the types of crystal structure by praying or meditating over the water, or by putting labels on stored water with words such as love, fear, happiness and hate. I can’t explain his research, but it does suggest that water may be linked to our consciousness, that the ocean perhaps isn’t just a metaphor for the continuity of mind, but the literal truth. Water is mind, water is emotion. Something think about this next time you gulp down a glass of water.
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Really interesting and important stuff. Thanks for sharing.