Pharmaceutical drugs have now been found in many cities drinking water.

From the health section at CNN:

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

But the presence of so many prescription drugs — and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health.

The federal government doesn’t require any testing and hasn’t set safety limits for drugs in water.

And the scary news is that users of bottled water and home filtration systems don’t necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry’s main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems. Click here for the Jupiter Biostone filtration report.

Contamination is not confined to the United States. More than 100 different pharmaceuticals have been detected in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and streams throughout the world. Studies have detected pharmaceuticals in waters throughout Asia, Australia, Canada and Europe — even in Swiss lakes and the North Sea.

The environmental effect is frightening, and guess what - no one is accountable for our “downstream” pollution so nobody is doing a thing about it. And make no mistake about it - “Recent laboratory research has found that small amounts of medication have affected human embryonic kidney cells, human blood cells and human breast cancer cells. The cancer cells proliferated too quickly; the kidney cells grew too slowly; and the blood cells showed biological activity associated with inflammation.”

These pharmaceuticals in our water are toxic and are dissolved at such very high dilution levels (in the parts per billion and parts per trillion range) that they are acting like homeopathic treatments. There is an unmistakable similarity to homeopathy, which uses dissolved substances in water at such a high dilution rate that the original substance is virtually undetectable. This processing attempts to remove the “toxic” qualities of the substance and leave behind the essence that is used to treat the problem. Homeopathy is an intelligent system and every treatment is highly specific. Our water supply is blanketing us with many different toxic pharmaceuticals: what do you think is happening to us men who are getting small amounts of hormone replacement therapy, estrogen, and mood stabilizers with every sip of water? I feel like less of a man just thinking about that happening. I for one, will continue to use my Jupiter Melody water filtration system. And if you want one to - I will still pass my discount on to you. Nobody should be without a proper water filtration system nowadays.

City Reports

• The New York state health department and the USGS tested the source of the city’s water, upstate. They found trace concentrations of heart medicine, infection fighters, estrogen, anti-convulsants, a mood stabilizer and a tranquilizer.

• Officials in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city’s watersheds.

• Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications were detected in a portion of the treated drinking water for 18.5 million people in Southern California.

• Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey analyzed a Passaic Valley Water Commission drinking water treatment plant, which serves 850,000 people in Northern New Jersey, and found a metabolized angina medicine and the mood-stabilizing carbamazepine in drinking water.

• A sex hormone was detected in the drinking water of San Francisco, California.

• The drinking water for Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas tested positive for six pharmaceuticals.

This is Dean Kamen’s amazing solution to our polluted water problems and could possibly cut human disease by 50%! The distiller is a chemical-, membrane-, and filter-free water purifier. Kamen claims the box draws pure drinkable water from oceans, poisons—even a 50-gallon drum of urine. This is the video from the Colbert Report. I’m just letting it known to the world that you are the smartest man I want to know - Mr. Stephen Colbert.

Wiki Dean Kamen.

This is the follow-up to the original article on structured water. I’ve managed to enlist myself as a dealer to the best structured water filters I could find. I checked out a bunch of filters that purify, alkalize, and structure the water to make it more hydrating and selected what I think generates the best gallons for the buck. It’s called the Jupiter Melody and it retails for $1250 plus shipping costs. Though I am prohibited from offering a discount online I can throw in a free session if you buy one through me. Click on the link to email me for the details. The free session is for either Structural Integration, massage, acupuncture, or personal training. Now back to the new information.

It’s important to move away from bottled water so as to protect the environment, cut down on transportation pollutions and remove the risks of dioxins and other harmful chemicals that leach from the plastic bottles themselves (even Nalgene bottles are at risk). I guestimate that I spend around $1500 a year on bottled water like Fiji and Icelandic H2O. What a waste. I’ve got my new structured and alkaline water filter up running and it tastes oh so good. I really do feel more hydrated and now that the initial costs are absorbed - its free!

Here is a quick list on bottle plastics:

Avoid:
#3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) commonly contains di-2-ehtylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), an endocrine disruptor and probable human carcinogen, as a softener.

#6 Polystyrene (PS) may leach styrene, a possible endocrine disruptor and human carcinogen, into water and food.

#7 Polycarbonate contains the hormone disruptor bisphenol-A, which can leach out as bottles age, are heated or exposed to acidic solutions. Unfortunately, #7 is used in most baby bottles and five-gallon water jugs and in many reusable sports bottles.

Better Plastics

#1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE), the most common and easily recycled plastic for bottled water and soft drinks, has also been considered the most safe. However, one 2003 Italian study found that the amount of DEHP in bottled spring water increased after 9 months of storage in a PET bottle.

#2 High Density Polyethylene

#4 Low Density Polyethylene

#5 Polypropylene

This is from Daily Grist:

“Recent studies have shown that polycarbonate plastics, including the kind used in popular Nalgene water bottles, may leach one of their constituent chemicals into water. The chemical in question, bisphenol-A, has been shown to cause chromosomal disorders and endocrine disruption and to have adverse effects on prostate development and tumors, breast tissue development, and sperm count — in rodents. Nalgene says that no health problems have been demonstrated in human beings. Still, John P. Myers, environmental health expert and coauthor of a book on endocrine disruptors, says, “I personally recommend avoiding polycarbonate plastics — don’t let them come into contact with your food or water. I think the science is strong enough to justify precautionary measures today.”

It’s important to make a clear distinction that all water is not created equal. And I’m not talking about taste. As a snowflake falls to the ground it has a high coherence of hexagonal structure (6 branches) and when it melts retains this coherence in the hydrogen bonds to other H2O molecules. The unique quality of these hydrogen bonds is that they are incredibly strong and make it a good conductor of electricity and also a good solvent for biological materials. This is because it has small positive charge on the hydrogen end and small negative charge on the oxygen end. Now, why is this important to us? As human beings we are essentially water movers. We are born almost 95% water and if we live long enough, 55% water. To me, aging seems to be a dehydration process. So how do we stay hydrated properly?

We can drink naturally structured water, which comes from very pure places like Icelandic glaciers, or Hawaiian or Fijian springs. This water is easily assimilated and very hydrating. The downside to these bottled waters is the high environmental impact of transportation, plastic manufacturing, and besides the risk of potential carcinogenic chemicals from the plastic seeping into the water. We really don’t need to add to the North Pacific Greyere, a floating mass of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean either. So now what?

There are multiple options for getting bio-available water from the tap. Bio-availablility means water that actually makes it into the cells for proper hydration. I’ve had a Jupiter Microlite for years and like the way it tastes and feels going down the gullet. It alkalizes, ionizes, and filters the water all to the tune of “Home Sweet Home”. I’m upgrading to the Jupiter Melody soon - it features an endless supply of water without having to wait for it to get “processed”. It’s a bit pricy at $1250 but I’m ordering a bunch and I can get a couple of hundred off. I’m happy to pass on any savings if anyone wants one. A friend of mine distributes the Kangen water filters but they are way too pricey (over $3k) for not much benefit. I’m not even sure there is a benefit to the Jupiter brand.

Doctor Terry Grossman and Ray Kurzweil were at first skeptical of a water ionizer’s ability to create alkaline water. So they tested the water themselves with a pH meter and an ORP meter. They concluded, “The negative ions in alkaline water from an electrolysis machine are a rich source of electrons that can be donated to these free radicals in the body, neutralizing them and stopping them from damaging healthy tissues.”

Warning: One of the biggest problems and misconceptions are the benefits of Brita and Pur drinking filters. These company’s boast pure healthy water but what actually happens is the filtered water is turned acidic. My home Ph testing kit revealed that new and used filters can make the water up to 5.5 acidic. Oh my god, this is so scary. With evidence pointing to the health benefits of alkaline diets, drinking neutral or alkaline water should match and increase our health. I think what is happening is that these type of cartridge filters strip all the minerals from the water rendering it acidic whereas ionizing filters organize the minerals into alkaline and acidic and split them into different membranes. You drink the alkaline side of the water and the acidic water goes down the sink. Acidic water can be used for washing things like fruit, bath tubs, or your face. This is what I would use Brita for - but absolutely do not drink it!
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