APPENDIX ONE

WATER AND HEALTH

Water plays an essential part in health and healing. It is the source of either good health or of sickness. Our bodies literally run on water, so we ought to be drinking the best-quality water for our health. In developed countries, public water supplies are often unhealthy. They come mostly from underground sources, often laced with agricultural chemicals, heavy metals, and other toxins.

Many of the physical pollutants are filtered out by water authorities, but at the price of adding chlorine, fluoride, or other chemicals that can damage our bodies in the long term. In addition, the subtle energy of these pollutants are not removed by physical filtering and have to be dealt with by a quantum technique (for instance, Nature’s method—the vortex).

Tragically, 35 percent of the world’s population does not have access to drinkable water, never mind good-quality water.

QUALITIES OF DIFFERENT WATERS

Although good water is tasteless, without color or smell, it quenches our thirst like nothing else. In order to be healthy, we need to drink, according to most authorities, from five to nine pints (one or two liters) of good-quality water a day. Some types of water are more suitable for drinking than others. High-quality water should contain elements of both earth origin (female) and atmospheric (male).

Distilled Water

This is considered physically and chemically to be the purest form of water. Its nature is to extract or attract to itself all the substances it needs to become mature and therefore absorb everything within reach. Such water should not be drunk every day. The Kneipp cure uses distilled water for its short-term therapeutic effect, where it acts to purge the body of excessive deposits of particular substances. There is controversy about its safety. Some medical authorities justify the drinking of distilled water by asserting that only the unusable minerals are leached out of the body. I advise caution.

Rainwater

As long as it has not been affected by industrial pollution (acid rain), rainwater is the purest naturally available water. Though slightly richer through the absorption of atmospheric gases, like distilled water it is still unsuitable for drinking over the long term. When drunk as melted snow, it can also give rise to certain deficiencies; and if no other water is available it can on occasion result in goiter, the enlargement of the thyroid gland.

Juvenile Water

The symbol H_2O represents pure or distilled water. Schauberger called this water juvenile, because it has no developed character or qualities. When it is immature, water absorbs minerals with a voracious appetite, then gives back much-needed nourishment to its environment when it matures as a mountain spring. Juvenile water is immature water from deep underground sources, such as geysers. It has not mellowed sufficiently during its passage through the ground. It has not developed a mature structure and contains some minerals (geospheric elements) but few gases (atmospheric elements), so as drinking water, it is not very high grade (as compared to most spa waters, which arise from mineral rich depths). It becomes mature when it is suitably enriched with raw material, what we call “impurities,” on which other organisms depend for their energy and life.

Surface Water

Water from dams and reservoirs contains some minerals and salts absorbed through contact with the soil and the atmosphere. Its quality deteriorates through exposure to the sun, to excessive warming, and to chemicals and other pollutants. Although most urban communities now depend on this source, generally speaking it is not good quality water.

Groundwater

Groundwater has a higher quality due to a larger amount of dissolved carbones and other trace salts.*71 This is water emanating from lower levels, seeping out at the surface after passage along an impervious rock surface. Often this is now polluted by the chemicals of industrial agriculture.

Spring Water

True spring water has a large amount of dissolved carbones and minerals. Its high quality is often revealed by its shimmering, vibrant bluish color. The product of infiltrating rainwater (with a full complement of atmospheric gases) and geospheric water (full complement of minerals, salts, and trace elements), this is the best water for drinking, and it often retains this quality in the upper reaches of a mountain stream. Commercially bottled spring water is unfortunately not always of the best quality, even if it is bottled in glass rather than the plastic that impairs its quality; and much does not emanate from true springs.

Other Groundwater

Aquifer water is obtained from boreholes and is of unpredictable quality. It may be saline, brackish, or fresh. Water from wells can vary from good to poor, depending on how deep the well is and what stratum of water is tapped. Wells can be polluted by nitrates and herbicides, but they can be purified with a vortex filtration system.

WATER TRANSPORT

It was not until the nineteenth century in Europe that priority was given to building sewers to remove waste. Before then, public hygiene was not a high priority. There was little understanding of the connection between water and health.

The Romans made wooden water pipes to let water “breathe” but drank wine from lead tankards. Pipes made of lead caused much illness for centuries. More recently, iron or steel pipes were lined with aluminum to prevent rust. It is no wonder that we still have a metal toxicity problem with our water supply. Make sure whatever filter you use removes heavy metals (see below).

Bottled Water

The United States spends $16 billion per year on bottled water, and we drink an average of 28.3 gallons per person (2007). With an average price of $1.29 for a 16-ounce bottle, it is far more expensive than gasoline. People seem to believe that bottled water is healthier than what comes from the tap, but this is not necessarily true. There are much stricter regulations regarding tap water purity than there are for bottled water (see box). There is little evidence that bottled water is healthier, but this must depend on the tap water being compared. However, it is easy to filter and reenergize tap water to make it healthy and drinkable, and this need not be costly.

Health scares involving some of the better known brands—for example, benzene in Perrier in 1989, bromate in Dasani in 2004, and naphthalene in Volvic in 2005—and the occasional appearance of nitrates don’t seem to have deterred people. The temptation to extend shelf life and make the water taste more interesting has led to the addition of preservatives and flavorings (not always listed on the label) that usually come from petrochemicals and often include neurotoxins, carcinogens, benzoates, and artificial sweeteners. Many of the brands have a high mineral content, which, over time, can put a strain on the kidneys.1 Much commercial bottled water in the United States is actually tap water that has been refiltered.

Bottled Water versus Tap Water

The rule that city tap water must not contain E.coli or fecal coliform bacteria does not apply to bottled water, nor is bottled watered required to be filtered or disinfected, as is city water. City tap water is required to meet standards for certain toxic or cancer-causing chemicals, like phthalate (a chemical that can leach from plastic bottles); the industry persuaded the FDA to exempt bottled water from these requirements. Similar rules apply in Britain.

Municipal water supply companies must tell consumers what is in their water. The bottling industry successfully killed this “right to know” requirement for bottled water.

Perhaps more obvious, but seldom considered, is the fact that chemicals can leach out of the plastic into the water, particularly in strong light or warmer temperatures, or especially with reuse. Plastic bottles do not easily break down or recycle, so they are a major environmental problem, whether in landfill sites, on beaches, or in the ocean (for instance, the North Pacific gyre) and produce significant pollution when burned.*72

If you’re going to drink bottled water, choose a glass bottle and don’t assume it’s always good quality. You can fill a stainless steel screw-top thermos at home to take with you during the day, but glass is really the best type of container to use.

A good water filter, preferably plumbed-in, will remove physical pollutants (check to see what it does and does not remove) and reenergize and restructure the water to deal with the energies of those pollutants that the filter can’t remove. The cost is a fraction of bottled water.

WATER PURIFICATION

We are all concerned about the quality of our drinking water. We hear that municipal water is recycled in the bigger cities, and in London and New York as many as twenty times. But it is filtered, isn’t it? So it must be safe. Yes, it is filtered, but that doesn’t remove all the germs, so chlorine is added. Viktor Schauberger did a lot of research on the effects of chlorine. We looked at chlorination and fluoridation in chapter 7.

Alkalinity

A water ionizer separates alkaline from acidic water by electrolysis. The minerals with negative ions (for instance, magnesium and calcium) are attracted by the positive electric anode, making that part of the water alkaline; while the negative cathode attracts the acid part of the water.

Alkaline water has a high oxygen reduction potential (ORP) that can neutralize free oxygen radicals, the source of much disease and premature aging. Many chronic diseases are encouraged by excess acidity in the body, which often stems from poor diet and lifestyle.

Conventional medical opinion is skeptical of the benefits of drinking alkaline water. It would be unwise to make generalizations about its possible benefit, because the reaction must be individual. Too much alkaline water is undoubtedly harmful to some; it must be a question of moderation and balance. Taking it between meals when the stomach acids are less active is preferable. (Alkaline water made from bicarbonate does not have the all-important ORP.)

Distillation

Distillation is an ancient process of vaporizing water so that the pure water molecules are separated as steam from the contaminants, which have a higher boiling point. The steam is allowed to condense through tubes into another container. The distillation process removes minerals, viruses, bacteria, and any chemicals that have a higher boiling point than water.

It has been used for centuries in the making of whisky and other spirits, and in the 1970s was a popular method of home water purification. Distillation is often used as the preferred water purification method in developing nations or areas where the risk of waterborne disease is high, due to its unique capability to remove bacteria and viruses from drinking water.

However, there are reasons why distillation should not be used to treat water for drinking. It does not remove chemicals that have a lower boiling point than water, such as chlorine or its by-products; or volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), such as herbicides and insecticides, which have a lower boiling point than water. Municipal treatment of water removes bacteria and some heavy metals, but does not remove VOCs; nor does distillation, which many who still use it mistakenly believe.

The mineral-free water produced by distillation is acidic, and can be quite dangerous to the body. Acidic drinking water can dissolve the essential mineral constituents from bones and teeth. In addition, distillation is incredibly wasteful. Eighty percent of the water is removed and discarded with the contaminants, leaving only one gallon of purified water for every five gallons treated. This may be fine with sea water, but not justified with precious fresh water.

Distilled water has an important use in scientific experiments and in some industries that require mineral-free water. It removes heavy metal materials such as lead, arsenic, and mercury; and hardening agents, such as calcium and phosphorous.

Viktor Schauberger was adamant that drinking distilled water was undesirable. He called it “immature” water that is aggressive and “hungry,” and can be destructive. When its energy is raised through vorticizing, this unpredictable quality can be magnified (like a young child’s). This is why we advise against trying to restructure it through vorticizing. (Distilled water can’t be ionized.)

Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis is a modern system for purifying water. It was developed about forty years ago as a treatment for desalinating seawater. It seemed to be the answer for water purification at home, and was popular in the 1970s as a cheaper alternative to distillation.

In natural osmosis, water tends to migrate through a semipermeable membrane from a weaker to a stronger saline solution, balancing the saline composition of each solution. The reverse osmosis process also employs a semipermeable membrane, but water is forced through it under pressure.

The membrane blocks the passage of salt particles, which are physically larger than water molecules. It is widely thought to be the answer to water purification, because it also removes larger particles of other contaminants: lead, manganese, iron, calcium, and the dangerous fluoride that is sometimes added by municipal authorities.

However, there is a downside to this method. Reverse osmosis does not remove smaller particle contaminants, such as VOCs, which include chlorine. Like distillation, reverse osmosis removes alkaline mineral constituents of water and produces the acidic water that can dissolve calcium and other essential mineral constituents from bones and teeth. The removal of trace elements of minerals leaves drinking water tasteless and unhealthy. Taking supplements is not a convincing solution, for they are not delivered in the balanced form the body requires.

Reverse osmosis, although less wasteful than distillation, is still a most inefficient process. On average, it wastes three gallons of water for every one gallon of purified water it produces. Reverse osmosis was not used in Schauberger’s day, but his criticisms of distillation would apply to osmotic filters.

WATER FILTERS

There is a wide variety of drinking water filters available, and the ones that cost $340 or more are no better than others selling for less than $170. You’ll need to know the quality and content of your water to choose the appropriate filter. (See Links and Resources.)

A good filter removes bacteria and suspended solids, heavy metals, chlorine and chemicals, and dissolved organic matter. The better brands offer alternative cartridges for specialized problems like fluoride, excessive agrochemicals, and calcium.

The Basic Filter Jug

This type of unit uses granulated carbon. It removes chlorine, some chemicals, mercury, large parasites, and particles. Advantage: cheap initial cost. Disadvantages: short cartridge life; won’t remove bacteria, some heavy metals, asbestos, or radioactive material.

Plumbed-in Filters

Under-sink units come with a separate sink faucet and cartridges (most are easy to install yourself).

• Carbon block and activated carbon filters remove what the basic jug does, and also dissolved organic matter, such as pesticides and other chemicals, oil residues, and some radioactive substances. Advantages: usually relatively good value, long-lasting cartridge. Disadvantages: some of these do not remove heavy metals, fluoride, or viruses. However, some water filters offer a combination of cartridges that may include removal of: fluoride, nitrates, excess calcium or iron, and heavy metals.
• Ion exchange cartridge removes most heavy metals. It is often incorporated in a general purpose cartridge.
• Ceramic (often silver coated for antibiotic results) removes finer particles than the carbon does. A ceramic filter is usually more expensive.
• Negative ionization makes water more alkaline. It is widely believed that acidity produced by processed foods, drugs, stress, and pollution is a major cause of illness. We take the view, however, that eating more alkaline food (and less acidic) is a more successful way of balancing the body’s pH than through expensive water ionization.
• Magnetizing water breaks up the normally tight structure of water molecules. This allows the body to absorb a greater amount of oxygen and hydrogen. Magnets also reduce the tendency of hard water to deposit chalky sediment. Magnets are also used to increase the efficiency of fuel oils as they also loosen the molecular structure of oils.
• Distillation and reverse osmosis are not recommended, for the reasons given above. The exception would be a specific medical need for immature, pure water. We favor retaining the minerals, salts, and trace elements as far as possible to maintain the water’s maturity, while removing the dangerous metals and chemicals. It is really not practical to replace minerals artificially in distilled or osmotic water.
• Shower filter: Most showers use less water than a bath, but we still absorb chlorine and other chemicals through our skin. Chlorine also evaporates as chloroform, which can make us drowsy. A shower filter will greatly reduce these effects. It need not be expensive or reduce the pressure, and should improve alkalinity. If you don’t want to plumb-in a whole-house filter, this might be a good idea.
• Point-of-entry whole-house filters provide filtered water to all baths, showers, and washing machines. When you filter all of the water entering your home, you improve not only the healthfulness of the water, but the indoor air quality as well, as it stops chemicals vaporizing (for instance, from your clothes in the washing machine). This reduces the risk of respiratory problems (see box). A whole house filter need not be a big investment. Do shop around, because the expensive ones may not be any better than those more reasonably priced. (See Links and Resources.)
• Imploded water energy harmonizerss, produced by the Center for Implosion Research (CIR), are by-products of Viktor Schauberger’s technology. They create highly energized water spiraling in copper tubes that have been formed into beautiful organic sculptures. CIR has energy harmonizers for both personal and environmental protection from electromagnetic pollution. One type will clear algae growth or reduce calcification of water pipes.2

Chloroform Gas in the Home

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): “Every home in America has an elevated level of chloroform gas present due to the vaporization of chlorine . . . from tap and shower water.” Chlorine vapors are an irritant that can cause respiratory problems, such as asthma, bronchitis, and allergies. Point-of-entry, whole-house filtration effectively reduces chlorine, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and other chemicals that vaporize (for instance, from clothes in the washing machine) and contaminate the indoor air.

Water Restructuring

Nature does not destroy; it recycles. Nature purifies water by means of the vortex (see chapter 12), which raises the dynamic energy level of the water to that approaching, or higher than, our own intercellular water. This is the best form of water to drink. It means that the body will have to work less hard to produce quantum water, and will maintain a higher level of subtle energy in the body.

Some products claim that water spun counterclockwise (left spin) is harmful (“negative”). This is incorrect. Nature’s way of raising energy is to induce an oscillating movement alternating between negative (yin) and positive (yang) electromagnetic qualities. (See introduction.) Each change of direction of spin raises the energy slightly, with cumulative effect. With energies, the term “negative” refers to polarity, not to quality (see chapter 19).

There are some filters available that include a vortexing function, but they are expensive and may not do what you want. In our house, we pour water from our plumbed-in filter into either a vortex jug or a double-egg vortexer.

HEALTH ASPECTS OF LIVING WATER

The essential requirements for living water are that it should be:

• Clean: free of biological or chemical contamination and harmful energies, (which increase oxidization and free radicals)
• Mineralized: especially magnesium, calcium, and trace minerals, which will produce greater alkalinity
• Composed of smaller or looser molecular clusters: (micro water or magnetized water) gives low surface tension—and easier absorption
• Abundant with negative hydrogen: produces a higher antioxidant potential
• Energized: with positive, beneficial etheric energies, best achieved through vorticizing

Polluting Energy

The energies of hospital wastes and hormones, such as estrogen, are not removed by filters, but can be neutralized through vorticizing.

Humidifiers (and Negative Ionizers)

Many people overheat their homes with central heating, which can render indoor air dry and unhealthy. An electric humidifier can be combined with the use of bactericidal essential oils to stop the spread of infection from people with colds or bronchitis. (A negative ionizer will also improve the indoor environment, especially in hot weather.)

Minerals

Water normally supplies a substantial part of the minerals we need. Many of our soils now suffer from mineral depletion, so that we receive less nutrition from our food. We would be wise to take as supplements those minerals in which we are deficient. (Hair analysis is usually a reliable way to determine deficiencies.)

Hydrotherapy

The tradition of water immersion goes back millennia, sometimes as a ritual for spiritual purification, but also very much for health. For Romans, the spa culture was an essential element in their social lives. Warmer water is particularly beneficial for sore bodies, arthritis, and physical recuperation.

Thalassotherapy is a specialized variation practiced with sea water, popular on the west coast of France, and on the Dead and Red Seas. It is considered beneficial for skin and circulatory disorders, as well as joint stiffness and arthritis.

The Turkish bath involves a steam room and a sweat room, followed by a cold plunge and a massage. The Scandinavian sauna is a steam bath often followed by a cold plunge. And in Japan, the wood-fired ofuro is a time-honored tradition.

Inhalation

This is an effective way of helping sinus or head cold symptoms. Place a few drops of an appropriate essential oil on the surface of a bowl of just boiled water, and put a towel over your head. Alternatively, an electric face steamer is a worthwhile purchase. Similarly, a neti pot is very effective for nasal irrigation.

Colonic Irrigation

This detoxifying therapy, dating as far back as Hippocrates, uses a (pressurized) water enema to cleanse the colon.

USING WATER AT HOME

You may live in a part of the country with plenty of rainfall, so why worry about water use?

Rainfall patterns are becoming less predictable, our population is growing, and our lifestyles are changing—we use 70 percent more water than we did forty years ago. In Southern California, investment is now being committed to distilling fresh water from the ocean. In southeast England (Kent), water supplies are so critically short that using nuclear power to distill seawater is being considered.

Water meters are becoming more common, with the incentive to reduce needless use.

Calculating Water Usage

The big users are:

A bath = 21 gallons

Five-minute power shower = 24 gallons

Five-minute ordinary shower = 9 gallons

Washing machine = 16 gallons

Dishwasher = 11 gallons

Hose or sprinkler = 143 gallons/hour

Tips on Water Economy

• Never leave a tap running. A dripping tap can waste more than 1,450 gallons a year.
• Store cold water in the refrigerator rather than waiting for the tap to run cold. Cold water has greater dynamic energy.
• When you make a cup of tea, fill the kettle only as much as you need.
• By installing dual-flush or slimline toilets, buying water-efficient appliances, and using low-flow taps, you can easily reduce your water consumption by 25 percent.
• Consider installing a whole house dechlorinating filter, which will make your home environment much healthier.
• Save even more by doing your dishes in a bowl in the sink; the same with a few clothes. Half-load washing machine programs are uneconomical in terms of water, energy, and cost.
• In temperate climates, the average roof collects enough of rain per year to fill 450 water butts with free water. (One water butt equals 126 gallons.)Use this for watering your garden, rather than wasting treated drinking water. It’s a good plan to have a second butt to catch overflow from the first.
• Use a watering can for your plants. A sprinkler uses a lot of water.
• Water your plants early in the morning or late in the evening to reduce evaporation. Direct water to the roots of plants and give then a good, deep soak; twice weekly is enough, even in warm weather.
• Use gray water (from sinks, dishwasher, bath, washing machine) on flowers, but preferably not on vegetables.
• Group your vegetables according to their water need: leafy ones require the most, zucchini and cucumbers when their fruit begins to swell; root vegetables require the least.
• Build up the organic content of your soil by using lots of compost made from garden waste, vegetable and fruit peel and trimmings, paper, and cardboard.
• Mulch on the surface of the soil keeps the soil moist. Strips of cardboard or carpet will also keep down the weeds. The less you dig, hoe, and disturb the soil, the more efficiently will the organically rich humus thrive and retain the fertility and moisture of the soil. Permaculture is the most water-efficient method of gardening.