Water, bottled water, flavored water, spring water, Man we can take anything in this country and market the poop out of it, but what are the facts when it comes down to Health. I only know what I read and Distilled Water is the best. Why? Here are the top three processes in water quality:

Distilled water - has virtually all of its impurities removed through distillation. Distillation involves boiling the water and then condensing the steam into a clean container, leaving nearly all of the solid contaminants behind. Distillation produces very pure water but also leaves behind a leftover white or yellowish mineral scale on the distillation apparatus, which requires that the apparatus be frequently cleaned.

Double distilled water - is prepared by double distillation of water. Historically, it was the standard for highly purified laboratory water for biochemistry and trace analysis until combination methods of purification became widespread.

Deionized water - is water that has had its mineral ions removed, such as cations from sodium, calcium, iron, copper and anions such as chloride and bromide. Deionization is a physical process which uses specially-manufactured ion exchange resins which bind to and filter out the mineral salts from water. Because the majority of water impurities are dissolved salts, deionization produces a high purity water that is generally similar to distilled water, and this process is quick and without scale buildup. However, deionization does not significantly remove uncharged organic molecules, viruses or bacteria, except by incidental trapping in the resin. Specially made strong base anion resins can remove Gram-negative bacteria. Deionization can be done continuously and inexpensively using electrodeionization.

Distilled water should ideally be nothing but hydrogen and oxygen molecules, with a PH level of 7 and no additional gases, minerals or contaminants.The biggest argument, which I agree, is loss of minerals. Anytime I suggest distilled water to anyone I always advise them to supplement with minerals. This seems a small price to pay for having chemical free water.

The other issue we have with any liquid is plastic, the container and heat. Studies have shown that toxins and gases leech into the water when the plastic is warm. Glass is preferred but impractical for travel, the following plastics are tested safe:

• Polypropylene, designated "#5 PP"
• High-density polyethylene, designated "#2HDPE"
• Low-density polyethylene, designated "#4 LDPE"

Bottled water, purified water, filtered water all fall into another class and in some cases tap water is just as good. Remember, when drinking distilled water, especially for long periods, take mineral supplements to replace whats been depleted.

So why all the fuss about water? It goes in it comes out, but the Kidneys have to deal with the filtering of water and liquids. The following are symptoms of kidney problems:

Chronic Kidney Disease Symptoms

Kidneys disease may progress without symptoms for a long time until only very minimal kidney function is left. Kidney disease can affect the body in many different ways. Symptoms vary greatly. Notably, most patients have no decrease in urine output even with very advanced chronic kidney disease.

• Fatigue and weakness (from anemia or accumulation of waste products in the body)
• Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting
• Need to urinate frequently, especially at night
• Swelling of the legs and puffiness around the eyes (fluid retention)
• Itching, easy bruising, and pale skin (from anemia)
• Headaches, numbness in the feet or hands (peripheral neuropathy), disturbed sleep, altered mental status (encephalopathy from the accumulation of waste products or uremic poisons), and restless legs syndrome
• High blood pressure, chest pain due to pericarditis (inflammation around the heart)
• Shortness of breath from fluid in lungs
• Bleeding (poor blood clotting)
• Bone pain and fractures
• Decreased sexual interest and erectile dysfunction

Besides the common urine tests the following blood tests are done:

Creatinine and urea (BUN) in the blood

Estimated GFR

Electrolyte levels and acid-base balance

Blood cell counts

Anything we can do to take the stress of our kidneys, such a simple change as distilled water should be considered. Natural cures are always best, research from Italy has shown vitamin C and vitamin E can reduce kidney cancer risk by over 40%. A Homeopathic Doctor should be consulted to make sure you have the right balance of supplements for your system.

One question that's coming up more and more is, is bottled drinking water safe? The answer in the majority of cases seems to be No. To explain this lets look at the water first.

Case studies show that most bottled water is just tap water filtered. This doesn't filter out certain chemicals like chlorine. Also, microscopic metallic particles can bypass filter units and end up in the bottled water. In fact, there was a high school project where a student did an analysis of toilet water verses bottled water, you already know the results, the toilet water was cleaner.

Bottled Drinking Water Container Safety

The bigger issue with bottled water is the containers. Plastics are categorized by number. A thick #7 plastic container is proven safe for storing water, the other lower numbers are not.

Most bottled drinking water containers are those thin cheap plastic ones. There are a couple of issues with this. The packaging, storage and transportation of these bottles are unknown until they reach the store shelves. These pallets of drinking water could have been sitting in the heat, which creates leakage of toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing of the plastic bottles.

If your lucky enough to still get a clean bottle of water, then your own habits of leaving your water out in the sunlight still poses a risk of leakage.

Using a #7 plastic container, stainless steel or glass is recommended for transporting water when you go out and about. It's inexpensive and any way you can reduce toxins from entering your body should be considered.