Water ionizer

A water ionizer is an appliance that filters and ionizes water.

How It Works

The Electrolysis device electrolyses the water (see Electrolysis of water). This takes place in the electrolysis chamber, which is divided into two compartments by a diaphragm or membrane. One side has positive electrodes (cathode) and the other has negative electrodes (anode). It produces two flows one with a high ORP (at the cathode) and the other with a low ORP (at the anode), it also re-arranges the minerals in the water, according to their electrical charge.

Originally when experiments^ in Japan began to indicate potential health benefits of reduced water, the original explanations went to the notion of alkalinity, because it was the most obvious property of the cathodic outflow. This theory was advanced among others by Dr. Hidemitsu Hayashi, a cardiologist at Kiowa Hospital. Later, research began to focus on the potential antioxidant properties of the water (Prof. Sanetake Sirahata, of Kyushu University), in collaboration with Dr. Hayashi and others (see also Hydrogen Rich Water Saves Mankind by H. Hayashi M.D. & M. Kawamura M.D., October 1999, Tokyo).

Simultaneously, what happens with the mineral load of the water, is as follows: when the filtered water enters the electrolysis chamber, the negative electrodes attract the positive alkaline minerals to their compartment; while the positive electrodes attract the negative acid minerals to theirs. So one side has only alkaline minerals and the other only acid, at which point alkaline water flows out from the Ionizer’s top outlet, and acid water from the bottom.

In the past it was thought that the alkaline water contains the minerals essential to our health – calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and silicon. It was thought that the health benefits flowed from the fact that this water was therefore highly beneficial in neutralizing body acids. Modern understanding focuses however on the antioxidant potential of the reduced water.

Acid water on the other hand can be used in place of hydrogen peroxide and vinegar, e.g. for washing vegetables. It has a shortage of electrons giving it the ability to oxidize and sterilize. It also seems to contain hypochlorous acid, resulting from the oxidation of the chlorine present in the source water, and thus is equally effective for sterilization as water to which a certain proportion of Clorox has been added.

You can use a simple pH test kit to assess the alkalinity or acidity of the water. Most Ionizers include this. You can also test alkaline water's oxidation reduction potential, with an ORP meter.

Criticisms

A common manufacturer's claim is that in non-ionized water, water molecules form tightly bound clusters, and that ionizing water breaks up those clusters. Manufacturers claim that ionized water is more readily absorbed by the body than ordinary water, and that minerals in ionized water are more readily available to the body. There is an element of truth to the first part; water molecules are held together by hydrogen bonding, and (especially in the presence of cations) can form clusters (see chelation).

Critics argue that water ionizers have no permanent effect on water. Water spontaneously self-ionizes to 10^-14 M under normal conditions. If the concentration of these ions is increased (hydroxide and hydronium), then they will react with each other to restore the original concentration. The reaction is very rapid (strong acids and strong bases completely react with each other in seconds, so hydronium hydroxide (or ionized water) should have a half life measured in fractions of a second (or, at best, a few seconds). If the water is removed from normal conditions (e.g. heated) the concentrations may be increased slightly, but not very much, and are reversed when the water is returned to standard conditions. Therefore, water ionizers cannot increase the concentrations of these ions for a significant time, without the addition of oppositely-charged ions, to produce an electrostatically neutral solution.

Support from Medical Doctors about Safety

Research by Prof. Sirahata of Japan of Kyushu University (c.f. Electrolyzed-reduced water scavenges active oxygen species, and protects DNA against oxydative damage, in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (BBRC) 237/4.1997). Shirahata's research demonstrates that redox potential of the water does have a value as an antioxidant.

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.

References

• Electrolyzed-reduced water scavenges active oxygen species and protects DNA from oxidative damage. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1997 May 8;234(1):269-74. Shirahata S, Kabayama S, Nakano M, Miura T, Kusumoto K, Gotoh M, Hayashi H, Otsubo K, Morisawa S, Katakura Y.

• The mechanism of the enhanced antioxidant effects against superoxide anion radicals of reduced water produced by electrolysis. Biophys Chem. 2004 Jan 1;107(1):71-82. Hanaoka K, Sun D, Lawrence R, Kamitani Y, Fernandes G.

• Electrolyzed-reduced water protects against oxidative damage to DNA, RNA, and protein. Appl Biochem Biotechnol.2006 Nov;135(2):133-44. Lee MY, Kim YK, Ryoo KK, Lee YB, Park EJ.

See also

• Electrolyzed water

External links

• http://heartspring.net/water_clinical_studies.html A collection of research abstracts about electrolyzed-reduced water.