Water

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SOME OF MY FONDEST memories of my years at primary school concern story time and I remember once hearing a story about a shipwreck. The ship’s crew had taken to the lifeboats and after drifting aimlessly for several days their supply of drinking water was getting dangerously low. Water rations were curtailed to the bare minimum as the survivors were well aware that without fresh water they would not stand a chance of staying alive until their rescuers showed up. To a young impressionable mind such as mine, the sailors’ anxiety seemed unwarranted because, after all, they were drifting in a wide expanse of water. At that age one may be excused for not realising that none of this water could fulfil their needs. It is so easily taken for granted that we merely have to turn on the tap and water will pour out. Thus we tend to forget that water is a vital elixir of life, without which we would be in dire trouble. Water is not only important for drinking, but it also proves its value in many forms of remedial application. Indeed, we can use water as a life-saver, but only if this water is pure and natural.

Magnetic fields surrounding the earth cause falling raindrops to fragment into spray and this phenomenon ‘activates’ water. This active water makes minerals soluble. Water is of the greatest importance to our existence. Without water not only would the land be barren and any form of agriculture impossible, but also human and animal life would be unimaginable. Hence, without water there would be no life. Water is one of the three necessities of life: water, air and food — three absolute essentials that are so much taken for granted. The most obvious uses of water are for drinking, for cooking and for our personal hygiene. Rarely do we stop to think that in today’s industrialised society water has become an expensive commodity. The use of water has increased so much that, while the water reserves on this planet remain constant, we are in danger of reaching the stage when the demand for water cannot be met.

Water is of vital importance to our health. Not only is it a medicine for people who are sick, but it is also important that those who are healthy drink at least 1 litre of liquid a day, and better still, 2 litres each day. What is of equal importance in our modern society is that the water we drink is of an acceptable quality. Our very existence depends on the quality of our environment, and the latter, unfortunately, is under constant threat from adverse atmospheric influences. It is sad to reflect on mankind’s negligence in its regard for the three sources of energy: water, air and food.

* We frequently hear about food contamination, such as bacterial infections etc., through the media. Just think of the recurring reports on salmonella outbreaks, especially the salmonella-infected eggs scare in 1989. We have also lived through the panic surrounding the possible link between soft cheeses and listeria.

* The dangers of air pollution also receive considerable publicity through the reporting of damage to the ozone layer caused by excessive exhaust gases and the use of CFC gases in aerosol sprays and refrigerators.

* The facts of water pollution, however, are often sidestepped or overlooked and it is specifically these issues I want to deal with in this book.

Yet the scope of this book goes beyond the issues concerning the pollution of our water supplies, important though these are; I wish to discuss all aspects of water, including its positive remedial and therapeutic properties and how we can exploit water as a natural resource for improving our health.

While I was still quite young I was fortunate to be taught about some of the functions that water can perform in natural healing practices by my grandmother, who was a dedicated advocate of the Kneipp methods. Water is a natural medicine that is important for the whole body and should represent a part of our daily routine in the interests of our health. Without water our reserves of energy would quickly and drastically diminish. We have all experienced at some time or other, when we are feeling tired or a bit listless, how a long drink of cold water can give us just that little lift we need. Also, if we take a bath at the end of a hard day, we will feel reinvigorated; equally, at the start of a new day, taking a shower or bath will make us feel bright and alert, ready to tackle whatever lies ahead.

However, I would like to think that I am not alone in wondering about what has been happening to our water and how badly mankind has interfered with this gift from nature. The Water Act of 1989 has now come into force with its many regulations, some of which will undoubtedly affect the consumer. The standards that have been set by the World Health Organisation (see here) are most important, yet the threat of pollution remains with us at all times. The source of water may differ from one country to another and even from one area to another within any given country. Yet even rainwater that is filtered through chalk and therefore comparatively free from pollution is still subsequently interfered with through chemical additives that impair its purity.

Surely we must all agree with the statement that without good health it is hard to enjoy life to the full. Indeed, fortunes are made from our desire to achieve optimum health and fitness. Our body comprises such a great deal of water that we cannot deny the fact that we indeed resemble a mobile quantity of water:

Moreover, water plays a very important role in the vital functions of the body, e.g. digestion, circulation, lubrication, elimination, absorption and regulation. It will therefore be clear why it is so important that the quality of our water should be up to a desirable standard.

We have all heard the saying ‘You are what you eat’. The other day I was driving behind an enormous truck which displayed the message ‘You are what you drink!’. Nowadays, this concept is less far-fetched than ever before, because it has become clear that impaired water can easily induce health problems. Not all water is of equal quality; we know that because of differences in its taste and smell, and most of us have a preference or dislike for tap water in specific areas of the country. Other differences in water quality, however, cannot be spotted by sight, taste or smell. We need to be able to trust that when we turn on the tap the water that comes gushing out will not endanger our health. Remember that our body constitutes an intricate system of arteries and blood vessels and that our health depends on an efficient circulatory system. We know that 92 per cent of our blood — the river of our life — is made up of water, and it is the water in the blood that carries nourishment to the cells throughout the body and transports toxins away from the cells for elimination. The right quality of water can enable the blood to perform the vital tasks it is expected to do.

To maintain good health we require good water, good food and good air and ensuring their supply is the simplest do-it-yourself method for maintaining good health. In the case of water, therefore, ensuring its quality merits a great deal of care and attention. In many areas of our daily life we have a free choice. We can choose to make alterations to our home, or change our car, or we can select our favourite food. However, to put it in a nutshell, we are unable to choose the water that is piped into our homes. The Department of Health won a major battle some years ago when a law was passed requiring that all packaging of cigarettes carry the warning that smoking can damage our health, and yet the British water authorities are not obliged to issue similar warnings even though in many areas of the country doing so would not be out of place.

Pure water is a versatile component of all natural healing methods. In this context it is interesting to point out that there are at least five areas in the world where it is not unusual for people’s natural life-span to extend beyond one hundred years, in good health. The local inhabitants of these areas will tell you that it is their water that holds the secret of their prolonged life. Whether this is true or not, it is nevertheless interesting to note that in these areas, such as Tibet, Mongolia, Ecuador and Peru, the water is rich in natural colloids and organic poly-electrolytes. The discovery of colloidal structures in the water in Hunza Land, where the locals are renowned for their longevity, has also been greeted with excitement by scientists.

The World Health Organisation advises that we drink a minimum of eight glasses of water every day. This is indeed sound advice, but let us make sure that the water we drink is of a quality that is not substandard. Both the quantity and the quality of our drinking water are vital in the determination of a healthy life. To ensure that the supply of our drinking water is fit for consumption by our children and further generations to come, drastic measures will be required to protect our environment. To safeguard ourselves for the future we have to ensure that our drinking water is kept as natural as possible.

In my book Viruses, Allergies and the Immune System, I wrote about an elderly farmer and his wife who were undoubtedly the victims of allergic reactions to substandard water, which in this case had been contaminated by pesticides and other chemicals. The effects were seen clearly in the farmer, who was affected by Parkinson’s disease, while his wife had fallen victim to the virus myalgic encephalomyelitis (also known as ME or post-viral syndrome). It is generally difficult to establish conclusively whether the water authorities are guilty of establishing or condoning chemical pollution and we must therefore stay alert at all times. If it is true that Alzheimer’s disease, as is feared, is yet another water-borne health problem, is it possible that the aluminium content in the water has any bearing? Many a time when I see a patient who suffers from persistent problems, I wonder to what extent these can be ascribed to toxicity of the water.

Certainly, many rural areas are still serviced by lead water pipes. Yet in the Scottish Highlands, for example, there still exist sources of crystal clear water. I have been given a little device, issued by the Highland Spring Water distributors, which tells us exactly in which areas we find high contents of aluminium, lead, nitrates, pesticides, triahlomethanes etc. in the water. Please let us refrain from unnecessary interference with our water, and try instead to keep it unspoilt.

It must be reassuring to know that, as a rule, we may consider our tap water safe to drink and that it poses minimal health risks. Yet let us never make the assumption that tap water is, and will remain, completely safe for consumption, even if we invest in filters for our domestic use. We owe it to our families and to society in general to accept our responsibility to take an active interest in ensuring that the water from our taps will remain safe to use. Investigative research remains necessary and I hope that in some ways this book can help the reader to realise what can be done with nature’s wonderful gift for the benefit of mankind — H₂O.

HOW CAN WE BE SURE that tap water will not endanger our health? It is very important that we know what has happened to the water we drink. On several occasions I have turned on the tap and brown water has trickled out. When I subsequently telephoned the water authorities they would respond: ‘Well, it may be difficult, but we’ll see what can be done about it.’ Then, a few days later, the appearance of the water from the tap would change from brown to a milky opaque liquid. Still more chemicals must have been added to try and purify the existing supply of water. Is this the right answer or are we merely spoiling the water supply further by adding even more chemicals?

Does the Water Act of 1989 truly supply us with the assurance we seek that the water being discharged from our taps can be considered safe with regard to our health? Certainly, I don’t doubt that the water authorities are doing their best; nevertheless, we should not shrink from the task of making them responsible to the general public because, after all, we are the consumers and as such we have the right to expect the authorities to act in our best interests.

A perfect example of the far-reaching effects ordinary tap water can have on our health can be experienced by many of us if we spend our holidays in a foreign country. Many tourists suffer from constipation during their holidays, for which the change of water is often blamed. More tourists, however, especially if visiting southern countries with a hot climate, experience the opposite to this complaint, i.e. loose bowels or diarrhoea — again blamed on the drinking water. With an often superior attitude we then claim that the water supply in those holiday resorts is of a substandard quality. Let me tell you of the time I was involved in a practice in Birmingham in the Midlands, an area that has seen a recent influx of Asian immigrants. Countless newly arrived Asians fell ill during their first weeks in this country and attended the clinic with problems such as colitis, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, skin irritations and headaches. It did not take me long to discover that most of these complaints were the result of the change in the drinking water, and when the patients followed my instructions to use only bottled water, their problems were soon solved.

Only a short while ago, at my practice in Lancashire, I saw quite a few patients who had suddenly become ill, suffering from ’flu-like symptoms coupled with a rise in body temperature, while a large percentage also reported skin irritations. Eventually, it became known that the local tap water had been contaminated and a large number of the local population were suffering some rather unpleasant side-effects as a result. This experience provides yet another example of why interference with this valuable commodity should not be tolerated.

Public concern for the safety and quality of our public water supply will bring great pressure to bear on the newly privatised water authorities. Supporters of privatisation believe that the local authorities will continue to remain responsible for maintaining adequate safety standards and that their responsibility will change insofar as they will now perform the role of ‘watchdog’ to ensure that stringent standards of hygiene and non-impairment are maintained. It is important that the public remain entitled to exert pressure in relation to decisions concerning the chemical additives and other procedures that are supposedly meant to enhance the quality of our water supplies. Never forget that the water authorities must be ultimately accountable to us — the consumers.

Do not hesitate to contact your local water authority if you think that the plumbing in or into your home may be less than adequate. There are still many older properties where the plumbing system or water supply system contains lead pipes.

You should also make sure that when you turn on the tap first thing in the morning you always let the water run for a few minutes so that the supply pipes can be cleared of water that has been standing overnight. Never fill the kettle from the hot-water tap because that water will have been heated the previous night and then allowed to cool down before being heated again. The mineral content will therefore have diminished and will diminish yet further when it is brought to the boil in the kettle. Always empty the kettle after use and when boiling water is next required refill the kettle with water from the cold tap. If you are in any doubt about the standard of the water piped into your home, do not hesitate to seek the advice of an environmental health officer.

I was recently given a brochure published by one of the water authorities, which made very interesting reading. In the introduction it acknowledges that the various reports on environmental water pollution and the quality of tap water often appear controversial. Growing public awareness of environmental pollution has made the consumer more alert and critical — and understandably so, considering the important role water plays in our lives. After all, we all use water, we all need water and so it stands to reason that we all want to know what procedures are followed to improve and/or maintain the quality of water so that it is fit for human consumption. So, what happens to water in the purification process?

Technical explanations often act as an ‘overkill’ as they mostly result in more queries than answers. Statistics on the quality of our tap water may be studied, but rarely do these figures explain the lengthy process required to safeguard our water supplies. Who is involved in this process? How is the water treated? Who is responsible for a plentiful supply? The brochure set out to answer some of these questions.

—The engineer’s task is to ensure that the consumer can at all times expect a supply of running water when the tap is turned on. Many years ago water was pumped manually, but electronic technology has revolutionised the water industry. Computerisation has changed the function of the water board engineer to a supervisory capacity. This modern equipment is programmed to select the pump capacity according to demand.

—One of the tasks of the hydrologist is to produce a long-term forecast of water requirements. Short-term predictions will also be taken into account, such as days when there may be excessive demand or unusually low demand. New Year’s Day is an excellent example of the latter, because there are very few families who will decide to use the washing machine on this date.

WATER