Another Argument for Distilled Water A couple of weeks ago an HSI member named Wally suggested that distilled water would be a good alternative to either tap water or bottled water ("A La Carte" 5/14/03), in avoiding water contaminants. After agreeing with Wally, I shared another e-mail from a member named Irene ("The Mighty Mite" 5/20/03) who pointed out that while distilled water is pure, she had been told to drink it for only 4 to 6 weeks, but no longer, because distilled water contains no minerals. As the theory goes, if the only water you drink is mineral-free distilled water, it actually draws minerals out of your body. HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., agreed that what Irene had heard was probably true, but noted that if your choice was between distilled water and tap water, distilled would win out, being free of all the "extras" that flow out of virtually all taps. Now this newest chapter in the distilled water saga comes from an HSI member named William, who you might say is a mineral man: "I am a Certified Professional Geologist and one who is somewhat familiar with the 'lack of minerals in distilled water' concerns. Please realize that the minerals in groundwater or surface water come from the rocks, soils, and sediments through which that water has percolated through, or over. "As a general rule then, specific 'natural' water will have a lot of some minerals and next to nothing of others, because of the water's contact with only a limited number of local mineral sources. It's also true that most natural waters will have only tiny amounts of critical mineral components dissolved within them. "For supplement conscious folks like HSI members, we will get all of those critical minerals from our daily 'multi.' Distilled water is the only water for me…plus those minerals that I can only get in sufficient amounts from supplements or from carefully selected fruits and vegetables." I'm sure this won't be the end of the water debate, but William certainly makes a convincing case for taking our H20 distilled. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute | 
