Distilled water... BIG MISTAKE.

farfalledibaciodinotte

So we had some left over gallons of distilled water around the pantry at home, and i was like "well, I don't want to waste it I might as well drink it.. " bad idea. I'm sure you're all thinking "don't do it.. bad choice" ..

So I drank it and man did it screw my stomach up.

is there a specific reason why distilled water doesn't work well with your digestive system?

Jenene88

I have a jug of distilled water and use it for my allergies for the netty pot. I think there is something in it that makes it so it's not good to drink like a chemical or something.

koosdel

Did you check for amoebas?

ChanyRae

I just hate the taste of distilled water in general...:sick:

ssaunders81

Distilled water is actually too pure to drink and slightly acidic since there is nothing to buffer any dissolved CO2.

ljcatch22

Regular water has a bunch of ions and such in it. Distilled water has had all of these removed. These ions move from high amounts to low amounts, so basically, distilled water is leeching these ions from your body in order to balance the concentrations.

smcassaro

All the needed minerals & such are removed from it, so it can be very harmful. I know my mother-in-law had to be admitted to the hospital a while back because she was sooooooo sick. They finally traced it back to the fact that she had been drinking distilled water.

therealangd

I did not know that about distilled water.

Thanks.

rmwinters

WHOA...very informative post. I never knew any of this--why don't they state these facts on the label?

LuckyLeprechaun

bump plz....for more opinions...

0RESET0

WHOA...very informative post. I never knew any of this--why don't they state these facts on the label?

Even worse, they sell it right next to the drinking water. I know it is bad for fish too, my girlfriend killed her Beta fish with it once.

erxkeel

works great for hydrating my Guitar though ~

nehtaeh

I did not know this either...good to know!

ckmama

I use it to make my babies formula, that's what you are supposed to use for mixing.

I do know that it isn't hydrating at all. I've been drinking it in error this past week, because I grabbed his jug instead of another and put it in the fridge. I haven't had any stomach issues though.

0RESET0

I just found this, kinda corroborates what as been said about it absorbing minerals from the body.

Early Death Comes From Drinking Distilled Water
Dr. Joseph Mercola
During nearly 19 years of clinical practice I, Dr. Joseph Mercola, have had the opportunity to observe the health effects of drinking different types of water. Most of you would agree that drinking unfiltered tap water could be hazardous to your health because of things like parasites, chlorine, fluoride and dioxins.

Many health fanatics, however, are often surprised to hear me say that drinking distilled water on a regular, daily basis is potentially dangerous.

Paavo Airola wrote about the dangers of distilled water in the 1970`s when it first became a fad with the health food crowd.

Distillation is the process in which water is boiled, evaporated and the vapor condensed. Distilled water is free of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the special property of being able to actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them.

Studies validate the benefits of drinking distilled water when one is seeking to cleanse or detoxify the system for short periods of time (a few weeks at a time).

Fasting using distilled water can be dangerous because of the rapid loss of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) and trace minerals like magnesium, deficiencies of which can cause heart beat irregularities and high blood pressure. Cooking foods in distilled water pulls the minerals out of them and lowers their nutrient value.

Distilled water is an active absorber and when it comes into contact with air, it absorbs carbon dioxide, making it acidic. The more distilled water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, "Distilled water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive, in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact.

Notably, carbon dioxide from the air is rapidly absorbed, making the water acidic and even more aggressive. Many metals are dissolved by distilled water."

The most toxic commercial beverages that people consume (i.e. cola beverages and other soft drinks) are made from distilled water. Studies have consistently shown that heavy consumers of soft drinks (with or without sugar) spill huge amounts of calcium, magnesium and other trace minerals into the urine.

The more mineral loss, the greater the risk for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and a long list of degenerative diseases generally associated with premature aging.

A growing number of health care practitioners and scientists from around the world have been advocating the theory that aging and disease is the direct result of the accumulation of acid waste products in the body.

There is a great deal of scientific documentation that supports such a theory. A poor diet may be partially to blame for the waste accumulation. Meats, sugar, white flour products, fried foods, soft drinks, processed foods, alcohol, dairy products and other junk foods cause the body to become more acidic. Stress, whether mental or physical can lead to acid deposits in the body.

There is a correlation between the consumption of soft water (distilled water is extremely soft) and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Cells, tissues and organs do not like to be dipped in acid and will do anything to buffer this acidity including the removal of minerals from the skeleton and the manufacture of bicarbonate in the blood.

The longer one drinks distilled water, the more likely the development of mineral deficiencies and an acid state. I have done well over 3000 mineral evaluations using a combination of blood, urine and hair tests in my practice. Almost without exception, people who consume distilled water exclusively, eventually develop multiple mineral deficiencies.

Those who supplement their distilled water intake with trace minerals are not as deficient but still not as adequately nourished in minerals as their non-distilled water drinking counterparts even after several years of mineral supplementation.

The ideal water for the human body should be alkaline and this requires the presence of minerals like calcium and magnesium.

Distilled water tends to be acidic and can only be recommended as a way of drawing poisons out of the body. Once this is accomplished, the continued drinking of distilled water is a bad idea.

... Disease and early death is more likely to be seen with the long term drinking of distilled water. Avoid it except in special circumstances.

Zoltan P. Rona MD MSc


REFERENCES
Airola, P. 1974. How To Get Well. Phoenix, AZ: Health Plus Publishers.

Baroody, Dr. Theodore A. Jr. Alkalinize or Die. California:Portal Books, 1995.

Haas, Elson M. Staying Healthy with Nutrition. The Complete Guide to Diet & Nutritional Medicine. Berkeley, California:Celestial Arts, 1992; p. 22.

Rona, Zoltan P. and Martin, Jeanne Marie. Return to the Joy of Health, Vancouver: Alive Books, 1995.

Rona, Zoltan P. Childhood Illness and The Allergy Connection. Rocklin, California:Prima Books, 1996.

LMRacer77

I only use distilled water in the radiator of my racecar.

Abells

I've drank distilled water before and was fine - granted it was on accident but didnt know anything till someone pointed it out. It didnt do anything to me at all.

ishallnotwant

You should have sent it to me. I need some for my kids' Triops kit. (kind of like Sea Monkeys...lol)

firefly171717

Distilled water is actually too pure to drink and slightly acidic since there is nothing to buffer any dissolved CO2.

Thanks for the info, I had no idea!

ljcatch22

Unless you're drinking a lot of it, you shouldn't have too many problems since you'll still be getting minerals and electrolytes from other things. There's not really a reason to drink it though.

We used this stuff in our chem labs in college to clean things before experiments. Because it's so pure, it keeps any trace elements from reacting with your experiments. However, one of the research students who should have known better drank it over the summer while he was in lab any time he was hot. He got pretty sick over it until someone else saw him do it, and realized what was going on.

ckmama

You can google this and their are arguments for both sides.

LuckyLeprechaun

:noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway:

whoa. never heard of this. smh

Kirabelly

I use it in my cpap humidifier and for my neti pot thingy. I've never attempted to drink it though. Good to know.

babynew

WOW...
HOW,can anything PURE be bad for you?
Good article thoughl gave me more insight,as to the
Many reasons I Have BEEN DRINKING DISTILLEDWATER
FOR Over 20 years,delivered monthly,and,knock wood,haven't died yet! If you eat clean,Ubprocessed, &lots of
Dark green leafies You will receive the necessary minerals/ nutrients your body needs,making it More
Alkaline,which is. What we want.News to me, its recommended for Infant formula!!!!Now,how can THAT
Be bad?

osuzorba

its recommended for Infant formula!!!!Now,how can THAT Be bad?

Once you mix in the formula, the water is no longer distilled.

recriger

It's not a problem if your hydrated from the tap as well. As the name says, "distilled". Basically that means it's been boiled and the steam re-condensed. (Yup, like whiskey). At that point it should be inert. I would lean more towards there being a sickness already there exaserbated by the dehydration. I am not a doctor or scientist though, just someone who's consumed lots of distilled water without noticing anything. The company would be shut down if they were knowingly marketing and selling a dangerous substance without a warning label.

BaconMD

I use it in my cpap humidifier and for my neti pot thingy. I've never attempted to drink it though. Good to know.

Yeah, best not use tap water in a neti pot. A woman in the US died last month from a brain-eating organism (naegleria fowleri) that is harmless when swallowed, but fatal if inhaled because it was in her tap water and she used a neti pot... Stick with distilled!

It's also good for CPAP, primarily I believe, because it won't leave behind the minerals in the water chamber. I don't know if that's the only issue, but that brain-eating thing is probably another reason to avoid tap water... (Steam inhalation during showering is also potentially dangerous). The only way to avoid this really is filtration.

Obviously the likelihood of this happening to you is low, but why take unnecessary risks with a CPAP that you use every night, and neti pot? The mortality rate of an n. fowleri infection is close to 100% and death comes quickly.

cmriverside

I use it in my cpap humidifier and for my neti pot thingy. I've never attempted to drink it though. Good to know.

Yeah, best not use tap water in a neti pot. A woman in the US died last month from a brain-eating organism (naegleria fowleri) that is harmless when swallowed, but fatal if inhaled because it was in her tap water and she used a neti pot... Stick with distilled!

It's also good for CPAP, primarily I believe, because it won't leave behind the minerals in the water chamber. I don't know if that's the only issue, but that brain-eating thing is probably another reason to avoid tap water... (Steam inhalation during showering is also potentially dangerous). The only way to avoid this really is filtration.

Obviously the likelihood of this happening to you is low, but why take unnecessary risks with a CPAP that you use every night, and neti pot? The mortality rate of an n. fowleri infection is close to 100% and death comes quickly.

Gaah. Something else to worry about. Here's the CDC link with the real scoop on how to avoid: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/

Pebble321

I'm sorry but this sounds like a lot of scaremongering to me..... I seriously doubt that drinking distilled water is going to be all that bad for you. It's water that has been boiled and the vapour collected so it is going to have less minerals etc dissolved in it.

Perhaps if it is all you drink you might end up deficient in something that you usually get from your water - but I don't see how it is going to give you an upset stomach. If you are eating a varied and balanced diet then you will be getting all kinds of goodies from your food and the impact of your water if going to be pretty neglibible.

To the OP, I'm sorry you got sick, but unless the water has been stored improperly and has been contaminated, it seems pretty unlikely that it made you sick.

For everyone else - I don't see any benefit in spending your money to drink distilled water, but I doubt that the occasional glass is going to kill you!

sarahness

I didnt know this. I always drink distilled water. I love the taste of it. I HATE spring water.

denbeck2

Okay guys I had to commet on this one...I drink Kangen water ...it is alkaline water and much better for you...most all of the bottled waters are acidic and that is where sickness and disease live...sickness and disease cannot live in an alkaline body.....the human body is made up of approximately 70 % water...so water plays a very important role in our lives...Change your water..Change your life