The Power of Kangen Water
Alkaline water can help the body naturally fight off disease, and Kangen water machines offer total control over the process.
This article was first published on the Organic Newsroom website under the title The Power of Kangen Water and includes several product reviews and recommendations that aren’t present here.
Kangen water is a trademark term coined by Enagic, a company specializing in the manufacture of water ionizing machines. While specifically referring to the alkaline water produced by the Enagic water machines, the term ‘Kangen Water’ has become somewhat synonymous with alkaline water in general. Kangen water machines are installed in the homes of many people that wish to have easy access to alkaline water, which is regarded as having many health benefits. While not cheap, a kangen water system can provide your home with an endless supply of ionized water — so long as you keep the filters fresh!
What is Alkaline Water
Water is only ever pure H2O in laboratory situations, and even still contains some non-H2O compounds in trace amounts. Natural water is full of all sorts of trace minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and bicarbonate salts. These minerals are very import for you body, and play a vital role in many cellular processes. These types of minerals all represent a class of elements considered to be ‘basic’, which is a synonym for alkaline, and the opposite of acidic.
To get a better understanding of this distinction, check out this great slide share. Really acidic compounds are things such as acetic acid, ethanol, and other nasty things that sound like they’d burn a hole right through your tongue! Alkaline compounds are equally as volatile in a chemical sense, but are renown for their inclusion of compounds very beneficial to health. As a general rule, you don’t want to be exposed to anything too far away from the 7 and 8 range in the above diagram.
Water can be seen in either acidic, neutral, or alkaline states depending on the type of trace elements found within. For example, a spoonful of tri-salts would alkalize water — while a few drops of lemon juice would acidify it. Each of these two variations would still be very close to the above neutral position, but would be slightly leaning in one direction. Alkaline water is thought to offer many of the same benefits of an alkaline diet, and is thought to be an effective way to reduce overall risk of many chronic diseases.
How to Make Alkaline Water
Alkaline water is made through a process referred to as water ionization. Truthfully, this is more of a buzz word to help people sell more water filters. The actual process by which alkaline water is made is called water electrolysis, and involves exposing water to a current of electricity. Much in the same way that batteries are configured, water ionizers use a cathode and an anode to conduct an electric current through the water. While batteries siphon out electricity from these parts, water ionizers pump electrons in.
When water is exposed to this type of electrical current, water molecules nearest the anode and cathode begin to undergo a chemical transformation. Water nearest the anode becomes slightly more acidic, while the water nearest the cathode becomes slightly more alkaline. Once this process has had time to produce the desired effect, water can be siphoned off from the area containing the most basic water. While simplified, this is how just about every water ionizer works. While it may sound like some crazy science experiment, it’s a really safe and manageable process that is utilized by Kangen water machines, as well as other water ionizers by simply being plugged into a household outlet.
Benefits of Kangen Water
To best understand the benefits of kangen water, it is best to remember that is is really just alkaline water made by a kangen water machine. Most all of the research conducted to discover the benefits of alkaline water have been done under the label of alkaline water — not kangen water. Another notable connection among research is the study of an alkaline diet, and it’s ability to help heal your body and fight disease. Typically, alkaline diets are characterized by the foods one eats while on those diets. However, by drinking alkaline water you can help to affect an overall shift towards an alkaline state in your body. Below, you’ll find some of the many health benefits of drinking kangen water, as well as eating in such a way as to promote a systemically alkaline state in your body.
Treats Acid Reflux Disease Naturally
Acid reflux disease, as well as momentary heart burn experiences, are largely tied to a compound called pepsin. Pepsin is regarded as being what does actual damage to the larynx and esophagus in patients suffering from acid reflux disease. Pepsin requires an acid component to be activated, and unless exposed to stomach acids will usually remain fairly harmlesss.
Water dipping towards to acidic side of the pH chart may have the potential to activate pepsin as well. If the pH of your water is much below 6ish on that scale, you could risk activation of pepsin molecules, thus leading to damage similar to acid reflux. This would be unlikely however, as most tapwater falls in the pH 6.5–7.5 range. Alkaline water holds the potential to deactivate pepsin molecules, in a reverse action to how acidic water can activate it.
In one study, researchers found that ionized water with a pH of 8.8 was able to instantaneously deactivate pepsin molecules.[1] This finding means that ionized water, such as kangen water, is an effective treatment against acid reflux disease. Kangen water can also be used just as effectively if you only experience periodic heart burn, as opposed to chronic acid reflux. Being able to simply drink a glass of water is likely a much safer approach in the treatment of these issues than taking prescription medication — known to have all sorts of side effects.
Supports Healthy Bone Density
Your bones are largely comprised of calcium in it’s many forms. All these forms of calcium are very alkaline, typically of a pH 9.5 and higher. For example, one large component of bones is calcium carbonate, which has a pH value of 9.9[3]. Our bodies are very susceptible to pH changes, and require a very narrow pH range (7.35 to 7.45) to survive. When the overall serum pH of your body shifts towards the acidic side of this range, it signals your body to compensate and help restore a healthy pH balance. One of the ways your body does this is by signalling calcium salts to be released from your bones to to help alkalize your system. [2] By drinking kangen water, you are able to provide your body with an alternative means of maintaining health pH levels, without robbing your bones of their calcium stores. This is an easy way to help fight the effects of osteoporosis as you age, as well as ensure healthy bone density when younger.
Increases Growth Hormone Production
It has been well established by research over the years that children suffering from states of metabolic acidosis present with low levels of growth hormone. For example, one study examined the effects of a sustained alklizing treatment on children that were smaller than normal from lower levels of growth hormone. Of the children that received the alkalizing therapy every single one was able to reach a normal size for their age.[4] Another study found that in the supplementation with potassium bicarbonate (another very alkaline compound), postmenopausal women were able to effectively increase growth hormone levels. Specifically, this was seen through the stoppage of muscle loss, and regaining previously-lost muscle.[5] Growth hormone levels naturally begin to decline as we age, and are thought to be largely correlated with many age-related diseases such as osteoporosis, bone density decreases, memory loss, and even heart disease. Research clearly shows that alkaline therapy is effective in stimulating growth hormone levels, and will likely help reduce the risk of these, and many other diseases as you age. Kangen water and other forms of ionized water offer an effective means of helping your body to maintain an alkaline state needed to growth hormone stimulation.
Kangen Water Machine Systems
Kangen water machines are notoriously hard to find, since Enagic doesn’t offer direct consumer sales. These types of water ionizers are available through some online retailers such as Amazon. While Enagic water machines are really just water ionizers, it’s important to note they are among the elite tier of water ionizers. These machines have very integrated systems to offer complete control over the overall pH of your water. Additionally, these machines can provide pure alkaline water at a rate around 2 gallons per minute.
While Enagic offers serveral differnt product variations, the most popular is the Leveluk SD501. This kangen water machine hooks into your existing household water pipes, and acts as a filtration circuit. You are able to adjust the types of settings on this machine to provide 5 different ‘types’ of Kangen water. For a complete outline of the Leveluk SD501, you can visit the Enagic website. The following types of water pH are available from this machine:
- Strong Kangen water (approx. pH 11.0)
- Kangen water / 3 levels (approx. pH 8.5–9.5)
- Clean water (pH 7)
- Acidic water (approx. pH 5.5–6.5)
- Strong Acidic water (approx. pH 2.4–2.7)
As mentioned earlier, these machines aren’t sold in stores typically, and are only available through licensed distributors. Enagic doesn’t provide a directory of these dealers anywhere on their website, so unfortunately locating one can be a bit of a hassle. Amazon usually has quite a few of these machines available, available in both new or used condition. Kangen water machines are, arguably, the best water ionizer systems available for consumer purchase. Their powerful features, efficient filtration systems, and wide options range lends them a pretty powerful price tag as well. These systems are designed for those looking for a serious water ionizer solution that will last for a long time. As with most products on the market, there are several high quality alternatives to Kangen water machines from such companies as Bawell, Tyant, and Life Water. Below, you’ll find a chart comparing some of the most popular water ionizers available.
Powerful Effects of Water
Water is regarded by many as the lifeblood of human existence, following shortly after shelter from oxygen. Your body is around 75% water, and without it life as we know it would not exist. That’s nothing new, and certainly isn’t anything out of the realm of common sense. There are some other aspects of water that aren’t often discussed among scientific communities, because they deal more with the qualitative aspects of water, rather than hard numbers. For example, how would you describe happy as a number without comparing it to another emotion? I don’t know to make such a comparison, but I know I’d rather be happy than sad. That’s a qualitative assessment — which is something that most researchers ignore completely. The closest that qualitative research can come to producing hard evidence is usually pictures and personal testimony.
One very intriguing qualitative study of water that has been taking place among several laboratories, is the investigation of water’s memory. Researchers have managed to capture images of water molecules after freezing them, and have seen remarkable differences between different water sources. Water droplets placed under a specially calibrated microscope have been shown to produce vastly different structures depending on the source of the water. Every single drop of water from one glass will produce a similar image, and every single drop of water from another glass will produce a similar shape — although completely different from the first glass. The patterns made by water were shown to change based on where the water came from, what the water was exposed to beforehand, and — even who had placed the water under the microscope. Check out the demonstration of this phenomena below for yourself:
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Keep in mind, this is all just a record of qualitative measurement, and researchers haven’t made any claims as to the health benefits of different structures of water. That being said, would you rather be drinking water that forms beautiful fractal patterns, or water that forms a simple blob of disarray?
Maintaining Daily Balance
Kangen water machines from Enagic, as well as other non-Enagic water ionizers are capable of providing easy access to very alkaline water. Water in this pH range provides many health benefits, and vastly improves daily life as we age. Research has shown very strong evidence to support the claims of health benefits associated with an alkaline diet, and kangen water machines can help stem acidic states in your body. While kangen water offers a powerful means of alkalizing your body, it’s something you much be mindful of on a daily basis. If you only work to alkalize your body 1 day each week, you’ll likely see little benefit. Supplementing with Tri-Salt supplements such as Sodium BiCarbonate, Potassium Carbonate, and Calcium Carbonate are all effective forms of alkaline therapy as well. The convenience of having alkaline water available on-tap leads many to regard kangen water machines as a popular means to promoting a daily alkaline state.
