Water Softener Comparisons

Obviously there is potential for contaminated water to be a health risk to anyone, but people suffering from environmental illnesses need to be particularly aware of the situation and take measures to obtain clean water. The tiniest amount of pesticide/herbicide residue in drinking water for example could trigger a severe reaction in those individuals with chemical sensitivities. Many MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) sufferers complain of not being able to tolerate tap water at all. Even in the absence of overt MCS the chemical residues in drinking water can contribute to the toxic load on an individual�s body which is thought by many doctors of environmental medicine and functional/integrative medicine to be a major part of the disease process in environmental illnesses. Another common factor amongst all environmental illnesses is poor immune function (1) including low SIgA, the antibody responsible for protecting the digestive tract (2, 3). If drinking water is contaminated with bacteria and other microorganisms then there is potential for gut infection and further disturbance of healthy gut flora in addition to that which may already be present. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and US Environmental Protection Agency in fact have warned anybody with compromised immune function to talk to their doctor before drinking tap water. A number of water industry organizations have also advised all HIV patients to, at the very least, boil tap water before drinking it.