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When it comes to our health, we take a lot of things into consideration: the food we eat, the exercise we get, our sleep quality, maybe even the supplements or vitamins we take. I think that a lot of people forget about one of the foundational pieces of health and that is the water we drink. How important is this, really?
We drink water every day as it is vital for our survival and daily function. Have you ever considered that your tap water might not be as clean as you think it is? It was truly something I had not considered until I stumbled upon the Environmental Working Group (EWG)'s Tap Water Database, which complies results from water utility testing across the US. Just by entering your zip code, you can see how many contaminants are detected in your tap water and how many of those exceed the EWG health guidelines.
WHAT'S ACTUALLY IN OUR WATER?
It was startling the amount of contaminants in my local water supply that can contribute to cancer. Arsenic, Chromium, Haloacetic acids, Radium, Trihalomethanes, and Uranium all greatly exceed the health guidelines and can cause unwanted issues within the body. There are, of course, legal limits set in place, but legal does not necessarily equal safe. We know based on ingredients that are banned in other countries but allowed in the US that our "legal limits" allowed were not created with our health in mind. In addition, legal limits for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years!
Even with small, trace amounts of contaminants in our water, we need to consider how often we are letting this water come in contact with our bodies. In addition to drinking water, we use it for cooking, cleaning, washing our hands, brushing our teeth, cleaning our produce, and bathing. Those tiny, trace amounts of contaminants build up in our bodies over time through bioaccumulation and can cause issues now or years down the road. I experienced this first-hand in dealing with Lyme. I began dealing with rashes covering my body in 2018 and one of the ways we worked to support my body was to make sure I was only coming in contact with clean, purified water.
PRODUCTS WE LOVE FOR WATER FILTRATION
Two products were hugely instrumental in this! We started using Aquasana Shower Filters in both of our showers. They easily attach to our showerhead and work to remove contaminants from the water as it disperses. The filters remove >90% of chlorine, reduce volatile chemicals, and enhances the pH of the water. The filters are good for 10,000 gallons and very easy to install & replace.
We also started using Berkey Filter Systems. I researched quite a few filtration systems and determined that Berkey was the best of the best! Specifically, they filter out up to 99.9% of the contaminants that we were dealing with in our area in addition to other heavy metals, micro-organisms, viruses, pathogenic bacteria, pharmaceutical drug contaminants, & petroleum products. You can see everything the Berkey is capable of filtering out here.
The first time we used our Berkey, I was SO impressed with how clean and pure the water tasted. We use it for drinking and also watering our plants, washing our produce, cooking, and whenever we use our diffusers or humidifiers. I love that it is easy to use and that it's PORTABLE! Yes, I am extra and we take it on road trips with us! I set it up in whatever relative's home or AirBnB we are staying in so that I can continue working on my health and protecting my family even when we are away from home. We have the Big Berkey which is suitable for 1-4 in a household and I fill it up about once a day (but keep in mind I'm using this filtered water for all the things I listed above). We could honestly use a Royal Berkey and I wouldn't have to fill it up as often, so that will probably be our next upgrade!
After consistently using both the Aquasana Shower Filters and the Berkey Filtration System, my skin has improved greatly! This is a huge relief because rashes are one of my least favorite Lyme symptom. Not only that, but my hair is less brittle and appears shinier. I can also feel confident that the water I'm drinking is pure and know that I'm supporting my family's health in a positive way.
