Have you ever seen the commercial for the Capital One credit cards? If you watch T.V., I’m sure you have. Anyways, in the commercial the person getting ready to make a purchase pulls out their credit card, and all of a sudden there are people trying to attack the credit-card user. Just as everything is about to break loose, it shows the person using a Capital One credit card and the crowd gives a big sigh of relief. Then the ever catchy phrase is spouted out: “What’s in your wallet?”
I’ve decided that the EPA or FDA needs to make a commercial like this regarding our water supply. Maybe it could go something like this. . . . A young girl is about to turn on the faucet to get a refreshing drink of tap water when, all of a sudden she’s being attacked by chemicals and drugs in her water. Luckily she’s saved by bottled water, and then this catchy phrase would chime: “What’s in your water?”
O.K., so maybe it’s a little “over the top” and slightly paranoid. But the recent news of our drinking water supply being polluted with pharmaceutical drugs has gotten me all “in a tizzy!” What are we supposed to drink now? The funny thing is I don’t drink tap water, and I never have. During my childhood years, my family always bought gallons of distilled, bottled water. I was never allowed to drink the water from our faucet. Go figure. And I’ve always just kept drinking the distilled water––even now. However, it drives my husband nuts because he thinks it’s such a big waste of money. That is, until now. He has also read the latest news; consequently, even his perspective on buying bottled water has changed.
Do you want to know what kind of drugs were found in the water supply? Of course you do. According to the article entitled AP probe finds drugs in drinking water published by the Associated Press states, “antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans”. Not to mention the other drugs like asthma and heart medications, even traces of chemotherapy were found in some water supplies.
So, you might be asking yourself how these pharmaceuticals are getting in your drinking water. You’re going to want to sit down for this one! Here’s what the above article says, “People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers.” Guess what; you’re drinking your own filtered body waste. . . . The thought is so repulsive!
And here I am thinking I’m doing myself a favor by drinking bottled water, but the article goes on to state that “Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don’t necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry’s main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems.”
Well, let’s be honest with ourselves. We have to drink water. Our bodies are primarily composed of this wonderful liquid. According to betterwayhealth.com “Almost 2/3rds of our body weight is "water weight":
- Blood is 83% water
- Muscles are 75% water
- The brain is 74% water
- Bone is 22% water
The website also states “Water is necessary for your body to digest and absorb vitamins and nutrients. It also detoxifies the liver and kidneys, and carries away waste from the body. If you’re dehydrated, your blood literally becomes thicker, and your body has to work much harder to cause it to circulate. As a result, the brain becomes less active; it’s hard to concentrate, your body feels fatigued, and you just "poop out."
A steady 8 glasses of water a day (ideally ½ your body weight in ounces of water) will:
- improve your energy.
- increase your mental and physical performance.
- remove toxins & waste products from your body.
- keep skin healthy and glowing.
- help you lose weight.
- reduce headaches and dizziness.
- allow for proper digestion.
- help to keep you more alkaline.
And drinking water is heart healthy too!
I guess for now drinking our polluted tap and bottled water is better than not drinking any at all. Like it or not our bodies need it, crave it, and can’t survive without it.
So, drink your 8 glasses of water every day even though you may be getting more than you’ve bargained for.
