You may hear that water detoxes the body, and there is some truth to that sentiment. However, there are several types of water, including tap water, filtered water, mineral water, spring water, and distilled water. Here, we’ll focus on the potential benefits of distilled water and how useful they really are.
What Is Distilled Water?
Distilled water is made up of two hydrogen and an oxygen molecule, H2O, but has no added chemicals, minerals, or impurities. It is free of contaminants, making it the purest type of water. The process of purification by the distiller includes converting the water into steam, which eliminates impurities, harmful chemicals, and contaminants. It’s considered pure and safe and is used in several industries and applications including chemical research labs and producing batteries.
However, distilled water is not popular in H2O because it is not the best tasting. It is often described as flavorless and bland. Still, there may be some health benefits to drinking distilled water.
What’s Involved in the Water Distillation Process?
Water distillation involves:
- Heating: This is where the distiller heats the water in a distillation unit. Usually, this consists of a boiling chamber plus a condenser. The water typically reaches a boiling point of 100°C (212°F) at sea level.
- Boiling: At its boiling point, the water vaporizes and converts to steam, which travels from the boiling chamber into the condenser.
- Cooling: The condenser cools the steam, changing it to a form of liquid. Often a cooling coil is used in the process, running through cold water, condensing the steam, and converting it into pure water.
- Collection: This condensed water is collected in a different container that’s usually glass or made of material that’s ideal for holding potable water.
- Filtration: Not all distillation units have a filtration step. For those that do, this involves the condensed water being filtered through activated carbon. However, other filter types are sometimes used to rid the water of lingering impurities.
- Storage: Finally, the filtered water is placed in a clean container where it is stored until it is ready for use.
Distilled Water vs. Purified Water
While distilled water can be categorized as a kind of purified water, they are different.
Purified water is free of chemicals and contaminants, but it may still have some minerals in it. Additionally, purified water is often filtered through reverse osmosis. This process filters the water through a semipermeable membrane material, allowing fluid to seep through, but removing salt, microbes, and impurities. Ozonation, which involves disinfecting the water using ozone instead of a chemical, may also be used in the purification process. Distillation is a method that is used as well.
What Kind of Benefits Might Distilled Water Have?
As mentioned earlier, distilled water is used in various industrial and research applications. However, according to research, it may also provide certain health benefits if you drink it, like minimizing the risk of developing certain health disorders.
Still, it’s important to remember that this kind of water lacks the beneficial minerals that are present in the water we typically drink. As such, it is important to make sure your body is getting the minerals it needs from other mineral sources.
Some specific health benefits of drinking distilled water may include:
Limits the Chances of Developing Kidney Stones
Distilled water lacks minerals that can help to create kidney stones in the body. As such, this helps to keep kidney stones at bay.
Neutralizes Acid in Your Body
Since this kind of water lacks the minerals that can play a role in creating an acidic environment, it is believed that it can contribute to neutralizing the acid that the body produces.
May Boosts Hydration
It may be possible to enhance hydration by drinking distilled water because it lacks minerals and impurities that are typically found in tap water. Also, the body might more easily absorb this water, enhancing hydration in the process.
Potentially Boosts Detoxification
Lacking impurities, distilled water may help to rid your body of toxins and enhance detoxification. It may help to flush out waste products that can throw your detoxification circuit off balance and cause toxic buildup in the body. This water helps you to detoxify and rehydrate your body at the same time.
May Help to Enhance Digestion
Research suggests that drinking water may be an important factor in shaping the human gut microbiome (2). By minimizing the toxic load that the digestive system carries, distilled water may help boost digestion. This may help to clean out your system and allow your organs to function more efficiently, reducing the risk of digestive issues like constipation and diarrhea. Furthermore, this may also help the body absorb more vitamins and minerals from food.
May Benefit Some Medical Conditions
Water, hydration, and health are all linked (1). People who suffer from kidney disease may benefit from drinking distilled water as it is free of minerals and harmful contaminants that can affect people with impairments in their kidney function.
Role of Stress in Detoxification
Your Detoxification circuit, which is comprised of the immune system, the interstitium, and the liver, is an important part of your body. It plays a crucial role in removing metabolites, toxins, and other harmful substances from your body.
However, when you have Adrenal Fatigue, these three organs can experience disruptions that throw them off balance. Adrenal Fatigue is when the body is unable to keep up with long-term stress, resulting in various nonspecific symptoms like dehydration, heart palpitations, depression, irritability, and foggy thinking, among others.
Prolonged stress on the adrenal glands, which are part of NeuroEndoMetabolic Stress Response, results in them becoming fatigued. In response to the stress, your adrenals excrete the stress hormone cortisol, which causes changes in the body. Dysfunctions occur when the adrenals produce excess cortisol to keep up with the demand. Eventually, the adrenals are unable to produce the needed stress hormones, and all the organs and circuits in your body feel the effects.
Detoxification Dysfunctions in Adrenal Fatigue
Your detoxification circuit can become dysfunctional in early-stage Adrenal Fatigue, with the potential to lead to a vicious cycle. Stress results in inflammation. This is a reaction triggered by your body’s immune system to eliminate the source of the stress. However, chronic stress leads to inflammation that hurts rather than helps the body.
Consequently, it leads to a toxic build-up in the interstitium or the extracellular matrix that is tough for the liver to manage and expel. This exacerbates the stress and sometimes leads to more serious symptoms.
While lowering your stress levels is important to restoring balance to your Detoxification circuit, paying attention to your diet is also key. Avoiding toxins in what you eat and drink can help in healing the Detoxification circuit.
How Distilled Water May Help You Avoid Toxins
You can help to rebalance your detoxification circuit by reducing the amount of toxins that you consume. Drinking distilled water helps cut down on the level of toxins you consume. This will work to restore balance to your Detoxification circuit. Several ways that drinking this water can minimize your body’s toxic load are:
Eliminates Contaminants
Heavy metals and pesticides can contaminate your drinking water. This can negatively impact your health and can result in or worsen Adrenal Fatigue. Distilled water is ridded of toxins during processing.
Distilled Water Keeps Water-Borne Diseases at Bay
Parasites and bacteria can breed in water, and if you consume this contaminated water, the parasites can make your body their breeding ground. With distilled water, you don’t have to worry about getting waterborne diseases.
Gets Rid of Harmful Chemicals
Sometimes, dangerous chemicals could be present in your water. Water processing plants may fail to remove these chemicals. Distilled water doesn’t contain chemicals and is safe for drinking.
The Takeaway
Distilled water is a purer form of water that is safe to consume. It is not flavorful and flatter in taste than tap water and bottled water.
However, you should not only drink distilled water. You must remember that it is free of minerals like calcium that are often found in tap water. Instead, use it as a challenge to boost your detox system. It may help you stay hydrated, reduce toxins, clear your detoxification system, and help heal from the effects of stress. Give us a call today at +1 (714) 709-8000 if you want to learn more about how distilled water can help support your adrenals.
