Water: Life Giver or Life Taker?

Exotic Island Hangover.

Recently, our family enjoyed a wonderful holiday together at an idyllic island destination. Gorgeous white stretches of sand, incredibly clear, azure water and matching blue sky that made us feel we were in a brilliant short story, or an extended tourism advertisement. The resort was beautifully appointed and we were so pleased to enjoy the services of the local staff and villagers – such a gracious and servant hearted people, knowing that we were also making such a difference to their families and villages by supporting their employment.

So, it was with that content and satisfied feeling that we returned to our home, back to reality and reminiscing conversations about the fun we’d had and the exciting activities we’d enjoyed together – just to keep it all alive.

Unwittingly, there was something else we were keeping alive – parasites.

There was niggling discomfort, an exhausted feeling that we eventually realised wasn’t the psychosomatic ‘going back to work’ kind, and very, very black stools – not our usual family conversation.

So, began our trip on the medical merry go round. A series of frustrating visits with health professionals who thought the ‘virus’ we had would pass soon, and told us there were plenty of other people who were suffering, and remember, ‘washing hands is always important’.

Thank goodness we trusted that inner voice that was telling us we needed to look further – and we were eventually rewarded (?) with the diagnosis of parasite infestation – most likely picked up from our recent island hopping experience – we were astounded! How could such a beautiful place harbour such harmful and invasive creatures??

Well, truth is that it happens quite a lot.

Parasites and pathogenic bacteria are invisible to the naked eye, and are happily residing in water systems, ready to travel. Think about it. Water that is then used for drinks, cooking, to irrigate produce and for livestock.

Water quality varies considerably from region to region, and from house to house for that matter. Whether it’s the regional infrastructure (as in this case) that is responsible, or the fact that we have an extraordinary volume of pollutants, resistant viruses and bacteria, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and cleaning agents that our treatment systems need to manage, the result is the same – a growing population of ‘walking wounded’ – people going through the motion of their everyday, not feeling quite right, wondering why they don’t have the energy they used to have, the digestive discomfort, headaches… the list goes on.

Fact is, if we want to avoid situations like these, and not be waking up one day wondering how our health has declined over a period of time when we just thought it might have been something that we would ‘shake off’, we need to take charge.

Start with ensuring the quality of water coming into your home. There is a range of water filters to suit a variety of home and work situations – and budgets. The key is to understand what type of filtration you are looking for, and do your research to find a product you are happy with. Remember to make sure you change your filters within the recommended time frame – a recurring calendar entry is perfect for this.

If you are planning a holiday or work travel, there are plenty of portable water filtration options to ensure you keep hydrated and free of nasties. The extra time you take to understand your options, will ensure you make the best choice for you and your family.

I’ve done the numbers – the cost of my filtered water from home is significantly cheaper than bottled, filtered water and certainly cheaper than the cost of healing a family of unwell people – not to mention that it tastes better!! There is also the added benefit of reducing single use plastic – a huge problem for our environment.

And, I haven’t even touched on the F word – fluoride. Keep an eye out for our upcoming article on fluoride, and in the meantime, compare that to the mountain of info. published from a variety of sources to make your own conclusions – with the benefit of conscious choice.

Whollygrail are proud to offer the Waters Co. range of water filters, for a multistage filtration and remineralisation process that provides life giving water without the wastage of some other units. We’ve chosen to stock this range in the Whollygrail Store due to the superior filtration, including 99.9% fluoride removal and comprehensive series of specialised filters that are easily replaced to continue giving the quality water you’ll quickly become used to.

We encourage you to research the options available and your own family’s needs before committing to a water filter.