What’s Your Waist to Hip Ratio? Your Health Depends on It

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a quick measure of fat distribution that may help indicate a person’s overall health.

What does a person’s waist-to-hip ratio say about their health?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), having a WHR of over 1.0 may increase the risk of developing conditions that relate to being overweight, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

This may be the case even if other measures of being overweight, such as body mass index (BMI) are in normal range.

The following chart shows how the WHO classify the risk of being affected by weight related health conditions according to WHR:

Impact on Health

Research shows people who are “apple-shaped” are at a greater risk of certain health conditions than those who are “pear-shaped” (when the hips are wider than the upper body).

These health conditions include:

Cardiovascular disease: One study found that abdominal obesity increased the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Another study found the WHR predicted cardiovascular disease more effectively than BMI or waist circumference. A third study found that WHR is a better indicator of risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease than waist circumference alone.

Type 2 diabetes: A 2016 study found that an increased waist circumference was linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Fertility: A 2002 study found that women with a WHR of over 0.80 have a lower pregnancy rate than those with a lower WHR, regardless of their BMI.

A 2006 study with almost 15,000 older people (75 years of age or older), it was concluded that “waist to hip ratio” is more important than how much you weigh. The researchers looked at the relationship between waist to hip ratio and Body Mass Index (BMI – how we measure weight for height) and how many people died over the next 6 years.

As it turned out, WHR is even more accurate than BMI for predicting the risks of cardiovascular disease and premature death. In other words, it was “location, location, location” of fat that was most important – not how much you weigh. 

More studies include related to WHR and Health Issues include:

A 2021 study found that WHR is an accurate tool for predicting hypertension.

A 2015 study showed that increased WHR is a better indicator than BMI for predicting complications in trauma patients.

A 2018 study shared that a high WHR was a significant predictor of death in women with heart failure.

A 2016 study found that a high WHR was associated with hypertension and diabetes.

The Health Benefits of Decreasing WHR

A 2020 study found that decreasing WHR by 5 percent significantly lowered risks of developing chronic kidney disease in people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

So how do you measure your waist to hip ratio? You need a tape measure and a calculator. Here’s how you do it: 

1: Measure your waist at the smallest point – usually at the naval or just above it
2: Measure you hips at the widest, largest part
3: Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement (Waist Measurement ÷ Hip Measurement)

The idea here is that your waist should be smaller than your hips. If your waist is bigger than your hips, than you may have too much fat concentrated around the middle part of your body – something known as “intra-abdominal obesity”.

The concept is quite simple here in that intra-abdominal fat is bad for your health.

Conclusion

Measuring a person’s WHR is a quick way to get an indication of:

1. Overall health
2. Obesity levels
3. Risk of weight-related health conditions

Compliments from Functional Medicine University

References:

https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/m14-2525
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ejhf.1244
https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-016-0297-z

Introduction

Below this Introduction is a well-written in-depth article on Leaky Gut with some great examples of how it happens. This Introduction is a short version if you don’t have time for the full story.

There is this thing called “Leaky Gut” that you may have heard of or run across.

You may already know something about it, or it may be an unknown, just vaguely alarming.

You do need to know about it because it’s increasingly common and can mess up your life in ways that you would never normally associate with anything related to digestion.

Leaky Gut can be a Factor in:

• Attention deficit disorder
• Symptoms resembling autism
• Chronic and rheumatoid arthritis
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Eczema
• Food allergies and intolerances
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Joint and collagen problems
• Compromised liver function
• Malnutrition
• Multiple chemical sensitivities
• Psoriasis
• Skin disorders ranging from urticaria to acne and dermatitis
• Symptoms like schizophrenia

Leaky Gut can cause stress to your immune system leading to chronic problems (the ones that don’t get better) of all kinds.

What Is It?

To understand Leaky Gut, you must know about the two main functions of the “gut” (small intestine):

1. To absorb nutrients from the food you eat by transferring them from the gut into the bloodstream.
2. A barrier to protect your body from the microbes, undigested food and other unwelcomes from escaping out of the gut.

“Leaky Gut” happens when your gut fails to some degree with these two functions.

Leaky gut is associated with a wide range of general symptoms such as fatigue, abdominal pain or bloating, diarrhea, feelings of toxicity, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and poor tolerance of exercise.

Because your absorption of food is affected, you can have multiple health problems from malnutrition, despite eating a healthy diet.

Do I Have Leaky Gut?

If you have one of the conditions listed at the beginning of this article, or if you have chronic health problems of long duration, there is a possibility that Leaky Gut is a contributing factor or the primary cause of your difficulties.

There are degrees of Leaky Gut. The problem is that once this gets started, it tends to become worse and rarely heals itself.

How to Avoid or Improve Leaky Gut

1. Clean up your diet. Food chemicals such as preservatives, colors, and flavor enhancers often worsen gut problems. Eat fresh foods, not canned, bottled, or bagged. Stop all fast and junk foods. Limit restaurant foods.
2. Find your allergies and avoid them. There are effective blood tests for this. Allergies are one of the main stress factors that worsen Leaky Gut.
3. Eat protein and veggies, limit carbs and eliminate sugars.
4. Avoid antibiotics (soaps and drugs) unless absolutely necessary.
5. Eat plenty of high-fiber foods.
6. Don’t take NSAIDs (like ibuprofen).
7. Eat fermented foods and take good probiotics.

I hope this helps!

Dr. Melodie Billiot

What Do You Mean By Leaky Gut

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

The intestinal lining has two opposite functions:

1. The absorption of nutrients from food in the digestive tract.
2. A barrier function, to control microbes or large food particles from going beyond the gut environment and getting into the bloodstream.

The digestive tract has tiny permeable openings between the cells (called tight junctions) to absorb nutrients from our food. If these pore-like structures open too wide, toxins from the gut can spill over into the bloodstream, overwhelming the liver and causing allergies or any of dozens of other ailments.

This malfunction is known as hyperpermeability because the lining has become too permeable (porous)

It’s also called Leaky Gut Syndrome because the gut begins leaking larger food particles and toxins from the gut.

It’s not a disease per se, but rather a natural process gone bad. Under normal optimal conditions, these pores open and close whenever nutrients are absorbed from our food. Only when the pores open too wide is leaky gut is said to occur.

The Big Picture Behind Leaky Gut: The Real Story

Here’s a detailed account of how leaky gut occurs. Let’s use the example of someone who has a food allergy. Suppose Mary has a wheat allergy and innocently eats a bagel; this can elicit a reaction in her body. If she has an immediate food allergy, her immune system may begin reacting right away. If she has delayed allergies, the reaction may not occur for as long as three hours, but it could take as long as forty-eight hours to occur.

What is surprising is that no matter when it occurs, Mary may not even be aware that it’s happening. She may have a vague feeling of discomfort that could include mild indigestion, a headache, or even joint or muscle aches.

Although she may not notice anything more than vague discomfort at the time, she may develop some chronic problems later down the road, such as auto-immune disorders, allergies, asthma, or arthritis. And she probably won’t link it to this microscopic process going on in her digestive tract as the lining becomes too permeable and begins leaking tiny particles.

On the other hand, she may have noticed that if she cheats on her allergy diet and has milk for breakfast, sometime that day or the next, her joints may be achy, and exercise will become a major effort.

The response of Mary’s body to the offending food also activates her immune system. When she eats allergic foods, her immune system sounds the alarm through chemical messengers, the cytokines. They act like horn-blowers calling out the cavalry, and their job is to bring the infection fighters (the antibodies).

Now the immune system is set in motion. While we always have cytokines as an essential part of our system, the gut will start leaking when too many cytokines and other immune chemicals are circulating in the bloodstream.

The Healthy Mucosal Lining

When Mary’s system is working properly, absorption occurs through tiny structures in the small intestine lining. All this is happening on a microscopic level. Nutrients are being absorbed through three structures:

• Directly through the cells of the gut lining, called transcellular absorption
• Between the cells, in paracellular absorption
• In the crypts, tiny crevices in the lining of the gut

Each structure is programmed to absorb nutrient molecules of a particular size and electromagnetic charge. Between the fingerlike villi lining the gut are crypts, crevices at the base of each villi, like the webbing between your fingers. Because of their larger size, the crypts absorb bigger molecules, such as the disaccharides, which are complex sugars.

Between every cell in the gut lining is a tiny pore-like structure called a tight junction. These tiny pores are also active during digestion. They expand and contract just as other muscles do, opening and closing to release nutrients from the gut into the bloodstream or contain the food mix as it passes through the gut.

The Damaged Mucosal Barrier

Too many immune chemicals can cause the pores to open too wide, causing too much permeability. When there’s inflammation or any crisis in the body, if too many immune-signaling chemicals are circulating in the bloodstream, they can overstimulate the tight junctions, causing the pores to open too wide.

This process can be compared to a house with doors wired to a fire alarm system. If the alarm system malfunctions, it may keep all the doors in the house open and won’t let them close. Clearly, other problems can result. Intruders could easily enter the house.

Leaky gut can raise the body’s exposure to intruders, such as bacteria, yeast, or large food particles that would normally remain in the gut. Again, when the pores open too wide, material is inappropriately released into the bloodstream. In Mary’s case, if her immune system detects large food particles in the bloodstream (perhaps other innocent foods, released through the leaky gut), it will assume they’re allergens and launch a second attack, flooding her system with more cytokines. Then the whole dynamic just gets worse.

Resolving hyperpermeability can have Real Benefits.

Leaky gut is associated with a wide range of general symptoms such as fatigue of unknown origin, abdominal pain or bloating, diarrhea, feelings of toxicity, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and poor tolerance of exercise.

Hyperpermeability can be an underlying factor in such conditions as:

• Attention deficit disorders
• Symptoms resembling autism
• Chronic and rheumatoid arthritis
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Eczema
• Food allergies and intolerances
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Joint and collagen problems
• Compromised liver function
• Malnutrition
• Multiple chemical sensitivities
• Psoriasis
• Skin disorders ranging from urticaria to acne and dermatitis
• Symptoms like schizophrenia

Conditions that May Cause Leaky Gut

• Aging
• HIV
• AIDS with diarrhea
• Alcoholism
• Malnutrition
• Burns
• NSAIDS
• Cancer
• Pancreatitis
• Celiac disease
• Psoriasis
• Certain drugs
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Chronic hepatitis
• Shock or anaphylaxis
• Crohn’s disease
• Toxic shock syndrome
• Cystic fibrosis
• Trauma
• Giardia and other parasites
• Ulcerative colitis

Compliments from Functional Medicine University

Fatty Liver and Dementia

Introduction

Fatty Liver can be caused by alcohol use, but it can also happen in people who don’t drink or use very little alcohol.

Called “NAFLD” (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease”), it affects 25 to 30 percent of people in the US and Europe.

Recent studies link NAFLD with cognitive impairment and dementia. This can occur even with no other symptoms.

You may or may not develop symptoms from NAFLD. The most common symptoms are feeling tired or discomfort or pain in the upper right side of your abdomen.

However, your only symptom may be a loss of short-term memory and slowed-down thinking. Studies are showing that NAFLD may also cause Alzheimer’s Disease.

If you’re wondering what has happened to your previously sharp mind, this is a possible answer.

NAFLD should not be ignored in any case, as it can lead to cirrhosis, a severe and potentially fatal disease.

What Causes Fatty Liver?

Eating sugar, refined carbs (bread, cakes, rice, pasta, potatoes), and bad fats (fried foods, chips) creates a risk for Fatty Liver.

• The same process that causes Type II diabetes also can cause Fatty Liver Disease. If you’re “Pre-diabetes” or a diabetic, you’re at risk.
• High levels of fat (especially triglycerides) in your blood.
• Overweight

What to do about Fatty Liver Disease

As with most chronic illnesses, NAFLD has different causes in each person. If you want to get the problem handled, you’ll need to be tested to determine the exact problem causing your body stress and preventing it from healing. Go HERE to get started on this process.

DIY NAFLD Improvement:

(See article below for more information):

1: Lose excess weight–losing between 7 and 10 percent of body weight can improve other symptoms of NAFLD, such as inflammation, fibrosis, and scarring

2: Research from 2017 suggests that the Mediterranean diet may help to reduce liver fat, even without weight loss.

3: Exercise: It’s important to stay active when you have NAFLD. A good goal to shoot for is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

4: Avoid foods with added sugars-Dietary sugars such as fructose and sucrose have been linked to NAFLD development.

5: Take an omega-3 supplement–A peer review study suggests that taking an omega-3 supplement may reduce liver fat.

6: Avoid known liver irritants–Certain substances can put excess stress on your liver. They include alcohol and certain over-the-counter medications.

7: Consider taking vitamin E--Vitamin E is one antioxidant that may reduce inflammation caused by NAFLD. Must take all components of vitamin E. This would include Mixed Tocopherols and Tocotrienols

8: Consider Herbs--A 2018 paper identified certain herbs, supplements, and spices that have been used as alternative treatments for NAFLD. Compounds that have positive effects on liver health include turmeric, milk thistle, resveratrol, and green tea.

I hope this helps!

Dr. Melodie Billiot

NAFLD and Dementia

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

A study from the journal Neurology revealed that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is independently associated with cognitive impairment.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an umbrella term for various liver conditions affecting people who drink little to no alcohol. As the name implies, the main characteristic of NAFLD is too much fat stored in liver cells.

Dementia and NAFLD are two frequent conditions that share underlying risk factors mainly in the realm of metabolic disease.

The study from the journal, Neurology included 4,472 adults aged 20–59 years.

The participants underwent assessment of liver enzyme activity and hepatic steatosis by ultrasound. They underwent cognitive evaluation using the following computer-administered tests: the Simple Reaction Time Test (SRTT), the Symbol-Digit Substitution Test (SDST), and the Serial Digit Learning Test (SDLT).

Increased activity of the liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) correlated with lower performance on the SDLT, while increased alanine aminotransferase was also correlated with lower performance in the SDST.

The current studies suggest that NAFLD patients incur cognitive dysfunction.

Although if left untreated, NAFLD can lead to much more serious conditions, including cirrhosis and liver failure. The good news is that fatty liver disease can be reversed—and even cured.

8 Steps to Effectively Treat Fatty Liver Disease

1: Lose excess weight–losing between 7 and 10 percent of body weight can improve other symptoms of NAFLD, such as inflammation, fibrosis, and scarring

2: Research from 2017 suggests that the Mediterranean diet may help to reduce liver fat, even without weight loss.

3: Exercise: It’s important to stay active when you have NAFLD. A good goal to shoot for is at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week.

4: Avoid foods with added sugars-Dietary sugars such as fructose and sucrose have been linked to NAFLD development.

5: Take an omega-3 supplement–A peer review study suggests that taking an omega-3 supplement may reduce liver fat.

6: Avoid known liver irritants–Certain substances can put excess stress on your liver. They include alcohol and certain over-the-counter medications.

7: Consider taking vitamin E--Vitamin E is one antioxidant that may reduce inflammation caused by NAFLD. Must take all components of vitamin E. This would include Mixed Tocopherols and Tocotrienols

8: Consider Herbs--A 2018 paper identified certain herbs, supplements, and spices that have been used as alternative treatments for NAFLD. Compounds shown to have positive effects on liver health include turmeric, milk thistle, resveratrol, and green tea.

Recovering from Anxiety & Depression Without Drugs

Anxiety and depression can mess up your life.

Mental health problems are not understood at all. Research hasn’t gotten to first base on any of them. Treatment is limited to controlling symptoms, and often the treatment is worse than the disease.

Origins of Anxiety & Depression

Over the past 27 years, I’ve had upwards of 6,000 patients suffering from anxiety and depression along with their other symptoms. At some point in their treatment with us, almost all of them have either improved dramatically or expressed that they no longer had the problem.

This sounds very promising (and it is), however I’ve never directly treated a patient for anxiety or depression.

I have become convinced that many mental disorders could be a result of physical health conditions. When the patient recovers physically, they also improve their mental problems.

There is a lot of science behind this. It’s well known that hormone and blood sugar problems can cause even severe forms of anxiety and depression. Specifically, thyroid problems often cause anxiety, mental lethargy and physical fatigue. Sex hormone problems can cause depression and bi-polar symptoms. Blood sugar problems can cause extreme irritability, anxiety and irrational behavior.

Despite the research evidence, medical treatment for mental conditions is always for the specific symptom, not for the underlying cause. A case in point is the DSM, the manual listing all accepted mental diseases and used to diagnose mental illness. The “diseases” in the DSM are all statements of symptoms, not possible causes.

When Depression Is Normal

Many patients have told me that they believed their depression was caused by a chemical imbalance in their brain.

However, no research has yet linked mental illness to brain chemistry (look it up… “belief” “suggest” “may result” “tend to” “strongly linked” but no actual science).

Depressed patients commonly have chronic illness, are often in constant pain, have no energy, can’t sleep, and have been told by multiple doctors that they should “learn to live with” their physical condition because there is no treatment for it.

So, I have asked the person, “Do you feel that you have much hope of achieving any of your goals in life, given your physical health problems?”

The patient thinks, and tells me that no, they’ve given up. I then have asked, “What emotional condition do you think would be normal for a person in your situation?” The patient will often start to laugh, and tell me, “Depression would be completely normal, I think!” They no longer worry about the chemical brain imbalances after this, either.

I agree, because I’ve observed that once a person recovers their physical health—they have energy, don’t hurt, sleep well, digest well—that they aren’t depressed anymore!

Mental Illness Medical Non-Solutions

In my experience (which is considerable), mental illness is often linked to or caused by physical health conditions. These health conditions are always chronic, and typically have no medical treatment.

Medicine treats symptoms, and chronic illness can only be addressed by helping the body regain its ability to heal itself. This is something that conventional medicine is not equipped to do.

So rather than find and improve the cause of mental illness and give the patient back their lives, medicine treats it as a symptom, the same as they do any other heath problem.

The result? Over 100 million cases of mental illness, many of which could be resolved completely, but instead will be drugged into some level of stupor for years, until their bodies become unresponsive to the drugs used.

It’s ugly.

I’m just so happy to be able to show the way out to so many of my patients who work hard to help their own bodies heal, both physically and mentally.

Roundup and Heart Disease

If you have a house with a yard, you probably know about Roundup.

The stuff is truly miraculous! Spray it on just about anything, and the unwanted plant shrivels up, dies, and doesn’t come back. It seems like nothing else comes close to being as effective.

Roundup and other products made with its active ingredient glyphosate are wildly popular commercially. Roundup is how power companies keep their transmission line rights of way clear. It’s why railroad tracks aren’t overgrown with weeds.

Growing crops is where Roundup is used the most. On farms, Roundup is used in combination with special genetically modified plants. Here is how this works: The farmer plants the special GMO seeds. Then, as the plants (and weeds) grow in his fields, he sprays the whole field with Roundup. The weeds all die, and the crop is unaffected (well, it doesn’t die anyway).

Trouble in Herbicide Paradise

Roundup was first sold in 1973 and is now THE MOST WIDELY USED HERBICIDE and is used in most countries.

So, what could go wrong? Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) can enter your body by direct skin absorption, eating treated foods, or drinking contaminated water. The WHO (World Health Organization) classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen in humans in 2015. Studies have shown that glyphosate disrupts the bacteria in your gut, creating a decrease in ratio to harmful bacteria because the bad guys have resistance to Roundup.

A growing number of studies find that glyphosate can mess up your heart’s electrical system, leading to life-threatening arrhythmias. SEE STUDY IN JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY STUDY HERE.

Can I Ride Just One More Time??

Like a little kid on a merry-go-round, governments around the world KNOW they must ban glyphosate but want just a little more time before they finally act.

The US (currently using 1.8 million tons of glyphosate annually) has over 150 cities with local bans. However, the EPA still sticks to its declaration that “glyphosate is unlikely to be a human carcinogen.” So don’t look for any widespread relief soon.

Austria banned glyphosate in 2019. Germany is phasing it out by 2023. Nineteen countries are either regulating, banning, or in the process of doing this currently.

Protect Yourself

The GMO crops currently grown using Roundup are soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, cotton, and sorghum. Horrifyingly, wheat is under development.

Here’s what to do:

1. Avoid eating GMO versions of these crops. (Eat only organic versions)
2. Avoid eating meat from animals that were fed these crops. (Eat only organic versions)
3. Avoid eating dairy products from cows fed with these crops. (Eat only organic versions)
4. Don’t use Roundup or other glyphosate-based herbicides on your lawn. If you have a lawn service, make them show you an ingredient list of anything they spray.
5. Show this article to all your neighbors and see if you can get them to stop using Roundup as well.
6. Avoid walking near powerlines or railway rights of way or other areas that appear treated with weed killers.
7. Treat farmland for what it has become: dangerous. You don’t want exposure to the things they spray, and often you don’t want to eat the food they grow.

Do you have chronic health problems (possibly from toxic exposure)?

I may be able to help you.

Would you please take five minutes to fill out a health assessment survey and send it to me? I’ll review your information and have my assistant call you for any additional information and let you know if you might be a good fit for my clinic. It’s complimentary, no strings attached. Either I can help you or point you in the right direction to get help.

Don’t give up! You can recover your health if you persist.

DO NOT DRINK OUR WATER!

When you come to my clinic, PLEASE don’t drink the tap water.

Our tap water contains ten toxins in potentially unsafe levels, including nine carcinogens. (You can check out the water quality in your zip code HERE)

How to Have Safe, Healthy Water to Drink

1: Don’t drink tap water. Why not? Put your zip code into this search and see exactly.

2: Filter water that you cook with or drink. On a budget? You can use a carbon filter on your tap or a filtered water pitcher. Carbon filters (including those on filter pitchers) reduce many common contaminants such as lead, and the disinfectants used to treat tap water. Better (FAR better) is a reverse osmosis filter that gets most contaminants out.

3: Carry and store water in safe containers. Use stainless steel and (shatterproof) glass containers. Plastic can break down and release chemicals into the water.

4: Don’t trust bottled waters. Many “spring waters” are processed tap water, no matter what the label says.

An Ideal, Yet Practical Water Solution

In a typical residence, two water contamination problems need solutions:

Showerhead Carbon Filter

1: Drinking and cooking water needs to be as clean as possible but still contain natural minerals and electrolytes.

The best cost-effective solution is a reverse osmosis water filter. These filters look a bit like a rocket engine, with bottles and tubes in all directions. However, they are inexpensive ($250 – $700), not particularly hard to install (DIY or a simple handyman job), and fit under your kitchen sink. A bar tap on your sink dispenses the clean water for cooking and drinking. You can pick one up at Home Depot.

Strangely, DISTILLED WATER is not a healthy choice. See the article below, “Potential Risks of Distilled Water” for more information.

2: Water for bathing and handwashing needs to contain safe chlorine levels.

Chlorine is a necessary evil for tap water. Like water in your swimming pool, dangerous bacteria and fungus will grow in non-chlorinated water. The CDC says that four parts per million is the limit of chlorine in tap water. Because the danger of too little chlorine is much worse than too much, city water systems can err on the high side.

How to know if there is too much chlorine in your tap water?

• Tap water smells like a swimming pool. If your tap water really smells, it may have too much chlorine.
• Dry, itchy skin. If this is worse after a shower or bath, you should test your chlorine levels.

You can get a simple strip test for your tap water for $12 HERE (Amazon)

The best fix for chlorine is to get 95% of it out of your water. You do this with one of two solutions:

1: Showerhead filter. It screws onto your showerhead, costs $50, and lasts for years. This eliminates the hot chlorinated water you are soaking in and the chlorinated steam you are breathing.

2: Whole House Filter. This is a cartridge that is mounted (usually) where your water line comes into your house. It takes a handyman or plumber to install it ($200-ish), costs as little as $200, and lasts at least a year. Replacement cartridges cost $30 and can be installed (by you) in a few minutes. This cleans up all the water going into your house, usually including the water you use outside on your lawn.

Are You at Wits’ End With a Health Problem?

I may be able to help you.

Would you please take five minutes to fill out a health assessment survey and send it to me? I’ll review your information, then have my assistant call you for any additional information. Then, I’ll let you know if your case might be a good fit for my clinic. This assessment is complimentary, with no strings attached. Either I can help you–or point you in the right direction to get help.

Don’t give up! You can recover your health if you persist.

Potential Risks of Distilled Water

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP

While distilled water is the purest type, it’s not necessarily the healthiest.

The distillation process is very effective at removing potentially harmful contaminants, but it also removes the natural minerals and electrolytes found in water.

If you drink distilled water, be aware that it may have some drawbacks. The lack of minerals could prove problematic if you aren’t getting them from another dietary source. In addition, the water might cause intestinal discomfort.

Along with unwanted impurities, beneficial minerals like calcium and magnesium are also left behind as the steam rises during the distillation process.

Distillation typically removes around 99.9% of all minerals found in tap water.

The lack of naturally occurring minerals in distilled water, such as sodium, chloride, and potassium, can negatively affect health. These minerals are known as electrolytes.

Therefore, your body is forced to give electrolytes to the mineral and nutrient-free water. With this, your electrolyte level will slowly decrease and eventually cause electrolyte imbalance in your body.

To sum up, if you drink distilled water consistently, you are putting your health at risk. It has insufficient minerals and nutrients that can protect your body against diseases and illnesses. Second, it can potentially lead to certain health problems such as bone deformities, digestive tract disorders, and even blood-related sickness.

I believe the best source of drinking water is spring water.

Of course, I expect some debate about my opinion but spring water from a reliable source has proven to have many health benefits.

Here are some valuable benefits:

• Balancing the pH of your body
• Natural source of necessary minerals

How to choose a good spring water brand?

The points to remember when choosing a water company are as follows:

• Determine how long they are in the business
• The source of water
• Does the water pass purification and tests
• Is there a water test report available (especially on their website)
• Does the bottle have the label of the brand?

Compliments from Functional Medicine University