Frequently Asked Questions - Water Ionizers

Water Ionizers on the Market

The strong increase in public awareness about the benefits of using alkaline, ionized water has resulted in new companies getting involved and in some cases creating confusing misinformation as they try and compete in this rapidly growing market. It is important when buying such a life changing device that you do your due diligence and check out the background and track record of the company behind the product. The following are a few common questions asked.

Where are water ionizers currently manufactured?

Nearly all water ionizers are manufactured in either Japan or Korea. None are currently manufactured in the United States. There are water ionizers on the market being sold as American made, however most if not all their parts are imported from Japan or Korea, and simply assembled in the US. Recently there have been some cheap quality copy models brought in from other countries which will always happen when something begins to be noticed.

How do I install an Ionlife water ionizer?

If you want it to sit on your kitchen bench it's a ten minute installation by anyone. Basically, you attach it to your tap by unscrewing the aerator from the end of your tap, and replace it with the Ionlife aerator and diverter. Attach two hoses to the Ionizer and plug it in. We even include a free DVD for you to learn from.

Our ionizers with a control knob on the front can be also installed directly to the cold water line, through the counter.

If you have chosen to install it undersink it is a bit harder, and needs a plumber and the undersink conversion kit. You will receive detailed instructions for your plumber and backup support from our technical departments.

Can alkaline water from an Ionlife water alkalizer assist me to alkalize my body?

We are not in a position where we can make medical claims. Please refer to research papers and articles from Japan and we would also like to refer to Dr. Theodore Baroody, author of Alkalize or Die, or Dr. Robert Young, author of The pH Miracle who state that they have recommended thousands of people to use an ionizer over a long period of time and continue to do so. You can order their books through our shopping cart.

How long have water ionizers been on the market?

Water ionizers have been available in the United States for about 15 years and in Russia and Asia for about 50 years. They became popular in Japanese around 1985. Alkaline water ionizers have been imported from Korea since the early 1990s. Our manufacturers are world leaders in water ionizers with production planst that can manufacture over 100,000 quality units each month.

Why hasn't alkaline water been taken up earlier in the West?

Unfortunately the West is still very biased against Asian research. Although Japan translates over 90% of Western scientific papers, the West only translates 10% of Japanese scientific papers. If they had bothered, they would have unearthed an amazing phenomena; there is a million water alkalizers sold in Japan every year through the major manufacturers.

They would have also found that alkaline water is used throughout Japan and Korea in hospitals and clinics. They would also have asked Japan for more scientific reports than are currently available.

Today South Korea is the world leader manufacturing over 100,000 alkalizers per month for domestic consumption only. The technology, however, was originally Russian but was taken up by Japan in 1980.

Which country manufactures which water ionizers?

Please see our Alkaline Water Ionizer Comparison Chart.

I am told that you claim a lemon will help to alkalize your body, but other people say the opposite. What's the truth?

This is all about a basic misconception most people have about food and its effect on the body.

It is true that if you plunge a pH meter into a lemon it will read as acid. But once you have consumed (burnt up/converted to energy/metabolized) a lemon, what is left is alkaline.

It is what is left of all of our foods that determines our acid/alkaline balance, not the pH of the food we are about to consume. This is known as the 'ash' of a food.

After food has been completely burned up and converted to energy, the leftover minerals are what makes up our mineral content and therefore our pH or acid/alkaline balance.

Unfortunately many other factors affect our pH balance, including pollution, stress and our own body&339;s metabolic wastes.

We are not "what we eat". We are what is left over after we eat.>

Why do different water ionizers have different selection levels of intensity?

A water ionizer should have three or more levels of intensity to chose from. This is because alkaline water can really change lives and sometimes it is important to use a low setting (or even pure water setting) when the level of built up toxicity in the body is high. A pure water setting gives filtered water at the same pH as the input water.

Low levels can be especially important for the elderly or those undergoing treatment or experiencing some illness. Having 5 levels does not necessarily mean the unit is stronger than one with 3 levels. Having 5 levels simply gives more levels of strength to chose from. The level of pH can also be changed by increasing or decreasing the water flow (a slow flow gives a higher pH).

I have read elsewhere that I should have slightly acid to neutral body tissue.

It's not so simple. Different parts of the body need different pH levels. At a cellular level, there are two factors working together to keep our energy up.

The interior of each cell is acidic. The Mitochondria - the power producer of the body, swims in a sea of acid inside the cell's membrane. Outside, the interstitial (between cells) fluid is saline, alkaline and mineralized. This is the fluid that transports nutrition to the cells. the cell allows it in after checking it with its many receptor antennae that swim in the alkaline fluid. Once inside, the mitochondria consumes it and converts it to energy - electrical energy. Here's where the minor miracle of life repeats itself billions of times a day. Acid is positive, alkaline is negative. This permits the cell to pass the energy as electricity from positive to negative, just like a car or household wire passes power.

So it is incredibly important for the interstitial fluid to be alkaline because if it's not, the power cannot flow, the tiny antennae that detect germs etc. can't work properly, and we lose energy.

It is also important to realize that we are never just acid or alkaline. We change by the hour, even the minute, and our body is a marvel of design and engineering as it shunts around alkaline minerals to neutralize excess acids within minutes of them entering the body.

It is probably also obvious to you now that if we use minerals to maintain our balance, they have to come from somewhere.

This idea of a body miraculously adjusting its balance makes no sense at all because without a ready supply of alkaline minerals how could it balance anything? These are the same minerals we spoke about in the 'lemon' question, and the great advantage of drinking water loaded with ionized alkaline minerals that they get into the body without metabolism occurring - that is, they just go straight to work

When we hear someone say 'being alkaline is no better than being acid' we really do wonder what comic book they have been reading.

I am told Dr Weil (USA) and a chemist on a website say health claims made by water alkalizer sellers are bogus and that we should save our money.

We emailed Dr Weil about this claim to ask him if he had actually seen any clinical evidence to support his claim. We received no reply. We still come across a few practitioners who believe in the old paradigm that somehow the body has a miraculous ability to balance its own pH. Certainly, in times when we ate more alkaline food and didn't repress stress the way we do today, this might have been so.

However a study of almost 1,000 Americans by Dr Linda Frassetto of the University of California in 1999 has turned this old idea on its head. She found the opposite; that we are now storing acid in our body fat because we have become incapable of eliminating the increased tide of acid wastes that we are now assailed with. This is an change never before seen in our evolutionary history, and must be seen in the context of an unmanageable acid tide within.

We have many more doctors who strongly support alkaline water. To see what these experts have to say, go Here

Do all water ionizers have a calcium port and what is it for?

Some AlkaViva water ionizers come with a calcium port. The calcium (or other mineral) added needs to be slow release. This will increase the pH level and allows for the calcium e.g.. to be ionized making assimilation into the body easier. This is why ionized water cannot be made from distilled, purified or reverse osmosis water. In general, by drinking alkaline, ionized water you are naturally increasing the intake of essential minerals. However, in cases where there has been distinct mineral deficiency created over the years due to drinking distilled or Reverse Osmosis water and by having a poor diet etc. then the calcium inserts are recommended. These inserts are very affordable and available through any AlkaViva office.

What is the difference between "balanced water" and alkaline water?

There is no such thing as "balanced water". It is a myth created by a water system seller whose system cannot alkalize on demand. All water has its own pH or acid/alkaline value, based on its mineral content. "Balanced" water therefore has no relationship to reality.

What is the advantage of having UV light on a water ionizer?

The purpose of UV light is for bacterial disinfection. However, on a water ionizer this is completely unnecessary for several reasons. If you have city (municipal) water then your water has already been disinfected through the use of chlorine. The carbon filter on the water ionizer will remove the chlorine. The UV light itself loses much of its effectiveness after the first six months of use and should be replaced often, which is of course an expensive proposition. Also, the glass tube that the water travels through in order that it can be exposed to the UV light develops a film on it after only a few months, which greatly lessens the effectiveness of the UV light on the water which passes through the tube.

Are water alkalizers safe for gastric problems?

AlkaVIva has delivered 1000s of alkaline water ionizers directly and indirectly through its dealers. We only know of one case where a stomach problem was reported. The user was refunded her purchase money and advised to seek medical advice.

Many users have reported cessation of heartburn and other gastric problems. Original testimonials are available from AlkaViva offices and may be viewed Here

Are your water alkalizers electrically approved?

They are. The internationally accepted CE certificate of compliance and the USA UL Certificate etc may be viewed Here.

More Frequently Asked Questions/ Answers Here
Latest AlkaViva water ionizers Here

The statements enclosed herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The products mentioned on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your family doctor.