Proper hydration is the very essence of optimal health. We are constantly being told that drinking water is good for us and that we don’t drink adequate amounts of it. However, just drinking water is not enough. It does matter what sort of water we drink as well. Our health and well-being depends a lot on drinking water of good quality. So, what exactly good quality water means one may ask? There is an abundance of different types of waters on the market and apart from the most common tap water we can also come across purified, distilled, spring, mineral or even artesian water. But what kind of water is the best for our health?
To answer this question we need to turn to medical research studies. Our bodies consist of about 70% of water which is the most basic building block of life. Water facilitates each and every single biological reaction in our organism and its invaluable role has been studied thoroughly for some time now. However, not much attention has been given to the impact of water quality on human health. Dr Kirsten Deutschländer, a German GP and alternative medicine practitioner carried out a pilot study on the impact of drinking of artesian spring water on overall human well-being in terms of physical, emotional and mental aspects.
Artesian water is a special type of water which originates from an artesian well. It is the same as any other type of groundwater and the only difference is that it does not require a pump to bring water up to the surface. Water finds its way to the surface on its own when there is enough positive pressure in the water source called an aquifer. An aquifer- a layer of permeable and porous rock, usually sandstone or limestone-absorbs and stores water in an artesian well. The permeable rock is sandwiched between two layers of impermeable stone such as shale or clay. This geologic structure causes positive pressure which causes artesian spring water to rise up without any assistance and gush out of the ground.
Artesian water is natural, untreated and free from contamination since it originates from very deep layers in the ground. It is thought to have special purity, antioxidant efficacy and liquid crystalline properties which enable it to carry electromagnetic information. It is structured water and supposed to have positive impact on human organism.
In Dr. Deutschländer’s study eighty participants took part and were divided into two groups- 50 of them were considered mentally healthy (control group) and the other group which consisted of 30 clients suffered from depression or anxiety (patients’ group). Each person in the study drank about 1.5 litres of artesian spring water of their choice (participants had a choice of six types of artesian spring waters) a day for twelve weeks. Many different aspects of human health and well-being were investigated as part of the research such as physical fitness, emotional health and mental performance as well as stress levels and overall life satisfaction. Various methods of testing were employed to gather data including Biotonometer according to Rilling, cell regulation screening analysis, total antioxidant capacity measurement and health analysis questionnaire to name a few. The results of this pilot study showed interesting and valuable findings and emphasized that drinking artesian spring water has a long list of benefits such as:
- Increased physical performance– both groups noted positive improvement with regards to physical performance; however, the patient group reported to feel fitter than the control group which resulted in them being able to run longer distances without getting fatigued and were able to recover faster from sports activities. They also noted that they needed less sleep.
- Pain reduction with the same amount of drinking water– the participants noted improvement in migraine, headaches and chronic pains after switching to artesian spring water and without increasing water consumption.
- Changes in taste and body image perception– participants reported that they felt more inclined to drink water as opposed to other drinks they were used to before. The clients that drank water from plastic bottles before noted that it tasted bad compared to artesian spring water. Some participants decreased the amount of salt in their diet as a result of the study.
- Changes in thirst sensation, dietary habits and promoting weight loss– according to the findings drinking artesian spring water also normalizes thirst so drinking water comes more naturally, reduces carbohydrates cravings and by doing so supports weight loss. A few participants lost more than two kilograms without changing anything apart from drinking artesian spring water. The participants also reported becoming more health conscious when it came to their dietary choices and feeling more appetite for healthy, unprocessed foods as a result.
- Mental capacity enhancement– almost every other patient noted feeling more focused, conscious and able to concentrate better. Drinking artesian spring water improved the participants’ creativity, memory and overall mental performance. The study findings point out that the mental balance improved by 7.1% in the healthy participants’ group and by 25% for the patients.
- Better stress management– the study participants reported significant improvement with regards to their ability to handle stress. The ability to relax improved significantly in both groups: by 14.2% in the control group and by 50% in the patients’ group. They also felt calmer and more focused on their needs.
The promising results of this pilot study shed interesting light on the impact of good quality water, and in this case the artesian spring water, on human health and well being. There is strong and ample evidence that pure artesian spring water not only enhances physical, emotional and mental well-being but also improves overall health as well. Its antioxidant properties are probably the drivers that support healing from various chronic diseases.
References available upon request