Water IS life!

From time immemorial, spas have been associated with mineral water therapies. Whether you “take the waters” internally or externally, the purpose of drinking them or bathing in them is to promote health, healing, and well-being.

But what if you don’t live near an actual mineral spring or have the resources to go to a spa? (The artesian wells and spring sources for these waters have historically become enclaves only for the very wealthy.) Fortunately, we live in a time when drinkable spa waters can come to you!  

Fine waters

It may seem strange to think that water isn’t just water and it tastes the same all over. But it isn’t and it doesn’t. If you’ve traveled to another place and had a glass of water there, you might suddenly understand why that place might be called Sweet Springs. It’s because of the flavor of the water!

Water can have different flavors and mineral properties that make them taste better or worse and be more or less healthful. When these waters are particularly distinctive for their flavor or are well-known for certain health properties, they are called fine waters.

Many fine waters are now readily available at your local grocery store—or even in some vending machines. And most are quite reasonably priced. So, the next time you want to celebrate—and in the spirit of living the S.P.A. Life, consider picking out a bottle of fine water instead of wine. You can get as high-brow as you like about your waters. Check out the wealth of information and your many options at: www.finewaters.com.

The therapeutic effects of water

I first became interested in fine waters because dementia runs in my family. At the time Fiji water was said to be especially helpful for this illness. So, I did a bit of research and created this list of fine waters based on the mineral content of silica which is the mineral that’s said to be effective in reducing plaques in the brain that are suspected to lead to various dementias.

·       Fiji 93 (from Fiji)

·       Socosani 64 (from Peru)

·       Three Bays 47 (from Australia)

·       Sole 40 (from Italy)

·       Volvic 32 (from France)

·       deVine 25 (from Oklahoma, U.S.A.)

·       Mountain Valley 18 (from Arkansas, U.S.A.)

·       Crazy Water 15 (from Texas, U.S.A.)

·       Evian 14 (from France)

·       Perrier 12 (from France)

·       San Pellegrino 9 (from Italy)

·       Saratoga 5 (from New York, U.S.A.)

Whether these waters are truly therapeutic or not has become irrelevant. If so, great! If not, they taste great and allow me do something nice, festive, and healthy for myself on occasion or every day!

The bottled water debate

I get the ethical quandary of bottled water. The waters listed above are not free and they do require packaging and delivery of some kind. Personally, I try to balance these issues by learning as much as I can about them and choosing accordingly.

·  Where and how are they sourced?

·  Is the water still available to the local community?

·  How far do they travel?

·  What kind of packaging are they in?

·  What is the company like that is bottling them?

A word to the wise: About 40% of bottled water that is sold in the U.S. is simply purified tap water. If it says “municipal source” on the label, it’s not a fine or even premium water and is probably highly processed.

Now, this water might still be better than your tap water because it is purified—if so, great! But if not, save your money. You can get a Brita® pitcher and filters for a lot less and eliminate all the plastic packaging. Sano por Amasso for the earth as well!