Question from Andrea

Hi Debra,

Recently we were informed that our municipality will soon be brought into compliance with a federal mandate requiring the treatment of our water supply with UV irradiation to help eliminate harmful bacteria and other pathogens from the water.

Having in mind Dr. Masaru Emoto’s work on water molecules, do you or any of your readers know if treating water in this way might “denature,” or in any other way alter the chemical or molecular structure, or the natural health-giving properties, of the water?

If so, might there be a potential negative effect on health if UV irradiated water is used for drinking, cooking or bathing over the long term?

And are there any ways to mitigate or offset any potentially harmful effects of using UV irradiated water, as I don’t believe it will be possible to opt out of receiving it.

Thanks very much for your kind reply.

Debra’s Answer

I’m familiar with UV irradiation of water and also Dr. Emoto’s work, so I feel qualified to answer your question.

First, as you know from Dr Emoto’s work, the structure of water can be easily changed for better or worse by pollutants, energy, and even mental thoughts.

I doubt that UV irradiation would have a negative effect on water. All day long I drink water from a Pure Effect water filter with a UV lamp, which is present not only to kill living micro-organisms, but to disintegrate toxic chemical pollutants. The creator of this filter knows more about water and water quality than any person I’ve ever known.

I also grew up with UV treated water. My father was very interested in this technology for water purification of all kinds, particularly for swimming pools and drinking water. He invested a system many years ago that was sold to a company to be used for drinking water purification in Third World countries.

So I have no concern about water treatment plants using UV treatment, which would reduce the amount of toxic chemical disinfectants that need to be used.

Now, does this affect the natural health-giving properties of the water? Yes, it would. But your tap water is already terribly not in it’s natural state due to all the chemicals added to it. UV irradiation would not add more damage to already damaged water, but in fact might contribute to damaging the water less by reducing the amount of chemicals used.

Ultraviolet light is a wavelength of the sun and is found in nature.  For water disinfection purposes, it’s the same wavelength, but more concentrated to have a quicker effect.  Since it’s light energy, it’s not adding anything toxic to the water.

I want to make clear that UV ‘irradiation” is not adding radiation to the water. UV irradiation is simply shining ultraviolet light from a lamp on the water. It’s like sunbeams shining on the water.

I don’t see any potential negative health effect from shining a UV lamp on water.

Now if you want to restore water’s natural life giving properties there are several things you can do.

1. Get a PureEffect Water Filter. Igor has designed these filters especially to transform tap water as close as possible to natural state. I’ve been drinking this water every day for about four years and my body loves it.

2. Get a Flaska water bottle . This bottle restructures the energy matrix of the water to be closer to natural state. The Glass Water Bottle That Restructures Tap Water to Be Like Spring Water

3. Visit the Dancing With Water. There you will find a lot of information on the nature of water and advanced ways you can restore water to it’s natural state. Going Beyond Filtered Water

The best water I ever drank was from a spring at the foot of Mt. Shasta, in California. That water was immensely alive and nourishing to my body.

Start out by getting a PureEffect filter because you need to remove pollutants before you can restructure the water. Then get a Flaska bottle. And then start learning more about how very much you can influence the health-giving properties of water.

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Question from Marjorie

Hi Debra,

Have there been any safer dishwashers on the market? We’ve gone w/out one for over 2 years now, but really miss it.

Also, if the choice comes down to PVC (Part of interior not the whole thing) or the newer bitumen ones which is safer? Thanks.

Debra’s Answer

I haven’t researched dishwashers lately because I don’t use one. I wash all my dishes by hand.

So bitumen vs PVC…

Geez. It’s asphalt (used to surface roads and to seal flat roofs) vs carcinogenic plastic.

I read that many brands now use bitumen coating for insulation.The writer says this is basically Dynamat type asphalt matting and many brands give off a tar smell when hot. For the first 10 washes there has been a detectable tar smell, and I would add, toxic tar fumes.

We’ve discussed this before in Q&A: Chemical Smell in New Boesch Dishwasher. That smell appears to be bitumen.

Update: Read more about bitumen and finding a non-toxic dishwasher.

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Question from MM

Hi Debra,

I went to the eye doctor Monday and by yesterday had the stomach flu. I think I’m ok but after reading the CDC website feel I need to sanitize everything, starting with my eyeglasses and then everything I’ve touched since Monday, since I touched the glasses often.

I guess Dr. Hulda Clark would suggest vodka and I have some. I have some alcohol though I’d rather not use it.

I don’t want to reinfect myself or endanger someone else, although I imagine people who are out in the world encounter it often and don’t get sick. My doctor said three schools in his area were closed due to it.

What would you do?

Debra’s Answer

I’ve answered similar questions before, but I’ll give an update for 2016.

Here are the other posts on this subject. Please read them all as they have relevant points.

Q&A: Earth Friendly Hand Sanitizer
how to make your own, important of hand washing

Q&A: Hand Sanitizer
recommends Clean Well Hand Sanitizer

Q&A Handwashing vs Hand Sanitizers
instructions for proper hand washing

Just keep in mind, before they go into surgery, doctors SCRUB , they don’t use a hand sanitizer. And instruments are AUTOCLAVED.

My suggestion is that you scrub your hands and boil anything that you’ve touched that can be boiled.

You mentioned vodka. I would use that if you need to, rather than isopropyl alcohol, which is a petroleum product.

Hydrogen peroxide can also be used as a disinfectant.

If you want a hand sanitizer product…a few weeks ago I was asked by a doctor for hand wipes he could use between patients in the office. I recommended Clean Well but we couldn’t find it locally.

But my natural food store carried another brand—EO —which was easy to find at my local natural food store. These are scented with lavender essential oils.

Note these are hand sanitizer wipes and not baby bottom wipes. I don’t know if baby bottom wipes contain the same sanitizing ingredients. Some brands offer baby bottom wipes and separate hand and face wipes.

That’s all I have on this subject for the moment, but readers please comment and let me know what you are using for sanitizer.

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Question from Cary

Hi Debra,

Debra, could you please recommend a nontoxic hypoallergenic very soft mostly goose down featherbed? Thanks!

Debra’s Answer

I used to sleep on a featherbed, but haven’t for years. I found that the feathers moved around a lot and didn’t give me nice even padding. I now sleep on a wool mattress with two wool “toppers” from Shepherd’s Dream on Debra’s List on beds and bedding page. There are two, one on crib page and the other on beds and bedding).

Featherbeds and feather pillows also tend to smell like a barnyard, plus there is the inhumane method by which the feathers are removed, plus a lot of people are allergic to feathers…of of which is why you don’t see feathers on my website, even though they are natural.

I’m not aware of any sort of standards or best practices for handling goose down or feathers that would make me recommend one featherbed over another.

All the featherbeds I’ve seen have 100% cotton covers, but I did find one with an Oeko-Tex certified cotton cover at CUDDLEDOWN: 100 Fill Powder White Goose Down Super Featherbed.

Looks like that one would meet your needs. I have no personal experience with it.

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