Over the past few months, I have become increasingly familiar with drinking alkaline water an the potential benefits for CF.  I want to expressly note that the following article is NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, and only reflects my own personal thoughts and experiences.

For those of you who are not familiar, alkaline (higher pH of >7) is the opposite of acidic (lower pH <7). I was introduced to drinking alkaline water last year and initially perceived it as a 'trend' or 'fad'.  But then I met a few individuals who had not only survived various forms of stage four cancer, but who were completely rid of it with no chemotherapy, radiation, surgery or anything other than drinking nothing other than alkaline water.

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The most powerful testimony was from a chemist I recently met from a CF pharmaceutical company at a CFLF event. I thought for sure that she, representing big pharma, would be more than skeptical when I asked "What are your thoughts on drinking alkaline water?" While she first admitted to not know enough to consider herself an expert about the chemistry or physiology of drinking alkaline water, her father had been given only four months to live with stage four liver cancer. He was too far advanced and it was too aggressive for any treatment or surgical options. So he was given no option but to expect only about four more months of life. He had nothing to lose, and started drinking alkaline water. Now, four years later is considered completely free of cancer! (Again, to be clear, this is NOT a claim that this is the outcome for everyone with cancer, but there have been several personal accounts I have heard with this outcome.)

This REALLY piqued my interest. Was there potential benefit for my own CF to try drinking alkaline water? More importantly, was there any potential harm I might do myself by trying it?

Dozens of articles that I have read, and conversations I have had with many western and eastern medical professionals have led me to the conclusion for myself that not only does drinking ionized alkaline water not pose a significant threat to me, but may actually hold some powerful potential physical benefits that I am willing to pursue.  (Note: I will describe more below the difference between ionized alkaline water versus alkaline water you may buy in the store).

The unending testimonies of improved energy, decreased pain and greater focus was my primary interest as pain and fatigue have been some of my greatest challenges in the past few years with CF. As I began researching, it seemed there were multiple points relating to CF that could not be proven as connected, yet also did not seem to be disconnected.

I have been drinking (and occasionally nebulizing) ionized alkaline water for the past three months, and can honestly report without a clear medical or physiological understanding of 'why', that I am in significantly less pain, have a MUCH higher level of energy, sleep much better, am more focussed, am more hydrated (at the risk of TMI, am having clear urine for the first time ever on a regular basis), and feel even MORE clear airways than before I started drinking/nebulizing it (which I did not think would be possible with the Vertex study med I've been on for four years now!). 

In terms of hydration, oxygenation (not oxidation) and overall functionality, I relate how I have been feeling to changing the oil in your car and how the car just runs smoother and more efficiently with new oil. When I saw an image of how ionized alkaline water (specifically the effects of molecular hydrogen from this water) impacts blood cells, it was clear to me that the benefits of alkaline water were great. Here is a comprehensive list of over 500 research articles on the benefits of molecular hydrogen.  

Conclusions From My Research:

• People with CF are prone to acid reflux due to low levels of bicarbonate secretion by the pancreas and typically have a more acidic environment in their bodies than normal.
• Pancreatic digestive enzymes functionality is compromised by over acidity 
• The abnormally acidic (low pH) environment in CF is not isolated to the digestive system, but possibly also effects airway surface fluid (mucus) pH to be more acidic than normal
• Certain multi-resistant bacterial including pseudomonas aeruginosa prefer an acidic environment over an alkaline environment
• Ocean water (known for its respiratory benefits in CF) has an average alkaline pH of 8.8
• Increased pH in airway surface fluids may also contribute to increased viscosity (liquidness)
• The benefit of molecular hydrogen in ionized alkaline water is widely studied and known to have great deals of benefits in all types of conditions involving all organs.

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Molecular Hydrogen

The presence of hydrogen gas gives ionized alkaline water many of its benefits. Ionized water is produced by electrolysis, enabling the ‘free’ and available hydrogen gas to dissolve into the water. It is the presence of hydrogen gas which gives alkaline water many of it’s benefits.

Research has shown that removing the hydrogen gas in ionized water diminishes the benefits, and perhaps unsurprisingly, adding extra hydrogen gas to the water increased the therapeutic benefits. Drinking hydrogen-rich alkaline water is the perfect way to mount a defense against free radicals, which are responsible for oxidization – or decay – within our bodies.

ORP - Bottled Alkaline Water vs. Ionized Alkaline Water

I discovered that there was a huge difference between drinking bottle alkaline water that can be purchased in most grocery and convenience stores, which is just water with bicarbonate (baking soda) added to change the pH, and electrically ionized water. Water that goes through the ionizing process to create the alkalinity creates a super anti-oxidant quality known as Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP). Oxidation is the break down of a material through the exposure to oxygen.  Examples we are familiar with include rust on metal or the hazy film that forms on car headlights. Oxidation occurs on everything including our organs and skin. Foods with 'anti-oxidants' like blueberries, dark chocolate and red wine are so highly regarded because they help block the oxidation process in our bodies, which essentially is the process of aging. 

ORP is a term used frequently in the water treatment & food processing industry.  ORP stands for Oxidation-Reduction Potential and has a range of –2,000 to + 2,000 and units are in “mV” (millivolts).  The lower the number, the less oxidation potential there is (i.e. the lower the better). Tap water, and any bottled water that is found in the store will have an ORP on average between +200 to +450 which facilitates oxidation. Water that goes through the electrical ionization process to become alkaline, also has an ORP of -300 to -900, which to me is a gigantic difference in that it actually reduces oxidation. 

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The point of this section is that I found drinking bottled alkaline water could potentially have benefit with issues like reflux or maybe even altering the pH in my body, but the bicarbonate would most like not get past the stomach acid as it is not buffered in any way.  However, alkaline water created by electric ionization I think could have a greater effect on reducing the acidic environment AND providing significant anti-oxidant benefits.

 

Making Alkaline Water

 

Below is a really helpful video that explains pH, and some of the benefits of alkaline water that can be made with natural ingredients;

 

Below are a list of articles that I found useful in understanding the impact of pH in CF, and considering the potential benefit of alkaline water include:

Some questions that I came away with included:

• Does a more acidic overall environment in someone with CF also effect presence of lactic acid in the muscles, and could that be a factor of high rates of chronic pain in people with CF?
• As cancer is understood to not be able to survive in alkaline environments, does a more acidic environment in people with CF lend us a certain prevalence toward getting cancer?
• Does someone need to wait to get stage four cancer to make the investment in integrating ionized alkaline water into their health management?
• Could the medical field really be down playing the potential of alkaline water (including benefits of molecular hydrogen and ORP) because of what a financial upset it could cause if treatments like chemotherapy, radiation or more were discovered as more detrimental with side effects than they were beneficial?

Help Others Live STRONGER and LONGER- 

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Brian Callanan is currently 40-years-old, and was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth.  He is the Founder and Executive Director of the CFLF, and practices an active lifestyle primarily through swimming and cycling on and off road, but also enjoys snowboarding, hiking, sailing and rock-climbing. You may email him directly at brian@cflf.org.