Clinical Studies of alkaline ionized water

Wow! I just received the link to this page. It details all of the clinical studies carried out on the effects of alkaline ionized water in Japan.

Many roads, same destination

Had a wonderful talk with Steve this morning; me sitting at home sipping my liquorice tea, Steve on a  'layover' in Tokyo. Skype is truly amazing, don't you think?

Steve is a 'triple seven' pilot. The big ones. He's also a total alkaline water convert after buying a Melody some time ago. 

But that's not why we were talking. Steve and his wife are seriously into vitality. His wife first alerted Steve to acidity in a rather unusual way. As a dental hygienicist, she began to see a direct relationship between gum health and acidic patients. Patient after patient presented to her with inflamed gums were obviously acidic. 

It's not hard to tell; flushed, over emotional, bad skin.. there are many signs. She recommended they changed to a toothpaste with bicarb for their gums, (Arm and Hammer Dental Care) but talking to Steve, she discussed the bigger problem; the elephant in the room; the ongoing acidic diet of these people that was behind the problem in the first place.

I don't know if you know much about life in the sky. Airline pilots may just have the unhealthiest job on earth - or above earth. Lack of exercise is only one thing. The constant pressure changes, the dehydration, the radiation... they seriously earn their money! Management have recently even warned them against drinking water in many big ports of call. 

So Steve would really miss his Melody alkaline water in the many hours in the sky. He also realised that his fellow skybirds must be in the same situation, so he's writing an article on dehydration and alkaline balance for the international aircrews magazine, recommending our Fill2Pure with the AlkaSachet. It just makes sense. At 40000 feet or on the ground, being able to access superbly filtered alkaline ionized water for around 2c a litre; what a gift!

Dan Ross: new Breed of Surfer

We are a small company and therefore new to the world of sponsorship. When we learned that alkaline ionized water didn't take off in Japan until some Japanese celebrities endorsed it, we wondered what and how we might get into the field of sponsorship.

Personally, I've always had a problem with the obvious endorsements I see on TV. I know, we know, and everyone else knows that the endorsee is just saying what he or she has been told to say for money.

Enter Dan Ross.  Dan is a surfer. The real thing. He lives to surf. He's in the top 50 ASP surfers in the world. He lives at Yamba a small mid-North coast surf town, and has teamed up with Stu Bowen, his best mate and 'manager'. That's how we learned about Dan and Stu. Stu bought an AlkaWay water ionizer and loves it, recommending it to anyone within shouting range, including past world champ Mick Fanning. Dan drinks alkaline water during his rigorous daily training, and right now he's competing in the QuickSilver Pro on the Gold Coast - his first contest for over a year after severe damage to a shoulder in a  surf accident. He's been doing endurance work, weight work, breath work and drinking the water.. every day. 

So far I could be talking about any young pro surfer.. but Dan (and Stu) are different. They approached us because they have chosen to only be involved with people with whom their values agree. They are both serious conservationists. Stu runs Fresh Mullet, a great surfblog that's rated in the top 500 blogs in the world by Alexa. They are both into organic food, healthy lifestyle and - how can I say it without sounding trite - they really do live their values. Their other major sponsor is Patagonia, the outdoor wear and equipment people. Patagonia also live their values, including buying 2 million acres in Patagonia for the simple purpose of preservation of natural habitat.

We spent some time between heats with Dan and Stu yesterday, and its what I'll call 'alkaline' energy that impresses. They aren't laidback in terms of lazy. They are intent, they are open, but they both have time for you, time to listen, time to share space. Knowing they'll probably read this I don't want to carry on too much, but I'm inspired. Not just by the 'vibe', but by these two young men choosing against the way the surf industry has gone - get as many sponsors as I can while I can for as much as I can'. They are actively pursuing a future in line with their values of healthy lifestyle, of environmental awareness, of low impact lifestyle, and of giving back. Take a look at Dan and you may see what I see in him; the future citizen of our fragile world. 

Stu, Ian and Dan

Dr Mercola, you're at it again.

As I expected, Dr Joe Mercola has finally revealed his strategy behind 'bagging' water ionizers. After his last diatribe about water ionizers, totally baseless and error-riddled that it was, he received thousands of protests from angry water ionizer users and gave no reply. Among his bloopers was one statement that water ionizers don't filter the water that passes through them.

Hey Joe? Have you ever actually looked at one?

He then resorted to the old 'I and most experts' attack, which allows someone to make unfounded statements under the 'experts' cover - with immunity from all but those who see it for what it is; a marketing trick with nothing behind it.

He has gone further, in both cases with not a skerrick of evidence in the form that he has been trained to take not of; actual studies. With no references to any studies he has claimed on one occasion that alkaline water interferes with the mitochondria, and this latest rave contains the again unfounded claim that alkaline water may only be good for short term detox.

Just imagine if young Joe had presented a paper on the subject for his final college exam. A complete rave with absolutely no technical referencing that related to his major points. His professors would have exploded and he'd probably be selling timeshares right now.

So why is this so important? 

Well, since his first baseless rave, water alkalizer sales in the US have fallen over 50%. This means the small operator who survives through exceptional customer support will fail and disappear, leaving thousands of people marooned with their water ionizer and no-one to come to for support or service.  Mercola is the largest alternative health email in the world, sending emails out to six million people every few days.

So let's now examine his reason for this attack, and the latest attack that includes distilled water and even his old personal favourite, reverse osmosis. There must be a reason someone like Doc Joe even gives up his own preferred water filter.
So let's see if we can see the elephant in the room.

The 'expert' he discussed water ionizers with in his first rant was a salesman from Aquasana. 

Aquasana is a respected large manufacturer of basic water filters. Even though the salesman must have known that some of Joe's ideas were just plain wrong, he did nothing to correct him in the interview.. and I wondered why. Well, now it's obvious.
Joe has done a  deal to rebrand Aquasana filters under his own brand and now sells them to his SIX MILLION subscribers.

Let's do a few quick figures to see if we can find the Elephant.

Let's say Joe gets just one person in a hundred subscribers ordering his recommended whole house Aquasana/Mercola water filter system at $1092.

That's six million divided by 100 which equals 60,000 at $1092 each.

That's $65,520,000.00!

Now I think I understand the reasons Joe didn't bother finding any real facts about alkaline water.

Sixty Five million reasons.

The sad thing is that Joe does a lot of good work uncovering the bad aspects of Big Pharma. He also puts himself 'out there' on some quite controversial subjects, so it would be wrong to condemn Joe per se. No, he's just got it seriously wrong on this one and needs to show us that my suspicions are totally false, that he has in fact the studies he should have quoted about alkaline water, and that his basic facts and understanding of alkaline water is.. well, wrong.

He's 95, and his secret of a long and happy life is...

Watermelons and alkaline water. Read his story here

And More studies on Alkaway water!

Here's one more to add to the growing pile. This one tests diabetic mice with alkaline ionized water identical to Alkaway water.
Check it out here

Spotlight on You

When Dr. Bernhard Sengstock heard about alkaline, ionized water, he was at first quite skeptical. But when one of his patients explained the remarkable, often seemingly miraculous benefits of alkaline ionized water, Dr. Sengstock decided to give it a try. Before he started passing out the water to his patients, he thought it practical to make himself a case-study for IonWays water.

Every year, Dr. Sengstock challenges his stamina with a 3½ mile, soft-sand run. With every passing year, his run along the Atlantic Coast of Long Island proved more and more difficult. Joint pain and lack of energy hindered his ability to complete the goal he had set for himself year-after-previous-year. In an effort to test the water's ability to improve his results on the sand, Dr. Sengstock began drinking a half-gallon of IonWays water every day for two weeks. It was only after he finished his annual run without joint pain and energy to spare that he became an of our water!

Dr. Sengstock knows that water is essential to the human body and its many complex systems - water is the single most important element for its health, playing a major role in the detoxification process and the reduction of free radicals; which are like movie stars in the process of degeneration. Along with drinking IonWays alkaline, ionized water, Dr. Sengstock believes in creating health - not chasing it.

He believes in proper exercise, diet, and keeping the body aligned through regular chiropractic care. Mental and spiritual health, stress reduction, and a positive outlook on life, are essential. A nutrient-rich diet, the avoidance of toxic environments, and drinking IonWays water may make a body healthy, happy, and productive!

Dr. Sengstock is the owner of a multi-specialty, natural healing center on Long Island, NY. He is a member of the New York State Chiropractic Association, the American Chiropractic Association, and the International Chiropractic Association. Dr. Sengstock encourages his patients to drink IonWays water and has seen a tremendous amount of positive feedback, including the areas of weight-loss, increased energy, and one patient who used the acidic water to help heal a diabetic foot ulcer.

If you are in USA, learn more here. In Australia and NZ, here and here.

Hydrogen Stick Vs Water Ionizer

The Japanese are right - hangovers are helped by alkaline water

Yep, they're coming in. More and more reports every day. I've never heard of Dr Hart, but obviously she has heard of our water!

Dr. Cheryle Hart has researched hundreds of hangover remedies. Her top recommendation for preventing and minimizing a hangover involves drinking a lot of water since alcohol is very dehydrating.

"Studies show that alkaline electrolyzed water speeds up metabolism of alcohol and protects your liver better than regular, plain water," she said.

Hart says avoiding a hangover should start before you start drinking alcohol. In addition to drinking plenty of water beforehand, she says eating a meal with complex carbohydrates and some dietary fat as well as taking a vitamin B 50 complex supplement can help avoid feeling bad post-party.

Hart also recommends drinking water between alcoholic beverages and avoiding darker colored drinks since they’ve been proven to cause more severe hangovers.

After partying, Hart says drinking at least one liter of water can help flush the alcohol out of your system and keep you hydrated.

"Drinking plenty of alkaline, electrolyzed water is key in my program," said Dr. Hart.

Hangovers and Alkaline Ionized Water

We've long been told that the Japanese use ionized alkaline water for hangovers.
( Cassie and I tried it out once - a long time ago - but can't seem to remember much about it...)

Now we find a scientific report of rats tested for hangover relief using ionized water, and yes, dear drinkers, the answer is positive.
It DOES work.
Here's the study

The AlkaPod is going Ballistic!

I recently published a short video on the AlkaPod. Here's a link to it. Since that time we've had orders from across the globe. This is a seriously good portable water alkalizer and energizer, and a quantum leap in taking the whole alkaline concept to the people in a more affordable form. I take mine with me every morning as I walk Cape Byron!

It's also one of our Christmas specials at the moment so it's a great time to get in early and surprise someone you love with a gift that may well change the way they think and act on personal future health.

Yet another doctor comes into the Alkaline water fold.

Dr Raymond Hatland's article on bottled water crossed my screen briefly today. It appears he has arrived at similar conclusions to those of most of you reading this blog.

"Bottled water has rapidly become a very popular drink. In this age of convenience, bottled water fits in very well with many new modern lifestyles. It provides portability and is readily available as purified and sanitized drinking water. It is also an upgrade from the many artificially sweetened drinks that have flooded the market.

The question is whether or not bottled water is a great improvement over tap water.

On the positive side, tap water is cheap, basically safe and easily available, has fluoride that can help prevent tooth decay, has a neutral or slightly alkaline pH, usually contains some good minerals, and depending on where you are located can have a good taste.

On the negative side, tap water can be polluted with many industrial chemicals that are not totally removed by water purification systems, can contain excessive amounts of iron, sulfur, or fluoride, can draw lead or copper from the pipes, and on occasion may be contaminated with bacteria and waste products from occasional flooding.

On the positive side, bottled water is safe from bacterial infections, can taste good, is easily portable, can have an alkaline pH, and can be free of fluoride.

On the negative side, bottled water is very expensive, usually has a very acidic pH, has no fluoride, may have very few nutritional minerals, and may contain unacceptable levels of the plastic chemicals (bisphosphonates) that leech from plastic containers.

Conclusions

1. Fluoride in the water is both positive and negative depending on who is drinking it.

2. Kids benefit from the fluoride, which helps reduce dental decay. However, this is a doubtful benefit for most adults and there is some concern that the fluoride ion in tap water reacts with the some of the trace chemicals in tap water making them more carcinogenic.

3. It is my opinion that fluoride is best applied topically by dentists or hygienists for the most effective protection of teeth with minimal systemic side effects.

4. High fluoride concentration tooth gels can be used by high-risk adults and by children under supervision to avoid excess swallowing of the gel. Two to three times a week is often enough to be effective.

5. Having an occasional bottle of water is not a health risk. Drinking only bottled water could be a problem. The best of both worlds would be to buy a water filter and alkalizing unit that will purify your tap water and increase the pH of the water up to 9. There are many health benefits in doing this. Alkaline water increases your body’s ability to neutralize excess acid ions that come from the high amount of acid foods and liquids we ingest. This will help the body reduce inflammation, tooth decay, and enamel erosion in the mouth and generalized water retention. Weight loss and lower blood pressure is another benefit."

Dr. Raymond Hatland, DDS, attended the University of Illinois in Urbana from 1960 to 1962, and the University of Illinois College of Dentistry from 1962 to 1966, graduating in the upper 20% of his class. He participated in the U.S. Army’s one-year rotating internship program at Ireland Army Hospital in Fort Knox, Ky., receiving advanced training in all specialty areas including oral surgery, fixed and removable prosthodontics, endodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, pedodontics, and oral medicine. Since 1975, Dr. Hatland has taken more than 1,600 hours of continuing-education courses in all of the above areas of dentistry as well as functional orthodontics and many alternative and energy system related courses and seminars, and has written several articles about his periodontal research regarding the reverse gum disease program. Dr. Hatland has been selected as a member of America’s Top Dentists and named Dentist of the Year for 2003 through 2005 by the Consumer Business Review. He is a member of the American Dental Association, the Indiana Dental Association, the Indianapolis District Dental Society, the Holistic Dental Association, and an associate member of the Chicago Dental Society.

His website is HERE

Another great reason for Alkaline water; Believe It or Not—Your Unhealthy Mouth Can Kill You

Let’s face it—oral health is a sore subject for a lot of people. And if you have a hard time swallowing the thought of a routine dental cleaning—let alone the prospect of painful gum surgery, or an excruciating root canal—you’re not alone. In fact, you’ve probably been tempted more than once to just skip that dentist appointment altogether.

If so, consider yourself warned: There’s much more to your mouth’s health than meets the eye—and you might be surprised to learn just how deadly a set of “sick” gums can be.

Emerging research has shed a harsh light on the dangerous link between gum disease and your heart health. Recent studies have revealed that a shocking 84 percent of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) also have periodontal disease—and that this same condition significantly raises your risk of hypertension, heart attack, and more severe coronary lesions, too.

What’s more, evidence suggests that oral infections are capable of raising notorious inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen, both of which are major red flags for heart disease and atherosclerosis. Meanwhile, other studies show that half of patients with chronic periodontitis have Streptococcus mutans—the very same bacteria found in their dental plaque—lining the walls of their arteries, too.9 And if that wasn’t bad enough, periodontal disease also appears to be connected to high total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and reduced levels of health-boosting HDL (or “good”) cholesterol.

It’s safe to say that all of this is more than enough reason never to miss another dentist appointment again… but what else can you do to keep your mouth (and your heart) healthy and free of pathogenic microorganisms? Luckily, quite a bit—in fact, at least two natural solutions are clinically proven to go a surprisingly long way in this fight.

Sugar, as we know, is acidic and there's no doubt about its ability to foment diesease in the mouth. One alternative for the sweet toothed is Xylitol, an expensive corn-based sugar substitute that, unlike real sugar, actually raises your mouth’s pH—reducing enamel etching acidity and decreasing both tooth decay and plaque formation.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is another useful supplement in the fight against gum disease, with studies revealing this natural molecule’s potency against bacteria and inflammation in cases of gingivitis and periodontitis. As a bonus, HA supplementation is also clinically proven to help more mundane oral health issues—such as canker sores and dry mouth.

Or, of course, you could take the path of least resistance; return to your natural alkaline state and change the way your body 'thinks' about the need for sweetness. And drinking alkaline water instead of carbonated sugardrinks is doing what your mouth wants; supplying an alkaline environment in the mouth.

I remember ten years ago my wife Cassie had chronic gingivitis. It disappeared after beginning alkaline ionised water and has never returned.

References: 1. Cronin A. Periodontal disease is a risk marker for coronary heart disease? Evid Based Dent. 2009;10(1):22. 2. Zhang YM, Zhong LJ, He BX, et al. Study on the correlation between coronary heart disease and chronic periodontitis. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi. 2006 Mar;27(3):256-9. 3. Liu P, Zhang Y, Wang SJ, et al. Correlation between periodontal disease and coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. Zhongguo Yi Xue Ke Xue Yuan Xue Bao. 2006 Apr;28(2):169-72. 4. Holmlund A, Holm G, Lind L. Severity of periodontal disease and number of remaining teeth are related to the prevalence of myocardial infarction and hypertension in a study based on 4,254 subjects. J Periodontol. 2006 Jul;77(7):1173-8. 5. Amabile N, Susini G, Pettenati-Soubayroux I, et al. Severity of periodontal disease correlates to inflammatory systemic status and independently predicts the presence and angiographic extent of stable coronary artery disease. J Intern Med. 2008 Jun;263(6):644-52. 6. Karnoutsos K, Papastergiou P, Stefanidis S, et al. Periodontitis as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease: The role of anti-phosphorylcholine and anti-cardiolipin antibodies. Hippokratia. 2008 Jul;12(3):144-9. 7. Liu J, Wu YF, Ding Y, et al. Serum C-reactive protein levels and lipid profiles concentrations in moderate to severe periodontitis and coronary heart disease: a comparative study. Zhonghua Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2009 Mar;44(3):150-4. 8. Ge S, Wu YF, Liu TJ, et al. Study of the correlation between moderately and severely chronic periodontitis and coronary heart disease. Hua Xi Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2008 Jun;26(3):262-6. 9. Zaremba M, Górska R, Suwalski P, et al. Periodontitis as a risk factor of coronary heart diseases? Adv Med Sci. 2006;51 Suppl 1:34-9. 10. Duan JY, Ou-Yang XY, Zhou YX. Effect of periodontal initial therapy on the serum level of lipid in the patients with both periodontitis and hyperlipidemia. Beijing Da Xue Xue Bao. 2009 Feb 18;41(1):36-9. 11. Splieth CH, Alkilzy M, Schmitt J, et al. Effect of xylitol and sorbitol on plaque acidogenesis. Quintessence Int. 2009 Apr;40(4):279-85. 12. Han SJ, Jeong SY, Nam YJ, et al. Xylitol inhibits inflammatory cytokine expression induced by lipopolysaccharide from Porphyromonas gingivalis. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol. 2005 Nov;12(11):1285-91. 13. Sukumar S, Drízhal I. Hyaluronic acid and periodontitis. Acta Medica (Hradec Kralove). 2007;50(4):225-8. 14. Pistorius A, Martin M, Willershausen B, et al. The clinical application of hyaluronic acid in gingivitis therapy. Quintessence Int. 2005 Jul-Aug;36(7-8):531-8. 15. Lee JH, Jung JY, Bang D. The efficacy of topical 0.2% hyaluronic acid gel on recurrent oral ulcers: comparison between recurrent aphthous ulcers and the oral ulcers of Behçet’s disease. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2008 May;22(5):590-5. 16. Yuan J, Tohara H, Mikushi S, et al. The effect of “Oral Wet” for elderly people with xerostomia—the effect of oral rinse containing hialuronan. Kokubyo Gakkai Zasshi. 2005 Mar;72(1):106-10.

AlkaPod: The Mighty Mini Water Ionizer

These two videos show the new AlkaPod's excellent performance. We'll have them in stock within about a month, so if you'd like to reserve yours, click here and go to the bottom of the page!

California: Alkaline Water Marketer's paradise

In a study released today that has proponents of alkaline water smiling, it was revealed that tap water in California has an average pH balance of 7.

Los Angeles, California – United States – August 25, 2009 – The body's optimum pH level is 7.365. A lower pH balance which some claim can be caused by the consumption of food and water will result in the body becoming too acidic and the immune system breaking down.

The study was done independently and no medical professionals have come forward either to endorse or refute its claims. It has been widely believed for over a decade now that the body's acidity level and how to adjust it could be the key to curing many of the fatal diseases that afflict human beings. Proponents of alkaline water and mineral supplements agree with this assumption but there is yet no concrete medical evidence to support it.

This is not the first time that California drinking water has been under fire for being unhealthy. In 1986, the toxic content of the drinking water in Los Angeles and Orange County caused the passing of Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. It requires the State of California to publish a list of chemicals that you might be exposed to that can cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive disorders.

Prop 65 doesn't ban any chemicals from manufacturing processes but it does require companies to post warnings on their products for the protection of the consumer. This was done in the hopes of limiting the number of contaminants that could be released into drinking water supplies. It is also widely considered the beginning of the bottled water trend in California.

Today there are 750 harmful chemicals on the Prop 65 list. The study results on pH released today suggest that the drinking water itself should be placed on it, regardless of its chemical content. “The acidity level is too high”, according to those who conducted the study, and “alkaline bottled water is a much healthier alternative” is a slogan that we'll most likely be hearing a lot more of in the near future.

An Outstanding Opportunity

We are looking for worldwide distributors of this amazing product. Yes, it's me on the video, and if you know anyone who may benefit from this wonderful system. please contact me.

Even the Beer makers are doing it!

I well remember a comment by Dr Gerry Brady about beer drinkers. "Look at them, Ian." he said, pointing towards the inhabitants of a local bar. "What d'you think they are doing? They are acidifying! beer is loaded with acid!" (Gerry is the guy who directed me to benefits ofItalian wines grown in alkaline soil)

Now i find that beer makers are attempting to alter the potential hangover effects of their brews. On this beer appreciation site I read:
"Ingredients: Well-modified pale malt, with generous quantities of roasted malts and/or grain. May have a complex grain bill using virtually any variety of malt. Any type of hops may be used. Alkaline water balances the abundance of acidic roasted grain in the grist. American or English ale yeast."

Yep, it's all happening!

New Scientific Study on Cancer Cells and Alkaline Ionised Water

Here's the link to the abstract of the first of these reports: (more later) It's all about a test carried out by a team of scientists on cancer cells.

Cancer cells, you see, grow differently to normal cells, in what the team at Kyushu Uni termed a 'two-stage cell transformation", or classic cancer runaway mutational growth.

The test concluded: ERW (Elecrolysed Reduced Water or ionised alkaline water) supplemented with Pt nps (platinum) is a potential new antioxidant against carcinogenesis. The 'Pt nps' mentioned in the abstract is platinum, which combines with the water in a water alkalizer, as a result of the ionisation process using the platinum coated titanium ionizing plates.So this is very similar water to what AlkaWay users are receivibng every day from their ionisers.

What is significant is that this strong anti-mutation effect was only observed when the water used was made with platinum coated plates, (similar to our water alkalizers).

I have to add that this is still only a petrie dish experiment by the venerable science team at Kyushu University, so it at this stage has no real 'traction' in assessing the water for cancer. Let's hope that more comprehensive tests come soon!

And here's another one all about the use of alkaline ionised water in conjunction with glutathione. The results were 'apoptosis' (death) of human HL-50 leukemia cells but with no cytotoxic (cellular) effect. The scientist's conclusion was that these results suggest that ERW is an antioxidant, and that ERW, in combination with GSH, has an enhanced apoptosis-inducing (killing) effect on HL-60 cells, which might be mediated through the mitochondria-dependent pathway.

Again, it's a far cry from full testing.

Diabetes and Alkaline Water

Amazing what you find on the net. Here's a study I unearthed today about the effects of alkaline ionized water on diabetes.

Is Italian wheat different to Australian and American wheat?

And if it is, what does it mean to me?

Well, if you, like myself and my partner Cassie, are gluten intolerant, perhaps it means a great deal.

Allow me to take you back a step. We are in Italia on a long awaited holiday. One of the reasons we are here is Gina, Cassie's sister, who travelled with her partner to Italy some three years ago. Of course, they loved it, but what really interested us was that Gina suffered none of her usual gluten intolerance symptoms while she indulged in the glorious legacy of Italian culture, its WHEAT BASED cuisine. She ate pasta, she ate pane, the wonderful crusty Italian bread, she ate cornetti with her morning Caffe.. and no symptoms.

On return to Australia, guess what? Her symptoms returned. So what was going on? I have to confess that when confronted with the possibility of a holiday in a gourmand's paradise but not being able to partake, arose for us, we were both very worried. We read all we could about Italian gluten intolerance awareness (they are the only country that tests all babies for intolerance at birth) and were not at all encouraged. Without pasta in its myriad forms, local regional and historical, it was like..er.. going surfing in a lake! You get wet.. but...

Anyway.. when you need a holiday, you need a holiday, so we decided to 'just do it'.

We were helped by an old friend, a retired medico who assisted us in finding an 'appartamento' in Roma, one floor down from his own. We spent wonderful nights comparing notes on our Roman adventures and of course, we talked in very excited fashion about the fact that we had been partaking of pasta and all the wonderful foods of Rome.. with NO gluten intolerance symptoms. If I had eaten what I ate in the first three days in Roma, in Australia, I would have been crippled with back pain.

One morning, Dawn, Gerry's wife, directed us to the local produce market where we saw the amazing range of vegetables, including Dawn's latest discovery, saltwort, a grass that survives in extremely salty soil, and has wonderful alkaline properties. The next time we met, we brought up the fact that we had experienced no gluten intolerance symptoms. (I should add that Cassie would probably be classified as Celiac if tested)

Gerry asked us whether we had noticed the meat at the market. "Yes", we answered, "and we were amazed about how red it is. Why is that? Is it a different breed of cow?"

Gerry laughed. "Ian, what have I been telling you for years now? Italy is an alkaline water nation! Look at the fountains in the streets. What do you think they are giving? Alkaline water! Look at the rocks coming up in the paddocks. They are smooth, washed by the sea millions of years ago. They are alkaline. Look at the mountains. Limestone! I've bene telling you for years that you can't get a hangover from good Italian wines, especially from the North us they are from San Giovese grapes bred to thrive in the alkaline soil. What is Aussie soil? Acid! (BTW: he's right. Italian wine is stupendo!) So the cows are grazing on alkaline tolerant grasses, the wheat is grown in alkaline soil. And I have been telling you for years.. it changes everything!

Well, as they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. Gerry had told me this five years ago. I'd agreed with it conceptually, but there's nothing like a real life experience involving pain - or lack of it -to prove something to you. I understand that there are no double blind scientific tests to prove Gerry's theory; I wish there were; but I believe him because I have had the experience!

Alkaline rock, alkaline water, alkaline meat, alkaline wines from alkaline grapes.. can anyone loan me a cool million to move to Italia?