From a non-scientific perspective‚ the simple fact that nowhere on this planet do we find naturally occurring de-mineralized water‚ should tell us that we were not meant to have it. In nature all fresh water contains traces of natural minerals like calcium‚ magnesium and potassium‚ which is what our body was designed to run on and what the Aquasana system produces.

On a more scientific level‚ there are several very credible research reports and books that stress the more recent opinion that long term consumption of de-mineralized water can in fact be dangerous. Dr. Zolton Rona‚ author of The Joy of Health‚ states that "the longer one consumes distilled water‚ the more likely the development of mineral deficiencies and an acid state." Dr. Paavo Airola‚ cancer expert and author of "How to Get Well" and "Cancer... Causes‚ Prevention and Healing" also reports that "long term consumption of distilled water eventually results in multiple mineral deficiencies."

Two very negative things happen when we consume water that has been stripped of its natural minerals. First‚ because de-mineralized water contains more hydrogen it is an acid with a pH below seven. Any time we consume an acid substance our body will pull minerals from our teeth and bones to produce bicarbonate in order to neutralize the acid. Second‚ it has been proven that when our body fluids become more acid than alkaline the production of free radicals increases‚ causing increased cancer risks. Many studies suggest that cancer cells can only grow in an acid environment. This theory seems to be supported by the fact that around the world the areas where people live the longest most disease free lives are the areas that have the most alkaline water‚ water with the highest mineral content.

Reverse Osmosis and Distillation were first developed over 40 years ago for the printing and photo processing industries‚ which require mineral free water. Because of the popularity and demand for home water treatment products many companies have marketed these products as "state-of-the-art" drinking water systems‚ which they simply are not. Often these products are marketed by using a demonstration that measures the TDS (total dissolved solids) and implies that this measurement shows the systems effectiveness at removing contaminants. TDS meters measure the dissolved minerals in water‚ primarily calcium and magnesium‚ and have little or nothing to do with contaminant levels.

Distillation and reverse Osmosis are not very effective at removing synthetic chemicals. Distillation removes things based on their relative boiling point. Virtually all synthetic chemicals boil at a lower temperature than water and therefore are vaporized and condensed along with the water in a distillation process. Reverse Osmosis removes things based on molecular size. Virtually all synthetic chemicals are molecularly smaller than water and therefore cannot be effectively removed by reverse osmosis..

  Just look at the advantages or disadvantages of other products or technologies even though they are not leading brands; such is the case with reverse osmosis and distillation systems. Although none of the leading brands employ either of these de-mineralizing techniques‚ as their popularity has declined in recent years‚ there is an ongoing debate over the healthfulness of de-mineralized water vs. filtered water‚ with minerals. While there are studies that argue both sides of this debate‚ after 15 years of specialized study in water quality and health‚ we feel that the benefits of drinking naturally balanced water with minerals vs. de-mineralized water‚ just makes more sense.

Point-Of-Use Distillation;
This process passes water over a heated coil‚ causing the water to vaporize and become gaseous. The steam then rises and transfers to a cooling chamber‚ where it condenses back into a liquid. This process separates water from inorganic compounds like lead‚ calcium‚ magnesium‚ etc. Distillation also destroys bacteria. This process is not very effective at removing organic chemicals since they typically vaporize at a lower temperature than water and are transferred in the steam. A distiller should always be used in conjunction with a carbon filter. Distillers produce water at a very slow rate and at a per-gallon cost of 20 to 26 cents a gal.