When my fourteen year old son heard that I’m writing about water today, he asked what the connection could possibly be to allergies. You know how curious I am, so I searched “allergic to water” on the Internet, and I found out about a rare condition called aquagenic pruritis, which results after exposure to water of any temperature.
Symptoms develop within minutes and may include itching, burning, or a prickling sensation. There can be no skin changes, or a faint, bumpy, itchy, red rash may occur. Symptoms last from ten minutes to several hours, and usually occur on the chest, back, arms or legs. While the cause of this condition is uncertain, some investigators suggest it’s a result of extreme skin sensitivity (but not allergy) to an added ingredient or mineral (chlorine, fluoride, others) present in the water.
Source: Dr. Rob Danoff for MSN Health http://health.msn.com/health-topics/allergies/allergic-to-water
Although this condition is rare, my readers frequently complain about other allergic skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis. Bathing gets to be a challenge, since the skin is so sensitive. Many people look for gentler hypoallergenic cleansers, but they don’t consider the quality of the water.
I consulted with Norraine Galloway, a product specialist at Culligan, who explained that the quality of the water coming out of every tap in your home can be improved with a water softener with carbon filter (mixed bed) located where the water pipe enters the home. Another alternative is a stand alone carbon filter. The carbon removes chlorine, which would otherwise be absorbed through the skin when you bathe or shower. I’m quite concerned about chlorine vapors and their effect on asthma as well, so it makes sense to eliminate chlorine with this whole home system. Norraine once met a three year old girl whose eczema itched so badly, she slept with mittens on. Her parents installed a mixed bed softener, and within two weeks, she was able to sleep without mittens.
The next step is to improve your drinking and cooking water even more by installing a reverse osmosis system. While removing chlorine is of great benefit, unfortunately there are many other dissolved substances in our water that are not beneficial to our health. These include dissolved medications (birth control hormones, steroids, Prozac), arsenic, cadmium, fluoride, nitrate/nitrite, VOCs, lead, mercury, heavy metals, sewage, pesticides, and petroleum.
I chose this Culligan reverse osmosis system installed at my kitchen sink. I use the water from that tap for drinking water, for washing fruit and vegetables, and for cooking. The reverse osmosis system removes the dissolved solids from the water. Here in London, Ontario, tap water has 135 ppm total dissolved solids. The Culligan RO system reduces this to 6 ppm or lower.
Norraine shared with me that 85% of the people she encounters don’t drink tap water. They’re nervous, but they don’t know what the best choice is. Some rely on a fridge filter, some use Brita filtering systems, water coolers with spring water, or bottled water. She explained that the reverse osmosis system is a better choice for the following reasons:
- Spring water is high in sodium, calcium, and magnesium and can overtax your kidneys.
- Brita systems and fridge systems get moldy, and when the filter is full and water runs through it, contaminants are actually pushed out of it making the water even more contaminated.
- Bottled water is very expensive, the bottles are the lowest quality of plastic, and it’s far more environmentally friendly to buy a good quality reusable water bottle and fill it at your Culligan water tap.
Culligan reverse osmosis systems are latex free, which is wonderful for allergic consumers. I chose the reverse osmosis tap at the sink, but you can also get RO water from Culligan in bottles for a water cooler. They even have these extremely tidy bottle free coolers that tap right into your pipes and stand alone or on your counter top.
To find out more, please contact Norraine Galloway from Culligan at 519 871-8069 or send her an e-mail at norraine.galloway@culliganwater.ca. She’s a wealth of information and, if a Culligan system is right for your home, she’ll let you know about their current promotions and connect you with a dealer near you. Please tell her that Elizabeth from Onespot Allergy sent you.
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