Showering: Is Your Health at Risk?
For the past decade,people have focused on the
importance of clean drinking water. Purified
drinking water reduces or eliminates chemicals found
in normal tap water. However, the body derives its need for water
from alternative sources, most notably while showering.
It is common practice in North America to shower on a daily
basis, sometimes more than once. Unfortunately, most people
are unaware that more chlorine is absorbed through the skin
during the average shower than by drinking six to eight
glasses of tap water. This may make one wonder, how clean
is shower water?
Are you a fan of hot showers? Since the skin is porous, it
is the body's way of excreting toxins and regulating
temperature, hot showers cause the pores of the skin to
dilate, allowing chlorine and other free radicals to be
rapidly absorbed. Chlorine is also contained within the
water vapor that enters the air as steam, and which we
breathe into our lungs as we shower. Dr. Halina Brown, a
professor of water chemistry at the University of
Pittsburgh, claims that the exposure to vaporized chemicals
in water supplied through showering, bathing and inhalation
is 100 times greater than through drinking the water.
Furthermore, chlorine and other water contaminants reduce
the effectiveness of many shampoos, conditioners, lotions,
oils and skin creams, leaving your skin dry and unnourished.
Any contact the body has with water is cause for concern.
Swimming pools and hot tubs use chlorine to kill bacteria.
Little thought is given to the effect on the human body.
Chlorine is a highly toxic element, which has the ability
to denature protein. All living organisms are made up of
protein; thus any living organism that comes in contact
with sufficient quantities of chlorine is killed. After
swimming or showering you may notice that you have sore
eyes, sinus blockage, respiratory problems (such as
asthma), cracking skin (hands and feet), or dry hair and an
itchy scalp. You may also feel tired and your skin might
smell of chlorine for hours afterwards, even after
showering.
What is your health worth? The May 2003 issue of Elle
Magazine, featured a showerhead that has a carbon filter
that removes chlorine as well as other toxic substances in
our water like lead, iron oxides and other sediments that
leave dulling deposits on the hair. If the showerhead
removes the minerals that cause this dulling effect, one
might notice an increase in shine and hydration. This is
something you may want to consider when comparing
showerheads and filters.
Here's to your health.
Peter McGarry
info@...For additional free information on health issues
regarding air, water, fitness,nutrition and sleep,
please visit www.magneticrevolution.com. This
site is a guide to improving your quality of life.
