You’ve heard far too often that dehydration causes migraines. All you need to do is drink more water and you’ll be fine.
Yeah, right.
Maybe someday there will be something that can actually cure migraines, but you’re not buying into the idea that it is water.
Still, every day you see someone else preaching the health benefits of water. It has to make you wonder, what’s the big deal? You already drink a ton of water, and it hasn’t put an end to your migraines.
There’s some interesting research in progress that has made me reconsider whether something as basic as water really could be the key to restoring health.
EZ water has been touted by some as a miracle cure, while skeptical scientists sit on the sidelines condemning any and all claims about its benefits, and even its mere existence.
Since I’ll do just about anything these days to stay healthy, I wanted to learn more about EZ water so I can judge for myself.
What is EZ Water?
EZ water, also known as structured water, was first discovered in 1970. It turns out that water turns into a kind of liquid crystal when it comes in contact with a water-attracting surface. Plain water organizes itself into layers of ionically-bonded molecules and becomes electrically charged.
EZ water experiment
This sounds pretty far-fetched, but the experiments to demonstrate this action are straightforward. They mix microscopic particles with regular water, and put it into a container with a water-attracting substance (a “hydrophilic surface”) on one side. Almost immediately, the particles start moving away from the hydrophilic surface, until there is a clear layering effect where only water remains. This layer is called the exclusion zone, which is the reason it is called EZ water.
Even more interesting than the spontaneous motion of the particles is the fact that an electrical potential can be measured across the EZ water layer, indicating that the water in the exclusion zone has become electrically charged.
EZ water has measurable differences from regular water in that it is denser, more viscous, and refracts light at a different angle. The simple action of coming into contact with a surface seems to change the water on a molecular level. It is actually not water anymore, and has the chemical formula H3O2, instead of just good old H2O.
The Controversy
The main controversy about EZ water revolves around the change in chemical structure. One of the basic principles of science is the conservation of mass and energy, so H2O can’t just restructure itself into H3O2 unless (a) some kind of energy is consumed in the reaction, and (b) the extra hydrogen ions have to go somewhere.
The idea that EZ water occurs spontaneously is downright enraging to some scientists, who seem to think that (a) and (b) haven’t been considered. The arguments are filled with accusations of “pseudo-science” and justified with statements like “we already know everything about water.”
It appears that in all their railing that they haven’t even looked at the research, because both factors have been demonstrated in experiments.
An experiment dealing with concern (b) showed that the extra hydrogen ions end up in the area outside the exclusion zone, changing it into an acidic solution. This effect was very easily demonstrated by adding pH-sensitive dyes to the solution and observing the color change as the exclusion zone forms.
Light provides the energy to create an exclusion zone
Question (a) was a little more perplexing to researchers, who simply had no idea how energy was entering the system to cause a reaction. Then one day a lab assistant shone a desk lamp onto the experiment setup, and voila! The exclusion zone started to extend itself into the lighted area.
It turns out that light, and more specifically infrared light, powers the chemical reaction that turns regular water into EZ water. We’ll come back to this a little later.
It also turns out that scientists don’t actually know everything about water yet.
The second controversy surrounding EZ water is whether or not it is a marketing scam. This is because EZ water is purported to have substantial health benefits, and many companies have popped up selling EZ water and expensive devices to create EZ water out of tap water.
In this respect I have to agree, because you can make EZ water yourself at home without any special devices. Before we get to that, let’s see if there is even any reason to think that EZ water is good for your health.
Health Benefits
75% of the human body, by weight, is water. About 90% of the molecules are water molecules, which are lighter than most of the other substances that make up the body. Water is found inside and outside of every cell, tissue, muscle, tendon, and bone.
We are literally made of water; yet we aren’t, because it turns out that the water inside our bodies is actually EZ water. The structural properties of EZ water give structure to our cells.
It even appears that EZ water is responsible for the electrical charge of cells, contradicting the widely accepted theory that electrical charge is created by chemical reactions across the cell membrane. This has been demonstrated experimentally by showing that a gel-like substance made from EZ water carries an electrical charge without having a membrane.
This electrical charge is important, because healthy cells have an electric potential of 100 millivolts, while diseased or damaged cells have a reduced value of only 60 millivolts. When we’re sick, we are literally low on energy down at the cellular level.
Under the current theory that stresses the importance of the cell membrane, it is believed that this loss of cellular energy results from malfunctions in the cell walls. This would mean that the cell walls need to be chemically altered to restore health.
With the EZ water theory, the loss of cellular energy is explained by loss of EZ water inside the cell. Restoring health becomes as simple as increasing the EZ water inside the cell.
Which theory is right remains to be seen. The controversy surrounding EZ water has made it difficult to obtain funding for in-depth research into the health implications of EZ water. Check out the video of Dr. Gerald Pollack’s lecture on the subject if you want to learn more about this fascinating research.
Make Your Own EZ Water
From what I’ve learned, it is clear that EZ water does exist, and it’s possible that EZ water can restore health at a cellular level. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that drinking EZ water will make you healthy. So I’m not running out to spend hundreds of dollars on a device to make my own EZ water.
I’m not going to do that because you can make your own EZ water right at home for almost no cost. All you need is a glass jar, some water, your favorite herbal tea, and some sunshine.
Yes, the substance known as Sun Tea, which became popular in the 70’s, turns out to be made of EZ water. It has all the required components:
- Water, good old H2O
- A hydrophilic surface, the tea leaves
- Sunlight to power the chemical reaction
All you do is mix the tea and water in a glass jar and leave it in the sun for a few hours. If this could make you healthier, there doesn’t seem to be any possible drawback. Make it and drink it. Easy.
On the internet you’ll find lots of videos and websites about different ways to make EZ water at home. You’ll come across some valid ideas and a lot of people who are just fooling themselves or trying to fool you.
One of the techniques I found was to soak some marbles in vinegar, and then filtering water through the vinegar-coated marbles. This creates a slightly acidic water, but it isn’t EZ water. You probably could use marbles to make EZ water, but you’ll need to leave out the vinegar, pour the water and marbles into a glass jar, and leave it in the sun for a few hours.
My EZ Water Experiment
I did a couple of informal experiments to see if I could tell the difference between EZ water sun tea and regular tea. I started by making a batch of sun tea, and when it was ready, I made a regular tea with boiling water and let the leaves steep for a few minutes.
I let both of them cool to room temperature and did a side-by-side comparison to see if there was a difference. The sun tea had a lighter and weaker flavor, which could be expected because the water never got very hot.
The interesting thing is that the sun-steeped tea felt noticeably smoother on my tongue, informally confirming that EZ water is more viscous than regular water.
For my second experiment, I left out the tea leaves and just put a jar of water in the sun for a few hours, then let it cool. It tasted basically the same as regular water, and did have a slight smoothness on my tongue, though not as noticeable as the tea. I think this is because the sides of the jar provided a hydrophilic surface for “growing” the EZ water, but not as much surface as when tea leaves were added.
Neither of these were blind taste tests so they aren’t rigorous experiments, and raised a bunch of additional questions that I still need to test. For my next experiment, I plan to find out how long the EZ water can last by doing comparison tests day-to-day until it is gone. Also I’m curious about the marbles…
It’s too soon to tell if there are any health benefits, especially after drinking all this tea!
What do you think? Have you ever tried EZ water or sun tea?
Are there any health benefits or is this just more wishful thinking for an easy and inexpensive cure?
I’d love to hear about your experience!
