It was in the WATER!!

[CathyKi]

I am ending an eight month flare this week. I had been drinking purified water and finally noticed the ingredients. It had magnesium sulfate, Potassium Bicarbonate and Potassium Chloride in it. I don't know which one is the culprit but one of them was. I stopped drinking it and switched to Deer Park spring water and the bladder settled down. Any ideas? I am allergic to Sulfate drugs but I don't know if that was the same type of sulfate in the water.

[ICNDonna]

:woohoo: I'm glad you found an answer.

Donna

[dyno]

Yes water is definatley a flare for me if I have some that is too acid or has additives. I am so glad you figured it out.

[greenredhead]

I recently tested my drinking water with a pH strip and it was around 5.5. Way too acidic for my fragile bladder right now! I recently read it should be 6.5 - 8.0. I thought about buying a pH water booster in the forms of drops but it adds potassium and magnesium to the water. I'm concerned about those added minerals. The last couple of days I have been buying Evian bottled water, but I can't afford to buy those small bottles all the time. I've been testing other brands and most have pH of around 6.2. Anyone have a suggestion for a larger supply of pH neutral water?

[CathyKi]

I too would like to know which waters have a higher ph.

[greenredhead]

I tested my Evian bottle and it was 6.8

older thread: http://www.ic-network.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30663
website list: http://healthychoices.askahealer.com/2008/02/28/ph-levels-in-bottled-water/

[mary124]

Yes it could be the water. When we first moved to Houston I started having bladder and kidney problems. Lost a lot of weight, infections, besides medication they really didn'tknow what to do with me. When i moved to the Austin area I noticed that I somewhat felt better, then I would go back home and had their (tap) water and of course, I would have problems, it took me awhile, but I did put it together, now when I go visit my family, I carry my own jug of water.

[Rocklandgal]

I had flares for a long time and finally traced it to Poland Springs water. Too acidic. Evian is expensive, but so far it is the only one I can find that works for me. If this is what I have to buy to feel good, I'm buying it!!! You can buy the biggest bottle of Evian. It is a thousand times cheaper than the small ones. If I find them on sale, I buy a bunch.
Karen

[icguitars]

I'd like to test our water fountain at work. Where can I get pH strips? Thanks, J

[cosake]

This may be a silly question, but does chlorinated water, like you get at a restaurant, have more acidity in it ? I would think it does, but don't want to assume.

I have awesome tasting well water at home and work, but I have not tested the ph levels yet - something I may do soon.

Thanks !

[Rocklandgal]

I bought PH strips at the store on this website.
Karen

[mela414]

yes! Water causes me to flare too! I put a reverse osmosis water filtering system in my kitchen and only drink that water when I am at home! I can drink Aquafina with no problem as well as other spring waters. I definately cannot drink anything with "Added minerals to enhance flavor" . I check all the labels first. Nestles Pure Life is a killer for me. I also once drank Sam;s Club Water and was on my knees in pain! All this before I learned about the IC water issues.
Oh....and I can't do anything sulfated either!
Glad you found out and hope you are feeling better!

[KathiB]

See now, I can't handle Aquafina. Had a bottle during a meeting and could hardly walk out of the room afterwards!

For me it's tap water at home, Fiji, Evian or a midwest inexpensive option - Ice Mountain. I found this website that lists waters of the world. I was able to search for my Ice Mountain water and found the ph rating and other info that might be helpful to others.

http://www.finewaters.com/Bottled_Water/USA/Ice_Mountain.asp

[Leggs80]

It took me a couple of months to figure out that water could cause more pain. Once I stumbled on a thread here about water ph levels and ingredients (who knew water had added ingredients!) I looked at my water label. I was drinking Nestle Pure Life because it tasted good. Yeah, once I read the label and switched to a spring water, I noticed a big difference in pain. I drink Ozarka water. If I splurge I get some Evian but my fave is Fiji. Only one store carries it here in town.