Does ionized water work for NCGS treatment?

[Murilo P]

Has anyone tried to use these special water ionizer devices to treat non-celiac gluten sensitivity?

For many years I have been wishing to purchase one of those to use it as a medical device. But I'm still unsure because they are quite expensive due to the titanium plates needed to break the water molecules. So I'm hoping maybe someone has already tried it out?

More info:

The device works as a water splitter, breaking H2O molecules. It actually has two distinct water outputs. It produces acid water (H+ or H3O+) on one side and alkaline water (OH-) on the other side. This is not regular alkalized water because it has special properties, such as a negative ORP (oxidation reduction potential) and significant hydrogen levels (H2), at different levels depending on the device. This type of alkaline water is unique and can do incredible things like removing oil-based pesticides from fruits because it can emulsify oil. In my understanding, the special water works for us mostly by dissolving undesired matter that gets stuck in the lining of our colon. With that, it promotes a direct improvement of our health, which is further improved by following a healthier diet (to fill up the space with a healthier microbiome). The science goes much deeper and may involve pathogen-killing and free-radical neutralization effects.

The story begins more than 50 years ago with Dr. Hiromi Shinya, who "pioneered modern colonoscopic techniques, and invented the electrosurgical polypectomy snare now common on colonoscopes, allowing for removal of colon polyps without invasive surgery". There is a video with colonoscopy images where all of his patients take the "Kangen water". Just note the images are very unpleasant, so I strongly suggest only listening to the video while not looking at the images. Those patients were drinking many quarts (litters) of water with pH 8.5-9.5. Modern ionizer devices can produce water with a pH of up to 11.5, but this should not be consumed. This image shows the ranges: https://i.imgur.com/llO9e4c.png

The devices using "Kangen" name have been sold under the Enagic brand, but today there are other brands that have been measured to perform better, such as the AlkaViva brand. Many comparison videos can be seen on Cathleen's YouTube channel. She runs the alkalinewaterplus.com website. The videos show the ORP and H2 measurements.

By the way, there are simple water filters that can alkalize water and increase the pH to 8 by using special filtering devices that release ionized minerals (such as magnesium) into the water, but this is not the same process and does not produce the same results. I actually am drinking water with a better pH because I have a clay filter with a special filtering unit. It tastes better and has healthy bacteria in the water, but does no miracle.

 

[Scott Adams]

When considering treatments for non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), it’s important to focus on evidence-based approaches. There is currently no scientific evidence supporting the use of water ionizers to treat NCGS.

Water ionizers claim to alter the pH level of water, but NCGS involves the body's response to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Managing NCGS typically involves a gluten-free diet, as gluten triggers symptoms in sensitive individuals.

[Murilo P]

Yes, Scott, I posted it exactly because I don't have any evidence yet, and your warning is important so that people don't waste their time (and money) with unverified approaches.

However, as you showed me, the food sensitivity tests from Enterolabs are entirely based on stools, and this local article indicates there are connections between microbiome and celiac disease. I know our antibodies are not produced by our gut microbiome, but doesn't it make sense to think that our microbiome could play a role in causing NCGS at least?

If this is a plausible idea, then wouldn't it also be reasonable to expect that any effective gut health treatment (such as the one shown in the video, done with special water plus a special diet) to be helpful with gut-related food sensitivities, such as NCGS?

Anyway, I posted this thread with the hopes that one day someone in the forum may post their personal experience with those devices and tell whether they think it had any effect on their food sensitivities or NCGS, particularly when there is also poor nutrient absorption and nutrient deficiencies.

By the way, those devices are said to be used in hospitals in Japan. Again, it is important to clarify that this is not just about pH. If this was just about pH, all we would need to do is add 0.1g of baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate) per litter of water, which is a very tiny amount, but I don't think this would go well by the end of the day.

It seems like the effects of changes in the microbiome are a new science that is still poorly understood. For instance, this video about "The Anorexic Poo Project" states that some anorexic patients were cured by simply treating their microbiome (with diet and probiotics), without requiring any other parallel treatment. Also, this local article from 2017 indicates that microbiome science is promising - "In the very near future, your personal microbiome may be the key to creating a customized treatment for celiac disease."

Indeed, I don't see those water ionizer brands advocating that their devices promote any microbiome treatment, but this is the implicit idea we see in Dr. Hiromi Shinya's videos and explicitly said in his books, such as "The Microbe Factor".

[Scott Adams]

Some doctors, for example Dr. Rodney Ford and Kenneth Fine, MD, believe that gluten sensitivity is a spectrum, and most people with celiac disease start out with just NCGS, but due to a viral, antibiotic overuse, or other environmental trigger--end up with full blown celiac disease, at least for those with the specific genes for it. Certainly those with NCGS can also have gut microbiome issues, and an imbalance in bad vs. good gut flora, which can improve on a gluten-free diet, but much more research needs to be done on NCGS.