Green Tea-Saving Your Skin

Green tea has become the miracle drink of recent years. It is mentioned as a cure for everything from stomach trouble to fatigue, from rheumatoid arthritis to tooth decay. People in the Far East have been turning to green tea for various ailments for centuries, so it isn’t surprising that the beverage has become a popular remedy worldwide.

Perhaps the most interesting claim of fans of green tea is that it can be beneficial in the war against cancer. A 1994 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute showed that green tea lessened the risk of cancer of the esophagus in Chinese subjects by close to 60 percent. In addition, a study at the University of Purdue found that, because of its chemical makeup, green tea can also reduce the growth of cancer cells.

Green Tea’s Effects—More Than Skin-Deep

There is also evidence that green tea can be beneficial for your skin. In an article on “Green Tea and Skin” published in the Archives of Dermatology in the year 2000, Santosh K. Katiyar, Nihal Ahmad, and Hassan Mukhtar discussed how green tea could be effective in fighting skin cancer. Because of its composition, green tea can prevent inflammation and cancer in the skin.

Still, you might be wondering how this is possible. In the data examined by Katiyar, Ahmad, and Mukhtar, the polyphenolic compounds in green tea were tested and found to provide protection against cancer in mouse skin. In addition, some successful experiments were conducted on human skin in the lab. The analysis conducted by the authors shows that green tea polyphenols have cancer-fighting properties.

As a result, it appears that green tea could be used successfully in skin products to treat various skin disorders, which could help immensely in the battle against skin cancer. As Mukhtar stated, “Of all the antioxidants known to mankind, the components of green tea are the most potent.” Still, the authors caution that additional study is needed to fully explore the cancer-combating capabilities of green tea.

Why Green Tea is a Superior Disease-Fighter

Of course, you might be wondering why green tea might be effective against skin cancer, when other types of tea are not. While green, black, and oolong tea are all derived from the Camellia sinensis plant, green tea is processed in a way that helps to preserve its antioxidant nature. That’s because green tea leaves are steamed, preventing their cancer-fighting compounds from being oxidized. As a result, black and oolong teas are not nearly as effective in fighting disease.

Taking a Closer Look at Green Tea

It might be helpful at this point to take a closer look at green tea and its unique properties. Dr. Stephen Hsu, a scientist at the Medical College of Georgia, has done extensive research on green tea and its medicinal effects. Hsu has found that the compounds in green tea known as polyphenols destroy free radicals, which have been known to give rise to cancer because of changes they make in DNA. Essentially, the polyphenols kill cancer cells, while protecting healthy cells.

Hsu and his research team compared the growth of normal skin cells to the growth of cells that had been exposed to green tea polyphenol. The researchers were surprised to learn that the tea component rejuvenated dying skin cells. The reactivation was limited to the epidermis, or outer layer of the skin. Still, Hsu believes that the research will have a profound impact upon various skin conditions.

A Green-Tinged Fountain of Youth

In addition to combating cancer, green tea could be effective in treating a variety of other skin conditions, including ulcers, psoriasis, rosacea, and hard-to-heal wounds.

As a result of such research, some have referred to green tea as being a veritable “fountain of youth” for the skin. While additional research is obviously necessary, the initial results are incredibly encouraging. In fact, Hsu has been working on developing skin products in which green tea plays a significant role. In this way, Hsu has found a way to apply his lab work to the cosmetic counter. It appears that green tea is particularly effective in protecting the skin from sun damage—a major contributing factor to skin cancer.

The Future of Green Tea

Given the public’s interest in alternative medicine, it would appear that green tea will be increasingly used as an agent for enhancing health. In fact, each year people turn to green tea for its therapeutic benefits. Research on green tea’s beneficial effects on the skin appears to be particularly promising. In fact, green tea may be revolutionary in its impact on skin treatments. Not only might it lead to younger-looking skin—it may also help to keep skin cancer at bay—which would be welcome news to the fair-skinned and anyone who has a history of skin cancer in their family.

Is Natural Organic Food for You?

Natural organic food is not for everyone. There are many circumstances where even the person who might like to go organic and consume only natural organic food and food products will be at a loss as to how to go about this in an economically viable manner.
The reason for this might seem self evident to some people, but the truth of the matter is that no matter how far organic food and food products have come down in cost, it is still bordering on the expensive, and most middle to low income families find it almost impossible to buy natural organic food on any kind of regular basis.

Therefore there has to be some impetus, a driving force if you will, behind their desire to buy natural organic food and the stumbling block of increased monthly outgoings. These factors vary from person to person and according to each personal situation.

For instance a middle income family with two teenaged kids and a toddler or baby might find that they have to make certain sacrifices to go organic. This can involve anything from cutting down on restaurant outings to cutting back on certain unwanted luxuries such as gourmet roasted coffee to redistributing the natural organic food chain within the family itself.

This can lead to mom and dad getting only a small percentage of organic foods, or none at all in their diets, with the bulk of the natural organic food and organic food products being purchased for their children.

This is of course in the cases where the benefits of organic foods have tipped the scales for parents, and where they want their children to consume less of pesticide and chemical fertilizer enriched food, and more of natural organic food.

It is also true that families without very young children, or one-person families, will also go to the extent of consuming natural organic food if the need is great enough or if they feel that it won’t significantly change their easy lifestyle.

The one thing that remains steady throughout is the desire of more and more people to add natural organic food and food products to their weekly grocery bill, despite the considerable dent it would put in their pockets. People are looking more and more at what they are consuming, and are taking more of an active interest in finding “natural” outlets for this.

It was into this niche that natural organic food and food products crept into and took hold. These days, the mantra on the lips of many people is, eat healthy and live healthy. The diet and fitness revolution is truly upon the world now, but it is being crowded to a corner by the natural organic food revolution which takes things that one step further.

Organic Food Is Not For Everyone

Natural organic food is not for everyone. There are many circumstances where even the person who might like to go organic and consume only natural organic food and food products will be at a loss as to how to go about this in an economically viable manner.

The reason for this might seem self evident to some people, but the truth of the matter is that no matter how far organic food and food products have come down in cost, it is still bordering on the expensive, and most middle to low income families find it almost impossible to buy natural organic food on any kind of regular basis.

Therefore there has to be some impetus, a driving force if you will, behind their desire to buy natural organic food and the stumbling block of increased monthly outgoings. These factors vary from person to person and according to each personal situation.

For instance a middle income family with two teenaged kids and a toddler or baby might find that they have to make certain sacrifices to go organic. This can involve anything from cutting down on restaurant outings to cutting back on certain unwanted luxuries such as gourmet roasted coffee to redistributing the natural organic food chain within the family itself.

This can lead to mom and dad getting only a small percentage of organic foods, or none at all in their diets, with the bulk of the natural organic food and organic food products being purchased for their children.

This is of course in the cases where the benefits of organic foods have tipped the scales for parents, and where they want their children to consume less of pesticide and chemical fertilizer enriched food, and more of natural organic food.

It is also true that families without very young children, or one-person families, will also go to the extent of consuming natural organic food if the need is great enough or if they feel that it won’t significantly change their easy lifestyle.

The one thing that remains steady throughout is the desire of more and more people to add natural organic food and food products to their weekly grocery bill, despite the considerable dent it would put in their pockets. People are looking more and more at what they are consuming, and are taking more of an active interest in finding “natural” outlets for this.

It was into this niche that natural organic food and food products crept into and took hold. These days, the mantra on the lips of many people is, eat healthy and live healthy. The diet and fitness revolution is truly upon the world now, but it is being crowded to a corner by the natural organic food revolution which takes things that one step further.
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Speed Up Your Metabolism with Mustard

Mustard is known to be very helpful for digestion, and can help to speed up your metabolism.

Mustard produces such a tiny seed yet it yields many health benefits. Mustard is one of the most popular spices in the entire world and is used in every country as a favorite spice. Part of the cabbage family, mustard can be used in its whole seed form, as a ground powder or combined with wine, vinegar or some other liquid to create a loose paste.

There are three varieties of mustard: black, brown and white. The mustard plant grows to be quite tall and has a bright yellow flower.

It was imported to US through Spanish missionaries and seen as a cure-all. Its sharp and bitter taste, especially mixes into paste with vinegars, gave off a medicinal fume long before its health benefits were discovered.

Better than a Vitamin

Mustard seeds are a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids as well as calcium, dietary fiber, iron, manganese, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, protein, selenium and zinc. Selenium is a nutrient that has been shown to help reduce asthma, arthritis and certain cancers. Magnesium also reduces asthma and lowers blood pressure. The effects of mustard are currently being studied for menopausal women and on migraine attacks.

Other Healthy Benefits

Just a few of mustard’s possible healthy benefits include:

Speeds up metabolism
Stimulates digestion, increasing saliva as much as eight times more than normal
Inhibits cancer cell growth and possibly prevents other types of cancer as well
Treatment of skin diseases through the application of sulfur found in mustard
Reduces in the severity of asthma
Decreases symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis
Lowering of high blood pressure
Prevention of migraines
Facilitation of gastric juices which aids digestive problems and gives digestive aid
Soothing of sore throats, bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia
Disinfectant qualities it provides

Additionally it has four powerful qualities: it is antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic and has anti-inflammatory properties.

How to Add Mustard to Your Diet

Mustard is for more than just hot dogs at the ballpark. Whether in ground powder form, seed form or out of the bottle, there are multiple ways to include mustard into your diet to reap its benefits. And since its pungent, tangy taste enhances food so uniquely, it can easily replace fattier condiment options such as mayonnaise, butters and sugary catsups.

Mustard is often used in Indian, French, German and Irish foods. But there are many more options as well.

Include powdered mustards in salad dressings, egg dishes, pickles, marinades and vinaigrettes.

Sprinkle whole mustard seeds on salads, over vegetables and rice and on roasting meats. Try roasting them first in a dry skillet for a nuttier taste.

Mustard paste is useful. Bottled mustard can be rubbed on meats before roasting. Try dipping cut vegetables in a mustard sauce for a unique, flavorful dip. Mustard paste can easily be added to mayonnaises, vinaigrettes, marinades and barbeque sauces.

Mustard is so versatile; you will find many exciting and new ways to use this old standby.

The Favorite Spices

Pepper is native to the monsoon forests of the Malabar coast in southwest India. The pepper vine is now grown in much of tropical Asia. Pepper is the most popular spice in most of the recipes in cookery, to aid digestion, to preserve food and to enhance its flavor. Pepper has a warm, woody smell that is fresh, pungent and agreeably aromatic. Pepper is neither sweet nor savoury, just pungent, and can therefore be used in both types of dish. It is so popular that it has given its name to a wide range of dishes.

Pepper is perennial vine with stout stem, dark green leaves, white flowering spikes and green to dark red fruit. The vine takes seven to eight years to teach full maturity, and continues to bear fruit for 15-20 years. It is trained up posts of the tress grown for hade in coffee plantations.

There are black, white and green peppercorns. The black pepper which are the whole berries picked unripe and sum dried until shriveled. Is the most widely used, while the white peppercorns are ripe berries with the red skins removed before being bleached white by drying in the sun. it is hotter and less subtle than the black. It is mostly used by sprinkling it in powdered form in many cooked dishes. Green peppercorns are the immature berry pickled in brine or freeze-dried while still fresh, is not as hot and has a clean, fresh taste.

Pepper is said to help relieve flatulence and to have diuretic properties. It is the main source of heat in tropical Asian food.

Lemon Grass
Scientific name:Cymbopogon citrates Stapf
Family:GRAMINEAE
Vernacular name:Takhrai

Lemon grass is found throughout Southeast Asia. The culinary stem and leaf have a distinct lemon flavor. The base and lover shoots of the plant are used in cooking, and give a fresh, elusively aromatic taste in many Thai dishes.

A perennial tufted grass, up to 1.5 n has clumped, bulbous stems becoming leaf-blades and a branched panicle of flowers. Lemon grass grown readily in almost any soils, its bulb and leaves constantly multiplying. It is easily grown and thrives in a hot, sunny climate with some rainfall. It is better suited in sandy soil, which produces a higher content of the essential oil.

It is a common ingredient in Thai cooking. The coarse, long flat leaves are normally discarded, and only around 10-15 cm of the bulbous base used. If the lemon grass is to be eaten raw, the outer layers of the bulb should be peeled away until the pinkish ring inside appears; the tender portion is then finely sliced. Lemon grass is also bruised and added whole to many curry dishes, or sliced before pounded to a paste with other ingredients and added to many dishes. Lemon grass remains fibrous safer cooking so avoid chewing it. It combines well with garlic, shallots and chillies, and with fresh coriander to favor fish, shellfish, chicken and pork.

In the past, lemon grass was prescribed to relieve flatulence and as sedative. The culinary stem is used for stomachache, diarrhea, headaches, fevers and is antiseptic. The essential oil is used for cosmetics and food, and in aromatherapy to improve circulation and muscle tone. The antiseptic oil treats athlete’s foot and acne, and when sprayed, reduces air-borne infections.

B12 Deficiency

The elderly, vegetarians and people with some specific illnesses can suffer from a Vitamin B12 deficiency, and today many foods that form to make the average diet also have too low levels. Problems that can arise through having a vitamin B12 intake that is not high enough include feeling weak, fatigued, paranoid or mentally impaired as well as damaged nerves, pernicious anemia, delirium and CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).

Certain studies have indicated that if your vitamin B12 levels are too low your homocysteine levels will be elevated. Homocysteine is an amino acid that is thought to be responsible for heart diseases, CFS and fibromyalgia. Alzheimer’s and depression have been linked to high levels of the amino acid also. B12 is largely responsible for preventing these homocysteines from getting out of hand and causing problems.

Anywhere up to a quarter of the American population over eighty could possibly have this deficiency. This is the belief of The Jack Miller Center for Peripheral Neuropathy at the University of Chicago, who also teaches their students that those who have strict vegetarian diets are commonly lacking in the vitamin also. Although vegetables can be a good source of B12 vitamins, their content is lower so the amount needing to be consumed is much higher than for those who eat meats and dairy. Vegetarians should definitely take supplements every day.

Studies conducted in America indicate that any person who has a deficiency of B12 vitamin will be two times at least more likely to get depression. Those who have sufficient levels were considerably less predisposed to it, and reported feeling overall more calm and capable. This is due to the fact that B12 has many important roles in maintaining brain health and manufacturing brain chemicals. For more info see http://www.omegaflaxseedoil.com/benefits/omega3/diseases_Related_To_A_Deficiency_In_Omega_3.html

Food that is rich in B12 should play a large role in your diet every day. These are foods such as dairy, eggs, pork, organ meats, fish and beef, and if taken with a good B12 supplement, should resolve your problem or prevent you from developing one. Another solution to a B12 deficiency is to have a B12 injection, which you can ask your doctor about.

Many people have a deficiency in vitamin B12 but think they are simply run down and overworked. By taking a good B complex that covers all B vitamins and folic acid, you will feel less stressed, have more energy and avoid the many health issues that come with not getting enough through food. By keeping the B12 levels up, the homocysteine levels will stay in check and you will lead a healthy, happy life free from the high risk of depression and ill health.

Antioxidant Sources

Antioxidants are substances that help our bodies fight free radicals-natural but toxic chemical reactions that occur in our bodies and damage our cells. Different antioxidants combat different free radicals, so it’s wise to know and use a wide range of antioxidant foods and vitamins that help preserve health and vitality.

Vitamin C is a well-known antioxidant vitamin. Foods that contain the antioxidant properties of Vitamin C include oranges, lemons, grapefruits, cantaloupe, many leafy greens, broccoli and peppers. Beta carotene, found in carrots, is another antioxidant nutrient.

Garlic is another food known for its antioxidant properties. Garlic actually has many healthy properties and can even be used as an antibacterial.

Berries of almost every type are excellent antioxidants. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries all have antioxidant properties.

Although cooking can dilute the nutrients in food, most foods have more than enough to last. The antioxidant properties of red grapes are even found in wine, so it’s not necessary to eat raw foods in order to get antioxidant benefits.

And speaking of antioxidants that you can drink, don’t forget about tea. All different kinds of tea have these good-for-you properties, not just green tea, as was originally thought.

While nutritional supplements are available to help us get the nutrients we aren’t getting from food, the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day (especially if those vegetables are broccoli and spinach) should provide most of the antioxidants you need. Especially for children, it’s wise not to get in the habit of relying on supplements when a naturally varied diet can provide for most nutritional needs. As we get older, however, it may become necessary to supplement certain vitamins and minerals; for example, some older people lose the ability to naturally synthesize enough Vitamin B12. Vitamin D is another vitamin that may need to be supplemented in older people. Your doctor can do blood tests to determine if you could benefit from vitamin supplementation.

Healthy Food Please

When you have no time to cook your own food, what do you do? The answer is obvious, of course. You go out to your local fast food outlet (in deference to your kids’ preferences), you go out to the food strip at the mall, or you order take out. It is convenient and you can eat your fill at these joints. What’s not so obvious, however, is what such a practice is doing to you and your children’s health.

Healthy eating habits are crucial to achieving a healthy mind and body. Healthy eating habits refer to eating meals regularly, eating well-balanced meals, and eating only what’s necessary. Healthy eating habits do not involve eating burgers and fries for lunch.

The Fast Food Culture

Unfortunately, some people do think that it is healthy to have burgers and fries for lunch. Advertising spiels have a lot to answer for this. In a world filled with fast food and restaurants, it is but natural that the companies serving up this food have to undermine people’s preference for home-cooked meals or they will become redundant and not make any profit.

As such, big food corporations put millions of dollars into TV commercials that assert in not so many words that a meal eaten at a fast food is special while eating at home with your family the meal your mother cooked is nothing but ordinary.

Such a reversal of values was helped along by the faster pace of life, where people have no more time to devote to preparing home-cooked meals. People are always driving or commuting to work, attending business meetings, or maybe holding one or two jobs. You cannot expect someone who has already been working 12 hours straight to come home and prepare a lengthy meal. It makes more sense to buy some take-out or bring the family out for a meal.

People are aware that they need to eat healthy food. However, what do you do if you are misled into thinking that restaurant fare and fast food taste better than home-cooked food? Sadly, there’s also an underlying effort to make people think that food in restaurant and fast foods are all healthy, that there’s really not much difference when you eat in or out. It’s all the same, but eating out is more convenient.

As people continue to be bombarded with mass media advertisements advocating the value of fast food and eating out, and as people become even more busy trying to hold on to their jobs, more and more people stop cooking and begin taking these commercials to heart. People have deserted home-cooked and nutritious meals that need hours of preparation for big servings of calorie- and fat-rich food that gets served up within minutes.

The Diseased Nation

The success of the fast food industry in establishing a culture that thrives in fast food and meals eaten out, our people’s health has been placed on the balance. Thus, America is now an ailing nation. Incidence of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure continues to rise as obesity becomes even more prevalent.

I am not saying that fast food is to be avoided at all costs. What I am saying is that a trip to the fast food should be made only very infrequently, not three times a week as most people now are wont to do. A change should be instituted to bring back the days when there’s no doubt about what healthy food is and where to find it. This is all I ask.
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Diet Can Help Clear Up Your Eczema

It is widely agreed that diet plays an important role in the overall health and well-being of our bodies. Furthermore, the importance of a healthy diet in keeping eczema at bay should certainly not be underestimated. It is thought that those suffering from eczema tend to be more likely to also harbor a diet with less essential nutrients necessary to promote healthy skin development and repair.

Dieticians almost universally agree that it is crucial for adults suffering from eczema to pursue diets high in natural, healthy foods and low in synthetic foods with preservatives and chemicals. It is essential to ensure the appropriate intake of proteins through essential amino acids and fatty acids, which are the vital building blocks for skin growth. Additionally, it is advantageous to incorporate vitamins and minerals into your diet to avoid the problems associated with their deficiency, including the onset of eczema.

Adults suffering from eczema are far more likely to have lower bodily levels of fatty acids. Although many people choose to supplement their diet with pills containing fatty acids, our bodies are far more efficient at absorbing these acids when they are naturally present in our food. To help the condition, it is important to obtain all these elements in balance to ensure all-round health to promote skin growth and repair. Visit http://www.eczemacuretreatment.com for more info about eczema symptoms, prevention and treatment options

Adults suffering from the condition should take all appropriate measures to ensure the foods they consume are high in vitamins, primarily vitamin A and vitamin B, such as green vegetables and pulses. It is also important to increase the consumption of magnesium, which can also be derived from greenery, nuts and seeds, in order to lessen the symptoms of eczema and to promote health all round.

Everyone knows the impact diet can have on our daily lives. As well as the countless health problems associated with a poor diet, the tell-tale signs of eczema can be almost reversed by changing basic lifestyle habits, and increasing consumption of certain of the most vital food groups. Holistic nutritionists would also suggest the inclusion of wheat grass to the diet to help eradicate these symptoms, although this should naturally be avoided for those with wheat and related allergies to avoid further complications.

Given that diet is such a crucial factor in dealing with eczema, it is a good idea to involve the family as a whole to provide the necessary help and support to treat the problem. It is a good idea to make sure everyone in the household is aware of the changes to be made to their diet, and the wider reaching impact of these changes on your, and their health.

For more advice on devising a suitable diet plan to treat your eczema, consult your dermatologist or dietician, or even your own physician, for advice on the essential ingredients necessary for healthy skin growth. You should ask your doctor about the effectiveness of diet in treating conditions like eczema, and to consider the benefits of making these dietary changes to your health as a whole.

Why We Need To Clean Water

If your clean water dilemma is how to clean water marks from glass vases, you’re just touching the tip of this iceberg. If your water is clean, should it leave water marks on glass vases?

SECRET: You can clean water marks from glass vases. I don’t guarantee this will work on every vase, and urge you to use these ideas at your own risk, but here they are. Mix equal parts of cold tea with vinegar, and dissolve a denture cleaner tablet in the mixture. Or fill the vase with water and drop in 2 Alka Seltzer tablets. Soak your vase overnight in either solution, rinse, and dry.

Ten Reasons Why We Need to Clean Water

1. Clean water is vital to the human body.

The human body is 50 to 70 per cent water, and needs a regular supply of clean water to maintain health. We need clean drinking water. We need clean water for cooking and making beverages. Healthy eating and clean water go hand in hand. We must work to clean water worldwide in order to maintain sufficient sources to supply this need.

2. Clean water is vital to our food.

If we fail to clean water and keep it clean, we will be shut up to a diet of contaminated food. Not only fish, but other meats, fruits, and vegetables will deliver contamination to us. If we want healthful, clean fish to leap forth from rivers, streams, and oceans, we will have to clean water. If we want healthful, organic produce, we will have to clean water used to irrigate produce.

3. Clean water is vital to human health.

Clean drinking water is vital to health, yet the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO) report that 1.1 billion people around the globe lack access to clean drinking water. The health consequences are devastating. The UN attributes 2.2 million deaths annually to poor water and sanitation. If we clean water, provide better sanitation, and teach people how to keep water clean, future generations can enjoy longer and healthier lives.

4. Clean water is essential for water sports.

A swimmer in clean water is safe from illnesses and diseases produced by contaminated and toxic water. A surfer does not have to fear swallowing water in a wipe out. Boaters and others who use our water for recreation can relax without concern about pollutants. Yet, 27 years after the passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act, 40% of our rivers, lakes, and estuaries were still too polluted for safe swimming and similar water sports.

5. Clean water is essential for fish and other wildlife species.

As humans, we must consider the needs of fish, whales, water fowl, and other wildlife species that live in water. We must clean water when there are oil spills, of course, but we must also work to clean water flowing into our oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. We must clean water for wildlife that does not live in the water, but depends on clean water for health and cleanliness.

6. We need to clean water to cut down on our carbon footprint.

The emissions involved in producing bottled water are astounding. Pablo Päster, Sustainability Engineer and MBA, did a thorough and exhaustive study of the cost of bringing a single liter of Fiji Water to America. He found that bottlers use nearly seven times as much water to bottle it than you actually drink. The total amount of water used to produce and deliver one bottle of imported water is 6.74 kg! In the process of making the bottle, getting water into the bottle, and delivering it to you, 250g of GHG emissions were released.

7. We need to clean water to cut down on refuse.

Each plastic drinking-water bottle takes hundreds of years to biodegrade in a landfill. Many plastic drinking-water bottles litter the countryside. Some will be recycled, but the recycling process is said to pollute the environment with toxic carcinogens. If we clean water so that it is truly free of contaminants, additives, bacteria, and virus, people are less likely to rely on bottled water.

8. Clean rain and snow are not givens.

Rain is just one step in the water cycle. Pure rain does not automatically fall through the universe, filtered by the atmosphere and delivered from pure clouds. Neither does pure snow. The rain, snow, and other precipitation we receive find their way into the sky from bodies of water on earth. If we fail to clean water on earth, we will have increasingly polluted precipitation. Polluted precipitation is harmful to everyone and everything on which it falls.

9. We need clean water for all-around cleanliness.

Whether it’s your laundry in the Maytag washer, your carpet beneath the cleaning machine, or your body under the shower, clean water is necessary for all-around cleanliness. From early preschool years onward, children are taught proper hygiene – and it depends on clean water.

10. The consequences of inadequate access to clean water are too great.

Many have expressed growing concern that water wars are more likely in the future than current battles for oil. Where access to clean water is the very essence of life, “no water” may mean “no peace.” A failure to clean water now may result in global warfare for future generations.

You may be able to add more reasons. You may substitute different reasons, but the bottom line is still the same. We need to clean water.

It is wiser, and less costly, to keep water clean than to try to clean water that has become dirty and polluted. Will we develop such wisdom for the remaining clean water we have?

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