Need some info from DUers

[Bobbieo]

I am 87, getting on in years, and have been suffering from headaches and vertigo for the past six years. I have been blaming it on my blood pressure which fluctuates in spite of the meds I take every day.

An Internet friend asked me if I was living on ramen noodles. I wrote her back with my normal diet which includes lots of fish and canned sardines, which I love, mixed veggies. spinach, avocado and tomato salads, yogurts, chicken , very little red meat, green tea and tons of strawberries, blueberries and other fruits in season, plus dark chocolate.

She wrote back ,”with that diet you should be healthy as a horse – how about your drinking water – do you drink tap water?” Yes, I do and that seems to have been the problem. I don’t like the bottled water because of the damn plastic containers , but I started drinking it a few days ago and the headaches and dizzy spells have all but disappeared.

I also have an old Brita water filter container that has been sitting in my cupboard for the past six years. I got it out cleaned it up and got a new filter which I am going to be using from now on, including Brita ice cubes. Any other Duers that have had similar problems with drinking tap water?

Sincerely hope this new approach will help to clean up my health problems as six years of this “dizzy-headache crap” has really taken a toll on my aging bod and I’m really surprised my doctors have never mentioned drinking tap water taken from the lower Colorado River.

[laconicsax]

1. Nope. Then again, I live in an are with great tap water.

Have you considered consulting a medical professional? Political discussion forums aren't the ideal place to ask medical advice.

[Bobbieo]

3. I have a regular appt with my doctor next month and if this condition does clears up

I'm really gonna rag her ass about not checking with me about my diet.

[marybourg]

2. Are you drinking SRP water?nt.

[Bobbieo]

4. What is SRP water?

[marybourg]

16. Salt River Project. water. If you don't know, I guess

you're not.

[Suich]

6. Check out her Homepage in her profile.

Yikes!

[Altoid_Cyclist]

15. Thanks for the suggestion.

That was eye opening to say the least. I second your "yikes".

[Suich]

5. Hi, Bobbieo!

I use a Brita all the time and I refill those "damn plastic containers."

We have good water here in Seattle but I prefer the Brita.

I don't know anything about tap water from the lower Colorado River but I hope using the Brita helps. Your diet sounds wa-a-a-y better than mine!

This is probably going to get locked but pm me anytime you want, ok?

Hang in there! Susan

[Bobbieo]

8. Thanks Susan - This is all I needed to hear- just from one person.

I had to give up driving, which probably makes everyone in Yuma happier people, but because of these headaches and spells of vertigo I have become, literally, housebound because I can barely walk. I only go out to see my MD and if this cleans up I am sure gonna rag her ass.

It really burns me up that something so basic as the chemicals in drinking water have damned near ruined my life. Yes, I have been considering giving it all up!!!

I remember several years ago doing a story on Yuma's drinking water and hoping the GD gold fish did not die before my eyes. Those images should have stayed with me.

[DesertFlower]

7. i bought a brita when i lived in new york.

used it in my office. when i moved to phoenix i brought it and used it until i got a reverse osmosis system.

[Bobbieo]

9. Now, we're talkin' - reverse osmosis system - Will check it out tomorrow.

DU is invaluable for information political and otherwise.

I posted a story on my Native Unity blog sometime ago about a proposed uranium mine next to the Grand Canyon. There is the strong possibility that radioactive waste materials would drift down to the Colorado River and end up in the drinking water, here.

[DesertFlower]

12. i heard about that and i'm

happy that we have our own well. still we have a water softener and reverse osmosis.

[Lorien]

18. A friend of mine in Washington State was having all kinds of health issues

she bought a very expensive six part filtration system for her home that included reverse and ionization. She says that she began to feel much better after just a few weeks of having the system installed (no more headaches, fatigue, joint pain, etc). Drinking water is only part of the equation; if there are unsafe chemicals or other contaminants in the water those will be absorbed through the skin during a shower.

[Suich]

10. That's something you have at home, right?

How does it work? Is it inside the house? I read the Wiki on it but I don't get it...sorry!

:shrug:

[Bobbieo]

11. My DIL says her dad had one for years

because her mom was a diabetic.

She won't drink the tap water and is the one in the family who gets all of the plastic water bottles which I am going to fill with Brita water from now on while I'm checking out the reverse osmosis system.

[DesertFlower]

13. here's a link.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/reverse-osmosis.htm

[Bobbieo]

14. Wow!!!!

[Tumbulu]

17. Living in rural areas with bad wells most of my adult life

I never get to drink the tap water, it is always too polluted.

But for the first time in over 25 years I can drink water from my farm because I got a reverse osmosis unit under the sink. I can wash veggies without fear of contaminating them, too. I can drink my own water- wow!!!!

There are a variety of home filtration systems, but an under the counter reverse osmosis system for me has been heaven. I cannot believe how much easier it is not to have to fill up water bottles and carry them up stairs, etc etc.

Good luck to you.