I also agree that you rock.

Thanks.

Wow, that was a very thorough response--thank you for the reply and insightful information! Had my fiancé pick up mineral water last night and (surprise, surprise) I didn't have to immediately run to the bathroom after consuming it. Makes me re-think the whole idea of drinking "pure" demineralized water (RO).

Demineralized waters will make you urinate more often because of the simple principle of osmosis.  Water will move from a level of higher purity to lower purity in an attempt to reach equilibrium.  Since the purified water is more pure than the blood the water rapidly enters the bloodstream.  But this puts a sudden load on the system that can be problematic, so the body has to get rid of that excess water as fast as possible.  For those not following this there is a simple analogy to show this.  If a freshwater fish is suddenly put in to ocean water what happens?  Well the blood of the fish has a higher level of fresh water in the cells than in the surrounding environment.  So the water leaves the fishes cells and enters the surrounding water dehydrating the fish. Same principle that Epsom salts are used to reduce swelling and salt baths are used to detox the body.  In both cases water is being drawn from the body by the higher concentration of salt and lower level of fresh water outside the cells.  If a saltwater fish though is suddenly put in to fresh water though the opposite happens.  There is a now a higher concentration of fresh water outside the body than inside the body.  So the fresh water rushes in to the cells suddenly swelling and rupturing the cells.  We also see this is drownings.  Near death drownings in fresh water are totally different than in salt water.  Water does not enter the lungs in all cases of drowning.  When it does though the same rules of osmosis apply.  If the water has a high level of purity the water will quickly enter the bloodstream hyperdiluting the blood and electrolytes.  If the concentration of minerals/salts is close to the same as in the blood the water remains in the lungs.  If the water has a higher concentration of minerals/salts than in the blood the water will draw the blood in to the lungs and you will see a bloody froth in the lungs if you could see inside.

You might find these interesting as well:

http://curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1535287#i

http://curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1655777

http://curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1655774

http://curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1537910#i

http://curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1537926#i

http://curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1537927#i

http://curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=1509586#i

I'm interested in trying DE solution as the reverse osmosis is just not cutting it and likely furthering my already present mineral deficiencies; however, I was reading online that it's a potent insecticide and antiparasitic agent. Did you have a detox reaction when you first started using DE in your water?

No, I have never gotten a detox reaction from drinking DE water.  Although DE is great for removing lead and aluminum from the body.  As for insects and parasites this is because the DE shreds worms, scrapes the protective coating off of insects or cuts up their insides if ingested.  It does not hurt mammals though if ingested.

 I have been using DE for several months but my fingernails are still soft and easily split.I don't really care except that it may indicate some deficiency I need to address.40 yrs ago I remember my Mother took gelatin for her fingernails.Any suggestions?

Soft, flexible and easily split nails do indicate a silica deficiency.  If they were dry and brittle then this would indicate an essential fatty acid deficiency.

It could be simply you are not absorbing the silica properly.  Silica absorption is increased by the presence of acid.  For example,  stomach acid levels decline as we age.  This leads to a loss of silica absorption, which in turn leads to a loss of structural proteins such as collagen and elastin.  It is this loss of structural proteins that lead to "old age" diseases such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, diverticulitis, emphysema, etc.  Even wrinkles occur from a loss of elastin.

Try adding a little citric or malic acid to your DE water or better yet make sure you maintain your stomach acid levels.  

Increasing your vitamin C intake can also help as this is also needed for the production of some structural proteins.  Natural sources are best such as kiwis,  papaya, watercress, berries, amla, rosehips, nettle  leaf, acerola, etc.

Gelatin is a good source of amino acids for the production of structural proteins and silica.

 Cool, I have some DE earth that my friend gave me the other day...

What kind of water are you starting with before adding the DE?

I have an R/O system.  I try to get spring water when I can, which is already saturated, but when I don't have access I use the R/O water with the silica added.

When you say, "trace element salt" is that Sea Salt or some other kind of salt? How much?

Unrefined sea salt will work, but I prefer mined trace mineral salts like Real Salt, which is cleaner.  A pinch to a glass of water is fine.  You do not want to add so much that is makes it taste salty.  This is another reason I prefer DE to saturate the water since it does not alter the flavor of the water once settled out.

My fingernails are hard already but I have noticed recently that they are getting lines in them. Is this due to a mineral deficiency?

Ridges in the nails can occur for several reasons including anemia and damage to the nail bed.