Re: Ionic Trace mineral drops - are they safe?

Thanks for the informative & thought-provoking reply. Your post is an example of how people seeking to improve their health can be yanked back and forth in opposite directions - by people saying totally opposing, contradictory things. But I guess at least some of this is good...since weighing all points-of-view can prevent a person from going too far in one direction, since nutrition/health is all about balance.

As far as hydroxide being a free radical...are you sure about that? I've read that OH- is actually an ion, which is a different and more stable molecule than a free radical. Although OH- has a negative charge, all of its electrons are paired-up - and free radicals are molecules with an unpaired electron.

My scientific mind is very rusty, and I'm far from an expert - but although I'm skeptical that OH- is a free radical, I am also skeptical about it's so-called antioxidant qualities that the Ionized Water proponents like to hype. According to something I read (and which makes sense) - free radicals can only be neutralized by other free radicals, not by ions. This is because an unpaired electron more readily teams with another unpaired electron. Well - maybe free radicals CAN "steal" electrons from more stable atom/molecule, but then THAT atom/molecule (the entity from which the free radical steals the electron) becomes a free radical. So if OH- donates an electron to a free radical floating around in the body - OH- becomes a free-radical itself. So the net effect is that the free radicals poisoning your body aren't reduced - other free-radicals are formed as some are neutralized.

Or maybe I'm wrong. Like I said - my scientific reasoning ability is very rusty, to say the least...

As far as whether acidity or alkalinity is better at the bacteria/pathogens at bay - well, it seems to be a complex "balance" (as you explained). All I know is that the bacteria/fungus conditions that I battle personally seem to be worsened/exacerbated by increased body acidity. In general, the more acidic I seem to become - the worse my (scalp) Seborrhea (sp.) becomes, and I tend to develop "jock itch" as my acidity goes up. But it's funny: ingesting alkalizing substances seems to improve my Seborrhea (as well as other issues), but so does using an apple cider vinegar rinse on my scalp (apple cider vinegar is obviously acidic). Tweet