Water ionizers have been around for quite some time – as far back as the early 1900s to be exact. However, this technical innovation has only recently come under the spotlight in the past 50 years.
Below, we dive into a brief history on water ionizers and how the incredible, health-boosting water these machines produce has become an important tool used around the world for medical, clinical, commercial, industrial, and personal use.
The topics we’ll cover are:
Scientific Pioneers of Alkaline Water
Benefits of Alkaline Water
Timeline – Early Development and Evolution of Water Ionizers
Recent History of Water Ionizers
Evolution of Hydrogen Water
Next Steps/Recommendations for Buying a Water Ionizer
So, follow along and prepare for your jaw to drop!
What You Need to Know about Alkaline Water and Water Ionizers
More and more people are hearing about and discovering the health benefits of alkaline water for themselves – but may not be familiar with how the water ionizer even came to be.
Some people may believe water ionizers to be merely a “fad” because the machines were only available in Asian countries for many years – making them unrecognizable to many people across the world.
It wasn’t until the early 1990s that water ionizers became available to people in the USA and Canada.
Scientific Pioneers of Alkaline Water
Studying the history of water ionizers will help one understand their benefits
It all began in 1834 when English scientist Michael Faraday published the laws of electrolysis to propose two laws based on what he found during his experiments on electrolysis.
In the 1850s, Russian scientists used Faraday’s laws to conduct the first studies on negative ions, known to be one of the great moments in the quest for human health,
Negative ion particles are among the basic building blocks of human health because the body cannot survive without the presence of negative ions. The Russians discovered through their studies that since negative ions are good for human health, then positive ions must be bad. They also determined that it is impossible for our bodies to be truly healthy while living in a positive ion environment, both inside and out.
Based on these findings, the Russians suggested that if they could create negative ions in water, then the water could be quite healthy by taking on certain properties. They experimented with simple electrolysis, where an anode and cathode are placed into water at the same time to create positive and negative ions that cancel each other out.
The Russians were then faced with a new challenge: how could they separate the ions?
In the early 1900s, the Russians addressed this challenge by inventing the first water ionizers – which could separate the negative and positive ions to create ionized water. Ionized water is recognized as one of Russia’s greatest scientific achievements in history.
After hearing the news, Japanese scientists decided to research the effects of ionized alkaline water on human health around 1931 by studying how the process of electrolysis separates water into alkaline and acidic components for different uses.
They were able to determine that alkaline water can be produced by restricting water via electricity, known as electrolysis. The process of electrolysis recreates what happens when water goes over rocks in nature to create water that is alkaline and has low oxidation reduction potential (-ORP).
The scientists also concluded that by using a water ionizer, alkaline water is made by splitting electrically filtered tap water into two chambers: alkaline and acidic water, both of which have their own unique uses for enriching human health and wellness.
Benefits of Alkaline Water
The same Japanese scientists also discovered the health benefits of drinking water that is alkaline and has passed through a water ionizer.
Some of the alkaline water benefits that you can enjoy are:
- Balanced pH levels in the body
- Soothing heartburn symptoms
- Enhanced mental alertness
- Improved exercise performance
As the scientists wrapped up their research, they were as amazed as they were puzzled about their findings. How did ionized alkaline water have so many positive effects?
Timeline – Early Development and Evolution of Water Ionizers
The early 1950s: The first water ionizer was developed in Japan, using the same technology that the Japanese scientists described in the findings of their research.
1954: The first experiments using the newly developed water ionizer were conducted for agricultural purposes by several Japanese agricultural universities. These universities started by researching the effects of ionized alkaline water on plants and animals, as well as the effects of acidic water on plants.
- Researching and gathering data on the ionized alkaline water effects on humans was found to be a more complex task for the Japanese agricultural universities that took a ton of time and energy.
- Doctors in Japan were eventually able to collect enough human data that not only confirmed the non-toxicity of alkaline water but also confirmed that ionized alkaline water contains benefits that are effective in helping to promote relief from several conditions.
1958: The first commercial water ionizers were used in Japanese hospitals. Doctors used these large machines to test the healing effects of alkaline water in treating many conditions.
1960: A special medical and agricultural research institute was started by a handful of Japanese medical doctors and agricultural research scientists to follow up on the work that was completed in Russia in the early 1900s. The research in Japan investigated the possible therapeutic benefits of alkaline water from a water ionizer by splitting water into alkaline and acidic streams, using electronic devices. Their findings were reported during annual meetings.
1965: The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (JMHLW) finally acknowledged the alkaline water machine as a legitimate medical device for improving human health, which led to an increase in the manufacturing of water ionizers.
The 1970s: The Japanese-produced water ionizer was then introduced to Korea, who then decided to manufacture machines that were meant to be used in individual households instead of just medical and agricultural uses.
1985: Korean household water ionizers would make their way to the United States for the first time.
1986: A Los-Angeles-based independent testing laboratory decided to conduct a toxicity test on the alkaline water generated from the household water ionizers. The lab’s research would prove that ionized alkaline water is toxicity-free, and the machines started to earn a loyal following worldwide.
Recent History of Water Ionizers
In the 1990s, global recognition of the alkaline water benefits that one can get from using a water ionizer started to increase and be widely accepted.
To this day, ionized alkaline water is widely used in Japan, Korea, Asia, South Africa, Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States for its eco-friendly healing power on the human body, as well as everyday use.
Like in Japan, water ionizers are still approved as a medical device by the South Korean government to be used in clinics and hospitals today.
Evolution of Hydrogen Water
Did you know that hydrogen is the smallest molecule in the world, representing 90% of the matter in the universe?
There are 4 types of hydrogen that exist, however, the only type of hydrogen that is beneficial to your long-term health is known as molecular hydrogen (H2). H2 is the ONLY type of hydrogen that you can find in alkaline water that’s produced by a water ionizer.
Molecular hydrogen is small enough to access every living part in your body to protect your cells and tissues from long-term damage that can be caused by free radicals and toxins. The presence of H2 in ionized alkaline water comes with many long-term health benefits that you can’t get from regular water, which has been proven in over 500 scientific studies and articles.
Regular water has two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule, which makes regular water neutral on the pH scale instead of acidic or alkaline. However, when regular water is converted into ionized alkaline water AND contains molecular hydrogen – hydrogen water is created.
Hydrogen water that’s made with a water ionizer is chock full of antioxidants and essential alkaline minerals that your body needs such as magnesium, zinc, potassium, and calcium.
Drinking mineral-rich water is beneficial for your health and wellness, and the mineral content found in regular water depends on your city and water source. No matter how mineral-rich your regular water may be – it won’t contain antioxidants.
You can guarantee that your water is rich in essential minerals AND antioxidants by drinking ionized hydrogen water.
You may be wondering: what does hydrogen water do? Some of the health benefits that you can enjoy from drinking ionized hydrogen-rich water are:
- Decreases in muscle fatigue (during and after exercising)
- Boosts in your mood and well-being
- Diminishes your overall stress levels
The use of hydrogen water has been a big trend in Japan for many years now (known as the “Shin’nooru solution”) – while the US and UK have just recently become familiar with ionized hydrogen-rich water as the next big thing in wellness.
Next Steps/Recommendations for Buying a Water Ionizer
While various methods to produce alkaline water have been invented over the years – it’s clear that the best alkaline water can only come from water ionizers.
Like millions of people around the world already do, you may be excited to start using one of these machines for their scientifically proven health, beauty, and household uses.
Your next move may be to find the right water ionizer machine for your home – especially with the plethora of ionizer models and options available to you.
To help you be well-informed when approaching the buying process, our FREE Water Ionizer Checklist is the perfect comprehensive guide to reference that will give you a solid understanding of the features, benefits, and certifications that your machine should have. You’ll also receive a FREE bonus gift with your checklist that reveals some exclusive money-saving advice on water ionizers that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.
Tell Us Where to Send Your FREE Copy of Our Water Ionizer Checklist!
We hope you enjoyed reading up on this brief history of water ionizers as much as we enjoyed compiling this information into something fun and easy to digest!
Give us a call today at (833) 374-6542 to try a HydrogenX molecular hydrogen water machine at home for 30 days, risk-free. A healthier lifestyle is within reach with clean drinking water that can change your life!