Water, water, water

Imaginary Lunch Companion: I'm thinking about buying one those water filter systems.

Me: Yeah? I looked at some a few months ago.

Imaginary Lunch Companion: Which on did you buy?

Me: I bought a pitcher/filter from a company named Santevia.

Imaginary Lunch Companion: Huh. Why that one?

Me: Well, I was looking more at what the filter added to the water than what it took out. This particular filter uses minerals like calcium and magnesium to change the water's pH level. I wanted the minerals.

A Google search for mineralized alkaline water led me to Santevia. Santevia has pitchers, water bottles, and under the sink filters. While looking for reviews of Santevia, I came across Berkey Water Filters.

Berkey really caught my eye. They sell water purification systems - not just filters. I really liked the idea of using any old water source.

The final decision came down to cost. Santevia costs less over the next 3 years than Berkey.

Official Disclaimer

I am not recommending alkaline water in any way, shape, or form. I am not a doctor. This is not an advertisement. I am just recording my thought process - good or bad. Use your own judgement.

This whole pursuit of a water filter started because of Vania. Vania has a horrible diaper rash. She gets open sores on her bottom. We tried creams, ointments, different diapers, different wipes, and diet changes. The rash goes away for a little bit and returns. The poor girl was miserable.

A poop test showed high uric acid levels. Maybe it's not a rash, but a burn? I learned that there is no single cause of high uric acid. Combatting it involves changing the pH balance in your body. In Vania's case, alkaline water had the best chance.

Foods are also alkaline or acidic. Eating alkaline foods also changes your pH balance. Making an OCD 3 year old try new foods did not sound like fun. Getting my wife to actually plan a menu sounded like even less fun.

Not Created Equal

A lot of companies advertise alkaline water. We started with a 30 day trial from a local water company. This was enough to tell us if the plan even had a chance of working. During those 30 days, I did more Googling.

A lot of people tout benefits of alkaline water. And marketers picked up on the keywords. I ran across two different ways of obtaining alkaline water: ionized or mineralized. I wanted the mineralized water. The health benefits come from the minerals - not the alkaline pH.

That is how I wound up looking at Berkey Water Filters and Santevia.

Comparisons

Both Berkey and Santevia met my first criteria - they can help Vania. Both companies mineralize the water. Both systems rely on gravity (no broken parts). The final decision came down to price.

Right now, my main financial goals are the rainy day fund and buying a house. So I set my time horizon at 3 years. I want a filtering system that gets us through the next 3 years at a reasonable cost. Both systems use replaceable filters. I calculated the cost of filters plus the initial outlay. With such a short time frame, Santevia came in for less.

Sounds easy? That one little paragraph represents several days of me waffling back and forth. I really wanted the Berkey water filter: bigger tank, longer lasting filter, and it filters more out. On the downside, I need somewhere to put it and an easy way of getting water into the multi-gallon tank. Both of those increased the cost. Over the next 3 years, Santevia gave the most bang for the buck.

Results

We've been using the Santevia water pitcher for about 3 months now. Vania's rash is gone. The rash came back briefly while Vania was sick. Otherwise, not even a hint. I assume that the alkaline water neutralizes the excessive uric acid, stopping the burns. For what we needed - clearing away the diaper rash, the mineralized alkaline water worked.

'Tis the Season

Last Christmas, my wife sent me an article about gift giving. Specifically, the article calls for banning out of control gift giving. Being the nerd that I am, I asked myself why is gift giving out of control? Martin Lewis, the author, points out how gifts create an obligation for the receiver. This is a symptom of pride. We have lost the skill of being a grateful recipient. Gifts are given without any expectation of return. That's the very definition of gift. Gifts that expect something in return are called bribes. A gift is given whether you do what the giver wants or not. This is why the Bible describes salvation as a gift. God sacrificed His Son without any expectation of a return. Nowhere is salvation linked with any behavior. The Bible describes behaviors that come naturally as a result of the gift. God's gift changes who we are. When we change, our behavior changes. The Bible never commands us to do something or risk losing the gift. Our pride doesn't like that. It means that our happiness relies entirely on someone else, outside of our control. A grateful recipient accepts the outside control and trusts that the giver upholds their promise of not wanting something in return. We're created in God's image. If His gifts change the recipient, it stands to reason that our gifts also change the recipient. Along the same line, God's gift reflects who He is (God is love - 1 John something). Our gifts reflect who we are. Now imagine millions of people in open rebellion to God. If they're evil, doesn't that mean their gifts reflect that evil? And so you get what happens today - bribes. Gifts have become a way of showing off. We brag about how we feel, instead of expressing appreciation for the other person. So I guess it involves selfishness too. Appreciation should be appropriate. Send Vania's teacher a hand made card. Mrs. G invests time in Vania. A hand made card reflects that (you took time to make it). It is appropriate. Stuff is a poor reflection of what you value in the other person. That's why Lucy prefers spending time with us. Granted, an occasional Nerf gun is fun. It just doesn't shape her character as much the experience of being singled out for some special time with Mom.