Water Quackery

*Edited to fix Manufacturer/model of ionizer, without the ionizer in hand when I wrote the original post, I confused the KYK Harmony with the Jupiter Melody.


So, a couple of days ago, I had several minutes to play with a Jupiter Melody Water Ionizer At the time, all I really knew was that the toaster sized machine was supposed to filter and change the ph level of tap water. At least at that point I assumed that there was the vague possiblity that the machine worked, perhaps by adding a acidic or basic compounds to the water. Anyway, here's how I quickly tested the machine with household items:

A. Set the machine to ph3, poured a glass of water, stuck my finger in the water, felt nothing, added backing soda to the glass of water without a reaction, then finally poured a second glass of water to drink. Absolutely no acidic taste whatsoever.

B. Set the machine to ph13, poured a glass of water, stuck my finger in the water, felt nothing, added vinegar to the glass of water without a reaction, then finally poured a second glass of water to drink. Absolutely no alkaline taste whatsoever.

After that impromptu 5 minute experiment, I was convinced that the machine was quackery, and that the manufacturers were more than likely risking regulatory action since the ph setting buttons on the machine had absolutely nothing to do with the water produced.

So, according to Google, the machine costs nearly $1100, and is complete and utter quackery. The amusing part is that quack pseudoscience devices involving water are experiencing increased popularity at the moment. There's everything from people that believe cancer should be treated with alkaline water, to the prill bead nuts that think that love powered pebbles can purify all the water on earth. It never ceases to amaze me how much money can be made with fake science and useless medical devices.


*Fun Google news item found in preparation of this post: Apparently even crappy municipal water gets traded for sexual favors in Arkansas.