I’ve heard that drinking purified water is harmful because it does not contain minerals typically found in unpurified water. What do you think? A. J.

Dear A. J.: I am a strong proponent of drinking water that has been purified by reverse osmosis (R/O) or distillation. If water is not purified, small amounts of toxin substances will still be present. I do not believe that ingesting a little bit of poison on a daily basis is a wise thing to do over the course of one’s lifetime.

Many companies add minerals to purified water to enhance its taste, but I do not recommend relying upon drinking water as your primary mineral source. It is unlikely that any public water supply contains the proper balance of sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium the body needs to achieve optimum health. I am quite certain that no water supply contains a comprehensive collection of all known trace minerals.

My advice is to drink purified water to satisfy your body’s fluid need and complement your water intake with supplements that provide optimum quantities of major minerals and supply a trace amount of other minerals. The role of minerals in the body is too great to leave their presence to chance.