You mean water is acidic?

Chances are when you were first diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis you immediately began drinking tons of water because your Doctor told you that this was a good way of trying to make sure your body is cleaning it's system out. But you probably didn't realize that in doing so you may have been actually aggravating your symptoms even worse if you mistakenly chose a water with a low pH, meaning the water was acidic.

Long before I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis, I was unaware that water had any effect on my body other than hydrating it and quenching my thirst, but I would soon learn that there was more to water than needing it to live.

For an IC patient, water is essential in my opinion for many reasons.

1 It helps dilute your urine.

2.It keeps your kidneys healthy

3.It's one of the more safer drinks if you're following the famous "IC Diet."

But water can also be a culprit in exacerbating your symptoms if you're sensitive to acidity.

Water and IC

All water carries an acidic level known as the pH Level, the basic scale level ranges anywhere from a 0 to a 14, with 0 being the higher acidity and 14 being the most alkaline. It can be explained that "...each whole pH value below 7 is ten times more acidic than the next higher value." So if you're looking at a water with a pH level of a 6 versus a 7, it is best to go with the higher number which means it is more alkaline in your body. Some researchers state that your body needs a balance, so sticking with an alkaline water helps neutralize the acid in your body. But to be honest, that's not really why i'm so OCD about water. I am more concerned because what I am drinking is eventually making its way into my bladder, so i'd rather have a less acidic fluid than an higher one floating around in there. Make sense?

Here is another helpful read about IC and water. It just explains about how water can be acidic and which pH you should stay away from.

pH levels of Brands of Water

This video features how you can test the pH levels of your water. Most health foods stores carry the test strips that you can buy for you can do it yourself. I think its a great little experiment because it teaches you about acidity in something as harmless as water, bringing together the clearer picture of the "IC Diet."

As far as brands go for water I stick to "Natural Spring Water" and one that is know for being more alkaline. You also have to be careful about those waters that have minerals and additives like smart water or vitamin waters.

As far as brands go, the ones I recommend are:

Fiji

Evian

365 Brand from Whole Foods

Arrowhead water

Crystal Geyser

Iceland Pure (can be found at Walgreens)

 Ozarka (I think this one has a so-so level but I do okay with it)
Deja Blue (I do okay with this one as well)

(now you may find these ones bother you, everyone  is different, so it's important to pay attention to your own triggers) 

                                                                                      

Brands I'd stay away from:

Smart Water (for one it's acidic & secondly it has added mineral such as potassium)

Dasani (low pH level & sodium added)

Dannon spring water

Pure American (from walgreens)

Now if you are worried about plastic bottles due to the recent stories on "BPA" than you might want to think about getting one of those Brita water filters and using one of those great water jugs. You can buy pH test strips to test the water as well. And if you're really into making sure your water is in check as far as pH level goes, you can look into one of those reverse osmosis systems that is installed in your home.

Just recently I came across these awesome cutesy, glass water bottles that are BPA free and eco-friendly! bkr bottle

bkr bottle

Again some of you may not notice any difference in which ever water you choose and that is great, but for those who are sensitive to water, just experiment and chances are you will notice that a high pH level will suit you better.

I hope you all find this information helpful, I know for some that it may seem silly to go this far into worrying about water, but when you have IC it's hard not to examine everything that you're putting into your body.

*Disclaimer: I do not endorse the products above and I am not in anyway affiliated with any sort of "research." These are just my own personal views from research and experience as an IC Patient over the years.*