Filtering Water to Eliminate Chlorine and Fluoride

While helping a friend cope with kidney disease, I was alarmed to discover that the chlorine and fluoride in city water are thought to contribute to kidney problems. I searched for ways to avoid drinking the water from my tap. Installing a reverse osmosis system would have been expensive, and I felt I could not afford to have water delivered by a subscription service. Drinking only bottled water was not an option for me because I did not want to contribute plastic bottles to landfills.

My Berkey Water Filter

Removing Chlorine, Fluoride, and Impurities

Then I discovered a viable solution: a Berkey filtering system. I purchased a Big Berkey, which holds plenty of filtered water for a day. The water passes through the filters attached to the floor of the upper chamber and continues through the second set of filters attached to the ceiling of the lower chamber. After such extensive filtering, the water is nearly free of chlorine, and the fluoride has been greatly reduced. Once a month, I clean the two chambers—a process as simple as cleaning two pots by hand in my kitchen sink.

And the difference in the water is incredible!

While I fill a pitcher with water to pour into my Big Berkey, I now smell the strong odor of chlorine (essentially bleach) in the water from my kitchen tap. I never noticed the smell before. The water that comes from the spigot in the lower chamber of my filtering system has no offensive chlorine smell.

The taste of the water from my Big Berkey is fresh and pure! Coffee made from the filtered water is noticeably better!

I can take my Big Berkey with me when I travel by automobile. There is nothing to plug in. All I have to do is fill the upper chamber with water and wait for it to filter into the lower chamber.

I cook with the water from my Big Berkey. I fill my dogs’ water bowl with water from my Big Berkey, and my houseplants receive the same water.

I became concerned about taking baths in city water, so I bought a small Berkey filter to replace the shower head that fills my tub. I found it easy to install the filter, which simply screws onto a pipe. While the filter does not remove the fluoride, it does eliminate most of the chlorine. I have shortened the time I spend in the tub so as to ensure that I am not absorbing too much fluoride.

I have sensitivity to chlorine, which will cause my skin—particularly on my face or fingers—to become irritated. With the Berkey filter that fills my tub, I no longer experience rashes from chlorine.

Curing a Rash on the Face

In 1996, I began to develop occasional rashes on my face. I made appointments with dermatologists, who labeled the rashes “contact dermatitis” but were unable to trace the cause. One suggested that I was allergic to poison ivy. I wondered how I came into contact with an ivy vine. As Kiko, one of my cats, often ventured into a neighbor’s yard where poison ivy grew beneath a hedge, I decided that I was transferring urushiol, the plant’s irritating oil, from Kiko to my face.

The rash frequently became so bad that the area beneath one of my eyes would puff up, closing my eye somewhat. The area around my nose would become so red and stretched that I felt great discomfort. The swelling lasted for many days. My dermatologists prescribed steroids and various medicinal creams. Once the rash abated, my face became scaly with flakes of dead skin drifting away like dandruff.

In 2011, I attended a conference as a guest speaker, and—drat the luck!—I acquired a face rash again. It was in full bloom when I spoke to the crowd. One of my eyes was almost closed. I felt deeply embarrassed.

… so embarrassed, in fact, that I rejected what dermatologists had told me and began researching my rash online.

I will always remember the day when I stumbled onto a website with a disgusting close-up of mites burrowing into a pore of the skin on a person’s face. Could my rashes be mite attacks? I read more. The mites that cause mange in dogs can cause rashes on human faces. I had acquired a puppy with mange in 1996. Its problem was cured, but a number of mites probably remained on the dog and were routinely conveyed to my face.

Products Containing Tea Tree Oil

To kill the microscopic mites, I visited a health store and bought a bar of tea tree soap and a tub of cream containing tea tree oil. I applied the soap to my face and—I kid you not—felt immediate relief! For about a week after each shower, I applied some of the cream to my rash, which rapidly went away.

Since 2011, I have had no more rashes! Yes, I have been entirely free of them! Any time I see a small pimple beginning to form on my face, I use my soap containing the tea tree oil and a small dab of the cream.

I am not recommending products containing tea tree oil as a cure for facial rashes that other people experience. I am not a medical doctor, and I know that rashes can result from many causes. I am truly not in a position to suggest that anyone else try what I tried.

… but I rejoice in the fact that I cured an embarrassing rash that my dermatologists could not cure.