Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Short review: Yes, this stuff works, though you may need more or less than the recommended amount, based on the particulars of your water. It should be cheaper. Long review: I came to the Alkazone Alkaline Booster Drops upon realizing that our well water was much more acidic than I had thought, and that it, together with an acidic diet, seems to have contributed to eczema on my feet and legs. I have been suffering from eczema for the past 4-5 years, and, while it is clearly triggered by dairy, I found out relatively recently that having an overly acidic body definitely makes it worse. There is clearly a relationship between eczema and pH. I'm not saying chronic low level acidosis causes eczema, but for me it sure did exacerbate it. Ever since switching to a more alkalizing diet and correcting the pH of my drinking water, the eczema has gotten much better. The chronic thick postnasal drip which I have had in the back of my throat for years also got dramatically better when I started to make my body more alkaline. In the process, I have learned a few things about pH, which brings me to a roundabout review of this product. 1) The water you are drinking now is probably acidic. A few lucky people may have water supplies or wells that are alkaline, but I think it's safe to say that the majority of drinking water sources are mildly to moderately acidic. Ours is quite acidic, with a pH of about 5.25. The only way you will really know for sure is to buy some pH test strips, which are a good investment. 2) Bottled water is no better. I tested several commercial bottled waters and they were all acidic too - ranging from about 5.75 to 6.5. Products labeled "Alkaline Water" are much better - those typically test at 7.5 or higher. But bottled alkaline water is very expensive. 3) Reverse osmosis systems make water even more acidic. I tested ours and it lowered the pH about a quarter point. RO systems are great at removing contaminants, but they are not without their side effects. 4) If you are eating a high-protein, low carb diet with lots of meat, you are only making the problem worse. Look, I love low carb dieting and lost a good amount of weight that way. But it is apparently true that low carb can eventually make your body more acidic. 5) Doctors will tell you that it's pointless to eat an alkalizing diet or drink alkaline water, because your body will always maintain your blood within a very narrow range. Personally, I believe this argument is misguided because, while I'm sure it's true that your body will keep your blood at pH 7.35 at all costs, the question is, what hoops does your body have to jump through to do so? There is absolutely no question that what you eat will affect your urine pH. So if those hydrogen ions made it from your mouth, down your digestive system and eventually into your kidneys, then they must have traveled through that pH 7.35 blood as well. That means that all the cells in your body must be exposed to those H and OH ions, which makes it entirely plausible that changing your diet and water can affect your health. 6) This does not mean that acid equals bad! There are many different organic acids which are absolutely essential to human health. It would seem that the crucial issues are, what is the overall acid or base load that you are putting on your body, and does your body have the necessary chemical tools to deal with excess acidity? 7) Neutral to slightly alkaline water tastes better. No question about it. The difference is most pronounced in tea. I swear, if you made me a cup of tea, I could probably tell you roughly what the pH of your water is. 8) A very easy way to raise the pH of your drinking water is to add baking soda. You'll need some pH test strips to determine how much to add to raise the water to the desired pH. For our water, I need to add about 1/4 teaspoon per gallon to raise the pH to 7.5 or so. If you add too much, it can leave a vaguely salty aftertaste. I'll let you do your own research on whether or not the added sodium is good for your diet. 9) For those commenters who claim that Alkazone doesn't work, I'm sure the problem is that everyone's water is different. Your water is probably like mine - very acidic. The instructions say to add 3 drops to an 8 ounce glass of water, but I need to add 10 drops to bring the pH up above 7. Again, some handy pH test strips will help you determine how much to add. Maybe Alkazone should explain this a little better, but you can't claim that the product doesn't work. It's a simple acid/base reaction... it pretty much has to work. 10) This product does what it says. It improves the flavor of water and leaves no unpleasant aftertaste. My only problem with it is the price. If it only cost a couple bucks, I would have no problem stocking up. But at the current price, I'm not sure I'd buy it again, since our first bottle only lasted a little over a week (family of 5). I'll probably go back to using baking soda, because, while baking soda does impart a slight salty flavor, you can't argue with the price. It is so cheap it is practically free. I'll also note that the ingredients in Alkazone can be bought in bulk, so if you know what you're doing, you can probably whip up your own batch for a fraction of the price. I don't know what the ideal proportions are, so I'm not bold enough to try it. I'm just sayin.' In my case, our permanent solution is going to be a proper water treatment system. I always knew our water was acidic, but I didn't realize HOW acidic it is until we had it tested recently. Our solution is probably going to be a sodium carbonate (soda ash) injector for some powerful pH adjustment, since acidic water not also causes problems for the body but also for your home's plumbing. Maybe I'll buy Alkazone for travel only, since the dropper is quite convenient.