The generally agreed figure is 2 litres of water per day however you will require more if you are doing physical work i.e. digging the garden, jogging or working out at the gym (but less if you have renal problems).

A large proportion of our bodies are made up of water (almost 2/3rds). It is vital that we replace the water that we lose from our bodies in order to remain healthy.

We need to drink the correct amount of water each day to allow our bodies to operate efficiently.
Our bodies need water to:

Try and drink water when you rise and before you go to sleep and carry a bottle with you during the day.

Our two main defences against the dangerous pathogenic organisms in our drinking water supply are Chlorine and Filtration. Chlorine is a Pesticide and is added to our drinking water to kill living organisms.
Most of the time, Chlorine water treatment does a reasonably good job of controlling these organisms however Chlorinated water brings serious medical problems of it's own making and it should be removed before drinking.
Read about the danger of Chlorine in your drinking water...>>

Unfortunately there are times when our drinking water does get infected with pathogenic organisms that can cause severe stomach upsets (diarrhoea and sickness) and occasionally, more severe medical complications.

The pathogenic organisms found in our drinking water can be broken down into two types:

It is clear that although our water supply is generally very good, there are times when we cannot guarantee that our families will be safe from the upset stomachs (diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting) and other serious complications that these organisms can cause. (see common infections, symptoms and recovery times below)

 

System 1 removes:
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- Our Carbon Water Filters remove over 99% of Chlorine from your water -
- Our Ceramic Filters remove over 99.99% of Bacteria / Cysts from your water -
- The cost of protecting your family with a Carbon Filter System is less than 8p per day! -
- Our Systems can easily be installed in less than 1 hour -

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Severe diarrhoea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, fever, dehydration

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Simple cases are not generally treated with antibiotics as recovery is quicker without it. More severe cases may use a range of antibiotics.

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Salmonella can cause chronic illness and even death, especially in the immuno-compromised e.g. those receiving chemotherapy or AIDS patients and children with sickle cell disease.
Some children get very sick, with high fevers, headaches, confusion, and sometimes even seizures.
Complications occur when the Salmonella bacteria make their way into the bloodstream (bacteremia). Once in the blood stream, the bacteria can enter any organ system throughout the body, causing disease. Other infections which can be caused by Salmonella include:

• Bone infections (osteomyelitis)
• Joint infections (arthritis)
• Infection of the sac containing the heart (pericarditis)
• Infection of brain/spinal cord tissue covering (meningitis)
• Infection of the liver (hepatitis)
• Lung infections (pneumonia)
• Enteric fever (typhoid fever)
• Infection of aneurysms
• Infections of existing tumours or cysts.
• Reiter's Syndrome which causes irritated eyes, painful joints and pain with urination

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Severe and very bloody diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, fever, dehydration

No treatment is required. Anti-diarrhoea medication may delay the elimination of the organism from the digestive tract, and therefore may not be recommended.
Rehydration with electrolyte solutions may be necessary if dehydration from diarrhoea occurs.

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Most people recover well however, about 5–10% of individuals, usually at the extremes of age, mostly in children under 5, develop HUS (Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome), and ultimately, kidney failure. One-third of the children diagnosed with HUS do not recover completely and will eventually need a dialysis. Neurological symptoms can also occur as part of HUS and consist of seizures, paralysis, and coma.

Severe diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, stomach ache, headache, weight loss, dehydration

There is no special treatment, except drinking a lot of water and watching for complications.

Coliform can cause chronic illness in some patients, especially the very young, the elderly, the immuno-compromised e.g. those receiving chemotherapy or AIDS patients.

Adults with strep throat may have a red sore throat, a fever, headache and swollen neck glands, white patches on tonsils.
Adults don't usually have a cough or a runny nose.
Children with strep throat have a sore throat and may have tummy pain or a red rash with small spots. The rash is worse under the arms and in skin creases. They may also develop nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

Your doctor may give you or your child an antibiotic. Antibiotics kill bacteria, which helps strep throat go away a little faster. It can also prevent a few rare but serious conditions that people with strep throat might get. It is important to take all of the medicine your doctor gives you.

Untreated group A strep infection can result in rheumatic fever and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN). Rheumatic fever develops about 18 days after a bout of strep throat and causes joint pain and heart disease. It can be followed months later by Sydenham's chorea, a disorder where the muscles of the torso and arms and legs are marked with dancing and jerky movements. PSGN is an inflammation of the kidneys that may follow an untreated strep throat but more often comes after a strep skin infection. It can also cause scarlet fever.

Normally develops in about 2-10 days (average 7 days).

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Severe and very bloody diarrhoea, foul-smelling stools, abdominal cramps, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, weight loss, fever, dehydration, belching, heartburn, headache.

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Until recently, there was no cure for Cryptosporidiosis however there is now a new drug, nitazoxanide, that has been approved for treatment of diarrhoea caused by Cryptosporidium in people with healthy immune systems.

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Recovery is dependant on the body's immune system. The condition can be serious for and even fatal to, the very young, the elderly,
Cryptosporidiosis in immuno-compromised people often results in high mortality." e.g. those receiving chemotherapy or AIDS patients.
Young children and pregnant women may be more susceptible to the dehydration resulting from diarrhoea and should drink plenty of fluids while ill.

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Severe and bloody diarrhoea, nausea, flatulence, abdominal cramps, fever, weight loss, dehydration, headaches, fatigue, jaundice.

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Your doctor may treat the whole family for Giardasis as it is so contagious.

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Giardiasis can cause chronic illness in some patients, especially in the immuno-compromised e.g. those receiving chemotherapy or AIDS patients.
Young children and pregnant women may be more susceptible to dehydration resulting from diarrhoea and should, drink plenty of fluids while ill.