Cleaning the Waters of Information

Recently, I read an article on a blogger’s site that mentioned the Berkey® Water Purification and Seychelle® filtration systems, as well as another filtration system. Some points in that article that need clarification, especially since such generalities as stated in that article are lacking in reason and practicality. It is vital for individuals to offer information that is clear and practical, especially to the communities whose interests we share. When critics publicly address the Berkey®  Systems, it is only fair to respond in a similar fashion. We hold a vested interest in providing correct information, especially when implications murky the water, directly/indirectly. The bullet points are direct quotes from the article. Our responses follow the bullet points.

• Having an abundance of water available for future challenges is meaningless without having reliable methods of water filtration for any of that water you’d use…

Personally, I have quite a bit of emergency water on-hand and this statement is a generality that is simply untrue. Having lots of water is not meaningless. Even if you only had pool water available (which should not be used for drinking water), that amount of water is absolutely useful and valuable for other applications such as washing clothes, dishes, rinsing surfaces, etc.

I store my drinking water in 55 gallon containers that are unused. I purchased them new from a wholesaler who buys directly from the manufacturer, Contico. Although I pre-treat the stored water, I know that the water will be safe to drink even if I am unable to use my Berkey® systems to optimize the water.

• Test results need to identify the initial baseline of invaders before its results can be relied on.

Let’s address bacteria as the author makes specific reference to this in her example. A common misconception held by many individuals is that all bacteria are “bad”. Pathogenic (illness-causing) bacteria and microorganisms are the “invaders” that you want to avoid in your water, food, and simple day-to-day living. The presence of coliform bacteria in your water source is not a fail-safe indicator of pathogens.

Routine testing methods emphasize the testing for indicator rather than pathogenic microbes. In fact, lab testing generally relies on the presence of indicator organisms (organisms whose presence might indicate the presence of pathogenic bacteria as well) to suggest the presence of pathogens. Even so, if the counts of indicator organisms are low, that indicates a low to non-present likelihood of disease-causing bacteria in the sample. By the way, bacteria are usually on the scale of millions and not hundreds.

The author then references her experience with a Berkey® representative and states that he kept referring to the red food coloring test. The manufacturer New Millennium Concepts, Ltd., specifically uses the red food coloring test because of the unique ability of their systems to remove the red color from the water, whereas no other system that compares itself directly with the Berkey® is able to do the same. The red food coloring also assists users to determine whether their Black Berkey® Elements are functioning properly or need replacement.

Berkey® Water Purification Systems have been a well-known brand within this category for more than a decade and have used the term “non-detectable levels” since their start. Lab data has been referenced by the manufacturer for many years now, although many newcomers are just now becoming informed.

• Avoid any water filtration unit which uses the term “up to” as a part of its marketing and technology content.

Again, an inaccurate reference is made here. Berkey® Systems make specific mention to “pathogenic bacteria, cysts, and parasites” and do so specifically: >99.9999%. The bundling of the Berkey® Systems in with statements of other manufacturers is inaccurate, misrepresentative, and misleading. And for those who have suffered a “miserable recovery from a digestive illness,” please research Louis Pasteur’s words in context to your illness: “Bernard avait raison. Le germ n’est rien, c’est le terrain qui est tout.” Translation from French: “Bernard was correct. The germ is nothing; the terrain is everything.”

• The filtration and treatment tests must take into consideration the SIZE of the invaders they are attempting to eliminate.

Personally, I like New Millennium’s statement (link paragraph titled “What is the Micron Rating of the Black Berkey^® purification elements?”) on this particular point, made a few years ago:

With respect to the micron rating, we do not use or publish a micron rating for the Black Berkey^® elements for the following reasons:

There is much confusion with respect to nominal and absolute micron ratings. An absolute micron rating is one that states the maximum pore size expected within an element.  The nominal micron rating is the average pore size within the element. This means that if 90% of the pores are .02 microns and ten percent are 2.0 microns, one could claim the nominal micron rating as 0.2 microns, which would imply that pathogenic bacteria and parasites would be totally removed.  But in reality the bulk of the water would channel through the larger 2-micron pores and thereby allow both bacteria and parasites to pass through. Therefore a nominal micron-rating claim can be very misleading.

With respect to the absolute micron rating, there is also confusion because there are two different standards to determine absolute; in the US the standard is 99.9% removal, but the international standard in 99.99% removal or 10 times greater removal.

Clever marketers of products can use the confusion over the above differences to make product “A” appear to be better than product “B” when product B may be far superior in reality. For example, we used to report an absolute rating using the international standard because we have a large international customer base.  Several years ago we published a rating on our ceramic filters.  A particular company began to publish that our elements were .9 microns whereas theirs were .2 microns. However, our micron rating was based on absolute (international) while theirs was based on a nominal (US) rating.  When tested at Spectrum Labs, it was found that at the 0.2 to 0.3 microns range our filter removed more particulate than the other brand. Unfortunately, many people make their purchasing decisions based on a micron rating that can be legitimately distorted and to a significant degree.

We soon became weary of trying to explain the above to our customers and so we decided not to participate any longer in publishing a micron rating.  Rather, we think an absolute pathogenic bacteria removal rate is a far better gauge because it is far more difficult to abuse.  Based on that criterion, the Black Berkey^® elements remove greater than 99.9999999% of pathogenic bacteria such as E.coli. To our knowledge, no other personal filtration element can match that capability. In fact, the Black Berkey^® elements are so powerful, they are unique in their ability to mechanically remove red food coloring from water.

• Sure it cleans the water, but how long do I have to wait?! It’s all about the contact time.

It is no revelation that contact time is one of the key operating principles behind the success of the Black Berkey® Purification Elements! Of course, the proprietary media which is impregnated into the coconut-shell carbon of the Black Elements is also at work in addressing the contaminants, as well as the amount of carbon used in the elements themselves.

We’re definitely looking forward to reading the second part of that author’s post.

-TBG

Featured Nurse Amy Post: Garlic As An Antibiotic

The following article was written by Nurse Amy of DoomandBloom.net. It’s a great article on garlic. Enjoy!:

In a collapse situation, it stands to reason that we may find ourselves without pharmaceutical medications. Pharmaceutical manufacture is a complex process involving a lot of chemicals (just see Dr. Bones articles on how to make Penicillin or the formula for Insulin if you don’t believe me).  Therefore, certain medical issues, which had relied upon these drugs, will require some form of natural treatment.

Garlic is an amazing natural medicine. It is known to be antibacterial, anti-fungal, and an immune stimulant. Garlic remedies (at least the best ones) use fresh crushed organic cloves. Used in a tea or mixed with raw, unprocessed honey, garlic has been associated with lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, and even regulating blood sugar levels.

Bacteria exposed to garlic remedies have been proven NOT to produce resistant “super-bug” strains. Antibiotic resistant organisms are becoming more and more prevalent, due to big agri-business indiscriminately using over 80% of antibiotics used today. For new or mild infections, it may be a better choice to try a natural remedy.

Garlic is versatile:For internal bacterial or fungal infections, or for respiratory congestion ( to decrease tissue inflammation) use a garlic tea, or a honey garlic syrup.For prevention or treatment of external wound infections, use:  cool compresses of garlic tea ( without the lemon juice); or honey garlic syrup or garlic oil, in place of a triple antibiotic ointment. Cover the wound or laceration with sterile gauze or dressing, after applying the syrup or oil. Change the covering and reapply the garlic syrup or oil once or twice daily.

Vaginal yeast infections may be cured by using a single peeled clove of garlic wrapped in a gauze and placed inside of the vagina for 8-12 hours. Remove the gauze and garlic, then place a new gauze wrapped garlic. Repeat this for 2 days. Vaginal itching can be treated with either a moist cool compress with lavender and/or tea tree essential oil added, or by sitting in a shallow warm bath of water with a few drops of the same essential oils for 15 minutes.

Ear infections have been cured with a slice of fresh garlic clove wrapped in gauze and placed just inside of the ear. Cover the ear with a cotton ball and secure gently with a piece of paper tape. Change the garlic and gauze every 6-8 hours, until the earache is gone.Here’s how to make garlic tea:

Garlic tea recipe:

1. 4 cups of filtered, boiled water, and allowed to cool slightly
2. Add 4-5 cloves of finely chopped or crushed organic garlic.
3. Add fresh lemon juice and/or raw, unprocessed honey to taste.
4. Drink 3-4 cups daily, either warm or cold, but do not re-boil the solution ( it will stop the healing properties).

New Product: EverSafe Emergency Auto Kit

We recently added a new product to our site. The EverSafe Emergency Auto Kit makes a wonderful solution for your vehicle’s Emergency Preparedness. Weighing in at over 21 pounds, this kit is designed with the seasons in mind. With over 25 different products, it comes with items ranging from emergency calorie bars to a fire extinguisher and safety reflective vest, even an LED flashlight multi-tool!

Currently, kits for automobiles in the marketplace are  limited in what they offer and not geared for all types of weather. In designing this kit, we made it a priority to include tools & items that are commonly needed in a vehicle emergency such as getting stranded during a snowstorm, the car battery dying,  or waiting for road-side assistance or the tow-truck to show up. Come rain, shine, snow, or mud you will be better prepared with the EverSafe Emergency Auto Kit.

-The Berkey Guy

She Literally Eats Out of Her Gutters…

…rain gutters, of course! Suzanne Forsling has become somewhat of a celebrity for her ingenuity. Her resourcefulness finds a practical application for re-purposing rain gutters. Have a read:

I am from Iowa, so I have an inherent need to grow vegetables. Each winter, I dream up ways of trying to garden in Juneau’s environment which, so far, has really frustrated me.

Nothing I tried works very well. Like many homes in the Juneau area, our yard has its problems. We live near the glacier, so the soil is cold and has very little organic matter, there are lots of big trees shading it, and we have all the slugs and root maggots anyone could want, with porcupines, cats, bears and ravens meandering to boot.

There is only one side of our house that gets much sunshine, and, of course, that side of the house has the smallest yard. It is really just an alleyway between ours and the neighbors. I might eventually put in some cold frames, but can’t really afford that this year with all the extra money going to the high energy and food prices.

So my brain has kept working the issue, even while I was asleep. One morning in late May, I woke up with an idea that seems to be a real solution for our situation, and I thought it might help others as well. I had heard about people using rain gutters around deck railing at a master gardener class that I took this past spring from the Cooperative Extension Service.

But our deck is on the wrong side of the house. Then an idea came to me that was a little unusual and might involve a little risk. The idea is essential this: Why not put rain gutters in rows along the wood siding on the sunny side of the house. It might look weird, but that was where all the heat, sun and protection from damage is best. I talked to my husband, Pete, about it and he agreed it was worth a try.

We went to Home Depot and selected some “attractive” brown plastic gutters along with all the required parts so that we could mount them in one long row. (The total length or a row would be about 20 feet). Pete drilled some very small holes in the bottom of the gutters to let excess water drain out after he mounted them on the siding.

I filled the gutters with Miracle Grow Garden Soil to about half full. I put in some time release fertilizer and added the other half of the soil (the extra fertilizer was needed because I knew that frequent watering would drain out the nutrients quickly).

I packed the soil in firmly since the plants wouldn’t have a lot of it to grow in. Then I put the seeds in and watered it well. I also allowed water to run down the back side of the gutters (on the siding side) this time only, so that any soil left would be in the gutters and not hidden behind them to cause damage to the siding.

From then on, whenever I watered I was careful to only water in the gutters, attempting to keep the siding dry. It wasn’t hard because I used a watering wand attachment that I could easily control the hose output with. I also only watered enough to keep the seeds wet, so that the ground near the foundation of the house wouldn’t be too wet either.

The seeds I used were these: Simpson lettuce, variety lettuce, French breakfast radish, Swiss chard, beets and turnips. I also bought some green onions from the store and trimmed the roots and stuck them in the soil here and there to re-root.

The seeds opened like clockwork and turned into abundant seedlings. The radishes were ready in several weeks, delicious, beautifully red, white and long, as they should be. The Simpson lettuce is the best I’ve tasted. We put in two more rows of gutters under the initial row about two weeks later and planted it similarly.

We have salad every night now, and the turnips have lots of greens for cooking as well. I am about to replant the top radish row for a second, and likely a third crop. We should be able to have fresh greens etc. every year from June through at least Sept. I also have ideas about how to extend the growing season as well.

Critical Thinking: 4 Food Storage Principles

Well, whatever the reason behind your interest in food storage, make sure to follow these four basic principles for storing food short-term & long-term: S.A.V.E.

1. Store foods that you like & eat regularly.
2. Add fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, if possible.
3. Variety of food choices within your storage enhances the experience of using it.
4. Educate & Evaluate the specific needs you/your family has in terms of nutritional intake needs (calories, carbs, vitamins, essential fats/oils, sugars, etc.), potential dietary restrictions/allergies/intolerances, preferences, and other factors unique to your situation.

#1 Store foods that you like & Eat regularly.

In-N-Out Double Double Animal Style

I wonder if an In-N-Out Double Double could be dehydrated or freeze-dried for long term storage? But seriously, so many families bulk up on wheat, beans, rice, and oatmeal, thinking that they will magically concoct recipes without having previously practiced and perfected cooking from scratch! Do not make this mistake. You should only store those foods that you will enjoy eating and that you are familiar with before having to consume them. This point dove-tails with #3, but onto point #2.

#2 Add fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, if possible.

Another mistake many make is to plan using their dehydrated/freeze-dried food as their primary source of the body’s energy & nutrients. Although high-quality food storage will possess properties of nutrition and taste good, it is crucial that fresh fruits & vegetables be available if at all possible. Fruit & vegetables that have been canned at home or preserved properly can be included in this point. This suggests that possessing gardening/canning skills will benefit all whose friend the gardener/canning expert is. Fresh meat will obviously have to be obtained from hunting…another skill that is not so easy as to “shoot, clean, & cook.”

#3 Variety of food choices…enhances the experience…

There is something to be said about the need for variety, especially if you have a finicky spouse, teenagers, or young children…or if you’re the picky eater! Besides the fact that a variety of foods ensures solid nutritional content, the psychology of a situation where food storage is required can involve mental/emotional stressors that will impact the situation in a tangible way. Also, morale improves when “the same old thing” doesn’t have to be eaten with reluctance and resentment. Because the eating of good food can prove an enjoyable experience to the senses & sociality, the converse is also true: “bad meals” can make people upset, create a psychological barrier to consciously maintaining health, and create unnecessary waste of precious resources.

The best plans are those which are properly made before-hand.

#4 Educate & Evaluate the specific needs you/your family has…

Continually striving to educate yourself & evaluate the specific needs for your particular situation, ensures a personalized plan that will enhance the health and well-being of your family. It is very important to be fully aware of any food allergies or intolerances an individual(s)  may have before preparing food supplies. An individual with allergies to honey might benefit from using Stevia as a sweetener or brown sugar. Perhaps this same individual demonstrates no allergy to baked bread that used honey as an ingredient prior to being baked. The key here is being informed and taking a proactive role in educating and evaluating the specific needs of your situation.

Wise Food Storage: Your Personal In-Home Preparedness Store

Wise Food Storage provides a wide variety of options for families and individuals that are interested in stocking up on long term foods in case of emergency. We provide an assortment of great tasting gourmet food storage entrees that your family will love to eat! These ready-made freeze dry and dehydreated meals are prepared in minutes by just adding water! We are confident that once you try one of our delicious breakfasts and or entrees you’ll be a believer.