There seems to be no more universal remedy than mineral water. Washing it slows down aging and prevents the appearance of wrinkles. Inhalation is useful for respiratory diseases. "Borjomi" and "Essentuki 4" are recommended for gastritis. And in the famous resorts, you can completely heal from all diseases. What is the principle of mineral water classification? What mineral water, from what and in what quantities should be taken?
What is mineral water?
What is the difference between the water from the treasured bottles from the one that flows from the tap? Mineral water is natural natural water that has emerged due to complex geo-and biochemical processes. Due to the presence of bioactive elements in such water, a special ionic, salt or gas composition, it can be used for medicinal purposes.
Mineral water is useful not only to take inside, but also to take baths with them, and inhale their vapors. They differ in composition and place of extraction. There are various classifications of mineral waters that give a holistic idea of āāwhich of them help and which are completely useless.
Where is mineral water extracted?
According to the classification of mineral waters by the method of outpouring to the surface, they are ground and pressure. The first ones pour onto the surface of the earth on their own. The ejection of the second occurs under great pressure, and sometimes they are also called artesian.
Well-known hydropathic centers, sanatoriums and resorts are located on mineral waters. The most famous sources of carbon dioxide today are Georgia, the Caucasus, Armenia, Transcarpathia, Kamchatka and Transbaikalia. Nitrogen is mined in Altai, Pyatigorsk and Krasnodar.
Radioactive mineral springs can be found in Kyrgyzstan, hydrogen sulfide - in Dagestan, on the Black Sea coast, in the Carpathian and Fergana. Bases for the extraction of salt-alkaline waters are located in the Crimea and the Carpathians.
Discoverers of natural healing waters
People have known about the beneficial properties of mineral waters since ancient times - this is indicated by stone baths carved from sources located in the Caucasus. Travelers wrote in their notes about the amazing healing effect of the Pyatigorsk and Kislovodsk waters as early as 1377.
However, no classifications of mineral waters or their detailed analysis have been discussed. It is believed that the history of spas built on the springs, and their study began with the filing of Peter the Great. It was he who declared the area of āāmineral waters the property of the state and ordered the construction of the first hydropathic centers in these places.
Salt and minerals
The classification of mineral waters by the level of organic substances and salts dissolved in it divides all sources into:
- Hard-brine waters, mineralization of which is from 150 grams per dmĀ³.
- Brine containing 35-150 grams of nutrients per dmĀ³.
- Highly mineralized, the total amount of dissolved minerals in which is from 10 to 15 grams per dmĀ³.
- Mineralized, containing from 5 to 10 grams of minerals per dmĀ³.
- Low-mineralized, the amount of salts in which reaches a value of 2-5 grams per dmĀ³.
- Weakly mineralized, which include 1-2 grams of useful organic substances per dmĀ³.
- Fresh, in which mineralization is minimal and exceeds one gram per dmĀ³.
Mineralization of water is primarily affected by the location of the source and geological features of the area. In recent decades, the anthropometric factor has gained great importance - the presence of man and, as a result, infrastructure led to depletion of resources and a significant deterioration in the quality of mineral waters, primarily due to industrial wastewater and urban storm sewers.
Chemical composition
The second most important classification of mineral waters is in the composition of their chemical elements. From this point of view, all waters are divided into six types. Let us dwell on each of them in more detail.
- Chloride Such therapeutic waters are indicated as adjunctive therapy for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, biliary tract and gall bladder. Categorically prohibited with high blood pressure. These include Angarskaya, Minsk No. 3, Tyumen, Rostov, Omsk No. 1 and Nalchik.
- Hydrocarbonate. Used for diabetes, gout and urolithiasis. Often prescribed to athletes and people with severe physical exertion. Do not eat with gastritis. Amur, Maikop, Luzhansk, Borjomi, Goryachy Klyuch No. 1, Sakhalinskaya, Polyana Kvasova and Tersinka are hydrocarbonate mineral waters.
- Sulphate water is used for obesity, constipation and diabetes. This is a good choleretic drug, so it is contraindicated in people with cholelithiasis. It is also not used in the treatment of children and adolescents, as it inhibits bone growth. Sulfate waters include Krainskaya, Moskovskaya, Kazanskaya, Ufa, Smolenskaya.
- Magnesium mineral waters help to cope with stress, normalize the central nervous system and metabolism. The main waters of this category are Narzan, Sulinka, Magnesia, Zelters, Truskavetskaya and Donat.
- Glandular waters increase the body's overall resistance to external influences, increase hemoglobin. For drinking therapy use the bottled water "Cook", "Darasun", "Polyustrovskaya" and "Tursu".
Water of complex composition
The classification of bottled mineral waters is not limited to single-component waters: in total, it includes 31 groups, differing in cationic and anionic composition. Most often, both anions and cations are dissolved in water. All this is reflected in the name.
Water with a complex mineral composition is divided into:
- sulfate chloride;
- chloride-hydrocarbonate;
- magnesium sodium;
- magnesium-calcium-sodium;
- sulfate-bicarbonate;
- sodium chloride sulfate;
- magnesium-calcium and others.
Some salts dissolved in water, as well as their percentage, give the drink a certain aftertaste. For example, water containing carbon dioxide slightly acidifies. Hydrochloric salt makes the drink salty, alkali gives a bitter-salty taste, glandular elements - an astringent aftertaste, sulfuric elements - the smell and taste of rotten eggs, sulfate add bitterness.
To drink or to be treated?
There is another classification of mineral waters - as intended. If a systematization of the chemical composition gives us an idea of āāthe salts and minerals contained in a particular bottle, then the separation by purpose leads to an understanding of how often you can drink certain water and whether it is worth doing without the supervision of a doctor.
This classification of drinking mineral waters includes three categories:
- Therapeutic ones containing more than 10 grams of dissolved mineral salts per dmĀ³. Such waters should be used only on the recommendation of the attending physician and in a limited dosage, as they are able to provide a certain therapeutic effect. Often there are contraindications for their use. The medical ones include "Lower Karmadon", "Essentuki No. 17", "Lysogorskaya", "Nagutskaya No. 17", "Donat Mg"
- Medical canteens containing from 1 to 10 grams of dissolved substances. A healthy person can consume such water for a short period of time in small quantities without health consequences. For certain indications, the doctor may prescribe the use of medicinal-table mineral water as an additional therapy. This group includes: "Novotersky healing", "Lipetsk pump-room", "Borjomi", "Growled soo", "Pelisterka", "Essentuki No. 4", "Kozelskaya", "Arji"
- Table water that a healthy person can consume without health risk as a daily drink. Their mineralization does not exceed 1 gram of salts per dmĀ³. "Essentuki New-55", "Essentuki Mountain", "Gelendzhik 117" - table water.
Natural sources versus plants
A special place in the classification of drinking mineral waters is occupied by artificial waters. In fact, this is ordinary tap or artesian water that has undergone multistage purification and is artificially enriched with salts and minerals.
In their production, purified salts are used in strict accordance with natural proportions. Typically, such water is used only for baths, since scientists today are not able to fully reproduce mineral water from a natural source - the problem is to reproduce the composition of the dissolved gases.
Due to the large number of natural sources, there is no urgent need to reproduce the composition of mineral water for drinking artificially.
Medical use
Due to the high content of beneficial substances, mineral waters are widely used as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of a wide range of diseases. Today, mineral-enriched water is used in physiotherapy, at balneological drinking resorts, and in sanatoriums.
Due to the complex composition, an accurate classification of medicinal mineral waters is not possible. As a rule, the same source is suitable for the treatment of several different pathologies.
In general terms, medical systematization looks like this:
- Sulphate mineral water helps the gastrointestinal tract, has a choleretic effect and therefore stimulates the liver and gall bladder. It is indicated for hepatitis, diabetes, obesity and biliary tract pathologies.
- Chloride mineral waters are good for eating disorders. They accelerate metabolic processes and increase pancreatic secretion.
- Hydrocarbonate water reduces the acidity of the stomach, is an adjuvant in the treatment of urolithiasis.
- Glandular waters are useful for anemia and gynecological diseases.
- Magnesium mineral water is used to treat colitis, enterocolitis, chronic gastritis, and diseases of the duodenum.
Physio- and balneological therapy
The water enriched with salts and minerals is used not only inside for the treatment of various diseases.
All kinds of baths, irrigation, inhalation are widespread. The classification of mineral waters for physiotherapy is as follows:
- Hydrogen sulfide mineral waters are indicated for patients with bronchial asthma, myocardial infarction, aneurysm, and atherosclerosis of the heart vessels.
- Baths with carbonate mineral water are prescribed for diseases of the cardiovascular system, emphysema, functional ovarian failure, nephrosclerosis.
- Sodium chloride mineral water helps with sprains, damage to joints and tendons, chronic pyelonephritis, obesity, gout, psoriasis, and neurodermatitis.
- Radon baths can be a good help for people with neuralgia, neurasthenia, long-term healing wounds and ulcers, prostatitis.
- Baths with iodine-bromide waters are prescribed for gout, thyrotoxicosis and obesity.
In the spoon is medicine, in the cup is poison
Most modern people have little trust in doctors, often diagnose themselves and begin treatment on their own. This also applies to mineral water therapy. A vivid example from the classification of mineral waters by value for humans is Essentuki No. 17, which most people do not take seriously.
The high content of minerals and dissolved salts makes it dangerous for children under 12 years old, people with heart defects and survivors of a hypertensive crisis. In addition, it is extremely dangerous to drink such water in the acute phase of diseases of the kidneys, stomach or intestines.
You should strictly adhere to the doctor's recommendations and do not exceed the dose indicated by him.