— ONE TOOL - EVERY PERSON IN YOUR HOME - ONE INGREDIENT AT A TIME —
What's the Healthiest Water to Drink?
The healthiest water to drink is water that’s truly clean and - still contains the trace minerals your body needs.
When those two things are in place, your water tastes clean, light, and refreshing - feels more satisfying, and your body can actually absorb and use it—
You’re not just drinking water - You’re benefiting from it
So… what’s actually in your water?
What I Wish I'd Known about Water
This page is everything I wish someone had told me, or I had thought about —based on what I’ve learned and experienced over a 28-year journey of searching for answers.
And for me… that realization started with something as simple as water.
It all started with a health crisis…
Then years of trying to understand why my body (which I thought was broken) was actually just blocked from getting better.
Not to scare you.
Not to sell you something.
But because once I understood what I’m about to share with you—
I couldn’t walk past it anymore.
And I don’t feel you should have to either.
Jump to What matters Most to You
THE AHHA LIST
— THE MOMENTS THAT MADE ME PAY ATTENTION —
When I Finally Understood...
There's a list of things I know now that I didn't know for most of my life.
Each one landed quietly.
None were dramatic.
They just shifted something —
and I couldn't look at water the same way after.
About our Bodies
70% or more of your body is water — every cell, every organ, every process your body runs on
Your body cannot properly absorb nutrients if the delivery system — water — is compromised
Healthy cells are surrounded by structured water; diseased cells are surrounded by unstructured water
95% of your health is shaped by your environment — not your genes — and water is woven through almost all of it
There's a difference between surviving and thriving — your body will keep going even when the conditions aren't ideal
Your skin is your largest organ, and it absorbs — both the things you want it to and the things you don't
About What's in Our Water
The water that leaves the treatment plant and the water that comes out of your tap are not always the same water
An allowable contaminant level in local water was quietly raised — not because the water got cleaner, but because the standard was adjusted
Medications people flush are measurable in municipal water supplies — and most treatment systems don't remove them
Where you live on the distribution line matters: closer to the plant means more treatment chemicals; further away means more from aging pipes
Cleaning products go down the drain and cycle back into the water supply
Laundry water soaks into your clothes, towels, and sheets — and then spends hours against your skin95% of your health is shaped by your environment — not your genes — and water is woven through almost all of it
About How Water Enters Our Bodies
Most people think skin is a barrier. It is — but only up to a point.
Your skin, pores, blood vessels and tissues each have different sized entry points. Every element and molecule also has a different size. When a molecule is smaller than the entry point it is trying to pass through, it gets in.
When it is larger, it cannot.
This is why what you put ON your body matters just as much as what you put IN and ON it.
Warm water opens pores — the same way a facial steamer does — giving whatever is in the water a more direct route in
Bromine is replacing chlorine in many pools because it has no smell — but no smell doesn't mean no absorption
In a 10-minute hot shower, what your skin absorbs and your lungs inhale can exceed the chlorine exposure from drinking 8 glasses of the same water
Chlorine sits approximately 18 inches above the water surface — every breath at pool level is the most concentrated layer.
What's actually in Your Water?
I know I may have not paid enough attention in science class. It matters to me now.
Now that you understand how molecules travel through skin — here's the part that made me put the glass down.
These are compounds that have been found in municipal and well water supplies across the United States. Next to each one is its molecular weight — and you already know what that means.
Every single one on this list is small enough to enter your skin. Most are small enough to reach your bloodstream. Several are small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier.
This isn't about fear. It's about knowing what you're working with.
Every molecule has a size — and that size determines how far through your skin it can travel
Anything under 3,000 molecular weight enters the outer skin. Under 750 enters the mid-layer. Under 150 reaches the bloodstream
Fluoride is 19. Chlorine is 35. Arsenic is 75. Lead is 207. BPA from plastic is 228 — every one has a molecular path into your body through skin contact
"Filtered" and "clean at a molecular level" are not the same thing — and most water filter marketing never has that conversation
About Plastics
When a plastic bottle freezes, water expands into every surface of the plastic — and when it thaws, it carries more of what it picked up back with
Heat accelerates the leaching of plastic compounds into water — and water bottles are not delivered in refrigerated trucks
"BPA-free" replaced one compound with BPS — which appears to have similar hormonal effects
The math on bottled water cost versus a home system almost always favors the system within a year or two — and the system protects every tap and every shower
Everything on this list used to be something I didn't know.
If I did - I didn't understand the impact it meant.
Now it's something I can't un-know.
And I'm not going to let you walk past it the way I did.
Many people think they're broken. They're not. They're blocked. Their bodies are being asked to function while quietly fighting things they don't even know are there.
At Luv2Live Ilene, my whole purpose is to share the tools and the people who shifted my path — so you can find what shifts yours. Water is one of those tools. It's not individual. It affects everyone in your home.
YOUR BODY IS MOSTLY WATER
— THE FOUNDATION—
Your Body Is 70% Water. So What Kind Are You Made Of?
We can't always see it, we sometimes can taste it, but what is in that droplet? How Important is it?
Your body is more than 70% water. Every cell. Every organ. Your blood, brain, joints, skin, digestion, immune system. All of it happens in water. Through water. Because of water.
Which Means Water Quality Is Not a Preference. It's a Foundation.
A scientist named Dr. Alexis Carrel once kept chicken heart cells alive for 26 years — chickens live about 7. He did it by consistently doing one thing: changing the fluid those cells lived in. His conclusion was quiet and remarkable.
He said: it's merely the fluid.
Your body is that experiment. The water surrounding your cells is the environment those cells operate in every single day.
Everything else you do for your
health is being delivered through water and processed in water. You can do all the right things — and still be working against yourself if the water your cells live in is carrying a constant burden.
Leo Szymborski, water scientist and founder of pH Prescription, on why what's in your water matters at a cellular level.
Note: I have a referral link and code to get you 10% off your purchase: LUV10 Click Here
DR. EMOTO: WHAT IF WATER IS LISTENING?
— THE WONDER—
What If Water Is Listening?
Years ago, someone introduced me to the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto — a Japanese researcher
He spent decades photographing water crystals after exposing them to different environments, sounds, words, and intentions.
I'm not a scientist.
What I'm sharing is what it did to me when I first encountered it — and how it permanently shifted the way I think about the water I bring into my home.
Here's What Dr. Emoto Found
Dr. Emoto exposed water samples to music, words written on containers, and directed intention — then froze and photographed the crystals that formed.
Water exposed to
classical music —
Beethoven, Mozart — formed intricate, symmetrical, breathtaking crystalline structures.
Water exposed to harsh sounds
formed jagged, fragmented shapes.
Water with the words "love" and "gratitude" written on its container
formed stunning crystals.
Water with words like "I hate you"
formed broken, murky ones.
A child's smile shifted its structure.
Prayer shifted it. Music shifted it.
Words shifted it.
😊 And yes — I write "love" and "health"
on my water tank at home.
My water bottles have happy stickers on them.
It makes me smile every single morning.
Which I'm pretty sure is good for my health too.
Dr. Emoto's methodology has been debated scientifically — I share his work not as proof of anything but as a doorway. The same doorway it opened for me.
Resource: His most well-known book is The Hidden Messages in Water — available wherever books are sold.
95% ENVIRONMENT DR. BRUCE LIPTON
— THE SCIENCE THAT MADE IT CLICK—
95% of Your Health Is Shaped by Your Environment — Not Your Genes
For years I heard the same thing: it's your genes. And I believed it. Because if it's your genes, there's nothing you can do. You're stuck with the recipe you were handed. You're broken by default.
That belief kept me smaller than I needed to be for longer than I want to admit.
Then someone introduced me to Dr. Bruce Lipton — a cell biologist whose work on epigenetics completely reframed everything I thought I understood about DNA, disease, and what I actually had control over.
I'll be honest: it took me six months to read his book The Biology of Belief. Not because it was hard to read — because it was so packed with information that I had to stop and sit with every chapter.
Here's the analogy that made it all land for me:
Blaming your genes for your health
is like blaming the cookbook
for a bad recipe.
Yes — we all have a recipe.
That's our DNA. But what actually determines the outcome is the ingredients you choose, how you combine them, the temperature you cook at, and the care you bring to the process.
The same recipe made by ten different people can turn out
ten completely different ways.
That's epigenetics. Your genes are not your destiny. They are instructions that respond to your environment — the air you breathe, the food you eat, the thoughts you think, the water you live in.
Dr. Lipton's research suggests that up to 95% of what happens in our health is environmental — not fixed genetic programming.
And here is why that is not terrifying. It's actually the most empowering thing I've ever learned.
Because if 95% is environment — then the question becomes:
What can I control?
What can I do to build up my body so it can handle the things I can't control?
How do I reduce the burden on my
system so it has the reserves
to function, heal, and thrive?
That shift — from "I'm broken" to "I'm blocked, and I can address the blocks" — was one of the turning points of my health journey.
Not a cure.
Not a magic answer.
A completely different direction.
Your morning glass. Your shower.
Brushing your teeth.
Your coffee.
The food you cook.
The dishes you eat from.
The laundry that touches your skin for 16 hours.
The sheets you sleep in for 8 hours.
Water is not one ingredient in your environment. It is the thread running through almost all of it.
And if 95% of your health is environmental — and your body is 70% water — getting clear on what's in your water stops being optional.
Resource: The Biology of Belief — Dr. Bruce Lipton available wherever books are sold.
Resource: Detox 101 Guide
Resource: Environmental Detox Videos
WHAT'S IN YOUR WATER?
— THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR TAP—
What's Actually in Your Water - How It Gets There
The Journey From the Plant to Your Tap
A friend had his family's hair analyzed and found elevated levels of a compound associated with water exposure. He checked his city's water quality reports — and went back ten years comparing levels that were "acceptable". The levels had raised , and the allowable limit had gone up.
The threshold for what was considered "safe" had been quietly adjusted upward.
That reframed the word "safe" for me. Safe means within, a legal limit. It doesn't always mean what we think it means.
The Medication Nobody Prescribed to You
Researchers have found measurable levels of pharmaceutical compounds in municipal drinking water across the United States — antidepressants, hormones, antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs. Standard treatment doesn't reliably remove them. Read News Article Here
😏 We are all, it turns out, on a collective medication regimen that none of us signed up for. Just something to sit with.
Your Laundry, Your Sheets, Your Clothes - Your Skin
You're not just drinking your water. You're wearing it. You're sleeping in it. You're breathing it. Addressing only the glass on your counter leaves most of your water environment untouched.
Whatever is in your wash water goes into your clothes, your towels, and your bedding. Cotton absorbs. It holds what it's washed in. You wear those clothes against
your skin all day. You sleep in those sheets for eight hours.
Your skin is your largest organ and it is designed to absorb — the things you want it to and the things you don't. The same property that makes a nicotine patch or a hormone patch work is the same property that makes what your laundry soaks in relevant to your health.
Here is something I didn't expect when I installed my water system.
The first three or four times I ran laundry with clean water, I didn't even use detergent. And the washing machine was foaming. Actual suds — from clothes I thought were clean. What the clean water was doing was pulling out years of detergent residue that standard tap water had never fully rinsed out. It had been sitting in the fibers. Against my skin. Every single day.
Here's why that makes sense: detergents are engineered specifically to compensate for the limitations of ordinary water.
They work by using surfactants — compounds that reduce water's surface tension to make it "wetter" — so it can actually penetrate fabric and lift dirt. Hard, chemically-treated tap water actively fights against a detergent's ability to clean, which is why manufacturers load products with additional agents just to overcome it.
Clean, structured water doesn't need as much help. It can do more of what water is supposed to do naturally.
Now I use detergent only when I actually need it — not as a default for every load. I've reduced dryer sheets significantly too. The clothes come out cleaner. They last longer. And I'm not spending money on products designed to fix a problem I've already solved at the source.
We buy products to compensate for water that doesn't work well.
When the water works, you need less of everything else.
That's the compounding benefit nobody puts on the price tag
When you're comparing a home system to cost of the detergents- Finances and Health. .
Then There is What You Put Back In
Here's the loop I had to sit with for a while.
Think about everything we pour down our drains in a week. The colored toilet bowl tabs. The bleach-based cleaners. The fabric softeners. The drain openers. The floor cleaners. The dish soap. The laundry detergent we just talked about.
All of it goes into the wastewater system. And in many municipalities, a significant portion of that water is treated and recycled back into the supply. Which means the filtration system — already working hard to remove industrial chemicals, agricultural runoff, and pharmaceutical residues — now also has to contend with everything we just sent it.
What it can't remove goes one of two places: back to us, or into the environment. Back into the groundwater. Back into the rivers and streams. Back into the ecosystem that eventually feeds back to us anyway.
😏 We are, in a very literal sense, cleaning our toilets with the same water we're going to drink.
The question is just how many steps are in between — and how thorough those steps are.
I've never considered myself an environmentalist- but once I connected these dots, I was . . . AHHHH
It's awareness- Do what you can and strengthen you body or the rest.
I'm not saying this to make anyone feel guilty. I used those products too. Most of us had no idea this loop existed.
But once I understood it, two things happened.
First, I became much more intentional about what I put down the drain — choosing simpler, cleaner products wherever I could.
Second, I understood why a home filtration system isn't just about what comes in. It's about building a layer of protection between your family and a system that was never designed to handle everything we ask it to handle.
We didn't create this problem alone. But we can make smarter choices within it.
😏The water filtration system in your home isn't just protecting you from what others put in.
It's also protecting you from the cumulative effect of what we all put back in — including ourselves.
One ingredient at a time, in both directions.
Resource: Environment Detox Videos
70%
Your body is water — the quality of that water is the quality of your foundation
95%
Of health outcomes shaped by environment, not genetics (Dr. Bruce Lipton)
10 min
One shower = more chlorine exposure than drinking 8 glasses of the same water
50x
Chlorine concentration in shower the steam vs. the tap water
itself
THE SHOWER TRUTH?
— THE MIC DROP MOMENT—
What Your Morning Shower is Actually Doing
Most of us, when we think about water quality, think about the water in the glass we drink.
We get a filter for the faucet. We feel like we've handled it.
We haven't thought about the shower — or the steam. Those chemicals turn to gas in hot water and go straight into your body through your skin and lungs, bypassing your body's normal filters.
Studies show that a hot shower exposes your body to chlorine byproducts through both your skin and lungs
—
often resulting in higher internal levels than drinking the water alone.
Resources: Curious what’s actually been found in steam? → See the research
Warm Water Opens Everything Up
Hot water opens pores — exactly the way a facial steamer does. The skin on your face and scalp is thinner than skin on your back, meaning higher permeability and faster absorption.
Your face and scalp, most directly in the stream of a hot shower, absorb at an accelerated rate while you simultaneously inhale concentrated steam.
I'm not sharing this to make you dread your shower. Your shower is wonderful. I want yours to stay that way. I share it because this is the moment I understood: filtering my drinking water is a start. Filtering my home is the goal.
Your shower may be your biggest daily water exposure — here's what the research shows.
Leo Szymborski on why your shower matters as much as your drinking water — and what you can do about it.
POOL WATER: HYPER DISSOLVED OXYGEN
— THE SIDE NPTE WORTH NOTING —
What's Really in Your Pool Water?
Growing up I never gave pool water a second thought. But as my awareness grew around what our bodies absorb, I started paying attention.
We installed a salt water system — that was the best we knew at the time.
Here is what changed my thinking. After just 7 minutes in a pool you have absorbed the amount of salt your body should have for the entire day. In Arizona, California and places like these, people live at their pools. This is information that matters.
Is Bromine Safer Than Chlorine In Pools?
Chlorine sits approximately 18 inches above the water surface. Every time a swimmer comes up for breath they are breathing the most concentrated layer. Bromine is replacing chlorine in many pools because it has no noticeable smell. But no smell does not mean no exposure. It means the signal that used to tell you a chemical was present is now gone.
Not to mention what is soaking through your skin the entire time you are in the water.
I still use swimming pools. I do an extra detox afterwards. We change what we can and build our body to better handle what we cannot. Awareness is first. Then we do what we can.
What Is Hyper Dissolved Oxygen Pool Treatment?
More recently I learned about hyper dissolved oxygen and ozone technology for pools. Rather than relying on chlorine or bromine these systems infuse water with nano-bubbles of oxygen and ozone — a true chemical free pool alternative.
Bacteria and viruses cannot survive in properly treated hyper dissolved oxygen water. One family connected to this technology told me their dog drinks from the pool. Because the water is that clean.
For anyone with a pool — residential or commercial — I encourage you to look into Exceptional Water Systems. I am not an affiliate. I share them because I believe in what they are doing.
→ Exceptional Water Systems — exwsystems.com
The Pool that Changed My Future
The first time I got out of an oxygenated jacuzzi my right leg lifted to nearly 90 degrees. I had not been able to do that in years.
One hour. I will never forget that moment.
Disease had taken a significant toll on my body. My right foot could only lift about 3 inches off the ground. Curbs were a project. Stairs were always left foot first. Getting in the car was a whole choreography.
That one hour began a turning point.
Want the full story including what finally put me over the top? Anther huge jump was when Activated Collagen came into my life.
→ Read My Experience With Oxygen Water
THE PLASTICS CONVERSATION
— The Soccer Game Moment —
The Plastic Water Bottle Problem Nobody Talked About at Soccer Practice
What Happens When You Freeze and Thaw a Plastic Bottle
Saturday morning. The sun doing what it does. A bag full of water bottles you froze the night before so they'd stay cold through the game. You feel like a good mom. I was that mom. For years.
When water freezes, it expands into every surface of the plastic.
BPA — a known hormone disruptor — and its substitute BPS , BPC — which appears to have similar hormonal effects —
leach from the plastic into the water.
Every freeze-thaw cycle increases this.
I handed my kids those bottles for years thinking I was being thoughtful. I genuinely didn't know.
What Happens in Transit of the Plastic Bottle
Water bottles travel in trucks that are not refrigerated.
They sit in warehouses.
Heat accelerates the process by which plastic compounds transfer into water.
There is no label telling you how many times that bottle was heated on its journey to you!
What is in that Bottled Water You Bought?
There are so many types of water available today, and each one sounds like the “best” option. But what actually makes it to you in that bottle?
Here are the most common types you’ll see:
Alkaline Water – Marketed for its higher pH and potential balance in the body
Oxygenated Water – Claims to contain higher levels of dissolved oxygen
Spring Water – Sourced from natural springs, often containing minerals
Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water – Highly filtered, removing contaminants and minerals
Sparkling Water – Carbonated water, sometimes with added minerals or flavors
So… what’s the real concern?
One factor most people overlook is the plastic bottle itself.
Lower-quality, flimsy bottles are more likely to release microplastics
Heat, sunlight, and storage conditions can increase this effect
Transportation and handling add even more variables
Now layer this in…
Even if water starts out with benefits—like alkalinity or oxygenation—what evidence do we have that those properties remain after:
Sitting in a hot truck
Being cooled and stored
Getting jostled around before reaching you
The truth is… there are a lot of variables, and consistency is hard to guarantee.
What do we actually know?
Your body needs clean, mineral-rich water to function properly.
Minerals like calcium, magnesium, and trace elements matter
Highly filtered water (like RO) removes both contaminants and beneficial minerals
If minerals aren’t coming from your water, they need to come from somewhere else
The takeaway
The goal isn’t perfection—it’s awareness.
Better water isn’t just about hydration…
it supports how your body creates energy, maintains balance, and functions at a cellular level.
😊 Glass or stainless steel is always better. I put bottles with happy stickers. It started as something I did
because of Emoto's work — giving my water a good environment. It stayed because it makes me smile every morning.
THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT
— WHY IT ALL ADDS UP—
Why Good Habits Weren't Adding Up - The Cumulative Effect
I was doing many things right. Making better choices. Working on my health. And I kept hitting a ceiling. I began to believe the disease was too big, I had been too sick, there is too much damage, and maybe - just maybe the doctors were right.
What I came to realize It was not failure- I needed time and the right tools. It just slower than I thought. All the great changes - they needed time to accumulate.
Analogy: The Penny that Becomes Millions
Question:
Do you want $1,000,000 Today?
or
1 Penny Doubled Everyday for 30 Days?
The penny wins. By day 30 it's over $5 million. No single day looks like much. The compounding is everything. Health works the same way. Removing one environmental burden consistently creates a compounding effect that builds day after day.
ILENE'S STORY
— WHY I CHOSE WHAT I CHOSE —
What I Chose and Why I Chose It
I am not a water expert. I'm someone who spent years in survival mode — trying to hold on, find answers, keep going. For the first 17 years, I was in the health hole. Financially, physically, and emotionally.
Over the last11 years, I made the shifts I could make. One ingredient at a time. Air. Food. Water. Detox. Emotional work. Not all at once — I couldn't have. Just consistently, in the direction of a cleaner environment and a more supported body.
The last 11 years have been an uphill movement I never take for granted.
And here is what I want you to hold onto: when your health improves, it's not just your health that improves.
The financial weight of being unwell lifts too. We had money again. And time.
And energy.
We traveled.
We made memories with the people we love most.
That's the vision. Not just "I feel better." But: what does your life look like when your body isn't the thing you're managing?
NEXT STEPS
— NEXT STEPS —
You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone
If this page did what I hoped it would do, you're somewhere between "I never thought about that" and "okay — what do I actually do? Here's what I suggest.
Test Your Water
Before you spend a dollar on anything, know what you're working with.
Recommended lab: National Laboratories at watercheck.com. Licensed in all 50 states. Mail-in kit. You choose what to test —
VOCs, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, PFAS.
Learn From the Experts
The Hidden Messages in Water — Dr. Masaru Emoto
The Biology of Belief — Dr. Bruce Lipton
Leo Szymborski's water education video series — through pH Prescription
Exceptional Water Systems — for pool water technology
Home Filtration
When you're ready, I point you directly to pH Prescription.
Their team asks about your home, water source, location, and goals. They will not upsell you.
They'll find the right solution for your situation and budget. Use code LUV10 for 10% off.
Let's Talk
Free discovery call.
No pressure.
No sales agenda.
Just a real conversation about your home, your health, and what makes sense as a first step.
Buy Now
Ready to Act? Here's Exactly Where to Go
🔬 Test Your Water First — WaterCheck.com
🏠 Whole Home + Drinking + Shower Filtration — pH Prescription — code LUV10 for 10% off
💧 Hydrogen Water Bottle — Echo Water — code LUV10 at checkout
🏊 Pool + Jacuzzi Systems — AQUADEI
Affiliate Disclosure I have affiliate relationships with pH Prescription and Echo Water. I may receive a commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. These are companies I personally use and stand behind for their quality, pricing, and effectiveness. I will never recommend something I don't believe in.
Whole House Water and Drinking Water: What Most People Get Wrong
Most people think if they drink clean water, they're covered.
They're not.
Because you don't just drink your water. You live in it.
Every shower. Every bath. Every load of laundry. Every glass that touches your lips.
You're not broken. You're blocked.
And sometimes the block starts with something as simple — and as powerful — as your water.
If you've been wondering — you're not alone. These are the questions I hear most,
and the ones I wish someone had answered for me years ago.
Your Most Common Questions — Answered Directly, Completely, and Honestly
Cellular Health — What It Is and Why It Matters
What is Cellular Health and How Does it Work?
Cellular health activation means giving your cells the environment they need to function as designed — clean water, reduced toxin burden, proper minerals, and the right inputs.
Dr. Alexis Carrel kept chicken heart cells alive for 26 years — roughly four times a chicken's normal lifespan — by consistently doing one thing: changing the fluid the cells lived in. He concluded: it's merely the fluid.
Your body is running that experiment every single day. When the environment improves, cells function better. That is cellular health activation.
Can Water quality actually affect how my supplements and medications work?
Yes — and this is one of the least-discussed variables in health. Everything you take for your health is delivered through water and processed in water. If the water itself is carrying a burden of contaminants, absorption is working against resistance from the start.
This is often why people feel like supplements "don't work" — the environment they are delivered into is the variable no one addresses. Clean the delivery system, and what you put into it works better.
What is structured water and why does it matter for health?
Structured water (sometimes called H3O2 or exclusion zone water, studied extensively by Dr. Gerald Pollack at the University of Washington) refers to water that has a more organized molecular arrangement than ordinary liquid water.
Research suggests that healthy cells are surrounded by structured water, while diseased cells are surrounded by unstructured water. Clean, filtered, mineral-rich water tends to support better water structure at the cellular level. It is an emerging area of science with genuinely compelling implications — and it is part of why what's in your water matters beyond just removing contaminants.
The You're Not Broken — You're Blocked Philosophy
What does 'You're Not Broken - You're Blocked' mean?
It means your body is not broken — it is being asked to function while quietly fighting things it knows and it doesn't know are there. We call these "blocks" They can be air, food, water, emotions, traumas.
When you remove those hidden blocks — like what's in your water, your air, your food — your body often begins to do what it was always designed to do. Live vibrantly, heal and repair.
The block, not the body, is the problem. That shift — from "I'm broken" to "I'm blocked, and I can address the blocks" — was one of the turning points of my own health journey.
Why does the same treatment work for one person and not another?
Because the same treatment applied to two different environments produces two different results. Your body is 70% water and — according to the work of Dr. Bruce Lipton — 95% of your health is shaped by your environment, not your genes.
If one person's cells are operating in cleaner water and a lower environmental burden, the same supplement or protocol will absorb and function differently. Clearing the environment — starting with water — levels the playing field. It's not about the treatment. It's about the terrain.
That's why at Luv2Live Ilene, I always start with the most universal tools first — the ones that affect every single person in your home, every single day.
Water is at the top of that list. Not because it's the most exciting answer, but because it's the most foundational one. A whole home water system and a quality drinking water filter touch every cell, every shower, every meal, every load of laundry. Clean the environment first — then everything else you do works better.
Is this a religious or spiritual approach to health?
No. The foundation is science — epigenetics, cellular biology, molecular weight, environmental toxicology. The work of Dr. Bruce Lipton and Dr. Alexis Carrel, among others.
Some of what I share, like Dr. Emoto's water research, lives at the edge of what mainstream science has fully validated — and I say so clearly. I share it as a doorway, not as proof. You decide what resonates. The molecular weight data and environmental health research are not in that category — those are well-established.
What's Actually In Your Water
Is tap water actually safe to drink?
Tap water meets legal safety standards — but "safe" means within an allowable legal limit. It does not always mean what we think it means.
In some areas, allowable contaminant levels have been quietly raised — not because the water got cleaner, but because the threshold was adjusted. Researchers have found measurable levels of pharmaceuticals, PFAS, pesticides, and heavy metals in municipal water supplies across the United States. Standard treatment doesn't reliably remove all of these.
Testing your specific water is the only way to know what you're actually working with. Before spending a dollar on any filter, know what you have.
What contaminants are commonly found in tap water?
Compounds that have been detected in municipal and well water across the United States include fluoride (MW 19), chlorine (MW 35), arsenic (MW 75), lead (MW 207), BPA from plastic pipes and bottles (MW 228), PFAS "forever chemicals," glyphosate, pharmaceutical residues (antidepressants, hormones, antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs), microplastics, and heavy metals.
What matters beyond identity is molecular weight. Molecules under 3,000 MW enter your skin's outer layer. Under 750 reaches deeper dermal layers. Under 150 enters your bloodstream. Several common contaminants are small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier. This is not about fear — it is about knowing what you are working with.
What are PFAS chemicals and are they in my water?
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of synthetic chemicals used in non-stick cookware, food packaging, firefighting foam, and hundreds of consumer products. They are called "forever chemicals" because they do not break down in the environment or in your body.
They have been detected in municipal water systems and private wells across the United States. Standard water treatment does not reliably remove all PFAS compounds. Testing your water is the only way to know if they are in yours — and at what levels.
How do I find out what is actually in my water?
The best starting point is a mail-in water test through a certified lab. I recommend National Laboratories at WaterCheck.com — licensed in all 50 states, and you choose exactly what to test: VOCs, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, PFAS, bacteria, and more.
This is always step one. Before spending a dollar on any filtration system, know what you are working with. The right filter depends entirely on what is in your water.
I'll be honest I just purchased the system, I already knew my city water wasn't the best. Also pH Prescription can take your test results and build you a system to address your specific areas of needed improvment.
Filtering Your Home — Drinking Water, Showers & Whole House
Do I need a whole house water filter or just a drinking water filter?
Many people start with a drinking water filter and feel like they've handled it. But you are not just drinking your water. You are wearing it — clothing washed in it absorbs into your skin for up to 16 hours. You are sleeping in it — sheets and towels hold what they're washed in. And you are breathing it — every hot shower turns chemicals into steam that enters your lungs directly.
A 10-minute hot shower can expose you to more chlorine through your skin and lungs than drinking 8 glasses of the same water. Addressing only the glass on your counter leaves most of your water environment untouched.
Here's what I've found after going through this myself:
A whole home system takes care of everything at once — every shower, every faucet, every load of laundry, every pot of water you cook with. Nothing gets missed.
And here's the part most people miss: when you pair a whole home system with a dedicated drinking water filter, the drinking filter's job gets dramatically easier. It's working with already-cleaner water, so the filters last significantly longer — which offsets a meaningful portion of the whole home system's cost over time.
One more thing worth knowing — and this surprised me. In many cities, including mine, there are actually two water supplies being delivered to your home. One for landscaping, one for the house — and they are not filtered to the same standard.
We grew up drinking from the garden hose without a second thought. I'm not sure that's the same calculation today.
A whole home approach is the goal. And you can absolutely get there one step at a time
Is a shower filter actually worth it?
Yes — and for most people this is one of the quickest, simplest, cost efficient - high-impact single changes available. Hot water opens your pores exactly the way a facial steamer does. Chemicals in tap water turn to gas in hot water and enter your body through your skin and lungs simultaneously — bypassing your body's normal filtration.
Studies show that hot shower exposure to chlorine byproducts can result in higher internal levels than drinking the water alone. Your face and scalp, most directly in the stream, absorb at an accelerated rate. Filtering your shower is not a luxury. For many people it is a great 1st meaningful step they take.
What water filter do you recommend?
There are many water filtration companies out there — different price points, different philosophies, different technologies. Do your research and find what feels right for you and your family.
The company I personally point people to is pH Prescription — use code LUV10 for 10% off.
I've spoken with Leo, the founder, multiple times. What stands out is that he is not running a catalog operation. He sources the cleanest components from around the world and builds systems with genuine care for what goes into each one. He wants to know about your home, your water source, your location, and your goals — then finds the right solution for your specific situation and budget. That kind of conversation is rare in this industry.
The right filter depends entirely on what is actually in your water — which is why testing first always matters. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Any company that treats it like there is isn't having the right conversation with you.
I share pH Prescription because I believe in it. You decide what is best for you.
Does reverse osmosis remove everything bad from the water?
Reverse osmosis is one of the most effective filtration technologies available. It removes a very wide range of contaminants — and for many households it is the right choice for drinking water.
But there is an important nuance most filter marketing skips entirely: RO also removes beneficial minerals like calcium and magnesium. The same process that strips out what you don't want also strips out some of what you do.
Highly filtered but mineral-depleted water is not the complete answer. Your body needs minerals — for cellular function, hydration, nerve signaling, bone density, and more. If they are not coming from your water, they need to come from somewhere else — through your diet, a remineralization stage added to your system, or supplementation.
And then there is the conversation we had earlier on this page about molecular weight. Most standard filters — including many popular under-sink systems — are not removing pharmaceutical compounds. Antidepressants, hormones, antibiotics, chemotherapy residues. Those molecules are small enough to pass right through standard filtration and right into your glass.
This is one of the reasons the quality and design of your filtration system matters beyond just the brand name on the box.
This is exactly why I come back to the same definition every time: the healthiest water is truly clean AND still contains what your body needs. Filtered and clean at a molecular level are not the same thing — and most water filter marketing never has that conversation with you.
It is also one of the reasons I appreciate how pH Prescription approaches their systems. Pharmaceutical removal and remineralization are part of the conversation, not an afterthought.
Bottled Water & Plastics
Is bottled water safer than tap?
Not necessarily — and in some cases bottled water may be more concerning than people expect.
Start with the bottle itself. The flimsier the plastic, the more plastic compounds integrate with the water inside it. And that process accelerates with heat. Water bottles travel in unrefrigerated trucks. They sit in warm warehouses. There is no label telling you how many times that bottle was heated on its journey to you.
BPA-free does not mean chemical-free. BPS and BPC — the most common substitutes — appear to have similar hormonal effects. The label changed. The concern didn't necessarily go away.
Freezing a plastic bottle causes water to expand into every surface of the plastic. Every freeze-thaw cycle increases leaching. I was the mom at soccer practice handing out those frozen bottles thinking I was doing something good. I genuinely didn't know.
Then there is the bigger picture. Every single-use bottle adds to what is already an overwhelming plastic burden in our landfills. And when you run the actual math — the cost of filtered water from a home system versus a lifetime habit of buying bottled water — there is no comparison. A home system almost always pays for itself within one to two years, and then it protects every tap, every shower, and every load of laundry after that.
That said — I do keep some bottled water on hand, and there is one brand I trust. If you are in the Phoenix area, I recommend O2True Water. Clean, quality water in a category of its own.
What is BPA and why should I care about it?
BPA (Bisphenol A) is a chemical used in plastic production. It has a molecular weight of 228 — which means it can enter your body through skin contact with plastic containers, bottles, and lined cans, not just by drinking from them. It is a known hormone disruptor.
When manufacturers switched to BPA-free plastics, they most commonly replaced it with BPS or BPC — which appear to have similar hormonal effects. The label changed. The concern did not necessarily go away. Glass or stainless steel is always the better choice.
Hydrogen Water — The Next Level
What is hydrogen water and does it actually do anything?
Hydrogen water is water infused with molecular hydrogen (H₂). It has been studied for its potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Unlike most antioxidants, molecular hydrogen is small enough to penetrate cell membranes and reach areas — including mitochondria — that other antioxidants cannot access.
This is not a wellness trend. There are hundreds of peer-reviewed studies examining hydrogen's role in oxidative stress and cellular function. It is one of the tools I personally explored on my own health journey and found genuinely meaningful — and it is something I will be going much deeper on in a dedicated blog post.
What should I look for when buying a hydrogen water bottle?
Not all hydrogen water bottles are created equal.
The most important thing to look for is parts per million (PPM) — that is the measure of how much molecular hydrogen the bottle is actually producing.
Higher PPM means more therapeutic potential.
The second thing I always tell people to check is the warranty. A quality hydrogen water device is an investment, and the warranty tells you a lot about how much confidence the manufacturer has in their own product.
There is also a reason I prefer making my own hydrogen water over buying it bottled at the store.
When hydrogen water is bottled commercially, it may have left the factory fully charged — but is it still there by the time it reaches you? Hydrogen is volatile. Once the seal is broken, or the bottle has been sitting, you genuinely cannot know what PPM you are actually getting. When you make it yourself, you know exactly what you have every single time.
And the long-term math is simple. One quality hydrogen water bottle far outweighs the ongoing cost of buying pre-infused bottled water over and over — and you get a guarantee of what you are actually consuming.
One more thing Echo shares that I find genuinely compelling: once you are properly hydrated at a cellular level, many people find they naturally decrease their supplement and medication intake over time. Not because they stopped needing support — but because their body is finally absorbing and utilizing what they give it. Better hydration means better delivery. And better delivery means everything else you do for your health works harder.
After researching the market thoroughly, Echo Water is the only hydrogen bottle I personally use and recommend. Use code LUV10 at checkout.
Which hydrogen bottle , house water and pool water do you recommend?
A note on where I send people for different needs — because I get asked this often:
Whole home, drinking water, and shower filtration → pH Prescription — code LUV10
Hydrogen water bottle → Echo Water — code LUV10
Pool and jacuzzi systems → Exceptional Water Systems
Each one earned its place. I don't recommend anything I haven't personally stood behind.
Pool Water — What Most People Don't Know
Is pool water bad for you even if you don't swallow it?
Yes — because your skin absorbs what it is immersed in, and you breathe the air just above the surface. Chlorine gas sits approximately 18 inches above the water — every time a swimmer surfaces for a breath, they are breathing the most concentrated layer.
After just 8 minutes in a pool, research suggests you have absorbed the amount of salt your body should have for an entire day. Bromine is replacing chlorine in many pools because it has no noticeable smell. But no smell does not mean no absorption. The signal is just gone. I still swim. I do an extra detox afterward. Awareness is the first step — then we do what we can.
What is hyperdissolved oxygen pool treatment and is it better than chlorine?
Hyper dissolved oxygen systems infuse pool water with nano-bubbles of oxygen and ozone rather than relying on chlorine or bromine. Bacteria and viruses cannot survive in properly treated hyper dissolved oxygen water. It is a true chemical-free pool alternative.
One family I connected with told me their dog drinks from their pool — because the water is that clean.
Here is what makes this technology worth paying attention to beyond just pool sanitation. Exceptional Water Systems has shared that a properly treated hyper dissolved oxygen pool is estimated to be up to 10 times more powerful than a hyperbaric chamber. As someone who has personally used hyperbaric therapy after a serious health challenge, that stopped me in my tracks. Hyperbaric sessions are expensive. They take hours out of your day. You can only do so many in a given period. A hyper dissolved oxygen pool you can use multiple times a day — and every session is not just sanitary, it is actively therapeutic.
That one hour in an oxygenated jacuzzi was a turning point in my own recovery. I will always remember the moment my right leg lifted to nearly 10 inches vs 2 inches (which created a lot of tripping and falls) for the first time in years. With use of the years that improvement has stayed. That is the technology we are talking about.
AQUADEI can walk you through all of it — the science, the research, the options for residential and commercial installations. They answer every question thoroughly and back everything with data.
Visit AQUADEI — I am not an affiliate. I share them because I believe in what they are doing and I have seen what this water can do firsthand.
Working With Ilene — Discovery Calls & Next Steps
What happens in a free discover call?
It's a real conversation — not a sales pitch. We talk about your home, your water source, your health situation, and what makes sense as a first step for you and your family. I don't have an agenda other than pointing you toward what I genuinely believe will help.
I'm overwhelmed. Where do I actually start?
Start with knowing what you have. Before spending a dollar on anything, test your water. WaterCheck.com — National Laboratories, licensed in all 50 states. Choose your tests: VOCs, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, PFAS. Then, if you'd like someone to walk through the results with you and talk through options for your specific situation, book a free discovery call. That is what I'm here for.
Or you van be like me and say, "I get it" "I'm buying now." Then talked with pH Prescription and they worked through my best choices.
Can water quality affect autoimmune cinditions?
According to the work of Dr. Bruce Lipton on epigenetics, up to 95% of health outcomes are shaped by environment — not genetics. If your body is operating in water that carries a constant burden of contaminants, every system — including immune regulation — is working against continuous resistance.
Reducing that environmental burden is not a cure. It is removing an obstacle. For many people — including myself after 11 years relapse-free from a condition I was told was permanent — that distinction matters enormously. I am not making medical claims.
I am sharing what shifted for me, and pointing you to the science.
Can water quality affect neurodiversity?
In my experience — yes.
And here is why that makes sense when you go back to first principles. We are not looking for a cure. We are looking for what is blocking the body from being its best. With your body being over 70% water, and 95% of your health shaped by your environment, water is one of the most logical places to start.
Think about what happens before anything else begins. You wake up and step into a morning shower. Before you have taken a single supplement, eaten a single meal, or made a single healthy choice — your body is already processing chlorine through your skin and lungs. By the time you get to the things you are intentionally doing for your health, your system is already spending resources fighting what came in through the water.
That is the hidden tax nobody talks about. Your body has a finite capacity to handle toxins on any given day. Every toxin you can remove — especially one as constant and unavoidable as water — frees up that capacity for everything else.
For focus. For regulation. For resilience. For healing.
For neurodiverse individuals whose systems may already be working harder to process and regulate, reducing that baseline environmental burden is not a small thing. It is a meaningful one.
Quality water is not a neurodiversity solution. But removing a daily, whole-body toxin load from the equation — through every shower, every glass, every load of laundry — is a win for every person in your home. And it is one of the few changes that works in the background, all day, without anyone having to remember to do anything.
That is exactly where I start.
Not because it is the most exciting answer — but because it is the most foundational one.
Still have questions?
Let's talk about your water, your home, and what makes sense for you — no pressure, no agenda.
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