Function A water ionizer is an appliance that ionizes water, producing both alkaline and acidic water. Water ionizers have been used for decades in Japan but the western world has only just discovered the uses of ionized water. In Japan and other Far Eastern countries some water ionizers have been endorsed by their own governmental health & welfare departments and used by their hospitals to treat, Chronic diarrhoea, Indigestion, Gastrointestinal abnormal fermentation, Hyperacidity, Acidosis, and the acidic water is used as an astringent. [edit] What is Claimed Among water ionizer manufacturers, various claims are made about the chemical properties of ionized water. A common claim is that in non-ionized water, water molecules form tightly bound clusters, and that ionizing water reduces those clusters. Water molecules are held together by hydrogen bonding, and especially in the presence of cations form clusters (see chelation). It is not known by anybody how exactly the water changes but using NMR spectroscopy commercial enterprises claim they have proven that ionized water抯 atomic size is reduced lowering the waters surface tension. Claims about the chemical properties of ionized alkaline water can be made to support claims about the improvement of health and are sometimes made without scientific basis by salespeople who do not understand the technology, which is damaging to the reputation of water ionization technology. A link is often made between people not drinking enough water and a medical condition known as chronic cellular dehydration. Doctors and health professionals will confirm that the majority of people do not drink enough water and that many people are in a light state of permanent dehydration, which is thought to be the cause of many common illnesses and diseases, along with the rapid ageing of the skin - drinking ionized alkaline water is said by its users to work better than drinking normal water. Ionized alkaline water is an antioxidant, which can be measured by using an Oxygen Reduction Potential (redox) meter that detects millivolts (mV), a good mV reading would be around -200mV.