Supporting Australian charities and community events is very important to us at WFA and over the years we’ve supported many.

This year, once again WFA is proud to be supporting the McDonald Jones ‘Build for a Cure’ home, which raises vital funds for the Children’s Cancer Institute.

Every year more than 950 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer. The Children’s Cancer Institute is the only independent medical research institute in Australia entirely dedicated to childhood cancer. Their mission is to put an end to childhood cancer through research.

Build for a Cure home

McDonald Jones Homes have teamed up with the McCloy group to build the Cambridge design home at The Bower, Medowie, in the Hunter region, New South Wales.

Ambassador and star of the popular Channel Nine show, ‘The Block’, Scott Cam is supporting the fundraiser again, along with players from the Newcastle Knights.

And just like The Block the pressure is on to build and furnish the four-bedroom home in just 21 days!

This is a truly beautiful home furnished by Freedom and with Fisher & Paykel appliances along with other kind donations. In the stunning gourmet kitchen, you’ll find a donation from WFA – a Platinum inline water filter.

This means that the new owners will have fresh, filtered water direct from their kitchen tap so they can enjoy all the health benefits of filtered water.

There was great excitement at the big reveal and open day on Sunday 16th September. You can watch the final stages of the build here.

Managing Director of McDonald Jones Homes says,

“Collaborating with Children’s Cancer Institute, McCloy Group and our Hunter tradies, partners and suppliers, we are excited to be building this home at The Bower, to help find a cure for childhood cancer. We’re enormously proud of being a leading partner in Build for a Cure, as it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to give back to families in need, as well as do our bit for the health and wellbeing of children across Australia.”

The next big day is the auction on the 21st October where the beautiful home will be auctioned off to the highest bidder and the proceeds will go to the Childhood Cancer Institute.

Auction day is sure to be a great family day out. If you can’t make it you can still help support Build for a Cure by donating here.

Oxfam Trailwalker

WFA has also recently donated to support Ray Debono, Purchasing Manager at Allam Property Group in the 2018 Oxfam Trailwalker.

The Oxfam Trailwalker is Australia’s original team endurance event in which teams of four tackle 100kms or 50kms of Australian bush within 48 or 24 hours.

All money raised goes towards helping Oxfam Australia fight poverty.

On 24th August Ray and his team, ‘The Wandering Wallys’ completed the course in just under 30 hours and raised over $21,000…and still counting. Awesome work, team!

In our current world of wellness, alkaline diets and celebrity endorsements, there are many claims about the health benefits of ‘alkaline water’.

For example, articles about supermodel Elle Macpherson following an alkaline diet and drinking alkaline water – apparently she’s so dedicated she even tests her urine pH level!

It’s been reported that the Kardashians only drink a certain brand of ‘supercharged ionised alkaline water’ at a pH of 9.5 because apparently it is extra hydrating.

But when it comes to alkaline water, what is it and is it really any good for you?

What is alkaline water?

The term alkaline refers to the pH level. That’s the number that measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is. So on a scale of 1-13, a pH of 1 is very acidic and a pH of 13, very alkaline.

Regular drinking water has a neutral pH of 7 while alkaline water has a higher pH, generally between 7 and 9.5.

How do you get alkaline water?

One way is to buy a device called a water ioniser or alkaline ioniser. This acts like a water filter where tap water runs through an ioniser to make it more alkaline. It does this by raising the pH of the tap water by using electrolysis to separate the incoming water stream into acidic and alkaline components.

The other way is to buy expensive bottled spring or mineral water. This water passes through rocks and soil to pick up the various minerals which will affect the pH levels and make the water more alkaline.

The suggested health benefits of alkaline water

Some advocates of alkaline water believe it can neutralise the acid in the body and offset the effects of acidic foods. And there are many other health claims out there.

Alkaline water health claims to: slow the aging process, regulate body’s pH level, prevent chronic diseases like cancer, help lose weight, give the body more energy and even help with infertility problems.

The research

So does alkaline water have an effect on cancer, for example?

Dr Tanis Fenton and colleagues published a review on BMJ Open (formally the British Medical Journal) on the effects of alkalis on cancer. They assessed thousands of cancer studies but only found one test looking at the relationship between acid in a diet and cancer in the bladder.

They concluded,

“Despite the promotion of an alkaline diet and alkaline water by the media and salespeople, there is almost no actual research to either support or disprove these ideas.”

However, it is possible that alkaline water may provide health benefits to those people who suffer from acid reflux. A 2012 study published in ‘Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology’ found that alkaline water at a pH of 8.8 stops an enzyme connected to reflux disease and reduces the acidity of the stomach contents.

There are many claims but there’s lots more research to be done to prove any health benefits of alkaline water.

The downsides of drinking alkaline water

There are some downsides to drinking alkaline water, too. For example, if you have a kidney problem or are taking kidney medication then the minerals in the alkaline water could alter your kidney function as the minerals accumulate in your body.

There are also claims that drinking too much alkaline water can disrupt your body’s normal pH and potentially lead to a condition called metabolic alkalosis with symptoms of confusion, nausea, vomiting, hand tremors, muscle twitching and tingling in the face, hands or feet.

Until there’s more research done, a healthy option is to switch to filtered tap water (if you haven’t already!)  and drink the recommended amount of water per day. It’s super important to stay hydrated for a number of health reasons.

Filtered water

There are many proven health benefits from drinking a healthy amount of filtered water throughout the day and keeping your body properly hydrated.

A WFA inline water filter will filter out chlorine and any potential nasties direct from your kitchen tap. The filter also keeps in the natural minerals, like magnesium and calcium, while maintaining the tap water at its regular pH level. Without the added chlorine, the filtered water tastes great so it’s easy to create a daily water habit for you and your family.

Buy a WFA water filter and enjoy fresh filtered water 24 hours day.