By Marnie Kuhns
When Dave purchased my old house that I designed and had built back in 1998, he couldn’t tie into my sister’s water line and decided to put in a well. I was quite excited about this idea because my sister’s water line breaks frequently and is very expensive to repair. A well is an economical alternative to installing a water line. We also liked the idea of being self-sustainable.
After installing the well, Dave had the water tested and found that it was teaming with bacteria. This required the installation of an ultraviolet filtration system. It’s actually a two part system. One filter gets rid of the particles floating in the water and the other uses UV light rays to kill the bacteria.
This system does not go the extra mile and eliminate all minerals, so the water has a bit of a chalky taste. When I moved into the house after we were married in February, I purchased a Brita water filter so our drinking water tastes better. After a couple months of living here, we started to notice a bad rotten egg smell when we’d shower. It’s so strong you can smell it when you wash your hands at the sink.
When Your Well Water Smells Like Rotten Eggs
Honestly, I wasn’t a happy camper about this. Maybe we could put up with the smell, but I wondered how our guests would feel if they came for a writer retreat and smelled rotten eggs in their showers.
I’ve spent the last year heavily studying the Law of Polarity (aka The Law of Divine Compensation) – that states that within anything we perceive as “bad” there is an equal and opposite “good” — not just sometime in the future but right now in this present moment. Also, Dave and his brother Gene introduced me to the idea that nature provides the antidotes for whatever ails us. For example, if there’s stinging nettle growing in your yard, there’s going to be a fern that soothes the sting growing nearby.
So, I asked myself, What if the sulfur in our water is a blessing? What if it’s an antidote for some health challenge we face or could face? What if it has health benefits?
Dave had already researched the ill effects of sulfur, and said the worst drinking sulfur could do would be to cause diarrhea. That has not presented a problem for any of us yet.
Trying to make the best of a stinky situation, I decided to research the health benefits of sulfur.
Hydrogen Sulfide in Your Water Supply
First I found that the sulfur we smell is most likely hydrogen sulfide. The Water Research Center explains how hydrogen sulfide forms:
“Hydrogen sulfide gas occurs naturally in some groundwater. It is formed from decomposing underground deposits of organic matter such as decaying plant material. It is found in deep or shallow wells and also can enter surface water through springs, although it quickly escapes to the atmosphere. Hydrogen sulfide often is present in wells drilled in shale or sandstone, or near coal or peat deposits or oil fields.” (Water Research Center, “Sulfur Gas, Hydrogen Sulfide, Rotten Egg Odors – Clean Drinking Water Systems”)
This article also says that some electric water heaters can turn the sulfur in the water into Hydrogen sulfide.
Health Benefits of Hydrogen Sulfide
Once I knew we were dealing with hydrogen sulfide (H2S), I went on a search for the health benefits of it. What I found left me shaking my head at the irony.
Now, you have to know one thing about Dave and me before I go into the scientific research I found. Dave is 9.5 years older than me. He’s one of the most energetic men I’ve ever known. He can run circles around me, but still I worry. There’s been this underlying dread that I’ll outlive him by a decade or more. He insists he’s planning on living to 100.
Okay, now for the research. It’s believed that sulfur can reduce aging and age-related diseases. First let’s talk about an entire country that’s living longer, healthier lives because of increased exposure to sulfur.
“Residents of Iceland are known for their longevity and health. Icelanders not only outlive Americans by nearly five years, they also have remarkably low rates of heart disease, depression, obesity, high blood pressure, arthritis, dementia, diabetes and Alzheimers.” Nordic Clinical Inc.
For many years, scientists believed Icelandic longevity was due to their higher level of fish intake. But when Icelanders moved to places like Canada, still eating the same amount of fish, they did not live as long and were not as healthy.
Now it is believed that residents of Iceland live longer due to the volcanoes which periodically erupt and spray sulfur and selenium all over the landscape.
To summarize a white paper from the American Society for Microbiology:
Gerontologists have not come to any accepted conclusion about why we age. But a scientist named Denham Harman has proposed that aging and age-associated diseases are caused by the damaging effects of free radicals on cells and connective tissues. He proposes that limiting or inhibiting free radicals from forming could reduce the rate of aging and prevent age-associated diseases. His theory is receiving growing acceptance as a possible explanation for aging.
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) which is probably what we smell in our well water supply, used to be considered a poisonous gas. Yet, it is generated internally in mammals. H2S has antioxidant and other physiological functions that have many potential health benefits.
“Several studies have shown that H2S prevents free radical-induced impairment and is beneficial in treating age-associated diseases. A recent study reported that the plasma H2S level in humans over 50 to 80 years of age declines with age. However, the precise relationship between H2S and physiological changes that constitute aging is largely unknown.” The American Society for Micobiology, Hydrogen Sulfide, the Next Potent Preventive and Therapeutic Agent in Aging and Age-Associated Diseases
The American Society for Microbiology has a chart showing the physiological effects of hydrogen sulfide on aging.
With age, things like high blood pressure, oxidation damage, inflammation and cell death increase. The introduction of Hydrogen Sulfide blunts the increase in all of these. You may view their chart here.
According to an article by The Health Monitor, Sulfur the Miracle Mineral:
“In a normal body sulfur should be the third most abundant mineral, after calcium and phosphorus.
It is often referred to as ‘the fourth major nutrient’ as sulfur is required for the proper structure and biological activities of the body’s enzymes, and every single cell in the body.
Sulfur is essential in order for the body to make many amino acids and proteins, and provides a place for aminos to bind together and solidify the protein structure for healthy joints, hair, nails and skin.
It helps to usher other minerals and nutrients such as vitamins A, B, C, D and selenium, calcium and magnesium into the cells your body needs, while taking out trash that doesn’t belong.
And, speaking of “trash”..
Glutathione, a powerful antioxidant and detoxifier produced by our bodies, is the most important molecule needed to stay healthy and age gracefully.
The secret of glutathione is adequate sulfur ingestion which causes the glutathione to function as a sort of fly paper for toxins to be trapped, then eliminated through the digestive process, thus assisting the liver to remain healthy.
Adequate sulfur is necessary for healthy cellular regeneration to occur through the enabling of oxygen.
…Early symptoms of sulfur deficiency include fatigue, depression, high sensitivity to physical and psychological stress, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, vulnerability to allergies, lowered general immunity protection and toxic buildup leading to degenerative diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer… and brain impairment.” Sulfur the Miracle Mineral
One of the added benefits to sulfur is that breathing it in a steamy form (like from hot springs or from our shower mist) helps with breathing and is considered beneficial to those with asthma. Given that my allergies have gone crazy with all the blossoms and pollen in the air this year, I think I’ll spend more time breathing in those steamy sulfur showers.
Yet again, the Law of Polarity (aka nature’s Law of Divine Compensation) comes to the rescue. I express my concern that I will outlive Dave and nature provides a cure in the form of well water that reduces the aging process in our bodies. The landscape bursts with wildflowers and pollen, setting off my allergies, and our well provides hydrogen sulfide to breathe and alleviate the allergic affects. How cool is that?
Don’t Have the Luxury of Stinky Well Water?
According to Sulfur the Miracle Mineral, “Excellent food sources of sulfur include onions, garlic, legumes such as beans, eggs, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale and broccoli.”
Still Can’t Tolerate the Smell?
Here are some ideas for getting rid of the stinky sulfur smell in your well water. Yes, I broke down and tried some various water filters. Here are some that have worked for us.
