Let's face it...we're all concerned about what we take into our bodies. At the top of the list is water, since its so important to our health and well-being.

But living with high levels of environmental pollution has prompted many consumers to turn to water sources treated with alternative water purification methods.

Reverse osmosis is one such water purification method that has become popular with consumers.

Many companies falsely promote reverse osmosis as a "state-of-the art" drinking water system. And while this method provides "safe," pleasant-tasting water, there are several disadvantages of reverse osmosis that make this a questionable choice for people looking to purify their water.

Make no mistake. Purity from contaminants is important. However, nature, in its infinite wisdom, designed water to contain essential minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium, necessary for the human body to work well and stay healthy. Reverse osmosis strips out these vital minerals.

And when we drink water that has been stripped of its natural minerals, two very serious things occur.

First, when water is demineralized it becomes more acidic. When humans consume an acid substance, our bodies automatically attempt to neutralize the acid by pulling minerals from our teeth and bones, making them weaker and more vulnerable to decay and fracture.

Second, it has been proven that when body fluids become more acidic, more free radicals are produced. An increase of free radicals can lead to an increase in the risk of cancer.

And if you're relying on reverse osmosis to filter out chemicals, forget it. I don't mean to get too scientific with you but you should know that reverse osmosis operates by removing things based on molecular size.

Since most synthetic chemicals are molecularly smaller than water they cannot be effectively removed by reverse osmosis. So you end up drinking synthetic chemicals that you were counting on being filtered out.

If you're looking at a reverse osmosis system, and you are being given a demonstration that measures TDS (total dissolve solids) just be aware that this measurement has little or nothing to do with contaminant levels.

TDS, will however, give you direct proof of the dissolved minerals (primarily calcium and magnesium) that have been stripped from the water.

Another one of the disadvantages of reverse osmosis is that a system is typically installed in the kitchen and treats only drinking and cooking water.

So you still end up bathing and showering in highly chlorinated water, which strips your body's natural oils, leaving your skin dry and susceptible to premature aging. Chlorine also emits a gas which can aggravate asthma and other respiratory ailments.

So what is the alternative? You can look into whole house water filter systems, which use a multi-stage filtration system.

This water filtration system conveniently connects to the main water line entering your house. So not only will you get clean, healthy water to drink and cook with, everything that dispenses water - faucets, toilets, baths, showers, washing machines, etc. will deliver safe, pure water.

Just make sure to do your research. Like anything else, you want to separate the good products from the bad. And, believe me, you will find both.

So the question, "does reverse osmosis make water safe to drink?" can be answered by how the word "safe" is defined. The water may be "safe" but it isn't exactly healthy.

The disadvantages of reverse osmosis are important considerations to make when looking for the best water purification method for you and your family.