MetaChat - Oxygen Water = Snake Oil?

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15 October 2008

Oxygen Water = Snake Oil? They were passing out bottles at my gym this morning. . .→[More:]We volleyball players were joking around how much higher we jumped, how harder we hit the ball, etc. etc.

This company has a storefront here in town where all they sell is water.

The claims seem a bit iffy to me. It seems like if you are well hydrated, you will have the same benefits as you would if you are well hydrated with this stuff.

Anyone else know anything about this?

post by: danf at: 17:54 | 11 comments

Hmmm... if you to "add oxygen" to water, H20, wouldn't you get H202, which is hydrogen peroxide?

I call bullshit.

posted by BoringPostcards 15 October | 18:17

Unless you have gills, it's just an expensive burp.

I wish I'd made that up, but I didn't. Found it here.

posted by mudpuppie 15 October | 18:25

I think they mean O₂(aq), that is to say oxygen dissolved in water. I don't see why you couldn't absorb some of that oxygen through your intestine or stomach, but on the other hand, it's not to influence your blood oxygen levels in any significant way (as opposed to just taking a deep breath).

The site also talks about it being structured water, which I think is just a rehash of the pentawater scam.

posted by Quentin 15 October | 18:25

We structure the water so that its liquid crystalline and energetic properties are restored.

posted by cillit bang 15 October | 18:30

Here's a fun exercise. Try to find a web page which mentions "monoatomic minerals" (I will also accept the alternate spelling "monatomic".) and isn't trying to sell you a bottle of magical tonic. This should give you a pretty good idea of the answer to your question.

But really... when you read copy like

Langenburg Cobalt delivers more oxygen to the cells than Blue and Red combined! This water comes in a beautifully custom-made, mono-atomic mineral-infused cobalt glass bottle. Seemingly weightless, delicate and refined, some say drinking this water feels more like taking a deep breath.

do you even have to ask if it's bullshit?

posted by Wolfdog 15 October | 18:32

I think cobalt glass is very pretty.

posted by box 15 October | 18:39

"The bottle is pretty" is a solid claim. I'll go along with that.

posted by Wolfdog 15 October | 18:41

I'm tempted to send an email asking how powerful their water is compared to orgone-infused waters, and whether there are any potentially harmful interactions that could occur with the monoatomic minerals if they are exposed to orgone energy. Or maybe, the oxygen water could help remove destructive pools of bad orgone, even.

posted by Wolfdog 15 October | 18:48

Just reading that web page did wonders for my . . . humors.

posted by MonkeyButter 15 October | 19:12

Of course it is snake oil. Otherwise, why wouldn't we have some sort of large combined stomach/lung organ?

(Metafilter's Own) Dan Rutter demolishes the scam better here

posted by pompomtom 15 October | 22:09

I'm just going to stick with plain water and remind myself to keep breathing.

posted by Specklet 16 October | 06:03

← Good thing I pay off my credit card every month... || What do →

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