Carey A. Reams was a 20th-century biophysicist, agronomist, and innovator whose ideas bridged quantum physics, biochemistry, and nutrition.

Born in the early 1900s, Reams developed the Reams Biological Theory of Ionization (RBTI) in the 1930s, in which he outlines a framework where biological life is fundamentally about ionic energy exchange - essentially, how anions and cations interact to produce the energy that sustains life.

Reams' theory posits that all energy in living systems comes from the "resistance" (friction-like interaction) between oppositely-charged ions. At the heart of his protocol, Reams hailed fresh lemon juice as the only naturally anionic food, essential for balancing cationic diets, enhancing digestion through ionic resistance, and supporting liver regeneration when diluted in high-energy distilled water.

Core Concepts of Ionic Forms in Reams' Theory

At the heart of RBTI is the idea of ions as energy carriers. As detailed in his book, every ion has a central core with electrons rotating in shells, making it either an anion (negatively charged) or a cation (positively charged).

• Anions feature electrons moving clockwise around the core.
• Cations have electrons moving counter-clockwise.

The atomic weight in the periodic table reflects the ratio of anions to cations in an element, determining its frequency and total energy (tied to specific gravity).

Reams introduced "milhouse units" (sometimes spelled "Millhouse") as a measure of ionic energy:

• Anions range from 1 to 499 milhouse units.
• Cations from 500 to 999 milhouse units.

Drawing parallels to quantum physics, Reams noted that electron shells closer to the core have higher energy, while farther shells have lower. Higher-energy ions are "heavier."

For water, distilled versions have higher average energy levels because distillation imparts heat, pushing electrons to lower (higher-energy) shells and purifying the molecule from impurities.

Ionization: Breaking Down and Building Up for Energy

Reams defined ionization as "God's laws putting things together and taking them apart ion by ion." In human digestion, this plays out dramatically:

Our anionic digestive juices interact with cationic food. Reams claimed all foods are cationic except one: lemons (more on that below).

The resistance between anions and cations releases heat energy, breaking food bonds into ionized nutrients. This heat energizes the ions, providing the primary energy we derive from food.

Higher-energy carriers, like distilled water, help transport these nutrients to the liver. Complex, nutrient-dense foods require more anionic juice energy to ionize; many people lack this, leading to poor digestion. Cooking pre-ionizes food via heat, making bonds easier to break, but it comes at the cost of some vitality.

Distilled water shines here: Heat from distillation stabilizes electrons in higher-energy states, making it a superior carrier for ionized nutrients.

Distilled water is often praised in alternative health circles, including followers of Carey Reams' Biological Theory of Ionization, for having the lowest molecular cluster size among waters. This smaller clustering is said to enable deeper penetration into bodily tissues, facilitating superior cellular hydration compared to regular or mineral-rich waters. Additionally, because distilled water is free of dissolved minerals and impurities, proponents argue it acts as a gentle solvent that helps the body flush out excess inorganic minerals and accumulated toxins, promoting detoxification and reducing mineral buildup that could contribute to health issues over time. While these benefits align with anecdotal reports and Reams' emphasis on high-energy, pure water for optimal ionic balance and nutrient transport, mainstream science views persistent water clusters as transient and finds no conclusive evidence that distillation meaningfully alters cluster size to enhance hydration or actively remove bodily minerals beyond normal excretion processes.

The Benefits of Fresh Lemon Juice for Disease Prevention and Health

Reams singled out lemon juice as uniquely powerful in his system—the only anionic food in a world of cationic ones. Fresh lemon juice provides anionic energy that balances the cationic load from diet, supporting digestion, ionization, and overall vitality.

Key benefits according to the theory:

• Enhances Digestion and Energy Release: Lemon's anionic nature supplies the "juice" needed to efficiently break down cationic foods, releasing more energy and creating bioavailable ions.
• Supports Liver Function and Nutrient Transport: Combined with high-energy distilled water (a common Reams recommendation: lemon juice diluted in distilled water), it aids movement of ionized nutrients to the liver, crucial for detoxification and energy storage.
• Addresses Energy Deficiencies in Disease: Low anionic energy in digestive juices contributes to poor bond-breaking, incomplete ionization, and eventual disease. Lemon juice replenishes this, potentially reversing degenerative processes.
• Alkaline-Forming Despite Acidity: Though tart, lemons are highly anionic and promote balance, countering excess cationic (acid-forming) influences linked to chronic conditions.

Practitioners often recommend fresh lemon juice in distilled water as a daily tonic or even short fasts for regeneration. Reams viewed it as essential for maintaining the anionic-cationic equilibrium needed for health.

Doesn't Lemon Deplete Alkaline Minerals?

Lemon Water Actually Provides Alkaline Minerals

Lemon juice contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, which are alkaline minerals. When you drink lemon water:

1. The acid gets metabolized: Your body breaks down the citric acid in the lemon juice.
2. The minerals remain: Most of the mineral content doesn't get metabolized; instead those alkaline minerals are discharged in your urine.
3. Net alkalizing effect: Once metabolized by the body, lemon juice produces alkaline byproducts.

The pH Paradox Explained

While lemon juice has a pH between 2 and 3, making it highly acidic before you drink it, what matters is what happens after digestion. Lemon juice has a negative PRAL (Potential Renal Acid Load) score, meaning it reduces the acid load your kidneys need to process rather than adding to it.

Your body tightly regulates blood pH, keeping it within a narrow range of 7.35 to 7.45, so lemon water won't dramatically change your blood pH. What it can do is affect your urine pH and reduce the overall acid burden on your system.

Bottom line: Lemon water contributes alkaline minerals to your body rather than depleting them. However, be mindful that its acidity can erode tooth enamel over time, so consider drinking it through a straw.

Recipe for Lemon Water

Carey Reams frequently recommended a diluted lemon water drink as a key component of his health protocols—particularly for liver support, detoxification, and during cleansing fasts. He viewed fresh lemon juice as the only naturally anionic food, making it uniquely beneficial for balancing the body's ionic energy.

The standard recipe attributed to Reams and his followers (including practitioners like Alexander Beddoe and sites documenting RBTI) is:

• 1 part fresh-squeezed lemon juice to 9 parts steam-distilled water.

This creates a mildly tart, diluted lemonade without any added sweeteners (though in some cases for specific low-energy conditions, natural sweeteners like molasses or honey were allowed separately).

Practical Example

For a daily batch or individual serving:

• Mix 4 ounces (½ cup) fresh lemon juice with 36 ounces distilled water (total 40 ounces, or about 1.2 liters).
• Sip small amounts (e.g., 4 ounces) throughout the day, often alternated with plain distilled water.
• Note: Carrey Reams also believed that mixing the juice of one half to a whole lemon juice with water would create a potent drink to start the day for people with severe disease. 

Reams emphasized using only fresh lemons (ideally high-quality, ripe ones) and steam-distilled water, as it is mineral-free and high-energy in his system. This lemon water was central to his "lemon water fast" for regenerating the liver and improving digestion/ionization, but he advised supervision for extended use, especially for those with conditions like hypoglycemia.

Final Thoughts: A Provocative Lens on Nutrition

Carey Reams' work challenges conventional nutrition by framing health as an electromagnetic, ionic process rather than purely chemical. Concepts like clockwise/counter-clockwise electron spins, milhouse units, and lemon's singular anionic status are unique to RBTI and not found in standard physics or biology. Yet, for those exploring alternative health, it offers a coherent system emphasizing fresh, high-quality foods, proper water, and balance.

While not mainstream, Reams' ideas continue to influence natural health communities. If intrigued, consult Choose Life or Death or works by his students like Dr. Alexander Beddoe. Always approach such theories critically and alongside professional medical advice—true health often lies in informed integration.

Books for

Further Reading:

Biologic Ionization As Applied to Human Nutrition

Reams Biological Theory of Ionization - The Life of Carey A. Reams (A Biography Only)

Excerpt: "Combining all he had learned at that point in time, Reams took his quest to meditation and prayer, which brought insight revealing the ways in which the human body creates energy through biological ionization."

The Ultimate Answer to Health and Vitality: Reams Biological Theory of Ionization (RBTI) with Original Medicine

A Practitioners Guide to RBTI: Reams Biological Theory of Ionization