If you've ever taken a shower with really hard water, you notice it right away. Your shampoo and soap don't lather up as well, and sometimes you are left with a slimy feeling of build-up on your skin and hair. Drinking hard water leaves you with a metallic, heavy taste in your mouth. So it makes sense to get a water softener, right? Don't be so sure.

As it turns out, softened water isn't so good for you either. According to the American Heart Association, fatal heart attacks and strokes are more common in areas where water is either naturally soft or has been treated with water softeners to remove calcium and magnesium. The AHA also indicates that salt-softened water may cause an elevated sodium level, which has been linked to a variety of other health problems, including high blood pressure, water retention, gall bladder disease and goiters.

It's quite a dilemma. If you soften your water, you expose yourself and your family to possible health risks - but living with extremely hard water isn't a viable option either.

Scale build-up from hard water can cause numerous problems, including clogged water pipes, reduced water pressure, "frozen" valves on faucets, soap film on shower tiles and doors, white deposits on shower heads, spots and milky clouds on glassware and silverware, crusted rings in toilet tanks, and performance decreases in your hot water heater and other appliances that use water.

Well, there actually is a healthy and practical alternative to water softeners: condition your water magnetically. Magnetic conditioning devices condition your water with magnetics instead of salt. What this means is that they do not increase the sodium level in your water, making them completely safe for people with heart conditions and hypertension. Plus, they leave the minerals in the water that are essential to human health. Even plants and grass respond to magnetically conditioned water by growing faster and healthier.

Magnetically conditioned water feels fresher and cleaner than water conditioned with salt-based water softeners. There is no slippery feeling when showering. Hair has more luster. The unsightly water spots on dishes, glasses, and even cars and trucks are greatly reduced. Clothes last longer. Swimming pools and spas stay clean and crystal-clear with smaller quantities of chlorines, clarifiers, and purifiers.

If you're looking for a healthier alternative to a salt- based water softener, magnets are the answer.