Acid:Alkaline Balance
Acid:Alkaline Balance - pH
pH is the abbreviation for potential hydrogen. The pH of any solution is the measure of its hydrogen-ion concentration. The higher the pH reading, the more alkaline the fluid is. The lower the pH reading, the more acidic it is. The pH range is from 0 to 14, with 7.0 being neutral. Anything above 7.0 is alkaline, anything below 7.0 is considered acidic.
Body tissues operate optimally at a slightly alkaline pH of 7.365. Most cells have a pH of about 6.8 but they are bathed in blood and tissue fluids with an optimal pH of 7.365. If blood pH moves too much below 7.2 or above 7.6, cells stop functioning properly and illness is inevitable. An acidic balance will: decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease it’s ability to repair damaged cells, decrease it’s ability to detoxify, help tumor cells thrive, aid invading pathogens to thrive, and make you more susceptible to fatigue and illness.
If you have a health problem you are most likely to be acidic. Research shows that unless the body’s pH level is slightly alkaline, the body cannot heal itself. So, no matter what type of modality you choose to use to take care of your health problem, it won’t be as effective until the pH level is up. If your body’s pH is not balanced, you cannot effectively assimilate vitamins, minerals and food supplements. Your body pH affects everything.
Symptoms/disorders that can be caused by over-acidity and subsequent infections include diabetes, athletes foot, cancer, atherosclerosis, chronic fatigue, osteoporosis, autoimmune disease, adrenal/thyroid disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, depression, influenza, psoriasis, thrush, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, acne, headaches, obesity, metabolic syndrome and fibromyalgia (just to name a few).
Restoring an alkaline environment can help restore health. This is why improving the acid:alkaline balance in the body by increasing alkalinity should always be the first intervention in the treatment of chronic diseases.
An acidic pH can occur due to several reasons which include: an acidic diet - which is a typical western diet many of us are currently on, emotional stress, toxic overload, immune reactions, food allergies/intollerances or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals. If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a build up of acids in the cells will occur.
How to Test your pH
Purchase a pH meter from any pet store or aquarium suppliers. The meters are marketed for monitoring fish tank pH but will work just as well for saliva and urine. They may also be purchased from pool/spa supply stores and finally more expensive types are available from scientific equipment suppliers. Once you have purchased a meter you then need to provide a saliva and urine sample into a clean cup which you can then measure.
Salivary pH Test: While generally more acidic than blood, salivary pH mirrors the blood (if not measured around meal time) and is only a fair indicator of health as it can vary greatly so is not as reliable as blood or urine pH readings. It tells us what the body retains. Salivary pH is a fair indicator of the health of the extracellular fluids and their alkaline mineral reserves.
Optimal pH for saliva is 6.4 and above. A reading lower than 6.4 is indicative of insufficient alkaline reserves. After eating, the saliva pH should rise to 7.8 or higher. Unless this occurs, the body has alkaline mineral deficiencies (mainly Calcium and Magnesium) and will not assimilate food very well. To deviate from ideal salivary pH for an extended time invites illness.
Urinary pH Test: The pH of the urine indicates how the body is working to maintain the proper pH of the blood. The urine reveals the alkaline building (anabolic) and acid tearing down (catabolic) cycles. The pH of urine indicates the efforts of the body via the kidneys, adrenals, lungs and gonads to regulate pH through the buffer salts and hormones. Urine can provide a fairly accurate picture of body chemistry, because the kidneys filter out the buffer salts of pH regulation and provide values based on what the body is eliminating. Urine pH can vary from around 4.5 to 9.0 for its extremes, but the ideal range is 7.2 or greater.
Blood pH Tests - Your GP can order a blood test for you where its pH can be measured directly and ideally should be 7.365.
If your pH is too low you should act to reduce your acidity.
How to Treat Acidosis
Drinking generous amounts of alkaline water (with a pH of around 9.5) is a very effective means of reducing acidity. Eating the proper balance of alkaline and acid foods is also very important. Ideally 80% of your diet should consist of alkaline forming foods and the remainding 20% acidic foods. This means that acidic foods like meat and grains can be eaten, they just take up a much smaller part of the plate than usual.
Foods to Consume Freely in the 80% alkaline component:
Vegetables: Asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, green beans, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, peppers, spinach, sprouts, zucchini.
Nutrient dense grasses such as wheat grass and barley grass.
Fruits- avocado, tomatoes, grapefruit, lemons, limes, coconut. Lemon, limes and grapefruit are alkaline in the body because they contain lots of sodium and potassium bicarbonate and very little sugar.
Tofu
Healthy fats- extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, flax seed, avocado oil, pomegranate oil, nuts, seeds.
Acidic foods that must go in the 20% component:
High starch vegetables: potatoes, pumpkin, yams, kidney beans, chick peas.
Grains- rice, amaranth, quinoa, millet, buckwheat
Fruits. Fruits high in sugar are acidic
Organic meats, fish and eggs.
Dairy, yeast, wheat, sugar, flour, soft drinks, fruit juices, vinegar (use lemon or lime juice instead), alcohol, coffee, artificial sweeteners, trans-fatty acids, peanuts, corn and soy sauce.
More comprehensive food lists are provided on consultation.
Other Strategies
Food and water are not the only sources of acidity in our lives. Other strategies to decrease acidity include:
Minimise stress and negative emotions. Depression, guilt, hatred, anxiety etc all increase acid levels in the body. Finding ways to minimise these are health promoting.
Replace strenuous exercise with more controlled aerobic exercise.
Detoxify from environmental toxins. A table spoon of apple cidar vinegar twice a day can help. Lemon juice can also reduce acidity along with certain minerals such as calcium and magnesium.
