pH Balance information – THE pH FACTOR – Acid Alkaline Balance 
by Lynn Hinderliter CN, LDN
The human body contains up to 60% water overall: the brain is 70% water; the blood, 82% and the lungs almost 90%. We are an inland sea, and a blight can descend on our bodies if the acid /alkaline balance of this “water of life” is not maintained, just as the acid in rain is blighting some of the forests of the world. PH balance
All of the cells of our body are washed by the liquid medium of that sea, which allows nutrients to be transported from place to place, and laves away the toxins our cells discharge. When pH is imbalanced, the system breaks down – if the body’s pH deviates too far to the acidic or too far to the alkaline side, cells can become poisoned by their own toxic waste and die. Like the Buddhist concepts of Yin and Yang, our bodies are designed to operate in an alkaline state, yet we need certain acids to function. PH balance
An acid alkaline imbalance can be a factor in:
- cardiovascular problems related to cellular energy
- lowered immune system function, frequent infections
- excess mucous
- dysbiosis
- aches and pains, inflammation
- premature ageing because of cellular inefficiency
- irritability, anxiety and depression
- formation of any kind of stones, kidney, bladder or gallbladder
Many chronic disease states are accompanied by an acid body condition : cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arteriosclerosis and stroke; many cancers; diabetes; many autoimmune diseases; indigestion, bowel imbalances and dysbiosis; much inflammation, such as of the joints and the bladder. Osteoporosis in particular is affected by your pH.
Counteracting Acidic Diet Reduces Markers of Bone Loss in Older Adults, http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DietNutrition/12006
I feel that if the acid alkaline balance were always maintained, disease would never get a foothold; I also feel that until the imbalance is corrected, health will not fully return. PH balance
I consider pH acid alkaline balance the first signpost on the road to determine whether the body is in a state of health or not, and with knowledge and determination, one which it is within our power to correct. PH balance
Water is considered neutral at a ph of 7. Anything under that is increasingly acid, anything over – increasingly alkaline. The human body operates optimally at a pH that varies from 6.8 to 7.5, depending on the time of day: pH tends to peak at 6 o’clock in the evening, and at noon, with the lowest point coming at 6 o’clock in the morning. These readings represent homeostasis, or balance. When the pH is operating within these normal parameters, cells can take up nutrients as and when needed, depending only on availability, and can discharge wastes efficiently. PH balance
Calcium in particular is dependent on the correct pH for absorption. In fact, when the body is acidic, it will withdraw calcium from the bones in an attempt to provide the alkalinizing minerals necessary to correct balance. Counter-intuitively, when stomach acid is lowered, the body pH becomes more acidic. It is frightening to consider how anti-acids may be affecting the health of masses of unaware victims. http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio115/pepsin.htm#background PH balance
Here is an excellent definition from Health Freedom Resources (http://www.healthfree.com/): PH balance
The cells of the body in health are alkaline, but in disease states the cell pH is below 7.0. The more acid the cells become, the sicker we are and feel. The cells won’t die until their pH gets to about 3.5. Our bodies produce acid as a by-product of normal metabolism. This is the result of our bodies burning or using alkaline to remain alive. Since our bodies do not manufacture alkaline, we must supply the alkaline from an outside source to keep us from becoming acid and dying. PH balance
Food is the means of replenishing the alkaline to the body. The main determining factor of alkaline is the organic minerals. One can equate organic minerals with alkaline for better understanding. Foods are of two types, acid or alkaline. This refers to the ash value of a food. (Meaning the type of residue that remains after the food is digested and processed). Is it acid, or is it alkaline? If there is an acid residue (inorganic acids), the body must neutralize this acid to keep the blood from getting acid. The acid is neutralized with alkaline. PH balance
Ideally there is adequate alkaline in the diet to do this. However, if there is not, the body must extract alkaline from its cells to neutralize the acid. This, of course, causes the cells to become acid, and thus diseased. Because our bodies are an alkaline entity, in order to maintain health, the majority of our diet must consist of alkaline ash foods. PH balance
We can remain in health by consuming a diet that is 70-80% alkaline and 20-30% acid. The more alkaline the better. If we become too alkaline by eating a majority of alkaline foods, we will lose our appetite and automatically want to fast, during which time the normal acid metabolic by-products will return the body’s pH back to normal. It is interesting to note that some foods which qualify as a real food have an acid ash reaction. This is probably nature’s way of keeping a balance so that the real food consumer does not become too alkaline. Also note that the acid content of these acid ash real foods is very low and they still contain valuable nutrients which can be utilized by the body. PH balance
You can buy strips to measure pH at some health food stores. You can also order them directly from us. You can measure either urinary or saliva pH. Urinary pH should fall around 6.5, lower is acidic; salivary pH should be measured at least 2 hours away from a meal, and is healthy at 7.4, acidic below that. PH balance
Monitoring your pH with urine: hold the strip in the stream of your first morning urination. The first reading will give you an idea of how the acids in your body are accumulating overnight. Some experts suggest the second urination of the morning is more accurate, but I feel it is important to know whether you are maintaining neutral pH for what is, after all, half your day. Repeating the reading before your noon meal will complete the picture. PH balance
You can also determine your pH levels by testing saliva: do not do this first thing in the morning: the oral bacteria present at that time can skew your reading to acidic. Wait until after you have brushed your teeth and rinsed your mouth well with water. Then, hold the strip against your tongue well-moistened with saliva. PH balance
Diet is the main determinant of whether we tend towards the acid or the alkaline PH balance
and the average U.S. diet might almost be designed to cause us to err!
- Proteins (pork, beef, chicken, ham, turkey etc.)
- grains
- coffee and tea
- eggs
- beer, wine and pops
- most breads, spaghettis and pastas
- refined rice
- chocolate
all promote an acid state in our body fluids. Dairy foods, potatoes and onions are mostly neutral, and fruits, vegetables, beans and soy are on the alkaline side. PH balance
Occasionally I am contacted by confused clients who have found conflicting information from different experts concerning the pH of a food: I received this EXCELLENT clarification from another of my contacts, who like me is a long-time student of this health element: PH balance
“There is a lot of double talk by so-called experts. In some cases, the references are just the opposite of what they should be – I found that the reason apparently is that some experts are referring to the acid/alkalinity of food BEFORE these foods are eaten. There is a chemical change in the body which converts the (e.g.) acidity to alkalinity AFTER ingestion of the food. This is known as the ASH. This should take out a lot of confusion about the chemical formation of the different foods. PH balance
Modifying the diet is the first step along the road to moderating pH; if diet fails, stress is the next consideration, and if controlling stress still leaves one in an acidic state, then adding a digestive enzyme with Betain Hydrochloride (or even, in extreme cases, HCl as a standalone) may bring about the desired result. PH balance
There are some “superfoods” that are natural buffers that I use and recommend frequently. A natural buffer is a substance that counteracts the acid state of the body, and chief among them are concentrated green foods like
- barley grass
- spirulina
- Chlorella
- and some wonderful combinations of dried vegetables, sea vegetables and cereal grasses. PH balance
As a side note, I often have people tell me that their arthritis has been helped by taking a green food, and this is part of the reason why: people with arthritis are almost without exception highly acidic, which is a pro-inflammatory state. All concentrated green foods are helpful in alkalinizing pH. PH balance
Chronic acidosis also affects the function of the liver, causing congestion:
when the liver is not functioning properly, inflammation can result:
correcting this condition will also be of benefit in arthritis.
The other buffers I use and recommend most frequently because they are healthful in many other ways also, are PH balance
- Brewers Yeast ( a natural source of B vitamins, selenium and chromium, among other things)
- powdered Lecithin (a concentrate of the Phosphatides in soy)
- Bee Pollen
- Kelp.
- Vitamin C (as Ascorbate for blood type O, as ascorbic acid for others) is an option that can have other benefits for those whose faulty pH accompanies a severe disease state where low immunity is a factor. Increase the amount of Vitamin C gradually until you have determined what your bowel tolerance is, and when that is established, I recommend using half that amount in the morning and half last thing at night to help regulate the body’s acid balance. PH balance
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I recommend a product by Vaxa called pH Balance.
Stress almost immediately causes acidic conditions in the body. For more about the effect of stress on our health, read my article on Stress and the Adrenal Glands. PH balance
In my article on digestion, you will find information about Hydrochloric acid and digestive health. Since stomach acid is a significant factor in maintaining pH balance, and is affected by stress, you will find that interesting too.
I find it vexing that some Doctors are still recommending Tums as a source of Calcium for their patients: it is a truly ironic recommendation, since Tums is designed to suppress stomach acid, and calcium is very poorly absorbed unless sufficient stomach acid is present. Sufficient HCL in the stomach, and a proper acid environment there, are also essential for keeping the body in proper pH balance.
Lack of acid in the stomach is not only the first obstacle in the absorption of calcium and other important nutrients, but often leads to an acidic condition in the body, which in turn leads to the withdrawal of minerals from the bones; making alkalinizing minerals available is the defensive reaction of the body to correct and neutralize the problem. PH balance
Incorrect breathing can contribute to an acid pH
Shallow, slow breathing means a higher concentration of carbon monoxide in your blood, which can be a factor in your body’s overall pH. Make a point each day of taking a few minutes to practice a regimen of long, deep breaths, involving your entire chest and testing your lung capacity to its extremes. PH balance
When many people give breathing some thought, they realize that most of their lives, they have been either holding their breath, or breathing very shallowly. Breathing deeply helps to calm, which of course is why we say to someone who is distressed – “Now, take a DEEP breath”. Obviously, there is also a breath/stress connection!
Correct Breathing http://www.lifepositive.com/body/body-holistic/breath/breath.html PH balance
At the moment there are no studies that support the importance of acid alkaline pH balance to health, and there are even some respected nutritional authorities that do not agree – Dr. Andrew Weil among them, who comments negatively here. However, in another place he emphasizes the importance of keeping the urine alkaline for urinary tract infections, and I wonder whether perhaps there is some confusion between blood pH ( which is regulated by the body) and urinary and salivary pH, which are at the mercy of the diet. If the pH of the mouth affects caries, and the pH of the bladder affects infections – then I submit that all places in between are also affected by an imbalance. PH balance
Interestingly, scientists are now determining that the pH of our actual oceans is changing, with a concomitant effect on the health of the denizens of the sea. More in RESOURCES at below. PH balance
Find the recommended supplements here
Drinking water and your pH Beware! http://www.watershed.net/purified.htm