pH Balancing
Have you ever wondered if the diseases in our society have a common cause? Many doctors, herbalists, and nutritionists believe that the explanation may come down to two small words...

Acid / Alkaline
High acidity can become a dangerous condition that weakens all major body systems. It makes your internal environment conducive to disease. A pH-balanced environment, on the other hand, allows proper metabolic functioning and gives your body resistance to disease. A healthy body maintains alkaline reserves that are used to meet emergency demands.

pH measures the balance between positively and negatively charged ions in the body fluids, i.e. blood, urine and saliva. A low pH number (below 7) indicates that your body fluid is on the acidic side. A high pH number (above 7) indicates you have alkalinity. A pH of 7.0 is considered neutral; this is the pH of distilled water. This delicate balance can be an important indicator of overall health.

Researchers find that most people are at least slightly "acidic"; their pH is low. If your pH is too acidic, your body borrows minerals - such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium - from vital organs and bones to neutralize and remove the acid.

Although high acidity may not be outwardly noticeable, it can severely affect overall health in a negative way. Alkalinity in the body is much more rare, but just as potentially serious. It often takes longer for a person who is "alkaline" to achieve balance than one who is "acidic."

The concept of acid alkaline imbalance as the cause of disease is not new. In 1933 a New York doctor named William Howard Hay published a ground-breaking book, "A New Health Era" in which he maintains that all disease is cause by autointoxication (or "self-poisoning") due to acid accumulation in the body:

"Now we depart from health in just the proportion to which we have allowed our alkalies to be dissipated by introduction of acid-forming food in too great amount... It may seem strange to say that all disease is the same thing, no matter what its myriad modes of expression, but it is verily so." William Howard Hay, M.D.

Understanding pH
pH (potential of hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14 — the lower the pH the more acidic the solution, the higher the pH the more alkaline (or base) the solution. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline it has a pH of 7, which is neutral.

Water is the most abundant compound in the human body, comprising 70% of the body. The body has an acid-alkaline (or acid-base) ratio called the pH, which is a balance between positively charged ions (acid-forming) and negatively charged ions (alkaline-forming.) The body continually strives to balance pH. When this balance is compromised many problems can occur.

It is important to understand that we are not talking about stomach acid or the pH of the stomach. We are talking about the pH of the body’s fluids and tissues, which is an entirely different matter.

Test Your Body’s Acidity or Alkalinity with pH Strips
It is recommended that you test your pH levels to determine if your body’s pH needs immediate attention. By using pH test strips, you can determine your pH factor quickly and easily in the privacy of your own home. If your urinary pH fluctuates between 6.0 to 6.5 in the morning and between 6.5 and 7.0 in the evening, your body is functioning within a healthy range. If you saliva stays between 6.5 and 7.5 all day, your body is functioning within a healthy range. The best time to test your pH is about one hour before a meal and two hours after a meal. Test your pH two days a week.

Most people who suffer from unbalanced pH are acidic. This condition forces the body to borrow minerals — including calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium — from vital organs and bones to buffer (neutralize) the acid and safely remove it from the body. Because of this strain, the body can suffer severe and prolonged damage due to high acidity — a condition that may go undetected for years.

Even mild acidosis can cause such problems as:
· Cardiovascular damage, including the constriction of blood vessels and the reduction of oxygen.
· Weight gain, obesity and diabetes.
· Bladder and kidney conditions, including kidney stones.
· Immune deficiency.
· Acceleration of free radical damage, possibly contributing to cancerous mutations.
· Premature aging.
· Weak, brittle bones, hip fractures and bone spurs.
· Joint pain, aching muscles and lactic acid buildup.
· Low energy and chronic fatigue.

Minerals Buffer Acids - A recent study conducted at the University of California-San Francisco on 9,704 postmenopausal women showed that those who have higher acidity levels (also called chronic acidosis) from a diet rich in animal foods are at greater risk for lower bone density levels than those who have "normal" pH levels. The researchers who carried out this study hypothesized that many of the hip fractures prevalent among older women correlated to higher acidity from a diet rich in animal foods and low in vegetables. The body apparently borrows calcium from the bones in order to balance pH, and this calcium borrowing may result in a decrease in bone density. -American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Jan. 2001, Vol. 73, No.1, pp. 118-122.

Urine pH - Urinary pH levels can indicate how well your body is assimilating minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. These are called the "acid buffers" because they are used by the body to control acid levels. When acid levels begin to increase, the body becomes less capable of excreting acid. It must either store the acid in body tissues, or buffer it-that is, borrow minerals from organs, bones, etc., in order to neutralize the increase in acidity. Urinary pH should fluctuate between 6.0-6.4 in the morning and 6.4-7.0 in the evening.

Saliva pH - You’ll also want to test the pH of your saliva. The results of saliva testing can indicate the activity of digestive enzymes in your body, especially the activity of the liver and the stomach. This reveals the flow of enzymes running through your body and shows their effect on all the body systems and your tissues. Some people will have acidic pH readings from both urine and saliva-this is referred to as "double acid." Salivary pH should stay between 6.4 and 7.5.

Over acidity, which can become a dangerous condition that weakens all body systems, is very common today. It gives rise to an internal environment conducive to disease, as opposed to a pH-balanced environment which allows normal body function necessary for the body to resist disease. A healthy body maintains adequate alkaline reserves to meet emergency demands. When access acids must be neutralized our alkaline reserves are depleted leaving the body in a weakened condition.

Keeping the Balance Right for Excellent Health
Your body is able to assimilate minerals and nutrients properly only when its pH is balanced. It is therefore possible for you to be taking healthy nutrients and yet be unable to absorb or use them. If you are not getting the results you expected from your nutritional or herbal program, look for an acid alkaline imbalance. Even the right herbal program may not work if your body’s pH is out of balance.

What if I’m Acidic?
By far the most common imbalance seen in our society is over acidity. If your urine and/or saliva test in the acidic range start with steps 1, 2 and 3 below and continue adding steps until desired results are achieved. Be sure to monitor your progress with easy-to-use pH test strips:

1. Enzymes are essential: Raw foods are loaded with natural digestive enzymes. Strive to eat something raw at each meal and also take natural digestive enzymes with every meal. If you have both over-acid urine and saliva, also take digestive enzymes between meals on an empty stomach.
2. Correct calcium is needed: Calcium naturally buffers acid. Take a look at your nutritional intake of calcium derived from food sources. If you are falling short after supplementation with your natural Multi-vitamin/mineral (every adult needs to take a multivitamin daily) additional supplementation is necessary with additional calcium/magnesium. Read your labels carefully to ensure the proper calcium to magnesium ratios of 2:1.
3. Alkaline minerals are essential: Again, take a close look to your natural Multi-Vitamin/Mineral and additional supplementation may be necessary to aid in your over acidic condition.
4. Anything green is alkaline: Eat more fruits and vegetables and less animal products.
5. Vitamin A & D hold calcium in the body. Taking Vitamin A & D will help the body buffer acid.
6. Cleanse as needed: Take a natural bowel regulator at bedtime to maintain regular bowel movements. Use a complete cleansing and detoxification program at least twice a year for liver, bowel and kidney detoxification.

What Causes Me to be Acidic?
The reason acidosis is more common in our society is mostly due to the typical American diet, which is far too high in acid-producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy, and far too low in alkaline-producing foods like fresh vegetables. Additionally, we eat acid-producing processed foods like white flour and sugar and drink acid-producing beverages like coffee and soft drinks. We use too many drugs, which are acid-forming; and we use artificial chemical sweeteners like NutraSweet, Equal, or aspartame, which are extremely acid-forming. One of the best things we can do to correct an overly-acid body is to clean up the diet and life-style. Refer to the recommended reading for specific help with diet and life-style.

What if I’m Overly-Alkaline?
Alkalinity is relatively rare, but if your urine and/or saliva consistently test above 7.0 pH, start with steps 1, 2 and 3 below and continue adding steps until the desired results are achieved.

Be sure to monitor your progress with easy-to-use pH test strips. You will notice that some of these steps are the same as those recommended above for an overly acidic condition. This is because such steps are balancing, tending to bring the pH back toward normal no matter which direction it has gone:

1. Enzymes are essential: Raw foods are loaded with natural digestive enzymes. Strive to eat something raw at each meal and also take natural digestive enzymes with every meal. If you have both over-acid urine and saliva, also take digestive enzymes between meals on an empty stomach.
2. Correct calcium is needed: Calcium naturally buffers acid. Take a look at your nutritional intake of calcium derived from food sources. If you are falling short after supplementation with your natural Multi-vitamin/mineral (every adult needs to take a multivitamin daily) additional supplementation is necessary with additional calcium/magnesium. Read your labels carefully to ensure the proper calcium to magnesium ratios of 2:1.
3. Vitamin C: Use Vitamin C Ascorbates. Use 3,000 mg or more, to maximum bowel tolerance. (If diarrhea occurs, reduce intake.)
4. Flax Seed Oil: Use capsules 3 times a day or 2 tablespoons of oil daily.
5. Anything green is beneficial. Eat more raw foods daily.
6. Take a natural bowel regulator at bedtime to maintain regular bowel movements. Use a complete cleansing and detoxification program at least twice a year for liver, bowel and kidney detoxification.

Note that a food’s acid or alkaline-forming tendency in the body has nothing to do with the actual pH of the food itself. For example, lemons are very acidic, however the end-products they produce after digestion and assimilation are very alkaline so lemons are alkaline-forming in the body.

Likewise, meat will test alkaline before digestion but it leaves very acidic residue in the body so, like nearly all animal products, meat is very acid-forming.

Internal pH
Your internal pH balance is very important, but few medical practitioners in Western medicine are even aware of how it plays a major role in causing almost all disease. So let’s begin with some very basic information on the subject of pH.

What’s "pH" ?
You’ve probably heard from many different sources, that the human body is approximately 80% water. All that water has a biological purpose; it is the basic component of the various mediums that allow nutrients and various chemicals to be transported from one place to another. These water-based mediums can have either acid or alkaline properties. These properties are measured by what we call pH. How pH affects the body is called the "pH Factor." When the acid and alkaline properties are of equal strength, we say the pH is balanced.

Is A Balanced pH important?
Extremely important! Since most of the body is water-based, the pH level (acid-alkaline level) has profound effects on body chemistry, health and disease. Extended pH imbalances of any kind are not well tolerated by the body. Indeed, the entire metabolic process depends on a balanced pH. The management of the pH factor is so important that the body has developed strict accounting procedures to monitor acid-alkaline balances in every cell and biosystem. Fundamentally, all regulatory mechanisms (including breathing, circulation, digestion, hormonal production, etc.) serve the purpose of balancing pH, removing the normally metabolized developed acids and toxins from body tissues/systems without damage to living cells.

Otherwise, an acid pH will develop. The body needs balance to allow it to maintain health. Our temperature is balanced at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. We can be several degrees out of balance before becoming seriously ill. However, pH balance is far more critical. The slightest imbalance will cause serious illness and disease. The body will do whatever necessary to maintain this balance, and it continually steals acid-neutralizing minerals (such as calcium) in its attempt to maintain a healthy balance. Understanding this makes you realize why most elderly people experience osteoporosis after a lifetime of consuming acid-producing nutrients. Only fresh fruits and vegetables are alkaline producing to help your body maintain a healthy pH balance.

What’s An Acid pH?
An acid pH, or "acidosis," is the term used to describe the imbalanced acidic condition of all our body fluids. Virtually all cellular functions of the body are sensitive to the pH of their fluids. If the pH deviates too far to the acid side, cells become poisoned in their own toxic acidic wastes and die.

Is An Acid pH Really That Dangerous?
Yes, it is! Nothing does well in an acid pH medium. For instance, "acid rain" destroys the natural environment, killing plants and trees, poisoning the life in all lakes and rivers. An acid pH is even more dangerous for your body, continuously corroding all body tissue, slowly eating into the 60,000 miles of our veins, arteries and capillaries like acid eating into marble. If left unchecked, it will interrupt all cellular activities and functions, from the beating of your heart to the neural firing of your brain... An acid pH interferes with all life itself!

What Causes An Acid pH?
Diet appears to be the major influence in maintaining appropriate pH levels throughout the body. Research demonstrates that when food is metabolized and broken down, it leaves certain chemical and metallic residues, a noncombustible "ash" which, combined with our body fluids, yields either acid or alkaline potentials of pH. Certain foods are "acid-forming" in nature, whereas others are known to be "alkaline-forming."

Which Foods Are Acid-Forming? And Which Ones Are Alkaline-Forming?
Most high protein foods (such as meat, fish, poultry and eggs), nearly all carbohydrates (including grains, breads, pastas) and fats are acid-forming. And most fruits and vegetables are alkaline forming. Although citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruit, contain organic acids and may have an acid taste, they are not acid forming when metabolized and leave an alkaline residue.

How Do I Know If I Have An Acid pH?
By testing your pH! You can determine quickly and easily, in the privacy of your own home, what your pH is. Test Strips can determine your urinary pH, which is generally a good indicator of how acid or alkaline your total body pH is. When urinary pH is continuously between 6.0 and 7.0 (depending upon the time of day), you’re functioning in a healthy range.

Is An Acid pH Common?
Yes, very common, but not at all healthy! The bulk of our western diet is made up of acid-forming foods. Most of us habitually consuming a diet high in protein, high in carbohydrate, high in fat and very little, if not completely inadequate amounts of fruits and vegetables. That means that most of us will experience a continual acid pH. And the older we are, the more "acid" we tend to become.

Can I Get Rid Of An Acid-pH?
YES! Watching your diet can help, especially by increasing the number of fruits and vegetables you eat while decreasing the amounts of acid-forming foods consumed. If you’re like me, that means changing your entire diet and your way of life. But there are other easier ways to get your pH back into balance.

I have changed my eating habits very little. With the help of readily available products I have a perfectly balanced pH and still enjoy almost all of my favorite foods. I have tried many products and technologies at one time or another and I can tell you from experience that most of them work very well. I am continually experimenting with new discoveries as I find them. I guess I feel like having many choices available is a good thing. (It’s like ice cream — I love the choices of 31 flavors!)

Acid vs. Alkaline producing foods
This chart represents the result of what happens when these foods are digested with regards to the acid and alkaline balance in the body. If you are eating primarily acid producing foods that products and acid environment within your body. If you are attempting to correct an over acidic condition your food choices should come from the alkaline side of the chart. Please note: this does not mean that you can never eat foods on the acid side of the chart, just that if you do, try to also contain within that meal foods from the alkaline portion of the chart. This is not a list of the only foods that you may eat, just an example of common foods and their acid/alkaline result within the body.