Introduction

There has been a lot of talk lately about pH balance (or the acid/alkaline balance) in the world of natural medicine.  Advocates, and even some natural doctors, believe that maintaining the correct pH within the body is absolutely necessary for good health.  So what causes disruptions in the body’s pH balance anyway?  And what steps can be taken to ensure the correct pH balance?  This is your guide back to a healthy pH for health and longevity.

What is pH?

You probably remember the term pH from high school chemistry class.  The term pH, short for the potential of hydrogen, is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. ¹  The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 0 being the most acidic, 7 being neutral and 14 being the most alkaline. ¹  This is the scale people refer to when they are talking about pH.

In our bodies, the pH of the blood is maintained at about 7.4 (slightly alkaline). ²  If the blood is becoming too acidic, buffers are used to maintain the correct pH.  These buffers are largely the alkaline minerals: calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium. ³  However, it is said that the body has additional means of maintaining the proper blood pH beyond just it’s mineral reserves.

How does pH relate to my health?

If the body is constantly having to buffer acidic blood, then the buffering systems used by the body are exhausted and depleted.  It is possible to become deficient in the following macro minerals: calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium.  These deficiencies can cause all kinds of health problems.  Continuous buffering may also place a heavy burden on the body’s vital organs, which also weakens the body.  Below is a list of some symptoms associated with exhausted alkaline reserves: ⁴

• Loss of drive, joy, and enthusiasm
• Depression
• Irritability
• Nervousness
• Easily stressed
• A pale face
• Eye sensitivity to cold, smoke, etc
• Conjunctivitis (pinkeye)
• Dental cavities
• Stomach pains and spasms
• Gastritis
• Ulcers
• Acid regurgitation
• Runny nose
• Prone to chills
• Frequent colds and bronchitis, sinusitis
• Angina or chest pain
• Osteoporosis
• Joints crack
• Rheumatism
• Arthritis
• Insomnia

It seems that excess blood acidity affects each person differently.  One person might get an acid stomach, while someone else might suffer from arthritis.  Perhaps this is because each person is unique, having their own unique weaknesses, that can be brought about by excess blood acidity.

What causes excess blood acidity?

One of the main causes of blood acidity is simply an unnatural lifestyle.  Examples of an unnatural lifestyle might include: a poor diet, lack of rest/sleep, excessive stress, use drugs and alcohol, cigarettes and negative emotions.

It is also very important to consider hidden causes of blood acidity.  Once a body becomes weakened, there exists a greater potential for mineral imbalances and problems with pathogens. ⁵  Pathogens cause problems like candida, parasitic infections and bacterial infections.  Then a vicious cycle begins because pathogens, mineral imbalances and weakened organs and glands have been known to make the problem of blood acidity worse.

If a person is dealing with the above circumstances, it may be a good idea to focus on eliminating these underlying causes of acidity, while emphasizing an alkaline diet.  Otherwise, one is faced with the constant strain of buffering these additional causes of blood acidity, and an alkaline is a good start but does not address to root of the problem.  Natural medicine says it is always best to address the root cause of a health problem if possible.  Here are some possible hidden causes of excess acidity:

• Mercury toxicity and/or other mineral toxicities ⁵
• Hidden pathogenic infections ⁵
• Mineral imbalances/deficiencies
• Weak adrenals
• Weak liver
• Weak kidneys

Testing your pH

Testing the blood pH is pretty much a waste of time.  Why?  Simply because the blood is buffered to a pH of 7.4 by the body.  Saliva and urine are the other two mediums for measuring pH.  Urine is considered to be less accurate when it comes to measuring pH because of the numerous metabolic processes that take place inside of the body.  The saliva is probably the most accurate indicator of body pH at this time. ⁶

You can test your saliva pH at home by purchasing a roll of pH paper (also called litmus paper) and following these simple steps:

1. Wait at least 30 minutes (preferably 2 hours) after eating a meal.
2. Do not put anything in your mouth 30 minutes prior to performing the test.
3. Wet the end of the pH paper with some fresh saliva, and compare to the color chart (the pH scale) immediately for results.
4. Repeat this process 3-4 times a day after meals to keep track of your pH.
5. We have also heard that a lack of good bacteria in the gut can have an effect on pH readings.  However, we do not know if this information is true.

The alkaline diet

If your pH is low, or you just want to see if eating more alkaline foods will help alleviate your symptoms; you can try the alkaline diet.  There are two types of foods on the alkaline diet: acid forming foods and alkaline forming foods.  The general recommendation to increase your alkaline reserves and improve health is to consume 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acid forming foods.  However, you may need to tilt the ratio of alkaline to acid foods one way or the other, in order to better suit your own needs.  Below are the two categories of foods: ⁷

Note that a food is not necessarily acid forming just because it is acidic.  For example, citrus fruits are alkaline forming.  Why?  Well citrus fruits contain high amounts of potassium; an alkaline forming mineral.  It’s always better to get your alkaline forming minerals as part of an organic complex, as opposed to taking a potassium mineral supplement.  Fruits and vegetables are great for this.

In the end

It has been said that adopting an alkaline lifestyle can help many different ailments.  Whether this is actually true or not remains to be proven.  The best way to determine if an alkaline lifestyle is helpful for you is to give it a try and see if you feel better.  In our experience people sometimes feel worse as they become more alkaline (perhaps because their bodies are detoxifying), and then eventually better and better.  In other words, it sometimes helps to be patient when starting a program to improve body alkalinity.

Sources:

1. pH.  Answers.com.  http://www.answers.com/topic/ph
2. Blood, Sweat, and Buffers: pH Regulation During Exercise.  Rachel Casiday and Regina Frey.  http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~edudev/LabTutorials/Buffer/Buffer.html
3. Acid - Alkaline Balance: Lesson 18.  Natural Health School: An Online Course in Herbalism, Nutrition & Natural Health.  http://www.naturalhealthschool.com/acid-alkaline.html
4. The Acid-Alkaline Diet.  Symptoms linked to Acidic pH.  http://www.acid-alkalinediet.com/acidicph.htm
5. Yeast Syndrome, High Resolution Blood Morphology, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, and The SanPharma Protocol.  Ron Kennedy, M.D.  The Doctors’ Medical Library.  http://www.medical-library.net/content/view/50/41/
6. Dandruff.  Ron Kennedy, M.D.  The Doctors’ Medical Library.  http://www.medical-library.net/content/view/1479/45/
7. Alkaline Forming Foods Vs. Acid Forming Foods.  Arise & Shine Herbal Products.  http://www.ariseandshine.com/alkalineformingfoodsacidformingfoods.aspx

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 at 12:50 pm and is filed under Diet, Disease. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.