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Are You Acid or Alkaline?
Have you ever wondered what it would take to always be healthy? Many doctors, herbalists and nutritionists believe that by maintaining your body’s pH on the slightly alkaline side you never get ill. Dr. William Howard Hay in his book A New Health Era states that all diseases are caused by auto-intoxication (or "self-poisoning") due to high acid levels in the body. More recently, in his book Alkalize or Die Dr. Theodore A. Baroody says: “The countless names of illnesses do not really matter. What does matter is that they all come from the same root cause - too much tissue acid waste in the body!” When the body becomes too acidic many health problems can occur. It is very rare to find someone being overly alkaline. 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 removes them 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. Studies have shown that women who have chronic acidosis are at greater risk for bone loss than those who have normal pH levels. Many bone fractures due to osteoporosis is more prevalent among middle-aged women. These are connected to high acidity caused by a diet rich in animal foods and low in vegetables. This is because the body borrows calcium from the bones in order to balance pH.
If you are experiencing any of the following health challenges you may be too acidic:
- 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
- Low immunity
- Nervousness, restlessness, insomnia
- Moodiness, irritation, mental edginess, impatience, intolerance
- Premature aging
- Osteoporosis, weak, brittle bones, nails, hair, bone spurs
- Joint pain, aching muscles and lactic acid buildup
- Vitamin/mineral deficiency
- Low energy and chronic fatigue
- ...and much more
What does pH mean?
Potential of hydrogen, pH, 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 the solution. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline it has a pH of 7 which is neutral. The human body contains about 70 % water maintaining an acid-alkaline ratio called the pH which is a balance between positively charged ions (acid-forming) and negatively charged ions (alkaline-forming.) This is similar to the workings of a battery. The human body needs to have a positive and a negative to create an electrical current, in other words, energy. Our bodies continually strive to balance pH. When this balance is compromised many problems can occur. For example, the most important fluid in the body is blood, which has a pH level of 7.4, slightly alkaline. If the blood becomes to acidic the heart relaxes and ceases to beat. If the blood is too alkaline, the heart contracts and ceases to beat.Test Your Body's Acidity or Alkalinity with pH Strips:
You can test your pH levels with pH test strips, which are available at drugstores. Knowing where your pH levels are may help you correct any imbalances in the body right away, before foreign invaders settle in. If your urine pH fluctuates between 6.0 to 7.0, your body is functioning within a healthy range. If your 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.How Do You Keep The pH Balance Right?
Diet is one important factor. When ingested, all foods are either acid- or alkaline- producers in the body. To maintain health and well-being eat around 80 % alkaline-producing foods and 20 % acid- forming foods. But, a balanced food intake is not the only factor affecting the pH of the body. Stress, constant worry, nervous tension, shallow breathing, not enough exercise and not enough sleep are other issues that need to be addressed to maintain healthy pH levels in the body.Herbs and Spices Can Balance Your pH
All herbs and spices are alkaline-producers in the body, except garlic. Use them liberally in your kitchen to help you balance your pH. Some people drink alkalizing teas with their meals to assist with digestion and to balance acidic foods. Another way to balance pH is to take alkalizing herbs in the evening. In this way your body will be more alkaline while you sleep.Alkalizer Tea
People say that this tea neutralizes high acidity in the body within just a few hours and therefore would be excellent to drink in the evening and before going to sleep. When the pH is balanced people lose weight, metabolize and absorb their nutrients more efficiently, reducing indigestion and acidity. Available in tea and capsule form.Before Dinner Tea
Your body is able to assimilate minerals and nutrients properly only when its pH is balanced. It is therefore possible for you to be eating healthy foods and yet you are unable to absorb or use those nutrients. Before Dinner Tea can be helpful in preparing your digestive system to receive and assimilate these necessary nutrients more efficiently.After Dinner Tea
This is a good digestive tea to drink warm with your meals, to promote healthy digestion and absorption of nutrients.All Season Cleanse Tea
To maintain the right pH balance, you need to make sure that your internal organs such as the kidneys and the large intestine eliminate waste and toxins efficiently and regularly. Many illnesses are the result of the body’s attempt to clean up its internal environment. All Season Cleanse Tea may assist the cleansing process to help you maintain a clean, healthy body where diseases cannot exist.Balancing The pH
- Eat about 20 % acid-forming foods daily, which you can find in animal foods (meat, eggs whites, fish, milk) a variety of grains, nuts and beans, white sugar, alcoholic beverages, and artificial and chemical additives and drugs.
- Eat about 80 % alkaline forming foods daily, which you can find in fruits, vegetables, some grains, nuts and beans, cheeses, yogurt egg yolks, tea, honey, spices and herbs, natural wines and mineral water.
- To learn more, acid/alkaline charts are available in book stores. These can help you identify which foods produce an acidic condition in the body and which ones produce an alkaline environment.
- Find out more about the importance of food combining. The wrong combination of foods can influence your pH levels too. For example, citrus fruits create alkalinity in the body ONLY when eaten alone. If your orange juice is mixed with your toast and eggs in the morning, it will create an acid body.
- Listen to your body. Many people are able to “feel” if they are acid or alkaline. “Acid people” usually feel uncomfortably hot, experience highly nervous energy, and negative thoughts. People with the right pH (slightly alkaline) are usually balanced, calm and focused.
- Humor creates alkalinity in the body. So, go ahead and have a five minute belly laugh everyday for your overall health and well-being!