Alkaline/Acidic Balance
Have you ever wondered if many of the diseases raging through our society have a common cause? Many doctors, herbalists and nutritionists believe that the explanation may come down to three words: Acid Alkaline Imbalance.
Over acidity, a condition which can become dangerous and can weaken 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.
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 caused by autotoxication (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 alkalis 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.
More recently, in his remarkable book Alkalize or Die, Dr. Theodore A. Baroody says essentially the same thing:
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!
Theodore A. Baroody, N.D., D.C., Ph.D.
The alkaline/acidic balance in the body is required for optimal health. The body will do whatever it needs to do in order to maintain this balance. The body's alkaline/acidic balance is between 7.35 -7.45 on the PH scale where 7 is neutral: a higher PH is alkaline and a lower PH is acidic. Lately they have associated almost all disease with an acidic bodily environment called acidosis.
What is Acidosis?
Acidosis is a term used to indicate that the overall PH level in the body is below 7 on the PH scale indicating an acidic state. This is a concern because acid in the body is treated as a toxin and has been proven to be an environment in which disease can thrive.
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 lifestyle. Refer to the recommended reading for specific help with diet and lifestyle.
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.
How does the body deal with an acidic environment?
The alkaline/acidic balance in the body is affected by the foods we eat, the lifestyle we live and the stress in our environments. When there is too much acid in the bloodstream, the body will attempt to convert the acidic wastes into a solid in order to remove these elements from circulating around the body and causing further damage. One area where the body stores acidic waste is in the fat tissue. If the body doesn’t have any fat it will create some for this storage purpose. Examples of solidified acidic waste are cholesterol, fatty acid, uric acid and kidney stones. These by products are poisonous and need alkaline minerals to neutralize their effects in the body. With a shortage of alkaline minerals, the body uses skeletal calcium to neutralize these acidic wastes and voila the beginning of osteoporosis.
One of the biggest problems of acid waste is the effect it has in the blood stream. Acid coagulates the blood making it thicker and causing a reduction in the flow of blood throughout the body – High blood pressure. Also depending on where the body stores the acidic waste, the blood circulation around that area becomes compromised. If this area happens to be around a vital organ, eventually this organ begins to dysfunction due to a decrease in the blood supply. Many adult degenerative diseases are a result of poor circulation and accumulative acidic waste. Adult type 2 diabetes is caused mainly by an accumulation of acid around the pancreas – the insulin producing organ.
Malignant cancer cells are acidic and healthy cells are alkaline. Cancer cells are formed as a method of preservation. When an area in the body is acidic, healthy alkaline cells move away. However some cells attempt to adapt to this new environment, mutating for adaptation – cancer.
Acidosis can cause such problems as:
Cardiovascular damage, Weight gain, obesity and diabetes, Bladder conditions, Kidney stones, Immune deficiency, Slow digestion and elimination, Yeast/fungal overgrowth, Lack of energy and fatigue, Lower body temperature, Tendency to get infections, Loose and painful teeth, Inflamed, sensitive gums, Mouth and stomach ulcers, Cracks at the corners of the lips, Excess stomach acid, Acceleration of free radical damage, Hormonal problems, Premature aging, Osteoporosis and joint pain, Aching muscles and lactic acid buildup, Low energy and chronic fatigue, Loss of drive, joy, and enthusiasm, Depressive tendencies, Easily stressed, Pale complexion, Headaches, Inflammation of the corneas and eyelids, Gastritis, Nails are thin and split easily, Hair looks dull, has split ends, and falls out, Dry skin, Skin easily irritated, Leg cramps and spasms.
Prevention is possible and with knowledge we can all reduce the acidic waste accumulation in our bodies