Stop Acid pH Balance from Leaching the Calcium Right Out of Your Bones.

PH Balance is starting to become the new health fad. But, unlike most fads, there is sound reason to give it your attention. pH is a measurement of acid to alkaline in our internal environment. Our digestive system pH can measure from 4.5 to 9.0.

At 4.5, the most acid side of the range, you are ill, even if the particular disease has not yet manifested. When you are very acid your whole body has to mobilize constantly to drag calcium out of your bones to buffer the acid on its way out of your body. Your immune system becomes compromised. Your body is so busy dealing with acid toxicity that it cannot deal with outer threats. Acidosis will decrease the body's ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease it's ability to repair damaged cells, decrease it's ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumor cells thrive, and make it more susceptible to fatigue and illness.

At 9.0, the most alkaline end of the range you are also not healthy. But this rarely happens. It would be hard to create this condition normally.

The optimal pH range for your body is 7.0 to 7.5. Maintaining your body at this range would mean that you would rarely get viruses or bacterial illnesses. Your body would also stay younger and more robustly healthy longer. This is the ideal.

Our pH numbers also tell us how much oxygen we are carrying in our tissues. Acid levels are oxygen starved and therefore unable to cope with any stressors. Alkaline levels are rich in oxygen and able to benefit the immune system. The numbers increase geometrically, like earthquake numbers, so that 6 is ten times more acid than 7.

   How Do You Test Your pH?

There are two kinds of testers on the market. One is litmus paper, which is made for general acid testing purposes and is not accurate enough for health. The other is a pH Stick that has an extremely accurate reading and is recommended by Dr. Baroody author of "Alkalize or Die." I have this available at the lowest price on my weight vest site - pH sticks .

You can test your saliva or your urine. It is good to test the second urine of the day for an overview of how balanced you were during the night. It is in the night that our bodies have a chance to heal and take out the garbage. They get a break from processing food,  so it is essential that we have an alkaline pH during this time. When you first get the strips, it is also good to test 2 hours after eating to see what foods provoke what reactions in your body. Also try testing after being angry or upset and see what you find.

   What Creates Your pH Level?

Put the simplest way possible, it's a case of Garbage in - Garbage out. We are what we eat and what we think. If we eat foods that leave an acid ash after digestion, then we become acid. If we think anxious thoughts or have too many emotional stresses in our lives we also become acid. The foods that create acid in your system are - here it comes again, the same old list - grains, sugars, meats, fish, processed foods, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, sodas. Too much fat in the diet causes an acid reaction. Fat should be only 20% of your calories.

Vegetables and fruits usually create alkaline ash after digestion. Lemon juice in water is one of the ways you can increase your pH. People find it hard to understand why drinking an acid lemon can create alkalinity. But it is the ash left after the food is burned that determines whether a food will make you more acid or more alkaline. Herbal teas are usually alkaline forming so can be substituted for coffee and black teas.

Raw foods are more alkaline forming than cooked foods. In his book Dr. Baroody goes into proper food choices and food combining in detail. He was the developer of the acid/alkaline scale, 4.5 - 9.0 that is universally used for health purposes. Many other writers have brought out books since his came out in 1991 but his is still the best for a complete understanding of this topic.

Stress, and physical activity (both insufficient or excessive amounts) also cause acidification. As I've discussed on the blog many women are addicted to exercise to an unhealthy degree and that is wearing on the bones as well as the pH balance.

There is a quick fix for an acid pH and that is baking soda. Our bodies normally make sodium bicarbonate themselves but not as much as we need if we eat poorly. You can take baking soda in water with lemon juice for flavoring in the evening before bed so that you will be sure to be alkaline in the morning. This will save your body from robbing your bones of calcium to buffer the acid during the night. If you are feeling as if you may get sick you can take this drink 3 or 4 times a day for a few days to repel any sickness. Dr Mercola recommends it for flu or colds. It is best to use a baking soda from the health food store that is labelled aluminum-free.

   Hydrochloric Acid

Dr. Baroody also explains that as we age our bodies lose the ability to produce the hydrochloric acid (HCL) that we need to digest our food. In a healthy person HCL is necessary for the absorption of amino acids, minerals and vitamins. After doing its job digesting food HCL creates an alkaline ash in the body.

Most older people and many younger ones now, need to supplement with a betaine hydrochloride supplement with every meal. If you are taking ant-acids after meals, that is counter-productive. Take the HCL pill with your meal and you won't have problems with digestion.
HCL kills any toxic microbes that we ingest with our food and cleans up the acid waste generated by poor food choices. It is the first line of defense against an over-acid ph.

   Other Influences on pH Balances

I have found out recently that if you are diabetic, your Krebs cycle that maintains pH balance in the body and manufactures sodium bicarbonate doesn't work so well. So I always have trouble maintaining 7 to 7.5 no matter how well I eat. So now I add some sodium bicarbonate (Arm and Hammer baking soda) to my green drink or to lemon juice in the late morning and before bed and that works well to keep me balanced.

Also music, color, meditation, loving harmony, creativity; all can create a better pH balance in the body. If your work is stressful and you feel unappreciated and underpaid, then you can eat all the veggies in the world and still have acid tissues. You probably know this already. You can't just heal your diet or take supplements to step up on the high road to health. You have to address your whole life.

Forgiveness is good. Carrying old emotional issues along on our backs is pointless. For your own healing let go, bless and release everyone who ever hurt you. Really mean it and feel the relief. Do your best to live in the now moment. Is someone hurting you right now? Usually not.  If they are, then resolve it or move them out of your life.

So many women are willing to settle for a negative relationship in later life. But after 50 it's time to live from a place of peace within ourselves, even if that means living alone. Our later years can be full of worthwhile ventures and good feelings, something to be proud of. We don't have to settle for anything less. When I am with my grandchildren I eat many acid-forming foods but my pH remains stable because of the joy they bring to my life.

Disclaimer: Nothing on this site is to be construed as medical advice. I am not a medical practitioner and have no ability to diagnose or treat disease. This site is intended for informational purposes only. Everyone should make their own health decisions after getting all the information they need.

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