The Acid/Alkaline Balancing Act – How Important is It ????
by Lila Elliott, Penticton, BC

If you were to ask most people today if they understand the importance of the pH balance of the body, most will have that far away stare that answers your question without a word being spoken. The fact of the matter is that most people don’t know that the pH of the blood and tissue is the single most important measurement of the body. Why you ask ? It’s very simple, so let’s start at the beginning.

Our pH scale is very similar to a ruler – the ruler going from 1 to 12 inches with the neutral number (or the number in the middle) being 6.  Our pH (power of hydrogen) scale like the ruler goes from the numbers 1 to 14 with the neutral number (or the number in the middle) being 7. Now this is the important part to understand about your pH scale. Anything below the neutral number of 7 is termed “acid” and anything above the neutral number of 7 is termed “alkaline” or “base.”  In order for us to experience optimum health, science tells us we are in a state of balance at 7.4 (finer distinction being 7.365) on that pH scale.

One interesting thing to note about our pH scale is that as we move backwards from the neutral number of 7, we move to the power of 10. For example, moving backwards from the neutral number of 7 in increments of 1(ie. 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1), if you were to eat something that is a 6 on the pH scale, it will be 10 times more acidic ,  a 5 will be 100 times more acidic, and so on.  Using a soda pop for instance, which registers on the pH scale at approximately a reading of 3, would translate to being 10,000 more acidic than the neutral number of 7.  Does anyone remember the old science test in high school when we took a nail and dropped it into a can of Coke and left it for a few days ?? What happened ?? The nail started to corrode and if you left it in there long enough the nail would completely disappear due to the acidic environment it was placed in. Our bodies are no different. If too much acid is allowed to compromise our internal environments, it is impossible to sustain a healthy body. Scientifically speaking, we know that disease or illness can not get a foothold in a body which is in a state of balance. Now consider this – it takes 20 parts of alkaline or base to neutralize 1part of acid. Based on the Coke story and considering people’s food choices today, is it any wonder we are increasingly becoming SICK AND TIRED ??

The body needs a balance of acid (yeast, bacteria, mold and fungus) and alkaline (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and sodium bicarbonate) in order for all of our body systems to function properly. In a perfect world we would be between 20-30% acid and 70-80% alkaline or base. Most people are not close to these numbers, thereby experiencing a compromised quality of life. In fact, looking at the staggering numbers annually indicating the increasing numbers of people challenged with major disorders, it would appear that more people are in a state of acidosis than not. To take this one step further, it is important to know how this acid/alkaline  imbalance affects your body at the cellular level.

The blood is the “River of Life” in the body. It is the only thing moving from the tip of the toes to the top of the head and is constantly building all our new bone, tissue, muscle and organ through regeneration approximately every 120 days.  If our red blood cells live in an acidic environment, like the nail in the can of Coke, our bodies ability to support healthy red blood cells for regeneration becomes increasingly taxed. As the bloodstream becomes too polluted with acids, the structure of the cell changes through a process called “pleomorphism” which is a term meaning “many forms.” The acidic environment lowers the pH of the blood and tissue making way for illness to get a foothold in the body.

Acidosis initially appears in very subtle ways – low energy, gaining a few pounds, mind fog, mild headaches, just to name a few symptoms and unless correction takes place, the body will continue to manifest more symptoms until something more serious develops. Based on our North American health statistics, that is happening all too often. So how do we know if we are in a state of overacidification?? A simple test can be done with litmus paper purchased from your local health food store. You can test the pH of your urine which should have a reading of between 6.8-7.2 pH as part of your morning regiment. When testing the pH of the urine, pass an initial stream of urine before using your litmus paper under the stream. Simply match the color of the paper to the graph and ……………ta-dahhhhh !! That is all there is to that.

So there you have it. Much more can be said about this but I think we will have to leave that for another time. This will at least get you started on the road to understanding the importance of the acid/alkaline imbalance. 

Warmest Regards,
Lila Elliott

Visit OK in Health`s Natural Health Businesses page for more details about Lila Elliott.

Resources:

"The pH Miracle" , by Dr. Robert O. Young
This book introduces the understanding of the "New Biology" which explains how the cellular level of the body is affected by our lifestyle choices; the way we choose to live, think and eat. The book details practical ways to change your diet based on the acid/alkaline balance and how to unleash the full power your body has to heal itself.

"The pH Miracle for Diabetes" , by Dr. Robert O. Young
Type 11 diabetes is the fastest growing global illness today and has long been considered incurable. Dr. Young's book teaches how this serious dis-ease can be managed by maintaining the proper alkaline environment that your body needs in an all natural approach by slowing, stopping or even reversing the dis-ease and the damage it can cause.

"The pH Miracle for Weight Loss" , by Dr. Robert O. Young
We need to understand the cause of our excess weight before we can understand the cure.This is an excellent book refocusing the common emphasis for weight loss on calorie burning, in favor of the most important thing to weight loss; the right pH balance of the body.