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| I deal with pH every day. I have two aquariums and proper pH levels must be
maintained. One tank contains African Cichlids. They are native to a series
of African lakes, where water washes minerals down steep cliffs, creating
an alkaline environment. I keep the pH of that tank at 8.4. The other tank
contains fish native to the Amazon, where water floods the flat lands and
leaches tannic acid from wood, creating an acid environment. I keep the pH
of that tank at 6.5. Needless to say, the fish from one tank will not
survive in the other.
Many of us are living like a fish in the wrong tank. A young child’s pH is
7.4 - slightly alkaline - and this is the pH our body strives to maintain.
If our body’s blood pH varies as much as a point, we can die. Therefore,
the body robs its organs and systems to maintain its blood pH levels. As a
result, over half of American adults have an acid pH of 6.5 or lower, with
some experts placing the American average pH at 5.5.
Degenerative diseases thrive in an acid environment. Cancer, heart
disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, kidney and gall stones, and tooth decay
are associated with excess acidity in the body. For example, the typical pH
level of a cancer patient is an extremely acid 4.3, yet cancer cannot
survive in an alkaline environment. An acid body environment is corrosive
and will literally “interrupt all cellular activities and functions, from
the beating of your heart to the neural firing of your brain.”[1] When your
pH becomes unbalanced, “microbes in the blood can change shape, mutate,
become pathogenic. Enzymes that are constructive can become destructive.
Oxygen delivery to cells suffer[s]. Organs of the body can become
compromised, like your brain or your heart. Mineral assimulation can get
thrown off.”[2] When the body pH is acidic, fatty acids in the blood change
polarity. They switch from a negative electromagnetic charge to a positive
charge, causing them to become attracted to and stick to blood vessel
walls.
As the body becomes more acidic, the acid ions eventually enter the cells,
displacing potassium, magnesium, and sodium. While the displaced sodium is
retained as a defense mechanism against the excess acidity, the magnesium
and potassium are shed from the body. Calcium, magnesium, potassium and
sodium are the minerals that control our sympathetic nervous system (fight
or flight response) and parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest
response). Calcium stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, while
magnesium inhibits it. Potassium stimulates the parasympathetic nervous
system, while sodium inhibits it. In an acid environment, free calcium
stimulates the fight or flight response, yet there is no magnesium to
counter-balance it. Furthermore, excess sodium inhibits our rest and digest
response, yet there is no potassium to stimulate it. The net result? An
overly acidic person is prone to agitation, hyperactivity, anger, ranting
and raving - in essence, burning out. Our pH levels affect us both
physically and emotionally.
| Alkalinity creates. . . |
Acidity creates. . . |
Sense of oneness & harmony
[Environment] for friendly bacteria
Healthy organs & glands
Decreased body aches
Diminished illness
Relaxed behavior
Mucousless body
Cellular health
Well-being
Happiness |
Depression
Irritability
Mucous build-up
Auto-intoxication
Anxious behavior
Increased illness
Cellular degradation
Increased body aches
[Environment] for bad bacteria
Sense of separation & pain [3]
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Our bodies strive to maintain a balanced alkaline environment by tapping
into its reserves of acids and alkaline minerals in the bones, soft
tissues, and body fluids. However, if we continually consume acid-producing
foods, such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, grains, breads (and unfortunately
most carbohydrates), and soft drinks, we overpower the body’s ability to
maintain its alkaline balance. Eat a pH-unbalanced diet over a lifetime and
you breed an acidic environment where life-threatening diseases thrive.
This diet also creates an environment in which candida proliferates. (See
candida)
Some scientists link body pH to
degenerative diseases. The pleomorphic school of thought represents a
paradigm shift away from traditional medicine’s belief that disease is
caused by microbes. For scientists like Enderlein, Naessens, Livingston,
and others, disease is mainly due to an imbalance in bodily function. “An
illness is but one constitutional disease, [a] result of mycotoxicoses
(toxicity brought on by mycotic infection; that is, yeast and fungus
infection, the great decomposers of life.) Understand this, understand
disease.”[4] Disease is in harmony with an acid pH level. As mentioned
before, over-acidity decreases cellular oxygen levels, creating an
anaerobic environment. Yeast, mold and fungus thrive in an anaerobic
environment.
What is your body’s pH? You can test your saliva or urine with pH test
strips. Kits are available at most health food stores. If you like, I can
send you a test strip for free.
If you are overly acidic, you can take steps to reestablish your body’s
natural pH balance. Obviously, eating alkaline foods is a good start. Green
leafy vegetables, broccoli, and spinach are strongly alkaline. Fruits,
vegetables, berries, and dairy are mildly alkaline. You can supplement with
alkaline-forming minerals or acid-binding minerals: calcium, potassium,
magnesium, and iron. These minerals neutralize and eliminate acids and
toxic wastes. Drink fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices.
There are now supplements that support a balanced body pH. Three of these
products are Buffer pH, Megahydrin, and Coral Calcium. Green products such
as barley greens (Green Magma), spirulina, and wheat grass will also help
balance the body’s pH.
[1] http://www.souzaoenterprises.com/pH.html
[2] http://biomedx.com/microscopes/rrintro/rr1.html
[3]http://www.rawhealth.net/bodyph.htm
[4]http://biomedx.com/microscopes/rrintro/rr1.html
(© 2003 Chip Engelmann
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