Acid-Alkaline Imbalance
Over acidity can become a dangerous condition that weakens all body systems and unfortunately is very common today. When out of balance, it gives rise to an internal environment which can be conducive to disease, fatigue and ill health, 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 excess acids must be neutralized our alkaline reserves are depleted leaving the body in a weakened condition. A pH balanced diet, according to many expert, is a vital key to maintaining optimum health and vitality.
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 accumulated in the body.
- 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!"
Understanding Our Body pH
pH (potential of hydrogen) 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.
Water is the most abundant compound in the human body, comprising 70% of the body. The body has an acid-alkaline ratio called the pH which is a balance between positively charged ions (acid-forming) and negatively charged ions (alkaline-forming). Our body's pH level is slightly alkaline, with a normal range of 7.36 to 7.44. The body continually strives to balance its pH. When this balance is compromised many problems can occur.
It is important to understand that we are not talking about stomach acid or the pH of the stomach. We are talking about the pH of the body's fluids and tissues which is an entirely different matter.
Problems We Likely To Be Exposed If We Do Not Control Our pH Level
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 remove it 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.
Mild acidosis can cause problems such as:
- 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
- Immune deficiency
- Acceleration of free radical damage, possibly contributing to cancerous mutations
- Hormone concerns
- Premature aging
- Osteoporosis; weak, brittle bones, hip fracture and bone spurs
- Joint pain, aching muscles and lactic acid build-up
- Low energy and chronic fatigue
- Slow digestion and elimination
- Yeast/fungal overgrowth
Restoring pH Balance in The Body
Your body is able to assimilate minerals and nutrients properly only when its pH is balanced. It is therefore possible for you to be taking healthy nutrients and yet be unable to absorb or use them. If you are not getting the results you expected from your nutritional or herbal program, look for an acid-alkaline imbalance. Even the right herbal programs may not work if your body's pH is out of balance.
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