Table of Contents
Acidic pH Remedies
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"Acid-base homeostasis is the part of human homeostasis concerning the proper balance between acids and bases, in other words the pH. The body is very sensitive to its pH level. Outside the range of pH that is compatible with life, proteins are denatured and digested, enzymes lose their ability to function, and the body is unable to sustain itself.
The kidneys maintain acid-base homeostasis by regulating the pH of the blood plasma. Gains and losses of acid and base must be balanced. The study of the acid-base reactions in the body is acid base physiology.
Buffering agents
Any substance that can reversibly bind hydrogen ions is called a buffering agent. They function to impede any change in pH. Hydrogen ions are buffered by extracellular (e.g., bicarbonate, ammonia) and intracellular buffering agents (including proteins and phosphate)." (Wikipedia)
Additional remedies for Balancing pH Levels besides this page:
Ted's Alkalizing Formulas
DISCLAIMER
Our readers offer information and opinions on Earth Clinic, not as a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone on this site. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.
TED'S REMEDIES
08/13/2006: Ted from Bangkok, Thailand writes: "Modern medicine, especially human medicine does not attempt to get people to control their pH to be alkaline. This can be significant, not just in our own health, but this can also be observed in the foods we eat. For example, an excerpt from Science Daily:
"...the Japanese were selecting not by color, but by what color indicated: pH, a measure of acidity or alkalinity. Darker pork has a slightly higher pH than lighter pork. A higher pH means there's less acid -- acid that damages muscle proteins and causes meat to be pale and watery."
Now just imagine what happens to your body if you don't care what happens to your pH or do not take the effort to take baking soda and citric acid to alkalize your body. Your muscles, maybe even your heart becomes damaged muscle protein and your entire body ages much more quicker. If your heart muscle breaks down, one can imagine the possibility of heart disease. Perhaps muscle aches and pains are a part of the destructive process of our muscle protein breaking down due to acid pH. pH nutrition therefore is important.
Even the pork industry now recognizes the advantages of producing pigs with alkaline pH to get them more healthier. It therefore makes sense that to prevent our body's own protein from breaking down that the alkaline pH just doesn't only cover the pork we eat, but our own health and our pets too."
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03/05/2005: Ted from Bangkok, Thailand writes: "Bowel movements is a poor measurement of optimal health while the body's pH balance is more important. A blood pH if varies only very tiny and a change in blood pH of 0.5 will mean certain death. Kidney is lot a shock absorber excreting or excess pH, etc.
If the urinary pH is more than 8.0 the bowel movements increases to diarrhea and poor digestion ensues. If the your body's pH is below 5 that is dangerous and means constipation and infection.
While the body's bowel movement are somewhat related to pH, diets varies. Ayurveda has not yet discovered the importance of maintaining optimal pH because pH meters were not used by ancient Indians. So if you want a diet, one size fits all, monitor your pH and vary your diets accordingly.
In England during ancient times, there was a man (a farmer) who lived to be over 200 years old. The king invited him to a party and after a long party he died from rich foods and alcohol. The surgeon, upon inquiry did an autopsy to find out he lived so long. As it turns out he had a very healthy intestinal tract from consumption of high fiber diets necessary for healthy intestinal flora. In fact it is so healthy than those he had seen. And my guess is his body's pH must be well within optimal range, before he ate rich foods which seriously detracts his pH balance and died.
Since we humans don't agree as to what constitutes a healthy diet, we can certain agree to maintaining the right pH, the right amount of water and we can certainly agree that high fiber diets are good for you. Bowel movements is very much related to pH, bacteria from food sources, nitrate toxicity, and optimal dietary intake more than anything else. I cannot say how many bowel movement is good for you. I am certain about once you pass your age of maturity, that calcium is not good for you, taking vitamin C daily is good for you. I have this to say about vitamin C: dogs don't get white hair as they age, because their livers produce vitamin C. About two years ago my head was full of white and gray hair, and my barber discovered that. Within three months, I took 5 grams of vitamin C every day.
I went to see the barber again. He was absolutely surprised that my white hairs were gone. Vitamin C increases nitric oxide which is responsible for getting our natural hair color, and also increase copper utilization, which gives the color its natural hair back. I am not the only case. My sister got white hair last year. I gave her vitamin C. It worked. There are many other cases where this has worked, but they took colloidal copper. They also furnish the photographic evidence as proof. GO here for links:
www.subtleenergies.com/ormus/tw/bcbeard.htm
www.subtleenergies.com/ormus/tw/m-copper.htm
What I am sure about is we don't eat enough complex carbohydrates enough, eat too much meat, and not enough fishes. We should stay away from supermarket vegetable oils. The usual rules applies, but one added rules is to eating eat low energy high bulk food: which means less calories and fuller stomach. The foods we eat today are energy dense, nutrition scarced foods. Fiber is good for you so don't count your bowels, but count your pH and count your bacteria."
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Ted from Bangkok, Thailand writes: "
For nearly 25 years, I have been controlling by body's pH level, mostly intuitively. And it helped me survive colds, flu, etc., because of this. Therefore, I recently decided to get myself a small electronic pH meter. This will measure both my salivary pH and urinary pH.
These units are quite revealing about your health. The ideal urinary pH and salivary pH has to be BOTH 6.4 pH. Why this is so important is that this is the best pH in which your body will absorb minerals.
Also, whenever salivary/urinary pH are off, this means that your body is either too acidic or too alkaline. For example, recently I had a bad pain in my leg. After testing my urinary pH, it was acidic while the other was 6.8. It means the body is trying to get rid of excess acidity.
So therefore I decided to supplement myself with 1-2 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate and some potassium bicarbonate. Magnesium bicarbonate is what your body needs for intracellularly (inside the cells) but they are harder to make because I would need magnesium carbonate and mix it with soda water.
A simpler way is to use magnesium chloride. On the other hand if the urinary pH is highly alkaline and the salivary pH is acidic it means there is a likelihood of cancer, or fungus infection.
This is a dangerous situation which reveals your body desperately needs anionic minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, sodium. Calcium is a tricky issue, but you need in smaller amount. Also it reveals the need to alkalinize and reduce protein intake. Salivary pH signifies digestive enzymes while urinary pH singifies mineral and electrolyte balance.
There are some other examples. I also bought a urinary conductivity meter, which measures in the unit of microsiemens, as a unit of conductivity.
If you were to do urinary conductivity, it will also reveal, if it is too conductive - which is a problem for me - means I do not drink enough water.
If the urinary conductivity on the other hand is below normal, which is quite common for people in the United States, it means mineral depletion or electrolyte depletion, which is common amongst atheletes.
Usually the average urine conductivity is between 4200-4900 microsiements. My urinary conductitvity recently went over the roof at 9500 microsiements which reveals that my kidney is could fail from unnecessary work since I don't drink that much water, especially during the evening hours.
There is a superstition that I will disprove based on my experiments with urinary conductivity. It is a commonly held belief that you should not drink water when you are eating food since you will dilute the digestive juices.
Based on my test, my urinary conductivity went over the roof (over 9000 microsiemens) if I did, which means that if you do not drink while eating food, you could destroy your kidneys since the urinary concentration electrolyte is far too great than nature intended and the kidney must work far too hard.
The reason is simple: most foods we eat are already too high in sodium as it is. Therefore the problems does not lie with digestive juices, the problems lies with you killing your kidneys! Also, my salivary pH went acid (less than pH of 5) if and when I try not to drink water while I was eating.
Based on these tests, it seems the most important lesson is to use urinary conductivity to measure the ideal amount of water you should drink. While your pH is used to determine whether your body is properly absorbing the required mineral or not from the foods we eat. It seems to me that pH seems to go off before I get sick. So these meters can really be a prevention as well.
Another lesson I learned from these pH meters is my body is most acidic between 2.00 am to 3.00 am. This is the time when your body has maximum toxic load. It is also the time when your body needs to alkalize. This is why I take some baking soda if my pH suddenly become acid during the night and the necessity to drink more water than necessary during the night.
This is probably the reason why most people die between 2-3 am. when they sleep - the body's toxic load is at maximum and people don't drink enough water before they are sleeping (too lazy to go to bathroom) or alkalize their blood before they sleep. Acidic pH also reveals you are eating too much meats, porks or snacks. These meters will tell you therefore what to eat.
And remember: the most healthy water to drink is dechlorinated water. Based on a research by Dr. Price, all chickens raised in dechlorinated water are free from heart problems and growth of chickens are well developed. While chickens on chlorinated water have heart problems and stunted growth. My bean sprouts normally grows about 1/2 inch using ordinary water. When I added a dechlorinator, it grew during the same period about 6 inches. Also, our body absorbs a lot of chlorine while taking a bath, you need to add a dechlorinator there as well or else your body will absorb chlorine.
I got a little known meter called Index for pH meter, conductivity meter, and Oxidation Reduction Potential meter. If I have any money left, I will try to get a Refractometer which measures sugar levels between 1-10. In Bangkok, I think the have 1-100, which is less precise, but it is better than nothing.
I got my meters from a chemical supply company or a chemical equipment retailer, which sells it to me. Most of these devices are used in the field of agriculture, but it can equally and much more worthy if it is used for monitoring your own optimum health.
Let me summarize some of the devices here.
In my personal opinion, I think conductivity, is most important since it monitors the level of urine conductivity. This is important on two counts. One if the conductivity is too high, you don't drink enough water. Second, if conductivity is too low, you have a mineral imbalance, or electrolyte depleted. Your body is not properly hydrated and you are destroying your kidney from overwork if the conductivity is too high.
The second most important meter is the pH meter, which monitors of course your salivary (digestive system) pH and urinary (mineral balance) pH. By keeping your pH ideally at 6.4 (the allowable range is pH 6.1-6.8). At this range all major mineral (potassium, magnesium, calcium, molybdenum, etc.) are most readily absorbed by the body. If your pH is acidic, you will suffer from colds, bacterial infection, fungus, etc. If your body is way too alkaline, your body's digestive is not working properly or the foods are poorly digested. Any values above or below optimum will indicate mineral and electrolyte imbalance.
The third meter I have as yet to discover its important role. It is a popular meter in the alternative health field, which measures whether your body is reducing or oxidizing. What I DO KNOW is that your body's ORP should be lower than that of water. There is an optimum ORP for saliva at 180-220 millivolts and urine of 30-45 millivolts.
What this means is that if your urinary ORP measurements is over 50, it means you are aging rapidly. It means that you are electron deficient. It means that your body anionic/cationic ratios is badly imbalanced. You need to take anionic mineral supplements, or microwater, such as magnesium, potassium, sodium, etc.
You need to drink dechlorinated, defluoridated water. However, if your ORP is below the optimum range, it might mean that you are taking too much anionic foods, which is rare.
The exception is me, I am overdoing it because of the fear of cationic foods, medicines etc. 90% of our processed foods and medicines are cationic and not very health promoting.
In general, I would conclude that ORP looks at how fast you are aging or degrading if it is over the ORP optimum range. One valuable information of ORP has to do with ORP that is way over the optimum, when your body is oxidizing it also means that you might have heavy metal toxicity.
This means there is a lot of free metal radicals accumulating in your body and you may need EDTA therapy to remove the heavy metal out of the body. Long length of time of high ORP may mean heart attack. Oral EDTA might help. The product I use is disodium EDTA. Of course, chlorinated and fluoridate water causes high ORP readings also and you may have to remove this from your food supply.
The fourth meter, not attached here, is the Refractometer or Brix, which checks your sugar level. The optimum urinary Brix is about 1.5. If it is over 1.5 and your friend has a seizure it means you have a high intake of sugar and you must cut down on sugars as a cure for diabetic seizures. Very helpful device if you lack energy, have candida, chronic fatigue, or diabetic. It measures your energy level. Of course, since I haven't purchase this device yet, I will not tell you the details here.
As you can guess it is pretty straight forward device. It is a device which will help tell you when, what, and how much you should eat and drink. It tells you what is causing your health problems from what kinds of foods your body is not accepting. It will also tell you whether all those supplements you are taking is any good. It will also tell you what food is good for you and what foods are bad for you. It will tell you are getting sick before you are sick. In other words, it tells you a lot.
Because of my recent experiments with bean sprouts, I find it necessary to ALWAYS add hydrogen peroxide to the water I drink. Besides, that it is also necessary that I add dechlorinator (only from Sodium thiosulfate please!) and fluoride inhibitor (sodium tetraborate - borax or sodium perborate). A possible fluoride remove is magnesium oxide (but you must leave it in water for 48 hours) which is too long for me.
Now all these information is not all inclusive. If your urine has an ammonia smell, it means your body needs potassium bicarbonate supplements. Most diets are potassium deficient. There is also a possibility you are hydrochloric acid deficient.
Another that I have not shown concerns your urinary nitrate. If your urine has high nitrates of 3 ppm or above, it means you either been eating nitrate rich foods such as bologna, hotdogs, etc. or that your body's is having bacteria infection from nitrate producing bacteria from insufficient Hydrocholoric acid. Magnesium chloride or hydrochloric acid supplements might help restore this deficiency. Of course you need to buy them from the garden shop to tests these yourself.
Somebody has recently inquired me about other meters. Well one another meter might be helpful is ammonia meters. Of course, if your body has high ammonia, supplementation of potassium bicarbonate will help. BUT there is a possibility that your body is also accumulating excess free medical radicals in your heart such as free metal iron as well as other heavy metal toxicity. In this case ORP meter will go way over the optimum confirming the possibility that you might need to take EDTA and magnesium supplements. (Magnesium Chloride helps detoxify the liver somewhat).
This is just a summary of my understanding. Of course I cannot give you any references material since I live in a third world country and books from U.S. are prohibitively expensive here. Therefore, I decided to make my own interpretation, understanding, and observations"
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Ted from Bangkok, Thailand writes: "For the past 2 weeks of experimentation with myself and all the different indicators, I can conclude the following:
As mentioned previously, conductivity is most important and pH comes second. Too conductive means you are taking too little water and lack of conductivity means you lack electrolyte balance and you need to add more to the diet.
I will explain more about controlling pH in this email:
I found that the best way to control pH at optimal range is to use potassium bicarbonate and sodium bicarbonate. These are two very practical ways to get your acid pH urine/saliva up to the optimum. Our diets are usually acid. Acids burn out our cells and causes accelerated aging. Bicarbonate are slightly alkaline and provides the body with the bicarbonate diet needed by the body. The best time to take it is whenever your pH is most acidic, which is during the night. It is best used when pH is around 5.6-5.9 (urinary). However if the pH is below that then somewhat more stronger akalinity is needed. In which case, I turn to potassium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate and sodium bicarbonate mixture. So if you take these, then both your salivary and urinary pH optimum should aligned close to each other. The usual dosage for me is 1/2 teaspoon (of potassium bicarbonate), 1/2-1 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate, now if my pH is very acid, I add 1/8 teaspoon of potassium carbonate).
The reason I don't mention about magnesium bicarbonate is the difficulty of making them for most people who are reading this. The method consists of using one tablespoon of magnesium carbonate to be dissolved in a closed soda water. (You use one of those 1.5 to 2 liter bottles of Coke or Pepsi). Once the cloudy solution is cleared you are done. If it remains cloudy you may need to add more soda water. Magnesium is very important, but I take it from magnesium chloride instead. In rare instances of those who are alkaline (which means pH goes over 7), then it means your digestion is not working. In this case you need to make your body more acidic. The best way, at least for me is to take vitamin C, or sodium acetate (which is vinegar and baking soday mixed together), which is slightly acidic. On the other hand, you can just take vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
The mentioned way of stabilizing your pH is a quick fix, however in the long run, the best way is to eat more alkali forming foods if you are acidic, and acid forming food if you are alkali.
The easy way to remember what foods are acid forming or alkali forming is simple: acid forming foods are protein foods (chickens, pork, meat, beef, eggs and starches) and alkali forming are vegi foods (nuts, vegetables, and fruits).
The reason why we get cancer, virus, etc. usually has very much to do with eating too much acid forming foods. When we eat acid forming foods we also get high nitrates, ammonia wastes, etc.) It is very hard on our body. On the flip side, if we eat too much alkali forming food we get groggy, tired and weak. Moderation is best.
For those people who measure pH you will find that you will constantly (almost everyday) have to alkalize our body because we have obviously very bad diet, even for health conscious people like me!
For those people who measure conductivity, you will find you have take water a lot more often (especially in the night) in case you are already taking supplements. For most people I would imagine that their conductivity will be low, in which case they will have to take mineral supplements or perhaps fulvic acid as well as electrolytes.
It is a bitter learning experience, as these meters will reveal, we don't take care of our bodies as well as we take care of our shiny cars, or the clothes we wear"
EC: *** Ted's Remedies Reader Feedback here. ***
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08/10/2005: Anonymous from Mt. Vernon, Washington writes: "you can get an accurate pH reading by using one drop bromthymol blue in urine and saliva. Reading should be between 6.4 and 6.8. Take the test 1.5 hrs. after eating. Test after eating foods to see how your body reacts. Strips aren't as accurate."
Ted from Bangkok, Thailand replies: "Yes, strips are not accurate. Urinary pH changes very quickly even within 1-2 hours after eating so you don't have to wait that long. This sound like testing them for doing a blood tests. In blood test you must fast for at least overnight. However, urinary pH is fast acting. Also normal salivary pH is frequently over 7. The mentioned method might work for urinary pH. However it is very difficult to know how far off the mark since most urinary pH varies between 5.5 to 7.5. While the mentioned method will tell you reach it, in practice, getting over 6 is usually acceptable. However, there are exceptions such as serious conditions as cancer or flu, in which you have to get them over 7.0 - 7.3 to kill or destroy the virus or cancer.However, i prefer to use digital pH meters since you can calibrate with greater accuracy. At least here in Thailand, the price of a pocket digital pH is the same as the chemical methods, it was rather easy for me to go digital pH. Obtaining a digital pH is easier than getting chemical versions for most people since you can get them at a garden shop or pet shops also"
12/26/2009: Ron from Emporia, Kansas replies: "Hi Ted,I've enjoyed reading your ideas about and experiences with nutrition.
I have read several references to pH by you in other sections of this site and found myself confused on exactly what you might consider the Ideal pH for the urine or saliva. In this section here you described it very well. The Ideal pH of 6.4 and an acceptable range of 6.1 to 6.8 agrees pretty much with the J. D. Jarvis experiments in his book and with the studies of Carey Reams.Thanks for the clarification."
12/27/2009: Ted from Bangkok, Thailand replies: "Dear Ron:The pH I am looking for test is either below or above 7. This is true especially of saliva. So a bromthymol blue measures in a range of only 6.4 to 6.8. Therefore the range of bromthymol blue has some limitations also.
For urine pH the range is 6.5, but for a saliva pH, the ideal pH is around 7.3. Hence the bromthymol blue is more ideal for the measurement of urinary pH.
Mostly the urine pH falls between 6. to 6.8 to be acceptable. But when a person is sick, I need to get the pH of the urine to be closer to 7."
02/04/2010: Gwen from Boulder, Co. Usa replies: "Dear Ted,
I am having a hard time finding out what potassium bi-carbonate is, common name etc...where I can purchase. Don't know what I'm asking/looking for. I also noted you recommended for alkalizing tumors in dogs.
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Sodium bi-carbonate = Baking Soda
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Potassium bi-carbonate = ?
(potassium bitrate = Cream of Tar Tar)
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Magnesium Carbonate = ?
Magnesium sulfate = Epsom Salt
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Please help me clarify these substances. I have googled but found no common name. I have been suffering with abscess on root of tooth that won't come to a head to drain. It is hard to research & maybe others having same problem as me?
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After trying everything holistically suggested on EC, it hit me that the pH most likely the problem. Started Baking soda & am getting some relief & movement. I am 60 yrs old & acid/alkaline balance has a big effect on me. I use the baking soda/lemon or lime etc. process, but would like to know/try ?Potassium Bicarbonate? you suggested.....
Please & Thank you for your time & info.
P.S. Deidre, could I get an email from EC when response comes through? I am desperate!
Many Thanks & Blessings to ALL!
Gwen"
EC: Hi Gwen,
If I can remember, I will send you Ted's response! Perhaps one of our other brilliant contributors can answer your questions in the meantime.
To all - in the next month we will be adding a "notify me" button for registered users.
02/05/2010: Bill from San Fernando, Philippines replies: "Hi Gwen...In answer to some of your questions:
Potassium Bicarbonate: No other name that I know of. Other similar potassium supplements to try are potassium citrate, potassium gluconate and potassium carbonate.
Magnesium Carbonate: Occurs naturally as Magnesite and Dolomite. If you are trying to suppement with Magnesium, there are two methods to do this:
1. By taking Magnesium supplements such as Mag Citrate, Mag Gluconate, Mag Sulphate or Mag Bicarbonate. To make an easy and cheap fortified Magnesium water supplement -- Magnesium Bicarbonate in solution -- using soda water and Phillip's Milk of Magnesia(I do this), see this link here.
http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f11/make-your-own-magnesium-bicarbonate-drink-tastes-sweet-46555/
2. Use Magnesium Chloride or Magnesium Sulphate(Epsom Salts) baths and/or body sprays to absorb Magnesium directly into your body transdermally(through your skin). More Magnesium will be absorbed transdermally than with supplements and this is a very efficient and simpler method than taking magnesium supplements which sometimes causes diarrhea.
I'm sorry that you're suffering from abscess tooth pain. Here are some suggested remedies from Earth Clinic which might help you:
http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/tooth_abcess.html"
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1 QUESTION
[QUESTION] 02/12/2010: Corinna from London, England writes: "Why does everybody want to have alkaline urine?
I recently read the book 'Folk medicine' by D.C. Jarvis that is recommanded by this website. It is very interesting because the good doctor made numerous in-depth studies about acidic and alkaline urine in animals, children and adults. He went about very methodically in years and years of observations and found out clearly that an ACIDIC urine is healthy and that an ALKALINE urine is a sign of stress, over-exhaustion and the onset of disease.
These findings make me happy because they co-incite with my own experiences and those of my family. The healthier we are and the more healthfood we eat the more stable our urine is on the acidic side.
I know that the trend at the moment is that everybody wants to have alkaline urine. But why? Are there any studies or any other proof? When researching this topic years ago I could not find any. Can you enlighten me?"
02/15/2010: The_phoenix from Townsville, Australia replies: "Hi Corinna,
You asked "Why does everyone want to have alkaline urine?' and noted that Jarvis disagrees with this idea.
Great question.
The alkaline theory is very popular and a mainstay of the 'health movement'. For that reason I felt an obligation to get to the bottom of it all but I found that wasn't easy to do, in a short space of time, and that there were contradicting opinions. As well as that the alkaline theory is not all that convincing if studied in detail.
I have too many open dialogues and research projects in progress, at the moment, to do an in depth piece but as a rough idea of my 'starting point' theories:
- HOMEOSTASIS is the first of the UNIVERSAL LAWS that regulate the body
- nature abhors extremes and attempts to maintain homogeneity wherever she can (in physics this operates as entropy)
- the acid-base balance in the body is well regulated (if it wasn't we would die) and the commentators who claim that eating a certain food will acidify or alkalise the blood are on shaky theoretical ground, in many cases
- the body is an entity with a 'ring pass not' that separates it from the surrounding environment i.e.the skin
- the outstanding difference between the body and the bodyNOT (the foreign environment) is that the body is a wet environment (we are energy or electromagnetic beings)
- the skin, which is exposed to the environment, is designed to preserve the inner moisture and its valueable contents
- the three to four places where the skin needs to be extra moist are tucked away within the body (lung, digestive system, bladder and vagina)
Note that technically speaking they are all still external to the body proper where homeostasis is maintained i.e. in the blood and the cellular fluids.
Based on this loose model:
Re Saliva PH -
- I am sceptical that saliva is a true representation of acid-base balance because the mouth is external to the regulated (blood, fluid) system
- chemicals in the mouth are exposed to air, and hence oxidative change, on a continual basis
- the PH of saliva is modified by the enzymes it contains so it might vary depending on whether you are hungry and thinking about food or not (and other factors like emotion/hormones etc)
- the mouth harbours microbes which are excreting byproducts that can alter the PH of the mouths fluids
- food residues, in the mouth, also alter the PH and they can hang around for quite a while
- other fluids are entering the mouth from the nasal passages
I have tried taking saliva PH measurements and I couldn't have a lot of confidence in them, based on the results I obtained. Eventually I put that down to 'all of the above' factors.
Re urine PH -
- the body has acid-base buffer systems that act, in the long term, to maintain blood PH
- CO2 storage and excretion is the main mechanism used to buffer blood PH. This can vary with the depth of the breath etc.
- when oxygen is absorbed in the lungs it is carried by haemoglobin but when energy release in the muscles etc convert it to CO2 only a portion of it is returned to the lungs in this way (by an organic carrier) and the bulk dissolves into the blood as an ionic substance i.e. carbonic acid so, while this is mainly buffered, a small shift to blood acidity is expected in the veins.
- the primary biochemical function of the body is to convert food to energy i.e. sugars comprise the largest chemical mass that must be acquired and processed each day. Acidic byproducts are the result of energy consumption so that acidic excretions in the urine are not unexpected
- the kidneys are an overflow apparatus (as per Jarvis's book) and dump excess chemicals to maintain homeostasis. This is a dynamic process with the focus on short term balance (the other acid-base regulators are long term). Based on this my opinion is that it is normal for the acidity of the urine to fluctuate. Small fluctuations, around a nominal PH of 7 are theoretically normal and large fluctations either way are abnormal (either can occur for short periods without alarm).
- if you are eating lots of loverly fruit then a slight acidic urine is to be expected (this is not a problem because it is an external fluid) while the mineral content of the fruit (if aborbed) will help the body maintain the alkaline balance in the blood because of the high alkaline earth minerals it contains e.g. Potassium
- taking supplemental chemicals to produce alkaline urine is detrimental to health because it forces the system to overwork and dump alkaline ions from the blood to compensate for the temporary flood of alkaline that hits the stomach.
- food combinations are probably a good way to keep a PH balanced input and thus help avoid blood PH swings e.g. almonds are a very alkaline food but if we eat them with some fruit they are balanced out towards becoming a PH neutral food (in the short term) that supports blood neutrality in the long term."
02/16/2010: Bill from San Fernando, Philippines replies: "Hi phoenix...I read your article with interest, though I do disagree with some points. Your belief that alkalizing is not useful for the body's balance and homeostasis -- or specifically useful to maintain the pH of your own body is incorrect from my own direct experience with these remedies.
As you know from another post, I had candida, and the only regimens I took to specifically target the candida were Ted's lime/lemon or ACV and baking soda remedies from this site. This was the main protocol I used for my candida problem. I used no other drugs or special diet here. Other than the normal symptoms described for candida, I was also always constipated and my saliva was always thick and tasted quite sour.
I took Ted's regimen daily, plus molasses and coconut oil every day as well for minerals and the constipation. And I say again, I took no other medical drugs for the candida. The point I'm making here, is that after 8 years of suffering candida and all its various internal and external symptoms, the only possible thing that could have cured it was Ted's alkalizing remedies. But it did take a year of using this protocol to eradicate the candida. And there is absolutely no way I would except any judgement that my candida just disappeared "by itself". If you know anything about fungal infections, rarely do they just go away...
I've also noticed in my own surfings on the internet concerning alternative herbal and chemical therapies, that much of the so called research, for instance, that is supposed to disprove the efficacy of herbs like Pau D'Arco(lepechol) against the likes of cancer and other ailments -- is nothing more than what I call "spoiler research" -- or poorly executed research specifically instigated to fail and disprove any claims made for any herb regarding its efficacy against cancer. They still use the Pau D'Arco herb even now in Brazil and Paraguay as an effective treatment for cancer where it has been used as a reviving tea for centuries(doesn't this alone qualify Pau D'Arco is a GRAS herb?). Fortunately, the dirty influence of the FDA has no reach or influence in South America. And so the US cancer industry -- or cut, poison and burn -- as it is so affectionately called these days, is fully preserved.
You might want to investigate the ordinary chemical called DCA or Dichloroacetate, which is causing quite a stir at the moment regarding a cancer cure. DCA is currently used as an accepted(by the FDA no less) protocol for a genetic lactic acidosis problems. DCA effectively neutralizes the lactic acid and stops the pain of lactic acidosis. Strangely, since the effect of lactic acidosis also occurs widely in cancer due to its method of respiration by glycolisis or fermentation, the neutralization by this acid, as well as the alkalizing effect of the dichloroacetate would seem to be the prime reason for its curative effect on cancer. And yet the pharmaceutical industry have already said quite openly that they are not interested in DCA as a cancer protocol -- no patent possible, so no profit possible. You can study all the evidence for this, just type "DCA cancer" in Google -- you will get thousands of hits.
The difference between your posts concerning the use of, specifically, Ted's alkalizing remedies and my posts on alkalizing, is that I have used all of them, and they have generally been a complete success -- and I still use them. So I am speaking from direct experience and you are from a somewhat weaker position.
Your arguments against alkalizing using the body's mechanism of homeostasis that alkalizes the body on its own, are very poor and lack simple logic I think. For instance, it is well known that the body, when asleep works its hardest to maintain homeostasis, which tries to return the body to a balanced electrolytic state and in particular -- to it's own safe pH zone. Well known also is that the majority of heart attack deaths occur at night when people are asleep. Could it not be that the person's body is just too acid due to excess process food and bad diet and pollution? You make the mistake of just assuming and believing that the body's homeostasis mechanism -- as well as, perhaps, the immune system -- is just in perfect balance all the time. A gross mistake I think.
If you are going to comment and judge any of the protocols on this site, the best way is to try them. I guarantee, from my own experience, that the majority of these protocols are completely safe with little or no side-affects. And they worked for me, and no amount of FDA research spam will change my view at this point.
There's really no argument against that is there ?"
02/16/2010: Cindy from Cochrane, Wi replies: "to Bill from San Fernando - would you share exactly what you did? thank you."
02/16/2010: Bill from San Fernando, Luzon, Philippines replies: "Hi again Everyone...Concerning this acid/alkaline state and what state is good or bad for you, I have read numerous amounts of medical research from Medline, PubMed and other sources concerning viruses, fungus and cancers.
It is fairly well known that either an internal state and pH 9(very alkaline) or 5(very acid) would not be beneficial to your body. Also well known is that cancers, viruses, fungus etc prefer acid mediums or body states that are always acid because it aids in their lifecycles. The first reason is respiration, fungus and viruses excel in acid environments because this helps with their respiration or glycolosis (anaerobic fermentation). In certain research I have also read that viruses penetrate host cells using acid enzymes, and also, once inside the host cell, viruses also use acid enzymes to help in its reproductive stage within the host cell. This also applies to fungus. So, as Ted says so often, this is why it is so important to alkalize both your extracellular fluids(blood) and your intracellular fluids when you are ill with a virus, fungus etc. When you alkalize, the virus reproduction and spread is therefore slowed and hindered, giving a better chance for the immune system to overpower the virus eventually.
As well, if your body is too acid (or even too alkaline) -- or out of its proper healthy pH zone -- then it stands to reason that your immune system will also be affected and its defensive capabilities against foreign microbes will likely also be depressed.
Another point, your gastro-intestinal tract or intestines also needs to be slightly alkaline as well as oxygenated for exactly the same reasons as above because bad microbes can also breed and spread there. The intestines, strictly speaking, can also be regarded as external to your body like your skin, because there is no blood. Intestinal Candida will take hold easily if junk processed food is eaten too much. Once inside your intestines, and if nothing is done, the candida may go systemic via the blood or into the mesenteric cavities, eventually affecting other major organs like the liver or pancreas or kidneys, as well as helping to invite other diseases into your body because of a depressed and overworked immune system.
So the best way to stay healthy is to provide and maintain a healthy body terrain for yourself. And since most of us eat acid forming processed foods, containing a barrage of strange chemicals, heavy metals and dangerous halides like chlorine and bromine in our diets, and since this creates the perfect acid medium or body terrain for bad microbes to engage and spread rapidly within or bodies, it would seem to make sense to help your body by simply alkalizing your body terrain thus helping to return your body state to its own proper and healthy optimal alkaline pH zone."
02/16/2010: Bill from San Fernando, Luzon, Philippines replies: "Hi Cindy...My protocols for getting rid of my candida are defined elsewhere on this site. Here is an older post by me which describes this protocol:
"I had candida three years ago. My symptoms were psoriasis, eczma, BM and toilet only once every 4 days if I was lucky, tired and sluggish all day, severe grogginess and brainfog in the mornings, jock itch(tinea cruris) and overweight. I also regularly caught colds, flu etc many times a year on a regular basis.
This is what I took to cure candida:
* Ted's alkalizing remedies using either whole squeezed lemon/lime or 2 tbspns ACV plus 1/2 tspn baking soda(Arm & Hammer brand) two or three times a day. This is Ted's Alkalizing Remedy and this is THE NUMBER ONE CURE for Candida in my book.
* One tablespoons of virgin coconut oil stirred into my coffee at least 2 - 3 times a day.
* Blackstrap molasses in my coffee, no refined sugar or aspartame sweetener allowed in my diet. BSM also added more potassium to my diet and also helped to balance the extra sodium from using the baking soda.
When I started this remedy at the beginning, I got fairly severe flu-like symptoms -- it almost seemed as if the remedy was making me worse. But this die off or Herxheimer Effect always happens when you get the fungal toxins released into your blood from microbes and fungus from the die off, so think of it as a good sign. Your liver and kidneys are overworked initially, until your immune system can get on top of it. After this die-off it was easy. All my skin problems just disappeared slowly (except the jock itch -- but that's another story) and I haven't had a cold or flu in 2 years."
I also took a daily decoction that I made consisting of three herbs just to support my liver, kidneys, blood and immune system throughout this protocol. The 3 herbs were: Tinospora cordifolia, Chanca Piedra (Stonebreaker) and Tumeric root. I gathered the fresh herbs and made the decoction myself(I live in the Philippines). But you can other use other simple herbs such as Milk Thistle, Dandelion, Burdock or Liquorice and Ginseng in support just as well.
I got rid of my jock itch(tinea cruris) by using athletes foot powder(because I found out that tinea cruris is exactly the same fungus as tinea pedis -- or athletes foot), and by using Milk of Magnesia at night after my shower(just dab MoM straight over the affected region). The MoM was very soothing, and has a pH of 10, which will kill any bacteria, virus or fungus. My tinea cruris disappeared in only 2 days. I had had this jock itch for 7 years, and no drugs or special creams had ever worked."
02/17/2010: Shaun from Old York, Uk replies: "Hi Bill,
I would TOTALLY confer with all you have laid down. Ted is a wise (and nice fellow). I followed the exact same regime as you for about the same amount of time and all is now OK. Well, actually more than OK ever was!
It (CarBiCarb etc., etc) is a standard medical treatment, and as otherwise a harmless procedure, and so it carries very,very little risk. In a sense its magical when you consider matters as otherwise.
I've also read up on cancer quite a lot (...well, haven't we all), as folk seem to be succumbing all about me, and it would appear that many professional folk who specialize in cancer are giving up on it (as well as mainstream HIV research) 'cos they feel that the medical profession is just going in the wrong direction in trying to cure it. Big Pharma rules... or it did. To me there MUST be a simple answer in eliminating it, for in the natural world nature just would not allow such a dire short-term outcome for its evolutionary efforts. Would it?
pH (and hence enzymes)seem to be key in all this. As such I have attached a couple of links to recent Vid's at the end of this which helps explain it all.
At the risk of sounding a bit loopy (nothing new there then), it reminds me of the T.S. Elliot poem "Little Gidding" (...the last of his Four Quartets):
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61jhkwks9zE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT9fVdMilcI&feature=related
Take care,
Shaun"
02/17/2010: Bill from San Fernando, Philippines replies: "Hi Shaun...Well, much thanks for that, and I guess we must be doing something right.
My outlook towards the medical profession and the big pharmaceuticals is remarkably aligned to your opinions on this. But that may be because we're both British.
But please don't get me started on this subject...I would become very boring !! I have also learnt much concerning all the lop-sided deceptions and goings-on within the world's pharmaceutical industry, which are best truly described, in my own loopy way if you like, by some favourite quotes by Mark Twain:
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."
"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt."
Be Well,
Bill"
02/21/2010: Corinna from London, England replies: "Hi Phoenix,Thank you for making so much effort to answer my question. Here in Europe many people are fanatical about getting their urine alkaline. They even swallow many tablets to achieve this - and in Jarvis book there are convincing scientific studies that alkaline urine is a sign of distress. I am worried for all these people who may be going in exactly the wrong direction.
My son, who is 10 years old, never took any medicines, let alone antibiotics, E-numbers, preservatives or any junk food. Just a wholefood vegetarian organic diet with plenty of fruit and green veggies. He is as healthy as any mother would wish. His urine is solidly acidic. So, something must be wrong with the idea that health equals alkaline urine. I am grateful that I found Jarvis' book and wished more people would actually read it and not just quoting it."
02/21/2010: The_phoenix from Townsville, Australia replies: "Hi Corinna,
Thanks for speaking out and alerting people. IMO we have been lead up the garden path on this one. Of course, as with all topics, I am speaking to the norm i.e. I am proselytising for the 80% that will help 80% of us 80% of the time (there are always exceptions).
I have the alkaline theory at the top of my research list because it plays such a central role in the natural health culture and also because 'alkalising the body' is also ofen recommended as a cure for my blessing ('arthritis').
The first thing that people should know is that 'alkalising the body' is an impossibility and against the LAWS OF NATURE which abhors extremes. In fact the body has very elaborate and sophisticated mechanisms for maintaining acid-base homeostasis:
- the blood is maintained, nominally, between 7.36 to 7.44 and our survival depends on it staying within the range 6.8 - 7.8
- this is a nominal range because PH is temperature dependent and hence acid-base balance occurs at a varying PH depending on the temp
- PH in the intracellular fluid is at a slightly lower point to maintain a difference (gradient) with extracellular fluid (this is required to allow diffusion of waste from the cells back into the extracellular fluid, and then to the blood, for excretion from the body)
- acid base neutrality is critical, in the cells, to hold the vital electrolytes within the cell membrane (in a truly remarkable feat of design this is maintained at all temperatures from the Arctic to the Sahara desert).
So, there is no possible way to consider the body as being either acidic or alkaline. Under normal conditions we are electrolytically, and hence electrostatically, balanced water beings.
When glucose and fatty acids are completely metabolised they burn to CO2 and water and elimination of the CO2 via the lungs leaves no acid residue in the body from this process (in the case of anaerobic excercise the lactic acid produced is later metabolised by the body as, another energy source).The total acid residue in the body, per day, is quite small. It comes from incomplete oxidation of fats and proteins. This acid is, and can only be, eliminated via the urine so, on balance i.e. a 24 hour average, the urine can be expected to be slightly acidic.
Note that the body cavities that are external to the body proper, and the skin, are not maintained at homeostasis (vagina, stomach, skin and lungs?? == acidic, faeces = basic????, mouth/saliva == approx 6 to 7 pH)
A very good explanation of acid-base physiology can be found in a free HTML ebook by googling [acid base physiology brandis]. It takes a bit of reading for non-scientists but it is well worth persevering with to gain an understanding of body acidity and alkalinity.
Also, I understated the extent to which the PH of the urine is unreliable because it is a composite sample that is held in the bladder for some time. In the bladder, under normal conditions, it is subject to the actions of a host of bacteria and this could affect the PH (probably also the PH of urine will be slightly more acidic in woman because of the acidity of the vagina).
I believe the alkaline theory started with William Hay, in the 1920's, and has been recycled without sufficient critical analysis ever since. AFAIK he came up with the idea that food could be classified as acid, or base, by its residual ash content. IMO this idea is incorrect (I was first alerted to the possible error of this theory because of my love of fruit ... I couldn't easily go along with a dietary philosophy that classified fruit as being unhealthy for us).
There are circumstances where forcing the body into alkalosis is done for therapeutic reasons but this is not the norm and should only be done by very experienced and knowledgeable practitioners.
The urine can easily be made to turn alkaline by ingesting alkaline substances e.g. SodiumBiCarbonate and this will also force the blood towards a more alkaline state but this is only a temporary phenomenon and it could have adverse health outcomes for some.This can also be achieved via an alkaline diet, say green juices and almonds for example, but in my experience, after a while the body will start to react to the excess of alkalinity and will initiate cravings for fruit and carbos in an attempt to restore the acid-base balance.
This is why, IMO, a balanced diet is the norm.
Typically, ingesting food will cause an alkaline flush, known as the 'alkaline tide', in the urine and it is very easy for people to mistakenly take this as a sign that the substance they ingested had an alkaline effect on the body. This idea is incorrect. When the stomach makes gastric acid it does so by excreting H ions, from the blood into the stomach. Because the stomach is then ionically imbalanced it has to follow up with some Chloride ions. This process temporarily makes the blood around the stomach, and hence the bloodstream, overly alkaline and so the body compensates by dumping some alkaline components into the urine, to restore blood acid-base homeostasis (advanced students should consider carefully the different outcomes that might result from the differential between the cations/anions taken into the stomach and the cations/anions dumped into the urine in the alkaline tidal flush).
I haven't read the Jarvis book yet (I skim read a few pages at my online book supplier) but I will read it some day. I don't necessarily endorse all of his ideas but at least he did base them on 100's or 1000's of case histories and observations. As a rule of thumb I find that we have come a long way in a short space of time and the older authors don't really cut the mustard anymore (as I said there are always exceptions though). I think it is correct in that urine is normally around, or just under 7, and that prolonged extreme acidity, or alkalinity, are warnings of impending health issues.
Yes, my kids were all vegetarians and healthy as can be until they left home (they didn't retain any of it nor pass it on to my beautiful grandkids). As a parent it is heart breaking to see them the way they are now, after the good start we gave them, but 'our children are not our own' Khahil Gibran"
02/22/2010: Bill from San Fernando, Philippines replies: "Hi Everyone...The importance of bicarbonates within the digestion, nutrient absorbtion and respiration of nutrients into the human body is difficult to understand and it seems that some opinions seem to be promoting mistaken or inaccurate conclusions.
If we just consider the importance of human digestion wrt bicarbonates -- when food enters the human stomach, this becomes a very acid medium, consisting of hydrochloric acid secreted by glands in the stomach. Its purpose is to both initiate protein digestion in an acid medium, to convert the slightly alkaline saliva medium to a fully acid medium and thus to kill any dangerous or bad bacteria in the food.
The stomach contents or chyme are then passed into the duodenum for the next stage which is initiated by secretions by the pancreas and liver. The pancreas secretes many enzymes -- tripsin, chemotrypsin, amylase, lipase, lactase, maltase, sucrase etc -- that can only work and do their job in a neutral to alkaline medium. Also secreted with these enzymes are bicarbonates in solution to completely neutralize the hydrochloric acid in the stomach chyme mixture so that the enzymes in the duodenum have the correct medium to work in for proper digestion to occur.
The liver secretes bile via the gall bladder which is used to break the fat down into convenient droplets for easier digestion and absorbtion. The bile also reacts with the excess alkali or bicarbonate to form a convenient "soap" which aids intestinal perstalsis in moving the hardened faeces down the intestines.The bile mainly consists of chemically broken down haemoglobin, hagocytes and cholesterol which is excreted by the liver into the intestines.
The digestion and absorbtion of nutrients further take place in the jejunum and ileum. The colon functions to reabsorb water and vitamins as well as providing an area to store waste before excretion.
Therefore, in terms of just digestion, it is easy to see where digestion can all go wrong because of excess acidity.
If you either eat very acid junk foods OR are low in body bicarbonates, then when the acid stomach chyme gets into the duodenum, the hydrochloric acid will not be neutralized with a weak or insufficient secretion of bicarbonates from the pancreas, so the chyme will remain acidic, the duodenal enzymes will not work because they need a neutral to alkaline medium, and so the chyme or food just stagnates within this acid medium, rapidly encouraging all sorts of bad anaerobic bacteria, virus, fungus to take hold and to be absorbed and attack the body via the intestines.
To see a good explanation of why bicarbonates are so important for respiration, see this simple essay - with a very useful diagram by Mark Sircus which helps to explaining the vital importance of bicarbonates:
http://www.life-enthusiast.com/index/Articles/Sircus"
02/22/2010: The_phoenix from Townsville, Australia replies: "Hi once again Corinna,
A few additional points came in overnight so to close off our discussion:
- at nominal temp and pH (37C and 7.4) the nominal pH for urine is 6.8 (the buffers are the key to the pH at the key places and phosphate is the buffer used in the kidney ... phosphate buffers effectively at pH 6.8
- it is quite possible that the nominal midpoint for urine pH is significantly different in children and or other groups within the community
- of course, I don't have anything to say at all on any disease where the 'patient' is using pharmas ... the possibilities are too complex for me to consider (it is up to the pharmas to explain their own protocols etc)
- I don't see mucn value in urine pH analysis other than to warn us of extremes as they occur so IMO pH paper is fine for this purpose since I don't want to try to read too much into it anyway
- I believe there is more value to be had from other types of urine analysis ... what the body is discarding can provide vital clues ... on the off chance you are interested in advanced analysis I suggest that the anion-gap in the urine is relevant as are the electrolyte contents (I have it in mind, at a much later date, to set up a lab at home where I can do my own self-testing and urine analysis ... not sure if it is feasable due to the expense of lab equipment and building regulations etc etc)
- the ash theory of acid-base foods is incorrect because it assumes that all of the minerals in the food will be absorbed
- many of the current alkalise for health theories are based on incorrect acid-base assumptions or none at all. I am referencing the work of Peter Stewart that Brandis states has been confirmed by current research.
His book can be read for free here:
http://www.acidbase.org/index.php?show=sb
Note that this material is based on current practice in operating theatres .... the life and death of their patients is hanging, by a thread, on applied acid-base theories. I don't think they are guessing.
- my work continues.... if there is a need and I have something substantial to contribute an ebook will still be published in one place or another"
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02/26/2010: Dj from Pdx, Or, Usa writes: "Alkaline or Acidic?
That seems to be the question. I have posted this question to Ted but as he is such a busy person I have continued on with trying my best to do the research and here is what I have found.
The overall answer is neither. The best environment for the body is very slightly alkaline, more of a neutral. Some reported 7.30-7.45 as the middle others 7.0-7.5.
The body does become diseased if it is either, too acidic or too alkaline. One report indicated that "Most degenerative disease attributed to aging, such as cancer, osteoporosis and heart disease, and other diseases such as allergy, kidney stones and gallstones have all been scientifically linked to mineral deficiencies that result in your body fluids becoming more acidic.
Scientists report that over 150 or more degenerative diseases are caused by high acid levels."
Alternately Dr. DC Jarvis tested Pathogenic Bacteria and found that most bacteria such as Staphylococcus, streptococcus and H.Influenza all grow on alkaline soil. Thus as I understand what I read when one contracts one of these bacteria the persons body is alkaline. I can attest to this theory as I recently had a bladder infection and I tested my PH for a week and it always measured above 8.0 on my little PH strip guide.
Dr. Jarvis's theory reads "The instinct leading animals and humans to seek acid vegetation and acid liquids has been given as a protection." And vice versa.
In one of Dr. Jarvis's research projects he monitored dairy cows that were grazing a field that had been planted with peas and oats and was fertilized with chicken manure. The chicken manure caused the soil and thus the plants to carry an alkaline base. His theory was that the "alkaline vegetation would so change the chemistry in the cows' bodies that their tissues would become suitable soil for the growth of harmful germs." He further wondered if the alkaline diet would produce streptococci germs in the milk.
Both of his suppositions came to pass. The dairy cows chemistry did indeed favor an alkaline balance. Thus the cow's production went down as their udders developed mastitis and milk from the herd was reported to "show the presence of streptococci in proportions ranging all the way from one-quarter to the entire udder" after a bacteriological examination was done.
The herd was treated with apple cider vinegar and Lugol's and recovered normal production.
I did not find any research detailing the cases of diseases related to a high alkaline but I am sure they are out there beyond the 6 articles and case studies I picked out to try to come to some sort of conclusion.
"We should remember, too, that the human body is an acid-consuming, acid-manufacturing, and acid eliminating machine, and that the blood is always alkaline because of the presence in it of sodium bicarbonate, commonly called baking soda. The blood may be more alkaline (hyper alkaline) or it may be less (hypo alkaline). The normal reaction is faintly alkaline."
"The reaction of the blood remains remarkably constant in spite of the fact that the activity of the body cells is constantly adding acid to it. Cell activity produces carbonic acid, which produces blood acidity. Use of our muscles results in lactic acid, which also increases acidity as it enters the blood. Scientists estimate that in severe muscular activity lasting only a few minutes as much as ninety grams of lactic acid may be produced. In addition sulphuric acid and phosphoric acid are the result of cell activity."
What have I learned?
If it is a disease I need to fight then eat more high alkaline foods such as Kelp, Seaweeds, Onion, Miso, Sweet Potato, Nectarine, Raspberry, watermelon, and pineapple.
If it is bacteria I need to fight eat more foods that are high in acid such as eggs, meat, fish, poultry, grains, cranberry, pomegranate, plum, prune, tomato and most legumes.
As Connie Eccles wrote "Creating an environment where our bodies can not only fight disease but thrive is not difficult, but it does require a bit of Knowledge and considerable commitment. Learning about the alkaline - acid connection will give you the knowledge -- you will have to find the commitment from within".
I found most of my information at the following sites;
www.Comportone.com
www.drlam.com
www.jcrows.com - has a large amount of info from Dr. DC Jarvis
www.naturalhealthschool.com
I hope this helps clear up some of the confusion."
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1 SIDE EFFECT
[SIDE EFFECTS] 05/25/2009: Serenity from Oswego, Il writes: "I was taking acv everyday for several weeks and came down with an uti. drank a stronger dose and had blood in urine. Went to Dr and checked my urine and ph level was 6.5. took antibiotics and it cleared it up. Now... should i be adding baking soda to it seeing that i am acidic? And why would i even get an uti when i was already on acv drink.i also hear that when a person has anxiety problems like me, it could be caused from being too acidic. Can someone please help me decide what i should be doing. Thank you so very much"
05/25/2009: Serenity from Oswego, Il replies: "Does anyone have any idea? I am drinking the ACV and now my tongue has white coating, and I am belching up sour liquid. My throat is raw from the sour taste. I just dont know what to think about this. Should I stop the ACV? PLease could someone help me with this issue"
05/25/2009: Katie from Pasadena, CA replies: "Serenity, I think you should probably get yourself some pH strips and start figuring out what's going on in your body before you try any more app cid vin. Add baking soda might help but I've also seen the side effects reported by a few women who add it."
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APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AND BAKING SODA, BAKING SODA AND WATER
[QUESTION] 10/25/2009: Joe from West Palm Beach, Fl writes: "I'm taking the ACV / baking soda 2 x day for well being. Does this alkalize the body to prevent disease or do you have to take the other formula that Ted mentions of Baking soda with half glass of water? In other words do these formulas accomplish the same thing or are they for accomplishing two different things to help prevent disease ? I wanted to do both of them but didn't know if it is overkill ?"
EC: Joe is writing this question in response to this Q&A from Ted: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acvinegar_questions.html#Question_160
Joe, please note that we are posting your question to the PH page (Ailments section) and not to the above url so that more people can see it.
10/26/2009: Randy from Pascagoula, Ms, usa replies: "I believe that Ted says that if you take ACV w/o baking soda, that your body will use it's own stores of bicarbonates to reduce the acidity of the ACV, so you might as well add bicarbonate before you ingest it. From what I have read of many of Ted's posts, I think he recommends baking soda and water to reduce the overall acidity of the body more than ACV and baking soda."
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11/19/2009: Betty from Spearsvilleto , La. writes: "Dear friends,
I would like to improve ph. I am considering taking baking soda on a regular basis. One physician said it would cause reflux and that it would interfere with the acidity of the stomach. I recently came to understand that you take soda an hour before eating so as not to interfere with this acidity. I am also considering putting it in lemon juice. I also read a recommendation of using soda 1 week and using h2o2 the next. I have developed arthritis as well as osteoporosis and lung problems. I've gotta start knocking some of this out before everything gives way. I would really appreciate some input. thanks.
Life is still good.
Betty"
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01/24/2010: Ali from San Francisco, Ca writes: "Re: Does citric acid leach calcium from bones?
In the recommended 1/4 tsp baking soda (aluminum free) and 1/4 tsp citric acid in 1/2 glass water at least, twice a day to help alkalize the body,does the citric acid leach calcium out of the bones when the body? If I have long-term severe vitamin D deficiency and achy bones is citric acid use still safe on bones?
Can you consider putting a Paypal link to donate to EC or to the main/top individual contributors? If there already is one on the EC website, I didn't see it, maybe somewhere on home page? I am thankful for the help and little donations can add up to help further research? Thanks."
EC: Hi Ali. Thanks for asking - we do have a Donate link at the very top of every page (next to the Give Feedback link).
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1 QUESTION
[QUESTION] 08/01/2009: Sarah from Los Angeles, Ca writes: "OK- so i really want to start alkalizing with baking soda and also want to include sea salt in my supplements, but never do it because can't stand the taste of either substance dissolved in water so just don't take it. Bought some gelatin capsules, am wondering if i can put baking soda and sea salt dry in the caps then take them with a big cup of water and let it work out in my stomach? Does anyone know if this is effective as drinking or a good substitute? thanks!"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 08/26/2007: Cindy from Lavonia, GA writes: "Whole Fruits cured my acidic problems. The Acidic problems of today are because we under Alkalined! If you go search for Alkaline diets, they will give you a list of Acidic foods and Alkaline Foods. You will see immediately why you are having Acidic problems. Once you concentrate on eating Alkaline Foods for a few days, you will see that your acidic problems are gone. Once your system is back in balance, then you eat like you like and just correct when need be. But the most important thing is that Whole Fruits, which are Acidic, are ALKALINE once in the stomach!!! One Cantaloupe or an Apple does it for me."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 06/13/2005: David writes: "Yet again a bit of scientific information has led to so called scare intensity in populations.. I am a nutritionist and a biochemist dealing specifically in conductivity and acid/base balance.. I do agree that certain foods exhibit either a positive or negative balance on the body, esp. with regards to pH..what i have question marks about is the fact that the pH of our stomach and parts of our small intestines are acidic, and therefore need to be acidic in order to break down and absorb nutrients effectively..Also i would not recommend whatsoever self administration of compounds in order to maintain pH levels within a so-called "desirable" range, does any of your readers know of the deleterious effects of these compounds on the cells lining the throat, alimentary cannal, stomach etc..The pH of your stomach is about 2, so any of these compound's pH will be effected from the stomach on..The reason why the stomachs pH is 2 is in order to break down foods, making then suitable for absorption in the small intestine."
Ted from Bangkok, Thailand replies: "Your position is that of the conventional medicine. However, you seem not to be aware that the pH of stomach varies. The stomach pH is not always 2 all the time. It varies between 2 - 6. This has been known for hundreds of years. When drinking water, pH does not get reduced in the stomach. The liquid goes quite quickly through the stomach. The stomach will produce a pH at two when a person is hungry. Most foods such as bread has a component of baking soda. The intestines creates bicarbonates to reduced the acidity. In many cases intestines get irritated whenever the body cannot produce the needed bicarbonates, creating the condition of bicarbonate deficiency, thus causing the irritation. So using baking soda does not create intestinal irritations as claimed by the person below. I was a student of biochemistry and my professor was able to prove that a large majority of the U.S. population has a bicarbonate deficiency which causes the leaky gut sydrome. Apparently, the stomach was unable to neutralize the acid created by the stomach acids because the body's imperfect chemical factory to produce enough bicarbonate to reduce such alimentary irritations.It was also proven in laboratory conditions that before a virus or a cold conditions, the body's stores of bicarbonates get severely depleted, and there is a mathematical relation between bicarbonate deficiency and susceptibility to colds. The reason, as explained by biochemistry professor so clearly: the body's could not maintain the buffer so adequately making one's body very susceptible to infection."
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1 YEA
[YEA] 04/13/2008: Ujwala from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India writes: "hi, I have been recommended lemon shot ie. juice of 2 lemons+equal amount of water for flushing off excessive acidity from the body and as a good neutraliser as lemon turns alkaline post digestion. After visiting your website I have found that you recommend ACV much more than Lemon. Kindly reply as which one is better option. what are the precautions to be taken when we use both of them. Thank you. regards. Ujwala"
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1 YEA
[YEA] 10/07/2009: Carolyn from Hobbs, Nm Usa writes: "I have GERD and have had to learn to keep my system more alkaline. I drink 2 t. ACV with 1 t. Honey three times a day (30 Minutes before meals). I also take two mineral capsules each day and 2 potassium capsules per day. My ph stays 6.5 to 7.0 all the time (both saliva and urine). My question is, why don't we hear more about minerals for balancing ph? They are wonderful for your body as we get older. Many of us don't need to put sodium in our bodies because of high blood pressure and other issues. Also we don't need to put too much calcium. Minerals are wonderful. The really good ones are in capsules, not hard compressed pills. M______J______ makes wonderful minerals and you can get them at most health food stores. I'd love to have your input on the wonderful world of minerals. The B____gg folks certainly recommend them to go along with the ACV.
Thanks,
Carolyn"
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1 QUESTION
[QUESTION] 09/13/2009: Carolyn from Hobbs, Nm writes: "Question for Ted about parasites, mold, and candida
I have some questions about the body's ph. If you keep the urine ph between 6.5 and 7.0, can parasites, candida, and mold live in that? Or do we need to do something else for those things. I have GERD and am keeping my body more alkaline by drinking the ACV and baking soda, and minerals. Will that take care of the hpylorie, candida, mold, and parasites if I have those also?
Thanks,
Carolyn"
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10/26/2009: Robert Henry from Ten Mile, Tn Usa writes: "I just re-read most of the sites articles on alkalinizing your body. It appears that many people do not have a feel for the value of the term, pH. To show that my chemical engineering degree from 50 years ago was not in vain.....pH is the negative logarithm of the concentration of the Hydrogen ions. A pH of 7 is neutral, below is acid and above is alkaline. However, it is not linear ...... a pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than 7 and a pH of 5 is 20 times more acidic than 7. So you can see why you should be alarmed if your pH is in the 5's. You are not just a little acidic....... you a whole lot, and need to get on Ted's alkalizing program. I only know what I read as far as where your pH should be, but I hope this gives folks a feel for what the numbers really mean. One poster said that a pH of 6.4 is very acid. No it's not....... it is slightly acid. This in intended to give non technical people a better feel for what the pH numbers really mean.
We do not use a pH meter. We use individual pH strips and they are pretty accurate. The roll pH paper is almost worthless. It is not very accurate and you are doing Kentucky windage to rely on this measurement. I agree with most on this site that getting your body alkaline is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health."
10/26/2009: Alain from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada replies: "Correction
pH of 5 is not 20 times more acidic than 7. It is 100 times i.e. 10 to the power of 2.
I just wanted to clarify.
Alain"
10/26/2009: Kay from In The Valley, Ca replies: "Thanks so much for taking the time to post this information, I, for one did not know that one point = ten times the the alkalinety or acidity. I think sharing your knowledge on this subject will help us all have a better understanding of just where we stand. Thanks again."
10/27/2009: Tracey from Gainesville, Fl replies: "I was just wondering where to purchase the PH strips?"
EC: We've seen them sold: online, pharmacies, Whole Foods, health food stores...
10/27/2009: Robert Henry from Ten Mile, Tn Usa replies: "ALAIN, my bad,,,,,,,,,,, thanks for correcting this for me. This is 10th grade math. Undoubtably my brain is going faster than I thought. The point I was trying to make is that a 5 pH is bad news Charlie and folks need to be concerned."
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02/17/2010: M from Mukilteo, Wa writes: "Ph Tester Tool
I would like to know how the tester works. Do you use it for saliva and urine both? And if you are squeamish can it be done? Thank you"
EC: Hi, M.
Are you referring the Ph test strips like these? http://www.google.com/products?q=ph+test+strips&hl=en&aq=0&oq=ph+test+
or Ph Meters like these:
02/19/2010: M Bare from Mukilteo, Wa replies: "I was thinking of getting the tool listed in the second list that has a meter box, wire and stick.
What system to use it?
The thought of putting it in mouth for saliva and into urine stream bothers me.
I have Pennsyvania Dutch background and clean is not really clean until it has been cleaned more than it needs to be cleaned.
Thank you"
02/22/2010: The_phoenix from Townsville, Australia replies: "Hi M Bare,
Re use of a pH meter to test saliva and urine.
If you are setting out to learn about the alkaline theory of health then litmus papers, or test strips, are perfectly fine for testing saliva and urine (not sure what they are called in the USA but you can buy them online or maybe at a pharmacists or healthfood shop).
I think the urine test is really a male protocol because we can just hold the paper in the urine stream ... not so easy for ladies I guess.
For saliva I just spit on the paper, or similar.
A pH meter is really for advanced analysis, or if you want to take accurate pH measurements. If you really want to use one then I assume that you have to catch your pee in a clean glass container (beaker) and test it there. For saliva I guess you have to keep spitting into a clean glass container until you have enough to test.
You do not put the pH probe into your bodily orifices because it is made of glass and also contains chemicals.
Using a pH meter requires training and ongoing maintenance of the machine including changing solution in the probes, changing the probe, calibration and repairing the machine.
Nothing wrong with cleanliness ... they say it is next to Godliness."
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1 QUESTION
[QUESTION] 05/20/2009: Greenbeanz39 from Clarkston, Washington writes: "Can someone tell me how to do a ph test? I'm not sure where to find a kit perhaps? Also, what is the appropriate ph for saliva or urine? God bless all the smart people who take their health in their own hands.Thank you for a wonderful site, I never take allopathic medicine, but can spend alot of money in my cooky natural experiments. It's nice to know what really works for other people,makes my experiments much more affordable!"
EC: Lots of information regarding the subject on our pH page!
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07/09/2009: Drew from USAFA, Colorado writes: "I was wondering, most dechlorinators I have found have to do with aquariums or ponds. If I add these to my water is it okay to drink it afterwards? Also, you said you add Hydrogen Peroxide to your water. Why is that? Thanks."
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06/02/2009: Joe from Interlachen, Florida writes: "Quickest and safest way to fix PH level?
I found this site last Saturday while looking for something to help me with severe sinusites, which lead to panic attacts.Bought some ACV and have been drinking it,(2xTSP in 8oz of water) every 4 hrs. Quite an improvement but I am still on meds, Trust God will get me of the meds. After reading about the body PH level I got some PH strips, my saliva test out at about a 5, light yellow. How do I get my PH up to around 7.
Thanks, Joe."
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10/30/2008: Peter from Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne writes: "There are alot of wonderful testomonies on this site however I wonder if anyone has collected the best remedies and incorporated them into a safe preventative daily regime. For example is it possible to have a single morning drink with borax, H202, ACV, COCONUT oil, Black.S.M, Baking soda etc... Also a demister with Borax, H202 sprayed on the skin, Kill the Nano Insects. I heared Diamatious Earth will kill the bed bugs. I also hear that bentonite clay, psyllium Husk and Activated charcoal make a great detox drink. Anyway if you have a daily Health Regiem please give the quantitities you use as it is very possible that curing an illness would be alot greater quantities than just preventative.
Thanks,
Peter."
10/30/2008: John from Boca Grande, FL replies: "I don't think there is a combination of remedies that should be taken every day. Each person's body is different. People do home remedies to treat their particular ailments so it seems counterproductive to combine them in the hopes of a cure-all. I rotate remedies depending on the signals I get from my body. Blackstrap molasses - too sugary for me to take on a daily basis. Apple cider vinegar is probably the safest one to take daily, but even then you should give it a break. Just my two cents."
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10/17/2008: Ron from Tavernierr, FL writes: "AFTER BEING OBSESSED WITH MY CHRONIC ATRIL FIB FOR SOME TIME NOW I HAVE STUDIED AND STUDIED THE PROBLEM AND HAVE DETERMINED THE ENEMY IS OUR FOOD, OUR DIET, COOKED FOOD WITH LITTLE OR NO NUTRITION WITH ADDITIVES THAT ARE MAKING US SICK AND CREATING AN ACIDIC CONDITION INSIDE THE BODY. IT IS THIS OVER ACID CONDITION THAT CREATES THE PROBLEM. CANCER CAN NOT EXIST IN AN ALKALINE BODY, PARASITES AND FUNGUS CAN NOT LIVE IN AN ALKALINE PROPER PH BODY, YET THEY THRIVE IN A HIGHLY ACIDIC BODY SUCH AS OUR DIETS CREATE TODAY AND THAT IS WHAT IS CAUSING MANY OF US TO BE SICK. DOCTORS GIVE US DRUGS THAT CREATE EVEN MORE ACID AND HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE ABOUT WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR WORKS BECAUSE IT ALKALIZES, BAKING SODA WORKS BECAUSE IT ALKALIZES. THESE ARE TEMPORARY MEASURES THAT GIVE TEMPORARY RELIEF THE END RESULT WILL HAVE TO BE A MAJOR CHANGE IN DIET AND LIFESTYLE FOR ALL OF US. ANY TIME FOOD IS COOKED TO A TEMPRATURE OF 118 DEGREES OR HIGHER ENZYMES ARE DESTROYED AND NUTRITION IS LOST. A RAW FOOD DIET WILL HELP MANY OF US. I BELIEVE THE ACID IN OUR CASE HAS ACCUMLATED AROUND THE HEART CAUSING OUR PROBLEM, ELIMINATE THE ACID AND ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM. THAT'S MY THEORY AND I WILL LET YOU KNOW HOW MY CONDITION COMES ALONG SINCE I HAVE CHRONIC NEVER ENDING ATRIL FIB THAT ALMOST GAVE ME A STROKE AND PUT ME IN ICU A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.ANY THAT DOUBT WHAT I AM SAYING CAN JUST GOOGLE BODY PH AND YOU WILL SEE MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN ON THE SUBJECT. NO CHRONIC DEGENARATIVE DISEASE CAN BE CORRECTED UNTIL THE BODY PH IS CORRECTED"
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07/02/2008: Keith from Vancouver, Canada writes: "re: effect of alkalized system. I am not trying to convert anyone, but in my view one of the greatest healers of this century was Edgar Cayce. He never seemed to be wrong in his diagnosis, and he said that if a person could keep their system alkalized, that illness would disappear. So this is certainly in sync with what is suggested here.
Keith"
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05/23/2008: Anil from Jersey City, NJ writes: "Dear Earthclinic, I wanted to point out a possible inconsistency in Ted's PH balancing recommendation. In his post at the following URL http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/pH.html, he states that "The ideal urinary pH and salivary pH has to be BOTH 6.4 pH." However, in many other posts, he refers to ideal urniary and salivary PH as being closer to or above 7.
If it is indeed an inconsistency, it would be beneficial to fix it b/c it did create a lot of confusion for me. A PH of 6.4 would stand to be still rather acidic.
Thank you very much. You have a most wonderful website. I am trying a bunch of remedies from your website to fix a number of health problems for myself, and when successful, I intend to post a detailed note on your website.
Regards, AR"
EC: Thanks so much for pointing that out. We have just forwarded your post to Ted and will let you know when we hear back!
03/23/2009: Eileen from St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, UK replies: "Hi there,Re post of 05/23/2008 from Anil of Jersey City when he pointed out the inconsisyency of Ted's PH Balancing Recommendation i.e PH of 6.4 (as opposed to circa 7). You said you would get back to TED on Anil's behalf to confirm. What was the outcome as no reply was posted. Many many thanks. You have a wonderful website.
Eileen"
EC: We'll ask him again... thanks for the reminder!
01/07/2010: Bltw from Cincinnati, Oh, Usa replies: "Re post of 05/23/2008 from Anil of Jersey City when he pointed out the inconsistency of Ted's PH Balancing Recommendation i.e PH of 6.4 (as opposed to circa 7). You said you would get back to TED on Anil's behalf to confirm.
Still no answer.
BLTW"
EC: We emailed Ted several times about this, but he never responded.
01/08/2010: Ted from Bangkok, Thailand replies: "As for the inconsistency of pH.... This appears to be a minimum urinary pH of 6.5, ideally 7. The salivary pH is ideally 7.3, but minimum is 7. For simplicity sake, both urinary pH and salivary pH should generally be 7. As for both urinary and salivery pH of 6.4, is a misprint. It's likely to be 7."
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WHERE TO FIND PH TESTER STRIPS
09/16/2009: Lita209 from Sanford, Fl, USA writes: "Where do I get a PH test at? a pharmacy or a health food store? Pardon my ignorance."
EC: We've seen them sold at certain pharmacies and also health food stores like Whole Foods. Otherwise, check google: http://www.google.com/products?q=ph+test+strips&hl=en&aq=1&oq=Ph+Tes
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