Baking Soda Side Effects

There are probably not side effects for everyone - however baking soda for some reason does not agree with my body. I was putting a tiny amount in ACV and noticed that when I would do this I would get gas and that I wouldn't get gas w/o the baking soda! Also I tried using the baking soda to rinse my mouth out after taking the ACV and noticed my teeth got more sensitive with the baking soda than they did with the ACV alone!!! However my boyfriend frequently takes up to a tablespoon (!!! ) of baking soda in some water - at one time and hasn't had problems... So I would say it depends on your body! Watch and see what your body tells you. Personally I am now leery of baking soda for myself and my boyfriend LOVES it!!! Btw - he hates ACV...

If I only take 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda with a 8oz glass of water, I get severe gas and abdominal pain. After I pass the gas, I start to feel better. I was taking the baking soda to relieve burning after urinating. I don't think I will be able to take baking soda. Every time I take some baking soda this happens. Some people can take baking soda without any problems & in some people it causes problems. I guess I will have find another remedy that don't cause belching and severe abdominal gas.

Hello Mira from Oshawa, Canada,

If you have both vinegar & baking soda in your kitchen you can answer that question yourself by putting a couple of teaspoonfuls of vinegar & then dumping 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. baking soda in it. That reaction between the alkaline bicarbonate and the acetic acid does emit gas, so the reaction between your baking soda and the hydrochloric acid (HCl) in your stomach probably does also.

Don't be too sure about that statement that meat and vegetables won't cause it, because all I have to do to become a "gas factory" is eat a bite or two of anything containing bleached flour. Not only is it embarrassing from the flatus sounding off, but the odor is most foul. Life is much more pleasant, gastrointestinal tract wise, since I stumbled on this bit of wisdom. Seldom have GERD, indigestion, constipation, nausea and only had the outright gastric ulcer pain once since then. I first blamed this on the raw broccoli I thoroughly enjoyed eating with a commercial dip purchased in the grocery. Since then I realized that it probably came from the dip having some bleached flour in it for a thickener. Have eaten raw broccoli since then with a homemade dip (mostly with either a cottage cheese or plain yogurt base) without the problem.

I cant comment on the baking soda but one thing I would like to share with you is if you eat a lot of tomatoe sause based foods as do it adds to your reflux problem. What has worked for me is organic tomatoe sause. I love a good bowl of spagetti every now and then or a good slice of pizza but that came with pain and an antacid until I started making my dishes with organic sause it worked for me as well as my wife. I know its not good to do i can eat a bowl late after 9:00

Joyce, does this mean unbleached flour is ok to consume? Thanks!

Hello Peter from Chicago,

Yes, unbleached flour does not give me any problems with acid reflux & other gastrointestinal problems that bleached flour does, so common sense tells me that it is something used in the bleaching process that creates the problem. So, yes, unbleached is safe to eat. However, unbleached is not as healthful eating as whole grain breads & cereals are, because a lot of nutrients were removed along with the bran, including most of the fiber that our GI tracts need to keep the food moving along and keep us from being constipated. So why not eat the healthiest whole grain. I agree with the fellow who said "where do they get off calling it enriched when they have removed 52 nutrients from the bleached flour and only added 8 back?

Ok I looked at it and the first thing that I noticed is that the wording in the documents titling each article was unlike any other medical document I have ever seen. Most doctors will not use the word stomach for example or burst for that matter so I googled the documents and each search brought me back to the same URBAN legend site ... you decide....

This study provides a good overview about the risks involved with baking soda ingestion:

"One patient in our series was using the baking soda as antacid and subsequently was diagnosed with a perforated bowel requiring surgical intervention. This case was illustrative of the problem of using a home remedy treatment which could delay seeking medical help, as well complicate or exacerbate an existing medical problem. The instructions on the package for baking soda state ‘stop use and ask a doctor if symptoms last more than 2 weeks'.[1] This may be an inappropriate time frame as some patients may need medical intervention more urgently based on more serious symptomatology. The package also warns the user not to take the product when the stomach is overly full from food or drink. This warning was added at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because of multiple case reports of spontaneous gastric rupture due to production of large volumes of carbon dioxide on neutralization of stomach acid by the baking soda."

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpt.12113/full

Thank you for taking the time to link to this interesting study.

My takeaway was the importance of balance when we supplement. In this case, there was sodium supplementation from the baking soda, which obviously led to problems in people with already suboptimal potassium.

The whole "beat some drug test" aspect was something unexpected!

Thank you for taking the time to link to this interesting study.

My takeaway was the importance of balance when we supplement. In this case, there was sodium supplementation from the baking soda, which obviously led to problems in people with already suboptimal potassium.

The whole "beat some drug test" aspect was something unexpected!

Thank you for taking the time to link to this interesting study.

My takeaway was the importance of balance when we supplement. In this case, there was sodium supplementation from the baking soda, which obviously led to problems in people with already suboptimal potassium.

The whole "beat some drug test" aspect was something unexpected!

Thank you for taking the time to link to this interesting study.

My takeaway was the importance of balance when we supplement. In this case, there was sodium supplementation from the baking soda, which obviously led to problems in people with already suboptimal potassium.

The whole "beat some drug test" aspect was something unexpected!

Dear Jill B,
I do not know if the use of the BS would cause the constipation. I have considered using it to help my lungs. I hope you are soon able to resolve the problem. I just wanted to mention to you that supplemental magnesium will help with the constipation. It draws water to the intestines. If you begin to develop diarrhea just back off it some. Everyone should be using mag.

Betty

i cant speak for others, but i too experienced the constipation effect while taking baking soda and ACV. i releived this problem by taking magnesium citrate, 450-500 mgs a day. i think the baking soda may rob your body of some minerals, i dont take baking soda 7 days a week though. i take it 5 on 2 off. hope this helps. Sara.

this is just a guess, but i wonder if the joint pain is from things happening too fast. perhaps a lower dose to start. Also, diet and water filters can change body ph. I have done diet and baking soda (2tsp per gal) and joint pain is gone.

I am having the same problem. I think I am low in potassium and the sodium in the baking soda is too much. But the benefits from taking the baking soda is great, so I am supplementing with potassium tablets sometimes I need more tablets than other times but you will know when the swelling goes down. Don't take too many at one time as they can be hard on your kidneys and stomach. And if you have kidneys problems you should consult with you Doctor before you use potassium. :)

Just about anything one does depletes vitamin C, especially stress but one would not give up working and walking on the streets because of this depletion. Same with sodium bicarbonate, it is not helpful to warm people to not use it if they need it. What would be more helpful is to recommend supplementation of vitamin C in conjunction with the use of bicarbonate. Whenever we use bicarbonate we should also use magnesium chloride because the two together make the perfect mitochondrial medicine. Combination therapy is the key when using natural remedies.

I would like to make a simple common sense comment about this. I believe moderation in all things is very important and the absolute key to good health. Some people see a bottle of pills and it states one pill twice a day and some individuals believe if one, twice a day is good,then four, twice a day is even better! Well it's NOT my friends! Some people over do it and then suffer the consequences. Nothing should be repeated continually over a period of days/weeks or even months, not even the same foods, without consequences. But lets consider the substance we are talking about. Baking Soda and Baking Powder can easily be confused. Make sure what you are using is exactly what is being recommended. Don't mistake baking powder for baking soda. And if you are familiar with kinetic energy then you can test to see how much is too much and avoid going over your necessary limit. If you do not know about kinetic muscle testing then find a good Chiropractor who practices it or research the internet to learn about it. It is the most valueable tool you could ever use to measure your limit on everything from food to suppliments. You can even determine foods you are allergic to or are slightly allergic to. Lets be sensible and safe with our bodies. But most importantly, if a doctor recommends ANYthing that has a needle attached to it...DO NOT ALLOW IT. Many people put WAY too much faith in our Medical Society. It's time to take control of your life and your health. Research EVERYTHING!!! The internet is the best thing that ever happened for all of us. Stay Connected ~ Good Health to All!!!

Frank, there is no aluminum in baking soda. It is baking powder that is (was?) the problem. I have written to Arm & Hammer and researched this quite a bit. You didn't get aluminum from baking soda. More likely from immunizations.

Sally is right...baking SODA is Sodium Bicarbonate, pure and simple and does not contain aluminum. Sources of aluminum include vaccines, American cheese like the kind used in fast food joints (makes it melt easily), municipal water supplies (they add aluminum to clear up turbidity and make the water sparkle; purely for aesthetic purposses), food colorant that has the word "lake" in the name and anti-perspirants to name just a few of the sources of aluminum in our world. Oh, and I think non-dairy creamers have aluminum in them, too.

You are supposed to drink baking soda solution on an empty stomach, not with food. When the baking soda solution clears your stomach, it has no effect on the stomach acid. You won't lose any nutrients, because there aren't any nutrients to be absorbed.

I feel that there are times in our life when we need alkaline to neutralise the acid in our body to help iradicate conditions that flu viruses cancers and other degenerative ailments love only too well. The good old saying of everything in moderation is important however; and nothing must be used over a prolongued period of time. Once the desired results are achieved, one should go back to normal. We need the acids for digesting certain minerals, and we need the alkaline for when the acids need to be reduced. Seasonal foods may hold a secret as to what we need in particular seasons.

I think that prolongued use of Apple Cider Vinegar; especially the non organic without the essential microbes, can in fact raise the stomach acid as it will no longer be a weak enough solution to neutralise the stomach acid; hence why even when taken with Bi carbonate of soda, can still the acid conditions that colds and flu viruses love. My own experience with one such type of ACV led to thrush. I analysed this as too much acid for the candida bacteria to live on; and a very good sign for the need for an Alluminium free Bicarbonate in water solution treatment.

To TP from Boston (ll/22/07) in reply to your challenge, I challenge you to "listen to your body". This is where you live and it will tell you when you are abusing it better than anyone else can.