The Importance of Acid/Alkaline Balance
"All sickness and disease can be attributed to the over-acidification of the body." ~ Dr. Robert Young
Over-acidity is very common today. It gives rise to an internal environment conducive to disease, as opposed to a pH balanced environment which allows the body to resist disease.
pH (potential of hydrogen) is the measurement of the acidity and alkalinity of the body. The scale ranges from 1-14 with 1 being very acid, 7 being neutral, and 14 being very alkaline. It is important to understand that we are not talking about stomach acid or the pH of the stomach, but rather of the blood. The ideal blood pH level is 7.35, or slightly alkaline.
Our pH is one of the most important elements affecting our health and bodily functions. In fact, pH influences every physiological activity in the body. When we become too acidic, it draws alkaline minerals from the bones and tissues to neutralize these acids — leading, in the long term, to thinner bones and lower muscle mass. Overly acidic tissues also make one susceptible to inflammation (a known risk for many chronic diseases), impair enzymatic reactions in cells, and overload the lymphatic system, impeding the body's natural detoxification process. The body also tries to excrete these toxins, but when it becomes overloaded, it leads to all kinds of aches and pains, health problems, and weight gain as it tries to protect itself by surrounding these toxins with fat and water.
When alkaline, red blood cells deliver oxygen to the tissues, collect carbon dioxide, and convey nutrients throughout the body. Each red blood cell is surrounded by a negative charge so they frantically bounce off each other delivering their goodness at high speed. The body is bursting with energy, has a bullet proof immune system, rapidly disposes of fat, and the skin, bones, and cells regenerate keeping us young.
When too acidic, red blood cells lose their negative charge and stick together. They sludge through the body at slow speed struggling to absorb water, nutrients, and oxygen. They can’t expel unhealthy toxins so poisoning starts, and we feel loss of energy even though we're getting enough sleep. We gain and hold onto fat, attract disease and viruses, and age quicker than we should.
The pH scale is logarithmic - so pH 6 is 10 times more acidic than pH 7, meaning pH 5 is 100 times more acidic than pH 7, and pH 4 is 1,000 times more acidic and so on. Can you imagine how much more alkalinity it takes to neutralize/buffer something that is 1,000 or 10,000 times more acidic than pH7?
Diet, stress, emotions, lack of exercise, and over-exercise all lead to over-acidity. Anything that is stimulating can leave an acidic residue in our body, and any activities that are calming and relaxing can make us more alkaline.
What we eat and drink plays a major role in determining our pH level. The reason acidosis is more common in our society is mostly due to the Standard American Diet, which is far too high in acid-producing foods like meat, eggs, and dairy, and far too low in alkaline-producing foods like fresh vegetables. Additionally, we eat acid-producing processed foods like white flour and sugar and drink acid-producing beverages like coffee and soft drinks. We use too many drugs, which are acid-forming; and we use artificial chemical sweeteners which are extremely acid-forming.
While some acid forming foods are good and necessary for health (like most sources of protein), balance is the key. A good balance would be approx. 70% alkaline forming to 30% acid forming. Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet is the opposite of this and is a major factor in the health challenges we experience. One of the best things we can do to correct an over-acid body is to clean up our diet and lifestyle.