Acid pH and consequences
 pH Understanding
By Jan Vandergriff and other authors
Our society is plagued with a torrent of health concerns. Many herbalists and nutrition now believe the explanation for this may come down to two small words: acid and alkaline.
A very important issue
High acidity can affect all major body systems, especially the digestive, intestinal, circulatory, respiratory and immune systems. A pH-balanced environment maintains proper metabolic function and allows the body to function optimally. It also maintains alkaline reserves that are used to meet emergency demands.
Understanding pH
pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. The lower the pH the more acidic the solution is. The higher a pH number, the more alkaline the solution is.
Your body's chemistry
Water is the most abundant compound, comprising 70% of the human body. The body has an acid-alkaline ratio called pH (potential of Hydrogen), which is a balance between positively charged ions (acid forming) and negatively charged ions (alkaline forming)
The body continually strives to balance pH. During times of imbalance, however, body systems can become weakened and these weaknesses may manifest themselves outwardly. Because our bodies naturally use hydrochloric acid to break down foods and nutrients, the optimal saliva and urine pH for our bodies is slightly acidic, around 6.4 - 6.6.
Using our test pH paper roll
|
Caution:
DO NOT apply the test paper on your tongue.
For saliva readings, simply add some saliva on your finger tip and then apply it to a piece of test paper, wait a few seconds and check the color.
To purchase this pH paper roll click here |
The best time to test your pH is about one hour before a meal or two hours after a meal.
Test your pH two days a week.
The readings
My Urine & Saliva pH records |
Time of the day |
|
|
|
Energy Level
(What I feel like ) |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Write down the number (color) on your daily monitoring table above.
When you wake up
First thing in the morning, your eyes open up, you roll over and test your saliva pH.
In a best situation, your pH reads 6.4. (At night it should be a bit more alkaline up to 7.2 is fine)
Individuals with either chronic degenerative diseases or those setting themselves up for such will see their wake up saliva from 5.5 or lower with concurrent urine pH as low as 4.5.
These values represent a long term acid stress on the body.
Generally this means that an individuals alkaline reserves are very low to depleted.
In general you do not want to see a wake up saliva pH below 6.1.
Urine test numbers should be the same as saliva numbers (6.4 in the morning and up to 7.2 at night)
Results of urine pH
It indicates how well your body is assimilating minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. These are called the "acid buffers" because they are used by the body to control acid levels.
When acid levels begin to increase, the body becomes less capable of excreting acid. It must either store the acid in body tissues, or buffer it - that is, borrow minerals from organs, bones, etc., in order to neutralize the extra acid.
Results of your saliva test
You sit down to eat, you get the aroma of your favorite mealtime dish, you are ready to eat that "healthy" food... and something begins to happen in your mouth. You begin to salivate.
This is a reflection of the enzyme amylase kicking in for the starch digestion process. This enzyme needs a range of pH ideally around 7.2 pH.
So if you have adequate alkaline reserves in your body, testing your saliva pH as you salivate before a meal should give you a pH reading of around 7.2.
If your pH is not getting up to at least 7.0, you can assume there is stress in your alkaline reserves and the further below 7 it goes, the more depleted are those reserves.
You could also suspect digestion all around is not doing so well. This typically indicates a longer term problem and more serious effort needs to be applied to help restore overall health.
If your body is too acidic
Most people who have unbalanced pH are "acidic." This condition forces the body to borrow calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium - from vital organs and bones to buffer the acid and safely remove it from the body. This process can weaken these organs and bones over time.
Acidosis may lead to serious health concerns and affect body systems
 Cardiovascular weakness
Weight gain
Bladder and kidney concerns
Immune deficiency
Acceleration of free radical damage
Structural system weakness, including brittle bones and hip fractures
Joint discomfort and other discomfort associated with lactic acid buildup
Low energy.
See List of Acidic/Alkaline Foods
|
1994 - 2023 Four Winds, Inc. USA