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One of the major advances in complementary medicine in recent years has been the realisation of the vital importance of correct body acid alkaline balance and how optimising your body pH can lead to significantly better health, increased energy, improved immunity and a slowing down of the aging process. This page gives you an overview of how you can determine your own acid alkaline balance and what you can do to correct imbalances to help you overcome health problems and live a healthy energised life.
Why is body acid alkaline balance so important?
Our body is alkaline by design but acid generating by function. There are several buffer systems to help keep the pH levels of our bodies at the correct level. Modern living has unfortunately meant that these buffer systems struggle to cope with the acidic load leading to imbalances with very detrimental effects on our health. This is reflected in high levels of heart disease, cancers, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis and other degenerative conditions.
When we refer to body pH we are referring to the pH of the blood and the intracellular and extracellular fluids ie the fluids inside your cells and the fluids surrounding your cells.
The body pH level of our internal fluids affect every single cell in our bodies. The pH level of our blood should be in the range of 7.34 to 7.38 with an ideal of 7.365- that is slightly alkaline. Deviations outside this normal level can have major negative impacts on our health. The commonest tendency is towards acidity (acidosis) and if left unchecked can affect all cellular functions with negative effects on all our body systems. Excessive tissue acidity is corrosive and is believed by many researchers to be the root cause of all sicknesses and diseases.
 What causes imbalances of body acid alkaline balance?
Correct acid alkaline balance slows down aging There are several main factors that affect the acid alkaline balance of our body tissues and in particular lead to acidifying effects. It is important to recognise the root cause of our imbalances so that we can take practical steps to restore the proper acid alkaline balance and our body to health.
We live in an age where the toxic load in our environment is significantly greater than ever before experienced. Changes in eating habits, high levels of stress, electro- magnetic stress and other environmental pollution pose a continuous daily burden on our bodies which we must take action to counterbalance if we want to enjoy good health. In particular the following are the principal things that contribute to the acid burden on our bodies.
Diet . Ideally 80% of our diet should come from foods that leave an alkaline residue in our bodies with only 20% from acid residue foods. Alkaline residue foods are primarily vegetables and fruits- acid residue are animal products and most grains. The ideal proportion will vary from person to person depending on our metabolic type. Unfortunately typical Western diets comprise mostly acid residue foods.
Stress and Negative Emotions . High levels of stress and negative emotions produce biochemical reactions in our bodies which acidify our blood and tissues.
Harmful Pathogens. When our body pH tends towards acidity it creates an internal environment which is conducive to the colonisation of harmful pathogens such as candida. These parasites metabolise your nutrients and dump their metabolic wastes in your body. These wastes are acidic and toxic adding to the acid load on your body.
Environmental Pollution – Toxic fumes from traffic, electromagnetic smog, toxins from household chemicals and some personal care products all can add to the toxic, acidic load on our bodies, adversely affecting our body acid alkaline balance.
The increased acidic load on our blood will result in lowered oxygen transfer throughout the body which is critically important to optimal cell functioning
How can I measure my body pH and determine my acid alkaline balance?
There are two simple things you can do to get an indication of the acid alkaline balance of your body. That is measure the pH of your saliva and also your urine. These readings will give you a picture of the current status of your body pH and allow you to monitor your progress as you bring your body back into proper balance.
There are a number of different recommended ways to test your acid alkaline balance , but the simplest is to check your saliva levels and urine levels first thing in the morning after you have fasted for at least 8 hours. You can use special pH test papers to give you a trend as to your pH. You will probably see a greater variation with saliva testing. You should not regard the value of a single reading as being absolute but look for a trend over several days. You can also check the readings after meals.
If your system is well balanced you will consistently see your morning urine pH readings in the order of 6.5 to 7.5. If the pH is consistently below 6.5 then your body has got insufficient alkaline reserves to buffer the acids in the body and you are setting yourself up for chronic degenerative disease.
As your body pH rises to its desired levels you will feel increased energy levels and improved immunity as the body becomes alkalised and oxygenated. If you would like to test your urine and saliva pH to get an indication of your body acid alkaline balance then we will happily send you a packet of pH papers with our compliments Just send us an email to
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with your name and address details marked pH testing paper.
What health problems are caused by poor acid alkaline balance?
Correct acid alkaline balance gives high energy levels Poor alkaline acid balance can lead to many diseases in the body. In fact several doctors working at the leading edge of natural medicine have said that it is the root cause of all disease. Increased levels of acidity lead to reduced levels of oxygen in the blood and also result in less than optimal absorption of nutrients. This will adversely affect every cell in the body. In particular excess acidity in the blood and tissues and poor hydration is believed to be implicated in the following health problems:
 Cardiovascular problems- in particular arteriosclerosis, high cholesterol and high blood pressure - Diabetes and metabolic disorders
- Cancers
- Osteoporosis
- Arthritis
- Digestive problems, in particular acid reflux, stomach ulcers and helicobacter, colitis and Irritable bowel syndrome
- Hypothyroidism
- Auto immune disorders
- Chronic Fatigue
- Asthma
- Depression
- Kidney Problems
What can be done to restore optimum body pH through proper acid alkaline balance?
Good nutrition and good body hydration can have a hugely beneficial effect on our health. Modern living often makes it difficult for many people to get the proper nutrition to supply their body's needs and function optimally. However a few simple changes to your daily regime can pay handsomely. In particular the focus should be on the following:
- Eliminating from your diet excessive consumption of acid forming foods. There are many good books on the subject of acid alkaline balance diets, several of which are listed in our shop. In particular reduce consumption of sugars and simple carbohydrates, soft drinks, alcohol, fast foods, processed meats and dairy products and increase consumption of vegetables and fruits, particularly green vegetables which are alkalising and contain beneficial phytochemicals.
- Drink plenty of alkaline ionized water . Most people who are suffering from excess acidity are dehydrated, although not conscious of it. Drinking tea, coffee, alcohol and soft drinks is not a substitute for drinking water and most of these everyday drinks have a negative effect on our body hydration levels. Drinking alkaline ionized water helps to neutralise acids and flush them from the body. Additionally alkaline ionized water has got antioxidant properties helping to neutralise harmful free radicals. Drinking alkaline ionized water is the simplest way to help restore your body to alkaline health. Not only is it the simplest thing it is the cheapest thing that everyone can do to improve the quality of their health. Click on this link for more information on the unique health giving properties of alkaline ionized water .
- Take a green superfood . It is not so easy and does not appeal to the palate of many of us to take lots of green vegetables and fruits. The easy way, which is tremendously effective, is to take a green superfood powder which is highly concentrated green nutrition which is very nutrient dense. The high chlorophyll content of green drink powders help to transfer oxygen throughout the body in addition to supplying alkaline nutrients. Click on this link for more information on green superfoods and some of the options available to you to help to alkalise, oxygenate and detoxify the body.
- Look positively on life. Positive emotions will positively affect your acid alkaline balance.
- Additionally if required take alkalising and oxygenating supplements.
In his book Alkalize or Die, Naturopathic Doctor Thomas Baroody states ' The countless names attached to illnesses do not really matter. What does matter is that they all come from the same root cause .... too much tissue acid waste in the body.'
We are always available to advise what might be most helpful for you. We passionately believe that proper acid alkaline balance is the key to better health. Feel free to give us a call on 01764 662111. Click here to read more about Water for Health's water products to help promote better body acid alkaline balance - the road to better health.
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