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Balancing Body pH: The Key to Healthy Weight Management

Balancing Body pH: The Key to Healthy Weight Management

Maintaining a healthy weight is a goal that many people strive to achieve. From fad diets to rigorous exercise routines, the weight loss industry is flooded with various approaches. However, there’s one aspect of health and weight management that often goes overlooked — the body’s pH balance.

In this article, we will explore the connection between body pH and healthy weight management and understand how achieving the right pH balance can be the key to sustainable weight loss and overall well-being.

Understanding Body pH

The human body is a complex system, and different parts of it have different pH levels. To comprehend the significance of body pH in weight management, we first need to understand what exactly pH is. pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance, with a scale ranging from 0 to 14 with 7 considered to be neutral. Consequently, values below 7 are acidic, and values above 7 are alkaline.

The blood in our body, for instance, has a tightly regulated pH level of approximately 7.35 to 7.45, making it slightly alkaline. However, other parts of our body, such as the stomach (highly acidic) and the skin (slightly acidic), have different pH values. Maintaining these pH levels within their respective ranges is vital for proper functioning.

The Role of pH in Weight Management

So, how does pH relate to weight management? The connection lies in the body’s ability to efficiently metabolise food, burn fat, and maintain a healthy internal environment. Here are a few ways in which ph influences weight:

  1. Metabolism: An imbalance in pH can lead to a sluggish metabolism, making it harder for the body to burn calories efficiently. When your metabolism is slow, you are more likely to store excess calories as fat, leading to weight gain. (1)
  2. Digestion: The pH of the stomach is crucial for effective ingestion. An overly acidic or alkaline environment can hinder the breakdown of food, causing digestive issues. This often leads to poor absorption of nutrients, making it challenging to maintain a healthy weight. (2)
  3. Inflammation: An acidic environment in the body is often associated with inflammation, which can contribute to weight gain. Chronic inflammation can interfere with the body’s hormone regulation, including those related to appetite and fat storage. (3)
  4. Detoxification: Your body’s ability to detoxify relies on the pH balance. When your pH is out of whack, your detoxification systems may not function optimally, which can lead to the accumulation of toxins and hinder weight loss.

Balancing Body pH for Weight Management

Achieving the right pH balance in your body can significantly impact your weight management journey. Here’s how you can work on achieving a balanced pH:

Diet

The food you eat plays a pivotal role in maintaining pH balance. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help maintain a slightly alkaline environment. On the other hand, excessive consumption of acidic foods, such as processed meats, sugar, and refined grains, can tip the balance toward acidity. Aim for a diet that includes plenty of greens, whole grains, and lean proteins. (4)

Hydration

Staying properly hydrated is essential for pH balance. Drinking enough water helps the body remove excess acids and toxins. Adding a squeeze of lemon to your water can also be beneficial, as it has an alkalising effect on the body. (5)

Mineral Intake

Minerals like potassium, magnesium, and calcium are essential for maintaining the body’s pH balance. These minerals help neutralise excess acids and support various bodily functions. Incorporate foods rich in these minerals into your diet.

Alkaline Water

Some people opt for alkaline water to help balance pH levels. While this is a debatable topic, drinking alkaline water in moderation may support your efforts to maintain a slightly alkaline internal environment. (6)

Stress Management

Chronic stress can lead to acidity in the body. Engaging in stress-reducing practices like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises can help create a more alkaline internal environment. (7)

Regular exercise

Physical activity supports overall health, including pH balance. Exercise helps increase oxygen flow and circulation, promoting a more alkaline environment.

When you exercise you increase your breathing rate and circulation, and this helps to alkalise your body. Deep breathing alkalises your body by way of removing more CO2 [carbon dioxide] than regular breathing. CO2 is very acidic, and so removing more of it has an alkalising effect. (8)

Monitor pH Levels

You can monitor your pH levels with test strips available at health stores making it easy to track your progress and make necessary adjustments to your diet and lifestyle.

The Importance of Balance

Remember, the goal is not to make your body overly alkaline. Instead, the emphasis should be on achieving balance. Just as extreme acidity is detrimental, so too is extreme alkalinity. It's important to note that the body functions optimally when it’s in a state of equilibrium.

The Bottom Line

Balancing body pH is an often underestimated aspect of healthy weight management. When your body is in a state of equilibrium with a slightly alkaline pH, it can metabolise food efficiently, support digestion, reduce inflammation, aid detoxification, and facilitate weight loss. While achieving pH balance alone won’t necessarily lead to instant weight loss, it plays a significant role in creating the right internal environment for sustainable and healthy weight management.

Remember that achieving and maintaining pH balance is a long-term endeavor that involves making gradual, sustainable changes to your diet and lifestyle. By doing so, you’ll not only be supporting your weight management goals but also enhancing your overall health and well-being.

So the next time you embark on a weight management journey, consider the role of pH in your efforts. It might be the missing key to your success.

Written by Kieran Higgins, Health Writer.

Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.


 

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The Alkaline Advantage - Can the Biocera Jug's Water Really Enhance Your Health

The Alkaline Advantage - Can the Biocera Jug's Water Really Enhance Your Health

What if the water you drink could do more than just quench your thirst?

What if it could actually boost your health, energy, and even longevity?

Alkaline water is not your regular tap water.

That’s because it has a higher pH level, which means it's less acidic, and in turn more alkaline.

Did you know…?

Acidic environments breed disease and degradation.

While, alkaline environments support growth and health.

Imagine your water wearing a superhero cape; that's alkaline water for you!

Alkaline water is believed to have all sorts of superpowers,

…like helping your tummy feel better, supporting longevity and making you feel more energetic.

The only thing is, alkaline water is subject to a lot of controversy.

So is there any real scientific evidence out there that supports these claims?

That’s what we’re going to explore in this article.

Let’s dive in…

What Exactly is Alkaline Water?

When we talk about the alkalinity of water, we're essentially discussing its pH level. PH stands for the potential of hydrogen. The pH scale ranges from zero to 14 and serves as an indicator of how acidic or alkaline a substance is. A pH of seven is seen as neutral, while a lower pH (say 2) indicates acidity and a higher pH (like 9) signifies alkalinity.

Alkaline water can be produced in various ways. One common method is electrolysis, where an electrical device separates water into its acidic and alkaline elements. The alkaline portion is then collected and often bottled. Another approach involves enriching water with specific minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, which naturally elevate its pH level.

Learn more: Alkaline Water vs Other Water

The Biocera Jug: A Simple Guide to How it Alkalises Your Water

The Biocera Alkaline Water Jug is a cost effective, easy and lightweight way to produce alkaline water. The jug transforms ordinary everyday tap water into hydrogen-rich, alkaline water. It does this by:

  • Increasing the pH level from 7.5 to 9.5, making the water more alkaline.
  • Filtering out chlorine, reducing heavy metals and dissolved organic residue like benzene and pesticides.
  • Using natural bioceramic materials to emit low levels of natural energy.
  • Stimulating the release of active molecular hydrogen.
  • Altering the water's ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential), typically between -100mV and -250mV.
  • The jug has a 1.5-liter capacity and is made from NSF Certified and BPA-free plastic.
  • The filters should be replaced every two months.

Eco-Friendly Hydration: How the Biocera Jug Helps the Planet

In today's world, sustainability is more than just a buzzword; it's a necessity. When it comes to alkaline water, the Biocera Jug offers an eco-friendly alternative that stands in stark contrast to bottled alkaline water. Here's how:

1.   Reducing Plastic Waste

Bottled alkaline water often comes in single-use plastic bottles, contributing to the growing problem of plastic waste. On the other hand the Biocera Jug is made from NSF Certified and BPA-free plastic and is reusable. Significantly reducing your plastic footprint.

2.   Lower Carbon Emissions

Transporting bottled water involves significant energy consumption. This contributes to carbon emissions. With the Biocera Jug, you're creating alkaline water right in your own home, or office. Cutting out the need for transportation and thereby reducing your carbon footprint.

3.   Filter Longevity

The filters in the Biocera Jug need to be replaced only every two months, as opposed to the frequent purchases of bottled alkaline water. This not only saves you money but also minimises waste.

4.   Energy Efficiency

Unlike electrolysis machines, which require electricity to function, the Biocera Jug uses natural bioceramic materials to alkalise water, making it an energy-efficient choice.

5.   Water Conservation

Bottled water companies often use far more water in the bottling process than actually ends up in the bottle. The Biocera Jug transforms your tap water, making better use of existing resources and reducing waste.

6.   Recycle Filters

The contents of the used filters can be put on your garrden to enhance the soil, or put in your kitchen/garden waste. The empty outer shell can be put in plastic recycling.

By opting for the Biocera Jug, you're not just making a choice that benefits your health; you're also making a responsible choice for the planet. In a world where every small action counts, switching to a sustainable method of alkalising your water is a step in the right direction.

Learn more: The History of Alkaline Water

A Cultural Perspective: Why Japan Swears by Alkaline Water

You might be wondering, "Is this all make-believe?" Nope! People in Japan have been drinking alkaline water for years. In fact, they like it so much that their health experts have special machines that make alkaline water. These machines are even considered medical devices in Japan. In one study on mice the researchers reported that drinking alkaline water may “exert positive effects on body weight improvement and development in offspring.” They also noted an increase in metabolic activity. According to Science Direct “Low gastric pH prevents bacterial growth in the gastric chamber and bacterial migration from the small bowel.”

In particular Japanese scientists have noted an improvement in stomach conditions when patients consume alkaline water. They explain “The effect of reducing oxidative stress, thus allowing for improved sleep, was exhibited by drinking alkaline electrolysed water  (AEW)containing hydrogen, which is considered to be an antioxidant substance.” Another study discovered that alkaline water had an anti-diabetic effect on rats. The outcome of these studies are positive for those suffering with diabetes. As the researchers discovered a reduction in the levels of glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol in the blood. All markers for diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Additional Health Benefits of Using the Biocera Jug

While the primary focus of the Biocera Jug is to provide alkaline water, its health benefits may extend beyond simply balancing your body's pH levels. Here's a closer look:

  1. Antioxidant Properties: The Biocera Jug not only alkalises water but also enriches it with molecular hydrogen, a known antioxidant. Antioxidants help combat oxidative stress, which is linked to ageing and various chronic diseases.
  2. Detoxification: The jug's filtration system removes harmful substances like chlorine, and reduces heavy metals, and organic residues. This might not seem like much, but excessive chlorine intake is connected to liver and kidney cancer. This detoxifying effect can be beneficial for your liver and kidneys, the body's natural filtration systems.
  3. Enhanced Hydration: Some users report that alkaline water from the Biocera Jug is easier to absorb, leading to better hydration. Proper hydration is crucial for everything from cognitive function to joint health
  4. Potential for Improved Digestion: Alkaline water has been studied for its effects on gastrointestinal health. While more research is needed, some users report relief from symptoms like acid reflux and indigestion
  5. Immune System Support: A balanced pH level can create an environment where your immune system operates optimally. While not a substitute for a balanced diet and regular exercise, alkaline water could be a supplementary measure.

Alkaline Water Solutions: How Does the Biocera Jug Compare?

When it comes to alkalising your water, there are several methods available. Each has its own set of advantages and drawbacks. Let's see how the Biocera Jug stacks up against some of these alternatives:

1.   Electrolysis Machines

  • Effectiveness: Highly effective in producing alkaline water with customisable pH levels.
  • Cost: These machines can be expensive, ranging from £800 to £4,000.
  • Comparison: While electrolysis machines offer high customisation, the Biocera Jug provides a simpler, more affordable option. Plus, Biocera focuses on natural bioceramic materials rather than electrical processes.

2.   Alkaline Water Drops or Tablets

  • Effectiveness: Quick and easy but doesn’t offer the same level of alkalinity or additional benefits like filtering out contaminants.
  • Cost: Relatively cheap, usually around £10 to £40 for a month's supply.
  • Comparison: The Biocera Jug not only alkalises but also filters and enriches the water, offering a more comprehensive solution. This means your water will be fresher, and free from toxins, as well as alkalised.

3.   Alkaline Water Pitchers/ Jugs

  • Effectiveness: Varies by brand but generally effective in increasing pH levels.
  • Cost: Ranges from £20 to £100.
  • Comparison: While other pitchers may only focus on alkalising, the Biocera Jug also adds molecular hydrogen and alters the ORP levels, potentially offering additional health benefits.

4.   Bottled Alkaline Water

  • Effectiveness: Convenient but may lose its alkalinity over time.
  • Cost: Can be expensive in the long run, costing up to £3 per litre
  • Comparison: The Biocera Jug offers a more eco-friendly and cost-effective solution, allowing you to produce alkaline water at home.

Final Thoughts

The Biocera Jug offers a balanced approach to alkalising water. It combines effectiveness with affordability and adds unique features like molecular hydrogen enrichment and ORP alteration. If you're looking for a comprehensive, cost-effective solution for alkaline water, the Biocera Jug is worth considering.

Written by Rowanna Watson, who has a passion for natural health. Rowanna is an expert in all areas of holistic health, plant-based nutrition, detoxification Written by best-selling author and integrative nutrition health coach and personal development.

Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.





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Beyond Taste - Discover the Tangible Benefits of the Biocera Jug's Alkaline Water

Beyond Taste - Discover the Tangible Benefits of the Biocera Jug's Alkaline Water

In an age where health and wellness is paramount,


Alkaline water is gaining more interest.


The idea that adjusting the pH level of our drinking water can bring about a wide range of health benefits 


…has captivated the attention of many wellbeing professionals worldwide.


That’s because alkaline water goes beyond mere hydration.


Offering a range of potential advantages to those interested in natural ways to promote health and wellbeing.


Often people imagine investing in a large machine to provide alkaline water.

But that’s not necessary,


As we now have the handy Biocera Jug.


In this article we’ll delve deep into the world of alkaline water,


Shedding light on the science behind its benefits,


…and focusing our lens squarely on the Biocera Jug. 


We'll explore the multifaceted advantages that Biocera Jug's alkaline water brings to the table.


Emphasising its potential to contribute to a healthier lifestyle.

The Benefits of Biocera Alkaline Filter

When it comes to transforming your everyday hydration routine, the Biocera alkaline water filter is a game-changer. This lightweight filtration system not only enhances the taste of your water. But also provides a portable approach to water filtration and altering the pH to boost your overall health and wellbeing.

1. Improved Hydration for Vitality

Staying hydrated is the cornerstone of good health. The Biocera alkaline water filter, with its unique pH-balancing properties, aids in optimising hydration at a cellular level. By offering water that is less acidic than conventional tap water, the filter is thought to enhance the water's absorbability. Allowing your cells to absorb the water more efficiently. This can translate to improved energy levels, cognitive function, and overall vitality.

2. Harmonising Mineral Balance

Minerals play a pivotal role in maintaining bodily functions. The Biocera alkaline water filter's distinctive mechanism not only raises the pH of the water but also infuses it with essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. These minerals are not only vital for bone health but are also known to contribute to heart health, nerve function, and muscle contraction.

3. Potential Antioxidant Effects

Antioxidants are the body's defence system against oxidative stress, a process associated with ageing and various chronic health issues. Some alkaline water researchers suggest that it may have antioxidant properties due to its negative oxidation-reduction potential (ORP). The Biocera alkaline water filter's potential to reduce ORP could mean that it might help counteract the harmful effects of free radicals. This can act as a defence system against cellular damage.

4. Supporting Overall Health

The journey to well-being is multifaceted, and the Biocera alkaline water filter aims to contribute positively on several fronts. By addressing hydration, mineral intake, and potential antioxidant support, it becomes a holistic tool for wellness. The benefits are far-reaching - from improved digestion and circulation to immune system support. While no single factor can guarantee total wellness, the Biocera alkaline water filter undoubtedly adds a valuable dimension to the health-conscious lifestyle. With the Biocera Jug, you're not just hydrating; you're nourishing your body, from the inside out.

5. Boosts Athletic Performance

Recent studies have shed light on the impact of alkaline water on athletic performance, particularly in high-intensity anaerobic sports. Such as sprinting, martial arts, weight lifting and rowing. These findings suggest that consuming alkalized water not only improves hydration levels but also enhances the body's acid-base balance. This seems to increase muscle buffering capacity and promotes the more efficient removal of protons. Both factors contribute to increased ATP production, which is crucial for high-intensity performance. Experts recommend a daily intake of 3–4 litres of highly alkaline mineralized water for optimised hydration and anaerobic performance during both training and competition.


Related: Feeling Thirsty? Don’t Make These Common Hydration Mistakes

Understanding Biocera Water

Biocera water stands out against other water filtration systems due to its refined filtration process, aimed at elevating the properties of the water. The filtration process involves ceramic balls, minerals, and ion exchange materials. Producing water that’s not only more alkaline but also richer in antioxidants and essential minerals. The altered pH level contributes to a less acidic environment in the body. This reduces the potential for chronic disease, as disease thrives in an acidic environment. Moreover, the lowered oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) suggests that Biocera water might possess antioxidant properties, capable of counteracting harmful free radicals.


The Biocera water jug can improve cellular hydration, and this inturn can lead to elevated energy levels and enhanced cognitive function. The inclusion of essential minerals in Biocera water not only supports bodily functions like bone health and muscle performance but also aims to harmonise mineral balance, as I mentioned above. While scientific consensus may vary, the concept of Biocera water underscores a growing interest in optimising hydration and exploring the potential health advantages of the water we consume daily.


Learn more: The History of Alkaline Water

How Long Do Biocera Filters Last?

Both the water quality and how often you use your Biocera Jug impact how often you’ll need to change your filter. They typically last 2 months, the longevity of these cartridges varies depending on factors such as the type of cartridge (make sure to use only Biocera branded filters), water quality, and the volume of water processed. Regular maintenance, including periodic cleaning as advised by the manufacturer, is essential to sustain optimal water filtration.


To maintain the effectiveness of Biocera water filter cartridges, timely replacement is crucial. Vigilance toward changes in water taste, odour, or filtration performance can indicate when a cartridge replacement is required. By sticking to manufacturer guidelines and observing  cartridge condition, you can ensure a continuous supply of high-quality, enriched alkaline water in your daily routine.


Learn more: Alkaline Water vs Other Water

Conclusion: Elevating Wellness with Biocera Water

Biocera water is a powerful tool for elevating wellness. Its alkaline filter provides a wide range of benefits, from improved hydration to enhanced mineral balance Plus the handy lightweight filter is ideal both at home and in the office. Integrating alkaline water from the Biocera Jug into your daily routine, can help you live a healthier lifestyle.


Written by Rowanna Watson, who has a passion for natural health. Rowanna is an expert in all areas of holistic health, plant-based nutrition, detoxification Written by best-selling author and integrative nutrition health coach and personal development.


Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.


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alkalising foods

How to Achieve Optimum Body pH Balance

How to Achieve Optimum Body pH Balance

Body pH balance and the alkaline diet - was it just a passing fad or does it offer transformative benefits for wellbeing?

When Water for Health started trading in 2007 one of the hot topics as far as health was concerned was body pH balance. It was seen as the ideal way to help protect the body against disease, to improve energy levels, to promote healthy weight loss and many other benefits.

Unfortunately, over the last decade body acid alkaline balance has largely taken a back seat. However, I still consider it to be as important now, if not even more important, as it was then.

Our bodies function optimally when we live in balance. Asian cultures understand this better than Western medicine. In fact, a lot of Asian approaches to health focus on balance.

Read on to learn more about pH levels and how to achieve optimum balance.

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Alkaline products

A closer look at alkalising the body and the best alkaline supplements to take

Alkalising the Body & the Best Alkaline Supplements to Take

Many times when we experience infections and illness it’s a sign that our bodies are too acidic.

Bringing the body back out of an acidic state to a more alkaline or neutral pH is known to have tremendous benefits to our health and has even been linked to longer life spans.

Dietary changes coupled with taking alkaline supplements and drinking alkaline-rich water are all great ways to assist with the necessary changes.

In this article, we’ll cover body pH and how it affects your health, and also show you precisely what to look for when choosing a quality alkaline water filter and supplement.

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glass of water

Amazing Ways Alkaline Water Can Help You Lose Weight

Amazing Ways Alkaline Water Can Help You Lose Weight

Whilst many might turn their noses up at another trend, alkaline water makes a difference in many areas of health.

Pure water, in and of itself, is required for every cell of your body to work. When I say “pure” water, I’m referring to water that hasn’t been contaminated by man.

Naturally, drinking water should be alkaline. Take spring water as an example; when it flows over rocks it picks up natural minerals that make the water more alkaline. Meaning, drinking alkaline water is a more natural way to stay hydrated.

Water can help brighten your skin, enhance brainpower and regulate your blood pressure.

This is all very impressive, but what about weight loss? How can water aid the removal of fat? The science is in, and water can indeed help you lose weight. But only as part of a lifestyle change. Water alone can’t do it all. Exercise, dietary changes and a more holistic approach are required to lose weight and, most importantly, to keep it off in the long run.

Water helps in two key ways - decreased appetite, and increased fat burning. Let’s explore 5 important ways that alkaline water can help you lose weight.

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woman sipping coffee at window

The Importance of Body pH Balance for Optimum Blood Flow & Oxygen Transfer

The Importance of Body pH Balance for Optimum Blood Flow & Oxygen Transfer

You need balanced blood pH for optimal health. In fact, it’s crucial.

Your blood pH can affect your health in several ways, two of which are maintaining robust respiratory and circulatory systems. In turn, efficiently healthy circulation and respiration effectively oxygenates your cells and clears carbon dioxide from your blood which helps to regulate blood and body pH.

Your respiratory and circulatory systems work cohesively to ensure nutrients and oxygen-rich blood reach your cells. This allows aerobic cellular respiration, which provides the energy to drive fundamental cellular processes.

As oxygenated blood is carried into your cells, they diffuse carbon dioxide into your blood, which your heart pumps up to your lungs for elimination.


How can pH imbalance negatively impact health?

  • Cardiovascular issues
  • Reduced oxygen transfer (exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide)
  • Lowered immunity
  • Fatigue
  • Electrolyte imbalance causing muscle weakness and numbness
  • Poor gut health
  • Stiff, aching joints and increased risk of osteoarthritis
  • Increased risk of osteoporosis
  • Insomnia
  • Increased risk of illness and chronic disease, including heart disease, cancer and metabolic syndrome

What is pH balance?


pH is how acid or alkaline a solution is. In humans, pH balance, otherwise known as acid base balance, is the pH measurement in your blood, stomach, and vagina.

The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral; the lower the number, the more acidic, and the higher the number, the more alkaline.

Your blood pH should stay between 7.35 to 7.45. Vaginal and stomach pH are slightly more acidic.

Your body tightly controls your pH balance, but things like diet, medication, stress, increased toxicity, insomnia and low electrolytes can affect your pH.

If acidity or alkalinity builds up in your blood, your body’s buffer systems must work harder to maintain balance.

The extra strain affects your entire system as it leeches electrolytes from other places where they’re needed and compromises gut health and nutrient absorption.

Consequently, you can suffer from increased toxicity, lowered immunity, and an increased risk of illness and disease.

There are specific steps you can take to aid your body in its quest to maintain a balanced pH. You can start by eating a healthy, balanced and nourishing whole food diet full of vegetables, fruit, herbs and spices.

Other essential additions are regular exercise, managing stress, and maintaining gut health.

Your lungs, heart and brain work together to maintain blood pH balance


Your lungs enable breathing and the healthy exchange of oxygen in and carbon dioxide out of your body. This helps to maintain pH (acid-base) balance.

Your circulatory and respiratory systems continuously work together. Your heart pumps oxygen-poor, carbon dioxide-loaded blood to your lungs, where it can oxygenate, and the carbon dioxide is released into the air in your lungs, leaving your body through exhalation.

Your heart pumps the newly oxygenated blood throughout your body, where it’s released into your cells. At the same time, carbon dioxide from your cells is absorbed into your blood, and your heart pumps it back up to your lungs to eliminate it from your body.

Releasing carbon from the cells is essential for acid-alkaline balance. Your brain is constantly monitoring oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. If there is too much oxygen in your blood, it becomes alkaline, and your brain tells your lungs to slow the speed and depth of your breath so that carbon dioxide can build in your blood, correcting the imbalance.

If there is excess carbon dioxide in your blood, it becomes too acidic. In this instance, your brain tells your lungs to increase the breath to remove carbon dioxide and take in oxygen. It also signals your heart to pump harder and get more oxygen from your lungs into your blood.

If you’re chronically acidic, it can put added pressure on your lungs, heart and brain to carry out these crucial functions and maintain pH balance.

If your heart and lungs are working correctly, this process can run smoothly. But if they’re not, then problems can occur.

In addition to other causes, chronic systemic inflammation caused by pH imbalance can play a role in respiratory and heart conditions, including heart failure.

pH balance, circulation and oxygen transport


We need a healthy pH to maintain optimal circulation, respiration and oxygen transport, and we need optimal circulation, respiration and oxygen transport to maintain a balanced pH.

If your blood is too acidic, you can develop signs of acidosis. Even slight acidity can lead to lower oxygen transfer throughout your body, with fatigue and lowered immunity being the first signs.

If your body is in a chronic state of acidity, it struggles to transport oxygen effectively. Nutrients and oxygen can’t reach your cells as quickly or efficiently as they should, hindering aerobic cellular respiration.

Consequently, cellular energy and activity are impaired, along with their ability to drive vital physiological processes in the body.

The circulatory system includes the heart, blood vessels and blood. Healthy circulation is imperative for blood, nutrients and oxygen to reach your cells, then exchanged for toxic waste products, like carbon dioxide, which the blood promptly carries away for elimination.

pH imbalance can seriously affect the circulatory system. Chronic acidity can lead to inflammation, an underlying cause of heart disease, and related conditions, including atherosclerosis, where blood flow is impaired both to and from the heart

With a reduction of the oxygen supply to the cells, inflammation may cause a toxic build-up of waste and mucus in the bronchi and lungs, potentially resulting in asthma, pneumonia and increased susceptibility to viruses, frequent colds and other infections.

So, as you can see, prolonged acidity has the potential to starve your cells of nutrients, hinder cell oxygenation and waste removal, cause systemic inflammation and decrease blood flow, increase the risk of respiratory illness and compound the problem even further.

How to restore and maintain pH balance


Through dietary and lifestyle choices, you have the power to ease the pressure on your body and its buffer systems to maintain a healthy acid-base balance.

There are a few ways to accomplish this, including:

  • Eating a healthy, balanced and diverse whole food diet with plenty of brightly coloured vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices.
  • Cutting down on sugar and alcohol.
  • Increasing your intake of alkaline foods.
  • Ensuring you’re adequately hydrated .
  • Looking after your gut health .
  • Sleeping well.
  • Exercising regularly.
  • Managing stress levels and looking after your mental health .
  • Limiting your exposure to environmental toxins.

Conclusion


Your body tightly controls your pH balance, but things like diet, medication, stress, increased toxicity, insomnia and low electrolytes can affect your pH

A balanced body pH is crucial for healthy blood flow, oxygen transfer and the successful delivery of oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to your cells. In turn, all of these contribute to the ideal pH balance.

pH imbalance (e.g. chronic acidity) can have a detrimental effect on your ability to transport oxygen to your cells and clear your blood of carbon dioxide, leading to prolonged blood acidity, inflammation and disease.

This can impact the health of your respiratory and circulatory systems, compounding the problem further.

Without proper delivery of oxygen and nutrients into your cells and excretion of carbon dioxide, aerobic cellular respiration is impaired. Your cells cannot produce the energy they need to perform basic and essential cellular functions, increasing the propensity for illness and disease.

It’s necessary to eat well, exercise regularly and maintain some healthy lifestyle practices (as mentioned above) to encourage a healthy pH balance.

Written by Rebecca Rychlik, Nutritional Therapist and Homeopath. Follow Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook and Medium, @rebeccabitesback.


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image of person clutching stomach

What Are Enzymes, And What Do They Do For Us?

What are Enzymes, and What Do They Do For Us?

Enzymes are proteins that play a vital role, helping to speed up both cellular and extracellular chemical reactions in the body.

They are crucial for digestion, maintaining organ, muscle and nerve function, reducing inflammation, detoxification, immunity, blood circulation, energy production, DNA replication and more.

But what are these biochemical reactions, and how do they help us?


  • Enzymes are biological catalysts

    Enzymes are special proteins made up of chains of amino acids. There are different types of enzymes, and specific ones have very distinct roles for particular chemical reactions. 

    Their function depends on the sequence and types of amino acids they're made up of, and the complicated 3D shape of their chain.

    Their job as catalysts means they cause or speed up fundamental metabolic and digestive chemical reactions that keep us alive. During this process, enzymes remain stable and unchanged.

    If an enzyme is defective somehow, through a genetic defect, deficiency or some other reason, it can cause an abnormal reaction which can lead to metabolic dysfunction and disease.

    How do enzymes work?


    Enzymes are produced in the cells. They are very specific and designed for a particular substance (substrate).

    The substrate interacts and reacts with the enzyme, forming an enzyme-substrate complex or new and usable 'product'. 

    Once the reaction occurs, the new substrate changes shape and can no longer bind to the enzyme, and this new product can go off and do its job.

    The enzyme remains unchanged and can continue latching onto more substrates, forming new products. 

    Enzymes are often named after the substrate they work with, having 'ase' at the end of their name to differentiate them as enzymes.

    For example, the enzyme called amylase works with amylose, a resistant starch found in a large variety of foods.

    Amylase is produced in the salivary glands and helps to break amylose down into maltose. Maltose is then broken down into glucose by the enzyme maltase in the small intestine.

    This enzymatic action radically reduces the time it would otherwise take to break these starches and sugars apart.

    The lock and key hypothesis


    The lock and key model is one of the explanations as to how the enzyme mechanism works.

    The theory is that an active site on an enzyme has a specific shape that complements and fits with its coordinating substrate. The substrate slots into and binds with the active site, and the chemical reaction occurs.

    Things that can affect an enzyme's action


    Body temperature and pH levels can both affect enzymes. It turns out that the optimal body temperature for humans (at around 98.6 Fahrenheit) is also ideal for enzymes to work efficiently.

    pH is the measure of alkalinity and acidity. The optimum pH differs between enzymes and where they're located in the body. For example, pepsin is found in the stomach, which has a natural pH of around 2. The enzyme trypsin breaks down proteins in the small intestine. It functions best at a more alkaline pH of 7.5 to 8.

    If the temperature gets too high or the pH is too acidic or alkaline, the enzyme changes shape, becomes denatured, and can no longer attach to substrates.

    Some enzymes are inactive without a cofactor, a non-protein chemical or 'helper molecule' which they need to function. For example, chloride ions act as a cofactor for amylase.

    Types of enzymes


    Generally speaking, there are three main types of enzymes: metabolic, digestive and food. The first two are produced in the body, and the others come from food.

    Digestive enzymes line the digestive tract and are essential for breaking down our food so our body can use it for fuel.

    Metabolic enzymes are mainly produced in the pancreas and liver. They aid blood circulation, detoxification, organ function, and energy production.

    Food enzymes aid the digestion process. The best sources are raw, unprocessed foods. For example, bromelain – found in pineapples – helps to break proteins down into amino acids.

    Conclusion


    If an enzyme is defective, through a genetic defect, deficiency or some other reason, it can cause an abnormal reaction.

    This is just a shallow dive into enzymes, their mechanisms and their functions. 

    Enzymes are responsible for a vast range of chemical reactions, they are incredibly vital, and we can't survive without them.

    By binding with and altering substrates, enzymes catalyse biological processes, speeding them up. They are integral to an enormous range of functions, including DNA replication, digestion, respiration, organ function, circulation, immunity, nerve and muscle function and beyond. 

    Written by Rebecca Rychlik-Cunning, Nutritional Therapist and Homeopath. Follow Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook and Medium, @rebeccabitesback.


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How to Maintain the Correct Acid Base Balance for Health

How to Maintain the Correct Acid Base Balance for Health

How to Maintain the Correct Acid Base Balance for Health

Your acid base balance is also known as pH balance, and maintaining healthy levels is essential.

Read on to find out why it's crucial for your health, how your body keeps pH levels in check, and how you can ensure they stay in perfect balance.

What is pH balance, and why is blood pH important?

Your blood pH and health are intrinsically linked, and you need the correct blood pH to function.

Even a minor fluctuation from normal pH can seriously affect your organs

The pH scale goes from 0 (acidic) to 14 (basic or alkaline). A healthy body pH sits between 7.35 to 7.45.

Several things can affect your pH balance, including:

 

  • Medications
  • Compromised gut health
  • Depleted electrolytes
  • Stress
  • A poor diet, including excess sugar intake
  • Lack of exercise
  • Exposure to toxins
  • Inadequate sleep

Signs your acid base balance is unstable include:

 

  • Fatigue
  • Low immunity
  • Aches and pains
  • Arthritis
  • Tingling and numbness
  • Headaches
  • Osteoporosis
  • Digestive issues
  • Inflammation
  • Chronic illness

Luckily for you, your body intelligently and tightly controls your pH levels using your brain, lungs, kidneys, and various buffering systems.

But the more acidic the environment, the harder the body must work to maintain balance.

So it's essential to look after yourself, minimising any strain to help your body out.

How your lungs and kidneys control acid-base balance

Your body helps control blood pH by releasing carbon dioxide, which is mildly acidic and a waste product, from your lungs.

Your cells release carbon dioxide into your blood, which carries it to your lungs for exhalation.

As carbon dioxide increases in the blood, it becomes more acidic. Your brain is constantly assessing and adjusting the speed, depth and exhalation of your breath to regulate your blood pH in real-time.

Your kidneys work more slowly than your lungs and brain, taking hours or days. They excrete excess acid (hydrogen ions) or bases.

How buffer systems control acid-base balance

Chemical buffer systems protect against deviations in pH balance by tempering changes in hydrogen ion concentrations.

These buffer systems are a combination of weak acids and bases naturally found in your body (plasma proteins, phosphate, and bicarbonate and carbonic acid buffers).

Generally, weak acids soak up hydroxyl ions, and weak bases absorb hydrogen ions.

Electrolytes also play a role

Both your pH and electrolyte balance are closely linked.

Electrolytes are essential minerals that have many functions, including powering your cells, maintaining fluid balance, regulating nerve and muscle function and balancing your body pH.

If your acid-base balance is off, your body uses vital electrolyte stores as it tries to get things on an even keel.

It leaches them from your cells, tissues and bones, resulting in gut disturbance and nutrient deficiencies, toxin build-up, reduced immune function, and an increased risk of osteoporosis.

You may also experience headaches, numbness, tingling and muscle weakness.

Your gut pH is as important as your blood pH

To keep things balanced, you need to optimise your gut pH.

It's essential to keep you and your digestive system healthy, helping maintain healthy gut flora and digestive enzymes.

Related: A Closer Look at the Gut-Brain Axis 

Types of acid-base disorders

pH imbalance can lead to two types of acid-base disorders:

 

  • Acidosis – A low blood pH (below 7.35) which is more acidic.
  • Alkalosis – A high blood pH (above 7.45) where there is too much base or alkalinity.

There are two classifications:

 

  • Metabolic – an imbalance of acids or bases and their excretion from the kidneys.
  • Respiratory – where an imbalance occurs from an inability to excrete enough carbon dioxide due to lung or breathing disorders.

Your body will do everything in its power to try and reinstate pH balance, with the kidney and respiratory systems compensating for each other.

But over time, this will become more difficult, and if your blood pH changes substantially, it can become severe. If left untreated, acidosis can be fatal.

Causes and symptoms of acidosis and alkalosis

Symptoms of respiratory acidosis include:

 

  • Extreme fatigue
  • Confusion
  • Headache

..and can result from conditions including: 

 

  • Asthma
  • Emphysema
  • Pneumonia

Symptoms of metabolic acidosis, meanwhile, include:

 

  • Fatigue
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Confusion
  • Weakness
  • Headache

..and can be caused by:

 

  • Severe vomiting and diarrhoea
  • Diabetic ketoacidosis
  • Excess lactic acid caused by alcohol abuse, seizures or cancer
  • Renal tubular acidosis (RTA), where the kidneys fail to remove acids from the blood and into the urine.
  • Severe dehydration
  • Poisoning by aspirin, ethylene glycol (found in antifreeze), or methanol.

Symptoms of respiratory alkalosis include:

 

  • Muscle stiffness and spasms
  • Chest pain
  • Tingling
  • Irritability
  • Nausea
  • Dizziness
  • Tremors

..and can be caused by:

 

  • Breathing too rapidly due to anxiety, using a ventilator or overdosing on certain medications.
  • Medical conditions including liver disease, pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax and atrial flutter.

Symptoms of metabolic alkalosis include:

 

  • Irritability
  • Muscle cramps and spasms
  • Fatigue
  • Tingling and numbness
  • Confusion
  • Arrhythmia
  • Seizures

It can be caused by:

 

  • Severe or cyclical vomiting
  • Overuse of diuretics, antacids, laxatives
  • Overactive adrenals
  • Low stomach acid
  • Electrolyte imbalance

What causes pH imbalance?

Your body diligently regulates your acid base balance, but the less you look after yourself, the harder it has to work.

The following can contribute to pH imbalance:

 

  • A poor diet, including excess sugar intake
  • Excess alcohol intake
  • Medication including antibiotics
  • Chronic illness
  • Inadequate sleep
  • Stress, anxiety and depression
  • Too much or too little exercise
  • Overexposure to toxins including heavy metals, pesticides, and other environmental toxins in our water, food, toiletries, beauty products and household cleaners.
  • Growing exposure to EMFs from Wi-Fi, smartphones and smart meters may also play a role.

Other symptoms of unbalanced pH levels

Depending on how acidic your body pH is, your symptoms can range from mild to more severe.

Even a slight increase in acidity can lead to lower oxygen transfer throughout your body, with fatigue and lowered immunity being among the first signs

Symptoms can include:

 

  • Digestive problems caused by high acidity or vice versa. You may experience acid reflux, nausea, bloating, indigestion, IBS, and colitis.

 

  • An imbalance of gut microbiota, a weakened intestinal lining, and reduced nutrient absorption, which can result in inflammation, lowered immunity and impaired health. Over 70% of your immune system lives in your gut.

 

  • Muscle weakness, aches and pains, tingling, numbness and headaches as your electrolytes become depleted.

 

  • Inflammation, pain and arthritis caused by acid deposits in the joints.

 

  • When you have an acidic pH in the body, and your buffer systems are struggling, calcium gets leached from the bones increasing your risk of decreased bone density and osteoporosis.

 

  • Acidosis and inflammation are linked to a wide range of chronic diseases, including kidney stones, cancer, metabolic syndrome and impaired glutathione synthesis.

8 ways of restoring pH balance in the body

1. Eat a healthy, whole-food diet packed full of diverse vegetables, fruits and other plant foods. Try to eat organic as much as possible to reduce your exposure to pesticides, ditch processed, refined foods and reduce your alcohol intake.

2. Cut down on sugar. Your adrenals work closely with your kidneys to balance pH, and when you consume acidic foods (including anything processed and high in sugar) it causes your adrenals to release aldosterone, which signals to your kidneys to eliminate excess acid.

Over time, this can put a heavy strain on your adrenals and kidneys, leading to adrenal fatigue, inflammation and chronic illness.

Hyperaldosteronism is when one or both adrenal glands release too much aldosterone. Interestingly, this can lead to metabolic alkalosis.

3. Keep your gut health in check. Eat well, look after your mental and emotional wellbeing, effectively manage stress, exercise and live a healthy lifestyle.

Consume plenty of pro and prebiotic foods and consider taking a probiotic supplement. You may also benefit from supporting your gut pH.

4. If you're eating well, you should be consuming plenty of electrolytes. Some foods provide incredibly high amounts of these essential minerals.

Sadly, modern farming methods result in mineral-depleted soil, so if you can eat organic, the soil it's grown in will be nutrient-dense. Anything grown in it should provide more electrolytes like magnesium.

If you're concerned, intensively work out or have recently been unwell, you may like to take a supplement

5. Drink plenty of water. Tap water in the UK is safe to drink, but it does contain trace contaminants including hormones, pesticides, heavy metals, chlorine and microplastics.

Filtered, alkaline water has far fewer toxins, is mineralised, more hydrating than regular tap or bottled water, and helps neutralise acids by flushing them from your body. 

6. Limit your exposure to environmental toxins and hormone disruptors.

These are found in household cleaning products, health and beauty products, plastics, Wi-Fi, smartphones, computers, smart meters, building materials, pesticides (in the environment, your garden and your food) and pollution.

Medication, processed and refined foods, sugar, alcohol and caffeine all contribute to your toxic load as well, so be aware of what you're putting into your body. 

7. Look after your stress levels and mental health .

8. Take regular exercise .

Conclusion

A healthy acid-base balance is critical for you to function effectively and be well. Your body tightly controls your pH balance which needs to stay between 7.35 and 7.45 on the pH scale. 

To maintain the correct acid-base balance, your lungs and brain communicate to ensure you exhale enough carbon dioxide, and your kidneys excrete excess acids and bases.

You also have chemical buffer systems of weak acids and bases naturally found in the body, taking up hydroxyl ions (bases) and hydrogen ions (acids).

Your electrolyte and pH balance are also closely tied as your body will use electrolyte stores to help bring your acid-base back into alignment.

The more stress you put on your body, the harder it has to work to maintain healthy pH levels, and your health will start to suffer. As such, it's essential to eat the right foods, exercise regularly and look after your mental health. 

Written by Rebecca Rychlik, Nutritional Therapist and Homeopath. Follow Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook and Medium, @rebeccabitesback.

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How to Optimise Body pH and Test Water Alkalinity

How to Optimise Body pH and Test Water Alkalinity

How to Optimise Body pH and Test Water Alkalinity

The chemistry of the human body requires a balanced pH level to maintained good health, and many well-informed health experts suggest striving to maintain a slightly alkaline pH ranging from 7.35 and 7.45.

Unfortunately, the human body has a tendency to be slightly acidic. In an acidic state, the body becomes susceptible to chronic illnesses such as gout, arthritis, kidney stones, cancer, and more. A convenience food diet, medications, lifestyle and stress can bring about low-grade acidosis, which is entirely detrimental for our health.

So what’s the solution? Optimising your pH of course. In this article, we’ll consider the effects of imbalanced pH balance while suggesting ways to positively influence your body pH.

What Happens When the Body is Acidic?

Proper balanced body pH is essential to maintain good oxygen transfer through the body. As the level of acidity increases in the blood, so the level of oxygen decreases.

According to Dr. Michael Lam, Director of Medical Education at the Academy of Anti-Aging, in his book “Beating Cancer with Natural Medicine”, the following things happen when the body is too acidic. An acidic environment will:


  • Decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients
  • Decrease energy production in the cells
  • Decrease the body’s ability to repair damaged cells
  • Decrease the body’s ability to detoxify heavy metals
  • Enable tumour cells to grow
  • Make the body more susceptible to fatigue and illness

RelatedHow to Maintain or Restore a Healthy Body pH Balance

Drink and Eat Your Way to a Heathy Body pH

The food and beverages we consume have an undeniable effect on our body pH. Highly acidic foods will not only alter our body pH, but can cause inflammation in and of themselves.

To achieve a healthy pH level, it is vital to feed your body with a range of nutritious whole foods and liquids instead of those that are processed or refined. By reducing your consumption of highly acid-producing foods, and increasing your daily intake of alkaline-forming foods, you will help to cultivate a healthy pH.

There are many alkaline-forming foods such as almonds, apples, avocados, most berries, broccoli, cabbage, garlic, onions, and most fresh leafy greens and vegetables. 

An easy and efficient way of increasing our pH is to consume an alkalising daily supplement such as Vibrant Health Green Vibrance or Maximum Vibrance. These super green food blends provide an assortment of valuable trace nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids, with Maximum Vibrance also providing a great source of plant-based protein.

Reducing the amount of acid-forming drinks we consume also plays a big part in nurturing optimum body pH. Having pure alkaline water on hand makes it easier. The Energy Plus Filter System provides alkaline water straight from the tap. 

There are several characteristics of health-promoting water as we see it. Healthy water should have an alkaline pH, antioxidant properties and, critically important for absorption and cell health, it should have good structure. 

We have focused on bringing all these properties together through cutting-edge filtration and the use of advanced bioceramic minerals. This is what sets the Energy Plus apart from other filter systems currently available. 

RelatedWhich System Regulates pH in the Body? Plus How to Restore Balance

Testing the pH of Your Body & Water

We can easily measure the alkalinity and acidity of our bodies at home using pH test strips. For testing our drinking water, it is best to use a pH Reagent. 

Our pH Test Strips are optimised for the measurement of your internal pH balance and, since they benefit from a dual-pad layout, they are incredibly easy to read.

The strips provide much more accurate results than the standard pH papers you’ll find at your local pharmacy. 

Calibrated from pH 4.5 to pH 9.0, they can provide you with an accurate measurement of your internal pH balance within just 10 seconds of dipping them into either urine or saliva.

It is best to check your urine pH first thing in the morning and take an average reading from the first two times you pass urine in the day. The ideal range is 6.5 to 7.25.

It is recommended to perform a pH test daily for 2-4 weeks. This will enable you to spot trends and adjust your diet/lifestyle accordingly. 

Our pH Test Colour Reagent has been specifically designed to test the pH of water. Simply add 4 drops of reagent to 50ml of water; wait for 3 minutes; then compare the colour of the solution to the colours on the chart provided.

It will take the guesswork out of the equation and help you stay on track with your alkaline regime. 

The colour reagent can be used to help measure the acidity of tap water, or the alkalinity of water produced by an alkaline filter such as the Energy Plus.

By using this Water pH Test Kit, you can ensure optimum pH balance and verify that your alkaline water filter is functioning correctly.

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How to Naturally Restore Vaginal pH and Solve Yeast Infection

How to Naturally Restore Vaginal pH and Solve Yeast Infection

How to Naturally Restore Vaginal pH and Solve Yeast Infection

Itching, burning sensations or strange discharge can result if your vaginal pH is out of balance. This is important because the pH of your vagina is designed to be slightly acidic to ward off infection. If it becomes too alkaline, you could experience discomfort down there.

The scientific term for a dysbiosis in your vaginal pH is “bacterial vaginosis.” It’s also referred to as a yeast infection in some circles. A disturbed vaginal pH can lead to inflammation and infection. Either way, if you’re experiencing discomfort, you need to quickly change a few lifestyle factors to bring things back in line. The good news is that you can do this quickly, cheaply and easily.

In this article, we’ll discuss what a normal vaginal pH is; how stress can impact your vaginal pH; factors that can cause an imbalance to your natural pH levels; as well as tips and tricks to naturally restore your vaginal pH.

What’s a Normal Vaginal pH?

pH means the ‘potential of hydrogen’ and it measures how acidic or alkaline things are.

Seven is considered neutral while a higher pH is alkaline and a lower pH is acidic. The pH of your vagina is slightly acidic and should be in the range between pH 3.8 – 4.5. 

RelatedHow to Maintain or Restore a Healthy Body pH Balance

Can Stress Throw Off Your pH Balance?

For sure! All types of stress impact your health, including vaginal health. When you get stressed out psychologically, then the hormone cortisol is released.

This is problematic when it comes to prolonged or chronic stress. When we’re under a lot of stress, our fight-or-flight hormones surge, which can put us at risk for a plethora of infections. Including infections of the genitalia. 

Similar to other parts of your body, like the gut, your vagina is teeming with bacteria designed to keep your private parts healthy. Stress can alter the microbes in all areas of your body, throwing the delicate pH of your vagina out of whack. 

Take time out of your day to de-stress by meditating, walking in nature, exercising, deep breathing or listening to your favourite music. 

RelatedDuring Stressful Times, Reach for a Drink – Of Water

Probiotics and Microbes for pH Balance

“The vagina contains more bacteria than anywhere else in the body after the bowel, but the bacteria are there for a reason.” – Professor Ronnie Lamont, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Interestingly, the bacteria in the vagina can produce a naturally occurring antibiotic known as bacteriocins. Creating a natural defence system to ward off invading bacteria.

It’s important that your good bacteria outnumber the bad, to ensure that your vagina will have ample protection against foreign bacteria.

The main micro-organism that keeps your vaginal pH within the natural range is lactobacilli

Learn moreNature’s 5 Best Defences Against Harmful Bacteria

7 Things That Throw Off Your pH Balance

We’re all about practical tips in this blog, but before we get to recommendations, let’s take a closer look at some things that can throw your pH balance out of whack.

1. Sperm and vaginal pH

Semen is alkaline, with a pH of between pH 7-8. While the vagina is acidic. This mismatch means that sperm could alter vaginal pH levels and cause dysbiosis. 

2. Periods and tampon use

Menstrual blood is more alkaline than the vagina, therefore should be allowed to leave the body swiftly. Tampons soak up everything, including good bacteria. Leaving the vagina dry and susceptible to infection.

Healthier options include using a menstrual cup or a vaginal pH balancing tampon. 

3. Antibiotics

As we’ve discussed, the vagina is home for a large number of bacteria. As such, antibiotic use can throw your pH out of balance. Both in your gut and in your vagina, because antibiotics decimate microbial populations. 

Related: Antibiotics Are Not the Answer: Thoughts on the Coming ‘Apocalypse’

4. Menopause and vaginal pH

During the menopause, many people struggle with UTIs. This is due to a change in estrogen levels. In fact, one 2014 study found that vaginal pH could be a marker for the menopause. They measured follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in 173 women and found that menopausal women had a more alkaline pH.

5. Urinary tract infection (UTI)

The pH of your vagina may make a UTI more likely. Reduced estrogen levels in women going through the menopause can lead to developing a UTI. Having a high pH doesn’t automatically mean you’ll develop a UTI. It’s simply that the lack of protection from the good bacteria could put you at greater risk of developing a UTI.

6. Clothing and hygiene

Wearing tight pants or trousers can encourage the growth of bad bacteria in the vagina. Also making sure that you wipe yourself front to back after going to the loo can help prevent bad bacteria from entering the vagina. 

7. Douching 

Douching is the practice of cleaning the vagina with water or soap. The vagina is self-cleaning and shouldn’t be interfered with. Despite this, one in five women douche. Douching has been linked to vaginal infections, an overgrowth of bad bacteria, a reduction in good bacteria, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and even trouble conceiving. 

Related: Alkaline Antioxidant Water: Hype or Does the Science Back It Up?

4 Tips to Restore Your Vaginal pH Naturally

We did promise some practical tips, didn’t we?

1. Consume more probiotics

The good bacteria Lactobacilli is an abundant microbe in the vagina. The probiotic Lactobacilli is found in fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi and tempeh. It is also available as a probiotic supplement.

2. Garlic

Both garlic and garlic tablets contain an antioxidant compound called allicin. One study of 120 women found that consuming garlic tablets twice a day was effective against vaginal yeast infection. 

3. Relaxation

As discussed above, stress can exacerbate vaginal yeast infections. As such, finding ways to de-stress and relax is vital in balancing your vaginal pH. Why not take a bath, listen to soothing music, do some yoga or meditate to calm your nervous system.

4. Wear breathable underwear, loose clothing

Clean breathable underwear can help the good bacteria proliferate because bad bacteria will grow and take over when you wear tight pants. 

The Bottom Line

A yeast infection can drive you mad. But the good news is that it’s relatively easy to restore your vaginal pH and avoid discomfort.

One of the most impactful ways to restore your vaginal pH is to balance the microbial environment. The pH of your vagina should be slightly acidic and can be encouraged to reset by taking probiotics, de-stressing and wearing breathable clothing.

Written by best-selling author and integrative nutrition health coach Rowanna Watson, who has a passion for natural health. Rowanna is an expert in all areas of holistic health, plant-based nutrition, detoxification and personal development.

Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more

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Which System Regulates pH in the Body? Plus How to Restore Balance

Which System Regulates pH in the Body? Plus How to Restore Balance

Which System Regulates pH in the Body? Plus How to Restore Balance

Disease thrives in an acidic environment, often due to chronic inflammation and fungal infection. For this reason, your body works tirelessly to ensure that the internal terrain is always slightly alkaline.

A pH of around 7.45 is optimal. Put in perspective, pH 0 is highly acidic and pH 14 is highly alkaline. The pH balance of your body is delicate and can be easily thrown off by acid-forming foods, or a lack (or excess) of exercise. Additionally, stress is an important factor that can throw your body's pH out of whack.

Acid-forming foods also generate high levels of free radicals, which can negatively affect overall health. Which is a double insult to your healthy lifestyle choices.

Another issue with the acid-base balance of your body is that it’s tied into your hormone and adrenal glands. Which can impact all aspects of your life, especially your mental, emotional and metabolic health.

Thankfully, our body is equipped with a wide variety of buffering systems that help regulate pH levels. These so-called “buffering systems” prevent far-reaching fluid pH alterations by absorbing excess hydrogen ions.

In this article, we’ll explore the various systems that control pH levels in the human body; whether bacteria prefer acidic or alkaline environments; the role your adrenal glands play in balancing pH levels; plus 9 simple ways to restore the pH balance of your body naturally.

The Systems that Control Acid-Base Balance


pH regulation in the body is vital for health and wellbeing. The acid-base balance (pH) of your body is closely tied to fluid metabolism and electrolyte balance.

The balance of body fluid pH is carried out, in the main, by your kidneys, brain and lungs. Electrolytes, on the other hand, regulate the plasma in blood and the ability to absorb water.

A disturbance in either system can impact endocrine systems, and thus hormone levels. Conversely, a disturbance to hormones can impact body fluid and blood pH. 

Buffering agents in the body help to balance your body’s acidic load. Such as the fascia and bone. Chronic acidemia (high blood pH) contributes to bone demineralization and thus can lead to osteoporosis.

Bicarbonate (or the HCO3?/CO2 system) serves as a crucial pH buffering system in your body. Furthermore, the amount of haemoglobin in your red blood cells helps to balance pH. For this reason, eating a diet that is filled with alkaline-forming, iron-rich foods such as tofu, hemp seeds, kale, quinoa and pumpkin seeds, is great for balancing pH levels and increasing your red blood cell count

RelatedHow An Alkaline Diet Incorporates Gentle Detoxing Methods To Promote Lasting Health

Do Bacteria Like Acidic or Alkaline Environments?


Your body is made up of trillions of microbes. These include yeast, bacteria, fungi and viruses.

In fact, research is now pointing to your gut microbiome (the community of microbes in your gut) as your second brain. When “bad” bacteria proliferate, they produce excess acids. In fact, all processes of the body produce acids as a byproduct.

Some bacteria (known as acidophiles)  thrive in acidic environments as low as a pH of 1.0. While others prefer a more neutral or base environment.

Conversely, there are some microbes (known as alkaliphic microorganisms) that prefer an alkaline environment. Fungi, on the other hand, favours acidic environments. While pathogenic microbes are often neutrophils, and as such prefer base environments.

RelatedImpactful Ways to Improve Your Gut Environment, Balance Microbiome

The Adrenal Glands’ Importance to Blood and pH Balance

Your adrenal glands work with the kidneys to regulate blood chemistry and blood pressure. Playing a vital role in balancing your pH levels.

A plethora of enzymes work with your kidneys and blood to regulate the delicate pH balance. Interestingly, if you eat a snack that is high in sugar (highly acidic), your kidneys will eliminate excess hydrogen atoms to help your body balance pH levels. 

Adrenal fatigue can set in if your kidneys are overworked; for example, if you eat a lot of processed foods high in sugar. Both your adrenal glands and kidneys become exhausted, leading to a cascade of inflammatory conditions and reactions that could jeopardise your health.

To optimise your pH levels, it’s important to reduce or refrain from eating overly processed foods. 

Learn moreThe Connection Between Adrenal Fatigue, Stress & Water

Does Alkaline Water Balance pH Levels?


Because your kidneys play a vital role in balancing the pH of your blood, dehydration can impact your kidneys functioning, increasing your body’s pH. By reabsorbing carbonic acid, the kidneys can increase or decrease acid secretion. 

One study found that drinking mineral-rich alkalising (AK) water improved the acid-base balance of both blood and urine.

38 volunteers were split into two groups. One group drank normal (non-mineralised) bottled water for 4-weeks. While the other group drank normal bottled water for the first and last week and AK water during the middle 2-week period.

The placebo group saw no change in their pH levels, while the group that consumed AK water improved acid-base balance and hydration. 

RelatedHow Stomach Acid Does Not Cancel Out the Benefits of Alkaline Water

9 Ways to Restore the pH Balance of Your Body


The good news is that restoring your body’s pH can be done via simple healthy lifestyle choices.

Calming practices combined with healthy eating and gentle exercise can work wonders for your pH. Firstly, you should avoid acidic forming foods such as meat, alcohol, cigarettes, fizzy drinks.

Did you know that beer has a pH of 2.5? So much for it being a healthier alternative! Pollution, drugs and sugar should also be avoided where possible. 

Here are 9 simple ways to restore the pH balance of your body:

  • Daily meditation
  • Gentle yoga/ exercise
  • Acupuncture
  • Citrus fruits, most berries, grapes, melon
  • Fresh green juice
  • Probiotics
  • Cruciferous vegetables, green leafy vegetables, onion family
  • Deep diaphragmatic breathing
  • Alkaline water

RelatedWhy Mindful Eating and Mindful Meditation Are The Only 2 New Year’s Resolutions You Need

In Conclusion

Balancing the delicate pH of your body is an important factor in achieving optimal health. Several lifestyle factors can throw your pH balance off, leaving you feeling sluggish – such as sugary drinks or processed foods.

Your body is designed to eat a natural whole-foods diet and is perfectly equipped to balance pH levels with ease. However, modern stressful sedentary lifestyle practices can jeopardise your pH balance. The good news is that there are simple steps that you can take today to begin to restore your pH balance. Resulting in increased energy levels and enhanced wellbeing. 

Written by best-selling author and integrative nutrition health coach Rowanna Watson, who has a passion for natural health. Rowanna is an expert in all areas of holistic health, plant-based nutrition, detoxification and personal development.

Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.

Read more
How to Maintain or Restore a Healthy Body pH Balance

How to Maintain or Restore a Healthy Body pH Balance

How to Maintain or Restore a Healthy Body pH Balance

Producing an alkaline environment in your body is highly desirable. Why? Because most viruses and bacteria cannot survive in an alkaline environment.

Your body is designed to keep your pH balance tightly in check. But a lot of factors can impact your body's pH balance. Knowing what affects your body's pH is the first step in making a change.

Whether you’re an advocate of the alkaline diet or not, there’s no disputing that there are some serious conditions that can develop if your pH is not balanced. Not least ketoacidosis (not to be confused with ketosis), metabolic alkalosis and acidosis, and respiratory acidosis.

In all cases, the reason for the pH imbalance is an inability for your body to efficiently excrete waste products. All waste products produced in the body are acidic and must be transformed and excreted.

Unfortunately, modern lifestyle practices can overwhelm the body's inbuilt detoxification and buffering systems. The modern foods that we eat often create an acidic environment in your body, making it hard to release acidic waste.

In this article, we’ll explore the role that pH has in overall health, how to restore your pH balance naturally, plus 7 things that can mess up your pH balance.

Why is it Important to Maintain pH Balance?


pH balance is important for just about every bodily function.

pH is the power of hydrogen and refers to the concentration of hydrogen ions in your body. If your body is overly acidic, it will use up your electrolytes (calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium), which in turn can make it harder for your body to absorb water, and lead to dehydration.

At a cellular level, an acidic environment equals a lack of oxygen, and often a build-up of excess CO2. If your pH is below 7.35 then you are putting yourself at risk for contracting all manner of disease. From infectious diseases like viruses or bacterial overload to chronic diseases, fuelled by inactivity and the wrong foods.

A healthy pH is between 7.35 to 7.5 (slightly alkaline).

RelatedMolecular Hydrogen: A Novel New Anti-Inflammatory?

How Does Your Body Regulate pH?


Metabolic waste products and waste produced by what you eat can impact all areas of your body. Such as the fascia (also known as the chemical buffer), the interconnected matrix that helps your lymphatic system drain waste products from your blood and tissues.

CO2 plays a major role in balancing your body’s pH. To put it in perspective, when CO2 dissolves in water it creates carbonic acid that acidifies the water. Since your body is made up of more than 60% water, and your lungs are 83% water. It begins to make sense that proper breathing can help detoxify the body and balance pH.

The pH of the body is maintained by removing waste products like cellular waste, and carbon dioxide, through sweating, breathing bowel movements and urine.

If any of your detoxification pathways are blocked, either by inflammation or excess toxic waste, then your body will become acidic.

Related8 Surprising Health Benefits of Balancing Your pH

7 Things That Can Mess Up Your pH Balance

As explained above, your pH balance is tightly regulated. If your kidneys are not working properly, then your blood pH can be thrown off.

Your lungs also play a key role in maintaining a healthy pH by expelling carbon dioxide, which is slightly acidic. If your lungs or kidneys are not healthy, then you could develop acidosis or alkalosis. Which are both serious conditions.

You can throw your pH off if you are:


  • Consuming (or breathing in) chemical/ artificial products
  • Eating an abundance of sugary foods
  • Overly indulging in a few too many glasses of wine/ alcohol
  • Suffering from a severe respiratory disease
  • Taking narcotics or sleep medication
  • Have low bicarbonate levels
  • Overly stressed (overactive adrenal glands)

How to Restore pH Balance Naturally


There are a few situations where you may need to go to a physician to assist with body pH. These can include if you’re suffering from diabetes or are taking medication.

If you think that your pH is out of balance, and your symptoms aren’t severe, then you can do an at-home urine pH test first thing in the morning to measure your pH levels.

Lactobacillus is a good bacteria found in the mouth, intestine and vagina. When this bacteria isn’t present in large quantities, then there can be an overgrowth of bad bacteria like Gardnerella bacteria.

Therefore one natural remedy that you can take to restore pH balance is a probiotic that includes healthy doses of lactobacillus.

Other ways to balance your pH include drinking alkaline water, eating lots of alkaline foods and staying away from acidic foods.

Acidic foods are meat, fizzy drinks, white bread, white pasta, refined sugar and alcohol. The alkaline diet comprises alkaline water, whole foods like fruits, vegetables, some nuts eg. almonds and seeds.

RelatedTop 10 Alkaline Foods

Can Apple Cider Vinegar Help With pH Balance?

Although apple cider vinegar is acidic, it produces an alkaline environment inside your body.

Apple cider vinegar is a miracle substance for natural healing. It can be used on your skin (diluted) to remove debris and reduce acne and spots. My teenage daughter swears by it. You can also drink diluted ACV.

The ideal ratio is two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar dissolved in one glass of alkaline water.

What’s more, ACV can help reduce the symptoms of candida. Which is a bacterial overgrowth that can happen when you consume too much sugar.

How do you know if you’ve got a candida overgrowth (A.K.A a yeast infection)? Symptoms can include thrush (oral or vaginal), bad breath, fatigue and digestive problems.

Why not double the effectiveness by dissolving ACV in alkaline water?

RelatedApple Cider Vinegar for Skin, Hair and Weight Loss

The Bottom Line

Junk food is addictive. In fact, acidic foods, in general, are addictive. So it’s best to steer clear of them as much as possible. Especially if you’re working to balance your body’s pH.

Creating an alkaline environment in your body promotes health and fights disease. When your body is more alkaline, you’ll be boosting oxygen absorption and reducing free radicals.

Written by best-selling author and integrative nutrition health coach Rowanna Watson, who has a passion for natural health. Rowanna is an expert in all areas of holistic health, plant-based nutrition, detoxification and personal development.

Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.

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How Sugar Makes Your Body’s pH More Acidic

How Sugar Makes Your Body’s pH More Acidic

How Sugar Makes your Body's pH more Acidic

We all know that processed sugar is bad for our health, but how does this impact your body’s pH?

The best way to monitor your pH is to measure urine, as your blood tightly regulates pH. Leaving the detox systems of the body to deal with toxic acidic waste.

Sugar has a pH of 7, so you could be forgiven for thinking that it’s neutral. In point of fact, sugar ruins your pH, in turn damaging overall health and wellbeing, increasing disease risk and overloading the body with oxidative stress.

In this article, we’ll explore what sugar does to your body, what pH has to do with anything, how acidic environments stress you out, and what you can do to balance your body’s pH.

What Exactly is pH in the Body?


The pH of your body measures how acidic or alkaline your body is. pH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14. The more acidic, the lower the pH.

Your blood should always remain slightly alkaline (pH 7.35 to 7.45).

The pH of your urine tells us a lot. It’s always changing due to stress, exercise, and diet. Therefore, urine is a great measure of the acidity of your body.

Acid-forming foods like processed meat, dairy, refined grains, and sugars can tip the acid/alkaline balance of your body. While alkaline-forming foods, like fruits and vegetables, will tip your body in the opposite direction, setting the scene for health and wellbeing.

PRO TIP: The best way to measure the acidity of your body is by using a pH strip and measuring the pH of your urine, first thing in the morning.

How Does Sugar Impact Your Body’s pH?


Sugar can create an imbalance in both sodium and potassium (your body’s electrolytes), which can in turn affect your ability to absorb water.

Excess sugar intake also encourages your body to excrete calcium, to neutralise the acidic waste.

Furthermore, the decreased levels of sodium bicarbonate create an ever more acidic environment.

Sodium bicarbonate breaks down to sodium and bicarbonate, neutralising acidity in your body. For this reason, sodium bicarbonate is the main compound that buffers the blood, making it less acidic.

A reduction in sodium bicarbonate due to increased intake of sugar creates a double whammy of acid-building compounds.

Processed food is notoriously high in sugar, and crowds out alkaline foods like fruits and vegetables. Simply because nature’s food is more subtle and won’t give you the instant high that processed carbohydrates and sugars will.

Research has shown that people who eat a lot of refined sugar tend to eat less health-promoting fruits and vegetables.

According to the NHS, adults should have no more than 30g of sugar per day, children aged 2-10 should have no more than 24g and those aged 4-6 should have no more than 19g of sugar per day.

The magic number for vegetables and fruits, meanwhile, is ten. According to Imperial College London, 10 portions a day could prevent as many as 7.8 million premature deaths worldwide every year.

Acidic Environments Stress You Out

When you consume a lot of sugar and processed foods, you get stressed out. Why? It’s because the acidic environment created by eating excess sugar triggers the release of cortisol (your body’s stress hormone). Leading to anxiety and chronic inflammation. Not a nice mix.

However, your body is clever. It’s made up of trillions of microbes that work in systems that are designed to maintain a balanced pH. They use systems like cell membrane integrity (increased with omega-3s), metabolic regulation (enhanced with exercise and vitamin D), and macromolecule repair (enhanced with nutrition and detoxification).

The key to helping the microbes do their work is to ensure that you feed these microbes with prebiotics (like fruits and vegetables).

You guessed it, eating a balanced diet filled with nutrients like Omega-3s, and antioxidants like vitamin C and glutathione counteract the effects of sugar. But the problem is, you won’t feel like taking steps toward a healthy lifestyle if your body is suffering, due to high sugar intake.

The number of waste products produced when you eat too much sugar contributes to high levels of free radicals and in turn oxidative stress.

RelatedHow to Support the Body’s Immune Response with Omega-3

Ancient Anaerobic Fermentation Pathways


In the past, we’ve looked to genes as the cause of chronic disease.

Now we’re more than aware that it’s poor lifestyle choices that are the root cause for the majority of chronic illnesses out there, from heart disease to cancer and obesity.

The underlying mechanisms for which are up-regulated by a lack of oxygen, and the fermentation of sugar.

Free radicals are formed when there’s damage to our mitochondria, as a metabolic by-product, or when we consume something toxic.

If cells are not fixable they begin to use fermentation as a source of energy, instead of using oxygen. This fermentation is fuelled by, you guessed it – sugar!

NO disease, including cancer, can exist in an alkaline environment.”

– Dr. Otto Warburg (1931 Nobel Prize winner)

RelatedHow Can Molecular Hydrogen Help Slow Down the Ageing Process?

Sugar Causes Inflammation – Especially Sugary Drinks


Believe it or not, foods, including sugars and foods that are highly processed, can actually cause chronic inflammation.

A revealing study of 29 healthy people exposed that drinking just 40 grams of added sugar from one 375ml can of fizzy juice increased inflammatory markers such insulin resistance and LDL cholesterol.

Consuming excess sugar can increase levels of uric acid, in turn, leading to inflammation and insulin resistance. While those who consumed milk, water or diet juice had no increase in uric acid levels.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) form when protein or fats combine with sugar. Consuming excess sugar produces too many AGEs, leading to oxidative stress and inflammation.

Another byproduct of consuming too much sugar, as I’m sure you will know, is increased weight gain.

How to Balance pH Levels Naturally


One way to balance your pH levels is to exercise.

Exercise generates energy in your muscles and allows oxygen to enter the deep tissues of your body.

Another approach to naturally reduce the sugar in your cells is to do a water fast or take up intermittent fasting protocols.

This reduces the amount of glucose in your cells via apoptosis or autophagy. Diet is the best-known way to balance your pH levels naturally.

A major route to balancing your pH naturally is by consuming high alkaline-forming foods such as:

  • Cherries
  • Grapefruit
  • Grapes
  • Lemon
  • Lime
  • Melons – cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon
  • Nectarines
  • Kale
  • Cucumber
  • Celery
  • Lettuce
  • Asparagus

The Bottom Line

Your body’s pH must be kept alkaline – this is achieved almost seamlessly by your blood. However, other systems like the lymphatic detoxification system and the fascia provide a more reliable way to check your pH levels, you can do this via your urine. Especially first thing in the morning.

Mounting evidence points to sugar as a contributing factor in many chronic illnesses, and the damage is compounded when other healthy lifestyle practices (like exercising) are not daily habits.

To ensure a healthy pH, and thus enhance overall health and wellbeing, make sure you consume a diet bursting with alkaline-forming foods.

Written by best-selling author and integrative nutrition health coach Rowanna Watson, who has a passion for natural health. Rowanna is an expert in all areas of holistic health, plant-based nutrition, detoxification and personal development.

Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.

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Your Body’s pH Level Can Actually Change Your DNA

Your Body’s pH Level Can Actually Change Your DNA

Your Body's pH Level can Actually Change your DNA

If I were to ask you, what’s the largest organ in your body, what would your answer be? If you go by what we learned at school… you might respond "the skin." However, recent research has shown that a new organ is the largest organ in the body.

This giant organ is called the interstitium or fascia. It contains a fluid called the interstitial fluid, that compartmentalises the toxins in your body. The fascia can be found in between the blood and the skin. If your body gets too acidic, your blood will attempt to create balance, by using the interstitium as a buffer for the blood.

Interestingly, you can have clean blood work, because your body has compensated with the fascia. The only way to find out the truth about the pH of your body is to test the interstitial fluid. Which is a process that doctors rarely do.

In this article, we’ll go over what the fascia has to do with the pH of your body, your inner environment, sepsis, testing the pH of your body, as well as how body pH can change your DNA (and what to do about it).

Sepsis is the No.1 Cause of Death in Hospitals

Sepsis is one of the biggest killers in the UK, and the number of people developing sepsis is on the rise. With around 123,000 cases per year in England alone. Accounting for 37,000 deaths.

Some naturopathic doctors believe that sepsis is an acidic condition in the fascia. Others think that sepsis is a bacterial condition, when in fact, the bacteria forms because of the acidic environment in the interstitium. Which in turn promotes the proliferation of bacteria.

Rather than blaming bacteria for the condition, you need to cleanse the environment of the acidic build-up. How? By creating a more alkaline environment.

Testing Morning Urine With pH Strips

The pH of your interstitial fluids will show you how acidic your body is. The best way to do this at home is to test your morning urine.

The flood of waste that exits the body after sleeping will be from interstitial fluids. Which is then channeled into the kidneys for elimination.

A pH of below 5.5 is a critical marker. Dentists know this in the mouth. To keep your teeth and gums healthy, you should have a pH of no less than 5.6 in your mouth.

The blood is the last organ to go, your body will protect its pH at all costs. The interstitial fluids are the alkaline buffering system of the human body.

Medical doctors have not been taught about this organ, as it was only found in the 19th century. Plus, significant scientific research into the fascia wasn’t carried out until 2007, when the first International Fascia Congress began.

It’s important to note that the pH of your interstitial fluid can alter your DNA through epigenetics. If you don’t change the environment, nothing heals.

A Massive Discovery in Human Anatomy

If things are normal in the blood, that doesn’t mean you’re healthy. Your blood is only 10% of your bodily fluids. Therefore, testing your blood only tells part of the story.

If you want to test the interstitial fluids accurately, you have to use special non-invasive electrodes. Every cell has a vibrational frequency and can be measured on the electrodes.

Interestingly, a similar process is done on NASA astronauts, but it’s not yet in the mainstream medical community.

Research carried out by Dr. Young and his team found that the stomach produces alkalinity. Stating that “the biochemistry of the stomach is often misunderstood. The stomach is covered with “cover cells”, they draw water, salt and carbon dioxide to make sodium bicarbonate.”

His research has discovered that the stomach doesn’t actually digest food. In fact, it’s your teeth that liquidise your food. More reason to chew 32 times!

Acid reflux is the body’s deficiency in alkalinity, i.e. acidic waste buildup. Sodium bicarbonate will quickly stop acid reflux in most people.

For your body to turn food into stem cells, they need to be in an alkaline state (pH8+) in a liquid state. Why is this important? Stem cells are essential for regeneration and healing.

Related: Top 10 Alkaline Foods to Eat Frequently for Great Health

We are Light (Electrical) Beings

The best water to drink is ionised water, that’s been charged with electrons. Water with an electrical charge – or water that carries energy (light) effectively into your cells.

Distilled water is electrically neutral, and as such isn’t good to drink in most circumstances. The ideal water pH is 8.5-9: alkaline water.

Metabolic waste that we produce is acidic and toxic to our cells. Acidic waste is also sugar-based.

Here is an easy way to remember:

  • Sugar – acidic – toxic
  • Salt – alkaline – produces energy

Related: The Salt Fix – A Summary of the Book That Busted the Low-Salt Myth

Alkaline Water Neutralises Acids in Your Body

Acids are proton donors. Another word for protons is hydrogen atoms or H+ ions. Therefore, alkaline water neutralises the acids in your body.

You also need colloidal salts that cells can use. Salt conducts the transfer of electrons.

Low sodium (salt) levels mean that you’ll be tired and fatigued.

Sugar is a waste product of your metabolism. Think of bananas – they get sweeter as they ripen. The sugar content is increased by cellular breakdown.

You’re an electrical being that runs on electrons. When you use electricity you’ll make a waste product, lactic acid. This needs to be removed from the body quickly, otherwise it gets made into fat to protect your organs from the acids.

Related: Molecular Hydrogen: A Novel New Anti-Inflammatory?

7 Ways to Protect Your Own Internal Environment

There are several steps that you can take to protect your inner fascia. Resulting in a more alkaline environment and promoting health.

  • When you exercise or drink water, you can eliminate waste more effectively
  • Drink clean filtered alkaline water
  • Eat green leafy vegetables – the chlorophyll in vegetables is like liquid light
  • Get more sunlight
  • Try a ketogenic diet
  • Choose organic where possible
  • Drink green juice every morning

Final Thoughts

It’s becoming increasingly clear that toxicity breeds disease. It cannot be avoided, as your body is continually producing toxic byproducts of metabolism. However, when you understand the acid/alkaline nature of your body, you can take steps to boost your overall health.

The fascia, a net that surrounds all of your organs, works to remove acids from your body. Keep it healthy by taking the seven steps to protect your inner environment outlined above.

Written by best-selling author and integrative nutrition health coach Rowanna Watson, who has a passion for natural health. Rowanna is an expert in all areas of holistic health, plant-based nutrition, detoxification and personal development.

Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.

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Fit young woman opening arms to the sky

8 Surprising Health Advantages of Balancing Your Body pH

8 Surprising Health Advantages of Balancing Your Body pH

Though it may not be something you've thought of, having a balanced body pH is essential for protecting your overall health and keeping your immune system in check.

According to many experts, disease cannot thrive in a body with the correct acid/alkaline balance – and diet plays a huge role in maintaining optimum pH.

There are also various supplements you can take if you're worried your pH is unbalanced, and ways you can measure and monitor your pH and the effectiveness of any changes you are making to improve it (more on this later).

Read on to find out more.

What is pH balance?


pH indicates how acid or alkaline a solution is. In your case, this would be a measurement of your body’s fluids and tissues.

The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being considered neutral. The higher up the scale it goes, the more alkaline you are and the lower it goes, the more acidic

The human body needs pH blood (serum) and tissue balance of around 7.35 to 7.45 to survive, with stomach and vaginal pH being more on the acidic side in a healthy individual.

What you need to be aware of is whether your pH levels are chronically straying from the ideal body pH, as this is when health problems can start to arise. 

What can interfere with your pH balance?


Your body will always do its best to maintain a healthy pH balance. Unfortunately, these days the stresses and strains of modern life mean that we can often overlook some of our most basic needs like eating right, sleeping well and getting plenty of exercise.

These, along with effective stress management, are crucial for keeping your mind and body in check. If these slide for a prolonged period, your body finds it much harder to stay healthy.

When it comes to your pH, poor diet is a major contributing factor. Sugary, processed and junk foods can all contribute to acidosis (raised acidity) as well as excess alcohol and medication, e.g. repeated antibiotics.

Illness, poor sleep, stress, depression, too much or too little exercise and environmental toxins can also all be responsible.

pH Imbalance may contribute to the following health issues, with symptoms and their intensity can varying depending on how severe your pH imbalance is. 

1) Fatigue and lowered immunity


If your blood is too acidic, you can develop signs of acidosis.

Even slight acidity can lead to lower oxygen transfer throughout your body, with fatigue and lowered immunity being the first signs. 

2) Electrolyte imbalance, muscle weakness and numbness


Electrolytes are essential minerals with a slight electrical charge. These include calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphate, sodium and chloride, and your body cannot function without them.

Electrolytes play a critical role, generating a flow of electrical signals to power your cells, maintain fluid balance, regulate nerve and muscle function and sustain a healthy body pH.

If your pH is too acidic or too alkaline, it can radically upset your electrolyte balance, causing muscle weakness, aches and pains.

Your nervous system may also become affected, and you could experience symptoms like tingling, numbness and headaches.

So it’s vitally important to maintain a healthy intake of electrolytes.  

3) Poor gut health and chronically weak immunity


Poor gut health can lead to increased acidity in the body, so looking after your gut pH is just as important as balancing your blood pH.

Without it, you cannot sustain the delicate equilibrium of digestive enzymes and microbiota needed to keep you and your digestive system healthy.

Over 70% of your immune system lives in your gut. Impaired digestion will create an imbalance of gut microbiota and weaken your intestinal lining, resulting in inflammation, damaging your immunity and overall health.

It will also interfere with your nutrient absorption. In a bid to restore the acid/alkaline balance, your body will have to steal vital electrolyte minerals from other places where they are needed such as your bones, cells, tissues and organs, compromising your immunity and wellbeing further. 

4) Bad digestion


High acidity leads to poor gut health and vice versa. If your gut health is compromised, your digestion will be too.

You may experience symptoms like acid reflux, nausea, bloating, indigestion, IBS and colitis.

5) Osteo and rheumatoid arthritis


Some experts believe that there may be a link between high blood acidity and arthritis, and by balancing your body’s pH, it can be prevented or improved.

Acidosis may lead to the body pulling on its alkaline mineral stores to strike a balance, which can impact the joints and bones.

By alkalising the blood, the pressure is taken off vital minerals, and the body can function more efficiently and reduce inflammation. 

study published in 2015 found that participants with osteoarthritis of the hands had significant reductions of pain, stiffness and tenderness when administered 7.5mg of alkaline powder twice daily for 28 days.

Poor oxygen transport and blood acidity are linked. According to the researchers, synovial fluid acidosis occurs in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

This suggests that pH and hypoxia (deprived oxygen supply to the tissues) play an invaluable role in maintaining healthy cartilage. 

6) Osteoporosis


Acidosis can put regulatory pH organs like the kidneys under immense pressure to maintain equilibrium. Consequently, your body can leach much-needed minerals like calcium from your bones, leading to decreased bone density and osteoporosis.

In his 1995 paper on ‘Minerals and Disease’, Joseph D. Campbell PhD also discusses the possibility that metabolic acidosis may lead to low-level hypothyroidism causing loss of bone calcium. 

7) Insomnia


pH imbalance can cause digestive issues, and poor digestion can significantly disrupt sleep. Added to which, low magnesium and calcium can contribute to insomnia.

These two valuable minerals are essential electrolytes which can become severely depleted if your pH is unbalanced.

8) Chronic diseases including cancer


Emerging research is now linking increased acidity and inflammation to a whole host of illness and chronic disease including kidney stones, cancer, metabolic syndrome and impaired glutathione synthesis. 

How can you monitor your body pH?

A great way to monitor your blood pH is to measure it using pH test strips. You can get a good indication via your urine or saliva and monitor the effectiveness of any diet and lifestyle changes.

While you’re doing this, it’s best to conduct daily pH tests for 2-4 weeks to ensure you’re on the right track. Ideally, check your urine pH first thing in the morning and take an average reading from the first two times you urinate each day.

The ideal range for both saliva and urine testing is 6.5 to 7.25. If it is consistently lower, you should consider taking action to correct your body’s acid-alkaline balance.

How can you maintain a balanced pH?

1) Ditch heavily processed, junk and sugary foods

Regularly eating these can lead to acidity, digestive issues and chronic disease.

Stick to proper food and avoid anything where you don’t recognise something on the ingredients list.

Stay in the outer aisles of the supermarket which tends to have the fresh, whole foods and avoid anything that comes pre-prepared in a packet.

Eat lots of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, plenty of fibre and include healthy protein and fats and complex carbohydrates with every meal. Cook from scratch whenever possible. 

2) Look after your gut health

This is essential for a balanced pH. Again, a diverse, natural diet is crucial for maintaining a healthy gut. Also, make sure you eat pre and probiotic foods every day to encourage the production of and feed the healthy bacteria in your gut. 

Related: 6 Signs of Poor Gut Health and 11 Ways to Improve Them

3) Increase alkaline foods or take a green food supplement

Alkaline foods include raw and cooked leafy greens, avocado, broccoli, cucumber, radishes, mushrooms, green beans, cabbage, celery, courgettes, asparagus, watermelon, garlic, ginger, alfalfa, wheat and barley grass.

Regularly drink green smoothies and add lots of healthy fats to your daily diet. Hot water with lemon is also alkalising. Add chlorophyll to water or smoothies daily and use raw apple cider vinegar.

You can also take a food supplement that is rich in alkaline pH balancing foods.

pHresh Greens is a vibrant, clean and pure food supplement packed full of some of the most nutrient-dense, raw, organic grasses, vegetables and algae. It’s brimming with vitality, super detoxifying and geared towards neutralising excess acid.

4) Drink alkaline, ionised water

This is possibly one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to maintain good health. It’s far more hydrating than regular tap or bottled water, and helps to neutralise acids and flush them from the body.

We have a unique and quality range of water filters to provide healthy, energised and alkaline water.

5) Prioritise electrolytes

If you eat a varied diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables, you should be getting enough electrolytes. You may benefit from focusing a little more on electrolyte foods if you intensively work out or have recently been ill.

Check out our article on the ‘5 best plant sources of electrolytes’ here. If you do have a pH imbalance, you may benefit from taking something to boost your electrolytes and optimise alkalinity

6) Stop taking unnecessary medication

Drugs cause acidity in the body. Unless you have to take prescribed medication for a specific condition, consider other natural ways of managing your health.

Related: Antibiotics Are Not the Answer – Thoughts on the Coming Apocalypse

7) Look after your mental and emotional health and wellbeing

This may not be an obvious one, but it is equally as important as the other suggestions.

Your mental health directly impacts your acid/alkaline balance. The more stressed, depressed or anxious you are, the more acidic it can become.

You need to be aware of your moods and stress levels and manage them effectively.

Diet can help, so make sure you’re adequately hydrated and are getting enough of the right nutrients such as magnesium, B vitamins, zinc and omega-3 fish oils.

Get enough sleep, regularly spend enjoyable times with friends and family, get out in nature, exercise, breathe deeply, try meditating, do things you enjoy, and find the joy whenever you can.

Conclusion

As you can see, maintaining a healthy body pH is crucial for your overall health and wellbeing. Chronic pH imbalance can lead to a host of issues with far-reaching effects.

Importantly, you have the power to take control, and can regulate your body pH by making some relatively straightforward and practical changes. 

You can also monitor your acid levels using pH strips to make sure the steps you are taking are making the difference you need.  

Written by Rebecca Rychlik, Nutritional Therapist and Homeopath. Follow Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook and Medium, @rebeccabitesback.

Water for Health Ltd began trading in 2007 with the goal of positively affecting the lives of many. We still retain that mission because we believe that proper hydration and nutrition can make a massive difference to people’s health and quality of life. Click here to find out more.

 

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Image of various green vegetables arrayed on a table

What is pH Balance and Why Should We Really Care?

What is pH Balance and Why Should We Really Care?

Proper acid/alkaline balance is vital for your overall vitality, health and wellbeing. Without it, you can't thrive, your energy and immunity wane, and you can encounter all manner of health problems.

pH is an abbreviation of 'potential of hydrogen', meaning the hydrogen ion concentration in your body. It's also the measure of acid/alkaline in your body, measured on the pH scale of 0 to 14.

The number seven is neutral, with anything below it on the acidic spectrum and anything above on the alkaline spectrum.

The human body needs pH blood (serum) and tissue balance of around 7.35 to 7.45 to survive, with stomach and vaginal pH being more on the acidic side in a healthy individual.

It's when these levels chronically deviate from the norm that health problems can start to arise.

Electrolytes and pH Balance


Electrolytes are essential minerals in your body such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphate, sodium and chloride with a slight electrical charge.

Electrolytes have a critical role, generating a flow of electrical signals, powering cells, helping to maintain fluid balance, regulating nerve and muscle function and maintaining a healthy body pH.

If your pH is too acidic or too alkaline, it can radically upset your electrolyte balance, with an ensuing raft of health issues, so it’s vitally important to maintain a healthy intake of electrolytes.  

Gut Health and pH Balance


Poor gut health can lead to increased acidity in the body and looking after your gut pH is just as important as balancing your blood pH.

Without it a healthy gut pH, you cannot sustain the delicate equilibrium of digestive enzymes and microbiota needed to keep you and your digestive system healthy.

What causes pH imbalance?


Your body will always do its best to maintain a healthy pH balance, but the strains of modern living can take their toll.

Consequently, it depends on how kind you are to yourself and your body, as to how effectively it can keep everything in check.

Poor diet is a major contributing factor with sugar, grains, animal products, convenience, packaged, processed and junk foods causing acidosis (raised acidity).

Excess alcohol intake, medication including repeated antibiotics, chronic illness, poor sleep, stress and negative emotions, and too much or too little exercise can also contribute.

Added to which, we are increasingly exposed to a multitude of environmental toxins in our food chain, our water, toiletries and cleaning products, not to mention growing exposure to EMFs via WIFI, mobile phones and smart meters.  

Symptoms of acidosis


Depending on how acidic your blood is, your symptoms can range from mild to more severe.

Even a slight increase in acidity can lead to lower oxygen transfer throughout your body, with fatigue and lowered immunity being the first signs.

Health issues can include:

1) Digestion can easily be affected, as high acidity leads to poor gut health and vice versa. You can experience symptoms like acid reflux, nausea, bloating, indigestion, IBS, and colitis.

2) Over 70% of your immune system lives in your gut. Impaired digestion will create an imbalance of gut microbiota and weaken your intestinal lining, resulting in inflammation, damaging your immunity and overall health. It will also interfere with nutrient absorption.

In a bid to restore the acid/alkaline balance, your body will effectively have to steal vital electrolyte minerals from other places where they are needed such as your bones, cells, tissues and organs, compromising your immunity and wellbeing further.

4) As your electrolytes become depleted, you may experience muscle weakness, aches and pains, and your nervous system may become affected with symptoms like tingling, numbness and headaches.

5) Acid can deposit in the joints, leading to arthritis.

6) When acid levels are too high, and pH regulatory organs like the kidneys are struggling to maintain equilibrium, your body will leach calcium from the bones leading to decreased bone density and osteoporosis.

7) Emerging research is now also linking increased acidity and inflammation to a whole host of illness and chronic diseases including kidney stones, cancer, metabolic syndrome and impaired glutathione synthesis.

How can you measure your pH?

You can obtain a good indication of your blood pH by testing your saliva or urine with pH test strips.

It is best to check urine pH first thing in the morning, and take an average reading from the first two times you pass urine in the day. The ideal range for both saliva and urine is 6.5 to 7.25. If it is consistently lower, you should consider taking action to correct your body’s acid-alkaline balance.

As you moderate your diet and make other lifestyle changes, you can monitor your progress by using such test strips, ideally conducting daily pH tests for 2-4 weeks. This way, you can ensure you’re on the right track.

How can you maintain a balanced pH?


1) Look after your gut health: Eat a natural, balanced whole food diet, with an abundance of brightly coloured vegetables and fruits. Add plenty of pre and probiotic foods and consume lots of fibre. Ensure you maintain a healthy gut pH too.

2) Make appropriate dietary changes: Ditch fried, processed, sugary foods and fizzy drinks and eat real food, cooking from scratch where possible. Eat lots of vegetables, fruits and fibre. Limit your alcohol and caffeine, and reduce dairy and grains.

3) Increase alkaline foods such as raw and cooked leafy greens, avocado, broccoli, cucumber, radishes, mushrooms, green beans, cabbage, celery, courgettes, asparagus, watermelon, garlic, ginger, alfalfa, wheat and barley grass. Regularly drink green smoothies and add lots of healthy fats to your daily diet. Hot water with lemon is also alkalising. Add chlorophyll to water or smoothies daily and use raw apple cider vinegar.

4) Electrolytes: If you’re eating well, you should be getting plenty of electrolytes through your diet. However, if you are intensively exercising or have recently been ill, it may be worth stocking up. Sadly, modern farming methods mean that our soils have become mineral depleted. Factor in a stressful lifestyle, and we can easily become low in nutrients like magnesium, in which case it may be worth supplementing.

5) Drink alkaline, ionised water: This is far more hydrating than regular tap or bottled water, and helps to neutralise acids and flush them from the body. It is probably the easiest and most effective thing that anyone can do to improve their health.

6) Stop taking unnecessary medication: Drugs cause acidity in the body. Unless you have to take prescribed medication for a specific condition, consider other natural ways of managing your health.

7) Look after your mental and emotional health and wellbeing: This may be last on the list but is no less important than any of the other points. Finding ways to manage stress and mental wellbeing effectively is paramount when it comes to overall good health. It also directly impacts your acid/alkaline balance.

Make sure you’re adequately hydrated and are getting enough of the right nutrients such as magnesium, B vitamins, zinc and omega-3 fish oils.

Get enough sleep, regularly spend an enjoyable time with friends and family, get out in nature, exercise, breathe deeply, do things you enjoy… you get the picture!

Conclusion

We hope you have found this article informative and helpful.

Remember, several factors contribute to acidosis – but as we have demonstrated, there are many practical steps you can take to encourage a healthy pH balance.

If you have any questions about the concepts discussed in this article, do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We’re always happy to talk through your requirements and make suggestions.

This article was written by Rebecca Rychlik-Cunning, Nutritional Therapist and Homeopath. Follow Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook and Medium, @rebeccabitesback.

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Are Most Degenerative Diseases Caused By High Acid Levels?

Are Most Degenerative Diseases Caused By High Acid Levels?

If you’re looking to decrease your risk of developing a chronic illness, you may want to start monitoring your pH levels.

According to research, high acid levels may increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and degenerative diseases.

Some experts are warning people to stay away from a high acid diet.

Even some celebrities are hopping on the alkaline diet train!

Here’s what you need to know about how the acid levels in your body may be affecting your health.

The Link Between Degenerative Illness and Acid Levels


High acidity refers to an imbalance in the body’s pH levels. The body functions at its best when its pH levels measure slightly alkaline, or 7.39. A pH reading higher than this indicates that the body is in a state of alkalosis. Measures that are lower than 7.39 indicate the body is in a state of acidosis.

Disease can occur during both states; however, acidosis is far more common than alkalosis and can be easily rectified by eating an alkalising diet where emphasis is placed on eating 80% alkalising foods and drinks, and 20% acidic foods and drinks.

According to a 2012 study published in The Journal of Environmental and Public Health, an alkaline diet may reduce mortality and overall mortality caused by chronic disease.

The study found that chronic acidosis has been linked to bone disease caused by a decrease in bone density. This occurs when too many acid levels are present and the body has to pull calcium (an alkaline mineral) from the bones in an attempt to regain a proper pH balance again. When too many acids are present, the body runs out of calcium to pull from its bones and reduced bone density and bone disease occurs as a result.

The study also found that acidosis contributes to muscle loss as we age, which puts us at an increased risk of falling and fractures.

three-year-study found that potassium rich fruits and vegetables helped reduced acid load, which resulted in the preservation of muscle mass in the older population. When the skeletal muscles break down, there is an increased risk of renal failure, lung disease, trauma, sepsis, chronic obstructive lung disease, and diabetic ketosis.

Lastly, a 2001 study found that supplementing with alkaline minerals may reduce back pain. The study found that the alkaline minerals significantly increased blood pH levels as well as magnesium found within cells. Magnesium plays an important role in the function of enzyme systems and the activation of vitamin D, which has been shown to reduce back pain.

How An Alkalising Diet Can Help    

A food is considered to be acidic when it contains more acid minerals than alkaline. These include calcium, sodium, magnesium, copper and cobalt. Unlike acidic foods, alkaline foods contain no corrosive properties and are widely considered to be gentle. In other words, they are less likely to cause disease.

An alkalising diet is based on the theory that eating mostly alkaline foods reduces acid levels in the body and prevents disease. Many celebrities have already hopped on the alkaline diet train to keep healthy! Victoria Beckham, Alicia Silverstone, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kirsten Dunst, Jennifer Aniston and Jared Leto are just a few celebrities who use the alkaline diet to look and feel great.

The premise behind the alkaline diet is that eating fruits and vegetables high in alkaline minerals creates an environment in which disease cannot thrive. When we eat too many processed foods and sugars, high acid levels throw off the pH level in the body, which results in inflammation, irritation of the organs and tissue, and disruption of important enzymatic reactions.

Diseases love to thrive in environments like these. But when we eat lots of alkaline foods with alkaline minerals, they go to work by combating the acidosis in the body and moving it out in the form of urine or sweat. The body’s pH levels return to normal and the likelihood of developing a chronic disease is greatly reduced. To gain a deeper understanding about the alkaline diet, please see our article here.

In addition to eating lots of fruits and vegetables that are high in alkaline minerals, drinking alkaline water that has been enriched with alkaline minerals has also been shown to promote alkalinity. Biocera Alkaline Jug Filters are an easy way to make sure you have access to alkaline water whenever you need it.

Conclusion

AlkaMax promotes a better body alkaline pH by increasing the body’s supply of alkaline minerals so it doesn’t have to pull from valuable sources, such as your bones, which helps reduce the risk of developing a degenerative disease. A teaspoon of AlkaMax in a glass of water provides six different types of alkalising salts that move acids out of the body where they cannot linger and cause disease.

If you have questions about any of our products, please contact us here. Our professional staff is standing by to help you make an informed decision about health concerns and products to suit all lifestyles and issues.

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