pH is an acronym for "potential of hydrogen" and refers to a scale that measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The scale ranges from 1 to 14 with 1 being very acid, 7 neutral and 14 very alkaline.
The pH level of our internal fluids affects every cell in our bodies. Every breath we take and even the beating of our hearts depend upon a precisely balanced pH in the blood, and in other critical body elements. Every enzyme and hormone system in the body is influenced by pH.
Chronic over-acidity corrodes body tissue, and if not balanced, will interrupt all cellular functions from the beating of your heart to the neural firing of your brain.
Acidosis, or an acid pH, is the basic foundation of all disease. In order get and stay healthy, we MUST have a balanced pH. Too much acid stressing the body's pH balance produces symptoms of disease.
Symptoms can be the expression of the stress of over-acidity, but they can also be a sign of the body's effort to balance it.
The pH of blood is rigidly regulated and must be kept in a very narrow pH range—mildly basic or alkaline (7.365). A healthy body maintains a reserve of alkaline minerals, including potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium, to meet emergency demands.
But, if there are insufficient amounts in the diet or in the reserves, they are taken from other resources, and may be leached from the bone (as with calcium) or muscle (magnesium). This impairs the functioning of every system in the body, and serious disease begins.
In the early stages of the imbalance, the symptoms may not be very intense and include such things as headaches, allergies, colds, flu, sinus problems and intestinal/digestive discomfort.
However, as things get further out of balance, more serious conditions develop. Weakened organs and systems start to give way, resulting in dysfunctional thyroid glands, adrenals, liver, and so on. If tissue pH deviates too far to the acid side, oxygen levels decrease and cellular metabolism will stop; cells die, you die.
If the acid overload gets too great for the blood to balance, excess acid is dumped into the tissues for storage. Then the lymphatic (immune) system must neutralize what it can and try to get rid of the rest. Unfortunately, getting rid of acid from the tissues means dumping it right back into the blood, creating a vicious cycle of leaching out more basic minerals from their intended functions and stressing the liver and kidneys besides. When the lymphatic system gets overloaded and dysfunctional, acid builds up in the tissues.
This imbalance of blood pH leads to irritation and inflammation and sets the stage for illness and disease. Acute or recurrent illnesses result from either the body trying to use mineral reserves to prevent cellular breakdown or emergency attempts to detoxify the body. For example, the body may throw off acids through the skin, producing symptoms such as eczema, acne, boils, headaches, muscle cramps, soreness, swelling, irritation, inflammation and general aches and pains. Chronic symptoms show up when all possibilities of neutralizing or eliminating acids have been exhausted.
When acid wastes build up in the body and enter the bloodstream, the circulatory system will try to get rid of them through the lungs or kidneys. If there is too much waste to handle, they are deposited in various organ systems, including the heart, pancreas, liver and colon. They are also stored in fatty tissue, including the breasts, hips, thighs and belly, and the brain. This process of acid waste breakdown and disposal is called "aging".
An overly acidic internal environment is likely the reason for the excess pounds you are carrying around. The body creates fat cells to carry acids away from your vital organs to try to protect them.
Your fat is actually saving your life and that's why your body doesn't want to let it go.
Weight problems can also result from yeast and fungus interfering with the digestion of food, which creates more acid.
The nutritional deficiencies created can actually trigger your body to pack on extra pounds, in part because you are always hungry.
Your body won't let go of the fat no matter how much you exercise, no matter how much you eat right, if you do not create an environment that is more alkaline.