Acid and Alkaline Balance
People with a balanced pH are able to resist illness and disease because their body is naturally able to fight them off while those who have an overly acidic or overly alkaline pH will be more prone to illness.
Acidic vs alkaline cellular environment
Dr Otto Warburg stated this back in the 1920’s regarding the respiration of normal cells vs cancerous cells. “The prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar. All normal body cells meet their energy needs by respiration of oxygen, whereas cancer cells meet their energy needs in great part by fermentation.”
Healthy cells respirate by burning oxygen with a small amount of glucose in order to produce their energy. This is aerobic respiration, or “with oxygen.” Warburg found that cancerous cells acquire their energy by breaking down large amounts of glucose through a process known as fermentation. This is anaerobic respiration, or “without oxygen.” This change in energy production occurs when the cellular oxygen level drops below a certain level and the respiration process is forced to make the switch over to the fermentation process in order for the cells to survive.
How can we create a healthy environment for our cells? By changing from an unhealthy cellular environment to one that is alkaline and oxygenated. The Standard American Diet (SAD)- is high in meats, dairy, soda, coffee, alcohol, grains, processed foods, fast foods, poor quality fats, sugars, chemical additives, sodium, and is generally very low in the essential vitamins and minerals that your body requires to stay healthy. When we consume the SAD diet, we are setting ourselves up for disease by creating a low-oxygen, acidic cellular environment where cancer cells can thrive, this is known as chronic metabolic acidosis.
pH refers to “potential of hydrogen.” The pH scale runs from 1 – 14, with 7 being in the middle (or neutral). Any number lower than 7 is in the acidic range and any number above 7 is in the alkaline range. The pH of the different bodily fluids will vary for many reasons. For example, the digestive fluids are highly acidic in order to break down the foods that you eat; urine and vaginal fluids will also measure in the acidic range because this help to keep unfriendly bacteria from colonizing in these areas; the saliva of a healthy individual measures slightly alkaline as this helps prevent tooth decay; and the blood measures slightly alkaline at 7.365- 7.41, with your bodies buffering systems working very hard to keep it within that tight range.
How your body maintains pH balance. Your kidneys and lungs are continually working to maintain the proper pH. When further assistance is needed, this system will draw upon the mineral reserves that are stored in the skeletal system (minerals are alkaline). When this secondary buffering system also becomes overtaxed, the excess acids are released into the tissues. Then, as more acids accumulate there, this excess acidity will be transferred into the cells. Over time, as the cellular acidity continues to increase, many of these cells will become toxic and die as the are programmed to do when something goes wrong, however some of these acidified cells are able to adapt to this harsher environment. These cells can now function independently from the rest, and they are able to survive without order or communication with the cells that surround them. These cells are abnormal cells (or malignant).
Acidic cells create an acidic body and an acidic body is a precursor for disease:
Having an overly acidic body inhibits nerve function, damages cells, and creates a low-oxygen environment for diseases such as cancer, viruses and fungus to thrive. Some signs of excess acidity include a general fatigue, shortness of breath with minimal exertion, and having general muscular and joint ches and pains. Acidosis is especially problematic because it interferes with normal cell function. An example of this can be found with white blood cells which are essential for a strong immune system. Poor functioning white blood cells are produced in acidic environments, thus making it easy for infection and diseases to take hold.
Acid and Alkaline Ash
The most common method to test whether a food is acidic or alkaline is to incinerate a sample of it and then analyze the mineral content of the ash afterwards. If the ash is high in alkaline minerals, then the food is said to have an alkalizing effect on the body after it has been digested, and conversely, if the ash is low in alkaline minerals, it will leave behind an acidic ash and have an acidifying effect on the body. If this is a true test, then whenever you ingest any food or beverage, the end result after the digestion and assimilation of the nutrients should result in either an acid or alkaline-forming effect. So when we eat, we are either providing the body with the abundance of nutrients that it needs in order to maintain optimal health or we are leaving our body in a state of continually drawing upon its mineral reserves until this delicate system can no longer sustain health.
Making changes– unfortunately most of the foods that people are eating today fall into the acid-forming category. One way to begin to normalize your pH is by stopping your consumption of the Standard American Diet that is high in sugar and refined carbs and to begin eating a diet that is rich in fresh organic fruits and vegetables, juicing a variety of raw vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, kale, chard, spinach, watercress, celery, cucumber, and wheatgrass, and by making nutritious fresh fruit or green smoothies. In addition, you can drink plenty of spring water with fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice which will also leave behind an alkaline ash following digestion.
Need more information on the complete diet plan that I am suggesting then read out these posts
- Hypothetical Diet and Lifestyle Plan.
- Cancer cannot survive in an oxygenated alkaline environment
How many servings of vegetables/fruits should you have per day? An adult should aim for 15-20 servings of nutrient dense vegetables and fruits daily. Use the food chart below to help guide your choices. If your body is acidic then make it your goal to eat 80% alkaline foods, with only 20% acidic. Juicing vegetables and making fresh fruit smoothies are both excellent ways to increase your daily servings of these.
How to test your pH
You can test your pH level using pH Test Strips that are made for saliva and urine. They can be purchased from health food stores or online and can be used as a measurement of what is going on inside of the body. The proper strip to purchase is a narrow or short range, which will measure from 5.0 to 9.5 or so.
To test the saliva: The first test of the day is immediately upon waking before eating or drinking anything, otherwise you must wait at least two hours after eating or drinking to ensure that the food that you have consumed does not alter your test results. First cleanse the mouth by filling it with saliva and then swallowing or spitting it out. Fill the mouth again with saliva and spit onto a spoon, then place the test strip into the saliva for 10-15 seconds. The strip will change colors based on the results. Use the insert from the package to determine your results. You can perform this test 4 times per day to get a clearer picture of what is going on inside of your body. You may find that your pH fluctuates throughout the day, this is normal. Your goal is to register slightly more alkaline than acidic, around 7.2 to 7.4 for saliva, as it is at this level that oxygen is plentiful.
To test the urine: urine pH can be more difficult to read as your body is always dumping toxins. This is especially true if have adopted a healthier routine and these toxins will have an effect on your readings. Additionally, the body will release many more of these toxins with the morning urine, therefore it is normal for the urine pH to start out in the acidic range with the body becoming more alkaline as the day progresses due to the foods and supplements that you are consuming throughout the day. With that in mind, your urine pH readings will average around 6.0- 6.4 in the AM hours and between 6.5 -7.0 in the PM hours.
How to test urine and saliva with pH test strips
If you have cancer -Those with cancer are generally very acidic, often registering around a 5.5 or lower with the saliva pH test. If you are extremely acidic, you may not even be registering on the tape at all (depending on how low the calibration of the strip is compared to your level of acidity). Additionally, it takes time to raise the pH from an acidic state to an alkaline range, sometimes even taking several weeks before you even begin to register on the tape, and then taking up to 12 weeks before you can reach your goal of 7.2- 7.4 with saliva. It is at this pH that oxygen is plentiful and cancerous cells become inactive and begin to die.
Once this level is reached, you must hold yourself there until you have confirmation that the cancer is completely gone. Also, please be aware that you cannot return to your old dietary habits after having cancer. Make the necessary changes to your diet and lifestyle and plan on sticking with them for the long term. Please read the testimonials at the bottom of the page for more information on using this diet.
Over-alkalizing- please don’t go overboard and over-alkalize your body either. Just as an overly acidic body is harmful to health, having an overly alkalized body would be equally harmful as well. Just work on your goal of reaching 7.2 with the saliva pH testing method and maintain that lever until all cancer is gone.
Alkalinity = cellular oxygenation. How to oxygenate the body
Exercise- will help to improve your circulation as well as oxygenate the cells. Walking, stretching, yoga, swimming, biking, hiking, jumping on a mini trampoline, etc. Read more about this.
Deep breathing– most people are shallow breathers. Here is an exercise to help you become more conscious of your breath and this will assist your body in becoming better oxygenated, as well as relieve stress, and has the added benefit of releasing toxins through the lungs. Take a full breath, in through the nose and then expand the chest fully. When you think your lungs are full, then try sucking in just a little more air. Hold this for a few seconds and then breathe out through pursed lips to expel the air out slowly. Repeat this exercise for 5 minutes at a time, and do this multiple times per day or when you need a boost of energy.
Vitamins and Minerals
Make sure you are getting adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. These can be difficult to obtain from the diet alone, so taking a Quality Multivitamin can help to cover any nutritional shortfalls.
Supporting your kidneys
The kidneys are also responsible for removing the excess acids from the body. Because of this, one should work on cleansing and strengthening the kidneys. Uva Ursi tea, chanca peidra, horsetail, aloe vera juice, dandelion tea, and drinking fresh juice made from beets, celery, and including more raw fruits into your diet plan are all helpful ways to cleanse the kidneys..
Filtering your drinking water
“Buy a filter or be a filter”- Your body needs a minimum of 50 ounces of water per 100 pounds of body weight per day in order to flush toxins out of the body and to stay well hydrated. Consider purchasing a water filtration system that will remove fluoride, chlorine, and other chemicals and metals that are found in municipal water supplies. A simple carbon filtration system will only remove chlorine so don’t assume that any filter will do the job. You can find products online that will remove the harmful elements and leave the beneficial minerals intact, such as a Water Filter System.
Recipes to make your water more alkaline:
Recipe #1 – take one gallon of water and add 1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt, the juice of 4 lemons or limes (and toss in the skins too), 1 tbsp of raw, organic honey, and a pinch of organic stevia (if needed) and drink this throughout the day. Sea salt contains 82 trace minerals which will enhance this water. Lemons and limes will create an alkaline ash following digestion.
Recipe #2- take 4 tbsp of fresh lemon or lime juice, added to 8 ounces of water. Drink this 4 times per day.
Recipe #3- adding Alkaline Drops into your filtered water.
Stop drinking soda and coffee– soda has a very low pH, with nothing scoring below 3 on the pH scale. They contain phosphoric acid, which is not only bad for your teeth, but also terrible for bone health by promoting a chronic deterioration of the skeletal system. Try drinking water with fresh lemon juice to help you break this habit. Additionally coffee is another acidic beverage, try limiting yourself to only 1 cup of organic coffee per day and then switching to green tea which is more alkaline instead.
Author Ann Boroch shares various ways to alkalize the body
