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The Cause of All Disease? Well, maybe

Posted by Donna on January 31, 2009 at 2:34 pm.

I like to read.  I read everything.  In the past few months, I have read tons of reports about acidity vs alkalinity. Well, as a matter of fact, I have been reading about it for more than ten years; but more facts have come to light in the past few years than ever before so I am willing to say, “hmm.  Maybe I’ll give this a try”.

Here is what I have learned: Your skin is acid.  Your blood is alkaline. Most all of the body functions require a slightly alkaline state, including immunity, cardiovascular, muscle, brain, tissue health and energy output functions.  Every minute of every day your body works to get rid of excess acid.  In fact, almost every cell of your body contains alkaline substances such as calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate.  These alkaline substances neutralize the acid in your body.  In addition,  your lungs regulate pH by breathing out acidic carbon dioxide.  Your kidneys filter out excess acid so that it’s excreted in your urine.  A perfectly choregraphed  balancing act, and it works wonders.

But, today there is a problem:  today’s  lifestyle creates a lot more acid than a body can handle.  Firstly, the typical American diet is filled with acid forming foods like wheat, dairy products, red meat, sugar and coffee.  In fact, the USDA did a study and found that the average American eats six times more acidic foods than alkaline ones.

Okay.  Here is a quick fix for too much pizza or steak and potato combination:  Try 1 tsp. of baking soda in 8 oz. water.  If 1 tsp. of baking soda does not work, try 1 1/2 or 2 tsp.  Baking soda is a bicarbonate and alkalizing in effect.  With a little thinking about it, you can recognize when your body is over acid.  Your mouth is a very good indicator.  Most of us produce mucous after eating dairy products; the mucous is acid. Wash the mouth out with baking soda and water.  Your breath will be as sweet as a newborn baby.  You may also help your body out by taking a calcium-magnesium-Vitamin D combination on a regular basis.  All of these elements are alkaline in nature.

Food isn’t the only culprit in producing acid conditions.  Frequent flying, air pollution and over the counter medications will make your body acidic.  If you are under physical or mental stress, you use more nutrients and generate more acidic waste products than your body can process and dispose of rapidly.  The aging process doesn’t help, either.  The older we get, the harder our bodies have to work to maintain an acid/alkaline condition.  After mid life,  your pancreas produces less bicarbonate that helps to keep your body alkaline so it starts taking calcium, magnesium and other alkaline minerals from your bones.

So how do you correct your acid/alkaline imbalance?  One way is to cut down on meats, dairy and starches while eating more fresh veggies.  This isn’t easy to do if you have a busy schedule.

One-third of American women get some form of cancer every year.  In women, the most prevalent form affecting about 200,000 women annually is breast cancer.  Other common cancers in women include colon, ovarian and lung. But when it comes to cancer prevention and treatment, studies show Cancer has a weak link — one that does not get much publicity. It is cancer’s reliance on an acidic environment in the body.  Cancer thrives in an overly acid environment.

Want to know if you are over acid?  Grab some pH strips from the drug store and check it for yourself.  The instructions on the strips will tell you how you rate on the acidity ladder.

Remember that the skin is an organ?  Strangely, the skin mantle is acid. That is why cider vinegar helps the skin to maintain its acid balance.  Do you get the itchies, break out with hives for no apparent reason, or just get red spots?  Try a poltice of cider vinegar and see if that doesn’t relieve it sweetly.

More on vinegar and its benefits in later posts.

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