ACID - ALKALINE pH balance can be so CONFUSING! It literally took me 10 YEARS of practicing before I even began to understand it... and even now I am still amazed at what I am learning! Below is a post by another popular health doctor (Dr. Josh Axe) with common comments I also receive in the clinic- youll see my response to one of the comments where I clarify the confusion- I have copied it again here- please feel free to like my comment below (by going to his page and scrolling down to the post) so we can help others understand this complicated subject. *************************************************************** Hello Jacob~ Indeed the body has multiple compartments of varying pH: the intracellular, the extracellular, the blood, and the many excretions and secretions all have their own optimal ranges. pH is a function of hydrogen (H+ and OH-) and the body is constantly buffering these plus and minus charges through the millions of chemical reactions occurring every second in a process called oxidation and reduction. Specialized cells take up these ions and make acid (if they are stomach cells) or alkaline (if salivary gland or pancreatic cells) as examples. The purpose behind drinking alkaline forming substances (typically these are alkaline due to their high amount of alkaline earth elements- Ca, Mg, Na, K) is that our Western diets are typically too high in acid dominant foods (and our body also creates acid as a natural byproduct of metabolism and due to poor water intake those also increase) and therefore the buffering system comes out of balance. If the blood drops too far below 7.3 then the body needs to balance the buffering system by finding other sources of alkalinity in your body to neutralize the acid- the most likely area being the alkaline reserve of the bones. This is why excess acid levels can cause wasting of the bones, loss of teeth, and premature aging as well as a myriad of health conditions. The pH of the stomach should be highly acid so we can break down protein into amino acids and release minerals from the food for better absorption. As the food passes from the stomach it is neutralized by pancreatic juices and bile so that it doesnt burn the duodenum and fats and carbohydrates are properly digested in the alkaline environment. The body is constantly making these reactions and the ions are continually recycled electrons being passed from one molecule to the next. Adding alkaline foods into the stomach means you are adding in high mineral foods that would only temporarily be neutralized before being absorbed into the blood stream to ignite a new cascade of alkaline and acid reactions. It is important that we have both ample amounts of + and - charged ions for proper health. ~ Dr. Andrew Iverson
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 03:21:55 +0000
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