What is pH?

What is pH?

pH is an abbreviation for "potential hydrogen." It is the measurement of hydrogen-ion concentration.

 The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. The middle reading of 7.0 is considered to be "neutral." A reading 

below 7.0 is acidic while a reading of 7.0 or above is alkaline. The lower the pH reading, the less oxygen 

is in the fluid you are testing whereas the higher the pH reading indicates more oxygen.

How does pH affect my body? Human blood pH should be slightly alkaline ( 7.35 - 7.45 ). A pH below 7.0 

means that the body is acidic, making it prone to ailments, fatigue and disease. When the pH in body tissues

 are overly acidic, a state called "acidosis" occurs. Acidosis is one of the basic causes of many diseases

 as it creates a burden on the liver, kidney, digestive tract, heart and affects every cell in the body. 

A healthy body stores large alkaline reserves to meet emergency demands if too many acid-producing foods 

are consumed. However, these normal reserves can be depleted. Balanced body chemistry is of utmost

 importance for the maintenance of health and correction of disease. When the body is in an alkaline state 

of 7.0 or above, diseases cannot gain a foothold.

What happens when my body is acidic? Acidic conditions in the body often result in health problems

 such as cancer, chronic fatigue, Candida Albicans, depression, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, arthritis, 

osteoporosis, viruses, ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease), weight gain, skin conditions and more. Acidosis 

decreases the body's ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decreases the energy production in

 the cells, decreases its ability to repair damaged cells, decreases it's ability to detoxify heavy metals, 

allows tumor cells to thrive and creates fatigue and dis-ease. Cancer and most diseases cannot exist in

 an alkaline body. 

What causes my body tissues to become acidic (acidosis)? The body can become

 acidic due to a number of reasons, generally from a combination of the following. Eating a diet of mainly

 acidic foods can create a high acidic pH in your body. All foods are "burned" or digested in the body,

 leaving an ash. This food ash can be neutral, acidic or alkaline, depending largely on the mineral composition

 of the foods.   The reason acidosis is rampant in our society is mostly due to the "Standard American Diet"

 (SAD), which is high in acid producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy, and relatively low in

 alkaline producing foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables.   In addition, most foods are laced with

 chemicals that begin during the growing process of the plant or animal and continues through transportation

 and before being placed on the grocer's shelves. These include herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, growth 

hormones, ripening agents and retardants, insect repellents, etc. Most people do not get enough minerals

 in their diet due to the loss of mineral content of the soil where plants are grown. When the body becomes 

acidic, it will do all it can to balance itself. In order to do this, it will use the alkaline minerals found in the body.

However, if the body does not have enough of these minerals in the blood or stored in the tissues,

 the acids will build up in the cells, creating acidosis and setting the stage for a variety of maladies.

Emotional stress also creates acidic reactions in the body.

Daily meditation or quiet time, exercise, releasing negative emotions such as anger, frustration

 and despair will help to increase your overall well-being and assist in balancing your pH levels to a more

 alkaline state. Lack of oxygenated blood  due to shallow breathing, lack of exercise and dietary factors 

also inhibit proper pH balance. Toxic overload creates acidic reactions in the body, these include but are

 not limited to the following: Environmental Pollution: industrial waste, air and water pollution, chlorine 

and fluoride water additives, plastic wraps and leaching plastic water bottles, herbicides, pesticides, 

chemtrails, exhaust fumes, (first and second-hand), X-rays Cosmetics and Personal Care Products: these 

products abound with chemicals Two other areas of concern are mercury in seafood, vaccinations and

 amalgam tooth fillings and aluminum from cookware, baking soda, toothpaste, deodorant and many food 

products.

What can I do to balance my pH level? DIET The rise of cancer, obesity, malnutrition and disease 

is sky-rocketing. Proper nutrition can help combat . It is vitally important

 to maintain a proper ratio between acid and alkaline foods in the diet. To maintain health, the diet should 

consist of 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acid forming foods. When the pH balance is maintained,

 the body has a strong resistance against disease. To assist in the curing of any disease, the higher the

 ratio of alkaline elements in the diet, the faster will be the recovery. Alkalis neutralize acids. Therefore, in

 the treatment of most diseases, it is important that the diet includes plenty of alkaline foods to offset the 

effects of acid-forming foods. Animal products are highly acidic and lower in protein than many green leafy

 foods. Consider adding green leafy vegetables, spirulina and hemp protein powders as a natural and alkaline 

meat replacement. Read packaging labels and become aware of substances that are masked as food such

 as chemical sweeteners like NutraSweet, Sweet 'N Low and Aspartame that are added to many foods, 

especially diet products. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages and soda pops, for these substances are 

highly acidic. Did you know that to  neutralize a glass of cola that has a pH of 2.5, one must drink 32 eight

 ounce glasses of alkaline water with a pH of 10? The benefit of eating raw, organic foods is the ability to

 avoid ingesting chemicals added during normal farming practices of both animals and plants. These include 

herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, preservatives, growth hormones, chemicals to slow 

and/or speed the ripening process, food additives and msg, to name a few. In addition, organic farms grow 

in mineral rich soils, which enhances the mineral content in the plants you eat. Every phase of processing

 affects the nutritional value of foods. These include, chopping, packaging, bleaching, dehydration, chemical 

alterations, irradiation, homogenization and microwaving,   Heat processes such as pasteurization and

 cooking kills the natural minerals and enzymes, rendering many foods into toxic, acidic non-food products.

The avoidance of harsh medications, whether they are prescribed or "over the counter" is another factor to

 consider. Once you are armed with information on how to balance your body through proper nutrition, many

 ailments will heal themselves. As our herbalist friend, Brian Hornbeck, says when asked how to get rid of

 health problems, "We have herbs for that!" MINERALS When the body is acidic, there are always significant

 mineral deficiencies. There are a number of ways you can add minerals to your diet. Fruits and vegetables

 grown in soils that are mineral rich can provide all the minerals one needs, if a variety of plants are eaten

 on a daily basis. Unfortunately, due to modern farming practices, the vast majority of soils are mineral 

deficient. To make matters worse, the soil and plants are continually bombarded with pesticide, herbicides, 

fungicides and chemical fertilizers which all leads to genocide of the minerals normally found in live soil. 

Growing your fruits and vegetables in rich humus and supplementing what you don't grow with produce from 

organic farms will increase the amount of minerals in your diet. Minerals are destroyed when subjected to heat,

 which means any plants you ingest that are cooked are likely to have lost their mineral content. Salt is a 

wonderful mineral supplement, unless it has been bleached and processed. There are several natural salts

 available that are tastier and more nutritious than toxic table salt. Himalayan salt contains 84 essential 

minerals whereas Celtic salt contains 72 essential minerals. These salts can be obtained at most health

 food stores or better yet, ask your grocer to stock them. Do not cook with the salt, since heat destroys

 minerals; add it to your food after serving or place some crystals under your tongue any time during the day. 

You can also purchase minerals in tablet or liquid form.

EMOTIONAL STRESS (this is from ISHAGIRL)

           How we handle stress, fear, worry, trauma, sadness, anxiety etc effects our physical bodies. That is why 

           reading and pondering the scriptures daily and aligning our will and our understanding with God's will and

           knowledge is so vital.  He gives us the inspiration to combat negative emotions, He helps carry those burdens 

           for us.  Making time to BE STILL daily or in other words, doing daily meditation is crucial to a healthy mind 

           and well body.  The mind is everything, so as corny as it sounds, positive affirmations and

           mantras can make a powerful difference in your physical health.  

         

OXYGENATED BLOOD Every cell in the body needs an adequate supply of oxygen to function properly.

 The air we breathe today is not as purely oxygenated as it was before the advent of technology. Shallow 

breathing, lack of exercise and dietary factors that inhibit properly oxygenated blood also causes acidosis,

 less oxygen in the blood. Deep breathing, physical exercise and proper diet can help to eliminate many of 

the problems associated with low blood oxygen count.

I almost hesitate to mention where I pulled the above info from because articles on the site 

are a bit "out there", but I thought it explained a general overview in a  concise manner.  Again there 

to search. This is just a place to start...so www.t-a-d-a.com...don't laugh.