Acid-Alkaline Balance
Acidification; acid-alkaline imbalance!In order for various body functions to work well, it is important that the blood pH is kept within strict limits. The degree of acidity of blood, represented by pH, depends on the level of alkaline and acidic substances dissolved in the blood, hence the term acid-alkaline balance. Normal blood pH limits for a human being are between 7.35 and 7.45. So blood is slightly alkaline. Our life and health are based on preserving our internal environment, and maintaining the acid-alkaline balance is top priority. For example, when blood is too acidic, calcium is taken from the bones to alkalize the blood. Even the respiratory centre in the brain is controlled by the acid-alkaline balance. Although there has already been a good deal of research into the effect of acid-alkaline imbalance on the developments of chronic complaints, this relationship is not yet sufficiently recognized by conventional medicine. Acidification, a continuous process which is unavoidable! The Swiss physician and theologian Paracelsus was the first person in our Western culture to state the deposit of acid waste as the main cause of all illnesses. By living in a more biological balance, primitive people remain free from chronic metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, rheumatism, cancer and cardiovascular diseases, whereas the Western way of life tips the acid-alkaline balance to the acidic side. In time, this leads to a loss of important alkaline minerals, deposits of metabolic slags (acid waste) in connective tissue and loss of immunity. Even if you life a healthy lifestyle with a healthy (alkaline) diet, the process of acidification is unavoidable. In an ideal food combustion situation, 100% of organic elements (carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen, which make up 97% of food) will be combusted, leaving no organic waste. Unfortunately, this never happens; these organic elements do not combust completely. As a result, organic acid waste is always left in the body. Examples of organic acid waste are uric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, cholesterol, carbonic acid, ammonia and fatty acid. In addition to this organic waste, food contains many other inorganic by-products from minerals. Acid waste arising from these are, for example, sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid. The body needs to eliminate those toxic acids. However, first they need to be neutralized to less dangerous substances; otherwise they would damage the kidneys and other organs. The main neutralizing substances produced by the body are sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate and calcium carbonate (bicarbonates can be produced by the body itself by drinking alkaline water). If these substances are sufficiently present in the body, neutralizing toxic organic and inorganic acid waste is no problem. The problem arises if there are insufficient bicarbonates present in the body. Decreased bicarbonates levels in the body often occur after the age of 40. This means that after 40, your body is increasingly less capable of neutralizing and removing acid waste. Subsequently, the acid waste is deposited as slags in connective tissue and fat tissue. By the time someone is 50, almost 50% of their solid physical structures consists of slags. This percentage will only increase as we get older!. Acidification is ageing! The renowned French physician and biologist, Alexis Carell kept a chicken heart alive for 28 years. He had an egg incubated. From the developing chick, the heart was taken out and cut open. The parts, consisting of many cells, were kept in a liquid culture medium containing minerals with the same composition as the blood. He refreshed the liquid culture medium every day and thus kept the chick heart alive for 28 years(!).When he stopped refreshing the liquid culture medium, the heart cells died. The secret of the chick heart that survived for 28 years lies in the fact that the extracellular fluid (fluid in which the cells laid) was kept at a constant quality. By refreshing the liquid culture medium every day, the (acidic) waste was removed every day. Acids, Alkalines and pH value pH is derived from the Latin 'potentia hydrogenii', which means 'activity of hydrogen'. It is a measurement for the concentration of hydrogen ions present in solutions and indicates how acidic or basic something is. The higher the concentration of hydrogen ions is, the more acidic the solution. Solutions with lower amounts of hydrogen ions are basic (alkaline). The degree of acidity and alkalinity is indicated on the pH scale from 1 to 14, where 1 stands for very acidic and 14 for very basic (alkaline). A pH of 7 is neutral. The increase of pH is logarithmic which means that a pH of 6 is 10 times as acidic as a pH of 7. A pH of 5, then, is 100 times as acidic as a pH of 7. A correct pH in the body is one of the most critical factors for good health. During metabolism, acidic end products are formed continuously. Small fluctuations in pH can result in dramatic changes in cell metabolism and cause disturbances. Optimum pH values All our cells are bathed in extracellular fluid which, just like blood, is slightly alkaline (pH 7.35 -7.45). The limits of pH values for blood and extracellular fluid within which life is still possible lie between 6.8 and 7.8. pH values that are too low (acidic) lead more quickly to life-threatening situations than pH values that are too high (alkaline). For example dr. Berthold Kern discovered that a lower pH value (more acidic) led to a thickening of the blood. If the composition of blood is thicker, the heart must pump harder to get it to the organs. Creating slags (solid acid waste): a clever trick by the body! Earlier we have seen that to neutralize acidic waste with the aim of maintaining a constant blood pH, the first defence mechanism in the blood plasma is formed by alkaline bicarbonate buffers, such as sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3). In a body with sufficient bicarbonate buffers in the blood, uric acids, cholesterol, lactic acids etc. are neutralized without any problems and excreted by the kidneys. Problems arise when the bicarbonate buffers in the blood are insufficiently present. The body then switches to a second mechanism. It converts liquid acid waste in the blood to solid acid. Solid acid waste (slags) no longer affect the pH value of the blood; a clever trick! But in time, the creation of these slags is actually the cause of other problems. Uric acid in solid form (uric acid crystals) can precipitate in the joints, cholesterol in solid form can accumulate in vascular walls and the blood can thicken. Causes of accelerated acidification Our Western lifestyle, personal health condition and living environment contribute to the acidification process. The following factors are largely responsible for an accelerated acidification process and make a big demand on our bicarbonate buffers: The importance of a good pH value! We can also see in the action of enzymes in our body, the importance of a good pH value. The whole physical occurrence of living organism depends on the action of enzymes and their action, in turn, is dependent on the concentration of hydrogen ions (i.e. pH value). Enzymes only work optimally at a certain pH value and they react very sensitively to changes in it. Enzymes are responsible for all activities in the body. Even 'thinking' requires enzyme activity. Generally, there are 2 types of enzymes: digestive and metabolic enzymes. The main digestive enzymes are protease, amylase and lipase. They help the gastrointestinal tract in the breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, and to work properly they depend on good pH management in the gastrointestinal tract. Whereas the stomach has a highly acidic environment, the small intestine, relatively speaking, has a more alkaline environment and the large intestine a slightly acid one. Metabolic enzymes are responsible for structuring, repairing and reorganizing every cell, every organ and all tissue. Possible complaints caused by latent acidification Stage I: complaints in the early stages (depending on predisposition) Stage II: complaints in the advanced stages (depending on predisposition) How to restore the acid-alkaline balance What can you do to counter the acidification process and get rid of the already accumulated acid waste (slags) in your body? In the first place you can, of course, adapt your personal lifestyle by eating healthily, reduce stress, go on a diet, exercise more etc. These adjustments are certainly recommended, but they are not enough. Accumulated acid waste in the body can only be neutralized by adequate alkaline buffers in the body. You can increase the alkaline buffers by adding bicarbonates (sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate) to your blood. You will be surprised what deacidification, by adding bicarbonates to your body, can mean for your health situation. If you make sure that you maintain your bicarbonate production every day, you can enjoy a varied diet (including a glass of wine or beer) and also high-level sports activities. The acid waste that is formed by this will subsequently be neutralized and removed by the bicarbonate buffers. You can have your body produce bicarbonate itself by drinking alkaline water. If you have questions about the Acid-Alkaline balance or AlkaLife or wish to order by phone, please feel free to call 0845 60 61 301 for contact with our Health-Up Coach! Links - AlkaLife® product overview - Testimonials and reviews by our customers - Ask your question to our Health-Up™ Coach
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