Alkanizing your body

Hi all, I think I will give this a go, it certainly can't hurt and I just about have every symptom suggesting that I need more alkaline.

Simple Health Tips - Number 1

Acidemia and how to avoid or correct it!

by Nicole Cody



Have you ever tried the experiment where you place a rusty or dirty coin in a glass of coke overnight, and miraculously in the morning the coin comes out sparkling like new? Do you know why this works? Coca Cola has a very acidic nature, and acid is a strong corrosive. It strips away the surface of whatever it touches.

There is a condition of the human body known as acidemia. This condition arises when our body’s nature acid and alkaline levels get out of balance and our bodies build up too much acid. What causes this build up of acid in our bodies? Much of it is related to our diet. White flour products such as breads, biscuits and cakes, alcohol, sugar, soft drinks, diet soft drinks, coffee and tea, sweets, chocolates, ice cream, refined foods and greasy fried foods all put our body into an acidic state. Stress and lack of proper rest also makes us more acidic. Should this be a cause of concern for you? Yes!

Acidemia triggers a chain of events which can lead to some nasty and chronic symptoms and illnesses. Let me explain this in more detail. By understanding the chemistry of your body, you will come to understand why you may experience some of the things you do, and how you might go about taking simple steps to put yourself back into balance.

Oxygen is the elixir of life. We need oxygen as the fuel for our bodies. It is of vital importance that our blood is well oxygenated so that it can nourish all of our cells. The pH scale measures the amount of hydrogen atoms in a solution of water. Blood, and the rest of our bodies is comprised mostly of water, so this next bit of information is important. In a neutral pH environment, every water molecule has two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. This is written as H20, the chemical composition of water. In an acidic environment there are many extra atoms of hydrogen in the water. They are not attached to anything - they just float around as free radicals. The more acidic the water, the fewer oxygen atoms there are. In an alkaline water solution, the reverse is true. There are many more atoms of oxygen bonded to the hydrogen atoms, although none of the oxygen atoms float around as free radicals.

On a pH scale, which measures acidity, 0 is acidic, 7 is neutral and 14 is alkaline. Our urine and saliva are normally neutral pH at 7.0. They may be slightly acidic first thing in the morning when you get out of bed, because your body will have been working hard throughout the night rebuilding you and getting rid of wastes. Within an hour or so of rising, things should return to normal. Our arteries, which carry fresh oxygenated blood around the body have a pH of 7.4, which is alkaline, and our veins have a pH of 7.35, which is also alkaline. Our lymph system is slightly acidic operating at 6.4 and our skin is more acidic at 5.5PH. This acidity helps to protect the body and works like a defence mechanism.

At a blood pH of 7.4 in our arteries, we have ample levels of oxygen for the body to function and to heal itself. If the pH level of the arteries drops even to just 7.35 we loose 65% of the oxygen in our blood.

Acidemia occurs when the blood pH drops below 7.35. You can monitor this by testing your saliva and urine. If they have normal pH balances you are fine, but if they are acidic watch out! The body is very clever, and will counteract the acidity by leeching phosphate from your bones. Phosphate is a mineral which is very alkaline. It is usually stored in the bones where it bonds with calcium to help create dense strong bone structures. If you are very acidic, and leech lots of phosphate from your bones, you put yourself at risk of osteoporosis later in life. You also release free calcium into your blood. The body can only use calcium bonded with phosphate to create bone. The calcium most therefore be flushed from your body with lots of water, or it can cause kidney stones, hardening of the arteries and calcification in your joints and glands.

Acidemia leads to free calcium excess. This eventually causes chronic inflammation, and additional conditions such as arthritis, gout, stiffness and swelling. If uncorrected, there will eventually be connective tissue damage and oxidative stress (Free radical damage) A low oxygen (acidic) environment also allows bacteria and viruses to flourish within our bodies, but these same little critters can’t exist in an alkaline environment!


Scary huh? So… what simple things can we do about it? Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grain products helps to make our bodies more alkaline. Drinking lots of water - at least 2 litres a day - will aid in flushing toxins and acid from our systems and keep our kidneys clean and healthy. Lemons are excellent for keeping the body alkaline. (The lemons must be fresh - bottled juice has been treated and is actually acid forming!) Almonds are also very alkalizing.

So, some simple things to help ourselves:

1. Relax and get plenty of rest. Find a balance in our lives between work and play.
2. Drink lots of water.
3. A freshly squeezed lemon in warm water first thing in the morning will help stimulate your bowels to eliminate toxins and will also kick start your digestive system. It will also balance and alkalinize your blood. Try a squeeze of fresh lemon juice in your water during the day too - it’s really yummy!
4. Eat plenty of salads, fruit and fresh vegetables. If your digestion is up to it, try to have at least some raw food each day, even if it is in the form of fresh juices. Favour vegetable blends in your fresh juices. Carrot is excellent.
5. Try eating less bread and biscuits and swap them for whole meal and whole grain varieties where you can.
6. Cut down on soft drinks, coffee and tea.
7. Save fried foods, lollies and sugar for special occasions, or cut them out altogether.
8. Try cutting down on the amount of red meat you eat, and include fish and chicken in your diets as alternatives to red meats. Eat meats in combination with veggies or a salad to minimise any acidic effects they may have on your body.
9. Enjoy nuts and seeds as snacks, especially almonds, cashews, pepitas and brazil nuts.
10. Limit your consumption of pickles, processed meats, and cured or salted meats, including salamis, wursts etc.
11. Avoid margarine, and use olive oil, canola and fresh dairy butter instead. Try using avocado as a butter substitute.
12. Try spirulina and barley green powders as extra sources of nutrition in a very alkalizing form.
13. Take a mineral supplement, colloidal if possible, or at least swap your ordinary table salt for Celtic Salt, which is a natural form of salt containing many minerals.

All of these are simple steps that you can take in being responsible for caring for your body. Since I have implemented these steps in my own life I have experienced a dramatic reduction of my arthritic symptoms and a decrease in the amount of muscle and joint pains I was experiencing. I am also slowly regaining vitality and energy, and I’m loosing weight too, which is an added bonus. I still enjoy the occasional sweet or glass of wine, even a coffee and cake isn’t out of the question, but I partake of these in moderation, and my diet is largely a healthy natural one, with plenty of water.

This sort of diet used to be common sense. I hope it helps you on the path to good health too - which is the natural right of every one of us!