Have you ever wondered if many of the diseases raging through our society have a common cause?
Many doctors, herbalists and nutritionists believe that the explanation may come down to three words:
Acid Alkaline Imbalance
Over acidity, which can become a dangerous condition that weakens all body systems, is very common
today. It gives rise to an internal environment conducive to disease, as opposed to a pH-balanced environment
which allows normal body function necessary for the body to resist disease. A healthy body maintains adequate
alkaline reserves to meet emergency demands. When excess acids must be neutralized our alkaline reserves are
depleted leaving the body in a weakened condition. An Acid Alkaline Balanced diet, according to many experts,
is a vital key to health maintenance. The concept of acid alkaline imbalance as the cause of disease is not new.
In 1933 a New York doctor named William Howard Hay published a ground-breaking book, A New Health Era
in which he maintains that all disease is caused by autotoxication (or "self-poisoning") due to acid accumulation in the body:
Now we depart from health in just the proportion to which we have allowed our alkalies to be dissipated by introduction of
acid-forming food in too great amount... It may seem strange to say that all disease is the same thing, no matter what its
myriad modes of expression, but it is verily so.
William Howard Hay, M.D.
More recently, in his remarkable book Alkalize or Die (see recommended reading), Dr. Theodore A. Baroody
says essentially the same thing: The countless names of illnesses do not really matter. What does matter is that
they all come from the same root cause...too much tissue acid waste in the body!
Theodore A. Baroody, N.D., D.C., Ph.D.
Understanding pH
pH (potential of hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is measured on a scale of
0 to 14—the lower the pH the more acidic the solution, the higher the pH the more alkaline (or base) the
solution. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline it has a pH of 7 which is neutral. Water is the most abundant
compound in the human body, comprising 70% of the body. The body has an acid-alkaline (or acid-base) ratio
called the pH which is a balance between positively charges ions (acid-forming) and negatively charged ions (alkaline-
forming.) The body continually strives to balance pH. When this balance is compromised many problems can occur.
It is important to understand that we are not talking about stomach acid or the pH of the stomach. We are talking
about the pH of the body's fluids and tissues which is an entirely different matter.
Test Your Body's Acidity or Alkalinity with pH Strips:
It is recommended that you test your pH levels to determine if your body's pH needs immediate attention.
By using pH test strips, you can determine your pH factor quickly and easily in the privacy of your own
home. If your urinary pH fluctuates between 6.0 to 6.5 in the morning and between 6.5 and 7.0 in the
evening, your body is functioning within a healthy range. If your saliva stays between 6.5 and 7.5 all day,
your body is functioning within a healthy range. The best time to test your pH is about one hour before a meal
and two hours after a meal. Test your pH two days a week.