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General Health

For a few moments, while you read this article at the very least, forget everything you have been told about illness and disease.  Think about the possibility that another answer to your questions may exist.  An answer very few are aware of even though it is very basic and may just be at the root of most illnesses known to man.

How are conditions such as osteoporosis, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and cancer defined by our current medical establishment?  They are defined as "diseases".  Are they really diseases though?  Could it be they are symptoms of another underlying problem?  Why is it, the root cause of our illnesses are rarely treated?  If you treat the root cause instead of just the symptoms, the probability of "disease" diminishes greatly.  The profits from "disease" diminish greatly then also. 

Let's take a closer look at one of our "diseases".  What is osteoporosis?  Osteoporosis is basically defined as weak, brittle bones.  Weak, brittle bones do not just magically appear overnight now do they.  So what causes weak, brittle bones?  What is the root problem associated with the symptom or end result of weak, brittle bones? 

There are definitely multiple, valid answers to this question.  Genetics and outside sources are one.  Fluoride is another.  The most probable answer though is acidosis.  Acidosis is the result of a pH imbalance within our bodies.

What is pH?  pH is actually a scale which measures acidity and alkalinity.  It ranges from 1 to 14 with 7 being neutral.  1 is very acidic and 14 is very alkaline.  But why does pH play such an important role in all of our body functions?  First and foremost, without a stable blood pH you would not survive.  The electrical impulses that operate your body would simply short circuit. 

Urine pH should be around 6.6 - slightly acidic and you should have an alkaline saliva pH.  The most important though, is blood pH, and ideally, it should be around 7.4 (7.35 - 7.45) - slightly alkaline.  Your body will go to great lengths to maintain this delicate balance and will do this at the expense of all other organs in the body.

What causes your body's pH to fluctuate.  The most common reason is a diet high in acidic foods.  I will get into this topic more in the next newsletter, but in case you decide to do some research before then, don't believe everything you read.  I saw so multiple sites with food pH listings that were very misleading.  Here is an example, as well as, a quick lesson on acidity/alkalinity.  The pH of a food before it is digested really does not matter, it is the pH of a food once it has been digested that dictates the biological chemical reactions that take place.  Let's say you eat an orange.  Most consider citrus fruits very acidic, when in actuality, once they are digested they leave an alkaline ash or residue in your system.  Now drink processed orange juice from a carton and you will definitely be left with an acidic ash.  Generally, most fruits and vegetables leave an alkaline ash (with a few exceptions) and most processed foods and meat (breads, cereals, sweets, soda, alcohol, meat, seafood, etc.) leave an acidic ash.

When you body encounters an influx of acidity, your body's natural buffers respond immediately to bring the blood to a stable pH.  Some of these buffers include plasma bicarbonate, hemoglobin (from red blood cells), calcium (from bones), magnesium (from muscles), and an increased production of cholesterol in the liver.  When your body does not have the necessary buffers (minerals, etc.) in the blood stream, your body does what is necessary to survive and unfortunately that may mean robbing Peter to pay Paul.  When your body can  no longer keep up with the task of neutralizing acid, your pH falls to an acidic level.  This is not a good place to be.  Just about all cancer victims have an acidic pH level.  Acidic blood is not conducive to the transit of oxygen thus fungus, bacteria, yeasts, cancers, and other toxins thrive.  On the other hand, alkaline blood is oxygen rich which prohibits the growth of those nasty little critters. 

So let's get back to our osteoporosis example.  One way in which your body stabilizes blood pH is by pulling calcium out of the bones.  Does this give you a little different view on osteoporosis?  

Watch for more information on pH and how your body reacts to acids in next month's newsletter (including how it is tied to weight gain or inability to lose weight).

Read the next article in the series: Are We Eating Ourselves to Death? Acidosis Part II