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The Pro-Active Protocol
For Breast Cancer Prevention
6. The pH Problem
And the solution!
The first goal on the way to great health is to restore the body's pH to the alkaline range. Almost all the body's functions require a slightly alkaline state to perform optimally. And almost all chronic illness takes place in a body that has become acidic due to the gradual depletion of its mineral reserves.
Osteoporosis, fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches, brain fog and allergies are all aggravated and can even be caused by a chronic state of acidity in the body's tissues. Our immunity, cardiovascular function, muscle function, brain function, tissue health and energy output are all dependent on being in an alkaline state in order to beep us in perfect health.
Every minute of every day, your body works to get rid of excess acid. In fact, almost every cell of your body contains alkaline substances such as calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate. These alkaline substances neutralize the acid in your body.
In addition, your lungs regulate pH by breathing in alkaline oxygen and breathing out acidic carbon dioxide. And your kidneys filter out excess acid so that it's excreted in your urine.
It's a perfectly choreographed balancing act. And it works wonders.
But here's the problem: today's lifestyle creates a lot more acidity than your body can handle.
First off, the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) is filled with acid-forming foods like wheat, dairy products, red meat, sugar, alcohol and coffee. In fact, the USDA did a study and found that the average American eats six times more acidic foods than alkaline ones!
But that's not all. Frequent flying, air pollution, and over-the-counter as well as prescription drugs all make your body acidic. And if you are under physical or mental stress, you use more nutrients and generate more acidic waste products than your body can process and dispose of rapidly.
Aging only compounds the problem. The older we get, the harder our bodies have to work to maintain the acid/alkaline balance. For example, oxygen is essential to keeping your body alkaline. Yet your lungs' ability to take in oxygen declines one percent per year on average. It peaks for women at age 20 and by age 70, your oxygen intake is reduced by half!
What's more, after mid life, your pancreas produces less of the bicarbonate that keeps your body alkaline.
So what does the body do to make up for this? It starts taking calcium, magnesium, and other alkaline minerals from your bones! This happens day after day, year after year, until one day you have a bone density test and your doctor says, "You have early osteoporosis."
And osteoporosis is just one of the problems caused by acidity. When your joints are acidic you have joint pain. When your muscle tissues are acidic, you feel tired and achy. During exercise, lactic acid is released and builds up in the muscle tissues. This compounds the problem of an already acidic system. When the tissues of your respiratory tract are acidic, they release histamine, causing sneezing sniffling, and other allergy symptoms.
No wonder so many women feel lousy!
But these problems can be reversed by correcting your acid alkaline imbalance.
So how do you correct your acid alkaline imbalance? One way is to cut down on eating meats, dairy, and starches, especially wheat, while eating more fresh vegetables. I recommend making fresh vegetable juice with lots of dark, leafy greens.
It is important, first of all, to monitor your pH on a regular basis I order to make the connection between what we consume and the impact this has on our body pH. The easiest way to do this is by testing the urine pH.
It has been clinically established that the urine's pH is an accurate reflection of the whole body's tissue pH. The state of the body's acid/alkaline balance can be easily measured by testing the urine using hydrazine paper, also called pH paper.
The urine pH is directly correlated to both tissue oxygen levels and soft tissue levels of minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and trace elements. These minerals are the basic currency of exchange for literally every cell in the body.
The most important first step for every person is to balance the first morning pH, which is a reliable indication of the body's acid/alkaline status.
First, the morning pH is tested to determine whether the pH is acid or alkaline. (The first morning urine is defined as the first urination after 5am).
If the first morning pH is acidic (a pH below 6.4), this indicates that the body is in a state of physiological dysregulation and distress due to lack of sufficient minerals, which are needed to adequately carry out thousands of basic cellular functions. Therefore, our immediate first goal is to restore a consistently alkaline first morning urine pH (within the range of 6.4- 7.0).
Once the pH of the first morning urine is consistently within the alkaline range of 6.4 7.0, for a period of at least 2 weeks. The next step is to begin testing the evening urine pH (best measured just before the evening meal around 5 or 6 pm).
There are several things that can be done to restore an acidic pH back into an alkaline range.
Changing our diets, as mentioned above is crucial to overall, long-lasting health. In particular, reduce the amount of concentrated proteins such as meats. Fatty meats really trigger a release of high quantities of gastric acid in order to digest them and this raises the overall body acidity.
Adding more fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and whole grains and beans and reducing starches and sweets is important, as is eliminating or reducing alcohol.
But it is also critical to address the negative consequences of the standard American diet, in particular, the leaching of minerals from our bones in order to maintain an alkaline state. As we strive to make gradual changes in our diets and lifestyles, it is very important that we make sure these minerals are replaced!
One simple approach is to consume a little sodium bicarbonate (common baking soda!), perhaps half a teaspoon in a glass of water daily. I've heard this is good to prevent or cope with uric acid kidney stones and gout.
In addition, taking an alkalinizing supplement that contains 2 parts sodium bicarbonate with 1 part potassium bicarbonate (this can be prepared by a pharmacist without a prescription) along with this, 1 or 2 caps twice a day, is good. The warning here is that it is possible for the baking soda to raise blood sodium levels. If you have high blood pressure, monitor it closely while on this regimen to make sure it doesn't have an adverse effect.
Common calcium citrate can help alkalize the blood without the negative side effects mentioned above.
Part of the problem here, is that standard calcium supplements do not provide the appropriate ratio of calcium to magnesium for optimum absorption. The best ratio is usually 2 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium, although many people are so deficient in magnesium, they benefit from a 1:1 ratio.
Magnesium deficiency is rampant in this country. Interestingly enough, it is often coupled with calcium EXCESS. (Click here to read more about calcium and magnesium!)
One important consideration is the re-mineralization of the body. Mineral supplements are essential in cases of illness or chronic acid condition of the tissues.
We carry what we feel are the best of the best in mineral supplementation in our Products and Supplies Section, notably Premier Research Laboratory's Quantum Coral Complex with Sago coral harvested from pristine waters of Northern Japan. This clean, natural coral calcium has the ideal ration of 2:1 and is formulated with mycelial extracts of coriolus mushroom to aid in cell uptake.
We recommend taking the Cod Liver Oil with 400 IU of Vitamin D3 to ensure maximum absorption.
We also have a super easy to consume pH Powder that is easy to take in a smoothie or sprinkled over cereal, which contains coral powder, dried aloe vera extract and dried pomegranate extract.
Plus we carry pH Paper to help you monitor your personal pH.
Click here to visit our products and supplies to learn more about Mineral Supplementation!
Click here to visit our products and supplies to learn more about Mineral Supplementation!
Thanks to Susan Lark M.D. and Robert Marshall Ph.D. for their valuable information.
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the food and Drug Administration. This Product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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