The Acid / Alkaline Myth - Does Dis-Ease Only Exist in an Acidic Body?

“Ph” is a scale of 0 to 14 with acid being at "0" and alkaline at "14".

The most acidic substance on earth is Hydrochloric Acid, with a Ph of 0. Hydrochloric acid is inside your body and helps you digest all the foods. Battery acid is a "1." Lemon juice is very acidic as well, with a Ph of 2.2.

The most alkaline substances on earth include soapy water, bleach, plant fertilizers, and food additives.

Your blood is almost perfectly neutral at 7.2. Water is exactly neutral at 7.

Most foods are slightly acidic, including fruits and vegetables.

For years, the thought on Ph in natural-health circles was that you want your body to be as alkaline as possible. “Cancer only exists in an acidic body” was the motto.

What most people (myself included) didn’t take into account that your Ph is different in different parts of your body. Your saliva Ph is closest to blood Ph, but your digestive system Ph is extremely acid (between 1 – 3) to be able to digest your food and kill bacteria and other immune system invaders.

Changes in Ph mostly occur in your digestive and endocrine systems.

Eating solely alkaline foods (i.e. vegetarian/vegan diet - vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans) may make you too alkaline.

Other culprits in alkalosis (too alkaline) could be

excessive carbohydrate intake with little to no vegetables or fats ("bad vegetarians" or "carb-avores");
adrenal fatigue;
hypothyroid;
stress;
fluid loss (diarrhea, heavy periods, vomiting, etc.).

If you’re too alkaline, your body will have a hard time absorbing calcium.

In alkalosis, even with sufficient dietary calcium, you get tight, cramping muscles, stiff joints, or nerve pains that get worse at night or when you're trying to rest.

You’ll probably feel worse after eating with bloating or indigestion.

You could feel crawling or burning sensations on the skin as well.

The solution to alkalosis is ... more acid. There are supplements that can help: Cal-Amo; Phosfood; and Zypan. Or, you could just take 2 teaspoons of raw Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with a bit of water twice per day.

I use ACV to treat (cure?) acid reflux, heartburn, bloating, and recurring yeast infections.

Your body needs to be acidic enough to fight off infections!

Hyperacidity is slightly different.

A system that’s too acid

feeling deprived of oxygen, shortness of breath, altitude sickness;
dehydration (no sweating, dry mouth, less urination and “dry” bowel movements);
hyper-irritability symptoms like insomnia, cold sweats, fast heart rate.

Things that can lead to acidosis (high acid) include

stress;
medications like birth control pills or statin drugs;
Liver or Gall Bladder issues (fatty liver, gall bladder sludge, etc.);
not eating enough fiber;
starvation.

Some people need to alkalize and others need to acidify.

LIVER FUNCTION

Liver sluggishness or poor choices of fats and oils (hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarine, Crisco, fried food, etc.) can lead to acid imbalances. A diet that includes healthy fats and oils will stay balanced, as long as they’re high-quality oils and your Liver is working good.

If you have a sludgy Liver or Gall Bladder (or no Gall Bladder), you can't dive directly into a high-fat diet. You'll need to start by increasing the amount of fibrous vegetables you consume, and take 2 teaspoons of raw apple cider vinegar mixed in water at least twice per day.

NOTE: If you have an ulcer, do not take Apple Cider Vinegar. If ACV hurts your stomach, you may want to get checked for an ulcer.

In TCM, your Liver reacts closely to stress as well. Many times, I see patients with a healthy diet, not heavy drinkers, with Liver (or Gall Bladder, the Liver's Yang partner) issues brought on by stress alone.

OPTIMIZING PHOSPHORUS IN YOUR DIET

Phosphorus stabilizes both conditions as it balances an overactive parasympathetic nervous system (too much gastric acid released) and it also combats calcium carbonate formation found in alkalosis.

An easy-to-find and use phosphorus solution is raw Apple Cider Vinegar.

Phosphorus is also found in meat, eggs, whole grains, beans, and nuts.

DON’T SHY AWAY FROM GOOD QUALITY SALT

I never recommend anyone avoids using salt: sodium restrictive diets or even loss of sodium from excessive sweating (hello, summer in Texas!) can be an underlying cause of acidosis.

I do recommend avoiding table (iodized) salt and prepackaged foods that contain sodium-based food chemicals, but instead use sea salt (kosher salt or pink salt or grey salt are also great).

THE IMPACT OF STRESS & ACID-REDUCING MEDICATION

The number one reason for under-acidity (alkalosis) is stress. Your stomach produces hydrochloric acid when you eat, and stress puts a damper on this action.

The resulting heartburn, burping, and reflux are then – unfortunately – treated with acid-reducing pills ("proton-pump inhibitors" or antacids).

If you reduce acid in an already under-acid environment, the problem won’t ever completely go away. The underlying cause worsens over time, making it harder to break the anti-acid habit. In fact, usually your need for it goes up over time.

Many people take antacids for the immediate relief, which I get.

But what's going on underneath the surface is a little different. Most (maybe 90%) of the cases of acid reflux or heartburn stem from an under-acid condition. The sensation of increased acid happens when you eat food on a low-acid stomach. The food then sits there fermenting, rotting, which produces the horrible pressure and burning sensation in your epigastrium that you associate with reflux.

The problem with taking anti-acid medications (Tums, Omeprozole, etc.) is that (1) the underlying low-acid condition worsens leading to more illness and (2) when you take them, your absorption of calcium, B12, and iron goes way down. This is problematic.

The best solutions: temporarily taking a hydrochloric acid supplement (or ACV) and reducing stress, especially around meal times. Shut off the laptop and the TV and just focus on enjoying your food.

So, maybe you need more acid and maybe you need more alkalinity: it varies throughout your life and from person to person.