Why Alkaline Balance is crucial to good health

Health is phenomenal to any individual. Our lifeline hangs upon our ability to maintain sound health. But in today’s culture of junk food, over-stressed jobs and preoccupied lifestyles, health is a constant will-o-the-wisp. Whatever cures we find and however scientifically-advanced they are, ill-health is a condition we all suffer from time to time. Blame it on carbonated, sugar-filled, deep-fried, meat-rich or whatever intake, our immune system fails in its battle against bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast and other microbes very often. The result: a plague of diseases right from bone-killing osteoporosis to life-killing cancers.

Acid-Alkaline Imbalance: Though symptoms of diseases are treated, root causes of the same are hardly thought of. Health studies today reveal that most of the human ill-health conditions are results of Acid-Alkaline imbalance in the body. Smart New Yorker William Howard pointed at the crucial need for maintaining proper acid-base balance in the body as early as 1933. He termed that all diseases are caused by “autotoxication” or “self-poisoning” due to acid accumulation. Another scientific genius named Theodore A. Baroody believed that illnesses came from “too much of acid waste in the body”.

The terminologies  may differ, but the truth is nailed – Alkaline balance is crucial to good health in any individual. Because imbalance in the acid-alkaline levels will result in development of acute and chronic sicknesses, even life-threatening conditions like cancer.

Need for balance in body pH levels: Body pH is the deciding factor in determining whether your body is acidic or alkaline. pH is a measure of hydrogen ion activity in a liter of water. An acidic body has pH anywhere between 0 to 6.9 whereas, for an alkaline body, pH values range from 7.1 to 14. Water is neutral in pH and stands at 7. A healthy body should have an alkaline pH, that is, high pH. Low pH levels indicate the body is in acidic state and needs care.

Acidic body – A graveyard in the making: Acidic environment is very harmful as acidity is a signal to decompose. When a natural plant body dies, its acidity increases and decomposition sets in, assisted by bacteria, viruses, fungi and mold. The same happens when the human body turns acidic. An acidic body is lower in oxygen, becoming a fertile ground for microbe activity. Gradually, the acidic body will develop a condition called acidosis which would result in fatal health conditions like cancer or osteoporosis.

Carolee Bateson-Koch in the book Allergies: Diseases in Disguise says that “Survival depends on the blood remaining at the slightly alkaline pH of 7.4.” Anything less is critical and needs to be attended to immediately.

Need for Alkalinity: A number of diseases and health conditions like insomnia, water retention, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine headaches, diabetes and even cancer are associated with an acidic environment. In case of low pH, the body may go to great lengths to maintain an ideal pH. There would be calcium depletion in the body as a result of this as calcium will be pulled out of bones to neutralize the body’s acidic condition. On the whole, an acidic body is a sick body while an alkaline-rich body is a healthy one. Hence, alkalinity is the need of the hour.

There are a number of factors that induce acidity in the body. Some of them include stress, dehydration, obesity, aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. We should steer clear of all these scenarios and work towards improving body’s alkalinity. Some remedies to restore pH balance are:

• Eat lots of alkaline rich foods – raw foods like vegetables, citrus fruits, green drinks etc.
• Drink plenty of water. Add squeezed lemon juice to your water
• Take mineral supplements to neutralize acids
• Avoid lot of protein intake.
• Avoid too much of pharmaceutical drugs
• Try to maintain a healthy lifestyle and de-stress often

Stay rich in alkalinity. That is the way to good health!