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How To Find Out If You Are Too Acidic, And Balance Your Natural pH Level
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You have probably heard a lot of talk lately about being over-acidic, and which foods are known to be more alkaline. Then there is all that expensive alkaline water in your store. But what does it all mean? What is pH, and why does it matter?
First, the technical stuff. If you remember anything from your high school chemistry class, pH is a measurement of hydrogen. Solutions with low amounts of hydrogen have higher pH value and vice-versa. The pH scale goes from one to 14, with seven being neutral. Above seven is considered to be alkaline and below seven is considered acidic.
In a perfect world, your body should have a pH of between 7.0 and 7.4, which means you should have neutral or slightly alkaline pH in the body. When we talk about “the body” we are referring to the main fluids in the body: The lymph fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood. Our digestive tracts are not nearly as steady due to the changes in foods that are constantly introduced. Our mouth and esophagus are slightly acidic with a typical pH of 6.8. Our stomach, as you might imagine, is very acidic with typical reading of 1.3. Our small intestine should be about 7.4, and the colon can range anywhere from 5.5 and 7.
Why should we care about all this?
Although one scientist back in 1931 found that cancer thrives in an acidic environment, recent studies and technology have proven what that scientist knew 80 years ago — that an acidic body is much more susceptible to disease, including heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. When the pH of the body is out of balance, your digestive system does not work properly, meaning you also will not be able to absorb some of the nutrients from all the good food that you are eating. Also, when the digestive system is out of whack, insulin levels and cholesterol, not to mention your immune system, do not work properly. All of these things are influenced by pH levels.
You will want to keep your pH level as close as possible to the way nature intended it to be. If you are already fighting disease, you might want to start by looking the pH level in your body and adjusting it as much as you can. It’s only after people have been diagnosed with disease do they start to consider their pH levels.
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