WHAT EXACTLY IS ALKAINE AND ACID?
The countless names attached to illnesses do not really matter. What does
matter is that they all come from the same root cause... too much tissue acid
waste in the body! And how do you know if your system is too acid? Do you need
to have blood, urine, or saliva tests? At present no tests can accurately gauge
how acid you are because current diagnostic methods reveal only that acid wastes
are present in body fluids (blood, lymph, urine, mucous, and saliva). Such tests
never give a reliable indicator of how much acid waste is actually in the
system, because the fluids are always running through the tissues attempting to
remove these excess tissue acid wastes. Therefore, although it is possible to
measure body fluid as being alkaline or acid, it is impossible to evaluate the
state of body tissues (skin, organs, glands, muscles, ligaments, arteries and
vessels) based solely on blood, urine, or saliva tests. Unfortunately, waste
acids that are not eliminated when they should be are reabsorbed from the colon
into the liver and put back into general circulation. They then deposit in the
tissues. It is these tissue residues that determine sickness or
health!
Discover what tissue acid wastes are present and begin the process of
alkalizing yourself, thus ridding them from the body - the result being superior
health, energy and the strength to enjoy life fully. The
alkaline/acid checklist in the Appendix will help you determine your current
level of acidity.) Think about it this way... Too much acidity in the body is
like having too little oil in your car. It just grinds to a halt one lazy Sunday
afternoon. There you are - stuck. The body does the same thing. It starts
creaking to a stop along the byways of life and you find yourself in some kind
of discomfort. I watch with great concern as people of all classes and
lifestyles suffer from this excess. It is the bane of rich and poor, young and
old alike. Meat eaters and vegetarians ar not exempt. Cowboys and congressmen
also suffer its gradual effects.
From Alkalize or Die by Dr. Theodore A. Baroody
THE IMPORTANCE OF MINERALS TO AN ACID/ALKALINE BALANCE
Minerals are described by Dr. Hagiwara as "the ring of life." He writes,
"The source of life elements in all living organisms resides in the minerals
contained in the earth." He notes that if you burn a plant and an animal,
"you will get the same minerals from the ashes." The maintenance and balance
of minerals is the key to health on the cellular level. Our cells are
constantly re-creating themselves in a delicate process upon which our life
depends, so our cells need a balanced supply of minerals to properly
function and reproduce new living cells. Barley Green contains 23 different
minerals, and it provides a better balanced spectrum of our total mineral
needs than any one other food of which we are aware, as illustrated by the
comparisons on the preceding pages. Minerals also help maintain the pH
balance between acid and alkaline. Dr. Hagiwara warns, "should this
balance be upset, the cell metabolism suffers, leading to conditions such as
fatigue." He describes potassium as "a source of life activity" as this
mineral helps enzymes to function. Potassium is "consumed incessantly within
our bodies in the process of energy metabolism." If our potassium supply
falls too low, it is replaced by sodium, which can then increase to an
unhealthy limit. This upsets a balance, which will affect the functioning of
some enzymes. Experiments are cited that show persons submitted to vigorous
exercise, fatigue from tension, mental stress or lack of sleep excrete
potassium and store sodium in the cells. Dr. Hagiwara notes the reputation
for endurance of cattle and horses; they work to exhaustion and then find
renewed energy after feeding or grass, "due presumably to potassium and many
other nutrients" in the grass. Perhaps the most important advantage to
maintaining an alkaline intemal environment is that alkalinity is
detrimental to the survival of disease organisms and cancer cells. Dr.
Hagiwara also believes alkalinity is a critical factor in normalizing
blood-sugar regulation and the proper functioning of enzymes. A diet in
which acidic foods such as meat are dominant will foster a sodium potassium
imbalance, and lead to many other problems that can be helped by dietary
changes to make the body more alkaline. We do not know of a more alkaline
food than Barley Green. Spinach is considered to be one of themost alkaline
of all foods, but Barley Green is more than 50 percent more alkaline than
spinach.
From God's Way to Ultimate Health by Dr. George H. Malkmus
KEEPING AN ACID/ALKALINE BALANCE
The body has various mechanisms which maintain acid-base equilibrium,
normally between pH 6.8 and pH 7.8.3 the lungs, for example, eliminate
volatile acids (carbon dioxide and carbonic acid through respiration, and
the kidneys eliminate non-volatile metabolic acids (lactic, pyruvic and unc
acid) through urine. There are also chemicals in the blood, known as
"buffers", which keep the pH of the blood within narrow limits. However, the
ability of the body to maintain a proper acid-alkaline balance is limited.
When a person overeats acid foods, as in high protein diets, or when he or
she is chronically constipated, alkali reserves can be depleted. With a
higher than normal acid level, the body's resistance to disease is reduced.
This is why it is important to include generous amounts of alkaline foods
(mostly fruits and vegetables) in the daily diet. All digested foods leave a
residue of "ash" in the body which is acid, alkaline or neutral depending on
the kind of food eaten. Dr. Paavo Airola estimates the natural alkaline-acid
ratio in a healthy body to be approximately four to one. When such a ratio
is maintained, the body has a strong resistance to disease. According to
Swedish nutritionist Dr. Ragnar Berg, the ideal diet should include about 80
percent alkaline foods and 20 percent acid foods. Some nutritionists
recommend half and half. Adopting a vegetarian diet, rich in highly alkaline
fruits and vegetables, is highly therapeutic in many diseases as well as an
excellent preventive. Here, in descending order of their ability to form
alkaline and acid ash in the body, are some of the commonner foods. Many
people have found this information invaluable in developing a balanced diet.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are particularly beneficial in correcting
overacidity.
ALKALINE FOODS
Figs, soybeans, lima beans, bean sprouts, apricots, prunes, turnips,
raisins, almonds, carrots, dates, celery, cucumbers, cantaloupe melons,
lettuce, watercress, potatoes, cabbage, grapefruit, tomatoes, peaches,
apples, grapes, bananas, millet, brazil nuts, buckwheat.
ACID FOODS
Oysters, fish, all kinds of meat, chicken, eggs, grains, wheat, nuts
(except almonds and brazil nuts), cheese, lentils, peanuts.
NEUTRAL FOODS
Milk, butter, vegetable oil, white sugar.
Naturopaths recommend spring water as a partial treatment in many
seemingly unrelated disorders such as kidney stones, prostate enlargement,
indigestion and fatigue. These have one possible common cause: overacidity.
Spring water, which is rich in alkaline ions, can help to neutralize acidity
and purify the body. in Europe, it is common practice to prescribe specific
spring waters for specific disorders.
From Complete Nutrition by Dr. Michael Sharon
