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Acidosis, beating fatigue, breath, Eating, Eating right, energy, exhaustion, fatigue, Feeling energized, Health, pH balance, stress, Stress Management, tired, UpBeat Living
© 2014 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved.
The Upbeat Living philosophy is to encourage people to switch little habits that will lead to big results, to feel our best and enjoy life the most. And little changes often can help you have a lot more energy, plus feeling and looking younger! Would you consider making one or two easy changes in your daily habits, if you could feel much better as a result?
Here are some points to ponder regarding a condition affecting many people and causing silently deteriorating health, yet which you can easily and inexpensively control. It’s called acidosis, meaning excess acid in the body’s fluids. Stress, eating habits, lack of exercise, and too little sleep all contribute to this condition. And dealing with stress, changing your eating habits, exercising, and sleeping more—these can all help correct the condition.
Relative acidity is measured on the pH, or potential hydrogen, scale that indicates hydrogen ion concentration. The pH scale goes from 1 (extremely acidic) to 14 (extremely basic, or alkaline). The body operates best when its acid balance, or pH, is between 7.35 and 7.45, ideally at 7.4. Yet diet and stress tend to acidify the body’s fluids. More biochemical waste in the body can also lower pH, making the body more acidic. To see some beautiful graphics of the pH scale, put “pH scale” in your search bar and enjoy.
While the condition is simple, the symptoms are many. A person with acidosis may experience frequent fatigue, allergies, bronchitis, colds and flu, foot fungus, acne, boils, eczema, age spots, arthritis, diarrhea and/or constipation. Effects less easy for the individual to see are serious internal processes, such as the inflammation of veins, arteries, and the muscle tissue of the heart. This creates cardiac system issues that result in elevated blood pressure, which in turn increases heart deterioration.
Acidosis also leads to premature aging via accelerating free-radical damage to cells. Cells are actually poisoned by inefficiently eliminated cell waste. An acidic pH prevents the proper storage and release of cellular energy, meaning that the body cannot respond fully to stress or infection. This means you’re tired! Red blood cells clump together, which limits their oxygen-carrying capacity and leads to fatigue and weakness. Cancer cells thrive in lower-oxygen (acidic) environments such as acidosis can create. Other mechanisms caused by acidosis may lead to pancreatic dysfunction, diabetes, weight gain, and osteoporosis.
The body has natural mechanisms for monitoring and controlling its acid-base balance. When plasma is too acidic, the respiratory system speeds breathing, and the kidneys can produce substances that turn the pH around. The body also uses intracellular absorption of hydrogen atoms by molecules of protein, phosphate, and carbonate in bone, thus raising the pH to less acidity.
So what can you do to help yourself beat acidosis? First, get litmus paper from your pharmacy and test your saliva. The litmus paper will turn color to show the acidity of your saliva. If your saliva’s pH is too low/acidic, re-assess your current stress, exercise (or lack thereof), sleep, and diet. Consider these dietary changes:
- Stop drinking any sodas or sugared drinks, or any artificially sweetened products. Switch to juices or filtered water.
- Stop eating sugared desserts and foods made mainly with white flour and yeast, such as pizza and bagels.
- Eat dark-green leafy salads, other green vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, celery, parsley), and root vegetables (carrots, yams, daikon radish).
- Eat fruits, especially fresh fruits, such as apples, apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, dates, figs, grapefruit, peaches, and grapes. For dried fruit, try raisins.
- Eat rice and buckwheat, almonds, dairy products, and eggs.
Try changing your diet for a week, and add exercise and sleep more. Check your pH again. Notice if these changes make you more relaxed, clear-minded, and vital. If so, you are making a major investment in your long-term health. Why not feel your best, starting now? That’s Upbeat Living!
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● Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert. She is the author of the award-winning book, Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), plus the 2013 book, Peace Within: Your Peaceful Inner Core, Second Edition (http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc). She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister.
● Liked this article? You can buy Kebba’s books: just click the links!
- Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br).
- Peace Within: Your Peaceful Inner Core (Second Edition) (http://tinyurl.com/mqg3uvc)
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I don’t know the science behind it, but you are absolutely right. When I’m eating right and exercising I have so much more energy. So why do I let myself relapse into the heavy, lethargic, lazy lady I’ve become (again)?
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Cathy Chung, thanks! Now your question: sometimes we manifest “heavy” due to a “heaviness” in our heart/soul. Sometimes we are going through grief, partings, or malaise about something. I invite you to include in your prayer time a space to ask God what indeed is happening, and ask for His grace to help you shift so you can feel wonderful again. And listen. I know you are a woman of faith, God has you in His arms, and God is only waiting for you to ask. I am at kebba@kebba.com, if you want to converse more. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
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Great article – I switched over to the Alkaline diet ages ago…and it makes all the difference. We have so much acidity in our lives today, we can at least control what goes in our bodies…Also the sleep and exercise of course.
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Sophie, how fantastic! Thanks for stopping by. I’m delighted to hear of your Alkaline success! All the best!
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Kebba, this must be fate – I was going to do some research on how to make the body less acidic (hoping to help prevent my son’s frequent ear infections) and your post has just given me the answers I need! As always, so very well researched and informative. Thank you!
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Beata, I am joyful to be of service, and thank you for your kind comments. Thanks so much for letting me know you needed this right now. Wonder/full!
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Kebba, I truly believe some things are just meant to happen and they do come when we need them!
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Beata, I believe that, too. I experience Divine patterns in my life all the time. Blessings to you!
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Thank you, Kebba. And blessings to you, too!
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You’re absolutely right, I feel so much better when I eat mostly fruit and veggies and drink lots of water. It works wonders, it’s like my brain works so well!
Thanks for sharing the science facts behind it, Kebba!
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Delia, I am so glad! Isn’t it a joy when the brain is working so well? Thanks so much for visiting and commenting! Good getting to know you during this UBC month!
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Missy – you are making me cry here! 😛
I LOVE Diet Coke and Splenda and Frozen Food – granted that this makes me look pregnant *sigh* due to extreme bloating, but they are extremely addictive 😦
HOW do you think I should start incorporating healthier eating habits? #HUGSS
Oh, but I have decided to shun Frozen Foods in the month of August – progress, I believe? 😉
As for exercising, my swollen knees have kept me home-ridden and added some cushy pounds to my frame – you can imagine how hard this is for someone who is still battling an Eating Disorder (aka ME 😛 )
Finally, I have always struggled with sleep. I was addicted to pills for long – almost killing myself once due to an overdose – BUT I am staying away from them these days. The side effects are NOT worth it. I’d rather stay awake all night and sleep when I can than take these pills and feel – pardon me – ‘shitty’ the whole day
LOVE YOUUUUU
Kitto
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Useful, age-defying information, and making chemistry understandable.
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Queen Dempsey, thank you so much! I’m delighted you enjoyed.
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