© 2015 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved.
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Many people would make one or two easy changes in their daily habits if they could feel much better and less stressed as a result. Are you one of them? 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. 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 pH is between 7.35 and 7.45, ideally at 7.4. Yet diet and stress tend to acidify the body’s fluids. Accumulation of biochemical waste in the body can also lower pH. And a pH too acid can cause you to feel vague stress, to feel ill at ease.
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 the deterioration.
Acidosis also leads to premature aging via accelerating free-radical damage to cells. Cells are actually poisoned by inefficiently eliminated cellular waste. An acidic pH prevents the proper storage and release of cellular energy, meaning that the body cannot respond fully to stress or infection. Red blood cells clump together, which limits their oxygen-carrying capacity and leads to fatigue and weakness. Cancer cells thrive in lower-oxygen environments such as acidosis can create. Other mechanisms caused by acidosis may lead to pancreatic dysfunction, diabetes, weight gain, and osteoporosis. Aside from all this, acidosis can make you cranky: you have acid stress! Foods and moods work together!
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.
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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 indicate the acidity of your saliva. If your saliva’s pH is too low/acidic, re-assess your current stress, exercise (or lack thereof), and diet. To feel better and have better moods, 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.
Now try shifting your breath, since the oxygen –carbon dioxide balance causes your blood to be more alkaline or acidic.
- Exhale to a count of 8, and inhale to a count of 4. Notice how calm you feel.
- Whenever you feel stressed, exhale to the end of your breath. If you do this quietly, you can do it in front of anyone, even at meetings.
Try changing your diet for a week, and add rhythmic breathing practice. 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?
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Energy – Peace – Meditation
- Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert. She also has a natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. 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 ). Her newest book is Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine, available through her office. Just email SacredMeditation@kebba.com.
- For an appointment or to ask Kebba to speak for your group: calendar@kebba.com .
Wow. Interesting. Very helpful, too. About a year and a half ago, I had an ulcer and really had to change my diet to get rid of all acidic foods and fats. I was healed, and all of good now. But until then, I never thought much about acidic foods. I rarely drink soft drinks, though. I prefer almond milk or juice or water. Thank you for this very complete explanation with loads of suggestions for diet, etc.
Alice, I’m so glad for your progress! And thanks for your kind words. Glad to help.
i’m free of all forms of refined sugar for years and years. soft drinks, long gone. Junk food? done. I’m a celiac, so I abstain from gluten. I’ve taken lots of stuff out of my food plan, but haven’t put in the veggies that I need. fruits are okay, especially berries but not enough veggies in my frig. sighhhh I am a work in progress, I guess. thanks for some good thoughts.
Louise, great progress, you! And there’s so much gluten-free food available now. Two “veggies” that are really fast are cucumbers cut into sticks and avocados, cut in half and dribbled with a bit of salsa, then eaten with a spoon. Incredible for your skin and now research says avocado is strong for your heart! Another trick is to buy the raw veggies in the “steam in bags” but just eat the veggies raw. All blessings to you!
Kebba,
My sister knew about this acidic / alkaline balance.
Sounds really good.
I need to add more greens in my salads.
Thanks!
Amy
Amy, great! Celery and mint tea are both ridiculously alkaline for fast shifts. Thanks so much!
Kebba, what a timely article for me as I’m going through cancer for a 4th time. I have been juicing and consciously staying away from acidic foods and drinks. I’m going to take the next step and get the special paper you suggest to test my acidic/alkaline ranges. Thanks!
Tandy, I’m thrilled my article helped and inspired you! Would you like me to include you on my prayer list? All blessings!