What is pH and why should it concern us?
Sadly, mainstream medicine does not recognize the importance of monitoring pH. I wish I had known about it when I was raising children, as it would have provided an effective tool for observation. One which would have revealed when the kids were vulnerable to opportunistic infection. Though I was careful to manage their sugar intake and provided well balanced meals with no processed foods, I would have welcomed the information which to this day lies largely unacknowledged, or skewed by promoters of high-priced alkalizing products.
This by no means represents a full discussion of the subject, but should serve to enlighten those who know little to nothing, and may serve as impetus for further research.
Simply put, pH is a measurement of potential hydrogen. Often known as the acid-alkaline balance of a substance, including one’s urine, saliva, and/or blood plasma. Usually measured on a scale of 5.0 to 9.0 (The scale actually goes to 14.), the higher numbers represent a more alkaline reading, the lower numbers more acidic.
Many folks get in the habit of checking urine pH, but the more relevant (and more practical) measure is the saliva pH. Consider that the urine test shows the pH of the fluids leaving the body, whereas the saliva test reveals the pH of the fluids actually washing your cells, known as the interstitial pH. (Perhaps the most accurate test of all is the blood plasma pH, but this is available only through costly testing. For our purposes, interstitial pH provides sufficient information.)
What should I look for?
Remember, the low numbers represent acidity, the higher numbers are alkaline. The classic rhetoric is that we should average around 7.0 to 7.2 which corresponds to the neutral zone. That said, many would have you believe that you should always be in that zone. Not so.
When you sample your pH, whether urine or saliva, it provides a snapshot of that given moment. The only way to get a real moving picture of what is occurring is to take multiple samples throughout a given day. This will allow you to calculate the average pH for that day, and it will also reveal the degree of change occurring during that period. Both factors are important.
Though it is desirable to average around 7.0 to 7.2 on the pH scale, it is equally important that you move from acid to alkaline and back, moving through the neutral zone at least once a day.
When your pH crosses that threshold of 7.0 the immune system is able to recognize when it needs to go to work. If you are locked in to a high pH you may be feeling great, but it’s possible that you have undetected issues which the immune system is failing to address. In other words, the static alkaline condition may be masking symptoms and/or conditions.
On the other hand, if you are chronically low on the pH scale, you may experience the symptoms of your condition more intensely. Pain and fatigue, for instance, are exacerbated by a chronically low pH. For this reason, it is demonstrable that raising pH from a chronic acidic condition to a reasonably alkaline state relieves symptoms. This phenomenon has helped to sell many water machines; but in our view, it has led people astray in that they come to rely on the machines and their alkaline water to maintain their alkalinity artificially.
Aren’t alkaline water machines a reasonable answer?
It’s far more desirable to have the body maintain a healthy flow and a good balance on its own. For this reason, we recommend that these units (and other products which claim to alkalize) be used only in the short term.
Note that you could be highly toxic and still show a pH of 7.2. This measure of pH does not show us, for instance, if part of an organ is acidic. If we continue to add alkaline salts, one or more organs could become toxic. That is, the interstitial fluid may become so hard that it can’t flush toxins out any more.
Alkalized water contains alkaline salts, and your body’s water becomes too hard with the constant addition of salts, whether alkaline or acidic. (Your data from your pH measurements will also be more accurate if you stop adding alkaline salts.)
It’s important that we recognize that both alkaline and acidic salts can be toxic. If you were to put a mouse in a bucket of water, for instance, he will swim for his life. Add ¼ cup laundry soap which is highly alkaline, and the mouse will soon drown.
How can I manage pH naturally?
When you have the kind of information you need, you can prompt the body to alkalize naturally.
Pure water with lemon or lime helps to optimize your pH.
Pure water is your first important ally. We recommend water that has been filtered through a reverse osmosis unit. You will notice that when testing this water with litmus paper it will appear as though the fluid is acidic. It’s not really acidic. It is simply not reacting
Left to its own devices, the body will pretty much take care of maintaining proper pH balance; but we have outside interference from inflammation, infection, medications, and other stress-inducing injuries. It’s generally fine to utilize the above-mentioned tools as crisis intervention. The key is to not become reliant on them.
In addition to being watchful of our diet, we prefer simple home remedies such as the juice of a fresh lemon or other citrus in drinking water. This will often give the body a boost. A more dramatic impact will be noticed with bicarbonate of soda, taken with water and/or in a soaking bath. We suggest this measure if the citrus does not make the difference.
If your pH is chronically low, you are severely toxic. This is a condition referred to as acidosis. Generally, this is accompanied by feelings of low energy, even chronic disease. It is important to take action if, after numerous saliva samples, you observe your numbers not fluctuating.
The traditional method to allow the body to alkalize in a natural way is to employ a starvation diet. While we don’t recommend this, as most people we talk to are already dealing with significant health issues, the inherent wisdom of this approach can be understood if we look a little more deeply.
As mentioned, toxicity can occur with an over abundance of salts, whether alkaline or acidic. Therefore, adding more salts (of any kind) is not the answer. Rather, the objective should be to cleanse the body rather than add salts. This is especially important for those fighting chronic disease.
Fresh foods will help to optimize your pH!
Fasting, in whatever fashion works for you, can produce a positive impact on our health. Whether ill or the picture of health. Whether dealing with a chronic disease or or just wanting to do a routine cleanse for maintenance. Obviously, the nature of the fast and the duration must be adjusted to suit the situation; we simply suggest that you consider this possibility, with an eye for maintaining proper hydration and electrolyte status.
Some prefer to supplement with minerals and we generally recommend this, as we are largely mineral deficient due to the poor quality of the soil in which are food is grown. In fact, mineral supplementation may increase the effectiveness of your Rife sessions, as it makes your tissues more conductive. This is somewhat of a study in itself. You can learn to restore health and diminish symptoms by learning what minerals deficiencies leave us vulnerable to certain conditions.
That said, we emphasize the importance of not becoming too reliant on supplementing with anything that increases the levels of alkaline salts in your body.
Most people don’t realize that interstitial pH (as measured via saliva) does not reveal whether a part of an organ is acidic. If we continue to add alkaline salts, one or more organs could become toxic.
pH of the water must be properly balanced for fish to thrive.
That is, the fluid could become so hard that it can’t flush toxins out any more. This is why we must change the water periodically in a fish tank. We can add alkalizing salts up to a point; but beyond that level, the environment is too saturated and will not support life. The only way to protect against this is to change out the water.
Thus the recommendation for occasional fasting for us humans. With plenty of pure water. For those who are intimidated by the notion of fasting, keep in mind that abstinence from food need not be an extended period of time. In fact, we do this naturally by being off food during the night and breaking our fast in the morning. It’s a natural cycle. All the more helpful that we flush out toxins in the morning with high quality water and/or herbal tea.
For some, one to three days is optimum for an occasional fast. Others prefer ten day fasts or longer. Many like to time this cleansing with the seasonal changes. The point is to find the rhythm that works for you. Be cautioned to not go to extremes. This holds true for many of the therapies you might be pursuing. More is not always better.
If I am generally alkaline, does that mean I am not toxic?
Not necessarily.
This is common misunderstanding, and it has led many people astray. You could be highly toxic and still show 7.2 pH on your sample. Your pH test only shows the balance of salts; that is, are there more salts in the system that are acid or alkaline. It does not show the total salts.
As noted in the fish tank scenario, the alkaline salts became so dense that the water became deadly to the fish. True, the salts were alkaline; and we have learned that this is desirable. Yet this is a classic case of too much of a good thing.
Points to remember:
It is NOT desirable to be always acidic. If you are chronically acidic, your immune system thinks you are always sick all of the time. In fact, you might be. We think this could be a factor in what are known as auto-immune disorders and numerous other conditions.
When your pH goes across the neutral point (7.0), the immune system gets a cue from the more acidic parts of the body. This is important. It means that it is NOT desirable to be always alkaline. Likewise, a chronically high pH could be masking issues that would otherwise be more apparent.
You will only know your true average pH if you take samples numerous times in the course of the day. Preferably two or three days. This will reveal a certain pattern: your highs and your lows. The flux is desirable!
Note that diet is not the only influence on pH. Stress can also be a factor. I have noticed that if I don’t get a good night’s sleep, my morning pH is lower than usual.
When dealing with elevated stress, remember to take measures to boost your pH. You are likely to get through the episode more handily.
Many people find that their symptoms, including pain, are ameliorated when they get their pH up. This phenomenon has helped to sell lots of water machines.
It’s desirable to have a breadth of pH in a given day. Do not strive to be alkaline all the time. It’s the fluctuation and the average that are important.
Don’t judge “good pH” or “bad pH”. It’s information. Take it in, and keep learning about the subject so you can make viable assessments about what the data might be revealing to you.
Using the Rife machine will likely make an impact on your pH, short-term and long-term. The short-term pH change (measured before and after each session on the machine) provides information which helps us to make reasonably sound judgments about what is occurring in the body, particularly with respect to microbial die-off and detoxification. We use this data to guide us with respect to when it’s appropriate to increase the duration of your sessions and/or to progress to another range of frequencies.
Furthermore, we have observed that a chronically low pH will often glide upward over time, providing the Model A user with a more reliable ebb and flow as well as a higher average.
There is much more we can discuss in further segments. Consider this a thoughtful introduction to the discourse of alkalinity vs acidity. We strive to give you some distinctions which will help you to be better observers of this phenomenon; and we hope this discussion will give you a sense of confidence going forward.
If you have found the information confusing, or you have a different view, please comment on our blog. There is a reply box below the article, and we also welcome you to our new forum at www.staytuned.ws We anticipate a lively discussion!