Guest guest Posted January 7, 2004 Report Share Posted January 7, 2004 Acidification of the Body JoAnn Guest Jan 07, 2004 13:07 PST ACIDIFICATION OF THE BODY This is a bit technical. It involves pH which is another term for your acid/base balance. Within the body certain places only operate correctly if they're at exactly the right pH balance. The stomach lining has to be truly alkaline in order to counteract the `acidic' digestive enzymes. Otherwise we'd constantly be burning holes in the stomach lining. All phases of digestion are totally dependent upon a delicate acid/base balance. The blood must maintain a pH between 7.3 and 7.45. (Guyton). If not,we die. With all the acid foods we keep eating, the body tries desperately to keep its pH within the range. The first things it tries are buffering with bicarbonates in the blood and lungs.(Guyton, p 392) Next, the body begins to sweep the extra acids into the tissues, especially muscles and joints. That's where lactic acid `buildup' comes from. If that's still not enough, as a final effort to keep from acidifying, the body will actually precipitate acids out of solution, in the form of solid crystals and salts. This is the exact mechanism of gallstones, kidneys stones, uric acid crystals, plaque, and cholesterol crystals. A built-in protection for self preservation. We think of these conditions as major medical problems, but in reality it's just a sign that the body's systems are functioning as they should. Otherwise we'd be dead of acidosis. " So what happens to the colon from an over-acid diet " ? In a word, enzymes. Or rather, `lack' of enzymes. Enzymes are necessary to break down and digest food. If the environment is too acid,the enzymes in the stomach and small intestine do not " work " very well. By the time it gets to the colon, everything that was supposed to be digested should have already had it happen. But it hasn't. So the undigested food gets dumped into the colon. There are no 'digestive enzymes' in the colon. So the food just sits there and rots. Now, minerals can only be 'absorbed' at a certain pH. And minerals are a necessary component of enzyme 'formation'. So it's a vicious circle: 'Acidification' of the body causes `decreased' minerals, which cause 'decreased' enzyme production, which causes the food to rot in the tract which further blocks absorption of water, nutrients, and minerals. Downward spiral. A youthful, healthy body is alkaline. A diseased body is acid. The foods we eat must " contribute " to the alkaline state of the body. Consume 80 percent alkaline forming foods and 20 percent acid forming foods. If you adhere to this 80/20 principle, and minimize negative emotions, you'll be well on your way. " When a body is in an acid state, what neutralizes the acid " ? Alkaline `compounds' neutralize acid. That's why you see all those ads on TV and elsewhere advertising products to `neutralize' acidity. Because they do not deal with the CAUSES of acidity, but only the " symptoms " , these products do not work in the long run. The Standard American Diet is 'acid forming'. Meat,poultry, cola, bread and dairy are all acid forming. Stress is acid forming. Anger and negative emotions are acid forming. The issue of acid/alkaline balance can be a little confusing because each organ of the body, as well as the blood and skin, have optimum pH levels that are different. The blood, for example, is slightly alkaline at pH 7.37 to 7.45. In order for the blood to be constantly maintained within this narrow corridor, the body engages in `heroic' efforts. If the blood gets too acidic, calcium from the bones is dissolved and utilized to adjust the blood's pH. " Could this have anything to do with the high incidence of osteoporosis in this country " ? The skin has a slightly acid pH because one of the avenues the body uses to expel 'acid waste' is `through' the skin. Interestingly, the " acid mantle " thus created then protects us by killing bacteria and viruses on the skin. Other pH values are 1.5 for stomach juice and 8.8 for pancreatic juice. The waste products created from the body's own process of metabolism are all 'acid'. Protein 'metabolism' produces sulfuric `acid' and phosphoric `acid'. Carbohydrate and fat metabolism produces acetic `acid' and lactic `acid'. These acids are poisonous and must be washed out of the system on an ongoing basis. First however, they have to be neutralized by `carbonic' salts, which are composed of alkaline mineral `compounds'. We must have a reserve of these alkaline minerals available at all times to assist the body to do its work efficiently. This is why a high alkaline diet of fruits, vegetables and sprouts is so important to our health and well-being. Refined sugar promotes a condition of acidity wherever it goes - the mouth, the stomach, the blood. In the mouth the pH gets lower with the presence of sugar. At around pH 5.5, the saliva begins to dissolve tooth enamel. (Appleton, p98) Demineralization of bones and teeth is promoted by the acidic environment created in the blood by refined sugar. Calcium, magnesium, and chromium are squandered in the body's attempts to `rid' itself of this non-food. The modern diet, high in animal protein, creates more acid than base in the body, resulting in a " net acid load. " Until recently, scientists thought that this excess acid was safely excreted by the kidneys, resulting in no undesirable physiological consequences. However, research now indicates that acid can be retained in the body, and its presence is linked to osteoporosis, loss of muscle mass and reduction of hormone levels—--all symptoms associated with aging. Declining kidney 'efficiency' is common as people age, and contributes to the problem of acid buildup. Renal 'tubular failure' may eventually result. Researchers recommend that people modify their diets as they age to reduce the net acid 'loads'. This means cutting down on animal food. By putting more vegetables into their diets, people may reduce their chances of developing osteoporosis, kidney disease, and other age-related problems. Considerable attention is now focused on the role of calcium in osteoporosis, but too much acid caused by high-protein diets may be the true villain. In one study, women whose net acid load was neutralized by alkaline supplements experienced increased retention of calcium and phosphorus, and greater new bone formation. Based on information in: Consumers' Research, Dec 1997 Excerpted from Spectrum Magazine http://www.garynull.com/Article.aspx?Article=/LibraryTitle.aspx The breakdown products of processed proteins are highly 'acidifying' to the blood. This sets in motion the whole calcium buffering program in which the pH of the 'blood' is saved from all this dangerous 'acidification' by 'pulling' calcium out of the bones and teeth. Result: uric acid crystal deposition in joints and organs, osteoporosis, ' and total disruption of kidney and adrenal function which further try to regulate blood pH. In addition, too much protein in the diet putrefies in the digestive tract, setting up blockages, leaky gut syndrome, and a whole host of 'intestinal' disorders. Excess 'nitrogen' in the system from all those excess amino acids further stresses the blood. The food advertisers pretend that we need more protein and less fat. The more protein and the less fat, the better. The truth is, Americans average 125 g of protein per day, while only requiring 25 g. (McDougall) We are not protein deficient in this country. That only happens in Third World starvation countries. The reason for this Protein Religion is simple economics: high protein foods are expensive. It's a sales job. At stake are billion$ in foods and billion$ in advertising. Food faddists like to complicate things, deriving rules and patterns out of thin air. Usually for the end purpose of book or supplement or food sales. A reasonable proportion of fats, protein, and carbohydrates is just common sense. Less important than the proportion of fats, protein, and carbohydrates is the form in which each is presented. Digestible or indigestible? Natural or processed? Raw or cooked? Sprayed or organic? Cleanse or clog? With or without enzymes? These are the real issues that determine the value of a food. These are the questions we should be asking. 'Acidosis' occurs when the body loses its alkaline `reserve'. Some causes of acidosis include kidney, liver and adrenal disorders, improper diet, malnutrition, " ketosis " (resulting from high-protein diets, i.e. Atkins ) Anger, stress, fear, anorexia, toxemia, fever, and the use of extremely excessive amounts of niacin and aspirin. Diabetics often suffer with this condition! Stomach ulcers are often associated with this condition also. Cancer cannot exist in an 'alkaline' environment. All forms of arthritis are associated with `excess' acidity. Acid in the body dissolves both teeth and bones. Whatever health situation you are faced with, you can monitor your progress toward a proper acid/alkaline balance by testing your saliva pH. Sulphur acts as a buffer to maintain pH. Sulfur can be taken in supplement form. Use elder bark, hops and willow for acidosis. Start with small amounts of fresh fruits and gradually add larger amounts as your pH improves. Drink potato broth everyday. Avoid animal protein especially beef and pork, and processed refined junk foods. Reduce your intake of cooked foods. When ingested, both cooked and processed foods become `acidic' to the body. Avoid refined processed cereals, cookies, cakes,crackers, fried foods, macaroni and refined sugar. Arginine is an amino acid found in many foods, including dairy products, meat, poultry, and fish. Supplemental arginine has been proposed as a treatment for various conditions, including heart problems. Arginine has been found to stimulate the body's production of 'gastrin', a hormone that increases stomach acid. Because excessive acid can irritate the stomach, there are concerns that arginine could be harmful for individuals taking drugs that are also hard on the stomach (such as NSAIDs). Unlike the stomach, which has an acidic environment, the small intestine has an alkaline environment, created by the secretion of bicarbonate (like baking soda) from the pancreas. The alkalinity then stimulates the pancreas to secrete digestive enzymes. Meanwhile, the gall bladder releases bile, which aids in the breakdown of fats. The liver, the gallbladder and the pancreas play an important role in the digestion of foods, so let's take a closer look at how they work. The Pancreas The Pancreas provides important enzymes to the body. This gland is about six inches long and is nestled into the duodenum. It secretes insulin, which ushers sugar from the blood stream into the cells. Insulin is secreted into the blood, not the digestive tract. The larger part of the pancreas manufactures and secretes pancreatic juices, which contain some of the body's most important digestive enzymes, and bicarbonate, which 'neutralizes' stomach acid. METABOLIC ENZYMES Metabolic means having to do with operating the body's specific systems. Cell life, nerve transmission, brain signals, hormone distribution, oxygen exchange, liver function, acid-base balance in the blood, stuff like that. All these jobs require specific enzymes in order to happen, on a second-by-second basis. Metabolic enzymes are the worker protein molecules that keep this whole biochemical circus going all day long. Metabolic enzymes are what actually utilizes the nutrients that have been broken down by the digestive enzymes, provided that normal digestion has taken place. So the direct interrelationship between the two types of enzymes - digestive and metabolic - is not really a big subject for debate Processed foods become our cells. We become processed food. Never underestimate the forces at work 24 hours a day to make us consume as much processed dairy, hydrogenated soybean oil, white sugar, and white flour as possible. We are addicted to the things that poison us. We all know that human food comes in three varieties: fats protein carbohydrates Each is a large molecule made of smaller units. Since the body prefers the smaller units, these 'large' fat, protein, and carbohydrate chains must be ''broken down'. Fats are broken down to fatty acids; proteins are broken down to amino acids; carbohydrates are broken down to glucose molecules. The process of breakdown is called digestion. Each food type has a special enzyme to make this breakdown happen: Lipase is the enzyme that breaks down fat. Protease breaks down protein. Amylase breaks down carbohydrates. Now many doctors and others with no background in nutrition will say that we can eat anything we want because the body's digestive enzymes are designed to break the food down. This would be true if we were eating an 80% natural diet. By that I mean a diet in which most foods contain within them the enzymes necessary for complete breakdown, without placing a burden on the body's own enzyme reserves. The natural diet leaves behind no 'residue' from the digestive activity. That is 'normal' digestion. But we don't have a natural diet. Most of us have a SAD diet - the Standard American Diet. You know - burgers, fries, pizza, beer, chips, donuts, coke, etc. These are non-foods, new to the human species in the past century. Our digestive systems were never designed to break these chemical bizzarros down. So the stuff doesn't get digested - it just sits there, rotting. Abnormal diet = abnormal digestion. THE MASTER KEY The best course of action would be to eat a diet consisting of more than 80% enzyme-rich raw foods. No arguments there. But most of us simply can't resist all that conditioning and advertising, and we rationalize to ourselves how " life was meant to be lived and the hell with the rest, " etc. And that line of reasoning brings most of us to processed foods. Luckily, today we have a way at least to minimize the clogging, toxifying residues of undigested food. Everything we put in our mouths is a decision, even if it's an unconscious one. Each food choice poses two questions: - will this nourish the body? or - will this clog the body? The cumulative effect of these decisions determines whether we are toxifying or detoxifying day by day – whether we are getting sicker or better, building our immune reserves or using them up, promoting degeneration or slowing it down, moving toward life or toward death.. Aging or anti-aging. JoAnn Guest mrsjo- DietaryTi- http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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