The Importance of pH

In his Textbook of Medical Physiology, Arthur Guyton, M.D. states that when the body is alkaline it converts free radicals to harmless water and oxygen, which maintain energy and vitality.  This means that the body will always work best when it maintains an alkaline or basic environment rather than an acidic one.  In fact, I’ve read some authors who state that disease cannot exist or even manifest in an alkaline environment.  Either way, understanding pH and how to keep your body alkaline is good practice.

When blood pH is at 7.365 (alkaline) the cells receive nourishment and release waste with ease.  When pH drops below this number you are considered acidic.  In an acidic environment, the body tissues become susceptible to chronic inflammation and free radicals will become more prevalent.  This by definition is the phenomenon known as “oxidative stress” which is associated with chronic disease, degenerative processes and increased aging.  Early symptoms of oxidative stress often include chronic joint and muscle pain or aching.   In the body, pH is affected by emotional stress (how we think) and chemical stress based on what we eat, drink, and breathe.  For this reason, pH changes all the time based on our habits.  If we have adequate mineral reserves, our bodies can adapt to temporary emotional and chemical stressors that produce acidity.  Unfortunately, chronic stress and poor diet will overwhelm the body’s adaptive ability resulting in acidity.  So this is something we need to continually work on and in my experience it’s easier to control your chemical stress by watching what you put into your body than it is your emotional stress which is often the result of outside factors.  Foods that alkalize the body include most of your green vegetables as well as fruits such as berries, apples and pears.  Pathogens and disease processes thrive in diets high in animal products, processed and refined foods, and synthetic chemicals.

Monitoring your pH is a relatively simple process that only takes a couple of minutes.  We can do saliva testing in our office and teach you how to check yourself simply because this is so important to long-term health.  Even if you don’t check your pH, keeping check of your diet and stress level and committing to a regular intake of vegetables and fruits will pay off in the long run.