If blood flow is the “River of Life”, the urine might be the “Stream of Life”. Urine purifies the blood of toxins and acid wastes. The acid/base balance of the body is of primary importance to all body functions, as chemical reactions in plants and animals work best at specific acid/base levels (called pH). Excessive urine acidity results from high levels of acid intake, high levels of acidity being produced by the body, or inadequate breathing.

The pH is the measure of acid in solutions such as urine. A pH of 7.0 is neutral between acidic and basic. A lower pH is acidic and a higher pH is alkaline. The pH of urine is measured by dipping a special paper (phydrion paper) in the “Stream of Life” and watching the paper color change. The resulting color indicates the actual pH according to a color code: 5.5 is too acid for good health a pH closer to 7.0 is healthier.

Excess acid impairs the way the body functions and can cause significant symptoms. The following is a partial list:

Joint stiffness
Muscle tightness
Stomach and esophageal pain
Urinary burning and urgency
Increased inflammation
Personality changes
Cancer may be influenced by pH abnormalities

Foods we eat or drink may be acidic and alter how our bodies function. Extensive testing has been done on most foods, and their pH levels have been determined. Animal products tend to be acidic, while plant products tend to be more basic. Also, alcohol and sugars produce acids in the body. Charts of these help guide the diet plans of people who are more acidic.

Breathing alters urine pH levels. People who simply don’t breathe deeply enough or have chronic lung disease retain carbon dioxide (CO2), which is acidifying. Acidity may be relieved to some extent by breathing exercises, and one good exercise is to inhale through the nose and out through the mouth. Physically, this allows us to expand the lungs more fully and to empty the lungs more completely, releasing more CO2. Most people can’t do this without feeling very relaxed. Neurosurgeons will tell you that one of the fastest ways to reduce brain swelling in surgery is to cause the patient to breathe more rapidly and more deeply (reducing acidity in the brain).

There are a variety of methods used to determine the pH of foods. A food elimination diet might be of benefit to some people. There are charts ranking the acidity and alkalinity of specific foods.

There are oral buffering agents to counteract acid. Our great-grandparents would drink a little baking soda every morning, but that was too much sodium. One of the best buffers is potassium bicarbonate which is available without a prescription. Also, a good buffer system is a weak acid and a salt of that weak acid (such as citric acid and potassium citrate). It is a good idea to get a doctor’s evaluation to see if it is possible to diagnose the cause of your acidity. Some kidney, stress, and adrenal problems may make you more acid.

One of the first changes in a cell which becomes cancerous is that a message from the nucleus causes changes in cellular pH. Acidity in the form of hydrogen ions is pumped out of the cell to the liquid space between cells. The inside of the cell then becomes more alkaline, protecting the cell from a natural process that kills abnormal cells, such as cancerous cells and autoimmune cells (apoptosis). The acidity kills the normal cells in the surrounding space, making more room for cancer growth.

CONCLUSION: Acid/base balance is important to the functioning of our healthy bodies. That balance depends on the foods we ingest, breathing habits, lung disease and a number of other factors. That balance can be improved by the use of buffering agents.

NOTE: If you may have hyperacidity, read more about it. There are natural things you can do. Beware of protein pump inhibitors or PPIs. They work on the stomach when the causes of acidity often are far from the stomach. It is being discovered that PPIs cause patients to have increased risk of developing cancer over a period of time.

Pack, GL, Rainbow Grocery, San Francisco, CA.

Summary #905. nutrientmedicine.