Acidic vs Alkaline

[Elaine]

I woke up in the middle of the night to an interview/paid advertisement with a man who claimed that cancer can be "cured"/slowed dramatically by returning the body to an alkaline state. I have heard this before. He has a book, which can only be ordered through a number that I didn't get since I was groggy. I thought it would be on the Internet but it isn't.

Anyway, he said that most people with cancer have an extremetly acidic body and that returning it to an alkaline environment will do wonders.

What do any of you know about this?

[Hebbie]

I recall a posting on here a while back about a book -- "Alkalize or Die" (or something very dramatic like that). I believe that Joe B. might have posted and there was some discussion. Let me see what i can find!

HERE IS IS: http://lchelp.com/community/viewtopic.p ... t=alkalize

[Elaine]

Heather,

I went to one of the links that was listed on that thread and found this:

Iodine, which is high up on the atomic scale, requires near perfect pH for its assimilation into the body.

Iodine you may know, is one of the most important minerals for proper functioning of the THYROID. But, the thyroid doesn't get access to iodine unless the body pH is near perfect.

With a society in a largely pH unbalanced state, one would suspect a lot of thyroid problems. Malfunctioning thyroids have been connected to arthritis, heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, depression, overweight, fatigue and more. Are you starting to see the basic metabolic picture evolving here?

This relates to our thyroid discussion on another thread--at least someone else has seen a connection!

[john]

My personal viewpoint from what I have read is that this probably is not true. The body maintains itself at a PH of around 7.4 (I think) this is basically neutral, slightly alkaline. PH is measured from 1 to 14 where 1 is acidic, 7 is neutral and 14 is basic (akaline)

Your body can become TOO alkaline just as too ACIDIC.

Acidosis or alkalosis are the conditions of beling too acidic alkaline

Acidosis is to acidic and alkalosis is to basic. Either one of these can be caused by metabolism or respiration

http://www.health.herts.ac.uk/depts/pos ... dBase.html

[Elaine]

Well, I don't know that it would hurt to try to lower an acidic level. One thing the guy did say is that very few people are too alkaline especially these days with all the food additives etc.

I wonder if anyone on here has tried anything along these lines.

Thanks John. I really don't think that this alone will cure cancer, but I do wonder sometimes if there aren't thngs that are not controlled by the FDA that can come just as close if not closer than what is now avaliable as far as chemo. It does appear that the things that are holding the most promise are not chemo- but are vaccines and the like.

elaine

[Hebbie]

In skimming through the article from that old post, it seems like it mentions avoiding things like soda and sugar? That takes you right back to the basics of good nutrition - avoiding "processed" foods and trying to eat more whole grains, vegetables and fruits.....and that can't be ANYTHING but helpful to us all!

[karenl]

Hi Elaine

I don't have alot of time right now, otherwise I would look up the info for you myself, but if you do a google search on 'cesium and cancer' you will find a great deal of information on alkinizing the body.

Hope this helps.

Karen

[Jana_W]

My Mum and Dad did a fair bit of research into this and Mum tries to follow an "alkalinising diet". This is related to the food you eat and the fluid you consume. I have a feeling Dad bought a piece of equipment so he could make alkaline water. pH of 7.4 is neutral, as John stated, but the attempt to alkalinise the body is only a slight adjustment of pH in an effort to slightly raise it. There is loads on the internet on alkalinising foods, so as Karen suggested the best idea is to have a flip through that information. There is heaps of references to acidic and alkaline foods. I just can't remember them off the top of my head, sorry.

I do know that goat's cheese and goat's milk is alkalinising though

Jana

xxxx

[Lyn]

I was just at this site the other day and it talks about how people oxidize their foods differently depending on their "system". It is an interesting read. It sounds like your system may be prone to being either acidic or alkaline depending on how you metabolize your food. I know I fit into one of these categories by the way they describe them. Pretty interesting stuff.

http://www.well-net.com/dietary/3oxid1.html

Lyn

[Elaine]

I have been reading on this all morining and it's quite complicated. Especially troubling is this:

"There is research indicating that cancer grows slowly in a highly acid environment (because the acids cause it to partially destroy itself) and may actually grow more quickly as your body becomes more alkaline prior to reaching the healthy pH slightly above 7.4 where the cancer becomes dormant. Therefore, you will want to get your pH above 7.4 as quickly as possible by every means available. Plus, you will want to be attacking the cancer from every direction (the entire 8 step program plus other complementary treatments) simultaneously so that any lack of alkalinity is compensated for. Once you have achieved a pH above 7.4, it is useful to monitor your saliva pH regularly to ensure that your body remains sufficiently alkaline"

I do think there is merit in trying to get the body less acidic, but as that quote shows it is necessary to get to the desired level quickly!

For anyone else interested, this is a good page with good links. I dont think it could hurt, but I would be careful about taking cesium without doing more research as it can be toxic.

http://www.alkalizeforhealth.net/cancer ... atment.htm

Anyone here t aking cesium?

[Joe B]

As Hebbie indicated in the old post ther is a theory around high levels of tissue Oxygenzation acreating an environment that cancer cannot exist in.

here is the article previously posted. FYI, It says there is a there is a difference between a serum blood PH level (always constant) and a PH level in the tissue.

ALKALIZE FOR HEALTH, A SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR CANCER PATIENTS

Balancing Body pH for Better Health and how this relates to cancer.

In a nutshell - maintaining proper body tissue pH is critical for staying healthy.

The pH (parts/percentage Hydrogen) scale ranges from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very alkaline).

Most people are born into this world with a pH near or at 7 (neutral pH). If you can keep your body tissue pH somewhere between 6.5 - 7.0 it is very difficult to get sick. A near neutral pH (green-blue range) is the goal. This is why most of the health and wellness folks are always eating green foods in abundance; these foods are loaded with alkaline elements to keep the pH balanced.

Alkaline tissue holds 20 times more oxygen than does acidic tissue and this oxygen rich environment is critical for maintaining health and snuffing out the bad guys (anaerobic bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.).

Blood serum pH never changes (always a 7.37) if it changes more than .2 up or down you will die. However your body tissue pH will fluctuate constantly based on your diet and the foods/drinks consumed.

Most every cancer patient tested will show a pH of 4 - 5, very acidic! This acidity of body tissue drives out the health giving oxygen. Low oxygen = an environment ripe for cancer. Cancer thrives in an oxygen deficient environment. Acidic pH = cancer magnet!

HOW TO GET A GOOD pH READING? One of the best ways to get a fairly accurate reading of one's tissue pH is to pass a litmus paper through a urine stream first thing in the morning. The 1st urine in the morning is a pretty good indicator because the body has had all night to process the entire days nutrient ingestion and balance itself out- hence a good indicator of real body tissue pH.

Do not be surprised if you test acidic. Most folks initially will test very acidic in the yellow zone (pH 4 - 5). Time to make changes to move this into the green zone (pH 6.5 - 7). Urinary pH is always more acidic than the saliva. A normal urinary pH reading in the morning should be somewhere between 6.0-6.4 while in the evening hour a healthy range is considered to be somewhere between 6.4 - 6.8.

The pH of the saliva should be slightly more alkaline than that of the urine. A healthy pH for saliva fluctuates somewhere between 6.6 - 7.0.

The best way to make your pH more alkaline is to stop consuming things that make acidity levels greater in the body- cola soda pop is a 2.0! It takes 32- 8 oz glasses of pH 8 water to counter balance 1 can of soda pop! Coffee is a 4! Most beer is somewhere between 2.5-4.2 depending on the brand. Folks that consume huge amounts of soda pop and/or beer are usually acidic and are magnets for most illnesses including cancer.

Potassium and sodium are both 14 on the pH scale, calcium registers a 12 and magnesium is 9- all alkalizing elements for the body to shift the pH alkaline. Shifting pH normally takes some time so do not become discouraged in your climb out of the acid tank. Young children with high vitality levels will normally be alkaline and if they are not will normally return to an alkaline tissue pH in a matter of just a couple of weeks on the Eniva minerals along with minor dietary changes (eliminate soda pop and all sugar for quickest change). Adults take longer. You are probably looking at 3-4 months in your endeavor.

Every mineral has an optimum pH that it likes and performs best in. Iron for example will perform best when the body tissue pH is between 6.0 - 7.0 while iodine has a much more narrow band width of performance (6.3 - 6.6). If the tissue pH is further out than this the body cannot maximize the mineral nutrient to effect the healing it should.

http://www.rainbowminerals.net/Rust/rot_rust_tour5.html

[Elaine]

Thanks Joe,

The "problem" with doing it with diet alone is that it is probably too slow and will thus cause the problem that I noted above--could cause the cancer to actually grow faster.

[john]

I personally would be wary of some of this

http://www.askbillsardi.com/sdm.asp?pg=cal_cancer

Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Have you seen advertisements for products such as coral calcium or alkaline water that are supposed to neutralize acid in your bloodstream? Taking calcium or drinking alkaline water does not affect blood acidity. Anyone who tells you that certain foods or supplements make your stomach or blood acidic does not understand nutrition.

You should not believe that it matters whether foods are acidic or alkaline, because no foods change the acidity of anything in your body except your urine. Your stomach is so acidic that no food can change its acidity. Citrus fruits, vinegar, and vitamins such as ascorbic acid or folic acid do not change the acidity of your stomach or your bloodstream. An entire bottle of calcium pills or antacids would not change the acidity of your stomach for more than a few minutes.

All foods that leave your stomach are acidic. Then they enter your intestines where secretions from your pancreas neutralize the stomach acids. So no matter what you eat, the food in stomach is acidic and the food in the intestines is alkaline.

You cannot change the acidity of any part of your body except your urine. Your bloodstream and organs control acidity in a very narrow range. Anything that changed acidity in your body would make you very sick and could even kill you. Promoters of these products claim that cancer cells cannot live in an alkaline environment and that is true, but neither can any of the other cells in your body.

All chemical reactions in your body are started by chemicals called enzymes. For example, if you convert chemical A to chemical B and release energy, enzymes must start these reactions. All enzymes function in a very narrow range of acidity. (The degree of acidity or alkalinity is expressed as "pH."). If your blood changes its acidity or alkalinity for any reason, it is quickly changed back to the normal pH or these enzymes would not function and the necessary chemical reactions would not proceed in your body.

For example, when you hold your breath, carbon dioxide accumulates in your bloodstream very rapidly and your blood turns acidic, and you will become uncomfortable or even pass out. This forces you to start breathing again immediately, and the pH returns to normal. If your kidneys are damaged and cannot regulate the acidity of your bloodstream, chemical reactions stop, poisons accumulate in your bloodstream, and you can die.

Certain foods can leave end-products called ash that can make your urine acid or alkaline, but urine is the only body fluid that can have its acidity changed by food or supplements. ALKALINE-ASH FOODS include fresh fruit and raw vegetables. ACID-ASH FOODS include ALL ANIMAL PRODUCTS, whole grains, beans and other seeds. These foods can change the acidity of your urine, but that's irrelevant since your urine is contained in your bladder and does not affect the pH of any other part of your body.

When you take in more protein than your body needs, your body cannot store it, so the excess amino acids are converted to organic acids that would acidify your blood. But your blood never becomes acidic because as soon as the proteins are converted to organic acids, calcium leaves your bones to neutralize the acid and prevent any change in pH. Because of this, many scientists think that taking in too much protein may weaken bones to cause osteoporosis.

Cranberries have been shown to help prevent recurrent urinary tract infections, but not because of their acidity. They contain chemicals that prevent bacteria from sticking to urinary tract cells.

Taking calcium supplements or drinking alkaline water will not change the pH of your blood. If you hear someone say that your body is too acidic and you should use their product to make it more alkaline, you would be wise not to believe anything else the person tells you.

________________

Dr. Mirkin is an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University School of Medicine and is board-certified in four specialties: allergy and immunology; sports medicine; pediatrics; and pediatric immunology. He practices medicine in Kensington, Maryland; produces and hosts a syndicated radio that can be heard online; publishes a monthly newsletter (The Mirkin Report); and has written books on sportsmedicine, weight control, and low-fat eating. His Web site contains reports on hundreds of topics.

[Joe B]

Great article !

thank you John... that was very helpful. Changed my thoughts on some things....

Joe

[Karel]

There is quite a good explanation of the "acid v. alkaline" idea on http://seasilver.threadnet.com/Prevento ... .htm#Intro

Good luck, Karel