pH Testing

pH TestingpH testing is an easy way to determine your level of health.  I’ve got some pHion diagnostic pH test strips that I got on Amazon, and they measure pH between 4.5 (very acidic) and 9.0 (too alkaline).

An optimal pH of urine and saliva (says the lablel) is in the range of 6.75 to 7.25, which is right around a neutral pH of 7.0.

I just measured my own pH, and I’m at 7.5, which is optimal.  Given what I know about nutrition, I’d guess it’s easier to correct a too-alkaline pH rather than a too-acidic condition.

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is very acidic because it’s full of sugar, processed grains, starches, meats and dairy, all of which are acidic (sugar being the most acidic).  SAD foods are typically low in alkaline foods such as sea vegetables, vegetables and sea salt.

Dr. Mark Sircus, author of “Sodium Bicarbonate – Full Medical Review“, says that the “first step in maintaining health is to alkalize the body”.  He also writes that “The closer the pH is to 7.35 – 7.45, the higher our level of health and well being”.

I have to say I feel pretty great right now, and my pH is 7.5.  I’m curious to see how it measures when I’m not feeling well.  I’d guess it’d be on the more acidic side.

Interestingly, Dr. Sircus writes that “cancer cells have a lower pH than surrounding tissue” because “excessive acidic pH leads to cellular deterioration, which eventually brings on serious health problems such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and heartburn.”

A low pH can also be associated with colds, the flu, viral infections, allergies, asthma, cancer and neurological disorders.

If you want to get vain about it, Dr. Sircus points out that there is “a relationship between the aging process and the accumulation of acids”, so there’s another reason to eat your veggies – so you won’t age so fast!

Now that I’ve read this book, I’ll be more diligent about tracking the pH of my family and tracking it versus how we feel.  How about you – have you ever checked your pH?

 

WHERE ARE MY HEAVY-METAL LEVELS NOW?

mercury rippleI’ve been chelating to remove heavy metals for a while now.  I had myself retested back in January 2011, and my levels of heavy metals had declined significantly.

“H” means higher than the reference range, and “VH” means it’s a way-high number.  My initial mercury levels were literally off the charts! Mercury is toxic at one part per billion, which is about the same concentration as one grain of salt in one swimming pool.  [Read more…]

Acid Reflux Medication Dangers

Acid Reflux Medication DangersBelieve it or not, acid reflux medication dangers are real, and these medications do major harm to your body. Shocking, right?

It’s true.  All of those medications (Prevacid, Nexium, Zantac, Prilosec, omeprazole, even Tums) reduce stomach acid, which is what they are designed to do.

The problem is that acid reflux is actually caused by TOO LITTLE stomach acid, not too much.  Counter-intuitive, right?  So what happens when you have too little stomach acid?  For starters, you can’t properly digest food, leading to nutritional deficiencies, particularly magnesium, calcium and vitamin B12.

A magnesium deficiency is linked to:

  • Anxiety and panic attacks
  • Asthma
  • Blood clots
  • Bowel disease
  • Cystitis
  • Depression
  • Diabetes
  • Dysmenorrhea
  • Fatigue
  • Heart disease
  • Hypertension
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Inability to detoxify
  • Insomnia
  • Kidney disease
  • Liver disease
  • Migraines
  • Musculoskeletal conditions
  • Nerve problems
  • Premenstrual syndrome
  • Osteoporosis
  • Raynaud’s Syndrome
  • Tooth decay

A calcium deficiency is linked to:

  • Delayed development
  • Dermatitis
  • Lethargy
  • Mental confusion
  • Muscle cramps
  • Numbness or tingling of the fingers
  • Osteoporosis
  • Poor appetite
  • Rickets
  • Skeletal malformations

A vitamin B12 deficiency is linked to multiple neurological disorders, including

  • Abnormal reflexes
  • Anemia
  • Anorexia
  • Apathy
  • Ataxia
  • Balance problems
  • Dementia
  • Depression
  • Developmental delay or regression
  • Difficulty walking
  • Dizziness
  • Failure to thrive
  • Fatigue
  • Forgetfulness, memory loss
  • Generalized weakness
  • Hallucinations
  • Hypotonia
  • Impotence
  • Involuntary movements
  • Irritability
  • Language delay
  • Lower IQ
  • Macrocytosis (enlarged red-blood cells)
  • Mania
  • Mental retardation
  • Numbness or tingling
  • Pallor
  • Paranoia
  • Personality changes
  • Poor head growth
  • Poor motor skills
  • Poor socialization
  • Poor weight gain
  • Psychosis
  • Restless legs
  • Seizures
  • Shortness of breath
  • Speech problems
  • Tremor
  • Unsteady or abnormal gait
  • Urinary or fecal incontinence
  • Violent behavior
  • Visual disturbances
  • Weakness

Not only do acid reducers cause nutritional deficiencies, but they also take away an important component of our immune system.  Stomach acid is used to kill nasty bugs, viruses, parasites and bacteria.  Without enough stomach acid, guess what happens?  That’s right – infection.

By prescribing proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), doctors are putting their patients at a higher risk for infections like pneumonia and gastroenteritis, as well as getting more colds and stomach bugs.

In addition, by taking acid-reflux drugs, you’re more likely to get sick more often because your immune system can’t fight off these offenders.  It also makes the rest of the gastrointestinal tract susceptible to bacterial overgrowth.

Is it worth taking acid-reflux medication?  I don’t think so, and I can tell you that, as a mom, I was furious at the doctors who prescribed them to my boys for their acid reflux after I found out how truly dangerous these drugs are.

 

METHYLATION: THE HIDDEN LINK AMONG ALCOHOLISM, AUTISM, CANCER AND MORE

diseaseMethylation is a subject that keeps coming up again and again for my sons and myself.  It’s one of those all-encompassing issues like toxicity or gut dysbiosis because so many diseases and conditions are linked, directly or indirectly, to it or rather, a lack of it.

What is methylation?  It’s the chemical process of donating a methyl group (CH3) to a molecule or compound.  This doesn’t sound like much, but this little group is very important to how our bodies function, as I’m finding out.

It not only helps with energy production and builds immune cells and neurotransmitters, but it also processes hormones, detoxifies our bodies, puts protective myelin sheath on our nerves, and can be responsible for epigenetic gene regulation.

Because of its association with all of these essential processes, an inability to methylate is linked to a whole host of diseases and conditions.  Methylation defects are linked to: [Read more…]