The Importance of Acid and Alkaline Balance for Health

Virtually all degenerative diseases including cancer, heart disease,
arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney and gall stones, and tooth decay are
associated with excess acidity in the body. While the body has a homeostatic
mechanism that maintains a constant pH 7.4 in the blood, this mechanism works
by depositing and withdrawing acid and alkaline minerals from other locations
including the bones, soft tissues, body fluids and saliva. Therefore, the pH
of these other tissues can fluctuate greatly. The pH of saliva offers a
window through which you can see the overall pH balance in your body.

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.

What are Acid and Alkaline?

Water (H2O) ionizes into hydrogen (H+) and hydroxyl (OH-) ions. When these
ions are in equal proportions, the pH is a neutral 7. When there are more H+
ions than OH- ions then the water is said to be acid. If OH- ions outnumber
the H+ ions then the water is alkaline. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14 and is
logarithmic, which means that each step is ten times the previous. In other
words, a pH of 4.5 is 10 times more acid than 5.5, 100 times more acid than
6.5 and 1,000 times more acid than 7.5.

Acid and Alkaline Minerals and Foods

Minerals with a negative electrical charge are attracted to the H+ ion. These
are called acid minerals. Acid minerals include: chlorine (Cl-), sulfur (S-),
phosphorus (P-), and they form hydrochloric acid (HCl), sulfuric acid
(H2SO4), and phosphoric acid (H3PO4). Minerals with a positive electrical
charge are attracted to the negatively charged OH- ion. These are called
alkaline minerals. Nutritionally important alkaline minerals include calcium
(Ca+), potassium (K+), magnesium (Mg+), and sodium (Na+). (Cancer patients
tend to have an excess of sodium.Also important for
cancer treatment and prevention are the alkaline trace minerals rubidium and
cesium. To determine if a food is acid or alkaline, it is burned and the ash
is mixed with water. If the solution is acid or alkaline then the food is
called acid or alkaline. Ash is the mineral content of the food