Why is this important? Simple: You are more likely to experience weariness, digestion problems, and weight gain the more acidic your body is.
Additionally, if our bodies' internal milieu is overly acidic for an extended period of time, otherwise healthy cells may turn toxic or, in the worst instance, malignant.
Alkaline Water: How It All Works
The pH scale runs from 0 to 14 (0 being the most acidic, 14 being the most alkaline, and 7 being neutral.)
Our bodies are designed to thrive in a slightly alkaline environment of 7.4.
Various organs and systems, however, thrive with different pH levels. For example, your saliva has a pH range from 6.5-7.0 (more acidic in order to help digest foods), your skin typically has a pH of 5 (although, according to a 2006 study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, it should actually be lower—4-4.5—as this allows the bacteria required to help heal and fight off infections, live on your skin).
And, as you can imagine, the pH of your digestive tract can vary anywhere from 1.5-7.0, which is dependent on many things, but especially, the food you eat.
Why Alkaline Is So Important
We have known for a century that food can determine our overall pH levels, hence our overall health. In 1931, Dr. Otto Warburg, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery that 90-95 percent of all cancers are caused by an acidic environment and that cancer simply cannot grow or survive in an alkaline environment (your body) when your pH is around 7.36.
Since then, studies have determined the various pH levels of foods and drinks and how they react in the human body, either contributing to its alkalinity or acidity.
As Warburg pointed out almost 100 years ago, over-acidity (acidosis) is linked to not only the formation of cancer but as well heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis, and almost every chronic disease people typically suffer from today.
How Do You Know if Your Body is Too Acidic?
Basically, there are two very simple ways to determine if your body is acidic: you can use regular pH paper to do a saliva test, or, if you are suffering from the following chronic symptoms:
- Muscle pain or cramping after walking short distances
- Constant fatigue
- Easily running out of breath
- Often feeling like you can’t get enough air
When your pH level falls, your body naturally attempts to regulate itself (to create homeostasis) by capturing and storing excessively acidic substances in your organs such as your kidneys, liver and lungs, thereby maintaining an optimal pH of between 7.35-7.45.
These acidic substances, however, ultimately begin to attack your healthy cells, causing them to become toxic, damaged and sick.
Over time, if the issue is not addressed, these cells can metastasize—grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts or organs in your body.
Your Diet Is Too Acidic
One of the biggest reasons for chronic acidosis is our 21st-century diet consisting of sugar, caffeine, highly processed foods and alcohol. The additives, pesticides and growth hormones used to make and grow our food are also highly acidic to our bodies.
One of the best ways to counter this, however, (apart from changing your diet) is to flush your body with alkaline water.
Since your body is around 70% water, when you ensure that this water is alkaline, you are helping your body create homeostasis.
How to Make Alkaline Water
Ingredients:
- 1 organic lemon (it is important to use only organic lemons as they are pesticide-free)
- 2 L of purified water (an osmosis filter is good if you have one, but water that is free of all chemicals and additives is the goal)
- 1 tablespoon Himalayan salt (which you can find at most health food stores)
- 1 large glass jar (it must be glass as plastic contains chemicals and impurities that are acidic to your body)
Directions:
- Fill the glass jar with the water
- Slice the lemon and add it to the water. (do not squeeze out the juice)
- Add the Himalayan salt.
- Cover the jar and leave it at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
After the water has had time to sit, drink 3 glasses of this alkaline water on an empty stomach. It is always best to do this first thing in the morning before you start your day or put anything else in to your body.
You can also drink alkaline water throughout the day. Over time, you will begin to see a difference in how you feel (more energy), your skin will become clearer, and your brain more alert—you will generally feel more alive.
If you couple this with a healthier diet, one in which you avoid
processed foods, sugar and additives, it won’t be long before you begin
to see a healthier (more alkaline) you.