pH Balance in Your Body: Should You Care About Your Internal Acid - Base Balance?

I'm hearing more and more about the pH balance of the human body and how maintaining a proper pH balance is important to your health. 

 

What is pH balance?

 

It's the balance between acid and alkaline.  Water is neutral.  When your pH balance goes wacky, then you have physical consequences.  Things like acidosis can occur.  After that, really bad things can happen: cancer, kidney disease, things like that.  Turns out, pH balance is really, really important. 

 

What's acidosis?

 

Acidosis results when your body is too acidic and therefore internally promotes the growth of bacteria, viruses, mold, and other bad things that can make you sick. 

 

Acidosis is a state where your body lacks sufficient calcium and oxygen to keep an internal balance that keeps these nasty things in check.  It's not like you don't always have bacteria, mold, etc., inside your body.  It's just that when you get out of balance, then they have an environment conducive to their growth. 

 

Not only does this mean that you can suffer from gas, bloating, headaches, and other rather minor symptoms, but as these things continue to thrive, things get more serious.  Intestinal disorders -- and get this, I learned that osteoporosis is the result of chronic acidosis.  In order to grab the calcium it needs to fight off the pH imbalance, the body will suck out calcium from its own bones and teeth to try and get a better alkaline level - and win the war against the bacterial growth.  Less bone mass, that's osteoporosis.

 

You can monitor your pH balance by buying cute color-coded gauges at your nearby health food store, or online at places like The Wolfe Clinic. 

 

How to get yourself back in a balanced pH state?

 

First of all, there's no magic pill here.  Simply put, you have to eat right - the same kind of thing that you are supposed to be doing anyway.  Avoid sugar, fast foods, caffeine.  Eat lots of raw veggies and fresh fruit.  Drink water.  (Here's a nice chart for you.)   Apple cider vinegar is supposed to be helpful, too.  Get calcium inside of you, along with water and potassium. 

For more information, check out these articles:

• Wikipedia - pH balance
• The Wolfe Clinic - pH
• MedlinePlus - respiratory acidosis
• Merck Manual - acid base balance
• Critical Care Medicine Tutorial - acid base balance

Fizzy Vitamins like Airborne, Emergen-C: Are They Good for You?

Airborne are fizzy tablets in several tasty fruit flavors that come packaged in a cool cylinder similar in size to a roll of quarters.  The tablets provide about the same fizziness of Alka Seltzer, and they've been promoted in the past as a way to fight off colds and flu.  Competitor Emergen-C comes as a powder, in small individual envelopes: pour the powder into water and fun fizzyness occurs. 

Airborne and Emergen-C are similar in their high dose delivery of Vitamin C, and they're comparable in price (Airborne is a bit more pricey) but they have different vitamin combinations: these aren't identical products. But, aside from their ingredient lists, are these fizzy vitamins good for you?

The Fizzy Vitamin Reviews

Most online reviews of Airborne or Emergen-C discuss their ingredients.  How much Vitamin C is too much?  If you take five Airborne tablets a day, then are you overdosing on something?  Should we trust Airborne when it's a creation of an elementary school teacher, not a research scientist?  Which version of Emergen-C is best for you, if any, and does it have enough (or too much) of the B vitamins? 

Read through these reviews, and you'll learn nothing more than what you'll find from other vitamin reviews: some like them, some don't.  Vitamin C has its own group of proponents and detractors, and lots of what you read about the fizzy vitamins delve into the controversy of whether or not mega-doses of Vitamin C actually prevent or reduce colds and flu, cancer, etc.

Back in 2008, Airborne gained some notoriety for its $7 million settlement with 32 states and the District of Columbia, where these states had asserted that Airborne had made false claims about its benefits -- Airborne agreed to stop promoting its product as being helpful in preventing or treating illnesses.  This, after Airborne had already agreed to pay the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) around $30 million in settlement of allegations regarding false advertising claims. 

Whether or not you buy that these settlements were anything more than Airborne ultimately fighting against Big Pharma and those who are against lifestyle medicine, well, that's another issue.  Proper nutrition - including regularly taking vitamins and minerals - as a means to fight against illness is a huge topic, more than what we're pondering today.  Today, it's all about the fizz factor.
 
Fizzy Vitamins and Your Teeth

I found little if any discussion about the administration of vitamins through fizzy water.  Is this better or worse than vitamin tablets?  How do they compare against liquid vitamins?  I still don't know, and I'm assuming that this widespread absence of warning may well mean that taking vitamins through fizzy powder or fizzy tablets doesn't lessen their potency or worth. 

I did, however, find an interesting British news report about fizzy vitamins and your teeth.  Apparently, according to the Daily Mail, there are some that warn daily intake of these fizzy vitamins will harm teeth enamel.   Easy answer: use a straw.

After three weeks, I'm still happy with fizzy vitamins. And eating less - who knew?

Personally, I've been drinking a fizzy vitamin drink first thing in the morning for about three weeks now.  First two weeks, Airborne and now I'm trying out Emergen-C.  I'm still taking my regular vitamins, and I'm drinking my green tea with ginger, eating organic, etc. and I'm not trying to stave off a cold or flu.  Maybe some allergy symptoms (fall in San Antonio is notoriously bad for allergies) have been helped - watery eyes, headache, fatigue. 

However, one thing I've definitely noticed: I'm not as hungry.  I'm eating less, without consciously dieting.  Just not interested, and nope - I'm not sick or getting sick.  Wondering if getting enough vitamins and minerals into your system means you eat less. Or, looking at it another way, was I eating more because my body was craving vitamins it lacked?  Are fizzy vitamins a diet aid?  Yikes.  Imagine the horrific reaction of the FDA to that premise.   

Doctor Mark Hyman Decries Conventional Medicine in HuffPo: The Rising Awareness of Lifestyle Medicine

Dr. Mark Hyman (M.D.) practices medicine and writes bestselling books (he's made the New York Times Bestsellers list four times so far). Dr. Hyman also founded The Ultra Wellness Center, and is considered to be a world-wide leader in "functional medicine" - so when he writes an article for the Huffington Post (the top blog in the country per Technorati), people pay attention. 

The article is entitled, "Millions Die Due to Withheld Medical Treatment" and if you can't read it at the link (it will be archived at some point), feel free to check Dr. Hyman's website or contact me -- I've saved a copy in OneNote because I don't want to lose it.)

Practicing Physician Claims Conventional Medicine Corrupted by Greed

You should, too.  Why?  Because Dr. Hyman is standing up against a huge contingent of his peers when he writes that conventional medicine today is corrupt: that by its co-dependence upon the big pharmaceutical companies, the true cures for such major diseases as diabetes and heart disease lies in lifestyle medicine. 

What is Lifestyle Medicine?

Since lifestyle medicine isn't as profitable as conventional methods, it's being ignored according to Dr. Hyman and the result is akin to the Tuskegee Experiments of the 1920s (and if you don't know about this  horror, it's worth your time to stop and read what Dr. Hyman's written - just to learn about this).  

Dr. Hyman's providing lots of information on the web to help people - his website is great, so is the UltraWellness Center.  For example, check out his free series of articles online, "7 Keys to Ultrawellness."  Great stuff in here. 

Lifestyle Medicine Incorporates Simple Living.  Wow. 

Dr. Hyman promotes many of the things that simplifiers value.  Things like eating whole, fresh, organic foods.  Foods that you cook yourself in ovens and on stovetops.  Avoiding bad stuff like high fructose corn syrup and mercury.  Exercising.  Getting enough rest.  Avoiding stress.  Drinking lots of good water.  Taking vitamins. Taking herbs, too. Understanding detoxification. (Did you know that internalized stress can make you fat? Wow.) 

Want to Learn More About Lifestyle Medicine?

To learn more, check out his personal site or Dr. Hyman's UltraWellness website (where he offers a free ebook and lotsa free videos), follow him on Twitter (http://twitter.com/markhymanmd), or surf around for "lifestyle medicine" where you'll find good sites to learn from, including: 

American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Harvard Medical School's Lifestyle Medicine Institute
The Institute of Lifestyle Medicine

Have You Had a Bad Reaction to MSG?

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) is added to foods as a taste enhancer. The FDA says MSG is safe, except for some folk to take too much of it, or those who suffer from asthma.

At MSGTruth.Org, there is a long research list that begs to differ. There's also NoMSG.com, a consumer group site battling against MSG; MSGMyth.com, a reference website compiled by Debbie Anglesey; MigraneWeb.com, which has a section of its site dedicated to MSG; and the British watchdog group's FedUpWithFoodAdditives.Info's fact sheet on MSG.

Yes, it's controversial. A nice, concise summary of that controversy is found on the British fact sheet.

For those who have had a reaction to MSG, there's no debate. Also called "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome," reactions to MSG can range from feelings of nausea to migranes, dizziness, and heart palpitations. It can trigger asthmatic attacks. And, it's not a quick response/recovery: it takes a good couple of days to bounce back from an MSG reaction according to the University of Illinois Medical Center.

There are those that argue that long term effects of MSG can include Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, Autism in children, Diabetes (I and II), and obesity in children and adults. (Yes, MSG is argued to cause you to want to eat more.)

Both sides can agree on one thing: too much MSG will cause bad reactions in humans. The FDA report suggests that amount to be around 3 grams. And, with the growing list of foods containing MSG, perhaps it's not too hard to imagine that more and more people are getting excess MSG in their diets ....

From MSGTruth.Org, a partial list of common foods with MSG (go to link for complete list):

McDonald's French Fries
Doritos®
KFC® fried chicken and most of their other products
Progresso® Soups - all of them
Kraft® products nearly all contain some free glutamate
Planters® salted nuts - most of them
Accent® -this is nearly pure MSG
Braggs® Liquid Aminos - sold at Whole Foods
processed cheese spread
supermarket poultry or turkeys that are injected or "self-basting"
flavored Ramen noodles
boullion - any kind
flavored potato chips
soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Parmesan cheese - naturally high in free glutamate


From Rense.com, a partial list of ingredients that all mean the same thing, MSG has been added, quoting from Excitotoxins - The Taste That Kills by Russell Blaylock, MD:

Monosodium Glutamate
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
Hydrolyzed Protein
Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
Plant Protein Extract
Sodium Caseinate
Calcium Caseinate
Yeast Extract
Textured Protein (Including TVP)
Autolyzed Yeast
Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
Corn Oil

And, if that's not enough, there's also the ingredient "natural flavor" or "natural flavoring." Yep, you guessed it: another synonym for MSG.

Personally, I believe MSG is bad for me and I avoid it. I know enough to know that Panda Express Gourmet Chinese Food takeout causes me to feel terrible the next day -- but my real testimonial comes from some flavored Kettle Chips (Maui Onion) that I splurged on, even though I usually avoid fried potato chips. Bad reaction (including dizziness, which was scary), and the cause? MSG.

Homemade Laundry Soap

There are several sites with lots of recipe lists for homemade laundry soap. Why bother?

It's cheaper. Lots cheaper. The Simple Dollar reports a $70.00 savings and provides a per load savings comparison to bulk buys at Sams and Costco here.

Another factor is that making your own laundry soap means you know what's going into it, which can really help with skin allergies, eczema, and the like. Artificial fragrances alone are the source of many skin irritations.


For recipes, check out:
The Frugal Shopper
The Family Homestead
Christian Mommies

Food as Medicine: Juicing

Jack LaLanne swears by juicing so much that he's got his own juicer on the market. There's also Jay Kordich aka the Juiceman, who has spent his lifetime promoting juicing of raw fruits and vegetables as a health necessity.

Of course, there are skeptics. They argue things like you get too much sugar, too rapidly, from juicing. They argue that there's a reason to chew, it's healthy to do so. Things like that.

However, juicing proponents are not arguing that juicing should substitute for eating foods (as opposed to drinking them). They are encouraging juicing as an addition to the diet, usually to increase intake of foods otherwise avoided or eaten rarely, or to combat specific maladies. Juicing gets more fruits and vegetables into the daily diet, as well as optimizing certain nutrients that fight against certain maladies (e.g., cabbage helps heal ulcers in part due to its high percentage of vitamin U).

At HPS Health, there are lists of recipes for juices (combinations of raw fruits and vegetables with some fresh herbs) to address specific ailments such as headache, anemia, fatigue, and gastric ulcers. Other recipe sites include ones promoting delicious taste (this one has a V8 recipe) and those that have, well, interesting combos.

And, for the skeptics, there's a site that gives recipes as well as advice on choosing a juicer. The site? The Stanford Cancer Center, part of the Stanford University Medical System.

According to Stanford, "The best selection of juices comes in nature’s own containers: fresh fruits & vegetables. Fresh juice is loaded with cancer-fighting phytochemicals and vitamins, in a state easily absorbed by the body."

Choosing a juicer is the next step. Short answer: get the highest powered motor you can afford, and make sure the components are easy to clean. Juicing is a messy job.

Shown: Jack LaLanne at age 84.

Sneezing? Allergies? Consider Dust Mites.

80% of those folk seeing a doctor about their allergies or asthma issues tested positive to dust mites. Yes, that is eighty percent, so odds are high that this info impacts you and your family.

Stephen King probably finds this entertaining, but most don't like the idea of these microscopic bugs and their (ahem) fecal material prospering in warm, humid environments. Like carpets, beds, and upholstery.

They are called "dust mites" because their food is the skin cells that both people and pets shed. Ewww.

How to fight back?

1. Vacuum often with a machine that has a HEPA filter. (HEPA = High Efficiency Particulate Arresting.) Don't forget to vacuum the upholstery, and the professors at the University of Nebraska suggest you also vacuum the mattresses.

2. Wash all the bedclothes every week in hot water, and dry on high heat, too. The hot temperature will kill them.

3. Use those anti-allergen coverings for the bed: box springs, mattresses, even the pillows.

4. Dust throughly weekly. Try those new "vaccuumy" wands, that hold the dust as opposed to moving it around.

5. Use one of the new Allergen Reducer sprays on the bed, pillows, spreads, etc. These work very well, I've found.

6. Use a dehumidifier that lowers humidity to under 50 percent, because these pesty dust mites love humidity levels above 50 percent.

7. Make sure the kids' stuffed animals can handle washing in hot water and drying in high heat. Then, wash them along with the sheets.

Sources: Care2.com, FamilyDoctor.org, UniversityofNebraskaatLincoln.com

Food as Medicine - 2

Aloe vera is amazing. You grow the spiky cacti at home, cut off a spike whenever there's a cut or some sunburn.

But did you know aloe vera can help with arthritis as well as with intestinal problems, including ulcers? Psoriasis is also benefited by aloe vera, as is shingles. Warts. Heartburn, too.

Just rub the gel from a spike onto your painful outer area (arthritic knuckle, scrapped knee) and drink the juice for the internal pain.

How much juice? That depends on what you're addressing. Dr. Weil suggests starting at 1 tablespoon after meals for some things, and the WholeHealth doctors think one-half cup in the morning, and again in the evening, is good for some others.

Also, check the juice for quality. None of the options are expensive, but some have higher aloe content than others. Always insure that "aloe vera" is the first ingredient on the list.

Sources: wholehealthmd.com, drweil.com.