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Another way to express acidity

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment


Hardo Bottin is an amazing guy. He’s one of our distributors in South Australia and has a wealth of knowledge as a live blood microscopist.

Here’s his way of describing the decision we take every day about health:

“Soon we realize that bankruptcy is knocking at the door via signs and symptoms of disease and we panic–which in turn presents us with another acidic bill. The solution is not found by getting a loan (medicine) from somewhere to hide the truth but to take responibility for your past inability to balance your acid/alkaline account and change to an Alkaline Lifestyle and diet.

Soon you will be out of debt and the beautiful thing is that YOU are the one that achieved this!!!!.

My advice to all is:
Make sure you always have a little extra alkalinity in your body account to be able to pay for those unexpected acidic bills. 
This entry is presented to you by me, your acid/alkaline accountant –(No acidic bill)

Filed Under: Acidosis, alkalizing Tagged With:

Are you a ‘Stone Former’? Lay off the Cola.

May 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment


A ‘stone former’ is someone susceptible to kidney stones. Take a look at this study.

Since stone formers are advised to increase their intake of fluid, the present study was undertaken to determine the effect of cola beverage consumption on calcium oxalate kidney stone risk factors. Fourteen males and 31 females provided 24-h urines before and after an acute load of cola. Relative supersaturations, activity products and empirical risk indices, ratios and quotients were calculated from urinary biochemical data to assess calcium oxalate crystal and stone formation risk. Several risk factors changed unfavourably following consumption of cola. In males, oxalate excretion, the Tiselius risk index and modified activity product increased significantly (P < 0.05). In females, oxalate excretion increased significantly while magnesium excretion and pH decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy showed that urines obtained from both sexes after cola consumption supported calcium oxalate crystallization to a greater extent than the control urines.

It is concluded that consumption of cola causes unfavourable changes in the risk factors associated with calcium oxalate stone formation and that therefore patients should possibly avoid this soft drink in their efforts to increase their fluid intake.

Filed Under: Acidosis

Bioavailability of Drinking Water Calcium and Magnesium

May 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment


I wish I had a dollar for the times I have heard the theory that we aren’t capable of absorbing in ‘inorganic’ minerals in our water. So I was very happy to read these comments on an amazing scientific paper on the effects of magnesium and calcium in drinking water.

“Some non-professionals are of opinion, supported and spread mainly by the manufacturers of
devices for production of distilled and demineralized water (Bragg et al, 1998), that the
human body is not able to use the essential minerals from drinking water, which in contrast
clog up the body (similarly as happens to the pipes) and cause harm to it. Nevertheless, no
study is available to support such idea. On the other hand, multiple studies have shown that
intestinal absorption of calcium from drinking or mineral water is as effective or even more
effective as compared with that from dairy products (e.g. Halpern et al, 1991; Heaney et al,
1994; Couzy et al, 1995; Van Dokkum et al, 1996; Wynckel et al, 1997; Guillemant et al,
1997). Meta-analysis of the studies published in 1966 – 1998 even evidenced that calcium
absorption from mineral water is statistically significantly higher than that from dairy
products (Böhmer et al, 2000). Based on this evidence, it was recommended to use waters
richer in calcium as an important additional source of calcium in menopausal women, lactose
intolerant people or those avoiding dairy products because of their taste or high fat content.

Not only absorbability is in question. Many studies have documented that water calcium can
be easily used by the body: intake of drinking water rich in calcium correlated with higher
bone density in elderly women in France (Aptel et al, 1999); similar results were obtained in
an experiment with mineral water in menopausal women in Italy (Gennari, 1996; Cepollaro et
al, 1999); lower bone resorption and osteoporosis were observed in women after drinking
calcium rich water (Costi et al, 1999; Guillemant, 2000). The already mentioned Spanish
study (Verd Vallespir et al, 1992) found a lower incidence of fractures in small school
children of the areas supplied with harder water.
Bioavailability of water magnesium was documented by the studies of the 1960’s and 1970’s
that found a positive correlation between the drinking water magnesium level and the
magnesium content of the heart muscle (Crawford et al, 1967; Neri et al, 1975); among more
recent papers we can quote e.g. a Swedish study (Rubenowitz et al, 1998). Three-week
drinking of magnesium rich water (120 mg/l) resulted in 79 patients in lower pain intensity
and frequency of migraine (Thomas et al, 1992). Similar results were obtained in a more
recent study by the same authors (Thomas et al, 2000) with 29 migraine patients and 18
controls. Two-week drinking of water containing 110 mg Mg /l confirmed good usability of
water magnesium leading to higher levels of intracellular magnesium and conservation of the
serum magnesium level.”

Filed Under: Acidosis, alkalizing, Calcium, scientific studies

Acid and your Teeth: Is it the food, or is it the bugs?

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment


It’s the food, yes, but it is really the bugs that thrive in your acid foods that really do the heavy damage. A great report here, and here’s an extract to demonstrate the great stuff it contains:

It is significant to note that not all acids have an equal effect on the tooth. Acids originating from bacteria and soft drinks can initiate a carious process. Alternately, acids originating from fruit, bulimia, or gastroesophogeal reflux disorder (GERD) tend to erode only the enamel of the tooth in the oral environment.4-7 There are other systemic factors that can amplify the acid-stimulated caries process, such as methamphetamines like crystal meth.8 These observations demonstrate that something more significant is happening internally beyond the oral or external acid attack. The same sugars and refined carbohydrates feeding the oral bacteria wreak havoc with the internal environment and are major factors in diabetes and obesity.9 Soft drinks have an insidious effect on the internal environment of the body in addition to their oral effects.10 It is because of their systemic effect that soft drinks are a contributor to not only enamel erosion but also dental caries.11 Meth mouth is a dental symptom of system-wide devastation.12

 

And here’s a blockbuster quote that would have our fluoride favourers reeling:

Emerging evidence now demonstrates that antioxidants in green tea (epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG) acting as MMP inhibitors are significantly more effective than sodium fluoride at preventing acid erosion.21

Filed Under: Acidosis, scientific studies Tagged With:

Milk: The Acidifier

May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment


Television commercials and advice from your doctor lead you to believe the secret to strong, healthy bones is drinking milk and taking drugs.

But that’s a huge misconception and a big lie.

Sure your bones need calcium, but if you consume large quantities of milk, you’re actually draining your bones of this much needed mineral.

Here’s why milk is a brutal bone thief: Milk has an acidifying effect on your body.

Let me explain. Everything we put into our body gets processed and alters its acid/alkaline balance. And like everything in nature, the body tries to correct the imbalance. So because milk has an acidifying effect, your body automatically pulls calcium out of your bones to neutralize the acid attack.

Why calcium? Because it is a potent neutralizer. That’s why the main ingredient in some antacids is calcium.

Think of milk entering the body like a raging forest fire and your body’s natural processes is the team of brave firefighters. So your body jumps into action and uses calcium to put out the acidic attack. And even though milk contains 300 mg of calcium in one cup, unfortunately, the net result is a calcium deficit in your bones.

Filed Under: Acidosis, alkalizing Tagged With: ,

Coke habits.

April 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment


A Coca-Cola ‘habit’ has been cited in the death of a New Zealand woman caught my eye last week. The young woman, Natasha Herris, lost her life to a heart attack at only thirty years of age.

Any parents concerned about being there for their kids might sit up and pay attention at that news. And parents wanting the best for their kids may think twice about soda habits established in childhood.

As usual, there is more to the story than just ‘death by cola.’ The pathologist involved reported that the woman suffered several health effects related to serious malnutrition, including imbalances of minerals like potassium in her body and toxic levels of caffeine (possibly from sources other than just soda). And the cola consumption was extreme: reported to be 2.1 to 2.6 gallons per day.

Toxicologists often see tests where people or animals exposed to very high levels of a potentially hazardous material are examined in an attempt to predict the effects of normal, everyday use of that potentially hazardous product. This real-life case reminds us that even products that are safe in the scope of normally foreseen use can be dangerous when over-used or misused.

Drinking colas or sodas can add great enjoyment to a picnic lunch or day at the beach. But when used as the main source of liquids, the dangers mount. Sodas without low calorie sweeteners increase risks of added sugar in your diet. Other studies indicate that women who drink a lot of colas have lower bone density. The researchers believe the effect is not due to drinking cola instead of milk, but may be due to the effects of the phosphoric acid used in colas.

Coca-cola and Pepsi recently made the news for removing caramel color from their beverages, as the State of California and other agencies have designated the ingredient a possible carcinogen.

Hmm. Wonder if they’ve changed the formula here?

Filed Under: Acidosis, Uncategorized

Imagine: You come out of the operating theatre. You are thirsty. You ask for water..

February 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment


A wonderful article from the Home Economist here

My friend Paula’s husband had hernia surgery recently and guess what he was given by the nurses in the recovery room?

Shasta soda!  Above is a picture of Rick shortly after Paula walked in to visit right after his surgery.

Let’s check out the ingredients of the Shasta soda and see if medical personnel should really be handing this stuff out to vulnerable people who have just had major surgery:

 

Shasta Soda:  Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Potassium Benzoate (Preservative), Caramel Color, Sucralose, Natural Flavor, Salt.

The big baddies I see in this ingredients list are:

High Fructose Corn Syrup: Calorie for calorie, high fructose corn syrup is more dangerous than white sugar as it is more likely to cause weight gain as published in the Journal of American Clinical Nutrition in 2004. Large amounts of fructose consumed such as what would happen with a can of soda turn quickly into triglycerides in the bloodstream or are stored as fat.

Not a very wise drink choice for recovering surgery patients or anyone for that matter!

Citric Acid:  Manufactured from corn, very likely genetically modified.  Citric acid coming from corn has traces of MSG in it which is a proven neurotoxin which triggers a wide variety of physical symptoms in many people some very severe.

Potassium Benzoate:  A dangerous chemical preservative similar to sodium benzoate.  I wrote a post awhile back on how sodium benzoate damages DNA and the link to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s.  Potassium Benzoate is in the same class of chemicals and should not be consumed particularly by vulnerable post-op patients!

Sucralose:  This is an artificial sweetener that is manufactured by chlorinating natural sugar.  The Sucralose Toxicity Information Center states that:

While it is unlikely that sucralose is as toxic as the poisoning people are experiencing from Monsanato’s aspartame, it is clear from the hazards seen in pre-approval research and from its chemical structure that years or decades of use may contribute to serious chronic immunological or neurological disorders.

Oh great.  It’s slightly better than aspartame!   Let’s serve it to hospital patients then!

Natural Flavor:  The problem with “natural flavor” is that it is not natural.  You never know what is hidden as this is an industry “catch all” label. It is best to avoid products that have “natural flavor” listed just to be on the safe side.

There is no doubt that it is highly irresponsible for hospital personnel to be handing out chemical and sugar laden drinks to post-op patients.   What’s so hard about handing out plain carbonated water or at the very least, 100% fruit juice diluted with plain carbonated water to settle the stomach?

Why all the chemicals and dangerous sweeteners?

Do you really think it’s wise to be listening to these people for any sort of dietary advice?

Filed Under: Acidosis, Candida, Gout, Hydration

Inflammation and Heart Attack

January 25, 2012 By 1 Comment


Cholesterol, cholesterol, cholesterol.

It’s certainly the battlecry of the general practitioner and the word heard most frequently around the subject of heart disease. In fact it’s heard so often that all the other equally important factors seem to be in the shade of the almighty ‘C” word. I’m not going to talk about whether or not cholesterol is the problem we are told it is.. that’d take too long and I might get over-excited. But I would like to look at the other factors.. and a common symptom of all of them. What about tobacco usage, psychosocial stress, activity level, or  genetic predisposition? These are all heart disease factors. But exactly how do they contribute to heart disease?

Ask most doctors and they’ll agree that beyond all of them, inflammation is the root cause of a heart attack. All of the factors create inflammation, which in turn, creates the conditions that may precipitate a heart attack.

Fags

A simple explanation of the relationship between smoking and inflammation is to show what happens when a smoker stops smoking, as in this Reuters article, which describes a study by Dr. Christine N. Metz and her team. Very simply, researchers  watched inflammation markers during a smokers’ ‘quit’ program. And yes, inflammation levels dropped quickly. If you need further evidence of the effect of inhaling hot tar-filled smoke into your fragile internal environment, this study shows the direct link between smoking, inflammation and heart disease. The study even slates passve smoking, saying :

“Passive smoke itself, is a volatile mixture of numerous toxins, chemicals and carcinogens, that interact with in vivo mechanisms and induce vascular damage, including endothelium inflammation, atherosclerosis development, lipid peroxidisation, alterations in cytokines and acute phase proteins (such as CRP), as well as platelet aggravation.”

Another PubMed study links smoking directly to inflammation and atherosclerotic plaque. In other words, big chunks of plaque that can break off with a good cough and block an artery – with fairly obvious results. This study showed the possibility of inflammation AND plaque combining to create an ‘event’.

Stress and Inflammation

It’s now shown that stress of all kinds creates an inflammation response. It’s interesting because we have learned to ‘control’ stress in daily life, but I wonder just what levels we are faced with compared to our ancestors. The stress of climate change, of financial system collapse, of job insecurity don’t go away. They remain an enduring part of what we have to manage every day. This report demonstrates that it is the repetition of stress that causes inflammation.. but it actually describes an example of chronic inflammatory response as atherosclerosis.

There are even studies that link anger and cynicism to inflammation.

Summarizing, this paper links stress events via inflammation to heart attacks. “The argument is made that humans reacting to stressors, which are not life-threatening but are “perceived” as such, mount similar stress/inflammatory responses in the arteries, and which, if repetitive or chronic, may culminate in atherosclerosis.” In reading up on this subject you’ll come across another term ‘Oxidative stress’. Oxidative stress is what happens as a result of inflammation. As Sang Whang said in  ’Reverse Aging‘, inflammation and acids go hand in hand. Oxidation of tissue is caused by the acids that gather in inflamed sites. The stress load of oxidation travels, and as acid, it oxidises our good cholesterol, our LDL. The problem is.. oxidised LDL becomes plaque.

If we had one study describing the relationship of inflammation to heart attack we may be able to dismiss it, but when we see so many, all saying the same thing.. that inflammation and heart disease are inextricably linked, it’s probably time to take notice.

I’m not qualified to advise on heart disease. I’m a layman like most of my readers, and you should consult your medical practitioner before acting upon any of my crazy theories..

However it certainly seems to me that the circuitbreaker between inflammation and oxidative stress may just be something as simple as a constant program of maintaining a healthy pH balance. Given that water is one of the body’s first line tools for draining acids from sites of inflammation, it seems reasonable to me that alkaline microclustered water just may assist. As my readers know, I am not permitted by law to make any therapeutic claims, nor am I permitted to relate the many stories of our clients.

So I guess you’ll just have to research the subject yourself, won’t you?

Filed Under: Acidosis, alkalizing, FeaturedPost Tagged With: ,

Inflammation, Acid and Candida

January 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment


Thanks to Dr Greg Emerson for this link to a study that indicates the relationship between Candida Albicans and inflammation. The study postulates that inflammation can increase candida overgrowth, which in turn increases inflammation.

WE already know that acidic conditions cause inflammation, so when I read the study I thought they could have taken it to the next logical step. To reduce candida overgrowth, reduce acidity, which reduces inflammation.. which reduces Candida. What do you think?

Filed Under: Acidosis, Candida, Scientific Reports, scientific studies Tagged With: ,