What is pH?
by Byron Jordan
The term pH refers to a measure of alkalinity/acidity in chemistry.
The pH scale is a logarithmic measure calibrated from 0-14.
A pH of 7.0 is defined as neutral. Any pH higher than 7.0 is defined as alkaline. Any pH lower than 7.0 is defined as acidic.
For our purpose, as Earth Medicine practitioners, pH is re-calibrated as follows: neutral is given a full point's worth of space from 6.5 - 7.4 for biological reasons. If we exclude the hydrocloric acid in our stomachs, the pH in any and all parts of a healthy human body should fall within this range. As an example here are a couple of the sample ranges of two common bodily fluids, saliva = 6.5 - 7.5, urine = 6.0 - 7.0. Urine, of course, is acidic but saliva falls right in my biological neutral range.
The pH is important because all of the thousands of biochemical reactions going on every second in every cell, blood vessel and lymph vessel of the body are highly dependent on pH. The pH has to be perfect for every system to work perfectly. It is that simple. A very small chronic deviation from perfect pH can begin the disease process anywhere in the body.
The pH is important because all of the thousands of biochemical reactions going on every second in every cell, blood vessel and lymph vessel of the body are highly dependent on pH. The pH has to be perfect for every system to work perfectly. It is that simple. A very small chronic deviation from perfect pH can begin the disease process anywhere in the body.
A pH of 7.4, give or take .1, is the perfect pH for our arterial blood, the same as our saliva. Healthy newborn babies have slightly alkaline pH (So do healthy Adults). Generally, as the body matures, its pH slowly becomes more acidic. Studies show that 85% of cancer patients have a low (acidic) pH.
The best way to keep your body healthy is to keep it so that your saliva is slightly alkaline, still right in my biological neutral. People with more acidic pH are characterized by fatigue, low metabolism, overweight, large abdomen, pale skin, cold hands/feet, itchy feet, low energy capacity, lots of yawning, neck/shoulder discomfort, poor circulation, thickened blood, and sleep/breathing difficulty.
All of these symptoms go hand in hand: thickened blood does not flow well, especially through the thinner veins in one's hands and feet, resulting in cold hands/feet and poor circulation, which results in fatigue and other energy-related symptoms. If you are keeping an eye on your weight, it is important to maintain a healthy alkaline pH so that you don't experience weight gain and those other symptoms.
pH is affected by diet and stress. Too much meat, dairy products, and egg yolk can acidify your pH, as can emotional stress (overthinking, worry, fear, etc.). Here is a small list of foods according to their pH (see the appendix in the back for a complete list):
Acidic foods (from most acidic to least): egg yolk, cheese, sugar, cookies (sugary), fish eggs, bacon, ham, chicken, pork, beef, bread, pasta, noodles, wheat, butter, rice, peanuts, beer, hard liquor, fried foods, clams, shellfish.
Alkaline foods (from least alkaline to most): red bean, white radish, apple, broccoli, Spanish onion, tofu & tofu products, soybean, carrot, tomato, banana, egg white, lemon, chicory, cilantro, watercress, spinach, bitter melon, watermelon, grape, tea (green/black), red wine, seaweed, kelp, natural green algae.
A meal with foods from both categories falls into whichever category it contains more of. For example, a meal with a small amount of chicken (acidic) and a large amount of spinach (alkaline) is an alkaline meal. Ideally, you should eat 20% acidifying foods and 80% alkalizing foods. A meal with some meat (most of which tends to be acidic) and a lot of vegetables (most of which tend to be alkaline) is a meal that is overall healthful for your pH. For example, a soup containing seaweed, vegetables, and some chicken is good: the meat helps fill you, but most of the soup is still alkaline.
The pH scale is based on water being neutral with a pH of 7.0. So drinking a lot of water everyday, flushing out acidic wastes and replacing the waste water with pure water is the surest way of shifting, or maintaining, pH in the neutral range between 6.5 and 7.4! Water is the only beverage provided in nature and drinking anything but water tends to dehydrate our cells which results in a further acidification of our cells and tissues.
Ancient wisdom teaches to drink a minimum of one gallon of water per day - even more when ill. If sick, one should drink one gallon of pure water for every hundred pounds of body weight. I know of a yogi/guru in India who weighs 130 pounds who drinks 4 gallons of water daily. He is a monster of strength and vitality according to those who know him.
