Testing Your Bodys pH Gives You a Good Health Indicator

The term pH refers to whether a solution is acid, neutral or alkaline or somewhere in between. pH stands for ‘potential hydrogen. In other words, the amount of available hydrogen ions in a particular solution and whether it is acidic H+ ions or alkaline Hydroxyl OH- ions.
pH is measured on a logarithmic scale of 0 to 14, with pH 7 in the middle being neutral. The lower the number the more acidic it is and the higher numbers indicate greater alkalinity.
You will notice on the chart that as you move up and down on the scale each of the pH values is ten times greater or smaller than the number next to it, with 7.0 being neutral, in the middle. This means a great deal when you start testing any kind of carbonated beverage which are almost pH 3.0 or 4.0. There is a big difference in the amount of acidity and oxygen with just a small shift in pH. A difference in 1 pH point means 10 times the difference in the number of hydrogen ions and oxygen content. As the pH goes above 7, the anti-oxidant effect becomes much greater.
Human blood has a very narrow range in which it can function. Outside of that range, alarming things begin to happen and the body could die. Ideally the blood should be 7.35 pH and if it moves below 7.35 or above 7.8 pH, cells begin to stop functioning and the body can die. Discomforts of all sorts begin to happen as the body slips out of its ideal pH range. Recent research has shown that the upper limit of blood pH, 7.45, contains 64.9 percent more oxygen than 7.30 pH.
Along with the blood, the normal pH of cells, tissues and fluids in the body, with the exception of the stomach should be slightly alkaline. The most critical pH is in the blood. All of the other fluids, organs and tissues will adjust pH within their ranges in order to keep the blood between 7.35 and 7.45 pH. This adjusting process is called homeostasis. The body makes constant adjustments to keep the blood within its pH tolerances.
You can test your pH at home, knowing that your saliva should be 7.4 and your urine should be 6.9. You can do this conveniently with pH strips. You can buy them at most health food stores.
Since pH is determined mostly by what you put into your mouth, you can readily see if you need to make adjustments in what goes down the chute. Your pH will fluctuate with the time of day, what you ate last meal and by how you feel. So the best way to see what your body pH is doing is to set up a five column log and record your pH for at least two weeks.
If you set up 5 columns entitled ‘time’, ‘what I ate’(last meal), ‘saliva pH’, ‘urine pH’ and ‘how I feel’. These are the components that will affect your pH the most. To test your saliva, spit a small amount of saliva into a spoon and dip the end of a piece of pH paper into it and compare it to the chart on the pH paper container. It is not a good idea to touch the pH paper inside your mouth as there are chemicals on the paper that may affect the skin in your mouth.
Wave a piece of pH paper through your urine stream, again, comparing the color to the chart on the package. Record the values on your chart. Test and record your urine and saliva pH one hour before eating or a meal, and two hours after. This will show you how your pH fluctuates during the day with different foods and how you feel. Stress is one of the greatest acidifiers, so if you are tense, your pH will drop.
By recording your food intake and watching how certain foods affect your pH, you can make adjustment in your food and beverage choices and watch how it makes you feel. What happens to your pH will directly affect how you feel.
Keep in mind that if your pH is lower than the optimum range you may want to see your health care professional to get some advice on how to bring your pH within healthy ranges. There are some simple ways to accomplish this and you will feel better for it.
You can cut out coffee, carbonated beverages and sugar to start. Add more green leafy vegetables to your diet. Then after a week or so, try cutting out baked goods and things made with wheat like bread and pasta. Add more vegetables to your diet again. You may find that if you add alkaline, ionized water to your daily regimen to replace other fluids you are giving up, shifting your diet will become much easier.
One thing you will be shocked to learn is that most bottled water has a pH of around 3.0 unless it is spring water which can be pH 6.0 to pH 7.0. Even spring water does not have enough benefit in the form of alkaline gain to be healthy to drink. Tap water is so full of chemical chorine and its carcinogenic by-products that it can cause more health issues over time, to make it not worth drinking. Please, please, please do your own research. If you don’t know where to look, ask. Your health is one of the greatest treasures you have and you deserve to keep it.