Acid/Alkaline, the Lymph and PH

There is a new medical perspective emerging in the world today: Disease and aging are intimately related to the acid/alkaline balance (pH) of the fluids in our bodies.

Virtually every degenerative disease from cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and arthritis, to skin problems, tooth decay and joint pain is associated with excess acidity in the body.

Calcium & mineral absorption is the ultimate alkalizer.

Acid or Alkaline?

We are comprised of approximately 70% water. Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen [H2O]. When there is an equal proportion of oxygen (O-) and hydrogen (H+), then the pH [potential hydrogen] is said to be neutral and the pH is 7.0 as measured on the pH scale that ranges from 1 to 14. If there is more oxygen than hydrogen the water is alkaline and will measure between 7.1 and 14.

If there is more hydrogen than oxygen the water is acidic and can range from 1.0 to 6.9 on the pH scale. Most importantly, the pH scale is logarithmic, which means that each step is ten times the previous one.

Therefore, a pH of 7.0 means that there is ten times more oxygen available to the cells than a pH of 6.0 and 100 times more available oxygen than a pH of 5.0. A small variation in pH measures a rather large difference in the balance between oxygen and hydrogen.

Everyone knows we need to provide our lungs with adequate amounts of oxygen to sustain life. We now understand that the water in our bodies also needs adequate amounts of oxygen to resist disease and maintain health.

The ONLY way to increase the amount of oxygen in our body “water” is to raise the pH level and provide the system with the optimum amount of oxygen.

Now we’re getting somewhere. But how do you raise the lymph pH? How do you measure it? And what is lymph anyway?

Lymph & pH

To get a sense of how this works, it is important to understand more about our Lymphatic System. The Lymphatic System is a complex set of fluids, organs, cells, and lymph nodes positioned throughout the body forming a circulatory system that operates in close partnership with blood circulation. This system is the conduit for the lymph. The word “lymph” in Greek means a pure, clear stream.

When you are Super Healthy, your lymph is indeed a pure clear stream with a pH of 7.4 flowing through the body quickly and efficiently, clearing infection, disease and acidic residue. The cells, organs and tissues of the body are bathed in this oxygen rich, slightly alkaline lymph fluid creating the BIO-ENVIRONMENT within which they exist. A 150 pound adult has approximately 22 pounds of lymph.

Lymph with a pH of 7.4 provides a nurturing, supportive environment, supplying all the oxygen required for vibrant heath. Just as we need oxygen available in our external environment to live, we also require oxygen available in our internal environment to thrive.

Unfortunately, due to diet and the lack of nutrients in the foods we eat, the average American adult has a lymph pH of 6.2. Remember the pH scale is logarithmic.

Therefore, a drop in pH from 7.4, which is where we start as children, to an adult average of 6.2, means there is a 94% decrease in the amount of available oxygen in the lymph. Imagine living in an environment that provides only 6% of the oxygen you need.

Not a place where you would want to live. Well, that is exactly the kind of internal environment we have created inside our bodies. No wonder degenerative disease and premature aging are on the rise.

Sliding Down the pH Scale

At birth, most infants have a full supply of alkaline reserves. This is reflected in a lymph pH of 7.4. As the years go by, these reserves dwindle. And the system slowly becomes more and more acid. This is primarily due to our super sized, fast food/processed diet and our sedentary lifestyle.

The staples of our diet – protein, carbohydrates and processed foods leave acidic residues that build up. Consider this – one cup of cola is so acidic that you need to drink 32 cups of water to neutralize the impact.

With a diet that dumps acid residue into the system and the lack of exercise to move the lymph through the body the result is a body vulnerable to attack.

Here’s how it works:

As the lymph becomes too acidic, fungi and bacteria spontaneously develop and grow. When they reach the lymph nodes they can clog the nodes, preventing proper function. As the accumulation of waste piles up in the lymph, a semi-opaque web of dark matter begins to form.

At this point, not only is the lymph acidic, oxygen depleted and growing microorganisms, it also flows poorly. Unlike the heart, the lymph does not have a pumping mechanism that can force it to flow. It relies on bodily movements to advance the lymph in the Lymphatic System.

As waste accumulates, the lymph becomes stagnant and the growing microorganisms are dumped into the blood stream, compromising our immune system. We become susceptible to external microbes and viruses and find ourselves “catching” every “bug” that floats by. With an acidic system and our immune system compromised we are also at risk of developing a degenerative disease.

The Acid-alkaline Residue of Foods After Digestion

It is an easy matter to measure the pH of foods before eating it, either with pH strips or with a pH meter. However, once digested, foods do not always have the same pH. A healthy stomach digests food by first decomposing the food with the digestive enzymes.

Then the stomach secretes a strong hydrochloric acid that continues to decompose the foods. After approximately 45 minutes, the food passes into the small intestine and there, an amount of bile is injected into the food by the gall bladder. This bile is strongly alkaline to neutralize the stomach acids.

Next, the food travels slowly through the small intestine and various nutrients are extracted from the food and introduced into the blood stream.

From there, the nutrients go into the cells and are processed to supply energy and building materials for repairs to the body. Over time, the cells release the residue of the consumed nutrients and this residue re-enters the blood stream. It is the pH of this residue that is the focus of the MMP regimen.

From the time the food grows, either as vegetable or animal, to the time its residue is released by our cells into the blood stream, the pH can fluctuate considerably. Generally, the fresher the food, the more alkaline it is, and it becomes acid as it ages.

Beef is aged for several days before consumption and is the most acid food that we eat. By comparison, chicken can be eaten fresh and often has an alkaline residue depending on how the chicken was raised and how it is prepared.

Organically raised chicken that haven’t been subjected to external stresses such as caging, generally have a more alkaline residue than mass produced chicken that are loaded with antibiotics.

Fermented foods, however, should not be considered as being aged, because they contain live bacteria that are continuously changing the structure of such foods during fermentation.

As it happens, fermented foods will usually test very acid before eating but after processing by the cells will have a residue that is only weakly acid or even alkaline. This is the basis of the macro-biotic diet that promotes eating living foods of all kinds.

Live foods usually have an alkaline residue, while the same foods after sitting for weeks in the vegetable bins of chain stores have a greater tendency to have an acid residue. The important point is: the more alkaline (or less acid) a food is, the more sensitive it is to aging. Therefore for maximum benefit it is best to consume fresh alkaline foods.

The most accurate list of acid-alkaline residues of foods can be found in the book “The pH Miracle” by R.O. Young and S.R. Young.

Of course, our modern diet and lifestyle creates quite a challenge to consume fresh alkaline foods. Thus we see the national adult average lymph pH of 6.2.

You can measure your pH levels with these test strips.

Reference: Liferesearchuniversal.com