Becoming Too Alkaline

The pH of the urine can be alkaline in response to the body being too acidic and this is when we hear people say that they are too alkaline and therefore they do not need to be on an alkaline diet. The opposite is true, this is the body adapting to being bombarded with a diet of high protein acidic foods which has finally run out of organic sodium required to neutralize these strong acids. In a last ditch effort to protect the cells and tissue the kidneys produce a greater supply of the hormone glutaminase that causes ammonia to be released from the amino acid glutamine. Ammonia is very alkaline and in this situation the pH of the urine will be high. This is the emergency backup system to make up for the insufficient sodium reserve for neutralizing the strong acids from the high protein diet. This is a signal to get on an alkaline diet with vegetables high in sodium because you are too acid.

The odor of ammonia is usual in the rooms of patients who are in the final stages of cancer. The baby diaper that smells of ammonia is the body adapting to a diet of excess nitrogen.

The body is a wonderful machine with backup systems to respond perfectly to each situation. When we call on these backup systems over and over again with our lifestyle of excess protein and other acidic food intake, then these systems finally break down.

Being too alkaline is a sign that this breakdown is already underway

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All ingested substances and all situations (physical, emotional, or mental) that affect the body, leave either an alkaline or acid ash residue in the urine.” Sulfur, iodine, chloride, phosphorous, bromine, copper, silicon and fluoride are acid-forming minerals because they have a negative charge. The body uses various minerals, many of which leave behind acid ash when they are used up. For instance, each heartbeat occurs due to magnesium firing. Nerves must fire in precisely the correct sequence to stimulate muscles that contract the chambers of the heart. As the magnesium is used, the acid ash from the reaction must be removed. The body removes ash efficiently when it is healthy, alkaline and its various systems are balanced. When mineral ash is not removed from the body, it accumulates and acidifies it.

Becoming Too Alkaline “The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man.” Euripides

It is difficult for the body to become over-alkalized, a condition known as alkalosis, which is extremely rare and is caused by unnatural imbalances in the body as a result of poor diet. Nearly everything the average person consumes, including cooked and processed foods, acidifies the body tremendously. Nearly all recreational beverages are acidic, including coffee, black tea, commercial juices, milk, soft drinks and alcohol. Stress adds tremendous amounts of acidity to the body, as does pollution. Industrialization has toxified and acidified our environment since its inception. Toxins have concentrated at the north and south poles because of air currents and prevailing weather patterns. Given the amount of acid that is added to the average person on a daily basis, it would be extremely difficult for anyone to overalkalize their body. I have consumed 1.5—2.0 gallons of Ionized Water everyday for 10 years at a pH 9.5 or higher. I live on a 99% raw food diet, which is alkalizing, and my body pH is always balanced at close to 7.0. I have never measured my body pH and found it to be too alkaline. Over-alkalizing your body will not occur if your approach to health is completely natural. Nature always puts the body into balance when its laws are followed and at the core of homeostasis is a neutral pH. If we wish to determine a person’s overall health, the first determination that should be made is their body pH. Drinking Ionized Water with a high pH of 9.0—9.9 can sometimes induce a feeling of nausea in the stomach, especially when consumed first thing in the morning. This is not harmful nor is it an indication that you are consuming Ionized Water at too high a pH level. If the stomach remains acid with a pH of 5.0 or lower, the sudden introduction of an extremely alkaline substance such as Ionized Water can cause a gag reflex in the body. This is a natural reaction because the body views any radical change in pH as something potentially dangerous or poisonous to it, thus its instinct is rid the body of it. Relax, breathe slowly and deeply and the feeling of nausea will likely subside in a short period of time.

Measuring Body pH Body pH is measured through the saliva or urine. Many things can cause the pH of urine or saliva to quickly rise or fall. For instance, consuming extremely alkaline substances such as asparagus or Ionized Water can turn the urine acidic because they effectively remove acid waste from the body. With persistence, however, consuming alkaline substances will turn body’s overall pH more alkaline. Saliva is an accurate measurement of pH as long as you haven’t drank or eaten anything for 45 minutes before measuring it. Litmus pH paper is the most accurate measurement of saliva’s pH. Color pH test drops (phenol red) are a little more accurate than litmus paper, but both rely on matching color with the eye, which can be somewhat subjective. It’s difficult to determine the exact pH of any liquid within a single logarithmic point, meaning the difference between 9 and 10, let alone a tenth of a point.

(Taken and edited from “The Miraculous Properties of Ionized Water” By Bob McCauley)