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PH Balanced Diet

Explanation of the diet
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The body functions best with a slightly alkaline pH. The normal pH of human blood ranges from 7.35 to 7.45. For pH values, 1 is the most acidic, while 14 is the most alkaline. A pH of 7 is neutral, which means it is right in the middle of the acid base scale and is neither acidic nor alkaline. When the body chemistry turns too acidic, we see many disorders and diseases develop.

For example, cancer thrives in an overly acidic body chemistry. Every single case of arthritis and every type of arthritis (ostoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, polyarthritis, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, etc.) I have ever seen was associated with an overly acid body chemistry. People with more acidic body tissues experience more pain. If they can alkalize their body more, they experience less pain, or sometimes even a disappearance of pain. Generally speaking, when the body tissues and blood are at a healthy pH, a person is in good health.

The pH balance of the blood is very rarely disturbed because the body has so many backup systems that regulate the pH of the blood. The body places a high priority on balancing the blood pH since too much variation in the pH of the blood can be fatal. It will always balance the blood above all other things because, if not, it will mean death. Occasionally we see a dangerous acidic condition in diabetics called diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition caused by too many acids in the bloodstream.

Another overly acid condition of the blood is called metabolic acidosis that can occur in patients who suffer from chronic pulmonary obstructive disease as they are not able to exhale carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide breaks down into an acid (carbonic acid). Too many acids overload the kidneys' ability to eliminate them.

The higher the metabolism, the more acid wastes are generated. We see that in hyperthyroidism, the thyroid turns up the body metabolism too high: the heart beats too fast, the breath rate increases, the bowels move too quickly and more acid wastes are generated as a result. In the extreme case of hyperthyroidism, we see thyrotoxicosis, a condition marked by fever, exhaustion and overly acid blood (yet another cause of metabolic acidosis).

Yet, much more common than these rare pH conditions of the blood is a situation caused by excess acids stored in the body tissues (such as muscles, joints, bones, connective tissue, kidneys, liver, brain and other organs) while the blood remains pH balanced. This overly acid situation happens to most Americans due to the standard American lifestyle. Acids accumulate in vital organs and attract calcium deposits. These calcium deposits show up as arthritis, bone spurs, gallstones, kidney stones and calcification of tumors (which are always very acidic areas).

Calcium is attracted to very acidic areas because it is so alkaline. The body uses calcium as a buffer to neutralize excess acid. This is simple acid/base chemistry principles taught to all medical doctors all over the world. All chemists are familiar with these concepts as well. The body will pull calcium out of the bones, if needed, to neutralize excess acidity in the blood and tissues. For this reason, too much acidity in the body over a long enough period of time will result in osteoporosis.

How does the body accumulate these excess acids? Some of the most common causes are the following:

1. Shallow breathing
2. Lack of exercise
3. Not enough sleep/ burning the candle at both ends
4. Stimulants - caffeine, cocaine, speed, diet pills, pills taken to stay awake
5. Not drinking enough water
6. Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)
7. Consumption of excess protein in the diet.

Proteins break down to amino acids which must be eliminated by the body in order to keep the blood at the proper pH balance. The only two ways to eliminate acid from the body are through the breath and through the kidneys. When the kidneys fail, they may only be able to eliminate a tiny amount of acid or maybe none at all. The body then tries to eliminate the acid through the breath. The breath rate increases dramatically. A normal breath rate is about 10 to 14 breaths per minute.

A high breath rate is one of the ways we can tell if a person is in ill health. The more times a minute a person breathes, the sicker they usually are. According to Ayurvedic medicine, a very high breath rate can be a sign that a person will die soon. In kidney failure, breathing more often is usually not near enough of a compensation to eliminate all of the acids, and if the person in kidney failure does not get kidney dialysis to eliminate the acids and waste products in their blood, they can die in as little as a few days.

Excess protein can turn the body chemistry to an overly acidic state. Animal proteins are sulfurated amino acids that are particularly acidic that can overwhelm the kidneys and cause an accumulation of acids in the body tissues. Meat can also be very high in uric acid, a normal byproduct of metabolism, stored in the muscle tissue of an animal. Excess consumption of foods containing uric acid can cause gout. The average American diet contains about 3 times more protein than what is recommended for a healthy adult. Athletes commonly overload themselves with excess protein by consuming large amounts of protein powders that are not needed and cause a strain on the kidneys to eliminate them.

Everyone needs some protein and we cannot have a perfectly alkaline diet. But the body easily eliminates the acids created by normal metabolism as well as from a diet that contains a healthy amount of protein. The problem is excess protein. In the early 1900's, meat was consumed more as a luxury item. As the years have gone by, the American consumption of meat has reached an astoundingly high frequency - instead of once or twice a week, Americans are consuming meat at every meal. Many research studies who that the consumption of excess protein causes premature aging of the kidneys and a deterioration of kidney function.

Because the kidneys must eliminate the acids that result from eating protein, medical doctors (nephrologists) always recommend to patients in kidney failure to follow a low protein diet. If a person in kidney failure tried to consume a high protein diet, it could be life-threatening because their kidneys could not eliminate enough of the acids generated in the body by the high amount of protein. This is another case of metabolic acidosis. Kidney dialysis removes not only metabolic wastes, but acids from the body as well. I don't think anyone wants to go through regular kidney dialysis in order to remove acids from their body.

A diet that is pH balanced contains proteins in the proper proportion. No one, not even people who are a Type O Blood, needs meat 3 times a day. This is far too much protein to consume in a day and far exceeds any recommended daily allowance for protein. I do not believe in Blood Type Diets because for every single one of my patients who followed a Blood Type Diet, they stayed sick and did not get well. Recently I discovered that the author of this book wrote another book and reversed many of his earlier beliefs.

The following are recommendations for a healthy alkalizing diet. A pH balanced healthy diet is high in plant foods and low in animal foods. Plant foods are high in antioxidants (meat contains no antioxidants whatsoever), fiber (meat contains no fiber whatsoever), phytonutrients that fight cancer (again, meat contains none of these). The healthiest, most alkaline diet contains foods as close to their original state as possible. This means that they have not been processed, refined, or canned. They are organically grown without the use of pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, hormones, or antibiotics.

None of us is perfect,and sometimes availability is a problem. For example, when I request whole grain bread at restaurants, I am told they don't have it because no one ever asks for it. It's time for everyone to start asking for it! We can still do our best to eat healthy most of the time. It is what we do (eat, drink, sleep, breathe, feel, and believe) 6 days out of the week that largely determines our health. If we have healthy food and lifestyle habits most of the time, we can be reasonably healthy.

Healthy Lifestyle Makes a Difference
Getting healthy does not have to be complicated.  What I have found in my practice is that healthy lifestyle habits go a long way.  Most of us have not been taught these healthy lifestyle habits.  We have been brought up with processed, denatured foods and many synthetic chemicals, and all of the experts tell us that this is "normal."  What's even more confusing is when we hear medical doctors telling us that diet doesn't matter.  However, my clinical experience has shown me that it DOES matter.  Adequate rest, stress reduction and regular exercise can be major factors in determining whether or not someone gets well or gets worse.  Many chronic insomniacs and those suffering from clinical depression have overcome their problem merely by taking up a regular exercise program.

Healing Reactions Versus Allergic Reactions:
Whenever a person makes enough positive changes in diet and/or herbs so that the body releases toxins, those toxins can sometimes be felt as a "healing reaction."  A healing reaction is NOT the same thing as a side effect of a medication.  A healing reaction can feel uncomfortable, but it is actually a sign that the body is healing itself.  As toxic wastes are released from fat cells, liver cells, brain cells, kidneys, and other organs, they go into the bloodstream.  Sometimes during herbal therapy, people can taste in their mouth drugs that they have not taken in many years.  This is an indication that old medication residues have been released and are now working their way out of the body.  Many symptoms from the past can temporarily reappear during an herbal cleansing program - fatigue, joint pains, muscle aches, headaches, dizziness, weakness, itching, etc. This is nothing to be concerned about, but rather something to be glad about.

A healing reaction is usually easy to recognize. Initially, symptoms begin to feel better. We feel better and have more energy. During this time, the body is gathering vital energy. It is this energy that the body is going to use to cleanse and heal itself. Enzyme systems are activated, including not just digestive enzymes, but the very important metabolic enzymes, such as the P-450 enzyme system, the cytochrome oxidase system and glutathione. These enzymes are responsible for dissolving any foreign substances in the body. With this newfound strength and energy, the body then does what it needs to do in order to get disease out of the way. It's not always pretty or pleasant, but it is absolutely crucial for healing. The enzymes begin to dissolve, stones, calcium deposits, tumors, bile sludge and other wastes. Suddenly,we begin to feel badly again - or even worse than we did originally. This is a classic healing reaction, and it is wonderful! Finally we are able to get into a sick, diseased area that we couldn't reach before with weak, mass marketed products. If we don't stop, but keep on going, we will eventually get to the end of it and be healed once and for all.

On the other hand, it is not necessary to have severe healing reactions when we are usually able to reduce them through the use of intestinal cleansing formulas.  This is why the first step in any herbal cleansing program is to cleanse the intestines.  This makes way for more advanced herbal healing that might otherwise be very uncomfortable and filled with intense healing reactions.  If taking an herbal formula or green nutritional formula, and unpleasant symptoms occur, it is most likely NOT an allergy, but a healing reaction.  In this case, it is important to do the intestinal cleansing formulas more and/or reduce the dose of the formula that caused the problem so that the detoxification happens more slowly and is better tolerated.

I knew one lady who had a severe skin disease with multiple boils all over her body that appeared from time to time.  She drank a spirulina smoothie at the health food store, and broke out in boils all over again.  The spirulina was simply too strong for her to take at that particular time since she had not first begun with intestinal cleansing.  Whenever the intestines contain large amounts of toxins, the body will try to rid itself of toxins in other ways besides through the colon.  This usually ends up being a detoxification through the skin which can be very uncomfortable.  This is avoidable if intestinal cleansing is done first.  After a thorough intestinal cleansing, one should be able to handle strong detoxifying substances such as spirulina and other herbs without their causing any discomfort 

In the case of severe or chronic disease, there may be multiple healing reactions or reactions that are more prolonged. In these cases, it is important NOT TO STOP in the middle of the cleansing process, otherwise, the healing benefits stop and the health issue never clears up. Most people grossly underestimate the amount of toxins in their bodies. They are impatient to get out of pain when they should be focused on cleansing away the toxins that are causing the pain. Any doctor can prescribe pain medication that relieves pain; however, pain relievers do not cure health issues, but merely force them deeper into the body while giving a false sense of security. Meanwhile, disease continues to worsen unless we have the courage to follow through on a program, experience some unpleasantness while the body is cleansing and readjusting itself. Toxins do not simply evaporate; they must come out of the body. We cannot expect it to be a walk in the park. However, when the cleansing process is completed, people finally regain their health, strength and vitality.

Rarely, allergic reactions do occur.  Some people are so allergic to peanuts that they cannot even inhale the aroma of peanuts on an airplane or they will have a severe allergic reaction.  For people who have a tendency toward severe allergies, it is best to use small amounts of herbs when trying them for the first time, and always cleanse the bowel first.  It is said that people who are allergic to ragweed should not have chamomile since they are in the same plant family.  However, I've been severely allergic to ragweed my entire life, and I've consumed plenty of chamomile without having an allergic reaction at all.  On the other hand, there is one case in the medical literature that describes a woman with a ragweed allergy who consumed chamomile tea and had an allergic reaction.  So, individual reactions can vary and caution still applies here.  Allergies in general are mostly due to internal toxicity that overloads the ability of the immune system to function properly.  The adrenals are typically weak along with the kidneys, liver and the entire endocrine system.  When these areas of the body are cleansed and nourished, allergic reactions usually greatly diminish or disappear. We have had one client who had severe anaphylactic reactions to vinegar. After completing one liver cleanse routine, he was no longer allergic to vinegar, and had no further anaphylactic reactions.

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"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on
after others have let go"
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