What causes pH imbalance in my body?

Review Body pH articles here:

1. Body pH – a Guide to Health or Disease

2. How Does an Acid Body Lead to Disease?

Many factors can disrupt the ideal body pH including:

Age (oh shoot – not much we can do about that.)

Exercise level

The water we drink (or don’t drink enough of)

The other beverages we consume

The air we breathe (or don’t breathe enough of)

How much we laugh

The food we eat

How much we upset the body’s homeostasis (knock it out of balance)

Allergies – including food and inhalant (but these may be a result of the acidosis too)

Toxic metals and chemicals in the tissues

Dis-stress

Chronic worrier

Negative thinking and speech

How do you measure your body’s pH?

Measuring the saliva pH represents the overall body’s pH. The pH of the saliva actually is a measure of the amount of “stress” on the body. Various parts of the body require specific levels of pH. The body controls those levels by robbing the minerals out of other non-essential body fluids (like saliva). Thus, by monitoring the saliva pH we can indirectly measure the pH “stress” or mineral deficiencies in our body.

Simple, inexpensive pH litmus paper strips measure our saliva pH. Measure your saliva pH as soon as you wake up. That first morning saliva pH best reveals the overall pH of your body. Once you start moving around, the body’s compensation mechanisms kick in to secrete alkaline substances to neutralize any acidity.

Place the pH paper and a little cup by your bed for the most accurate pH reading. Tear off a strip of the pH paper. You can try just dipping the paper into the saliva under your tongue and then notice the color of the paper. However, I seem to get better readings if I collect a small amount of saliva in a small cup and then dip the litmus paper in the saliva to moisten the paper.

After moistening the pH paper with saliva, it changes color. Match the color of the paper to the color guide on the container. Each color has a number printed under it indicating the pH reading.

Where does your pH level fall?

7.0 to 7.5 = Healthy Individual

6.0 to 6.5 = Could develop disease

4.5 to 5.5 = Could have disease already present.

Please note that if you are a smoker you will not get an accurate reading. (Ash is very alkaline and will cause the paper to give a false reading.)

Many years ago when I first tested my saliva I thought something was wrong with the pH paper because it stayed yellow. Turned out that something was wrong with me – my saliva was so acid that the paper could not change color.

Then get up and move around a bit for 30 minutes. Test your saliva pH again. If you tend to be moving toward a more alkaline condition after moving around, your body at least has enough minerals and other reserves to help you deal with the stresses of the day. Generally, saliva becomes more alkaline after eating. If it does not, then you may be severely depleted of alkalizing mechanisms and minerals.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story!

Blessings,

Dr. Jo