Are you alkalized?
By Brit Elders

Your body has two states of being: alkalized or acidic.

When you are alkalized your immune system is stronger, your energy is higher, your mind functions more efficiently. When you are acidic, your immune is compromised, your energy is low and your mind refuses to focus properly. Your physical body requires certain substances to function properly. These include amino acids, certain fatty acids and sugars, (not the store bought kind) vitamins, minerals and trace elements. These substances can be divided into two categories: acidic or alkaline. Even though that seems contradictory, they work together to provide you with optimum health.

Your body actually requires a balance of both much like it requires exercise and rest. Too much of one or the other is detrimental to the overall wellness of the person. The degree of acidity of a substance is measured by the pH, which stands for potential (p) for freeing hydrogen (H) ions. A pH scale runs from 0 to 14. If you test your pH and find it at 7, you have a balanced pH level. Researchers and medical professionals have found that optimum health is present when the pH is between 7.36 and 7.42.
If your pH falls in the range of 0 to 6, you are acidic. The lower on the scale the more trouble you are in and the harder you have to work to bring your body to an alkaline state. If your pH is in the range of 8 to 14, you are alkaline, and very unusual in today’s culture.

Alkalinity is affected by pollution, stress, illness, sleep, and most importantly, nutrition. When your pH is low, your body goes into a defensive stance. Your lungs, kidneys, and skin, the organs that are responsible for elimination of toxins, work harder to rid the acids from your body. If this defensive stance is not often used, you will recover from acidosis rather quickly. However, if you are like majority of people today, your body is almost perpetually defending against acidity, which means you are depleting your natural alkaline reserves. Perpetual or repeated acidification of the internal body begins to manifest its hold in the form of illness.
 
Individuals that suffer from acidosis are often sensitive to cold temperatures, may have low blood sugar and low blood pressure, or have hyperactive thyroids. You may find yourself more receptive to colds, flu, allergies, and even aches, pains, and inflammation. Your cleansing organs becomes stressed and you might experiences skin irritations, hives, or eczema. Urination may burn because the kidneys are trying to flush out the acids that have accumulated. You may find yourself feeling more anxiety, depression, or mood swings. You may become more and more susceptible to viral and microbial infection. Your bones may begin to lose calcium, your teeth may become brittle, your hair may lose its luster and your fingernails may chip and split easily. Chronic acidosis depletes the body of minerals that keep your bones, teeth, hair, and nails healthy. Your mental state may suffer, also. You might experience sadness, depression, irritability, lack of enthusiasm, hyperactivity, loss of drive, and headaches. You may find yourself withdrawing from friends and family, unable to explain what you are feeling or why. You may find that the normal stress points in daily life are much more intense. You might react strongly to loud music or sounds or bright lights.

Edgar Cayce repeatedly insisted that certain infectious agents, such as the cold virus, do not thrive in an alkaline environment. When asked how to prevent colds, Cayce replied, "… by keeping the body alkaline. Only in acids do colds attack the body." According to Cayce, there are numerous factors that can increase acidity including negative emotional states, stress, inadequate mastication of food, and poor eliminations. However the most common factor that he cited as the source of acidity was diet.

Eating acid-producing foods or combining foods improperly was indicated in the readings as the cause behind hyperacidity and even to super acidity, which produced chronic illness. Many viruses including the rhinoviruses, which are the virus often responsible for the common cold, infect host cells by fusing with the cell membrane at low pH, which indicates that a mildly acidic environment is required for optimal infectivity of such pH-dependent viruses. Since the antimicrobial effects of many substances are pH-dependent, it is important to have an alkalized system for them to properly be effective. An example of this is Berberine sulfate, which is the most active antibacterial alkaloid in goldenseal. It is far more effective in an alkaline environment than it is in an acid environment.

During many of his readings Edgar Cayce consistently emphasized the importance of maintaining a proper acid/alkaline balance in the body, which meant that one should maintain that balance through a pH reading that is slightly alkaline for the greater benefit to the well being of the individual. How do we become alkalized? Cayce created a diet in which alkalinity can be increased by consuming less meat and sweets and more vegetables and fruits and noted, "A normal diet is about twenty percent acid to eighty percent alkaline-producing." Once again the Sleeping Prophet was accurate when he brought forth the idea of consuming a mainstay of fresh fruits and vegetables, which, after all of these years, more and more of the public is embracing.

Fruits and vegetables provide an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, and produce an alkaline reaction in the body, which ensures an optimal state of health, and to boost the body's immunity to colds and infections. Meat, processed food and grains, foods high in starch, protein and refined sugar, are acid producing, which can manifest in weakened immune systems that result in disease. Some of Cayce’s recommendations include: *Have at least one meal each day that consists of all fresh and raw vegetables, with a focus on green leafy veggies.
*Avoid nutrient loss during preparation by either steaming vegetables or cooking them in a vegetable parchment.
*When it is possible, select locally grown fruits and vegetables in their season.

It’s also important to realize that it took some time for your body to become acidic. It will take time to restore the balance, but it can be done. Have patience and you will be rewarded by feeling healthier, looking better, having more energy, and thinking more clearly.
*Examine what part of your lifestyle you can change.
*Meditate to relieve anxiety, stress and other emotional reactions.
*Exercise, take the stairs and walk more when you have the opportunity.
*Don’t rush your sleep. Sleep is not wasted time; you are busy on other levels rather than just the conscious level. The body needs time to rejuvenate and recharge.
*Most importantly take a long look at how and what you eat:

Do you eat on the run?
Is processed sugar a mainstay of your diet?
Are you a soda fanatic?
How many fruits and vegetables to you eat a day?
Are they fresh?
Are they organic?
Do you eat red meat three or more times a week?

Nutrition is an absolute essential to overcoming acidosis. Repairing and healing the body requires receiving nutrients through your food. Fresh fruits and vegetables have to be part of your meals and snacks. If the food is organic, all the better. You will run less risk of chemicals, such as pesticide and fertilizers that can deplete the body of minerals and contribute to acidity. Avoid white flour and products that contain them and you might want to consider removing gluten from your eating program as it is acidifying.

Quick tips for those days when you just can’t get your pH up! Some of what I’m going to share with you will surprise you. Some of it may make you laugh. But, try it and be amazed at the difference you feel.
1) Just before you step out of the shower, turn the temperature of the water down. It should be tepid to cool. Cool water is alkalizing. (Think about the Scandinavians that jump from a hot tub into a snow bank. They are on to something!)
2) If you have a cold, flu, respiratory illness, or allergies, make a pot of vegetable soup. Add no meat, chicken, or meat or chicken stock. Put in every kind of fresh vegetable you have on hand and season with a dash of sea salt. Have a cup of your soup every hour until you begin to feel better and you begin to test alkaline. Microbial and viruses cannot exist in an alkaline body.
3) Make lemonade. As odd as it sounds, lemons, as acidic as they are, actually alkalinize the body. I prefer a cup of warm water with the juice of half a fresh lemon. I usually throw the squeezed lemon right in the cup. Warm or cold it works.
4) Have a banana instead of a candy bar. Bananas are naturally alkalizing and will not affect the glucose levels of the body as severely as sugar.
5) Snack on dried fruits such as raisins, apricots and dates.
6) Includes almonds, Brazil nuts and walnuts in your snacks.
7) There are only two grains that are alkalizing: corn meal, which can create glucose level issues for some, and quinoa. Eat or bake with these grains when ever possible. Avoid white flour!
8) Drink water. Good ol’ H2O is very alkalizing.
9) Have a cup of green tea instead of a cup of coffee.
10) Try to get 10 minutes of morning sun every day. Research indicates that the vitamin D, which most of us don’t get an ample supply of any more, helps the body store alkalizing nutrients.
11) Take a moment whether you are at work, in the office, or at play, to breathe and visualize. In through the nose, exhale through the mouth. Keep your shoulders back and your back straight. Take each breath in slowly and exhale slowly. Visualize all the acidic toxins being exhaled from your body.
12) Alkalize by the foods you eat! Incorporate more of the foods in this list in your daily regime and feel the changes in your body!
Beet Greens, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard Greens, Chilis, Collard Greens, Edible Flowers, Eggplant, Garlic, Green Beans, Green Peas, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard Greens, Onions, Parsnips, Peppers, Pumpkin, Radishes, Rutabaga, Spinach, Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Watercress Fruits Apples, Apricots, Avocados, Bananas, Berries, Cantaloupe, Cherries, Coconut (fresh), Dates, Figs, Grapes, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Lemon, Lime, Nectarines, Oranges, Peaches, Pears, Pineapple, Plums, Raisins, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Tangerines, Tomato, Watermelon Nuts and Seeds Almonds, Chestnuts, Walnuts, Flax Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds

I know this is quite a bit to ‘digest’... but keeping an alkalized body will help you feel your best.