by RoseMarie Pierce, B.Sc.Pharm

Do you catch colds and flu frequently? Are you susceptible to canker sores, sensitive teeth and sore throat?  Are you mentally fatigued after an hour of desk work?

All of these symptoms and more may be connected to an imbalance in the body’s pH, as an over-acidic condition.  pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a fluid. Body pH is the key indicator of balance within the body’s internal fluids – including blood, urine, saliva, and the fluids between, as well as inside, the cells.

The body’s natural pH balance, which is slightly alkaline, must be maintained in order for us to feel our best and most energetic.  “An alkaline body can absorb up to 20 times more oxygen than an acidic body.” These are the words of Dr Otto Warburg, a Nobel Prize Winner for his work on respiratory enzymes and cancer. He also found that diseased bodies are acidic bodies, which repel oxygen and attract the overgrowth of disease-causing micro-organisms and cancer*.

Our body’s acid-alkaline balance is a key component to overall good health and one of the most crucial ways to affect health status. Raising pH (to an alkaline state) increases the immune system’s ability to kill bacteria, concludes a study conducted at The Royal Free Hospital and School of Medicine in London. The viruses and bacteria which cause bronchitis and colds thrive in an acidic environment.  Keeping our pH in the slightly alkaline range of 6.8-7.2 can reduce the risk and lessen the severity of colds, sore throats and bouts of influenza.

Numerous studies * in the last 10 years have shown a strong relationship between food and low-grade acidosis.  Our daily eating habits have a great effect on the body’s pH. The typical Western diet is acid-forming and low in the valuable alkaline minerals.  The good news is that by consuming a diet high in alkaline-forming foods such as dark leafy greens (see http://holistic-pharmacist.com/articles/ ), and adding extra alkaline minerals and superfoods, a change in your body’s pH balance can take place fairly quickly. Though it may take months to reduce tissue damage and restore optimal immune, nerve and organ function.

There are some alkaline powerfoods such as lemon, apple cider vinegar, aloe vera juice, chlorella, spirulina and other green-food powders, as well as citrate minerals of potassium, magnesium and calcium, that when added to pure water or spring water will help balance the body’s pH.

To increase infection protection:  start your day with an alkalizing lemon, aloe vera juice and mineral-rich drink; add green-food powder & leafy greens to your smoothies; consume 75-80% of your foods and beverages from the alkaline-forming foods chart; practice deep breathing for at least 1 minute, at least five times daily; and hug 5 people to survive and 10 people to thrive.

For Cold & Flu relief: Drugstore medications for cold and flu symptoms can leave an acidic residue in the body; correspondingly, natural herbs (i.e., lemon balm, ginger, elderberry & echinacea) and nutrients (Vitamin D, C and the mineral zinc) support the immune system, reduce stress and can help alkalinize the body.  Enjoy a hot soothing, lemon, honey and ginger alkaline drink and rest frequently to cure a cold or flu.

*References:

Frassetto L, et.al. (2001) Diet, Evolution  and  Aging. Eur.J.Nutr, 40:200-213

The Prime Cause and Prevention of Cancer. Dr Otto Warburg, Lecture delivered to Nobel Laureates on June 30, 1966 at Lindau, Lake Constance, Germany.

RoseMarie Pierce, B.Sc.Pharm, is a holistic pharmacist with more than 40 years experience in both conventional and natural medicine. For more information on this popular writer, lecturer, formulator, and hormonal health specialist visit her website at www.Holistic-Pharmacist.com