One of the interesting things about the pH of water is the amount of oxygen in water at different pH levels. Acidic water, by definition, has a higher concentration of hydrogen atoms. Alkaline water has more hydroxyls. Hydroxyls are equal concentrations of both hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Alkaline water, therefore, has a higher concentration of oxygen atoms than acidic water. The amount of oxygen in water increases as the pH rises.

Everything your body does to produce energy and to continue life produces acidic waste products. To maintain life and health, your body must neutralize and/or dispose of these acids. Clinically, it has been my experience that individuals with the most chronic and the most difficult problems are those people with the most acidic bodily fluids. The results of your body being unable to neutralize and eliminate excess acidic wastes are endless. Among many others, some of the more recognizable conditions that are caused or worsened by excessively acidic conditions are:

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Allergies
• Arthritis
• Cancer
• Asthma
• Degenerative joint diseases
• Osteoporosis
• Digestive problems

Our bodies have many ways of neutralizing or eliminating acidic waste products. Simply breathing is very effective way of reducing acids in your system. When you take in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide and carbonic acid, you decrease the acid levels in your blood. Moderate exercise helps by increasing the depth of your breathing as well as the frequency. Excessive exercise can produce more acids than you can eliminate by breathing. Proper breathing (see the section on Proper Breathing) is extremely beneficial whether you are exercising or not.

More important than breathing is the use of minerals to neutralize acids within your cells, in your blood, in your urine, and in your lymphatic system. When your system can no longer neutralize its excess fatty acids, acetic acids, lactic acids, uric acids, cholesterol, and others, your body will store them away to keep them from making your blood too acidic.

Constantly replacing the minerals your body uses to neutralize acids is essential. The most obvious source of minerals for replenishing and restoring your mineral reserves is your food. The best foods are those that form the fewest acidic waste products and that provide the greatest amount of acid neutralizing minerals. The foods with the highest mineral content are vegetables. However, even the best foods contain only about 3 percent minerals. The other 97 percent is carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. This means that even the best foods are ultimately reduced to acidic waste products by your body. In other words, you cannot eat enough high-mineral-content foods or take enough mineral supplements to adequately neutralize all the acidic waste products your body produces daily.

Besides minimizing your intake of highly acidic foods and maximizing your alkalinizing foods, you should reduce your acidic drinks. Coffee, black tea, commercial fruit juices, and carbonated beverages such as pop and sodas are often very acidic and made from poor quality, highly chlorinated and/or fluoridated water. In addition, caffeine-containing drinks, as well as artificially flavored drinks (see the section on food additives), act as diuretics and dehydrating agents. They make you lose excessive amounts of water. Also, caffeine and artificial sweeteners (see the section on food additives) can stimulate weight gain by confusing normal thirst and hunger signals.

Akaline Water

Other solutions for helping to minimize or reverse the chronic degenerative changes resulting from the gradual buildup of acidic waste products are drinking plenty of pure, high alkaline pH water and/or freshly made vegetable juices (see the sections on Water and on Juicing). You can check the pH of your water at home or work by using a test kit for checking swimming pool pH. The higher the pH of your water, the better it will be for you. Anything between 8.0 and 10.0 is excellent.

In testing the pH of the water throughout our county, we found that all the water samples were very acidic. If your water’s pH is less than 8.0, you can raise it with liquid chlorophyll. Ask for liquid chlorophyll at your local health food store and follow the instructions for how much to add per glass of water. When you consider that it takes about 32 glasses of water to neutralize the effects of the acidity of one can of soda pop, you can readily see the benefit of such a handy supplement.

Another way to raise the pH of your water is to use a water purification device such as the Microwater system. This water treatment system uses a multi-stage filter before electrically concentrating your water into its more acidic and alkaline components. It supplies you with an adjustable level of pH. You choose your level of alkalinity. This machine is also available for purchase through our office.