Lymph pH Management

Note:
When your body gets its required nutrients, it can clean, repair and maintain itself. Find your specific Metabolic Type to determine what food balances contribute to your health. Learn how to construct meals to build health instead of disease. Metabolic Typing is the tool you need for optimal health. Matching your diet to your unique body type is the single most important principle that affects your maximum performance in all aspects of life.

Acid or Alkaline

There is a new medical perspective emerging in the world today:

Disease and aging are intimately related to the acid/alkaline balance (pH) of the fluids in our bodies. Virtually every degenerative disease from cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and arthritis, to skin problems, tooth decay and joint pain is associated with pH imbalance in the body.

Mineral Absorption is the Ultimate Balancer

We are comprised of approximately 70% water. Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen (H2O). When there is an equal proportion of oxygen (O-) and hydrogen (H+), then the pH [potential hydrogen] is said to be neutral and the pH is 7.0 as measured on the pH scale that ranges from 1 to 14. If there is more oxygen than hydrogen the water is alkaline and will measure between 7.1 and 14. If there is more hydrogen than oxygen the water is acidic and can range from 1.0 to 6.9 on the pH scale. Most importantly, the pH scale is logarithmic, which means that each step is ten times the previous one. Therefore, a pH of 7.0 means that there is ten times more oxygen available to the cells than a pH of 6.0 and 100 times more available oxygen than a pH of 5.0. A small variation in pH measures a rather large difference in the balance between oxygen and hydrogen.

Everyone knows we need to provide our lungs with adequate amounts of oxygen to sustain life. We now understand that the water-based fluids in our bodies also needs adequate amounts of oxygen to resist disease and maintain health. The ONLY way to increase the amount of oxygen in our body fluids is to balance the pH level and provide the system with the optimum amount of oxygen. Primary and Trace Minerals can bring your lymph pH to its naturally healthy level of 7.4 and create an environment for the body to heal itself and to attain that cherished condition called Super Health.

Now we’re getting somewhere. But how do you control the lymph pH? How do you measure it? And what is lymph anyway?

Lymph and pH

To get a sense of how this works, it is important to understand more about our Lymphatic System. The Lymphatic System is a complex set of fluids, organs, cells, and lymph nodes positioned throughout the body forming a circulatory system that operates in close partnership with blood circulation. This system is the conduit for the lymph. The word “lymph” in Greek means a pure, clear stream. When you are Super Healthy, your lymph is indeed a pure clear stream with a pH of 7.4 flowing through the body quickly and efficiently, clearing infection, disease and toxic residue. The cells, organs and tissues of the body are bathed in this oxygen rich, slightly alkaline lymph fluid creating the BIO-ENVIRONMENT within which they exist. A 150 pound adult has approximately 22 pounds of lymph.

Lymph with a pH of 7.4 provides a nurturing, supportive environment, supplying your cells all the oxygen required for vibrant heath. Just as we need oxygen available in our external environment to live, we also require oxygen available in our internal environment to thrive. Unfortunately, due to diet and the lack of nutrients in the foods we eat, the average American adult has a lymph pH of 6.2. Remember the pH scale is logarithmic. Therefore, a drop in pH from 7.4, which is where we start as children, to an adult average of 6.2, means there is a 94% decrease in the amount of available oxygen in the lymph. Imagine living in an environment that provides only 6% of the oxygen you need. Not a place where you would want to live. Well, that is exactly the kind of internal environment we have created inside our bodies. No wonder degenerative disease and premature aging are on the rise.

Sliding Down the pH Scale

At birth, most infants have a full supply of alkaline reserves. This is reflected in a lymph pH of 7.4. As the years go by, these reserves dwindle. For most people the system slowly becomes more and more acid. This is primarily due to our super sized, fast food/processed diet and our sedentary lifestyle. The staples of our diet leave acidic residues that build up. Consider this – one cup of cola is so acidic that you need to drink 32 cups of water to neutralize the impact. With a diet that dumps acid residue into the system and the lack of exercise to move the lymph through the body, the result we see is a body vulnerable to attack. Here’s how it works:

As the lymph becomes too acidic, fungi and bacteria spontaneously develop and grow. When they reach the lymph nodes they can clog the nodes, preventing proper function. As the accumulation of waste piles up in the lymph, a semi-opaque web of dark matter begins to form. At this point, not only is the lymph acidic, oxygen depleted and growing microorganisms, it also flows poorly. Unlike the cardiovascular system, the lymph does not have a pumping mechanism that can force it to flow. It relies on bodily movements to advance the lymph in the Lymphatic System. As waste accumulates, the lymph becomes stagnant and the growing microorganisms are dumped into the blood stream, compromising our immune system. We become susceptible to incoming external microbes and viruses and find ourselves “catching” every “bug” that floats by. With an out of balance lymph and our immune system compromised we are also at risk of developing a degenerative disease.

Primary and Trace Minerals with other plant nutrients are needed to restore the lymph to its naturally balanced state.

The Acid-Alkaline Residue of Foods After Digestion

It is an easy matter to measure the pH of foods before eating it, either with pH strips or with a pH meter. However, once digested, your body produces an effect that depends on your metabolic type. A healthy stomach digests food by first decomposing the food with digestive enzymes. Then the stomach secretes a strong hydrochloric acid that continues to decompose the foods. After some time, the food passes into the small intestine and there, an amount of bile is injected into the food by the gallbladder. This bile is strongly alkaline to neutralize the stomach acids. You pancreas also injects sodium bicarbonate to help neutralize the acidity.

Next, the food travels slowly through the small intestine being digested by the microorganisms and various nutrients are extracted from the food and introduced into the blood stream. From there, the nutrients go into the cells and are processed to supply energy and building materials for repairs to the body. Over time, the cells release the residue of the consumed nutrients and this residue reenters the blood stream. It is the pH of this residue that is the focus of our program.

From the time the food grows, either as vegetable or animal, to the time its residue is released by our cells into the blood stream, the pH can fluctuate considerably. Generally, the fresher the food, the easier it is to digest, because of presence of enzymes. Aged meat can produce a much stronger reaction compared to a fresh salad.

Fermented foods contain live bacteria that are continuously changing the structure of such foods during fermentation. As it happens, fermented foods will usually test very acid before eating but after processing by the cells will have a residue that is only weakly acid or even alkaline. This is the basis of the macrobiotic diet that promotes eating living foods of all kinds. Live foods usually have an alkaline residue, while the same foods after sitting for weeks in the vegetable bins of chain stores have a greater tendency to have an acid residue. The important point is: the more alkaline (or less acid) a food is, the more sensitive it is to aging. Therefore for maximum benefit it is best to consume fresh foods. The most accurate list of acid-alkaline residues of foods can be found in the book “The pH Miracle” by R.O. Young and S.R. Young.

Of course, our modern diet and lifestyle creates quite a challenge to consume fresh foods. Thus we see the national adult average lymph pH of 6.2.

The Importance of Minerals

With the growing incidence of osteoporosis, the average person understands that there is a connection between calcium and strong, healthy bones. Definitely true. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately, the information about calcium and its function in the body is often misleading and insufficient. The calcium/ osteoporosis relationship is similar to the relationship between calcium and many of the degenerative, age-related diseases.

The story begins with our blood. Blood carries oxygen to the cells of our body. Therefore, it is imperative that blood be the correct pH to carry oxygen. In fact, blood has a slightly alkaline pH of 7.35 and must be maintained between 7.25 and 7.45 or we die. Our bodies have a homeostatic mechanism that maintains the blood pH within these very tight boundaries. To accomplish this, our bodies use calcium, one of the primary minerals, to buffer excess acid and then excrete it through the kidneys. If there is not enough calcium available, our bodies will pull calcium from our bones in order to neutralize the acidic environment. If the calcium drain persists, osteoporosis appears and eventually the bones of the body literally dissolve. Osteoporosis is not the result of dietary calcium deficiency, it is the result of inflammation. This out-of-balance environment can produce tissue inflammation, bone spurs, swollen joints, body aches, tumors, lymph congestion, excess mucus production, skin problems, allergies, colds, flu, swollen tonsils and loss of eyesight – just to name a few.

Minerals and Weight Management

Have you noticed that as a nation, we are getting more obese? In fact 65% of all American adults are overweight. Because weight has become such an enormous health care problem for our young people and adults alike, more and more research is being done in this area.

A recent study conducted by the University of Tennessee, under the direction of Dr. Michael Zemel of the University’s Nutrition Institute, concludes that there is an inverse relationship between calcium intake and the fat stored in the body. According to Dr. Zemel, “Dietary calcium sends a signal to your fat cells to crank up their fat burning ability. And basically they start burning fat faster.”

The implications are obvious – mineral deficiency is wreaking havoc with our health. The lack of minerals in our bodies contributes to making us fat and sick. Considering the seriousness of the ramifications of calcium deficiency, the partial information about calcium becomes even more problematic. It is not just the calcium.

Mineral Absorption

Many well-intentioned people have responded to the call of deficient calcium by adding calcium rich foods and/or calcium supplements to their diet. Yet they still experience problems. Why? It is not enough to take a supplement and assume that it is being absorbed and utilized. Too often, because of the “maladapted” system the calcium is not being absorbed. (If you check our saliva pH in the morning, it is a good indicator of the mineral balance in the body.)

Calcium, magnesium, potassium, silicon and other minerals are critical to proper body function. However, our bodies cannot make minerals. We must obtain them from an outside source, digest them and absorb them before they can be utilized. Theoretically we should be able to get the minerals we need from the foods we eat. But the typical “modern” diet is almost devoid of minerals. Proteins, carbohydrates and sodas don’t have minerals. Even if you eat an ample serving of fruits and vegetables you will not get sufficient minerals to support your alkaline reserves because our soils have been depleted of minerals for decades. Because there has been such a lack of minerals available in our diet for so long, most of us have “maladapted” our ability to absorb them.

In addition, calcium must be accompanied by adequate amounts of Magnesium and Vitamin D in order to be absorbed. If the amount of Magnesium or Vitamin D is less than required, the calcium will not be absorbed.

As if all that is not enough, throw into the equation the fact that not all mineral compounds are easily absorbed by the intestine and therefore must be fully digested during the time that they are in the stomach in the first 45 minutes. Sufficient stomach acid is required for the mineral compound to be broken down and digested in the time allowed in order to insure adequate absorption. Unfortunately, due to the “maladaptation” of our system, most of us lack the necessary amount of stomach acid to do the job. Compelling evidence of our inability to absorb minerals is a national average saliva pH of 6.2. Where are you on the pH scale?

This is made much worse by the proton pump inhibitor medications that further lower the acidity in the stomach. They make it nearly impossible to extract nutrients from the food you eat.

The Mineral Solution

Our bodies are designed to absorb the minerals we need from the food we eat. Unfortunately, due to environmental pollutants and soil that is nutrient deficient this has become a huge challenge. Even if one is very strict and diligent about changing one’s diet and eating only high quality organic foods, you would have to eat enormous amounts in order to get sufficient minerals to support a slightly alkaline environment. The secret to re-alkalizing the lymph is mineral absorption.

Both Primary and Trace Minerals provide the needed mineralization. Here are the required components:

  • Calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium
  • Trace minerals
  • Digestive Enzymes
  • Vitamin D which is essential for calcium absorption

Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) is the only acid that our bodies produce. It is an active ingredient of our digestive system. Secondary to digestive enzymes, HCl’s function is to break down food in the stomach. It is the first line of defense against various destructive microbes that enter the stomach. Many people have insufficient amounts of HCl, which results in digestive problems such as acid reflux and poor absorption.

After the age of 40, most people’s HCl production begins to decline. A lack of HCl combined with a lack of properly balanced minerals is the root cause of adult lymphatic pH declining to an average of 6.2.

The Roadmap To Super Health:

  • Monitor you saliva pH in the morning. Keep a log.
  • Primary Minerals, and Trace Minerals with Vitamin D
  • Digestive Enzymes along with Betaine-Hydrochloride
  • Reduce the consumption of empty foods
  • Make sure you move every day to circulate your lymph
  • Meditate every day and reduce your stress
Author: Ron Cusson, PhD