Alternating PH?

Waynish

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"Acidity vs. Alkalinity" is often talked about, but I'm baffled by how rarely what seems to be more important is talked about: the fact that our bodies should be alternating these qualities. That is, the mouth should be alkaline, stomach acidic, small intestine alkaline, and large intestine acidic.

Firstly: is this true?
If so, then any part of this system falling outside of a certain range could cause permanent degeneration of the rest of the parts. Consider how degenerated many people's small intestines are: SIBO, leaky gut, autoimmune, etc. Also consider how common overgrowths are - and that increasing acidity in the stomach is a remedy for several ailments (including for the small intestine).

Thoughts?
 

tara

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There are a few threads discussing these issues. I think what you say makes sense, though I don't know all the details of which parts should be at which pH.
The body needs to be functioning reasonably well to be able to produce these differentials.
Eg. Weak metabolism (or particular nutrient deficiencies) -> weak stomach production of HCL -> increased risk of pathological microbial overgrowth and parasites. Improper intestinal conditions -> reduced absorption of improtant micronutrients. Inadequate breakdown of proteins etc.
But it's not always so easy to know what's going on with eg small intestine pH, or how to specifically affect it. I know some people have reported benfit from supplemental HCL in some form, but I've not seen Peat recommend it. I think he tends more to encourage boosting overall system energy so the body can manage it better itself.
 
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Waynish

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But if it is true that alternating pH is important, then it may be important to target some section of the body to alter its pH in one direction or another - and that would put the system back into balance and stop overgrowths, for example.
 

tara

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But if it is true that alternating pH is important, then it may be important to target some section of the body to alter its pH in one direction or another - and that would put the system back into balance and stop overgrowths, for example.
I think that's what people do when they take ACV or HCL to boost digestion, or use vinegar etc on their skin to help it resist fungi. Maybe also some bacterial strains supported in the gut can be helpful by producing acids that help keep more pathogenic microbes from over-proliferating. UTI's are routinely treated with pH affecting drinks. I expect there are other examples.

But otherwise it's not necessarily easy to target individual tissues in particular parts of the body.
Do you have ways of doing it?
 

michael94

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Good topic and not much to add re: acidity vs alkalinity but there are a lot of "antagonistic" interactions that work like this.

Aspirin vs Guaifenesin
Calcium vs Iron
Asorbic acids vs sorbic acid/sorbitol
etc.

This is why we so many of us get stuck supplement chasing. Not that these things are unimportant... but the right medicines and health practices have a way of finding us when we have made ourselves worthy of them. If one tries to brute force their way to health in a purely rational way they will eventually find themselves in a dark alley with no exit.
 

somuch4food

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I was about to create a thread about this.

I'm thinking of trying to alternate acidic and alkaline meals/days and see if it helps my body.

Much of what is commonly eaten as a modern society is acidic to the body.
 

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