Baking Soda Is Helping Me So Much - Looking To Clarify A Few Things

artist

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I'm early into a first time experiment with baking soda. I'm on about day 5 now of taking 3 separate teaspoon (4g) doses a day for a total of 12g. Up until now I've avoided taking it because I have low stomach acid, and one of my lifelong diet idiosyncrasies is strong vinegar cravings especially after eating starch or pufa, so I've been paranoid about doing anything that could interfere with acidity. I've struggled with what I believe is primarily some kind of gut dysbiosis for possibly my whole life. I was very underweight and tired as a child and developed strong estrogen and low thyroid symptoms as soon as I hit puberty, and have struggled ever since then with histamine intolerance, depression, acne, edema, fatigue, brain fog etc etc. I've tried most Peat related things up til now and NOTHING has come even remotely close to what I'm experiencing with baking soda. ((Peat supplement experiments include thyroid, niacinamide, progesterone, cyproheptadine - all of which I have dosed cautiously and still keep in rotation. I've used oregano oil extensively with limited success (though more success than all other strategies). I've also tried sulfur, diatomaceous earth, charcoal, enzymes, B vits, fat soluble vits, magnesium. High fat, low fat, starch, no starch, vegetables, no vegetables, lots of meat, no meat, lots of dairy, no dairy.)) This $1 lazy solution is clearing up my skin (I'd tried everything, my acne is stubborn clogged pores all over and not hormonal cystic type acne, Accutane still couldn't clear it. It was also very dull and now it's glowing), making me seemingly invincible to stress, to sleep deprivation, to perfumes (my nemesis), to foods I normally can't tolerate like orange juice, everything. My swollen painful eyes which had been an increasingly severe problem no longer look bulgy or feel sore. I'm feeling like a whole person for once and not just like I'm hungover all the time.

With that 5 day testimonial out of the way I'd like to understand more about why this is likely working for me so I can be aware of the right things as I go along. The way I use the baking soda is mixing 1 tsp with 2 TABLESPOONS of apple cider vinegar which I then mix with a cup of water - does this cancel out a CO2 benefit since the reaction is happening before I ingest it or does it still contain a good amount of CO2? Could it be primarily the sodium helping me, either via metabolism or direct antibiotic effect? Is it the alkalization? The ACV isn't a new factor as I consume lots of that every day, usually added to salads and soups.

I don't want to be overly optimistic after such a short amount of time but I don't see baking soda trumpeted all that much on here relatively speaking despite it being an official Peat Friendly Substance, perhaps because it's deceptively cheap and simple. So any discussion on the subject is welcome.
 
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artist

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I should mention the only real side effect I've had which was a headache yesterday that subsided when I increased fluid intake a bit, and when I woke up today I felt fantastic despite only sleeping 5 hours. Usually I'm dead without ten (10) whole hours of sleep. My face retained a little more water the first 2 days but that has gone away. My fluid intake is usually a bit low anyway so while I did up it it's still probably not above average fluid consumption. I also had a margarita yesterday which probably exacerbated any imbalance.
 

benaoao

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I'm glad it works. It's a shame the whole pharma and medicine industry got the stomach acidity issue wrong, and instead of preparing the stomach for digestion with substances that raise stomach acidity, throw in a bunch of antacids after a meal

oh well, no money to be made with baking soda, betain HCl, or raw apple cider vinegar...
 

Wagner83

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I'm glad it works. It's a shame the whole pharma and medicine industry got the stomach acidity issue wrong, and instead of preparing the stomach for digestion with substances that raise stomach acidity, throw in a bunch of antacids after a meal

oh well, no money to be made with baking soda, betain HCl, or raw apple cider vinegar...
How does baking soda raise stomach acid?
 
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artist

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@DDK I haven't been intentionally taking it at a certain time but I would say between meals describes the majority of doses
 

Waynish

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Would be great if someone would do a review of literature comparing historical uses of just baking soda, just vinegar, and just their combination. This isn't clear to me either.
 

vulture

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Glad to read such a cheap and common substance is making a difference improving your well being.
User Haidut posted a study of baking soda (about 2 grams a day) helping on rheumatoid arthritis. It basically says it lowers inflammation (in the whole body), maybe you had inflammation in a certain part (or several) of the body that were really hurting the whole system.
Also it's sodium content might help with thyroid but I'm not so sure on it
 

EIRE24

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I'm early into a first time experiment with baking soda. I'm on about day 5 now of taking 3 separate teaspoon (4g) doses a day for a total of 12g. Up until now I've avoided taking it because I have low stomach acid, and one of my lifelong diet idiosyncrasies is strong vinegar cravings especially after eating starch or pufa, so I've been paranoid about doing anything that could interfere with acidity. I've struggled with what I believe is primarily some kind of gut dysbiosis for possibly my whole life. I was very underweight and tired as a child and developed strong estrogen and low thyroid symptoms as soon as I hit puberty, and have struggled ever since then with histamine intolerance, depression, acne, edema, fatigue, brain fog etc etc. I've tried most Peat related things up til now and NOTHING has come even remotely close to what I'm experiencing with baking soda. ((Peat supplement experiments include thyroid, niacinamide, progesterone, cyproheptadine - all of which I have dosed cautiously and still keep in rotation. I've used oregano oil extensively with limited success (though more success than all other strategies). I've also tried sulfur, diatomaceous earth, charcoal, enzymes, B vits, fat soluble vits, magnesium. High fat, low fat, starch, no starch, vegetables, no vegetables, lots of meat, no meat, lots of dairy, no dairy.)) This $1 lazy solution is clearing up my skin (I'd tried everything, my acne is stubborn clogged pores all over and not hormonal cystic type acne, Accutane still couldn't clear it. It was also very dull and now it's glowing), making me seemingly invincible to stress, to sleep deprivation, to perfumes (my nemesis), to foods I normally can't tolerate like orange juice, everything. My swollen painful eyes which had been an increasingly severe problem no longer look bulgy or feel sore. I'm feeling like a whole person for once and not just like I'm hungover all the time.

With that 5 day testimonial out of the way I'd like to understand more about why this is likely working for me so I can be aware of the right things as I go along. The way I use the baking soda is mixing 1 tsp with 2 TABLESPOONS of apple cider vinegar which I then mix with a cup of water - does this cancel out a CO2 benefit since the reaction is happening before I ingest it or does it still contain a good amount of CO2? Could it be primarily the sodium helping me, either via metabolism or direct antibiotic effect? Is it the alkalization? The ACV isn't a new factor as I consume lots of that every day, usually added to salads and soups.

I don't want to be overly optimistic after such a short amount of time but I don't see baking soda trumpeted all that much on here relatively speaking despite it being an official Peat Friendly Substance, perhaps because it's deceptively cheap and simple. So any discussion on the subject is welcome.
I'm also trying this and hope that it'll help with my acne. Glad to hear it's clearing up yours.
 

benaoao

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How does baking soda raise stomach acid?

My understanding is it triggers an “acid rebound” so to speak so you get more stomach acid than before.

Low stomach acid is crazy common in fact. I’m moving it up to the number one priority for health, right there with thyroid.

The Truth About Stomach Acid

^ to read again and again...

Hair Loss From Low Stomach Acid

^ and this one too. Gosh what a pandora box.

I’m going to supplement Betain HCl. Also add baking soda in to my preworkout mix around 5pm. Looking forward to improvements in a matter of weeks. Digestion has always been bad in my family.
 
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yerrag

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I've seen positive effects on me using baking soda, but only at 4g/day spread over three meals, taking it after each meal diluted in water. I didn't want to take more out of the fear of the unknown. Still, after about two weeks of using it, my urine was able to reach a pH of 8. I stopped there and then, not knowing what would happen if I increased the dosage. I still don't know the consequences of long term usage.

But after I stopped taking it, my blood pressure went up, and I'm thinking of going back to the dosage I had. High blood pressure is my problem, and I see some benefit to using baking soda as far as blood pressure is concerned. It lowered my blood pressure, but increased my metabolism. Using it, I am seeing heart rate in the 80s, and without it I am usually in the mid 60s to low 70s. I believe the bicarbonate is making more CO2 available in the blood, while the sodium (without the acidic chloride anion) is helping increase the alkalinity of blood (as well as the extracellular fluids).

I was concerned at first that the excess bicarbonates could cause a case of metabolic or non-respiratory imbalance, which in extreme excess would make it hard for the kidney to excrete in urine in a timely manner, creating an emergency situation. It may well happen for people with serious acid-base disorders, and because they could happen, there is the fear that if it could happen, baking soda should be avoided. Simply put, it is in the same category as a playground see-saw or swing, which we are seeing less and less of because it could cause a child to fall and break his head. Just because it could alarms bells should sound when these things show up in our life.

If you have a pair of kidneys and a pair of lungs that are functional, and a fairly healthy liver, I don't think using baking soda will create an emergency situation. The lungs are quick to respond to imbalances by decreasing or increasing breathing rates, but the kidneys and liver are slower to act. The fear resides in how fast the liver and kidneys react to excess bicarbonate. When it comes to bicarbonate, the liver doesn't have to do anything, and so does not represent a bottleneck in reacting to excess bicarbonate. It is up to the kidneys to deal with excess bicarbonate. The kidneys immediately excrete excess bicarbonates. So there is no issue here.

In contrast, when there is excess acid in the blood, there is a delayed response because the liver has to produce ammonia to pair up with chlorides and sulfates, for example, and it could take days for the liver to produce enough ammonia so that the kidneys can excrete ammonium sulfate or ammonium chloride. The delay, it seems, has to do with excess acid in the blood, and not with excess bicarbonates.

@haidut @Travis @aguilaroja @Amazoniac please correct my explanation if I'm not explaining things well here. I'm just picking these things up as I go along and I could be getting it all wrong.

However, I don't see baking soda as a long term solution. It helps keep things in order but it's still there to fix an issue. If your lifestyle is causing you to have issues such as acid-base disorders, you need to change that lifestyle instead of relying on baking soda to compensate for the things you're not doing correctly.
 

Xisca

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I would quickly do a hair test in order to know what is your current level of tissues sodium! The ratios it makes are super important.

You dont want rebound effects later...

You will be able to retest and compare. If you are not in the US, TEI will be an easier lab to work with.

How this works seems still a mistery but I think it is the bicarb.

I would take bitter greens before breakfast for acid. Then betain at meals and the bicarb 2 hours after or when feeling digestion goes on.

Páncreas help! It does produce bicarb but not just when we eat. So baking soda helps it.

Then I would absolutely take zero carbs at protein meals as carbs jnterfere with protein digestion, reducing our phosphorus levels and thus fuckng up calcium to phosphorus ratio...

For swollen eyes and sleep, up the head of the bed 15 cms. Not pillow but whole bed.
 

SOMO

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I would not take Baking Soda with protein TOGETHER.

I think it's pretty clear that Baking Soda + Protein (meat or probably even milk) WILL neutralize your stomach acid.

I believe waiting at least 2 hours after you eat a protein-containing meal to ingest baking soda is prudent.
 

yerrag

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I would not take Baking Soda with protein TOGETHER.

I think it's pretty clear that Baking Soda + Protein (meat or probably even milk) WILL neutralize your stomach acid.

I believe waiting at least 2 hours after you eat a protein-containing meal to ingest baking soda is prudent.

That makes sense. I was doing it not feeling any effect, but it's better to be on the side of caution. Thanks.
 

EIRE24

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Doing this after my meals is stopping the acid reflux and the regurgitation. Works like magic everytime. Mixing the baking soda with the vinegar wont dilute stomach acid that much I dont think.
 

EIRE24

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I would not take Baking Soda with protein TOGETHER.

I think it's pretty clear that Baking Soda + Protein (meat or probably even milk) WILL neutralize your stomach acid.

I believe waiting at least 2 hours after you eat a protein-containing meal to ingest baking soda is prudent.
Baking soda mixed with vinegar is a very different story.
 
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@EIRE24 @benaoao I hope you guys get good results from this.


Glad to read such a cheap and common substance is making a difference improving your well being.
User Haidut posted a study of baking soda (about 2 grams a day) helping on rheumatoid arthritis. It basically says it lowers inflammation (in the whole body), maybe you had inflammation in a certain part (or several) of the body that were really hurting the whole system.
Also it's sodium content might help with thyroid but I'm not so sure on it
I did see that haidut post. I'm sure I have a lot of inflammation so if it can be conceptualized that simply so much the better in my mind.
I also find that salt in general makes me feel better (it's probably been the biggest clue thus far and moved me to try the baking soda) so it's possible it's as simple as this being the only way I can get so much sodium into my body (trying to supplement table salt = instant tummy troubles).
It seems weird to need so much salt but I suppose if it's compensating for hypothyroid or sort of just pickling my insides so pathogenic bacteria can't thrive, that could explain it.

Would be great if someone would do a review of literature comparing historical uses of just baking soda, just vinegar, and just their combination. This isn't clear to me either.
I'm curious too. I've seen a lot of testimonials online about baking soda and vinegar together, but since it doesn't seem that the mechanism of action is clear I don't know if the vinegar is actually extraneous, harmful, necessary, how the ratios should be determined etc.
High blood pressure is my problem, and I see some benefit to using baking soda as far as blood pressure is concerned. It lowered my blood pressure, but increased my metabolism. Using it, I am seeing heart rate in the 80s, and without it I am usually in the mid 60s to low 70s. I believe the bicarbonate is making more CO2 available in the blood, while the sodium (without the acidic chloride anion) is helping increase the alkalinity of blood (as well as the extracellular fluids).

......

@haidut @Travis @aguilaroja @Amazoniac please correct my explanation if I'm not explaining things well here. I'm just picking these things up as I go along and I could be getting it all wrong.

However, I don't see baking soda as a long term solution. It helps keep things in order but it's still there to fix an issue. If your lifestyle is causing you to have issues such as acid-base disorders, you need to change that lifestyle instead of relying on baking soda to compensate for the things you're not doing correctly.

Thanks for your thoughts. It's interesting because I tend toward low blood pressure but it seems to normalize my blood pressure and heart rate as well.

On the latter point, I strongly suspect that I just have some congenital deficiencies that I will always have to cope with. I manage my lifestyle to a greater and healthier degree than the vast majority of the human population. I disagree with the sentiment on this board that some kind of profound healing is always possible and will settle for management if it's available. Neither of my parents are healthy, my dad has the lifelong skin issues as well as full blown multiple sclerosis. My mom has serious mental health and addiction problems as well as hypothyroid. My brother has many of the same health issues I do. But I realize people on this board are not generally very into genetic explanations. With that said I'm happy to take baking soda every day for the rest of my life if necessary, as long as the risks are manageable.

I would quickly do a hair test in order to know what is your current level of tissues sodium! The ratios it makes are super important.

You dont want rebound effects later...

You will be able to retest and compare. If you are not in the US, TEI will be an easier lab to work with.

How this works seems still a mistery but I think it is the bicarb.

I would take bitter greens before breakfast for acid. Then betain at meals and the bicarb 2 hours after or when feeling digestion goes on.

Páncreas help! It does produce bicarb but not just when we eat. So baking soda helps it.

Then I would absolutely take zero carbs at protein meals as carbs jnterfere with protein digestion, reducing our phosphorus levels and thus fuckng up calcium to phosphorus ratio...

For swollen eyes and sleep, up the head of the bed 15 cms. Not pillow but whole bed.
Can anyone else weigh in on the hair test thing? Is this the philosophy of that one guy who got banned from here (forget his name)? I couldn't find conclusive evidence that this is a rabbit hole I should go down. I don't normally like getting involved in overly esoteric data driven stuff, I find it to be a waste of time as symptoms are far more actionable and if the data told me to stop doing something that made me feel normal, I still wouldn't stop.

Betaine HCL never helped me, if anything it made me feel worse. I also took high doses of Digest Gold and that didn't have a significant impact although it seemed to give a slight boost and my joints felt a bit better (however not worth the considerable expense).

The kind of swollen eyes I'm describing are more of a Grave's disease style bulging, but not as extreme (my TSH is normal if not great at ~3.1 and this has been going on since before and while being on thyroid supplement), I think it might be related to histamine for me but it's something that is an issue mainly when I eat starch, goes away to some degree when I eat low carb. I also get eye floaters and astigmatism that worsens or lessens accordingly. Since avoiding starch hasn't really been possible for me for other reasons I've been just living with the eye problems.
Doesn't Peat say the complete opposite?
Wondering the same thing here, Ray recs against protein on its own due to insulin.
 
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DDK

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@artist It is surprising all the supps you tried with no success and something as simple as BS + Vinegar is having these miraculous effects. I wonder if it is the massive amount of sodium or some other effect from the BS? Since it would be hard on the GI tract to get this much sodium from salt, I wonder if it's simply the sodium content of the BS. You should try supplementing with sodium pills/tablets for a total of 12g sodium, same as what you're getting from the BS, and see if you see the same benefits?
 

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