Acid Alkaline Balance In Your Body, And Why It Matters

        Our body is a complex organism, to say the least. With regards to the acid/alkaline balance in our bodies, you have to incorporate various formats of mathematics, as well as several aspects of chemistry, along with biology, physiology and anatomy. Despite my desire to say, “I'm going to keep this simple”, it's simply not possible. So I'm going to delve into the anatomy, basic chemical principals, biochemistry, organic chemistry and several other elements what it is going to take to really explain what is PH, what creates acid & alkaline environments in our bodies, how it affects our internal health, and what we can do as herbalists to help keep this alkaline/acid balance at an optimal level for body function.

        PH levels are discussed all the time, and we discuss them as if we understand that, yeah, we have to keep those PH levels balanced, or something is going to go wrong.. Well if you think about it, what are we dealing with when our bodies force us to examine if our PH levels are in check? Most likely, bodily discomfort, and oftentimes, some kind of infection. A yeast infection, bacterial infection, but some sort of pain or discomfort. But what is PH? How many hands are up in the room when that question is posed... out of all of the people who have at some point, talked about PH balance and how important it is, or how much damage it can do if it's out of whack? I'd say.. not a lot. And it takes a thinking cap to really get a grasp on it, it's potential for hydrogen (PH). So.. please tell me how this works. (deep breath)

        Let me just start by telling a little story. I was at Natural Grocers some time ago, and I picked up a book called Alkalize or Die. It featured a photo of a waterfall on the top, and of a dried up stump of what was once a tree, it's dead roots almost peeking up above the ground, saying “help me, I'm thirsty.... I'm... dying here!!”. This was all I needed to know. I love water, am a water baby. Here I am in the desert, feeling a little bit like that tree, and I said “I have to buy this book”. I had known a bit about acid/alkaline in the past, for example I knew that drinking coffee was slowly drying up the minerals in my bones (so I had read and/or been told) and that I would most likely have to pay for it eventually. Although denial is easy when you are physically in good condition, and coffee is a sick twisted addiction I have had since I can remember. My awareness of this impending reality was looming over me, as I am getting older, and oh, yeesh, yeah I am talking like one of those adults to younger people, warning them “hey, take care of yourself now, stop thinking you are going to live forever”, yadda yadda. Yeah, I have become one of those people. So it was inevitable that the reality would slide right under me, and I would end up in some serious pain if I didn't approach this with a serious mind-set. My joints were kind of aching, I was holding onto weight much more than I ever had in the past, I was serioulsy moving more slowly. Hanging out with a bunch of classmates in their 20s didn't help keep me in denial about all of this. What in the world? Ahhh, the indulgence of your youth. They know not why it takes me 2 days to recover from a night if I stay out past 12. I am at the check-out line and the cashier takes one look at my book and started a conversation with me about it. “You know, they have PH strips here, you can test your PH levels with those.”

“Do they work?” I asked.

“Yeah they are really good, and they aren't that expensive”. It made me kind of uncomfortable, since I always feel that it is so rude if an employee tells you something will be of use to you, and you just say, “cool, thanks for your advice,” but  you're an idiot and I don't find your advice helpful. I'll just ignore it, thanks... “. Maybe not rational, but I just hate to say, I choose to ignore your advice, even though you work here, took the time to recommend something, and really know your products well. So, on to his story. One day, he woke up with burns all over his body, and he had no idea what they were from. He went to the doctor, and found out that it was his own sweat that had burned his skin. His sweat was SO ACIDIC, that it burned his own skin. Wow, that is how powerful it is when your body is too acidic. It can wreak havoc on your body in so many ways, and this seemingly "X-File" like story is just one of those ways. He had to get on an alkalizing regimen pronto.. and he did so, and it saved his life, so he knows, there is something very important that I am going to discover while reading this book.

        PH is potential for hydrogen. Hydrogen creates an acid-forming reaction in the body. The PH levels are a measure of how much acid is in the body, with regards to how much alkaline is available in the body, to neutralize the acid. Here's where it gets a bit confusing. The lower the the number on the PH scale, the MORE acidic your body is, and the higher the number, the more alkaline. The reason for this is the way the PH is calculated, and how Danish chemist Soren Peder Lauritz Sorensen, decided to modify the number to create the scale. Concentrations of hydrogen ions are measured in moles per liter (moles = measurment of molecular weight). Because hydrogen is one of the lightest substances known to man, the resulting measurement is almost always a fraction, and thus is measured in tenths. Water, in it's purest state (distilled, without any positive or negative ions, meaning, without any molecule structures altering it's purity) is going to be a 7 on the acid/alkaline scale. 7 is neutral, neither acid nor alkaline. The way this is written is 0.0000001. 1/7. or 10 to the negative seventh. To make the acid/alkaline scale, scientists decided to remove the 10 and the negative, since it is always a negative number, and it is understood that each measurement is a tenth from one whole number to the next. Because of this, even though the concentration of hydrogen is higher in acid conditions, the number is lower. And from a PH level of 6 to 7 it is ten times the level of acidity or alkalinity. A 7 is ten times as alkaline as a 6. The scale is from 0 (most acid) to 14 (most alkaline). I have seen extremely acid forming substances with a rating as low as 0.5 but most common foods, herbs and beverages  rate no higher than a 7.5. 

        So what is hydrogen and why is it so damaging? Well, hydrogen is the 3^rd most abundant element found on the earth's surface, making up 75% of normal matter by mass and over 90% by number of atoms. When combined with other elements, it forms a compound, such as water, when it is combined with oxygen (H20), two hydrogen atoms combined with 1 oxygen atom. Hydrogen is acid in nature, and in the body, is acid producing. Bicorbonate is the alkaline counter-part that neutralizes the acid that hydrogen creates, and they are constantly working within the body in various ways to keep the body's PH at a healthy level. To get a little deeper, hydrogen is a positive ion (acid-producing) and bicarbonate is a negative ion (alkaline). The alkaline elements, also known as the “base” are distributed in the body at various stages throughout the metabolic process, in order to balance the acidity created during other stages. The base elements (alkaloids), or “negative ions” receive the acid elements “positive ions” and neutralize them. However, the problem arises when the alkaloid reserves are getting over-used.

        Our diets are more acid producing than alkaline. The PH balance in our blood is self-stabilized by the process I just outlined, at a range between 7.365 and 7.45. If our blood PH levels were anywhere outside of this small range, our bodies would be too acid or alkaline to sustain itself and the organism (we, the people) would die. But within this small range, being on the side of acid, rather than the side of alkaline, can be of enormous consequence. It's what we eat, what we drink, how we think, how much we exercise, how much positive vs. negative “energy” we have in our mind/body and around us.. several factors that contribute to how alkaline or acid our bodies are.

        Here's why it matters: every single thing we put into our bodies (even on our bodies: makeup, skin & bath products) on a daily basis, creates either an acid or alkaline reaction in our bodies. Most of the American diet (and the diets of other Westernized countries, that follow our lead as a nation) is acid-forming. After food or drinks go into our mouth, immediately the process of acid/alkaline balancing goes into effect. Certain enzymes in our saliva, aside from breaking down the food and making it digestible, also alkalize whatever we have in our mouths, even before it gets down our throats. The stomach must maintain a very acidic environment in order to break down the foods we eat. Gastric juices containing hydrochloric acid can have a PH as low as 2.5 (highly acidic). Bile is then excreted by the liver into the duodenum, to help break down fats, and that's when the bicarbonate comes in, to counterbalance all of this acid. A hormone called secretin stimulates the secretion of bicarbonate and water by the ductal epithellial cells, and then the remaining matter is alkaline enough to enter the small intestines. While the body's waste is on the way out, the kidneys excrete even more bicarbonate into the system, to alkalize the uric and sulfuric acid prior to urination. But did you ever feel like your urine was stinging you or “hot”? That's too much acid. Even the kidneys couldn't excrete enough alkaline into the system to counterbalance the over-acidity. Perfect example of why YOU have to be a part of it all, and not just leave it to your body to “take care of things”.

        But when you don't make an effort to keep your intake alkaline-forming, the body has to work overtime to neutralize the acids. Keep in mind, the majority of what you eat and drink are acid-forming, and inevitably the alkaline reserves start to run out. Your body can only neutralize the over-acidity for so long without getting the proper amount of alkaline forming ingested matter before it starts weakening, and that is what causes acid build-up. The acids begin to building up in your body tissue, beginning the process of degeneration (and inflammation). Also, an overly acidic state creates free radicals, that begin to attack your body on a cellular level. Scared yet? This is why researchers are linking over-acidity to all kinds of degenerative diseases and acute conditions. In an acid state, your body is more vulnerable, more prone to infection, disease, and disorder. As a result, the consensus of pro-acid/alkaline balance reasoning is that: one must be constantly contributing to the alkaline balance in your body in order to maintain good health. Alkalize or die.

        The state of over-acidity in the body has a term: Chronic low-grade Metabolic Acidosis. Basically, the lower your PH is, the more trouble you are in. Anything over a 7 is alkaline, and anything under a 7 is acid. Most people in a Western society are somewhere between a 5-6. This measurement is not a blood alkaline level, of course. If this were a measurement of your blood PH levels, everyone within this range would be dead, scientifically speaking. According to The Acid Alkaline Food Guide, by Dr. Susan E. Brown and Larry Trivieri, Jr, Your ideal PH balance, measured by testing urine with PH strips first thing in the morning, would be between 6.5-7.5. The PH tests that you can buy from health food stores, and other specialty stores or websites, are measuring the PH in urine or saliva. This is the PH level of our bodily secretions. This tells us if our body is too alkaline or acid (within the range that our blood maintains in order to keep us alive). How do you know if your body is too acid or alkaline? PH strips are an excellent indicator, but have to be used to exact the most accurate measurement available, and that would be simply to use them first thing in the morning, over the course of several weeks. The reasoning for this is that while you are asleep, the kidneys are doing their daily work of neutralizing the acid in your body fluids, so that the first urination of the day, prior to eating or drinking anything that might change the PH of your bodily excretions (saliva, sweat & urine) will be the most accurate. Then, over the course of two weeks, you can see an average, or see that it is the same each day.. and be quite sure that this is the PH that your body is working with. If you are below a 7, which the vast majority of people will be, your body condition is too acid. That means your body is storing acid tissue waste, your immune system is in a compromised state, and it may be affecting your muscle tissue.

        Chronic low grade acidosis, even in the mildest form, can lead to the break down of muscle tissue, and this is why: in order to rescue the body from an acid state, muscle tissue begins to break down in order to obtain glutamine. Glutamine is an amino acid that the body uses to produce ammonia, an alklaine base that can help restore the body's acid/alkaline balance. Losing muscle? Just one of the effects of your body being too acidic. Some others? Here's how having too much acid in your body and not enough alkaline through consumption, and your body simply cannot compensate for this enough.. Because this acid state can lead to all kinds of health problems, creating weaknesses at the cellular level and exposing the body to toxins, and making it more vulnerable to disease, the possibilities are countless. It is similar to not getting enough sleep, or enough exercise, or drinking too much alcohol.. the possibilities are endless with regards to what can go wrong when you don't take care of what you have .. But here are some of the most common:

        Loss of calcium in the urine, the dissolution of bone, and as a result, osteoporosis, increased levels of the blood parathyroid hormone, that can cause bones to become brittle and to fracture, loss of potassium and magnesium, and resulting hypertension and inflammation, breakdown of proteins that cause muscle wasting and hastening of age-related muscle mass loss, lowers the body's ability to metabolize proteins, causing the body to be unable to repair cells, tissues and organs, irritation of urinary tract and bladder, which, along with the body's inability to repair tissue effectively, can lead to painful and frequent urination, suppression of growth hormone, insulin like growth factor, and other pituitary hormones, resulting again in limited capacity to restore damaged tissue and hormone dysfunction, accelerated aging, increased risk of kidney stones, increased production of free radicals (unstable molecules that cause cellular damage), greater oxidation of free radicals and impaired activity of antioxidants, weakening of connective tissue from free radical damage, disrupted balance of intestinal bacteria, causing digestive dysfunction, encouragement of growth & spread of naturally occurring yeast and fungi, which thrive in an acid environment, creates fertile breeding ground for viruses, including HIV which can only live in an acidic environment that is low in antioxidants, weakened mental capacity, increased acidity in the mouth, leading to high levels of bacteria in the mouth & increased dental decay and gum disease, low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) and chronic overproduction of cortisol (a stress hormone), impaired liver function, resulting in a build-up of toxins in the body and low blood phosphorous levels, leading to conditions such as anemia, muscle weakness and loss of appetite.

        Impaired cellular function is one your body's biggest dangers. This, and the production of free radicals, and making the body less able to protect itself against those disease causing free radicals, make us susceptible to anything and everything. But there is a lot of research being done and books being published linking cancer to acidosis. Cancer, along with so many other diseases, it is argued, cannot live in or thrive in an alkaline environment. Furthermore, free radical damage being so clearly linked to cancer, it is impossible not to see the connection. Prevention first.

        So, what can you do to make your body more alkaline? As the saying goes, you are what you eat. So we start with what we decide to put in our mouths. As an herbalist, I am going to discuss, what herbs we can take to alkalize our system as well, as drinking herbal teas, or cooking with herbs that are alkalizing can be of great use when trying to create.. and then maintain a proper acid/alkaline balance.

        The rule is.. 80/20. Try to consume 80% alkalizing foods/beverages throughout the course of your day, and 20% acid forming. Oh, how we despise those strict rules. But it's really not that hard. You would be surprised as to what foods are on the list of alkaline forming foods. First, let me just say what minerals are alkalizing, because that will help anyone to understand, and become familiar with what foods are alkalizing and how it works. Alkalizing minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Iron and Manganese. On the contrary, minerals that cause an acid reaction in the body are: Phosphorous, Sulphur, Chlorine, Iodine, Bromine, Flourine, Copper, and Silicon. So it stands to reason, that food/drinks that contain high quantities of alkalizing minerals are alkalizing to the body, and on the flip side, acid forming minerals are acid-forming.

         Most average people do not think that much about what minerals are in which foods, but to become familiar with these qualities would be helpful. That way, you not only know, but understand why what you are consuming is creating this bodily response. The same would apply to herbs: alkalizing herbs are plants that contain high amounts of the trace minerals that alkalize the body, therefore, any herbs that are high in Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Iron or Manganese will have an alkalizing effect. The ones that contain more than one, or even several of the above-mentioned minerals are going to be your alkaline powerhouse herbs. Sea Vegetables and herbs high in Chlorophyll contain extremely high levels of alkalizing minerals, and that can be another way to identify what will work best to alkalize your system, and reverse acidosis. Chlorophyll and blood are have an almost identical chemical makeup, the only difference between the two being the center of the molecule. Therefore, anything that contains high amounts of chlorophyll will be fortifying to the blood and alkalizing to the body. Such herbs include: Cleavers, Chickweed, Alfalfa, Nettles, Oregano, Sage, Tulsi, Dandelion leaf, Red Clover, Chives, Cilantro, Mint, Bay Leaves, Dill, and pretty much any other green (especially dark green) aerial parts. It is no coincidence that most of these herbs are also high in several of the alkalizing minerals. Also important for an alkaline environment are vitamins A (beta-carotene), B vitamins and vitamin C. Herbs that are high in these vitamins will also alkalize the body. Cleavers in particular is indicated in the book “Making Plant Medicine” By herbalist Richo Cech, specifically for the condition of “hyperacidity” of the diet.

        When you take these herbs, you contribute to the alkaline reserves in your body, and begin to build them back up, and in the process, the body rids itself of acid waste that has built up in the tissues, and toxins come pouring out of your body. You are strengthening your system, and herbs should be used from everything from cooking, to making teas, creams, lotions, soaps and anything you put in your body or on your skin, not only to treat conditions that have already arisen & caused from inflammation, pain & discomfort to severe malfunctions of body systems.. but for PREVENTION. The key to good health and balance and the thought behind acid/alkaline balance is prevention and/or reversal of disease once it has already set in.

        According to diet and nutrition writer David Wolfe, alkalizing super-herbs include: Reishi, ginseing, shizandra berry, tulsi, ashwaganda, pau d' arco, shatavari, cats claw, nettle, passionflower, and all seaweeds.

Aside from greens high in alkaline trace minerals and containing chlorophyll, roots are another source of alkaline forming plant matter. Burdock Root seems to be the staple root that one encounters while researching how to alkalize using herbs. Why is this so? It contains high amounts of alkalizing vitamins A (beta carotene), C and B vitamins, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium, Manganese and Selenium. Burdock also helps rid the body of acids through stimulating the flow of urine (diuretic) and sweat (diaphoretic). Additionally, it is known to counter the process of oxidation (free radical damage) to cellular structures, which is one of the detriments of acid overload. Here is a list of other roots that are known for their alkalizing effect on the system are ginger, dandelion, turmeric, licorice, and rhodiola.

        Some books offer actual PH level measurements of certain herbs. The ones I have encountered, and are considered alkalizing (despite some of their lower numbers) are listed below:Cayenne, Agar Agar (sea vegetable): 7.0, Alfalfa: 6.5, Garlic, Agave, Chives, Cilantro, Marjoram, Red Clover, Mint, Sage, Spearmint, Bay Leaves, Rosemary: 6.0

Basil, Celery Seed, Dill, Sage, Tarragon, Caraway Seed: 5.5, Comfrey, Ginger Root: 5.5

Oregano, Ginseng, Cloves, Coriander, Cumin, Curry powder, Fennel seed, paprika: 5.0

Anise, cinnamon: 4.5

        I would like to also address other various issues with regards to making medicines and their relation to acid/alkaline balance. We make herbal products to use externally using several substances, from oils to emulsifiers, and internally from glycerin to alcohol to vinegar (aside from water). It would take a long time to address the acid/alkaline properties of everything that we can and do use to make all of these products, so I will discuss the most common. For almost everything we make for skin care, we use various oils. Like foods, every oil has its own rating in terms of how acid or alkaline-forming it is. The majority of oils are either mildly alkalizing (an a scale from mild/medium/high) or mildly acidic. Mildly alkalizing oils include: Ghee, Avocado, Coconut, Cod Liver, Flaxseed, Macadamia Nut, Olive and Evening Primrose. , Mildly acid-forming include Safflower, Sesame, Sunflower, and most vegetable oils. Not every oil that we commonly use is covered here, these are the ones I have seen statistics about. Moderately acid-forming oils include: peanut oil & soybean oil. And extremely acid-forming includes cottonseed oil. Your skin does absorb the oils and will make a slight contribution to your acid/alkaline balance, or course depending on quantity used and how often. However, what is absorbed through your skin, cannot compare with what you swallow. So, regarding what we swallow, our forms of internal medicine: namely tinctures, considering this is the most common way to take herbs internally other than in tea or capsule form. And with regards to capsules, the vegetarian gelatin capsules you can buy at the herb or health-food store, are extremely alkalizing. Who would have known? So that takes care of that. 
        So.. tinctures. Alcohol is one of the most acid-forming substances that a person can ingest. But my opinion on this, is that the quantity of alcohol you are ingesting when taking a tincture is not enough to make a huge difference to your acid/alkaline equation. Especially if the tincture is of a very alkalizing herb, it is not something worth concerning oneself about. That said, apple cider vinegar is extremely alkalizing (umemboshi vinegar being the only vinegar more alkalzing), so making an acetum, when trying to alkalize your system, is optimal. Honey is mildly acidic, not extremely, but considering that an acid state opens you up to all kinds of yeast and fungal infections, which feed on sugar, I would avoid using oxymels. Glycerin has a neutral PH, averaging 7 on the scale, and so is perfectly okay to use in bath & body products, as well as glycerin tinctures. I would avoid anything honey based in general; syrups, electuaries, etc. and if you want to sweeten anything, instead I would advise using molasses, which is quite alkalizing and extremely high in Iron, and preserves well without refrigeration, or stevia, which is highly alkalizing as well.

        It is also important to know what external factors play into our bodies being more acid or alkaline. Even when it comes to what we consume, there are factors that influence those things that occur when being grown or raised for consumption. Factors such as GMOs, pesticides, exposure to electromagnetic toxicity. For example, when one consumes meat, they are not just eating the flesh of an animal, what they are also taking into the body are things such as hormones and other unhealthy substances that are given to animals raised for slaughter, in order to speed up their growth, make them fatter, and other ways to alter animals in order to make them tastier to us, and maximize profits. Add to that all sorts of vaccinations or various substances that are poisonous to the human body in order to prevent them from getting sick. Then consider the fear and anxiety hormones that are released on a regular basis, especially prior to slaughter.. which not only create an acid-state in the animal, but is then passed on to the consumer & integrated into our bodies through consumption. Meats are also commonly artificially colored with acid-forming chemicals. Red meat is dyed with sodium nitrate, which gives it it's red hue. 

        The fear and anxiety of animals we eat is not the only thing causing us harm; In similar fashion, our own emotions can influence acid/alkaline production in the body. It is known, that hormones secreted when one feels fear, are acid-producing. Same with anger, and “hot emotions” such as jealousy, or any strong negative emotions. If you look at acidic as being a hot condition, such as it would be in Ayurveda or TCM, think of anger, and how people will describe it as “my blood was boiling”. Those stress related hormones released from the adrenal glands, like cortisol, and pituitary gland, like corticotropin, or ACTH, all cause acidic reactions in the body, sometimes so strong that normally alkalizing things we ingest, simply cannot fight the acid enough to contribute to a more alkaline environment. Fear, anger, and all insecurities (anxiety, jealousy) must be controlled to some degree if one is to maintain an alkaline environment. There are several psychological and environmental factors that also contribute to one's acid/alkaline balance, too many to mention at this time, but meditation, yoga, moderate exercise (not to the point of overextending oneself.. “pushing yourself” makes it acid), breathing exercises (the lungs are one of the most important contributors to maintaining alkalinity, breathing in oxygen that feeds the cells, and breathing out carbon dioxide, which is it's acidic waste product), and anything that calms the mind and calms the body will contribute to a more alkaline state.

        So, aside from herbs that are inherently alkalizing, herbs that could be useful to maintaining an alkaline state would be nervines, and herbs that provide lung support.

Kidneys are also a vital organ in maintaining acid/alkaline balance. In the final stages of digestion and elimination, the kidneys impart bicarbonate and other alkalizing compounds to neutralize “fixed” acids (uric and sulfuric acid) before they are excreted via urination. This is why the kidneys are so important, and kidney health so vital, because too much acidity in the body creates kidney disease, and kidney stones, which is solely a result of acid build-up (that is not being neutralized or excreted). Doesn't this make you want to give your body a break? It does such wonderful things for us, and we don't even have to ask. But we do need to do what is best for it, in order for it to keep on working for us.

To support kidney function as well as alkalize our body, the best herbs would be: juniper berries, nettles, marshmallow, cleavers, uva ursi, and fenugreek.

        When feeling nervous, angry or any of those acidizing “hot emotions”, herbs that offer adrenal support and are calming and/or sedating would be the best. These include: milky oats, rhodiola, passionflower, st john's wort, kava kava, motherwort, skullcap, oatstraw and linden, and hops. Oatstraw is extremely mineral dense and highly alkalizing, as well as passionflower and skullcap. Bach Flower Remedies might be helpful as well.

        To encourage acid waste through urination, a few diuretic herbs that are also alkalizing would be red raspberry leaf, celery seed, cleavers and parsley.

        To promote sweating, another way to for the body to excrete acid waste, diaphoretic herbs such as cayenne, garlic, fennel and ginger.

        To promote salivation sialagogues would be helpful in order to bring out the alkalizing enzyme ptyalin (secreted in the saliva), spilanthes, gentian, blue Flag and bloodroot are good options.

        One question that I want to answer before I finish here, is one of the biggest questions that I had after going through this list of acid/alkaline substances, which is, “why can't we just use sodium bicarbonate to alkalize our systems?” Wouldn't it just be easier to take a small amount of baking soda every day? I searched for the answer and this is why NOT. Sodium bicarbonate is used by our bodies in the course of neutralizing acids, but it is not as effective to use as a dietary measure simply because it does not contain any alkalizing minerals that our bodies need, such as calcium and magnesium. As a result, it can create problems in the body if taken regularly or in too large quantities. For one, it can begin to neutralize stomach acids, which are needed in order to create chyle (the liquid form of food that is carried through the rest of our digestive system). If the stomach acids (HCL, or hydrochloric acid) is neutralized by sodium bicarbonate, it will simply react by producing more, in order to do it's job. Then you are actually creating a situation where you are getting the reverse reaction than what you are looking for. Plus, too much sodium can create high blood pressure. It's best to use any sodium based product in moderation, including sodium itself, and instead use mineral dense foods that may contain sodium, such as seaweeds, but also iron, iodine, and numerous other health promoting sources, plus herbs, edible flowers, and unprocessed, raw, unrefined, non-GMO alkalizing foods.

        In order keep our bodies in a state of optimal health, there are so many things that we have to keep in mind. Our body is such a unique and intricate machine, that has so many things happening at every moment to keep us alive it is truly incredible. And it is also resilient, but fragile. Kind of like a romantic relationship. If you nurture it, it will stay strong, if you don't give it the proper attention it will fall apart. But if you are in love with yourself and have a loving relationship with your body, you can with some time and effort, keep it together for years to come.