Each of us is at war and we don't even know it! The private war we each wage is a daily assault on our body by bacteria, virus, fungus, yeasts, and molds. We have entered what might be referred to as critical mass when it comes to this bacterial warfare onslaught being waged against us by stronger and stronger killer bugs and bad bacteria. Our immune systems are becoming weaker and over-taxed in this war. Even the medical profession's first line of defense (the antibiotic) is becoming less and less effective against resistant new strains being created daily as the bacteria mutate. Since Louis Pasteur discovered the germ theory of disease that states germs are the cause of disease, time has proven him correct. But note Dr. Pasteur's dying words: "The germ is nothing, the inner terrain is everything."

The inner terrain referred to in Dr. Pasteur's statement is now being called our biological terrain and comprises our body's digestive tract, lymph system, blood, urinary tract, interstitial and interstitial fluids. Our bodies are alkaline by design and acid by function. Maintaining proper alkalinity is essential for life, health, and vitality. Simply put - an imbalance of alkalinity creates a condition favorable to the growth of bacteria, yeast and other unwanted organisms. All leading biochemists and medical physiologists have recognized pH (or the acid-alkaline balance) as the most important aspect of a balanced and healthy body. They have long known that the maintenance of an alkaline pH in our tissues and cells is critical to cellular health. In contrast, our digestive tract (except for our normally alkaline mouth) has varying degrees of acid by design, and our urinary tract should be slightly acidic for healthy function.

We live and die at the cellular level. All the cells (billions of them) that make up the human body are slightly alkaline, and must maintain alkalinity in order to function and remain healthy and alive. However their cellular activity creates acid and this acid is what gives the cell energy and function. As each alkaline cell performs its task of respiration, it secretes metabolic wastes, and these end products of cellular metabolism are acid in nature. Although these wastes are used for energy and function, they must not be allowed to build up. One example of this is the often painful lactic acid which is created through exercise. The body will go to great lengths to neutralize and detoxify these acids before they act as poisons in and around the cell, ultimately changing the environment of the cell. Most people and clinical practitioners believe the immune system is the body's first line of defense, but in actuality it is not. It is very important, but more like a very sophisticated clean-up service. We must instead look at the importance of pH balance as the first and major line of defense against sickness and disease and for health and vitality.

If we were to ask "What is killing us?", the answer might be "ACIDOSIS"! It has been demonstrated that an acidic, anaerobic (lacking oxygen) body environment encourages the breeding of fungus, mold, bacteria, and viruses. Let's look at an example. If we were to seal the door to our freezer and then unplug it, come back and open the door in two weeks, what would we find? Mold, bacteria, microscopic bugs. Things will be growing and multiplying. Where did they all come from? They did not sneak in - remember the door was sealed. The answer is . . . "they were always there". It is simply that the environment changed to a more inviting and healthy one for the "critters" to live in. This can be likened to a shift in our biological terrain from a healthy oxygenated, alkaline environment to an unhealthy anaeorbic acidic environment. You see what is healthy for us is unhealthy for the body attackers and what is healthy for them is what is unhealthy for our body.

A state of acidosis is simply the lack of oxygen and available calcium which the body uses to maintain its alkaline balance. Calcium makes up 1.6% of our body weight. It is literally the human glue that holds the body together. Calcium is so biochemically active that it has been likened to an octopus. A calcium ion can hold onto seven other molecules while it grabs onto one molecule of water. No other ion can do this. And it is the right size to easily get in and out of the human cell. As it does this, it takes a chain of nutrients into the cell and then leaves to get more nutrients.

The biggest problem scientists have found is that over time the human body becomes depleted of calcium. A compound called mono-ortho-calcium phosphate is the chemical buffer for the blood. This buffer maintains the alkaline level (or the lack of acidity) in your blood. Without it you would die. If the acidity level of your blood changes even slightly you die immediately. But in order to supply enough calcium for buffering we must have enough calcium being absorbed from our diet or our body will simply rob the needed calcium from our bones and teeth. The more acidic we become, the harder it is for oxygen to be present, so our biological terrain also becomes more anaerobic. Without adequate oxygenation, unfriendly bacteria, viruses, molds, and fungus can live and prosper. Then our cells cannot carry on their life-giving functions in a very efficient manner because our biological chemical reactions need oxygen.

Life and death are in the biological terrain and the battle cry here is to reclaim your biological terrain. This is so important that some practitioners working with the inner biological terrain and its implications to the health of our bodies are beginning to say "There are no specific diseases, only specific disease conditions, and there is only one disease. And that one disease is acidosis."

The human body is very intelligent. As we become more and more acidic the body starts to set up defense mechanisms to keep the damaging acid from entering our vital organs. It is known that acid gets stored in fat cells. After all, if the acid does come into contact with an organ the acid has a chance to eat holes in the tissue. This may cause the cells to mutate. The oxygen level drops in this acidic environment and calcium begins to be depleted. So as a defense mechanism, your body may actually make fat to protect you from your overly-acidic self. Those fat cells and cellulite deposits may actually be packing up the acid and trying to keep it a safe distance from your organs. The fat may be saving your vital organs from damage. Many people have found that a return to a healthy inner biological terrain helps them to lose excess fat.

Osteoporosis is very confusing for many people. Most people think they can eliminate it by increasing their consumption of milk and dairy products. But in the countries where the consumption of dairy products is very low the instances of osteoporosis is very rare. Osteoporosis is an acidosis problem. As the body becomes more acidic, to protect against the event of heart attack, stroke, illness, or even cancer, the body attempts to remain healthy. So, it steals calcium from the bones, teeth, and tissue. As bone mass becomes depleted, this is what we call osteoporosis. As we saturate the body with calcium this brings the alkaline pH up and drops the acid levels down.

One of the first warning signs of an acidic biological terrain is calcium deposits. A little known fact is that there has never been a scientifically proven association between calcium deposits in the body and nutritional calcium. In fact quite the opposite is found in the results of testing calcium deposits of the body. Calcium deposits come not from dietary calcium but from the structural calcium of our bones and teeth!

So if calcium deposits are forming, we know our inner biological terrain is too acidic. Our dietary intake of calcium is not keeping up with the calcium buffering needed and we are actively pulling calcium from our bones and teeth. It all works like a little train, from the bones to the fluids and cells, to the blood. As our biological terrain becomes acidic, our pH level drops. When this happens we start losing calcium out of the blood, the bones, and the tissues. This is a safety mechanism. Now your biological terrain's oxygen level drops leaving you tired and fatigued, allowing fungus, mold, parasites, bad bacteria, and viral infections to flourish and gain a hold throughout the body. It is interesting to note that you often won't have just some of these invaders. If you have Candida you will likely have bad bacteria, fungus, and parasites because they all flourish in the same terrain.


WHAT ARE THE FIRST THINGS WE CAN DO TO CHANGE ALL THIS?

Call The Wolfe Clinic to order your Personal pH Test Kit. With hundreds of tests in a roll, and the most accurate tester available, you can monitor your entire family's pH on a daily basis.

We must get in there and cleanse the body to get it under control. After it is under control, we have to support the body nutritionally to build new cells. We are in an era of malnutrition because the minerals aren't in the soil and they can't possibly get into our food chain. What we have is lots of food but very little nutrient value in it. I've heard experts comment "if you don't want to take supplements, you haven't got a chance". The quality of the supplements you do decide to take will make all the difference in the world because not all supplements are created equal.

Calcium is the one mineral that can really alkalize your body. It produces the calcium buffering compound Mono-ortho-calcium phosphate which raises your pH (makes your biological terrain more alkaline). There are many ways to keep your body's biological terrain at a healthy alkaline environment. These include:

• eating alkalizing foods including lots of green foods and super foods
  
• limiting our intake of phosphates which bind to calcium and prevent its absorption. Dietary phosphates are commonly found in all carbonated drinks, and in all animal protein.
  
• Adding dietary calcium in the form of supplementation is generally difficult because of our body's inability to absorb and assimilate most forms of commonly available calcium. The best calcium supplement, which is 95% absorbable by the human body is ionic coral calcium.

This all takes time. It is not easy to reverse acidity once we become too acidic. The extreme importance of cellular environment has been mostly overlooked in the past, but has recently been recognized.

Scientists who describe the environment of our cells measure three conditions of certain body fluids - in blood, saliva, and urine:

1. pH- Acid or Alkaline
   
2. Antioxidant power
   
3. Electrical conductivity.

The report that describes the overall environment of your cells based on those measurements, is called your Biological Terrain. The instrument used to test the body fluids is named the Biological Terrain An

alyzer. Scientists have found that when the biological terrain is out of the narrow healthy range, the cells can not perform properly and a person is at a higher risk of contracting a wide spectrum of acute and chronic diseases as well as experiencing physical deterioration and more rapid aging.

During this century, despite many technological advances in our society, we have seen many threatening declines. One of the most obvious and dangerous is the nature of food consumption. Food consumption in our most advanced countries has changed from nutritious raw foods to highly processed foods low in nutritional value. Over 100,000 new chemicals have been introduced to our foods, air, and water. All of these changes have put even greater stresses on our body's innate ability to affect the chemistry of our body fluids, and therefore our Biological Terrain. As a result we see huge increases in the incidence of chronic and life-threatening diseases.

Your logical question at this point is, "How can I adjust and maintain my Biological Terrain in the healthy range?"

Fortunately we now have the ultimate nutraceutical to add to our nutritional arsenal. The addition of the nutraceutical, Microhydrin to your diet is simple and safe. It is not a drug. It is a revolutionary nutritional supplement developed by Drs. Gael and Patrick Flanagan, who are known throughout the world for their long history of contributions to health care. Microhydrin™ is a special form of time-released silica hydride powder. Each molecule has an extra electron. When consumed, it releases much needed electrons into your body, improving the condition of all three characteristics which make up our Biological Terrain.

1. It tends to increase pH-- alkalize body fluids.

2. It is the most powerful antioxidant available.

3. It increases electrical conductivity.

1. INCREASED pH - Pollution, stress and our consumption of highly processed foods tend to create acidic body fluids, a characteristic compatible with certain diseases. All cellular waste, and most internally generated toxins are acidic. Microhydrin increases the pH of your body fluids like no other alkalizing substance available.
   
   
2. INCREASED ANTIOXIDANT POWER - Free radicals are compounds which have lost an electron and which tend to steal electrons from healthy cells, which can cause malignancy, loss of energy, accelerated aging, and other diseases. Damaging free radicals are created by normal activities, but also from contamination of our food, air and water. An antioxidant is a compound that gives up an electron to a free radical, making it harmless. Vitamin C gives up an electron, and becomes a weaker free radical. It then steals an electron from Beta Carotene which becomes a weaker free radical and steals from Vitamin E. Microhydrin, with its extra electron, is the only antioxidant in the world that does not itself become a damaging free radical.
   
   
3. ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY - Water without minerals will not conduct electricity. Messages from cells to other cells are vital to their functions, but will not be transmitted if minerals are inadequate in the body fluids between and inside the cells. Because our soils and the vegetables we eat are often depleted of trace minerals, our body fluids tend to be low in the minerals necessary to transmit vital messages. This can lead to frequent fatigue, poor mental function, and other diseases. Microhydrin increases the electrical conductivity between your cells to promote better overall health.

TOP PRODUCTS FOR PH BALANCING:

Over 200 diseases have been linked to
Calcium Deficiency:

• Cancer

• Diabetes

• Arthritis

• Heart Disease

• Osteoporosis

• Eczema

• Alzheimer's Disease

• Fibromyalgia

• High Cholesterol

• Muscle Cramps

• Kidney Stones

• Gallstones

• Gout

• Indigestion

• Headaches

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Lupus

• Hiatal Hernia

• Hypertension

• ... And Many, Many More

Acidosis (overly acidic body) is the primary indicator of Calcium Deficiency Disease.

At the first mention of acidity and alkalinity, eyes glaze over. After all, these terms sound somewhat scientific, and vague memories of junior high science class and litmus paper changing color may come to mind. However, the balance between acidity and alkalinity, and its importance, can be explained quite simply and should be explained. This balance is essential to good health.

The Basics

Every solution is either acidic or alkaline. (Alkaline is often called "base.") These solutions can be anything from body fluids, such as stomach acid and blood, to beverages, such as wine or coffee, to sea water. Acidity and alkalinity are measured in pH (potential of hydrogen). The pH scale goes from 0 to 14, with 0 the most acidic, and 14 the most alkaline. The pH of stomach acid is 1, wine is 3.5, water is 7 (neutral), venous blood is 7.35, arterial blood is 7.4, sea water is 8.5, and baking soda is 12. Ideally, our pH should stay on the alkaline side: between 7.35 and 7.45.

Keeping our acidity and alkalinity balanced means regulating the hydrogen ion concentration in our body fluids. An acid is a molecule or ion (an ion is an atom that carries a positive or negative electric charge) that can contribute a hydrogen ion to a solution. An alkalizing substance is one that contains a molecule or ion that combines with hydrogen ions to remove them from a solution_it neutralizes acids and acts as a buffer.

The Misconceptions

Foods are classified as acid-forming or alkalizing depending on the effect they have on the body. An acid-forming food contributes hydrogen ions to the body, making it more acidic. An alkalizing food removes hydrogen ions from the body, making it more alkaline. It is important to note that this classification is based on the effect foods have on the body after digestion, not on their own intrinsic acidity or alkalinity (or how they taste to us). A common misconception is that if a food tastes acidic, it has an acid-forming effect on the body. This is not necessarily true. Very often, an acidic-tasting food is alkalizing. Citric fruits are a good example. People say that lemons, for example, are "too acidic"; however, they are actually alkalizing because the minerals they leave behind after digestion help remove hydrogen ions, decreasing the acidity of the body. (Many people use the term "residue" or "ash" to explain the effect of a food on the body. A food with an acid ash after digestion contributes hydrogen ions, making the body more acidic; a food with an alkaline ash after digestion removes hydrogen ions, making the body more alkaline.)

Another misconception is that acid-forming foods are "bad." This is not correct; acidity and alkalinity are opposites and one is not intrinsically better than the other. This misconception has developed because the North American diet is excessively acidic, which does result in health problems.

Common acid-forming foods include processed junk foods and those that are high in animal protein. Some common alkalizing foods are spinach, soybeans, raisins, carrots, and most citrus fruits.

The Problem

Looking at this short list of acid-forming and alkalizing foods, you can see where the problem lies. North Americans eat considerably more acid-forming foods than alkalizing foods. Unfortunately, too much acid can cause health problems. According to well-known naturopath Paavo Airola in his book "How to Get Well", Acidosis, or over-acidity in the body tissues, is one of the basic causes of diseases, especially the arthritic and rheumatic diseases."

Others concur with Airola. Speaking of the acidity of a high-fat, high-sugar diet, Michael Colgan, in The New Nutrition, says, "Acidosis destroys bones, because the body has to steal alkalizing minerals from them, to keep the blood pH from dropping into the acid range _ " Dr. Mary Ruth Swope, in Green Leaves of Barley, comments, "We have become too full of acid and, as a result, are experiencing a wide range of diseases that flourish in the acid medium." Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara, in Green Barley Essence, mentions that, "Should this balance [acid and alkaline] be upset, the cell metabolism suffers, leading to conditions such as fatigue."

Common symptoms of an unbalanced pH include heartburn (a burning sensation in the stomach and acid-tasting burps), bloating, belching, and feeling full after eating small amounts of food. Other symptoms could include insomnia, water retention, migraines, constipation with diarrhea, fatigue, a burning sensation on the tongue and in the mouth, and halitosis.

The Solution

Eat a diet that helps your body maintain the correct acidity-alkalinity balance. According to Airola, the ideal diet should have a natural ratio of four parts alkaline to one part acid. Others contend that while this a good ratio for active people (exercise creates a lot of acid), less active people can handle a diet with a ratio of two parts alkaline to one part acid.

Further Reading

Colbin, Annemarie. 1986. Food and Healing. New York: Ballantine (Pp. 73-80).

Hagiwara, Yoshihide, M.D. 1985. Green Barley Essence. New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing, Inc. (Pp. 50-58).

Murray, Frank. "Unless you Balance Acidity, your muscles may become tense." Better Nutrition, March 1996.

Swope, Mary Ruth. 1990. Green Leaves of Barley Phoenix, AZ: Swope Enterprises, Inc. (Pp. 99-109).

(Do NOT take Cocaine, Amphetamines, Coffee, Nicotine, Alcohol, or lots of Sugar. These make your Blood pH....Acidic.)

What ARE "ACID-FORMING" Foods ?
Acid forming foods include: * asparagus, barley, beans (dried), beechnuts, BEEF, BREAD, buckwheat, BUTTER, cashew nuts, Cereals, CHEESE, chestnuts, Chicken, CHOCOLATE, clams, cod liver oil, Cottage Cheese, Cornmeal, cottonseed meal, cow peas, crab, cream, EGGS, farina, FISH, FLOUR, frog legs, Halibut, HAM, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, hominy, HONEY, horseradish, Jello, kohlrabi, lamb, lentils, lobster, mackerel, Macaroni, maple syrup, Margarine, MEATS, mussels, Mushrooms, OATS, pasta, peanuts, Peas, pecans, pistachios, pomegranate, PORK, prunes, quinces, Rice, rutabagas, Rye, sauerkraut, SALMON, scallops, smelt, smoked herring, sole, spaghetti, SUGAR, syrups, tapioca, turkey, walnuts, WHEAT, wheat germ & WINE.

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What is a list of foods that increase alkalinity in the blood?
Alkaline forming foods include: * agar, ALFALFA(sprouts), almonds, APPLES(apple cider), apricots, artichokes, BANANAS, beets, beet tops, blackberries, blueberries, BROCCOLI (did you eat yours?), Brussel sprouts, burdock, cabbage, cantaloupe, carob, CARROTS, cauliflower, CELERY, celeriac, chard, cherries, chives, COCONUT, CRANBERRIES, cucumbers, currants (fresh), dandelion greens, DATES, dill, dock, endive, figs (dried), flaxseed, GARLIC, GRAPES, Grapefruit, greenbeans (fresh), guava, huckleberries, Irish moss, KELP, kohlrabi, leeks, LEMONS, lettuce, LIMA BEANS (fresh), limes, loganberries, loquats, mango, MELONS, millet, mint, molasses, mulberries, muskmelons, mustard greens, nectarines, okra, Olives, olive oil, ONIONS, ORANGES, papaya, parsley, parsnips, passion fruit, Peaches, Pears, persimmons, PINEAPPLE, plums, Pumpkin, radishes, RAISINS, Raspberries, rhubarb, Romaine lettuce, rutabagas, sea grass, sorrel, Soybeans, Spinach, squash, Strawberries, Swiss chard, tangerine, turnips, Vegetable oils, water chestnuts, watercress, watermelon.