Acid - Alkaline Balance and Detoxification
As a society we are suffering more from chronic illnesses and degeneration than ever before! So why is it that despite our technologically advanced medical system and access to medications, we are seeing more cases of cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and arthritis just to name a few?
My thoughts are it is our lifestyle and dietary habits. This is the single most important criteria which we as individuals have complete control over and tend to undermine it! There is an overlay of various nutritional fads that have risen and fallen over the past few decades. Most recently, the latest diet trend has been an interest in high-protein foods and a decrease in fresh fruits and vegetables.
The result is that high protein diets increase the net dietary acid load and acidify the urine pH. Conversely, diets high in fruits and vegetables are associated with a greater degree of alkalinity. Over time, ingestion of a high dietary acid load can progress to a chronic low-grade level of metabolic acidosis. A chronic acidic load can cause a number of health conditions such as osteoporosis and muscle wasting.
Another aspect of the acid-alkaline balance is its role in detoxification, by either the acute removal of a drug or poison due to overdose or a nutritional protocol to support metabolic detoxification and decrease dietary toxins. One approach to help maximize the detoxification capability of the body is to implement elimination diet high in whole fruits and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage etc.) which contain myriad phytochemicals such as indole-3-carbinol and other essential elements for facilitating toxin biotransformation. Additionally, these vegetables can favorably alkalize the urine pH.
In addition to dietary changes, nutritional supplementation for a short-term course of 4-6 weeks with select botanicals can facilitate metabolic detoxification. Also potassium citrate can be used effectively to alkalize urine and in turn affect our internal environment.
Managing stress properly and getting a good night rest in addition to a proper diet and exercise routine will help us achieve total wellness. Nurturing our soul, mind and body is a lifetime commitment and unbelievable rewarding!
As we get closer to spring I will devote more blogs to different approaches for cleansing and detoxification, so be sure to visit us regularly. Also if you are interested in more detailed information regarding this topic please visit my newsletter section at http://www.your-nd.com/html/news.htm.