This week, I hope to blend some of the physics we’ve been learning with chemistry. This is because, at the root of it all, living systems exist due to negative entropy. This blog post would be a good refresher. This is done through motion and flow at the quantum level. Very few people, like Fritz Popp, have been able to quantify this level of organization coherently through his development of photomultipliers.
If you’re wondering why I recommend folks consume more raw fruits and vegetables, then I hope this explanation will bear this out. Knowing the meaning of alkaline and acid, and their effects upon tissue, will help you achieve vibrant health.
The pH factor (“potential of hydrogen”) is the measure of a chemical solution’s acidity versus its alkalinity, on a scale of 0 (more acidic) to 14 (more alkaline). If you want to test this at home, I recommend that you buy litmus (pH) papers, and use them to test your body’s pH factor on a daily basis. The ideal urine pH is around 6.0 to 6.5. This will help you observe firsthand the reactions that foods have on your body’s chemistry, since the primary thesis of this book is that alkalization is the key to tissue regeneration.
To further understand the pH factors of foods and their relationship to health, let’s back up a little and examine the very basics of life. This will involve a little chemistry and physics, but will help you to better understand the nature of things, including the processes of the body and the foods that you eat.
First, everything in this universe is made from building materials. These include atoms, whereas the basic building blocks of cells are amino acids. At first, an atom appears as a simple structure—a nucleus (or center), made up of a proton, which is positively charged, and, orbiting magnetically around this nucleus, a negatively-charged electron. The number of electrons and protons that an element has will determine the type of element that it is. These include oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, etc. Water, for example, without which life could not exist, is simply two hydrogen atoms combined with one oxygen atom (H2O).
Life consists of opposites, and the movement of these opposites in relationship to each other. This movement creates electromagnetic energy. Magnetism is where opposites attract and likes repel. You too are like a magnet, attracted to the opposite of yourself. This “magnetism” helps you learn, and brings a balance to your experience in life.
Life in creation is controlled and expressed by two opposite forces, either positive or negative in nature (Yin & Yang in Traditional Chinese Medicine). Without this polarization life would not exist. Life depends upon these opposites to exist. You see this in your own life, as you have days that you call “good” or positive, and other days that you consider “bad” or negative. Yet, both of these aspects of life are essential to your experience of growth and awareness.
An element can start out negatively charged, which is called alkaline, creating a cationic reaction (cationic means to “disperse” or “break apart”). Through the process of ionization (which is chemical magnetism) the same element can become positively charged or anionic (acidic). Anionic means to “compound, saturate, or come together.” An example of such a change from negative (alkaline) to positive (acid) can occur with the element calcium.
Plant calcium is alkaline, and works with magnesium, sodium, and potassium to alkalize the fluids of the body. These elements are called electrolytes in the body. However, once in the bloodstream, they can become ionized, or attracted to, other elements, magnetically, joining with these other elements and creating an anionic or acidic complex. This is seen where calcium joins with phosphorus to create calcium phosphate to form or rebuild bones, and is a positive effect. However, this process can happen with free radicals, like oxalates, which can then form calcium oxalate stones. This type of anionic reaction causes inflammation and tissue damage. It is very important to understand the meaning of acid and alkaline and their effect upon tissue, as this will give you an overview of disease.
Acids & Bases
Acids are chemical compounds that always have hydrogen as part of their makeup. They have the ability to supply positively-charged hydrogen ions in a chemical reaction (H+). The degree of acidity is determined by the number of hydrogen ions in the solution. The measure of this is called pH. Acids give protons to a substance creating a “bonding” effect, as in bone or stone formation.
Bases in chemistry are negatively charged and are attracted to protons (OH–). Bases neutralize acids. An example of this would be the toxic acids created from digestion (e.g., sulfuric acid and phosphoric acids), which are converted to non-toxic salts when combined with alkaline electrolytes. These non-toxic salts are then passed from the body through the kidneys. This neutralizing effect is vital because of the highly toxic and damaging effects these acids have upon the tissues of your body.
The pH balance—the balance of alkalies to acids—within the body is vital, and should be approximately 80% alkaline to 20% acidic. If we become too acidic from diet and lifestyle, we create too much of an anionic condition in the body, causing stone formation and inflammation.
To reverse this is to alkalize, which is cationic and anti-inflammatory. This will break apart and liquefy calcium deposits, cellulite and lipid stones. These deposits can grow or accumulate anywhere in the body, especially in the liver, gallbladder and kidneys. Neutralization of acids requires the alkaline electrolytes. If you’re not eating a diet rich in raw fruits and vegetables, you’re not getting enough of these vital electrolytes. This compounds the over-acid condition within the body and creates dehydration.
Differences Between Acids & Bases
- Acids burn and inflame tissues causing tissue failure.
- Bases are cool and are anti-inflammatory to tissues.
- Acids can destroy tissues (cells).
- Based can heal tissues.
- In an acid medium, nutrients become anionic (coagulate).
- In an alkaline medium, nutrients become cationic (disperse).
- Acidosis creates bonding of fats, minerals, and other constituents creating stones of all types, including liver, gallbladder and kidney stones.
- It also creates the adhesion of blood cells and platelets.
- All this causes cellular starvation (through lack of nutrient utilization), strokes, and cell malfunction.
- Acidosis and congestion (toxicity and mucus) is the root cause of 99.9%of all diseases.
- Some foods (carbohydrates) require alkaline digestive juices to be broken down; others (protein) require gastric acid juices.
Catalysts
Nothing truly stands still. Nature is always in a state of flux. Atoms are always moving and changing. The question that should be asked is: “What makes things change?” First we could say our emotions, our desires, our likes and dislikes, even the intelligent need or desire of Nature to create.
Secondly, you could say the mind, except the mind itself uses the past and present to create the future. There is an order of operations necessary here. One must think of something before he can experience or create it in this physical world. It is safe to say that the mind and emotions are the main creators of your experience in this lifetime. Consider that without thought and emotions your physical body wouldn’t know where to go or what to do.
When it comes to the physical body, it is a little bit different. In chemistry we have “catalysts” to move, react, respond, grow, expand or decay. A catalyst is a vehicle, a transporter, and an igniter. This is an element that changes elements, compounds, or complexes into other elements, compounds, or complexes. For example, you might say that parasites are a catalyst as they take dying cells, decaying/dead matter, and break them down into basic elements or compounds. Other catalysts include enzymes (digestive, systemic, etc.), vitamins, minerals, oxygen and hydrogen, to name a few.
For simplicity’s sake, let’s look at hydrogen, which is simply one proton at the nucleus and one orbiting electron. If this hydrogen atom comes into contact with another atom that pulls its electron away, the result is a hydrogen atom without an electron, which is now called a hydrogen ion (H+). This creates more magnetic potential (or activity), which creates an acid. Acids would give you a sour taste in your mouth. Compounds that combine with protons are called bases (or alkalies) and are, of course, alkaline. These atoms have an extra electron (OH–). An alkali is sweet tasting. One could say that protons influence acids, and electrons influence bases.
The result of this process of tearing down and coming together (oxidation and ionization) should result in homeostasis. This homeostasis creates a balance within the system. Homeostasis is achieved when the body is more alkaline than acid. When this balance (or homeostasis) is upset, from toxicity and predominantly acid food eating (acidosis), tissues (organs, glands, etc.) fail to do their jobs properly. Thus, disease is the result.
Oxidation & Ionization
Knowing about oxidation and ionization will help you to further understand the alkaline (cationic) and acid (anionic) processes in the body. Alkalization is the key to tissue regeneration, so understanding these processes is essential for you in the achievement of vibrant health.
Oxidation and ionization are just two of the ways that encourage the breaking down and the building up, or changing, of matter from one form into another. Your bones are a great example of this. They are always being broken down and rebuilt to some degree. “Breakdown” and “buildup” keep life ever renewing itself, allowing for nature to eternally expand.
Oxidation is the process where elements combine with oxygen. When this happens, electrons get moved out of the orbit of an atom’s nucleus, and this increases the positive or proton valence. Oxidation can be either beneficial to the body, assisting alkalization, or it can create free radicals, causing destruction to cells. This is most evident in acidosis where inflammation is present. A Superoxide radical is formed when oxygen compounds have not been completely broken down or utilized properly because of the inflammatory (acidosis) condition. This causes further cellular damage or destruction.
These oxygen compounds are less likely to be broken down properly when we are low on antioxidants or our immune system is underactive (hypoactive). When this breakdown and utilization of oxygen compounds is poorly functioning, free radicals are created, and without proper ionization or neutralization these free radicals join in creating more tissue damage. This is why there is so much current interest in antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene, selenium, COQ10, etc.) and why they are such a hot commodity in the health market today. Antioxidants are attracted to free radicals —bond with them and neutralize their damaging effects.
Oxidation leads to ionization, or the transmutation of elements or compounds into simple ions. Water is one of the greatest catalysts for oxidation. You see this in action when water combines with metals to create rust. In our blood serum this oxidation creates electrolytes, which are conductors of energy.
Ionization creates both positive and negative ions. Ions are your catalysts, like enzymes, which create action and reaction, or building and destroying. Positive ions are sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium, which are called cations. Negative ions include chloride, sulfates, phosphates and carbonates, and are called anions.
It can become confusing, understanding how calcium, as we discussed earlier, can be alkaline at first, then charged or ionized and become acidic. Nature must take an element and dispense it through the body, then make it usable. Calcium must first be dispersible in blood serum. Then it has to combine with other elements and become a building material. Too much ionized calcium will cause stone formation, bone spurs, and the like. Excessive ionized calcium must be converted back by alkalization/oxidation to its original electrolyte form, or be converted into a salt for easy elimination.
Anabolism & Catabolism
The body uses what is available to it (through what you eat, drink, breathe, and put on your skin) to create, break down, or change tissue. Through digestion, the body takes more complex compounds, and breaks them down into their simplest forms for utilization. Cells have very small pores that only allow simple structures to enter. These simple structures become the catalysts of life, creating action and reaction throughout your body.
Bases create anabolism—the building, rebuilding, growing and creating aspects of life. This cannot take place without catabolism.
Acids create catabolism—the tearing down, breaking apart, and the destroying aspects of nature. This cannot take place without anabolism.
Alkalinity disperses, moves and cleans the body. Acids coagulate, form masses and stagnate the body. Alkalization is the key to regeneration. The more anionic you become, the more acidic you become, causing acidosis. Acidosis causes malnutrition, inflammation, stone formation, pain, electrolyte depletion (also called dehydration), swelling, convulsions and death.
On the other hand, most fruits, vegetables and herbs are alkaline-forming. Nature seems to favor alkaline (cationic) solutions. If you’re consuming 80% raw fruits and vegetables, and 20% nuts, seeds and cooked vegetables, you will experience tremendous health. Consuming 100% raw fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds will put you on the fast track to experiencing incredible vitality and robust health.
Kidney Filtration & its Misunderstood Role
When you stop to think about it, the body has TWO (2) predominant types of waste (by-products) to get rid of:
Digestive Wastes
These are byproducts of digestion and what you consume or don’t absorb. These wastes are removed by the large intestine (the colon). This includes food and stool. The liver can dump byproducts this way as well.
Cellular Wastes
These wastes and byproducts come from the cells and their metabolic processes. Consider that your physical body has over one hundred trillion cells that make up all the tissues, organs, glands, structures, etc. Each cell in each of these structures creates waste. That is a lot of material that needs to be filtered through!
There are other minor wastes from bacteria, fungus, and/or parasites. These wastes, as well as a lot of cellular wastes, are dumped into the lymphatic sys-tem, and from there are filtered through the kidneys. Lymphatic waste can also be filtered out the skin (which is sometimes referred to as the body’s “third kidney”).
Here’s an important piece of information- the body consists of two primary fluids: blood (20% of total fluid) and lymph (80% of total fluid). We spend so much time focusing on blood, when it only accounts for 20% of the overall fluid in the body. The lymph consists of 80% of the body’s total fluid, yet goes largely unappreciated. The medical profession (and many holistic practitioners) have overlooked the essential issue of your body’s great sewer (lymph), and instead focus strictly on the blood & colon, and main immune system…
The Great Lymphatic System
Your kidneys are the main eliminative organs for your body’s lymphatic (sewer) system. When your kidneys lose their ability to filter the cellular wastes (acids) out of your body, they back up, just as sewage from any other sewer system would.
This “backup” of acids is called inflammation. This is where symptoms like pain, swelling and tissue destruction become a reality. Pimples, boils, cysts, rashes, and tumors begin to form. The unfortunate part is that this inflammation becomes systemic, affecting you from head to toe!
Cancer cells are simply cells damaged by their own acidic wastes. Cancer is not an entity that can travel to other tissues (cells) and magically turn them into cancer cells. However, the acid condition that leads to this cell damage is systemic.
Color & pH
Check your urine occasionally. This is done simply by peeing in a jar and observing. It can be done any time of day. The more sediment, the more lymphatic waste your body is filtering out! It doesn’t matter if the sediment looks like snowflakes, strings, or a general cloudiness.
- If your urine is clear (no sediment), your kidneys are not filtering properly.
- Foamy urine can indicate too much protein in the diet.
- Fruits, berries, melons and herbal formulas can help restore proper kidney filtration.
- Fasting is another way to strengthen and rejuvenate the kidneys and encourage filtration.
Ideal Urine pH Range is 6.0-6.5
pH values: Red= 3 (acidic), Green=7 (neutral), Purple =10 (alkaline)
Ideal Urine Color Range to Indicate Filtration of Acids. Consider the chart above. Urine color can be related to acid/alkaline charts. You can also use pH paper to measure this.
Action Steps
Cleansing is a terrific opportunity to reset, recharge, and refocus. During a cleanse, the goal is to flood the body with all the vital nutrients it’s been craving, focusing on alkaline rich fruits and vegetables that so many folks are lacking in many daily lives.
The fact is, we consume impurities from our food, water, and air supply regardless of our efforts to avoid them. Toxins build up over time and lead to weight gain and chronic preventable diseases.
The simple solution is to cleanse your body regularly to help flush these impurities from your cells and revitalize them with a nutrient-dense cleansing diet, not only help in the here and now to press reset, but to set down healthy habits that you can maintain and practice in your day to day.
For more specifics on where to get started, you can refer to this blog for nutrition tips and this one+ for how to support your lymphatic system.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Dr. Vincent Esposito
Whenever you’re ready, there are two ways I can help you:
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