The Acid-Alkaline Diet

One way of determining whether a person has an acidic internal environment is by analyzing whether any problems they may be suffering from are characteristic of those that accompany acidification.

General symptoms of acidity include lack of energy, lower body temperature, weight loss, weight gain, and tendency to get infections.

Lack of energy can be described as loss of physical tone and psychic drive, decreased activity, constant fatigue, difficulty in recovering strength following physical or mental effort, and frequent and sudden feeling of inability to cope. A person who has a lower body temperature usually experiences sensations of intense and deep inner chills and frequently feels cold. Weight loss or gain can both be symptoms of acidity in that weight loss can be specifically due to the decalcification of the bones and weight gain can be due to acids being stored in fat cells. Finally, a person may have a tendency toward infection because of decreased effectiveness of the body’s defenses.

If you experience only one or two of these symptoms, your internal environment is most likely not acidified, and if it is then there are other problems that have not manifested yet. To get a better idea of whether you are acidic or not, you should test your urinary pH.

If you have acidic pH, you may not be suffering from all of the problems listed. You may be experiencing some symptoms now, or maybe experienced some of them in the past. You may also recognize some of the conditions that you are susceptible to but may not have experienced their full blown versions (ie. you may have a tendency toward dry skin without having eczema).

Acidity can affect your mental condition in numerous ways. It can cause loss of drive, joy, and enthusiasm. Furthermore, it can cause sadness, depression, and dark thoughts. Acidity is also known to cause a person to be highly irritable, extremely nervous, easily stressed, and less of an ability to deal with the stress.

The head, mouth, and teeth are also affected adversely by acidity. Some symptoms affecting the head include a pale face due to capillary contraction, headaches, eye sensitivity to cold, smoke, etc, along with tearing frequently, conjunctivitis (pinkeye), and inflammation of the corneas and eyelids. Symptoms that affect the mouth are acidic saliva, loose teeth, inflamed and sensitive gums, mouth ulcers, cracks at the corners of the lips, and irritation of the throat and tonsils which leads to recurring infections. Acidity affects teeth externally through acidic foods and saliva, and also internally through acidic blood. Symptoms of acidity on the teeth include sensitivity to hot, cold, or acidic foods, dental cavities, tendency to crack or chip, pain the nerves of the teeth.

Key symptoms of acidity that affect your stomach, intestines, kidneys and bladder, respiratory system, skin, nails and hair, and muscles will be mentioned in more thorough detail. When a body is acidic, the stomach creates excess acid and stomach pains and spasms, gastritis, ulcers, and acid regurgitation are all common ailments. The intestines are also affected in that there is a tendency for diarrhea to help expel acids, predisposition to intestinal inflammation, discoloration of stools from liver exhaustion, rectal burning, anal fistula and cracking, and cramps and abdominal pains. The kidneys and bladder produce acidic urine and it is common to experience a burning and irritation in the bladder or urethra, excessive urination due to renal irritation, and kidney and bladder stones. Some symptoms affecting the respiratory system include runny nose, prone to chills, frequent colds and bronchitis, sinusitis, angina or chest pain, laryngitis, enlarged tonsils, adenoids, allergic tendencies, and coughs and sore throats caused by irritation.

The skin, nails and hair, and muscles are also all affected adversely by acidity. For example, the an acidic person may have acidic sweat, dry skin, fungal diseases, hives, itches, pimples, and eczema . Furthermore, the skin tends to be red and irritated in regions where there are heavy concentrations of sweat like the knees, elbows, underarms, or even around openings such as the eyes, mouth, anus, and vulva. Affects on the hair and nails include thinning nails that split and break easily, white streaks or spots on nails, and hair that has split ends, looks dull, and falls out in noticeable amounts. Symptoms of the muscles include stiff neck and a general sensation of aching all over, leg cramps and spasms, and muscles of the neck and shoulders are hard and painful. Perhaps some of the most symptoms of acidity affect the skeletal and joint system. Some of these symptoms include rickets, mineral and calcium depletion of the skeleton, osteoporosis, joints crack, vertebrae locks up, rheumatism, arthritis, sciatica, slipped vertebrae, tendonitis, lumbar pains, gout, etc.

Finally, the circulatory system, endocrine glands, genital organs, and nervous system are affected in the following ways. Affects on the circulatory system include tendency to feel cold and to suffer from internal bleeding and anemia, poor circulation, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and chilblains. The endocrine glands become exhausted and function poorly, with the exception of the thyroid which tends to be overactive. Genital organs become inflamed because of acids and infections within the genital tract. Itching, swelling, and inflammation of the uterus or vulva are all common, as well as vaginal discharge. Affects on the nervous system include nerve pain, insomnia, nevritis or tennis elbow, and sensitivity to pain anywhere in the body.