Contents:
- Medical Video: A List of Foods & Drinks for an Alkaline Body : Happy, Healthy & Fit
- What is the ideal pH of the body?
- What are the consequences if the body's pH level is not balanced?
- If body fluids are too acidic
- If the body fluid level is too alkaline
- How do doctors diagnose unbalanced body pH levels?
- How to prevent the body's pH from being messed up?
Medical Video: A List of Foods & Drinks for an Alkaline Body : Happy, Healthy & Fit
The kidneys and lungs play a role in keeping the body's pH level balanced, so that all bodily functions can work properly. When the body condition is too alkaline, for example, you will experience alkalosis. In contrast, acidosis can occur when the body's pH rises to become too acidic. Chaos in the pH value in the body can pose many risks to health problems. Indeed, how manyideal body pH?
What is the ideal pH of the body?
The pH value (potential hydrogen) is a measure of the balance of acid and base levelsin the blood. Reporting from Medicine Net, the pH of the body in normal circumstances ideally ranges from the neutral range - tends to base, which is around 7.35 to 7.45. PH levels less than 7 are said to be acidic and if more than 7 are classified as alkaline.
The body maintains its pH level with the help of the kidneys and lungs to regulate bicarbonate levels. Bicarbonate is used as a protector if the pH suddenly changes.
The kidneys play a role in changing the amount of acids and bases that are in the body, while the respiratory center in the brain regulates the lungs to control the amount of carbon dioxide you emit while breathing. Interference with one or all three of the body's pH balance factors will make the blood's nature become too acidic or too alkaline.
You can test your pH levels regularly by using a piece of litmus paper that is dripped in your saliva or urine in the morning before eating or drinking anything. The color of the paper will change depending on the pH level. For example, the red color indicates pH 2; Purple shows pH 4; Violet shows pH 6; Blue shows pH 8; Blue-green shows a pH of 10; Green-yellowish shows pH 12.
What are the consequences if the body's pH level is not balanced?
The pH level of the body should always be in the ideal range. If the condition of body fluids is too acidic or too alkaline, this is the casewill have an impact on the functioning of organs and the work of the body's metabolism. Because, your body's organs can only function at certain pH conditions.
If body fluids are too acidic
If your body fluids are too acidic due to too much acid storage and production, or you don't have enough liquid with an alkaline level to balance the acid, you will enter the acidosis phase. The general symptoms are:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Confusion
- Headache
- Breathing difficulties (short and fast breathing)
- Very tired
- Jaundice (the skin and the white part of the eyes turn yellow)
- Increased heart rate
- Decreased appetite
- Breath typical of fruit acids, indicating the occurrence of ketoacidosis
- Easy to sleep
Several factors can increase your risk of acidosis, including:
- Consume high fat and consume too little carbohydrate
- Having kidney failure
- Obesity
- Dehydrated
- Experiencing poisoning of methanol and aspirin alcohol compounds
- Have diabetes
Most cases of acidosis are not dangerous. But in certain cases, this condition can endanger life. Especially if the body has entered the ketoacidosis phase.
If the body fluid level is too alkaline
Just a little the pH of the body experiences an increase from its ideal limit, the nature of blood tends to be more alkaline. This will disrupt the balance of mineral potassium in the body and blood calcium. The condition of an increase in alkaline levels is known as alkalosis.
Symptoms arising from alkalosis can vary. In the short term, body fluids that are too alkaline can cause nausea, cramps and muscle aches, muscle twitching, hand tremors, fainting, and sensations of numbness around the face, hands and feet.
If it is not treated or allowed to get worse, alkalosis can cause dizziness, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), difficulty breathing, feeling confused, difficulty processing information (stupor), even coma.
The causes of alkalosis also vary. Generally the increase in body base levels is caused by several health conditions, such as fever, hyperventilation, lack of oxygen, lung and liver disease, diarrhea, vomiting or sweating too much, kidney disease, to disorders of the adrenal gland. Alkalosis can also arise as a side effect of certain drugs, such as laxatives, salicylate poisoning, diuretic drugs, and side effects of excessive alcohol consumption.
How do doctors diagnose unbalanced body pH levels?
If you experience the above symptoms and suspect that your body's pH is not balanced, immediately consult a doctor.
The body's pH value can be checked through a series of blood tests. The type of respiratory acidosis can be examined through a chest x-ray or pulmonary function test. Whereas if you are suspected of having metabolic acidosis, your doctor will do a urine test.
To ensure a diagnosis of alkalosis, doctors will usually do a urine test, a basic metabolic panel, and an analysis of blood gases in arteries.
How to prevent the body's pH from being messed up?
The main prevention of the condition of the body's unbalanced pH value is to maintain the health of the lung and kidney organs, by:
- Reduce alcohol consumption.
- Use drugs according to the rules.
- Avoid / stop smoking.
- Maintain ideal body weight.
- Sufficient fluid needs.
- Keep your diet healthy, by increasing the source of food for fruits and vegetables such as carrots, milk, bananas, beans and green vegetables.
If you have diabetes, monitor your blood sugar levels so that they do not fall in complications of ketoacidosis which can be fatal.
