This section describes the problem and solution to many health/weight challenges. For other related articles please also have a look at http://www.pheelgood.co.uk/information or go to our links page and folow the link. The following information is written by Robert Young. - note that the information below is a discussion on the theories of Robert Young. The following information represents the beliefs of Robert Young which is based on his research.

Over acidity, which can become a dangerous condition that weakens all body systems, is very common today. It gives rise to an internal environment conducive to disease, as opposed to a pH-balanced environment which allows normal body function necessary for the body to resist disease. A healthy body maintains adequate alkaline reserves to meet emergency demands. When excess acids must be neutralized, our alkaline reserves are depleted leaving the body in a weakened condition.

The concept of acid alkaline imbalance as the cause of disease is not new. In 1933 a New York doctor named William Howard Hay published a ground-breaking book, A New Health Era in which he maintains that all disease is caused by autotoxication (or 'self-poisoning') due to acid accumulation in the body:

'Now we depart from health in just the proportion to which we have allowed our alkalies to be dissipated by introduction of acid-forming food in too great amount... It may seem strange to say that all disease is the same thing, no matter what its myriad modes of expression, but it is verily so.' William Howard Hay, M.D.

More recently, in his remarkable books Sick and Tired, The pH Miracle, The pH Miracle for Diabetes, The pH Miracle for Weight Loss and his CD series, The pH Miracle for Men and Women and The pH Miracle for Cancer, Robert O. Young says essentially the same thing: - in his opinion

'There is only one sickness and one disease and that is the over-acidification of the blood and then tissues due to an inverted way of living, eating and thinking."

pH (potential of hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14--the lower the pH the more acidic the solution, the higher the pH the more alkaline (or base) the solution. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline it has a pH of 7 which is neutral.

Water is the most abundant compound in the human body, comprising 70% of the body. The body continually strives to balance pH. When this balance is compromised many problems can occur. It is important to understand that we are also talking about the stomach pH which should have a pH of 7.2 or above.

Your body is able to assimilate minerals and nutrients properly only when its pH is in alkaline balance. It is therefore possible for you to be taking healthy nutrients and yet be unable to absorb or use them. If you are not getting the results you expected from your nutritional or herbal program, look for an acid alkaline imbalance.

What Causes Me to Become Acidic?

The reason acidosis is more common in our society is mostly due to the typical American diet, which is far too high in acid-producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy, and far too low in alkaline-producing foods like fresh vegetables. Additionally, we eat acid-producing processed foods like white flour and sugar and drink acid-producing beverages like coffee and soft drinks. We use too many drugs, which are acid-forming; and we use artificial chemical sweetners which are extremely acid-forming. One of the best things we can do to correct an overly-acidic body is to clean up the diet and lifestyle.

Most people who suffer from unbalanced pH are acidic. This condition forces the body to borrow minerals--including calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium--from vital organs and bones to buffer (neutralize) the acid and safely remove it from the body. Because of this strain, the body can suffer severe and prolonged damage due to high acidity--a condition that may go undetected for years.
Mild acidosis can cause such problems as:

* Cardiovascular damage, including the constriction of blood vessels and the reduction of oxygen.

* Weight gain, obesity and diabetes.

* Bladder and kidney conditions, including kidney stones.

* Immune deficiency.

* Acceleration of free radical damage, possibly contributing to cancerous transformations.

* Premature aging.

* Osteoporosis; weak, brittle bones, hip fractures and bone spurs.

* Joint pain, aching muscles and lactic acid buildup.

* Low energy and chronic fatigue.

A recent seven-year study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, on 9,000 women showed that those who have chronic acidosis are at greater risk for bone loss than those who have normal pH levels. The scientists who carried out this experiment believe that many of the hip fractures prevalent among middle-aged women are connected to high acidity caused by a diet rich in animal foods and low in vegetables. This is because the body borrows calcium from the bones in order to balance pH. -- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition