Human beings require a delicate balance of acidity in the body to perform various bodily functions. Your blood pH, the measurement of acidity, can vary based on food consumption or even when you have a cold or infection. When the pH of the bloodstream gets bumped up or down from the normal range, this can have a wide variety of negative effects on your health.
pH measures the "potential hydrogen" of a given solution. The more hydrogen ions present, the more acidic the solution (lower pH). Fewer hydrogen ions correspond to a more basic solution (higher pH). But what pH level should the human body attain?
According to MedicineNet, the normal pH in the human body should hover around 7.35 to 7.45. The body regulates this pH level by excreting excess hydrogen if the level increases beyond this range.
High pH in the body occurs when a smaller amount of hydrogen ions are present. This causes the pH to increase above neutrality and become more alkaline.
Low amounts of carbon dioxide, or high amounts of bicarbonate in the bloodstream cause an increase in pH.
High pH in the body results in decreased bodily function. Processes such as protein synthesis, carbohydrate synthesis, mineral assimilation and many others depend on the very specific neutral pH to function. When the pH gets outside the optimal range, these processes can slow down drastically or completely stop.
Any chemical process in the body has an optimal pH. Any variation in that pH from optimum decreases the viability of the process.
Some foods that can cause a temporary increase in bodily pH include apples, pears, lettuce, carrots, green beans, honey and raisins, to name a few.
Remember, many of these foods have lots of nutrients that benefit you. Your body contains "pH buffers" which resist changes to small fluctuations in pH when you eat foods like these. You don't have to worry that these foods will forever increase your body's pH level.
If you suspect you have alkalosis (high pH), you should observe one or more of the following symptoms: confusion, hand tremor, light headedness, muscle twitching, vomiting, numbness in extremities or muscle spasms.
Treatment can range from breathing into a paper bag (to retain carbon dioxide in the bloodstream), to receiving oxygen in the event that it is low.
