Hey everyone!

Each fortnight we’re putting the best alkaline diet questions we receive from you to our Alkaline Diet Expert, Dr Young trained blood analyst and highly qualified nutritionist – Gareth Edwards.

Gareth is right at the very top of his field, so these answers are absolutely the best you’ll find from arguably Britain’s most qualified expert in this area!

Q&A With Gareth Edwards

Question One: Probiotics & Colloidal Silver – Do They Conflict?

How does one incorporate pro-biotics AND use Colloidal Silver? Since finding your website May of 2009, I have been on the Alkaline journey and love it! One conundrum I am in – I thought CS killed everything in its path, so wouldn’t that include flora? I have done one or the other and am now using SF722 but would like to add some more alkaline support to my body if it’s possible.

I’m open to any suggestions as my candida detox is so heavy I have trouble achieving positive results with an alkalinity test, saliva or urine. I’m being persistent and patient!

It’s great that you are putting all this effort and thought into taking charge of your own health. Given that it seems that you are someone who likes to read and research, I would suggest that you buy a copy of “The new Sick and Tired” from Energise for Life. In this superb, but technical book Dr. Young clearly explains the basis for understanding terrain based models of health.

The important thing to understand is that you are not trying to kill anything. What you need to do is change the environment (or terrain) of your body. So called pathological (disease “causing”) micro-organisms can only flourish, exist or be generated in an acidic environment.

Colloidal silver doesn’t so much kill things as help your body create a healthy, alkaline environment in which candida forms yeasts and moulds cannot proliferate. Pro-biotics on the other hand are … bacteria and acidifying. The biggest factor that effects bacteriological “balance” in ones intestines and urinary tract is …. the pH. That’s effected by what you eat, drink and how you think. There are compelling arguments for why the digestive tract should actually be sterile, but that aside, I neither take nor recommend pro-biotics. The god-father of alkalising (rather than soul!!), Dr. Young recommends avoiding them too.

I have to say I’d be a bit dubious about the Thorne Research product SF722 too. Its main ingredient undecenoic acid, is a fatty acid derived from castor oil. Castor oil can be very beneficial applied externally, but largely acts as a purgative, when taken internally. Try to focus on nourishing yourself with green vegetables and powders, alkaline water, healthy oils and un-refined salt, rather than sending in the troops to have a battle with an enemy.

Question Two: pH Drops & The Liver

Hi, I have read somewhere that pH drops are bad for the liver and that your body stops producing bile whilst taking them, and that people on certain medications should not take them.

Is there any truth in this and if so what medications are we talking about? Is adding lemon juice to water just as effective?

These suggestions are unlikely to be true. The liver serves many metabolic functions including de-toxification, warehousing of certain vitamins, minerals and sugar supplies and the processing of fats. All of these are going to occur more effectively in an alkaline environment.
Bile is largely made up of alkaline salts and pH drops are …… alkaline salts. Given that it is absolutely essential for the breakdown and digestion of food and liquids I can’t imagine a situation (other than a deficiency of alkaline mineral salts) in which the body would reduce its production.

Most medications are acidifying to the body fluids and tissue. Chemo-therapy is the most extreme example of this. By definition it is cyto-toxic (i.e. poisonous to cells). Medication for hay-fever, aspirin, paracetemol, hormone replacement therapy and oral contraceptives are also acidifying. One could construct an argument that ingesting an alkaline salt might undermine the effects of these remedies. I would however suggest that by taking alkaline drops all you are actually doing is boosting your body’s ability to do what it will do anyway. It will buffer (neutralise) these strong acids using its own mineral resources, drawn from the blood, bones and muscle.

Drinking lemon juice should have an alkalising effect on your body, but generally that doesn’t start until after it’s been absorbed into your blood stream. If you put a pH stick into your mouth directly after swilling neat lemon juice around your teeth it is likely to show a high (alkaline) pH. This is because your body will secrete high levels of bicarbonate minerals in your mouth in order to neutralise the initial (undigested) acidity of the lemon. Diluting with alkaline water or mixing it with alkalising oils will mitigate this effect. I would however suggest that relying solely on lemon juice to alkalise your water would be unwise.

Question Three: Which Alkaline Water Filter is Best?

I have been trying to regain some good health for five and a half years now, (I have osteoporosis, glaucoma, poor circulation etc. I now eat mostly salads, juice, and veg with small amounts of protein, but although I can raise my urinary pH to 7.0. my saliva pH stays at 5.75. I was thinking of getting an alkaline water filter.

“The pH Miracle” recommends distilled or reverse osmosis, but I’ve also read that an ioniser is best. Have you any advice that would help me choose one, that would ensure my alkalinity improved.

In terms of water filtration, purification and alkalising systems I think the ionisers come out best. They work by filtering the water and then passing the resulting water over electronic plates that separate out the acidic ions (charged atoms or molecules) from the alkaline ones.

Distilling water or passing it through a reverse osmosis system is very good for removing all impurities, but you also are likely to remove all the minerals (and therefore ions) too. The result of using these methods is usually, actually acidic.

In terms of raising your saliva pH, alkaline water should help, but I’d also try using the pHour salts product available from Energise for Life. Bicarbonate salts (contained in pHour salts) are what make your saliva alkaline. If you are deficient in these minerals it will be tough for your body to produce alkaline saliva. The pHlavor spray, plenty of sunshine, fresh air and enjoyable, sustainable exercise, along with alkalising green vegetable based breakfasts should all help too.

Question Four: How Do Acidic Friends Stay So Well?

I’ve been frustrated lately with the fact that I generally eat to this effect yet I am so easily susceptible to sickness. Why is it that I have friends who have highly acidic diets of meat, cheese, beans, soda, pickles, breads, coffee, and alcohol with hardly any fruits or vegetables to balance everything, yet they are never sick? They are healthy and thin. How can one’s metabolism and immune system be functioning well if their pH is off balance?

I know that a balanced pH is the way for me to stay healthy, but why isn’t this true for everyone?

It can be frustrating to see people who don’t pay much attention to their health and dietary choices swaning around without an apparent care in the world while the rest of us seem to have to perform daily Olympic food gymnastics, just to keep the show on the road.

The reality is that over time the investment you are making really should pay off. I’ve seen people with apparently cast iron livers finally start to come un-stuck in their latter years. Tell-tail signs such as fungal toe nails, poor skin or inability to get a good night’s sleep may occur earlier in the supposedly perfectly healthy, without you necessarily knowing about it.

If however we broaden our perspective for a moment, we have to realise that some people are …. born lucky(?). They have a strong genetic inheritance in terms of their mineral reserves and healthy de-toxification systems. Attitude can play a huge part in the picture too. Appreciation and awareness of what’s good in your life, doing an activity you really enjoy and a rugged determination to overcome adversity can all help.

All that positive thinking stuff aside, sustained, regular or single courses of strong pharmaceutical remedies can leave residual dis-equilibrium that can be challenging to overcome. The good news is that we have an unprecedented level of knowledge and information as to how to find health and wellbeing available to us.

Remember that health is multi-faceted and when you fully re-discover yours, there will be great pleasure to be derived from passing on the lessons that you have learned to others who are facing health challenges.

And now for my ultimate cure to all ills (?!) ….. a quick read of the world’s funniest joke

Keep smiling!

Note: this not intended to diagnose or treat and professional health care should be sought in case of any doubt.

If you have a question for Gareth leave it in the comments below!

About Ross Bridgeford

Ross is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 600 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life. Ross loves life in Brisbane, Australia (although is a proud Englishman) and is healthily-obsessed with nutrition, fitness and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

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From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...

Hey everyone!

Each fortnight we’re putting the best alkaline diet questions we receive from you to our Alkaline Diet Expert, Dr Young trained blood analyst and highly qualified nutritionist – Gareth Edwards.

Gareth is right at the very top of his field, so these answers are absolutely the best you’ll find from arguably Britain’s most qualified expert in this area!

Q&A With Gareth Edwards

Question One: Blood Sugar

Dr Young Says that sugar is bad for the body, but why is it we have blood sugar? Dr Young also says hormones are acidic waste products of the body but don’t we also need them. Your thoughts on this would be much appreciated.

I had a quite enlightening experience this year when I took a young child to see Dr. Young. He had been diagnosed with diabetes and his courageous parents had taken the decision to try to correct the situation through following a pH balancing plan. She was very concerned about what she should do if her son became hypo-glaecaemic (experienced low blood sugar).

Dr. Young gently re-assured her that this was not a situation that need alarm her provided that the child had enough unrefined salt. The young boys that he has helped to reverse their type 1 diabetes in California, apparently regularly experience very low levels of sugar in their blood, without any apparent adverse effects.

Dr. Young’s contention is that our bodies run on salt not sugar. We can try to run our bodies on sugar but this is “dirty” fuel, likely to promote mould, fungus and yeast forms within us. Stu Mittleman’s epic world long distance running record (San Diego to New York in 55 days) was, he says, made possible by learning to avoid any foods, snacks or drinks containing sugar. He trained his body to use stored fat as his energy source and went on to set several ultra-long distance running records. Stu worked closely with Dr. Young.

Dr. Young’s view is that while we may need the metabolic reactions that produce “hormones” to occur in our bodies they are in fact “exhaust” rather than messengers. These acidic by-products need to be excreted via defecation, urination, perspiration and / or respiration.

Question Two: High Blood Pressure

I have recently had high blood pressure. Are there any products that help with this? I already take Dr Udo’s oil, green powder and white powder.

These sound like wise supplement choices. Make sure that your green powder does not contain digestive enzymes or pro-biotics. Be sure to add alkalising drops, and aim to drink 2-3 litres a day mixed, ideally with alkaline water. Using pHour salts and Udo’s, hemp or flax oil should help too.

After that it’s time to have a look at your diet. Make sure that you are eating plenty of fresh (mostly raw) veg (particularly dark green leafy) at breakfast lunch and supper and be sure to add Redmond Real, pink Himalayan or unrefined sea salt to your foods. Keep alcohol, coffee, black tea and animal protein low.

Make sure you exercise regularly, preferably outdoors. Half an hours walking, 5-6 days a week is sufficient, more – better!

Question Three: Iron, High Blood Pressure & the Alkaline Diet!

I would like to introduce this (alkalising) to my brother. He is overweight and eats quite an acidic diet. I think the pH diet will be good except spinach and beetroot etc are high in iron and he suffers from high blood pressure and has been told to stay away from iron containing foods. What do you propose?

I think that your brother may have been given confusing advice. In 2007 Dr. Andrew Webb and colleagues at Barts hospital published a pier reviewed research study showing that beetroot juice can be used to lower blood pressure. The effect was believed to be attributable to nitrates present in the beetroot, which are also present in spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables.

http://www.nhs.uk/News/2007/January08/Pages/Beetrootandbloodpressure.aspx (Do a gentle swerve around the swine flu link!)

There are however certain foods that do contain high levels of iron that are likely to lead to high blood pressure. Regularly consuming beef, pork and lamb is likely to lead to weight gain and increased blood pressure.

Question Four: Sprouting with Alkaline Water

I am fortunate to rent a water ioniser and receive great benefit from this. I also grow sprouts. When initially soaking seeds, beans, legumes for sprouting, is it better to use ionised acidic water rather than ionised alkaline water? I have been doing initial and subsequent soakings / rinsings with ionised acidic water as my logic says a seed in the ground would be probably be in acidic soil. I then rinse with ionised alkaline water before eating. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts. I want to eat as alkaline as possible. Thanks

Hmmm! This is a great question, but possibly testing my knowledge of horticulture beyond my current comfort zone! I use alkaline water from our ioniser to soak seeds prior to germinating them and have been very pleased with the results.

Remember that it is only certain crops that flourish in acidic soil and furthermore at the germinating stage of the plants growth cycle the soil really only acts as a physical means of holding the seed. It is the water (and it’s associated pH) that germinates the seed. I guess however that acid soil may affect the pH of water running through it.

I have forwarded your question to Steve Meyerowitz (aka the sproutman) for his views. Let’s keep this conversation “live” (what a cracking punster I am!).

Question Five: Dosage of pHour Salts

How do I determine what is the correct number of scoops of pHour salts for me to take each day? At the moment I take enough pHour salts on waking, before dinner and before bed to hold my urine pH between 7.5 and 8.0. Would this sound reasonable? I currently take 6 level scoops per day to achieve this.

Great work putting this effort into alkalising your body. I think you need to remember that your body is not a machine and your needs for alkalising minerals can vary on a day to day, minute by minute basis.

I have a client who used to measure his urinary pH religiously throughout the day at regular intervals and an interesting phenomenon that he noticed was that if he became stressed his urinary pH would drop (become more acidic), even though his diet, hydration and bicarbonate salts intake remained constant.

6 level scoops a day is more than I use and probably more than most of my patients use, but I imagine that Dr. Young would be comfortable with you taking that amount. I would recommend that you do some experiments with lowering your intake of pHour salts and see if you can maintain a urinary pH above 7.5 with diet, hydration and exercise.

I would be keen that you can find several routes to keeping your urine alkaline. Reviewing your diet and looking at your dry blood samples, with a qualified practitioner, could give more information about appropriate levels for you to take. There are no recorded cases, to my knowledge, of toxicity associated with very high bicarbonate salt intakes, but I would always use the salts as part of an alkalising programme and reduce the dose if you experience any unwanted effects, such as headache or sustained diarrhoea.

Dr. Young has recommended in certain disease states that patients should aim to raise their urinary pH to 9. This should probably be done under the care of a qualified pracititioner.

——-

And finally:

A Correction:

Two weeks ago, in response to a question about omega oils (Essential fatty acids – EFA’s) I wrote the following:

“Up to a gram of cold pressed and refrigerated (and ideally organic) hemp oil should give your body the building blocks that it needs to make EPA and DHA and even GLA too.”

This quantity is likely to be beneficial but, as blog responder James kindly pointed out, an ideal daily intake would be higher.

I would in fact recommend consuming 15-20 grams (2-3 tablespoons) of cold pressed and refrigerated hemp or flax oil a day. Dr. Young goes even further and recommends up to 90 grams a day of vegetarian source EFA’s. If you want to experiment with the higher quantities that Dr. Young recommends, make sure that you are absorbing them (a quick glance in the toilet pan). Also remember that hemp powder supplements should contain reasonable quantities of the fatty acids.

About Ross Bridgeford

Ross is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 600 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life. Ross loves life in Brisbane, Australia (although is a proud Englishman) and is healthily-obsessed with nutrition, fitness and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Mail | Web | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | YouTube

From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...

Hey everyone!

Each fortnight we’re putting the best alkaline diet questions we receive from you to our Alkaline Diet Expert, Dr Young trained blood analyst and highly qualified nutritionist – Gareth Edwards.

Gareth is right at the very top of his field, so these answers are absolutely the best you’ll find from arguably Britain’s most qualified expert in this area!

Q&A With Gareth Edwards

Question One: Green Drink vs Chlorophyll

I have some questions for Gareth about the difference between liquid chlorophyll and green drinks:

a. 1 Ltr of powdered Greens 3g v Liquid chlorophyll drops under tongue (10), do they both build equal amounts of blood cells, ( reduce / increase Liquid drops, much greener than powder).

Both of these supplements should help build healthy red blood cells, but the chlorophyll is more likely to have a direct impact on red blood cell counts and shape. The powder is a food supplement and contains other nutrients which could help promote intestinal health. This ultimately will also help build blood.

b. Knowing that powdered Greens boost the energy of an alkaline water drink / PH drops, do the liquid chlorophyll drops also boost the energy, or just build blood.

The reason why the greens boost the energy of the water is because they have a micro-electronic charge attached to them. Chlorophyll does not. It may still contain some of the energetic qualities of the plant from which it was extracted. Remember to keep it in the fridge once opened.

c. How much do you recommend I take of the liquid chlorophyll daily to build my blood cells, 10 drops 3 times a day enough, or more?

That should be enough. Remember that what else you eat and drink and your exercise plan are also going to affect the situation. Your Doctor or a qualified nutrition consultant can order a test to assess the number and size of your red blood cells, so use that to see if you are making progress. Having live blood analysis will show you whether there any improvements in the quality (shape, form, interaction) of your red blood cells.

Remember to keep eating and drinking fresh green leafy vegetables too. This is the best way to get fresh living chlorophyll bound up in a super healthy nutrient package. (If you’re stuck for recipes, you might be interested in the Energise Alkaline Diet Recipe Book)

Question Two: Protein & Carbs on the Alkaline Diet

Firstly, I am a gardener and for one reason or another work seven days a week. My job is physical all day long plus I go to the gym four or five times a week so I would say I’m physically fit. Will alkaline diet have enough protein and carbs to keep me going throughout the day?

Finally, how soon will the sugar cravings reduce?

I wouldn’t get too hung up about needing protein and carbohydrate for energy. The percentage of protein in muscles is actually quite small and trying to build it by consuming animal protein is likely to put a strain on your body systems. Carbohydrates generally provide a “dirty” fuel for your body to run on. What that means is that they can give you energy but, usually at a cost to your overall health and wellbeing.

Drinking greens either as powder or juice is the best way I’ve found to curb sugar cravings. Using the spray salt pHlavor and adding salt o your food can also help.

Question Three: Which Oil is Best?

I am 41y / 5ft 9 / 138 lbs / fit and living an Alkaline Lifestyle for 5 years (Dr Young). My last cleanse included supplements (Dr Young’s COWS), inf sauna, exercise etc. We had juiced greens and 2 soups with Organic CP Hemp oil (30g) in each. After the 10 day cleanse I went for my first ever colonic (bowel movements 2-3 times) and the therapist showed me the outlet tube which was all oily, she said I wasn’t absorbing oils. So:

A couple of thoughts come in to my head here. You seem quite light for your height, so that does make me wonder if you do have an absorption challenge. If that is the case then increasing your intake of pHour salts may help with the breakdown and digestion of the fat.

The amount is quite high, but that shouldn’t be a problem. You might want to use more olive oil and less hemp oil. That would be cheaper! It shouldn’t really matter whether you take the oil with food in juices or alone.

Question Four: Alkalising & Tooth Health

I would like to ask a question to Gareth about tooth decay and how an alkaline diet can positively increase the health of teeth as we age and also prevent fillings etc? Any advice would be welcome.

The primary link between dietary pH and dental health is associated with the mineral Calcium. If we become acidic through dietary or lifestyle choices or involuntary poisoning, then our body will use calcium, in order to buffer (neutralise) these potentially life threatening liquids. Teeth and bones are the store houses of this essential mineral that will be called on.

The acidic sugars in sweets, fruit and fruit juice may erode the protective enamel from teeth directly in the mouth.

About Ross Bridgeford

Ross is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 600 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life. Ross loves life in Brisbane, Australia (although is a proud Englishman) and is healthily-obsessed with nutrition, fitness and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

Mail | Web | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | YouTube

From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...