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: What are the Core Benefits of an Alkaline Ioniser Water Filter?

Hi Gareth. I’m thinking of buying an alkaline ioniser water filter but want to know what the benefit is. Can’t I just add ph drops to tap water or with a brita filter? Andrew

Thanks for this great question Andrew. You might think that paying between £700 and £1500 for a machine which turns your water into … water is a big expense. That said, I finally took the leap of faith last year and I think it is one of the best £700 I have spent.

Ionisers do two things. Firstly they filter the water. The level of filtration is superior to that of the cartridge, if for no other reason than the larger area of the unit in the ioniser compared with the cartridge. Once filtered, the water then passes over electronic plates which separate positively charged (acidic) ions from negatively charged (alkaline) ones. The ioniser can affect this process to different levels allowing you to receive water of varying levels of alkalinity at the touch of a button. Acidic (waste) water passes from the machine via another tube.

As I understand, when you add pH drops to water, acidic mineral complexes remain present, but the highly alkalising solution that you add has an over-riding effect on the water’s pH. There is, apparently, a further benefit to the separation process of ionising. Minerals form clumps in water. The ionising process substantially reduces the size of these clumps, which means that the remaining, negatively charged (alkalising) minerals (in smaller clumps) can be more easily assimilated and metabolised within the body.

Ionising also dramatically reduces (a good thing) the ORP (oxidation reduction potential) of water (edit: Ross – ORP is how the antioxidant level of a substance is measured. The lower the ORP the greater antioxidants potential of the substance.). This also promotes the alkalising and de-toxifying effects of the water that the ioniser produces.

To understand more about water read the chapter you are what you drink in Dr. Young’s book the pH miracle for weight loss (it’s as much about health as weight loss!).

Editors comments: If you are interested in getting more detailed information about water ionisers, their specifications, prices, etc then please click here to have a look at our wide range of some of the best ionising machines available on the market from Chanson Water.

Question Two: How can you add Vitamin B12 to an Alkaline Diet?

Vitamin B12, which is essential for life, is not found in alkaline diet. It can be obtained from meat, fish, eggs and cheese, which are all acidic. So how can you add Vitamin B12 to an alkaline diet?

Another great question. Dr. Brian Clement, the principle of the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida (specialising in raw food diets for health and healing) has written some very interesting papers on this subject. He firmly believes that the vitamin B12 that is produced in our digestive tract is re-absorbed into our blood stream. Conventional medical wisdom would say that this is not the case.

This was an issue, quite high in my mind when I cut out most animal protein from my diet. A couple of factors however put my mind at rest on the subject. Daphne Lambert, award winning organic chef, soil association trustee and green and raw food nutrition teacher and advocate, lives on a vegan diet. She rarely visits hospitals, but after a car accident was forced to have a blood test in hospital. Her vitamin B12 levels were completely normal. She does not take a B12 supplement and, to my knowledge, does not eat any animal protein. If Brian Clement’s hypothesis is correct, then colon and intestinal function are more important to maintaining B12 status, than ingesting food sources containing it.

Further interesting information on this subject comes from research carried out by an acupuncturist friend of mine. It appears that Vitamin B12, which can only be synthesised by bacteria, not animals, is present in high levels in the soil attached to root vegetables. Fanatical hygiene, or even peeling root vegetables, could actually reduce our B12 intake from, relatively alkaline food sources. Soya yoghurt, although slightly acidifying, does provide B12 too.

B12 is principally required for healthy red blood cell formation. Chlorophyll (such as Young pHorever Liquid chloropHeal), healthy oils (such as Udo’s Choice Ultimate Oil Blend and Jarrow Krill Oil) and salt (such as Young pHorever pHlavor Mineral Salts) are also primary requirements for erythrocyte (red blood cell) formation, so you need to be sure to get those elements in abundance.

If you are concerned about your B12 status you could ask your doctor to test it or arrange to have it done privately with a qualified health professional. There are B12 supplements available, but I do not use them or specifically recommend them to clients.

Question Three: Can Alkalising help my with Bone Spurs and Arthritis?

Can alkalizing help my body with bone spurs and arthritis? I have a ridge of bone (calcification) and Stage 1 osteoarthritis in my right great toe. So far the options I’ve been given are surgery, cortisone injections, or just live with it. So far, raising my pH from 5 to 6.8 hasn’t shown any effect. How long would it take for effects to be noticeable?

For a start, alkaline diet and hydration should be able to help reduce pain and discomfort in this area. I used to have a particularly painful bony projection on the side of my foot, which has now reduced and rarely gives me any discomfort.

I think you’re going to need to get stuck in and be as dedicated as you can to see results. Osteoarthritis and calcification are likely to have resulted from acidity of body fluids and tissue. Calcium deposits are laid down to buffer acids and acids in their turn can be destructive to bone and cartilage structures.

Its outstanding work to get (presumably your urinary) pH up to 6.8. You need to keep going to get it up to consistently above 7.5 or higher! Drink your greens (such as Young pHorever Doc Brocs Power Plants), take pHour salts and eat as high a raw food diet as you can. Additionally I’d recommend acupuncture and a good chiropractor or osteopath.

Surround yourself with people who will help to keep you motivated. If you are taking any medication, arrange a consultation with a qualified practitioner who can help you develop strategies for reducing that in conjunction with your GP.

Question Four: How can I get in touch with you Gareth?

How can I get a hold of you Gareth? I have some questions regarding this lifestyle. I have been living 100% raw and alkaline for 7 months now and drinking 5-6 litres a day with greens and ph drops. I’m young and I have goals to achieve the body I want and the mental state. From the day I started to today I have not achieved anything. I have gained weight, I have NO energy etc. etc. So would be great if you could give me an email or something where I can chat with you.

People reading this may think this is a plant question to advertise my services! This is not the case. It does however happen sometimes that having a look at wider issues and a review of all the factors likely to be affecting your health would help you to get where you want to go.

There are several options for a consultation with me. Click here to see them. If trips to London are not possible then I can do a consultation with you on the phone or via Skype. You’ll need to fill in a health questionnaire and food diary and e-mail them to me. Most people find this helps clarify issues and get a broader perspective on all issues in your life that can effect pH balance, health and help you to achieve your desired weight.

You can book through Energise For Life or go to my website. I look forward to hearing from you.

Question Five: Is it ok to have Juice and a Snack at the same time?

One I’m not sure of now is – is it ok to have juice and a snack (like soaked almonds) at the same time? It’s just that I cannot see myself surviving my mornings with juice alone if to have it first thing in the morning….!

I get this. I just went to see Joseph McClendon with Callum (Partner in EFL). Joseph was recounting how he lives only on juice for two weeks a year. During that time he expects to lose several kilos in weight. It sounded powerful but tough. Dr. Young encourages people to feast, rather than fast when cleansing. This means that you put low sugar, high nutrient food into your body in abundance. He recommends green smoothies and juices.

My answer to your question would be yes. Chicken and chips or green juice and soaked almonds? Let common sense preside! A very good question though.

Question Six: Have you got any ideas for battling nasty sweat rash?

I have been battling with a nasty sweat rash under first one then both breasts, I am a large lady and very careful re hygiene but have always sweated badly. Oddly my deodorant (Mitchum) always seems to control it but has aluminum in it which I hate but it is the only one of many that works for me. Used Sudacreme although it stops the water it does not work. Very allergic to hydrocortisone and have even tried a new natural fungal treatment. I am at my wits end so wondered if you have any ideas. Does not itch now but left with very rough unhappy skin.

Thank you for your question. When our body fluids and tissue become acidic the body will want to excrete these acids. Urination, defecation, respiration and perspiration are the four primary “ways out”. If we are not drinking enough alkalising fluids or eating enough alkalising (high water, low sugar content) foods to promote urination or defecation, then the acids may well come out through the skin in the form of sweat. The acid that will be contained in the sweat is likely to cause irritation and rashes. Areas where there are folds in the skin or limited ventilation are likely to be the most effected.

I would strongly recommend that you heal from the inside. Use EFL’s alkaline lifestyle course and drink a green powdered drink (such as Doc Broc power plants) with pH drops (such as Young pHorever PuripHy). You should consume at least two to three litres a day of the drink a day. That will make you urinate more, which will be a good thing.

These answers are not intended to replace the advice that can be acquired from a personal consultation with a qualified physician. If you are experiencing persistent symptoms of any sort, you should consult with a nutritionally aware physician.

Ross says: more great questions and answers from Gareth! If you have any questions of your own or would like to ask a follow up question to any of the above feel free to leave a comment 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...

Evening all!

I’ve just read a flippin’ interesting post from Dr Young which really clearly explains and gives a simple understanding of what nausea is and why we experience it.

What’s more there is a really simple way to stop nausea in it’s tracks!

The Cause & Cure for Nausea

Many of us put our trust in modern day medicine that does not even understand the basic physiology or principals of digestion. You cannot find something as simple as the ideology of nausea in ANY medical text or scientific study. In other words, modern day medical science does not know the cause of nausea. I know you would be surprised at the cause of nausea and it is not what you are thinking!

The cause of nausea is the body’s need for sodium bicarbonate to mediate excess dietary and/or metabolic acid. The main organ for producing sodium bicarbonate is the stomach. When the body needs sodium bicarbonate to mediate dietary or metabolic acid the cover cells of the stomach draws, sodium, chloride, carbon dioxide and water from the blood to produce the body’s need for increased alkalinity.

When the stomach produces sodium bicarbonate, which is then taken back up into the blood for buffering acid, it leaves a residue or an acidic waste product called hydrochloric acid. It is the increased amounts of hydrochloric acid that causes nausea. So when you start feeling sick to your stomach this is the body in need of more alkaline salts, especially sodium bicarbonate.

I love this post from Dr Y. I know how important it is to give scientific explanations and evidence and lots of detail – but I love that this post is simple and easy to understand, but still thorough and scientifically explained!

I’ve been using pHour Salts & pHlavor Salts to stop nausea, cravings, over acidity and to alkalise my system for ages now and from the feedback customers have given – they have too – with great effect (especially the effect of stopping sugar cravings!).

So I urge you to have a little look at these products. They are incredibly effective. They’ve improved my health no end and I’m sure they can do the same for you!

Have a great evening
Ross

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...

Everyone gets cravings and they can sometimes feel like the most powerful urges on Earth.

When your body wants something it wants something. And when your body knows you’re not supposed to have it, it feels like the craving is ten times stronger.

I know what this is like. The craving for something sweet after lunch or dinner is the one that always used to get me. Or the lust for any food after I’d had a few beers (back in the day) used to get the better of me every time (and man, I ate some weird s**t!). For others it is that craving for chocolate that hits randomly, or the desire to hit the biscuit barrel just after 11am.

Well, this product could be about to change all of that. I don’t ever blog about a specific product, but this one deserves it. pHlavor (or pHlavour if you’re in the UK) by Dr Robert Young is an amazing product. It is a combination of all of the highly alkaline mineral salts, harvested from the Great Salt Lakes in Utah.

It is cheap, easy to use (you just spray it in your mouth) and it not only gives you an instant, alkalising boost – but it also stops cravings right in their tracks.

It really works. I’ve tried it, my friends have tried it, my girlfriend has tried it and now hundreds of customers have tried it and they have all come back with the same response – WOW.

I actually spoke with Dr Young about this last week and he gave me a little audio interview about pHlavor, so rather than me go on and on about it, here is the audio from that phone call and the transcription below:

Click here to listen to Dr Young talking about the pHlavor Salt Spray

Click here to buy pHlavor Salts now

Transcript of Dr Young on pHlavor

The pHlavor Salts is an all-natural mineral salt that comes from the north shore of the Great Salt Lakes. During the winters if you’re familiar with the Rocky Mountains in the United States, the run-off where the snow melts flows down the streams and into rivers and these rivers empty into this north shore.

So it is a great satiation programme for getting off tobacco or getting off any form of sugar! And I recommend it highly, it is one of the products that I think is critical in the foundation and I would say that pHlavor Salts is one of the essentials that you could take for the rest of your life.

Click here to buy pHlavor Salts now

IMPORTANT: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD & BAD (TABLE) SALT

It is really important to note the difference between good and bad salt. By ‘good’ salt I mean pure, alkaline mineral salts and by ‘bad’ salt I mean table salt, mass produced salt and the salt used in refined foods and fast foods. Dr Young explains it best:

Most common table salt is made up of chemicals that pollute your body and wreak havoc on your health. Your table salt is actually 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% chemicals such as moisture absorbents, and iodine. Dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, the excessive heat alters the natural chemical structure of the salt causing the potential for a myriad of health challenges in your body. Source: Dr Young Blog Post on Mineral Salts

In short, table salt (normal, everyday salt) not only contains harmful chemicals, but it has been treated and heated in such a way that makes it harmful to the body. Very harmful. In the same way that mass produced margarines, sunflower and vegetable oils (etc) become toxic to the body once they are exposed to light, air and heat, the same happens with salt. All of the life is stripped out of it and it becomes toxic. This is why we have been told for so many years to avoid all salts.

Nowadays there are healthy salts available to us, such as Himalayan Salt, and Dr Young’s pHlavor Salts that have healthy, life giving effects on the body. And what is more, the body actually needs alkaline mineral salts to function properly, so it is beneficial to us to help our body along by giving it some!

pHlavor: The Best Bits

Now, in my personal opinion there are many benefits to using pHlavor Salts, with the stopping of cravings being the main one! BUT there are obviously other benefits. As Dr Young explained, salts is vital to the proper functioning of the human body in the same way that essential fatty acids are. Here is a little synopsis of the best salt facts and benefits of using pHlavor:

• it is vital to the extraction of excess acidity from the cells in the body, particularly the brain cells.
• it is vital for balancing the acidic sugar levels in the blood; a needed element in diabetics
• it is vital for the clearance of the lungs of mucous plugs and sticky phlegm, particularly in asthma and cystic fibrosis.
• it is vital for clearing up catarrh and congestion of the sinuses
• it is a strong natural antihistamine.
• it is essential for the prevention of muscle cramps
• it is absolutely vital to making the structure of bones firm. Osteoporosis, in a major way, is a result of salt and water shortage in the body. Twenty-seven percent of the body’s salt is in the bones. Osteoporosis results when the body needs more salt and takes it from the body. Bones are twenty-two percent water. Is it not obvious what happens to the bones when we’re deficient in salt or water or both.

So in summary, it rapidly alkalises your body, it removed cravings for sugars, sweets and cigarettes and it gives you an instant energy boost! And it is really cheap!

Click here to buy pHlavor Salts now

Further Resources:

30 Reasons to use pHlavor @ pH Miracle
Salt That Heals, Salt That Kills
Salt is Life! @ pH Miracle
Prevent Disease with Salts @ pH Miracle

Final Note: while this is covered in depth in our disclaimer information, I always feel like it is best to highlight that if you have any medically diagnosed condition you should consult with your health practitioner before making any changes to your diet. Especially if you are currently taking any kind of medication. While we’re obviously here to help you as much as possible it is your own responsibility to check the compatibility of your medication with your lifestyle choices including diet, exercise and supplementation.

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...