Anyone sick and wnat to know some truth to healing?
- Leta Sposted 15 years ago
0 - pgrundyposted 15 years ago0
This alkaline food fad which claims that changing your body PH will prevent disease is only catching on because people can't afford medical care and most of the medical care here in the U.S. is horrible anyway. In times like that, quackery will always thrive.
During the middle ages people used garlic to keep the bubonic plague away and people really believed in that cure and they died anyway.
Most viral illness has to run its course. Changing your body chemistry will not prevent disease. People get sick. It's part of being a person. It doesn't 'mean' anything, it isn't anybody's fault, it's just something that happens, especially when the weather changes and new germs come out.
Rest, drink lots of fluids, get medical help if it lasts longer than a week, you have significant pain, or your fever stays over 101 for more than three days.
That'll be $80, Payment due in full at the desk on your way out. lol! LOL! Hi Ken--I think I'd rather get sick!
Yeah, I second the balance in all things thing.
. Balance does not =fad...striving for a balanced pH is not quackery, it is sound scientific knowledge. and yes, because there is a lack of good health care, we as individuals need to take more action on caring for ourselves to prevent illness. That's not quackery, that's just plain common sense.
I agree that balance isn't quackery. But I don't see how trying to create an alkaline body PH to prevent disease has anything at all to do with balance. In fact it sounds extreme, restrictive, and even giving the idea the benefit of the doubt it is at best based on highly speculative information. Because of that I would frankly consider such a diet to be a move away from balance, not toward it. I mean, if you want to do it it's nothing that bothers me--get as alkaline as you want, it's not my business at all--I just don't believe for a second that it prevents disease.
That's too bad, it sounds like you wouldn't be able to do any unbiased research on the issue.
Any aspect of health can be "over done" to create imbalance. pH balance is not extreme alkalinity or extreme acidity, it is the balance between the two, with slight fluctuation.
Everyone is unique in what they need to find their balance.
Sounds like you have only read of the fads and the people that want to make big money off the idea...just like the big hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. Do you seriously think any big mainstream medicine system is going to promote self-help healthy solutions if they can't make money off it?
Knowledge is power; self empowerment. Try it, you'll like it! hint: study how cells work.
- pgrundyposted 15 years ago0
Quackery always has this snide side to it--like, Oh so you believe the mainstream guys? Sucker!
I've never understood how insulting people helps sell anything, but I know it does.
Just because mainstream medicine is in a mess doesn't mean this alkaline theory has any merit. The burden of proof is on the proponents, not on me personally, and I'm not seeing any proof listed here, just backhanded insults.
So I'll pass, thanks. Yep - Looked at that site.
Seems a little suspect, although with a ring of truth.
They seem to show, on their chart, that the 'Healthy Body' pH varies from 6.0 to 7.5. At either of those extremes, you would be dead. The body is very strict about regulating the blood at pH 7.4, and it will not deviate from this unless you are very ill. As the original poster states, germs cannot survive in an alkaline environment, but neither can your own cells. The body dumps excess acid into the bladder, which has no effect upon the body pH.
The lungs are far more important in regulating pH balance than the food you eat. The body generally regulates acidity with carbon dioxide/carbonic acid, and the kidneys flush out acid long before the pH of the body lowers. The idea that there are 'good' and 'bad' carbohydrates carries little truth. The reason that brown rice, for example, is better than white rice is because it has fibre which speeds digestion. The digestive system breaks both down into exactly the same products.
The only bit that caries an element of truth is the idea of high protein diets causing osteoporosis, as the body borrows minerals from the bones to keep the blood at the magical 7.4. A well balanced diet should take care of that - Please do not waste your money on these diet supplements and 'alkaline' water. The list of pills that they advise you to buy is ridiculous, especially when there is an economic crisis
I am not against alternative therapies, and believe that many have something to offer, but this one is largely pseudo-science.
As TMG says, in a much more concise way, moderation!
- Leta Sposted 15 years ago0 Sufi...
Acidity in lemons, vinegar and other foods/spices actually acts to preserve foods and counteract harmful bacteria... I know that.
My biggest food dilemma at the moment is this fallacy or fact (?) in regards to good & bad carbs, as the Mediterraneans are prone to eating much pasta, lol, which I love but which has been labeled BAD.
I'm thinking the way meals have been done for many many a year--w/ protein source, vegetables and a starchy side like pasta has a rhyme & reason for it physiologically, despite current health food fads.That's very interesting about your friend.... I have this old weird nutrition book I bought for 25 cents or something written in the 60's that relates the same thing. How the Eskimos survived mainly on animal foods, yet were extremely healthy as they ate the entire animal, and so received nutrients most other people get from plant foods.
Americans have this tendency to want to adopt things,, I'm not entirely different. And yet there are cultures who are known for their longevity and health given some nutritional health studies, so that I do believe there is an (or a few) optimal diet... I've done some reading on voluntary calorie restriction/optimal nutrition, which is also very interesting... And though it is hard, you do find if you actually eat just a 10-20% less of what is normal, you have more energy and feel/look better overall.
I really don't bother with diets, neither I try to restrict the amount of food. Most people say I look much younger than my almost 50 years, and I don't have any chronic illness, except for psoriasis. Can't recall when I had a doctor appointment last time.
I do try to listen to my body though, and to follow what it tells me to eat and not to eat. Looks like it needs different things at different times. For example, I've been a heavy cheese eater for many years, but in the last year or so this craving subsided and almost faded away. Now I eat dry salami, but that also seems to start subsiding lately
And I've seen quite a few dietary theories rises and falls during my not-so-short life, so I don't give a damn about all of them
Yes, whole hearted agreement on that one
(but being mindful of the non-organic produce can be important too...pesticides and fertilizers, the nutrition of the soil and how things ripen and are harvested have a lot to do with their nutritional content...as well as the cooking process)
I am a firm believer in eating to ones blood type though maybe not the strictest follower
I have never really bought into the hype of fad diets, mostly because I see the negative effect it has on youth.
Scott- Leta Sposted 15 years ago0
Couldn't agree with you more...I guess people are at different stages of knowledge and wisdom...it is all about looking for, learning to glean from and integrating information to meet our own individual needs. Because we are all unique, our needs and how they are to be dealt with are individual. We have to start somewhere, though.
I wasn't looking at the information and their products as inseparable. Actually I wasn't looking at their products at all. I guess we can't take for granted that all people are going to have the discernment to be as specific about info and products as you or I. That is one reason I like forums, we can all learn from each other
I can agree that the healthiest diet is the best source of nutrition. There are many specifics to that as well, ie organic vs conventional and the possible soil depletion of nutrients and the fertilizers and pesticides used, etc.
But one can't deny the importance of pH in the body. It is very interesting how marketing is done, or in some cases not done Have you found a better article for pH?I would like to read your sources on pH. I have several others that I have worked from, but knowing research is always moving forward, surely there are newer ones than I have (which are from within the last two years). I am always working on improving my internet research skills and sources.
Isn't it just the blood deviation that is dangerous? As a woman, I know, have had first hand experience, with other body fluids being too acid especially around the menstrual cycle and the vaginal environment and that semen can be too acidic as well causing yeast and fertility problems.
Sugar is not just sugar. There are all the aspects of processing that change the composition of the sugars, and make them completely different in how the body assimilates them. Molasses for instance is more alkaline because of the abundance of minerals in it, and it is usually less processed then other refined sugars.
I have to admit I have spent periods of time, checking the pH of my body fluids adjusting my foods intact, following their chart of pH foods, and have proven to myself there is validity in pH and that foods do affect us and our pH.Hi SparklingJewel - Once again, you are showing yourself to be one of the nicest people on HubPages. I love the forums too, and learnt many things from some wonderful people.
Good research - too much acid in the urine is not a good thing. Acid by-products from food pass straight into urine, rather than affecting body pH. The best way to alleviate this is with lots of water, rather than 'alkaline' food. I have never heard of the sperm one, so will have to look at that.
One thing that you notice with many of these types of articles is that they actually have a ring of truth, but they tack on lots of other spurious claims. I am not anti-alternative therapy, quite the opposite, but I would hate for you to waste your money
Research for this came from my own knowledge and a couple of text books, so I cannot help you with exact sources for pH. Finding good research on the internet is difficult - I research and write academic papers for a living, but I get lost sometimes! Generally, a reputable paper will cite its sources and allow the researcher to investigate further. Wikipedia is not a primary source, although it is useful as a start point. I seem to remember that you had some valuable input into the Global Warming thread, so you know how sensational the media is!
In an act of shameless self-promotion, I have an article about some of the signs that something is pseudoscience.
http://www.experiment-resources.com/pseudoscience.html
Molasses does have minerals, so that may be correct. Maple syrup, on the other hands, is 99.99% pure sugar - 0.001% minerals is not going to make something alkaline. This is an example of where they cloud any genuine correlations with trash. The best idea is to eat less sugar.
- Leta Sposted 15 years ago0
- Leta Sposted 15 years ago0
- Leta Sposted 15 years ago0
Hey, cool, Sufi-
Is that what you do for a living?
To me, the signs of pseudo science are always fairly obvious. You'd be surprised how good research is just good research, despite the discipline.Yes - I am a writer too! I love to write, but was never much good at the creative writing side, so I write research papers. I fell into academic writing, and a couple of books are underway, a science resource book and one about Greek History. It does not pay well, but I love reading, so it is the perfect profession.
I also get to drink Ouzo whilst I work - I tell my partner that it helps the creative process.
Agree with you about the pseudoscience, but we research for a living, so we know what to look for. They have become very clever at including just enough truth to make things sound plausible.
PS - Look forward to reading the Hub about Stevia
So, Sufi,
Have you written a hub on doing research yet? Or checked out any by some else you recommend. I didn't get to do enough research while doing my BA in Communication, it was a weekend college degree at a reputable women's college here, but still feel because we had mostly adjunct instructors (is that the right term) we weren't pushed into greater researching...and yes I have to admit, because the weekend college was geared toward continuing learners may have been another reason we didn't have more rigorous courses.
It is good to hear you say researching on the net isn't easy. All I recognized is that since I graduated, I would have to pay for access to greater research sources, so hadn't done it yet.
Im not sure I agree totally with your concept of pseudo science though. It has been my experience that mainstream science has its self imposed limitations as well, especially in the health and medicine fields. Most seem to be stuck in their hard and fast, dry ways of doing things, especially when it comes to research.
Like I've mentioned before, if not word for word, there is a spiritual aspect to our being, even beyond defined intuition, that we can access to attain greater knowledge and wisdom. And if people don't try to expand, science as it is today will kill us before it perpetuates us into a more balanced state of awareness with all the universe has to offer.Hi SparklingJewel.
Respect for doing a weekend course - juggling a degree around the many other tasks in life is not easy.
It appears that we agree on many things.
I also have a mistrust of science, believe it or not! Science is now at the mercy of those with money. If a scientist is given a grant by a drug company, they are under pressure to produce 'amenable' results. This is a major problem, and I fear that that pure scientific research is dying. I have no problem with alternative medicine, and use holistic methods and herbalism often. A herbalist undergoes six years training, so I am happy to assume that they know their stuff.
Unfortunately, there are some who manipulate alternative medicine to make money, and this I do not like. The same happens with both sides of the Global Warming debate, and it is now about the politics rather than the science. For help researching, if you have a browse around the site at the link I gave, there is a little information. I am writing a chapter in the e-book about that, so most of that content should find its way onto the site fairly soon.
At the end of the day, research is all down to your own experience. I can evaluate good from bad science, because of experience, but would be lost in the fields of Communication or Lita's Literature. The internet is a wonderful tool, but does have a downside. If you are near a library, some of them give access to sites such as JStor, which generally contain peer reviewed journals in many academic fields.
I am also spiritual, (a fairly typical Pisces, according to pseudoscientific astrology!) and have a lot of beliefs that do not fit in with 'traditional' science. I believe that science and spirituality can work very well together, but recent developments appear to have created a wall between the two.
Hi SparklingJewel
It is way past my bedtime, so I am going to be lazy and post links!
http://hubpages.com/hub/Science-and-Rel … al-Dilemma
http://hubpages.com/hub/What-do-you-und … religions_
Goodnight!thanks Sufi, I am glad you understood where I was coming from
- pgrundyposted 15 years ago0
The great Carl Sagan - very interesting man. Good film, too.
Quantum physics is wonderfully interesting, although much of it goes over my head.
So many interesting theories, although every answer appears to be met with another question. Interesting times!
SparklingJewel
I tend to fall back to science, because it is the area I know best. It does not answer every question, though, and there are many unexplainable things in the universe.
- pgrundyposted 15 years ago0
The maths always gets me, too.
The media has a big part to play - they like to create trouble where there is none. They seem to enjoy feeding us half-truths and outright lies, just to suit an agenda.
Nope, I think it was different before The Apple.
LOL! You're probably right Misha.
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