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How Alkaline Works Against Cancer
Acid Versus Alkaline
Can an alkaline diet keep your pH level high enough to prevent cancer cells from living and thriving in your body and keep you cancer free? Will certain foods help you with this?
Food enzymes are very much affected by the pH levels in the blood and body tissue. Their enzymatic functions or lack of determine the state of health or disease that your blood and body tissue can possess.
The acidic state has been linked to many health-related challenges and the body’s rapid aging. Slightly alkaline is healthy, acidic is unhealthy. If the pH in the blood and urine are too acidic the body will not be able to absorb nutrition; being one reason so many have weight problems. After eating; the nutrition in the blood cannot be absorbed into the cells so there is hunger with no energy.
Let's take a look at acid and alkaline for better understanding.

How Alkaline Diets Avert the Development of Cancer
The human body needs to sustain an alkaline environment of 7.36 to 7.44 on pH scale for every cell to function the very best within this pH range. When we eat the micro-nutrients show themselves to our kidneys as acid or alkaline forming compounds. The amount we eat then can be evaluated as one or the other; net acid or net alkaline load to the body.
If we do not see to it our body has the numbers right then our body takes it upon itself to do it for us; many times robbing our body in places to cause new problems. Our body begins to leach alkaline in order to maintain homeostasis by robbing from the cells. Health conditions can begin to develop when this occurs.

Alkaline Diet
An Alkaline Diet is a type of diet that emphasizes on the consumption of citrus fruits, fresh vegetables, tubers, legumes, and nuts.
The diet discourages the use of grains, excess salt, dairy, and meat. The diet promotes healthy alkalinity in the blood (pH 7.35 – pH 7.45), and prevents acidity (pH 5.0 – pH 7.0).
The diet maintains this balance, which is essential for the body to sustain itself. Alkaline Diets are known for their ability to counter and prevent various diseases, which include cancer.
Acidosis chart

Acidity Progresses
Hypercalciuria - Is caused from high concentration of calcium in the urine.
Osteoporosis - Is caused from leaching of the bones neutralizing a highly acid environment; thus having the bones weakened.
Acidosis – Is leading to muscle breakdown caused by glutamine (the most plentiful amino acid in the muscles) becoming leached out neutralizing the acidity in the body just as the calcium was from the bones.
Arthritis – When calcium robbed from the joints can cause them to lock up and crack and in time the immune system will start to attack the acidic cells leading to arthritis.
Heartburn - Sodium; also an alkaline mineral that is leached can be leached from the esophagus causing heartburn.
Acid reflux – Is where you go next as heartburn progresses.
Cancer - As the body gets to the point where is can no longer rob the body of alkaline minerals, it will start leaching acid from the bowels, kidneys, skin and respiratory system. With no more minerals to rob, the cells themselves become very acidic.
This will be a problem because the enzymes used to break down cells cannot work properly in an acidic environment.
So then; the enzymes cannot remove the growth of abnormal cancer causing cells and will become protected from the immune system.

Symptoms of an Acidic Body Affecting Health
All acids are created through the body’s breakdown of foods to create energy.
In other words, acids are created via metabolism, respiration, digestion, and cellular breakdown and regeneration. Excess acid is the expression of sickness and disease. Gout, diabetes and cancer:
You can’t have a specific symptom without a specific acid. Body odor is another sign of excessive acidity, as is bad breath, acid reflux, indigestion, low blood sugars, high blood sugars, low energy and fatigue.
All are expressions of the body’s inability to remove acids sufficiently. Skin blemishes, such as acne, eczema and psoriasis, are acids that the body is not eliminating properly.

A diet low in acidic food has many health benefits.
Low Acid Foods
Clemson University defines low-acid foods as those with a pH greater than 4.6, where a pH of 7 is considered neutral. Even some of the more acidic fruits such as peaches, apples, oranges and orange juice only have a pH of around 4.96 or higher. Beef, pork, lamb, chicken and dairy fall below 4.6. There are a few mildly acidic vegetables, such as basil, bell peppers, cauliflower, chives, onions, peas, squash and zucchini. Vegetables and grains that are not on the low-acid food list include canned vegetables, corn tortillas, pancakes, sourdough bread and white bread.
According to registered dietitian Rebecca Slayton, a diet low in acidic food has many health benefits. A review published in the "Journal of Environmental and Public Health" in 2012 states that an alkaline diet reduces the risk of chronic disease and premature death among the elderly. In addition to disease prevention, most low-acid diets are also low in sodium.

Maintain pH Through Drinks and Food.
The idea of an alkaline diet is based on eating foods high in alkaline to help the body neutralize acid in the body. Meats and diary products in our diet contain very high levels of acid and we can only process this in small amounts. By adding high alkaline foods our body uses this to help break down the bad acid. An added benefit is that high alkaline foods are loaded with vitamins and minerals to satisfy our body's needs.

There are claims that ionized water is better at hydrating your body than regular water.
Alkaline Water Benefits
Alkaline water (also known as ionized water) is water with a pH level greater than seven. It is normally made with the help of a faucet-based water ionizer and marks a number of health benefits.
Many claim that drinking alkaline water on a regular basis will slow down the aging process, help fight tooth decay and prevent bone loss. Because most people eat a highly acidic diet, subsequently causing their bodies to have lower pH levels taking vital minerals, such as magnesium and calcium, from their bones, tissue and teeth. So this water is said to help balance those levels. Also it is said that regular alkaline water consumption can help prevent diseases associated with the bone and cellular degeneration, like arthritis, osteoporosis and different types of kidney disorders.
It has said too that alkaline water is also thought to stabilize blood flow as a result of normalizing blood pH levels. Also; because of the efficient way it penetrates cells, there are claims that ionized water is better at hydrating your body than regular water.
Alkalizing Tea

How About Alkalizing Tea?
There are alkaline teas which I think is one of the best and most economical ways to get your pH balance. I like mine with raw honey and Ceylon cinnamon.
Cancer
Do you think it may be a good idea to try this diet?
How it Works
Alkaline Diets maintain healthy levels of alkalinity in the body.
When the cells are highly alkaline, they absorb more oxygen.
Alkalized cells hold up to twenty times more oxygen, as compared to acidic cells.
Cancer cells cannot survive in oxygen rich environments.
If the cells in the body contain high levels of oxygen, consequently, cancer cells remain in a dormant state, and the chances of developing cancer narrows down.
Therefore, high levels of acidity are the ideal conditions for cancer cells to thrive, and maintaining high levels of Alkalinity are vital in preventing or eliminating the spread of cancer.
Not only do Alkaline Diets prevent disease, they also maintain vigor and health.

Test pH Level with Saliva or Urine
It is good practice to either test 1 hour before or 2 hours after eating. If testing your saliva, it is a good idea to try to fill your mouth with saliva and then swallow. This helps remove any acidic bacteria that might be lurking. Do not try to wash your mouth out with anything else as this will simply record the alkalinity of the water/liquid you have just used.
For testing urine, let some urine flow before testing as this will give more of an average reading.
It is also a good idea to test 2-3 times in a day in order to get an average, as first thing in the morning the body has retained fluids over a long period of time and it will engage in different processes to remove acid wastes from the body throughout the day (depending on activity and diet).
Disclaimer
* Alkaline diet has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
* All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions.

Foods to Eat
* Salad greens, green vegetable juices, lemon-infused water, raisins, spinach, banana, carrots, celery, potato, cauliflower and apricot are a few of alkaline-promoting foods.
* Some foods that contain the most alkaline include honey, butter, asparagus, white and red wine, mineral water, watermelon, broccoli, apples, zucchini, marmalade, hazelnuts, radishes, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, green beans, cherries, celery, tomatoes, apricots, bananas and spinach. Raisins are highly recommended.
* To make food more alkaline-promoting, cook with alkaline spices and herbs such as paprika, chili powder, parsley leaves, ground ginger and curry.
* Cut out foods with alcohol, gluten and caffeine on the alkaline diet.
The American diet is full of foods like meat and dairy products that tend to increase acidity of your blood. Research suggests eating too many acid-promoting foods can potentially damage your kidney and your liver and potentially even raise diabetes risk.
* Alkaline has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
* All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions.
Simple to Understand
References;
© 2015 Jackie Lynnley
Comments
You just written a detailed, can be easily understood by people, article. Many don't understand how important the things you mentioned in over all health. My mother herself is suffering from osteoarthritis and I kept suggesting to stop meat, eggs, and dairy in her diet and consume more fruits, vegetables (especially green leaves), and nuts. I really believe the power of real, nature's best food. Great hub!
Thank you Jackie for this important information. I am bookmarking this to come back to in order to reread and take notes.
Angels are on the way to you this evening ps
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Oh I wasn't saying it would hurt not to do it because I fully believe that disease is a big part of health issues.
Please don't feel I am being negative. Working in oncology I would have to ask where is the scientific proof. I have seen total health nuts die and were the most healthy any one person could be. Cancer patients will grasp anything they can to live. Some in early stages and lived after treatment and some in end stages that lived because of treatment. I don't doubt that these things could help because we are what we eat but total prevention of cancer I would have to question. Everyone has cancer cells in their body waiting to multiply but they don't know what triggers the cells.
I love starting out each morning with a tall glass of filtered water and a couple of key limes squeezed into it or some lemon. I have been hearing of the benefits of keeping our bodies in a more alkaline state and what you wrote in your hub lends it greater credence. It is at the least natural and cannot hurt, but if it helps...so much the better! Up votes and sharing.
I was glad to read this hub Jackie. You have confirmed that I am doing all the right things to raise my alkaline level. I already eat legumes, celery, broccoli, green peppers, and the other things you mentioned. I do this mainly to reduce my intake of saturated fats, but it's good to know that it can help prevent cancer too. It would be interesting to test my alkaline level to see where I stand.
Interesting information, Jackie. Thanks for passing it along.
Nice work! Let's face it, if our government allows GMOs and other poisons in our foods like growth hormones, they certainly don't care about our well being, just padding the coffers of the wealthy for a kickback.
Jackie, I suggest you do some research into New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels ... natural anti-inflammatory, good for joints and muscle injuries, and helps rebuild cartilage between bones. I wrote a hub about how I used it for arthritis and I'm sure there's lots more to be found on the internet. On my hub there's a video you'll find fascinating. (Much shorter than the last video I sent you to. lol.)
Don't know if it will help, but it is certainly worth a look.
Great hub! I did not give this a thought in a good way. You certainly got me thinking. Informative and very useful indeed. Sounds a helpful way. Voted up, useful and interesting.
Jackie, I actually don't take any medicine for my MS. I've been in remission for a decade. Though, when I did take medicine, I also looked into additional supplements to help, like B12 and primrose oil. I never heard of bee stings as therapy.
You are welcome, Jackie.
On the subject of doctors, I believe we will always need doctors. Doctors train for many years to effectively diagnose issues- and they currently prescribe what they are taught is 'best' for the condition.
The diagnosis part will always be hugely valuable. Hopefully the focus will soon shift from prescribing medicines that mask symptoms ... to suggesting remedies that actually resolve problems and restore health.
Doctors will never be out of work. It is pharmaceutical companies that would suffer. If drugs are not needed for chronic conditions because bodies are encouraged to heal (instead of remaining diseased), the drug companies will be out of business.
Doctors would be restored to their status of healers - instead of being viewed by many as puppets of drug companies. Someone needs to interpret what our bodies are telling us ... and who better than a qualified doctor?
lol. But had you ever heard it from doctors, Jackie?
The second episode is also available free on youtube. Others were up for a while but I think they've been removed. One of my daughters (with MS and following her own healing path) very recently bought the series. It goes into brilliant detail about how the body heals itself ... given the right environment. :)
This documentary series was made 20 years after my husband really needed it. Fortunately I managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together myself back then.
Thank you for this excellent presentation on the importance of alkaline versus acidic inputs to our bodies. We cannot be reminded too often. Voted Up!
It isn't so much that big medicine does not truly believe in natural remedies, it's just that they can't make billions of dollars off of it. It is actually a threat to them. That's why you often hear about some crooked politician pushing to control natural remedies like medicine. How often have we heard about how close science is to a cure for something, or actually have a cure, and then suddenly you never hear about it again? That's not to say that some natural cures are not scams, or that most of medicine does not provide us benefits. I honestly believe that we could have cured most of the diseases by now if profits were not standing in the way. Wiping out a disease for a pharmceutical company is not something they want to see happen. They are in the business for making money just like any other business.
hmmm that slippery slope....hmmm There are some things that certain people will get so that they can overcome them or so that they can help others through it or even so that docotors and scientist can find cure for.
Hmm... It can be a slippery slope to suggest food as a preventative measure for all maladies. A healthy diet didn't stop me from being diagnosed with MS 11 years ago. But it has made me a very healthy person who has had almost no need to visit my doctor. If nothing else, a healthy diet can only do good, even if it isn't a cure.
Allison, Diet does beat anything on earth. I had a neighbor that was dying of cancer and he wanted to try other alternatives and was told NO. He got so fed up with all the chemicals that he stopped taking anything. He died and he didn't tell his wife that he stopped taking the meds until he went into the hosptial before he died. Other countries treat cancer differently and more humanely then the USA. It is all about MONEY in the USA, not the people.
Very interesting Jackie!
Allison, this is not my opinion but the opinion of other doctors. A growing number of doctors are disenchanted with the medical system and I was very interested by the 'history lesson' about medical schools.
Please watch the video. I suspect you'll be particularly interested by what the oncologist has to say at about 47:35 and beyond.
Are you aware that 86% of oncologists would not take the drugs they prescribe to their patients if they had cancer (and would not give them to their wife and child)?
If your husband was an oncologist, it seems you'd be advised to rely on diet, traditional medicinal herbs and lifestyle changes to stimulate your immune system instead of using the chemo etc recommended to everyone else.
The documentary series features doctors. At no time is it disrespectful towards MDs like your husband. It simply explains and explores what doctors should have been taught to help make them more effective.
LongTimeMother, I can assure you that medical students are absolutely taught about nutrition in medical school, especially given the epidemic of weight-related health concerns in the U.S. Doctors have to be able to guide their patients toward healthier choices, including exercise and proper diet!
Also, I applauded the author for advocating healthy food choices. I totally respect and follow a healthy diet! But a diet will never have the same level of respect from me as an oncologist will if it's in reference to treating or preventing cancer.
I have seen all this before. We must understand though everything in moderation. I find this all odd because one year it will be this and another it will be that. I have a very acidic body...period. I have had Ulcerative Colitis since I was 18...now neat 60. I take Prevacid. for Acid Reflux and it has helped keep my Ulcerative Colitis in remission. It has also calmed down my Rosacea considerably. Each body is different and will act differently form another's body. The key to a healthy life is to listen to your own body. We are all taught that everything is cured in a pill and not to listen to our own body but that of a doctor.
Nice hub and voted up.
Alison, you might change your level of respect for diet if you watch this documentary - just one in a series. It features highly esteemed doctors and scientists saying that doctors are not taught anything about nutrition in medical school ... but they should be.
I suspect your husband will also find it fascinating viewing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embed...
Jackie, you and anyone else who is interested in cancer should also take the time to watch it. This is my gift to you. :)
I tend to be very skeptical when it comes to simple solutions to widespread issues, especially those that have teams of scientists and doctors working with considerable funding to produce a solution (like cancer, MS, etc.) and that's probably due, in part, to the fact that my husband is an MD. I doubt that I'll ever refer to a diet with the same level of respect that I would a trained oncologist, but I can at least applaud advocating a healthier lifestyle with a diet rich in vegetables and grains.
I tend to be very skeptical when it comes to simple solutions to widespread issues, especially those that have teams of scientists and doctors working with considerable funding to produce a solution (like cancer, MS, etc.) and that's probably due, in part, to the fact that my husband is an MD. I doubt that I'll ever refer to a diet with the same level of respect that I would a trained oncologist, but I can at least applaud advocating a healthier lifestyle with a diet rich in vegetables and grains.
I understand your excitement, Jackie. However a lot of people die from cancer - particularly brain tumors, and I am always very careful not to imply the solution was simple. If I thought for one moment that people would be willing to follow the kind of regime we did, I would write about it. In my experience, however, most people wouldn't bother making such dramatic changes.
Anyone who wants to maintain good health, however, would be well advised to pay attention to what you wrote in your hub. It is certainly very valid. :)
I need to remind you I said 'partly responsible' for my husband's recovery and on-going good health, Jackie. Keeping his body alkaline was only one part of our strategy. I don't know if he'd still be alive if we'd relied only on alkaline foods ... but it was definitely a key factor. It's a bit of a stretch to say I very much believe it 'saved' him.
'Helped to save him', yes. :)
There is a link definitely between what we eat and our health. ..no doubt about it.
However and I am not quite certain that I will say this clearly but I think some are prone to cancer more so than others. My daughter had not eaten 'poorly' when she was first diagnosed with cancer at age 33.
My parents for example ate high fiber diets, many veggies and fruits, but they also ate meat. And my Daddy had not eaten if he did not have dessert.
He lived to be 93 and my Mother to 87 and neither of them had great health issues till the last few years of their lives.
That being said, I do exercise caution in what I eat because our environment has become so toxic and growing your own food is almost the only way to know what is in it.
Well said, Jackie, and such important information.
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Jackie an excellent and useful article. Under normal condition the body does a remarkable job of stabilizing and balancing the internal environment to maintain homeostasis, but there are times when it needs a little help. Interesting and well done.
I have been aware of this for many years, Jackie. It is partly responsible for my husband's ability to fully recover from a brain tumor - and stay free and well for 20 years.
Now you need to research about foods and herbs that oxygenate your blood. Plus avoid sugar (other than naturally sweet unprocessed foods).
The very worst gift you can give someone with cancer is a box of chocolates.
Sugar also feeds cancer.
"These results suggest that only a third of the variation in cancer risk among tissues is attributable to environmental factors or inherited predispositions. The majority is due to “bad luck,” that is, random mutations arising during DNA replication in normal, noncancerous stem cells" see http://www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6217/78.abst...
Though I have my doubts about whether principle, I do like some of the foods you recommend.
Quick answer => No!
After reading your post I understand which are alkaline foods and which are acid foods.
I have heard from medical professionals that ALL cancer patients have low pH, typically below 3.
That is one of many reasons to quit drinking soda. It has a very low pH, and lowers your body pH. One can drops it for a week. Without any other drinks, the body requires a full week to recover.
I have read in the past about the value of an alkaline diet with arthritis. This is all very interesting and certainly relevant. :)
Jackie
My point was that if foods or chemicals could change the body ph, then they could have given him something to change it.
My conclusion from the doctors is that they don't know how to get the body to go alkaline when it is acidic.
I have the lithmus strips and have been checking mine for several years. I used to take a little baking soda if it was high, the kind without the aluminum in it. Great article Jackie!
Hi Jackie, I believe an alkaline diet can prevent much. This was superb information that you provided. I had seen similar information before. That's why I enjoy being a vegetarian. You explained it very well for people to understand how to avoid chronic illness and diseases. Very good research. Thank you! Voted way up!
I really knew nothing about the alkaline levels, so thanks for this information, Jackie. Very interesting read on this rainy Sunday morn.
As a former Lab Tech who tested many urine samples, I know the importance of keeping the urine neutral. I never thought about the importance of keeping our bodies balanced in general.
Very interesting and informative Hub. Voted UP, etc. and shared.
I have never heard of our bodies and alkaline, just remember having to keep the water in our pool in the city with the proper Ph levels and alkaline lol ... but now I can see the great benefits here you have presented in staying on top of our levels! I believe I need to do this no doubt. Thanks for this insight hub here, Jackie.
Up +++ tweeting, pinning, G+ and sharing
I believe you missed your calling and should have looked into nutrition as a field of study, along with medicine. I recently saw a program where this poor man suffered his entire life with all sorts of terrible sickness until he decided to go gluten free and his whole life changed. He is now in such great shape and running marathons and such. His doctor was amazed as he was never able to help him and now the doctor is trying to get the medical field to include nutrition as part of their medical studies in becoming doctors, as nutrition is the key to maintaining good health.
Hope you are enjoying the weekend. It was beautiful and sunny, but cold here yesterday, now overcast and dreary today.
Hugs
This sure makes a lot of sense to me. I think I will try to be more conscious in this regard. So, thank you very much for the "alert". By the way, can you buy the water somewhere I have never seen it for sale with other waters?
Great information - I believe that our food can be considered our most important medicine. It would not surprise me if this diet did help to reduce the risk of cancer. I've been watching various lectures on the importance of food choices as it pertains to all disease including cardiovascular disease, arthritis, etc. Thanks so much for sharing this. I believe it is time for me to review my food choices and make better choices in the future. Blessings!
My father in law died over four years ago, and his body was acidic, and yet the doctors were unable to make it alkaline. They said it was the something that the body determines.
Well, I didn't think these doctors were that smart in the first place.
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