What is pH anyway?

What is pH anyway?

pH (power of Hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 14.  The lower the pH the more acidic the solution, the higher the pH the more alkaline (or base) the solution. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline it has a pH of 7 which is neutral.

The maintenance of a desired pH range has important implications for life processes, agriculture, industry and the environment. Examples of this include:

For a person to remain healthy, the pH of blood must be maintained within a narrow range, 7.35 to 7.45, ideally at 7.365 pH.
Plant growth can be severely affected if soil pH is too high or too low, and the availability of plant nutrients and non-essential elements may be affected.
Pipes and pumping equipment can be corroded in a short time if they carry water that is acidic in nature (i.e. low pH).
Internal slightly alkaline pH is the key to balance. The goal of the human body is to reach and maintain a state of equilibrium (a neutral pH). Due to the fact that a majority of the foods and drinks we take in are acidic, our bodies are constantly working to neutralize their environment with alkaline elements. When this balance is compromised many problems can occur.

For instance, cancer does not live well in an alkaline environment but flourishes in an acidic environment. What we consume either raises or lowers our body pH. For example a soft drink such as a cola has a pH of 2.7-3.0, which is extremely acidic! A soft drink with a pH of 3.0 is going to have a much higher pH after it has passed through the body; it is going to have close to the same pH as your body, about 7.0. It reached that pH level by stealing precious minerals and fluids from your body! Putting soft drinks and other high acid foods in your body lowers your body's pH making it more acidic, thus more susceptible to disease.

It does not give you disease; rather it helps to create the ideal environment for any disease that may come along to get a foothold, may it be environmental, genetic, diet related or by other means. The vast majority of cancer patients possess a very low body pH, ranging from 6.0-5.0 or lower. Our bodies simply cannot fight disease if the body pH is not properly balanced.