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Acidosis
ShareAcidosis is a condition when the body becomes too acidic. But why is it so dangerous to our health? Read on to learn more.
What is Acidosis and why does it occur?
Acidosis occurs when the pH of the body becomes too acid. The pH of the cells and fluids in the body can affect every process in the body, and of all these fluids, the blood is the most important. In the same way that the body will do whatever it has to in order to maintain your body temperature, it will do whatever it has to to ensure that that the pH of the blood remains slightly alkaline.
Acidosis is becoming more common due to the acidic foods that many people eat, which is too high in acid-producing products such as meat, eggs, and dairy, and too low in alkaline-producing foods such as fresh vegetables. Processed foods are also acid-forming, as are coffee and soft drinks. Artificial chemical sweeteners are extremely acid-forming.
When the body is too acidic, the body needs to borrow minerals such as calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium from the vital organs and bones in order to neutralise the acid and safely remove it from the body.
Problems that Occur as a Result of Acidosis
Every part of the body that undertakes regulatory processes, such as breathing, circulation, digestion, and hormone production, works to ensure that the body maintains the correct acid/alkaline balance. The stress caused to the body by trying to maintain this balance can show as many different conditions such as acne, eczema, osteoporosis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, premature ageing, hair loss, brittle nails, mental health problems, liver disease, kidney failure, psoriasis, fatigue, frequent coughs and colds, PMS, mood disorders, obesity, type 2 diabetes, athletes foot, low sex drive, dizziness, and so on and so forth. These problems occur as a mix of the stress that the body is under because of the ingestion of acidic foods and effects of the acidic lifestyle, and also a reflection of the body’s effort to rebalance/repair itself.
The Role of Calcium
If the body becomes too acidic, the body will take calcium from wherever it can in order to retain a slightly alkaline blood pH. A compound called mono-ortho-calcium phosphate is the chemical buffer for the blood, and it is this buffer than maintains the alkaline level in your blood. Without it you would die, as death occurs if the acidity level of your blood changes even a little. In order to supply enough calcium for this buffering, we need enough calcium in the diet; otherwise the body will simply take it from the bones and teeth. This can make osteoporosis more likely. When the acid overload gets to be too much for the body, the excess acid is dumped into the lymphatic system, which then removes whatever it can. This is not an ideal solution as the lymphatic system will just put the acid waste straight back into the blood. The body also tries to excrete acid through the skin which is when skin problems such as irritation, acne, excess oils, inflammation, and boils can occur.
Diabetes and Acidosis
If acidic waste accumulates in the pancreas, diabetes may develop due to a lack of insulin in the body. Diabetic acidosis is a life threatening condition that can occur in people with type 1 diabetes and less commonly, with type 2 diabetes. It happens when a lack of insulin leads to high blood sugar levels, the presence of ketones in the urine, and certain acids in the blood. If this form of acidosis occurs, immediate hospitalisation and treatment is required.
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