There was a post doing the rounds on Facebook yesterday with a “health tip” that claimed to cure arthritis, heartburn, and various other chronic illnesses. The only thing was, that the people sharing this miraculous “health tip” had no idea what they were talking about, or the long term damage that could be done if someone took on their advice and used it as a part of their ongoing lifestyle practices.
The remedy was nothing fancy – it was bicarb soda – and the recommendation was to put half a teaspoon of bicarb in a glass of water and drink it as a way of alkalising the body and taking out those pesky acids that cause disease. They recommended doing that several times a day, and had people writing in saying that their arthritis was reducing and they were feeling amazing. Now part of this remedy is true, bicarb does give alkalising substances that can neutralise acids in the body that are implicated in many chronic disease – arthritis being one of them. The problem is though, that although this remedy may be effective as a short term band-aid for the problem, it is not a solution or cure.
One of the main problems with drinking bicarb in water, or alkaline water which I also have a big issue with, is that they have to go through the digestive system. Now, our stomach naturally produced a large amount of very strong acid, designed to digest food, break down proteins into amino acids, ionise minerals for absorption, and intrinsic factor to uptake vitamin B12. These are absolutely essential functions, and we need good quantities of strong stomach acid to allow us to absorb the maximum amount of nutrition out of our food. By taking alkalising preparations such as bicarb or alkaline water, you effectively neutralise the acidic environment of the stomach, inhibiting it’s ability to digest food properly. Over a period of time, a person can become malnourished because their stomach is not producing the necessary acid to allow good digestion.
Furthermore, stomach acid is the first line of defense against pathogens in our food. Acid will kill off bad bacteria, fungi, parasites and yeasts that may be in the food, and if there is not enough acid to do the job, then these pathogens move into the intestines where they thrive on eating undigested food. Food that is not broken down properly by stomach acid can also cause irritation and inflammation in the bowel, leading to leaky gut syndrome and systemic toxicity.
In acidic conditions of the body, alkalising substances are needed to buffer the acids – but the most important alkalisers are minerals. And how many minerals do you find in a glass of bicarb and water, or in plain alkaline water? Pretty much zero. And how many minerals do you absorb out of your food when your stomach acid has been diluted and neutralised by alkalising fluids? Very few.
If a person has a chronic illness, the best thing they can do is build a solid foundation of nutrition underneath them, and that comes from the nutrients found in wholefoods. Rather than drink a glass of bicarb and water, drink a green juice and supply an abundance of alkalsing minerals in a form that supports and encourages digestion, rather than halting it. Although simple remedies like bicarb can seem like a cure-all to some, once you understand the basics of biochemistry and how the body works, you can see how easy it is to go wrong. If someone is in great pain and needs to alkalise quickly – then a glass of bicarb in water can help – but only well away from meals so that ther body has a chance to replenish stomach acid levels before eating. But again, why consume something that contains no nutrition, when you can achieve the same result with food as medicine?
Leisa
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Those of us who eat incredibly healthy may still lead very stressful lives, which constantly leaves our bodies in a fight or flight mode of stress.
“the most important alkalisers are minerals.” And that being said, I’ve found that taking Sole (Himalayan pink salt & good, clean water supersaturated until there is salt left in the jar) has all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks. It contains 84 of the 85 or so known minerals in a natural form, alkalizes your body beautifully & I’ve never experienced any digestive problems over the past couple of years that I’ve been taking it. Oh, it’s a fantastic antacid too. Works in seconds.
One of the main problems with drinking bicarb in water, or alkaline water which I also have a big issue with, is that they have to go through the digestive system.