What is pH? MYBooster

pH is a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It provides a value on a scale from 0 to 14 where 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acidic, and greater than 7 is alkaline (or basic). The closer you move towards 0, the more a solution is acidic, and the closer you move to 14, the more a solution is alkaline. pH is often depicted on a graphical colour scale as shown below:

When talking about water, its pH value is related directly to the ratio of positively charged hydrogen ions [H+] and negatively charged hydroxyl ions [OH-].

• When water has an equal concentration of H+ ions and OH- ions, it is said to be neutral (pH=7)
• When water has a greater concentration of H+ ions, it is said to be acidic (pH7)

Like the Richter scale that measures the intensity of earthquakes, the pH scale is a logarithmic scale, which means that when the pH increases or decreases by one unit, you change the concentration of H+ ions tenfold. So for example, a solution with a pH of 8.0 is ten times more alkaline than a solution with a pH of 7.0. A solution with a pH of 9.0 is 100 times more alkaline than a solution with a pH of 7.0.

Acidic & Alkaline — The two sides of the spectrum

Almost every substance on earth can be classified as either acidic or alkaline. The substances that do not belong to either of the two categories are neutral — which means that they are neither acidic nor alkaline. Pure Water, in its natural form is chemically neutral.

The Natural State of our Body — Why is pH important?

pH is one of the important factors for measuring the quality of drinking water. Our body is made up of cells, which are designed to work in a particular pH, which gives them the best environment for working. This is true for all living cells. When a rare species of bacteria are introduced in an acidic environment, they thrive. But when the same species are introduced to an alkaline environment, they start to die. Together, all the cells in your body are affected by your body’s pH and can start to deteriorate if the pH is too imbalanced.

Understanding pH Balance

The human body is designed to maintain a very delicate pH balance in its fluids, tissues and systems. As most biochemical reactions essential to life take place in an aqueous environment, however, it is our blood plasma and interstitial fluids surrounding the cells that are most sensitive to acid-alkaline imbalance. When these fluids are maintained within a narrow pH range of 7.35 to 7.45, our body’s immune system is operating in optimal conditions and is able to fight off illness and disease. Over acidification of the body, on the other hand, is a dangerous condition that weakens all body systems, and can give rise to an internal environment conducive to disease and even death. Luckily, however, our body has several self-regulating control mechanisms — also called homeostatic systems — that protect us from wide fluctuations in our blood’s pH levels.

The Modern diet is extremely acidic

• Meat, including beef, pork, chicken and turkey are acidic.
• Dairy such as milk, butter and cheese are acidic.
• Grains such as rice and barley are acidic.
• Beverages such coffee, tea, and soft drinks are very acidic.
• Fruit and fruit juices contain high concentrations of acid.
• Simple carbohydrates such as potatoes, pasta, and bread contain large amounts of acids.

Acidosis

If we create an acidic atmosphere in our body by eating well-cooked food and other consumables such as drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, aerated drinks, high amounts of sugar, fried food, and other fast foods then our body and immune system become susceptible to any disease that can infect the human body. The more the acidity of a person’s body, the higher their chances are of contracting serious diseases like Blood pressure, Hypertension, Diabetes and even Cancer.

Over acidity, which can become a dangerous condition that weakens all body systems, is very common today.It gives rise to an internal environment conducive to disease, as opposed to a pH-balanced environment which allows normal body function necessary for the body to resist disease? A healthy body maintains adequate alkaline reserves to meet emergency demands.

When excess acids must be neutralized, our alkaline reserves are depleted leaving the body in a weakened condition. Most people who suffer from unbalanced pH are acidic. This condition forces the body to borrow minerals — including calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium — from vital organs and bones to buffer (neutralize) the acid and safely removes it from the body. Because of this strain, the body can suffer severe and prolonged damage due to high acidity — a condition that may go undetected for years.

PH is a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It provides a value on a scale from 0 to 14 where 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acidic, and greater than 7 is alkaline (or basic).