On Thu, 08 Mar 2007 04:35:33 -0700, Marilyn Harris  
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> What I read about this ph stuff is that it is all nonsense. The body  
> maintains and operates within, a very narrow range of acidity. Testing  
> your pH from your urine proves nothing as this is an excretory product  
> (and can show some variation). What's important is the pH of your blood.
Yes, but the question is How?  How does the body keep the pH of your
blood in such a narrow range, considering the vast array of foods that  
come in,
that have acid or alkaline properties?  The answer is: a variety of ways;
some acid goes out through the breath, or the sweat.  Some must go out  
through
the urine. If the acid level is too high for the urine, the body buffers  
it from
incoming calcium, or its vast store of calcium (your bones and other  
tissues).
Long-term, taking the body's calcium is not good for you.  Short-term it  
can be
essential; it saves your life.  If your blood pH gets out of the narrow  
range,
it is a medical emergency.

A similar situation: A healthy body can take care of a high level of  
glucose, by using
insulin.  Therefore a healthy body's blood sugar stays within close
bounds, enough to keep your brain happy, not so much as to damage
tissues.  This is another one of those amazing bodily functions that keeps
everything in range despite vast differences in types and quantities
of food.  But we think it is not healthy to abuse this mechanism by  
drinking
soda and eating sweets all day long.

I am far from an expert on this subject, so will gladly relinquish this
field to somebody who knows more.

	Lynnet