Health – Calcification and Acidification

A vegetarian diet rich in whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds is the best way to prevent hardening of the arteries and having an acidic body. Diet is just one of the eight laws of health that are designed to keep this mortal body free of disease. The others are exercise, pure water, sunshine and temperance in all things that are healthful, fresh air, proper rest, and trust in God.

A diet that contains excessive protein causes calcification or hardening of the arteries causing the arterial walls to lose their elasticity. It is a sign of aging, which appears as a result of the disturbance in the metabolism and an unhealthy diet.

During calcification, calcium is withdrawn from the bones and deposited in vessels and tissues. This process causes the bones to become porous and fragile, often resulting in fractures. The tissues, blood vessels, and scar tissue accumulate deposits.

Autopsies have shown that calcification occurring in various parts of the body is a common problem for many people today. It is indicated elsewhere in the body with the appearance of calculus on the teeth and is confirmed in living subjects by CT scans. It increases with age in coronary arteries of both healthy and symptomatic people. It is influenced by vitamin C intake, and by many other diet and lifestyle variations. It is responsible for a multitude of disorders such as kidney stones, atherosclerosis, calcified gall stones, dental calculus, spurs, dysfunction of the heart valves, hardening of the pineal gland and other endocrine glands, ovarian disease, calcification of the joints, inflammatory disorders, fibrocystic problems, and many more.

Calcification is preceeded by or accompanied by five sub-clinical effects:

  1. Acidemia
  2. Free calcium excess
  3. Chronic inflammation
  4. Connective tissue degeneration
  5. Oxidative stress

All of these defects are a result of lifestyle violations. When God’s laws of health are violated, the pH of the body fluids generally tend toward acid. The scale that is used for measuring the pH, or hydrogen ion concentration, is from 0 to 14, with 7 being the neutral point. Below 7 is acidic; above 7 is alkaline. The optimal pH of the body’s fluids, such as the blood and urine, is 7.4, slightly alkaline. Outside of this range the body’s activity is no longer optimal and the metabolism is out of balance. The pH of the body is largely influenced by metabolic byproducts and our diet. Thus, pH is directly affected by the various categories of food that we eat and the internal mechanisms involved in their processing. Some foods that are acid in their composition, such as lemons, can become alkalinizing following metabolization by the body. Accordingly, it is important to become more aware of the impact that various foods and our eating habits have on the internal environment of the body.

An acidic pH can occur from an acid-forming diet, emotional stress, and toxic overload as well as immune reactions or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals stored in other parts of the body. If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a buildup of acids in the cells will occur.

The reason acidosis is more common in our society is mostly due to the typical standard diet, which is far too high in acid producing animal products, such as meat, eggs and dairy, and far too low in alkaline-producing foods like fresh vegetables. Additionally, we eat acid-producing processed foods like white flour and sugar and drink acid-producing beverages like coffee, soft drinks, and cola. We use too many drugs which are acid forming; and we use artificial chemical sweeteners, which are all poison and extremely acid forming. One of the best things we can do to correct an overly acid body is to clean up the diet and lifestyle.

An acidic balance will decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease its ability to repair damaged cells, decrease its ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumor cells thrive, and increase susceptibility to fatigue and illness.

A blood pH of 6.9, which is only slightly acidic, can induce coma and death. The body’s effort to maintain an arterial blood pH of 7.4 overrides just about every other function. Let us consider the common practice of many people who drink colas to show how the body compensates.

Cola upsets the pH balance

A glass of cola has a pH of approximately 2.6. It would take approximately 10 liters of pH 10 alkaline water to neutralize one glass of pH 2.6 cola. When a glass is added to 45 liters of water with a pH of 7.4 (remember the blood is 7.4), the cola will acidify the entire solution, resulting in a pH of 4.6. When a person drinks a glass of cola, the arterial blood starts to acidify, dropping to 7.39, 7.38, 7.37, 7.36, and so on. By the time it reaches 7.35 the oxygen level in the blood has reduced by 65%. This condition is known as acidemia. In an effort to prevent death, the body will draw phosphates from the bones to alkalize the blood. This will correct the pH fairly quickly, but calcium will be freed from the bones and will need to be eliminated from the system. After drinking a glass of coke, calcium can be measured in the urine, along with sodium, magnesium and other important minerals. If the calcium is not excreted quickly, it will be deposited on the bones, in organs, muscle tissue and many other places. Wherever calcification occurs, other toxins are soon deposited into the surrounding tissue. Eventually excessive blood will be sent in to cleanse the diseased tissue, resulting in chronic inflammation.

An acidic system means oxidation which means decay. Excess acidity can cause numerous disturbances such as weakening of the skin, hair, nails, teeth, and bones, deterioration of the digestive tract, leaky gut syndrome, candida, allergies, excitability of the nervous system, sciatica, depression, anxiety, panic disorders, muscular spasms and cramps, enhances susceptibility to infections, (bacterial and viral), chronic fatigue, blockage of certain minerals which become unavailable and increased risk of cancerous cells proliferating.

To maintain health, the diet should consist of 60% alkaline-forming foods and 40% acid-forming foods. To restore health, the diet should consist of 80% alkaline-forming foods and 20% acid-forming foods. Generally, alkaline-forming foods include most fruits, green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils, spices, herbs and seasonings, and seeds and nuts. Generally, acid forming foods include meat, fish, poultry, eggs, grains, and legumes.

A healthy diet does not need to be complicated. God has provided in abundance a large variety of healthy foods to satisfy all tastes from which to choose.

Kaye Sehm, Back to Eden Newsletter. Spring 2011, No. 48.
P.O. Box 850, Lavington, Australia