Friday, July 29, 2011

Restore your Acid-Alkaline Balance - The Importance of pH

It's not often that we hear about or are directed to find out what our personal body pH may be, yet it is one of the most important indicators of good health.

The body's internal environment likes to stay consistent, at a consistent temperature and also at a consistent pH. Without a consistent pH the internal environment would collapse and the body could not continue living.The body's pH is a balance between acidic and alkaline substances. The balance between the two is critical to maintaining good health. Any disturbance in this balance leads to the breakdown of body processes and eventual illness. Disease thrives in an acidic environment as the acid content irritates and changes cell structure and performance because of constant irritation by the acidic substances of the tissue. Health problems that can arise run the gamut from chronic fatigue, depression, rheumatic disorders, tooth decay, cancer and just about any other health issues. So it is imperative for the body to maintain a good balance between acidic and alkaline substances in the tissues and bodily fluids.  

A balanced pH within the body registers about 7.39, the lower the pH the more acidic the system is. The primary cause of a departure from a 7.39 pH comes from dietary factors. In the West especially, our diets are extremely acidic. Acidic items include any type of animal products, white flour and sugar products, refined foods, coffee, energy drinks, soda pop, alcohol, tobacco, pesticides, herbicides, prescription drugs, refined oils...so basically everything that most American's ingest on a daily and ongoing basis. The "normal" American pH  is about 6.2-6.4 which is far too acidic. This is why here in the West we see a substantial amount of chronic degenerative diseases.

Other factors that lead to too much acidity in the body include poor liver and kidney function and negative mental attitudes. Poor kidney and liver function can be common in those who drink, use drugs, prescription drugs or have bodily disorders that break down the functionality of the liver and kidneys. The liver and kidneys are unable to properly filter out harmful acid and it remains circulating within the body. Organic disease such as cancer and diabetes also raise the levels of acidity in the body because the diseased cells metabolic wastes are acidic.

Negative mental thinking and stress also overload the body with acidic substances. Our thoughts and emotions have a profound effect on our biological structure. When we are stressed the body falls out of harmony and alignment and the biology follows. Negativity, fear, stress, anger and aggression all disrupt the body's function and make the internal environment more acidic.

Because the body cannot tolerate any change to pH in the blood it will "buffer" the acidity to make the blood more alkaline. The body does this in several ways. First, it will pull reserves of buffering agents, sodium and calcium, from other places in the body. Because sodium is used up fairly quickly the body will begin pulling calcium to buffer the acidity mainly from the bones and teeth, which is the main reasons here in the US we have such high rates of osteoporosis. Another mechanism the body employs is to drive the acidic substances out of the blood and deep into the body's tissues. This restores the blood pH however now the tissues are saturated with acidic substances, which leads to their eventual deterioration.

So what can you do to restore and maintain a proper alkaline acid balance? Here are some tips:

1. Change and maintain a diet that is highly alkalizing. Everything natural that comes from the Earth will keep your body in balance. Anytime you start straying form what the Earth provides and grows for us to eat you will begin disrupting your body's balance. Refrain from animal products, processed foods and drinks, white products and sugars, stimulants, alcohol and prescription drugs. If you are currently on prescription drugs seek out natural healing remedies that will help to heal your body and bring it back into balance without the use of toxic substances.

2. Verify you are not deficient in any vitamins or minerals. Especially deficiencies in calcium, magnesium and potassium can lead to a highly acidic internal environment. There are a few ways to check your vitamin and mineral levels. Here at Align we offer the Nutri-Body Analysis which will screen for any vitamin or mineral deficiencies.

3. Make sure your kidneys and liver and functioning optimally. Cleansing yearly or bi-yearly can help to flush these important organs and keep them functioning optimally. Also refrain from drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, preservatives and colorings, as both your kidneys and liver have to work harder to eliminate these toxic substances.

4. Keep your stress levels to a minimum. Find healthy ways of releasing stress and keep your mental outlook positive and harmonious. Meditation and yoga are two types of practices that help to relieve stress and re-harmonize body processes and functions.

At Align we can assist you in naturally cleansing, detecting vitamin and mineral deficiencies and restoring your body's pH so that you live a long and healthy live.



Live consciously and be well!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Ayurveda for a Vibrantly Healthy Balanced Life!


Ayurveda is a system of medicine that has been in practice in India for over 5,000 years literally meaning “The Science of Life.” Ayurveda is considered by many to be the oldest healing science in the world. It is a holistic approach based on brining balance to the body, mind and spirit through diet, lifestyle and herbs to prevent and eliminate sickness, disease and to help people live a long and vibrantly healthy life.

Ayurveda explores life in all its layers and pays more attention to an organism’s energies and their functions within the body-mind-spirit complex rather then the structure which contains them. Every substance we encounter and every action we perform or that is performed on us influences our inner balance for the good or bad. When we adapt ourselves effectively to changing circumstances, we remain healthy, yet if we exceed our limits in any direction, we are likely to find ourselves sick. Ayurveda teaches us how to eat and live a balanced life in the midst of changing circumstances based on our individual constitution so we never venture off into the uncharted waters of illness. Each of us possess the innate powers for health maintenance and self-healing that we can activate if we learn how to let them flow naturally.

True health is a state of persistent well-being, not a temporary condition or reprieve from illness. It is a state in which one feels well in one’s being continuously, despite what may surrounds us or takes place outside of our being. Ayurveda teaches us what each of us needs individually to maintain a life of balance, health and well being.


Personal Metabolic Make-Up ~ What’s your Dosha Baby?

Ayurveda teaches that each individual possesses certain physical and mental traits that are fixed at the moment of conception and persist throughout that person’s existence. Your constitution is your personal metabolic makeup, your set of metabolic characteristics that determine how your body and mind will instinctively behave and function as well as inherent strengths and weaknesses within your system. To know your inherent strengths and weaknesses of your constitution allows you to understand better how your body-mind-spirit complex functions and how you can use diet and lifestyle changes to influence your health and well being.

Your personal constitution is expressed in terms of the three doshas, or energetic systems and patterns in Ayurveda. The doshas are constantly moving in dynamic balance, one with the other. The three active doshas are called Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each of us has all three energy systems at play within our system but each of us has predominant dosha and some of us have a bi-dosha metabolic make-up.

Ayurveda views each and every person as unique, with a unique mind-body constitution and a unique set of life circumstances, all of which must be considered in determining either natural healing approaches or recommendations for daily living.

How Does Knowing My Dosha Help Me?


Understanding your dosha, or predominant energy type, lets you know your specific metabolic needs in order to be healthy. Each of the doshas has a set of unique characteristics, lifestyle practices, foods and herbs that bring it most into balance. By knowing your dosha you can learn what foods, herbs, exercises and lifestyle practices will bring you the most balance and health. By keeping yourself in balance you avoid sickness, disease, pain, emotional and spiritual issues from arising and live at the highest levels of health, balance, peace and well-being.

Ayurveda at Align Holistic Health & Well Being


At Align Holistic Health & Well Being we utilize the science of Ayurveda to help you attain perfect balance and health. Ayurvedic approaches are blended with other healing modalities based on a person’s individual constitution and needs. At-home natural health care approaches are also taught to promote health and well being at home.

Our Ayurvedic Consultations will take all aspects of your being into consideration to develop an Ayurvedic Lifestyle plan that includes diet, herbs, exercise and lifestyle practices to bring you the greatest levels of health, happiness and well being!

Contact us today for your free Ayurvedic Personal Constitution Test and to schedule your Ayurveda Consultation!

www.alignholistichealth.com