HOLISTICA OSTEOARTHRITIS POINTERS
In 1993 an estimated 1.8 million women in Canada were afflicted with osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a deterioration of bone mass that can eventually lead to fractures and curvature of the spine. The disease cost $465 million in acute health care and more than $800 million in long-term care, according to Dr Carolyn DeMarco. A bone scan is the most accurate way to assess whether you are losing bone.
The single biggest factor in preventing osteoporosis is to remain with a diet consisting of 75 % alkalizing and 25 acidifying foods. A Superfoods Strategy is in order. Women naturally eat this way in central Africa and Japan. Their diet averages only 300 mg of calcium a day and osteoporosis is uncommon there. You can monitor your pH to determine if your urine is slightly alkaline. Urine should be 4.5 – 8.0, with 6.8 being ideal for first morning urine; 6.6 – 7.0 at 7:00 am; 6.8 – 7.2 at 3:00 pm and 7.0 to 7.4 at 9:00 pm.
Eating an acidifying diet encourages calcium to be stripped from the bone to help neutralize or buffer strong corrosive acids in the diet. Also, eat a diet rich in calcium-rich foods: dulse, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, deep green vegetables, fat-free yogurt, fat-free cottage cheese, whole grains, broiled chicken or fish. Even your drinking water is not neutral. You can have acid or alkaline water, according to the amount of oxygen. Metals that alkalinize water include: magnesium. High copper water creates very acidic water. Areas of soft acidic water have chronic disease prevalent the most. Do not use iron supplements as that is known to cause overload and makes for acidic conditions conducive to arthritis.
The “burn” you get as a result of exercise, creates ammonia, lactic acid and pyruvic acid to build up. This lowers pH in the muscles and can lead to decreased membrane permeability in which necessary nutrients do not easily enter the fatiguing cell. Toxic residue from cellular metabolism is not fully removed from the cells through normal detoxification pathways and cellular dysfunction begins. Toxins then are stored rather than excreted and the body becomes a breeding ground for microbial and viral infections, resulting in illness. The liver, lymphatic systems and connective tissue accumulate toxic debris that accelerates molecular and tissue aging. This results in less energy produced in the cells. Production of ATP (a compound involved in the storage and transfer of energy in muscle cells) declines resulting in less ATP production and consequently less energy. Cellular metabolic dynamics are disrupted as a result of the acid overload. This is the start of premature aging and degenerative diseases.
Intrinsically some foods that are generally classified as acidific are actually alkaline internally. See the chart for examples of foods to eat to become more alkaline.
All fats, oils, sugars, grains, regular milk as well as skin, hard cheese, alcohol, most meats, eggs, fried foods, hydrogenated fats white flour, mass-produced bakery items, pesticides on any foods, processed foods with sugar and other sweeteners, MSG, heavy metals or any chemicals, chronic stress and excess free radical oxidation are acidifying.
Cranberries are the only acidifying fruit. They do not stimulate the pancreas. They carry an antibiotic that works only in an acidic environment, which is rare among fruits.
The popular high-protein diets recommended for losing weight are acidifying and allow only a minimum amount of alkalizing vegetables and forbid acidifying carbohydrates like grains. Green drinks, low in phosphorus are necessary and vital on these diets. Green drinks contain on average, four grams of carbohydrates and zero grams of sugar per serving.
Macrobiotic diets are high in whole grains such as rice, which are acid-forming. These diets do promote acid-alkaline balance with the liberal use of sea vegetables like kombu, dulse, wakame, hiziki, nori and agar, a sea vegetable that acts like gelatin. These are alkaline-forming foods.
All pesticides and herbicides are acid-forming.
All vegetables, sea vegetables, herbs, sprouts, green drinks, fruits, except cranberries, fermented soy products like miso, firm tofu and tempeh, fat-free organic yogurt, fat-free dry cottage cheese, lean white poultry, hydrolyzed whey or soy protein powders, somes seeds, nuts, legumes, apple cider vinegar, bee pollen, dairy-free probiotic cultures, grasses and soy lecithin granules are alkalizing foods.
Raw, unpasteurized cow or goat milk and some of the soft, cultured cheeses (cottage cheese, blue cheese) made from them are alkalizing because of their high calcium levels. Kefir without sugar is acceptable. Yogurt’s lactic acid stimulates the pancreas to release an alkali buffer into the small intestine, which can raise the urine and slaiva pH.
Celtic sea salt, not iodized sodium chloride, is an alkalizing agent because of its sodium content.
Decaffeinated coffee drunk black is also alkalizing following a meal. Caffeine is an alkaloid, but the other ingredients in coffee are acidifying. It is OK to drink black, decaf coffee occasionally at the end of a meal. Coffee drunk on an empty stomach is acidifying since it is a stimulant of serum chloride.
When changing to an acidifying diet allow four to six weeks for your body fluids to gain their proper acid-alkaline balance or homeostasis. Once you build up your alkaline reserves you will:
- Have deeper, more restful sleep patterns
- Notice that your hair and nails grow faster and thicker
- Experience abundant energy both midmorning and midafternoon
- Enjoy increased mental acuity that gives you better cognitive retention, better recall and better mental alertness
- Suffer from fewer colds, headaches, infections and flus
- notice a reduction in candida yeast overgrowth, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), arthritis, and fibromyalgia
Alkalosis is when your pH is between 7.5 – 8.0 or more constantly. You will be more sluggish and lethargy. If your pH fluctuates dramatically up and down you will experience mood swings and sudden energy drops. If your pH is 7.5 – 8.0 or more at each testing, and you are not a vegan who is consuming insufficient protein, your kidneys may be secreting ammonia into your system to try to counterbalance the effects of an acid-producing diet or a potential bacterial infections. SEE A MEDICAL DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY!
A comprehensive, holistic program for preventing and preserving osteoporosis includes diet, walking, weight-resistance training, avoidance of environmental toxins such as pesticides and herbicides on produce and natural hormone therapy. Exercise causes calcium to stay in the bones. Walking briskly for at least a half-hour every day and one hour every other day is good insurance. Once a week go for a two hour walk. Eat alkalinizing foods and water and drink green drinks to complete your holistic program.