Why We Become More Acidic as We Age – Symptoms of Over Acidity

How do you know if your body is overly acidic? What is the big difference between a more acidic body and an alkaline body? How does your body change as you age?

Ideally, your body’s pH is equally balanced between acidic and alkaline. If your body is overly acidic, you may be more susceptible to certain illnesses or problems. When the body is too acidic, it may need to take minerals such as calcium or potassium or sodium from your bones in order to neutralize the acid.

This can put your body under a lot of stress and strain. So how can you tell if your body is overly acidic? Signs of over acidity in your body include:

You feel tired or fatigued, even after getting enough sleep.
You have hormonal imbalance symptoms such as mild depression, mood swings, etc for no particular reasons.
You have trouble focusing or feel like you have brain fog.
You have dry skin or other skin issues.
You suffer from frequent yeast infections.
Your digestion feels sluggish.
You are short of breath.
You have joint pain.
You have headaches more frequently.
You have a stiff neck or chronic pain that is not due to an injury.
You have sensitive teeth or gums.

One way to know for certain is to check your pH. This can be done with at home kits or by a professional like a doctor. If your pH is lower than 6.5, your body is too acidic. If your pH is significantly lower than 6.5, you may have a serious case of acidosis.

Acidity and Aging

The truth of the matter is that the body’s ability to maintain a healthy pH balance tends to decline as you age.

What this means is that middle-aged and older people are more susceptible to a condition known as metabolic acidosis, which occurs when the body’s pH balance drops to unhealthy levels.

An analysis of studies conducted on the effect of age on the body’s pH balance showed that we tend to become more acidic as we age.

In one study, an analysis of data showed that after 40, the levels of acid-forming Hydrogen ions in the blood tend to increase rapidly.

As a result of this, middle-aged and older people are generally a lot more susceptible to metabolic acidosis than younger people. The study speculated that progressively worsening metabolic acidosis may, in fact, be the result of declining kidney function as we age.

Stages of Acidity

There are actually 3 stages when it comes to classifying your body’s acidity.

Stage 1 – An early acidic stage.
Stage 2 – Intermediate acidic stage.
Stage 3 – Severe acidic stage.

In stage 1, you feel just feel a little acidic. This stage may be tolerable but it can lead to more serious issues. In this stage, you might experience joint pain, dizziness, heartburn, metallic taste in your mouth or even strong smelling urine. You may also have headaches, fatigue or even constipation or diarrhea.

Stage 2 is that intermediate stage. In this stage, you may experience swelling or inflammation, cold sores, viral infections, memory loss, insomnia, or even bladder conditions like cystitis. Foggy brain or depression may also set in.

Stage 3 is the worse stage. In stage 3, you may experience cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, or even Crohn’s disease or other related diseases.

So how do we prevent getting into stage 2 or 3?

How to Neutralize Your Body Naturally

There are some natural ways to neutralize your body’s pH. Some of these include:

Drinking alkaline water.
Drinking one or two glasses of organic apple cider vinegar or lemon water daily.
Eating alkaline foods such as fruits and vegetables.
Increasing your salivation.
Cutting back on stress.
Exercising more.

Drinking alkaline water can help you because this kind of water contains essential minerals such as calcium or magnesium. Research has also shown that alkaline water can help reduce bone loss in pre-menopausal women.

Apple cider vinegar is another good choice. Try mixing one or two tablespoons of vinegar in eight ounces of water.

Drinking lemon water is another natural way to balance your body to a normal pH level. Even though you might think lemons are naturally acidic, they actually have a pH level higher than 7, which means they have an alkalizing effect on the body.

You can add a slice of lemon to water, or juice a lemon into water. You can also add slices of lemon into a pitcher of water and drink from it throughout the day.

Cutting back on processed foods and eating more fruits and vegetables can also help. Try our super alkaline green smoothie recipe to get started. These types of alkaline foods help balance out the body’s pH on a daily basis.

Studies also suggest that increasing your salivation can help neutralize stomach acid. You can increase your salivation naturally by chewing gum or even sucking on lozenges. However, it’s important to ensure sure they’re sugar-free to prevent high-calorie intake.

Stress also contributes to acid build-up. It’s important to find ways to reduce stress to keep your body’s pH naturally balanced. Activities like meditation, deep breathing, yoga or long walks can be both relaxing and soothing for your body. Why not give these hormone balancing yoga poses a try?

Exercise is another great way to reduce your body’s acidity naturally. Try exercising for at least 30 minutes per day 3-5 times per week for optimal results. Exercise not only helps you maintain a healthy weight, but it also helps counteract acidity in your body. When you sweat, it gives the acid another pathway out of the body and it also helps to oxygenate and alkalize your blood.

Summary

An acidic body can encourage disease, especially cancer. An acidic environment can also cause things like muscle wasting and reduced bone density. This is due partially to the fact that acidic foods tend to be lower in nutrients that promote good health.

An alkaline environment, on the other hand, has been shown to encourage the activity of osteoblasts, which are the cells that help build bone.

In light of this fact, it pays to eat foods that are naturally alkaline and do the activities that reverse acidity, especially as you age.

References

https://www.thealternativedaily.com/signs-your-body-is-too-acidic/

http://www.lifeionizers.com/blog/ph-balance-worse-age/

https://www.naturalnewsblogs.com/symptoms-alarming-body-acidic/

https://healthyliving.azcentral.com/how-to-drink-lemon-water-to-balance-ph-levels-12521946.html