THE WYSONG e-HEALTH LETTER
~Thoughts for Thinking People~

WHAT TO DO TO REVERSE AND PREVENT ACIDEMIA

     I have spent quite a bit of time in recent issues discussing the details and importance of acidemia. In the past issue you saw a reference to the scientific literature right up to date substantiating the seriousness of this issue. Please refer to these past issues (12/30/02, 12/09/02 and 10/31/02) to get up to speed on the reasoning behind this topic.
Here I want to give more specific guidance, things you can do to address acidemia, an underlying determinant of health:

1. Follow the Wysong Optimal Health Program™.
     The following specific recommendations are encompassed within the Optimal Health Program and are inferred from the past e-Health Letter articles "Acidosis...I Told You So," "Ultimate Water" and "Dissolving Bones."

2. Exercise.
     Regular exercise is important to stimulate circulation and increase breathing to improve oxygen saturation of tissue (reversing anaerobiosis) and, through the exhalation of carbon dioxide, to remove acid (hypoventilation, under-breathing, creates acid). However, excess exercise can produce acidemia and excess free radicals and may aggravate health problems in those not following the rest of the Optimal Health Program or who are already in severe acidemia. During illness or severe acidemia, exercise should be limited for these reasons.

3. Meal Frequency.
     More frequent meals create an alkalosis known as the postprandial alkaline tide. Overeating and large meals cause inefficient digestion and fermentation leading to acidemia.

4. Connective Tissue Health.
     Regular exercise, including weight-bearing exercise, helps stimulate connective tissue health. (Consideration must be given to the caveats in No. 2.) The Optimal Health Program helps provide the ingredients for rebuilding connective tissue, and supplements such as Contifin™ and Glucosamine Complex™ should be used particularly if there is cardiovascular or musculoskeletal degeneration (see Contifin™ – Glucosamine Complex™ – Arthegic™ monograph).

5. Toxins.
     The home and workplace environment should be examined for the presence of organic solvents, pesticides (particularly those containing arsenic), and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury.

6. Dental Fillings.
     If amalgam fillings are present, consideration should be given to removing them over a period of time after acidemia has been reversed and antioxidant supplements have been taken for approximately one month.

7. Zinc Supplementation.
     Approximately 50 mg of supplemental zinc per day will help build immunity and heal mouth lesions from acidemia.

8. Bicarbonate.
     Citrate, malate, and lactate are anions (electron rich molecules) found in food, which will stimulate metabolic alkalosis (the opposite of acidosis). When consumed, citrate, for example, will stimulate the vagus nerve to prompt the pancreas to release bicarbonate into the duodenum (small intestine) via the hormone secretin. Bicarbonate is then absorbed into the lymph system and helps neutralize acidemia. Bicarbonate, within the digestive tract, will also help properly balance an overly acidic gastrointestinal tract, including the colon, to prevent the proliferation of pathogenic organisms and prevent carcinogenesis such as colon cancer. Alkinate™ provides citrate and trona mineral salts from natural sources and dramatically promotes the release of bicarbonate into the lower intestinal tract to effectively combat acidemia.
Lemon juice (citrate), apple cider (malate), yogurt, cottage cheese and other soft cheeses (lactate) stimulate the release of bicarbonate into the digestive tract, which helps alkalinize the digestive environment, and are absorbed by the lymphatics to create a metabolic alkalosis as well.

9. Protein.
     Sufficient high quality protein should be consumed, preferably from low iron meats such as poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products (not homogenized/pasteurized milk) including plain, unsugared yogurt, cottage cheese and other soft nonprocessed cheeses. Protein, particularly albumin in eggs, helps bind free calcium to prevent its damaging effects. Whey protein and eggs are especially rich in branched chain amino acids, which are beneficial in repairing soft tissue breakdown.

10. Amino Acids.
     Glutamic acid and ornithine are amino acids important in helping remove acidic hydrogen ions (hydrogen atoms minus their electron). They do this by helping ammonia (NH3) pick up a hydrogen ion in the kidney tubules to form ammonium (NH4) to be excreted. Alkinate™ provides the appropriate amino acids that enter into biochemical pathways to drive them toward the removal of acids from the body. Healthy alkalosis thus results by promoting the body's own natural processes for ridding itself of waste.

11. Sugar and Refined Flours.
     Sugar and refined flours should be greatly reduced or eliminated from the diet. They stimulate the parathyroid hormone to release phosphate from bones and increase its excretion in the urine. Phosphate is an important reserve that helps counteract acidemia. Also, as phosphate is released from the bones, free calcium is released.

12. Calcium Supplements.
     Calcium should be derived primarily from the whole foods in the Optimal Health Program. If calcium supplements are taken, they should be designed to not cause the release of free calcium ions (see Orgamin™ – refer to Vitamins & Minerals monograph).

13. Magnesium Supplementation.
     Magnesium from natural foods and as a supplement at a level of about 100 mg. per 50 pounds of body weight serves as a natural calcium channel blocker to prevent the influx of free calcium into cells.

14. Vitamin D.
     Vitamin D supplementation should not exceed 25,000 units per day. Excess vitamin D could lead to an exacerbation of free calcium. Vitamin D should be balanced with other vitamins in a multivitamin supplement (see Optimal™). Daily sunshine should be one of the primary sources of vitamin D.

15. Soft Drinks.
     Soft drinks, particularly those laden with sugar and phosphoric acid, should be eliminated from the diet. As mentioned above, sugar stimulates the release of free calcium; phosphoric acid is a strong metabolic acidifier.

16. Probiotics.
     Probiotics found in cultured dairy foods, sauerkraut and other fermented products, and in dietary supplements (see Probiosyn™), help shift the balance of gut microorganisms away from pathogens to organisms that exert benefits.

17. Phosphorus.
     Phosphorus, as found in seeds such as raw pumpkin seeds (see Wysong Trail Mix™), and in lecithin from eggs and soy (see Whole Soy™), helps replace phosphate lost due to acidosis.

18. Iron.
     Red meat (high in iron) should be limited to one or two meals a week and cast iron utensils should not be used for cooking. Iron is a strong oxidant (robber of electrons) and a free radical catalyst.

19. Potassium.
     Potassium should be increased and sodium decreased since the ratio from modern eating patterns is inverted. Fresh vegetables, grape juice, bananas, and properly designed supplements (such as Orgamin™ and High Potassium Whole Salt™) are excellent sources of potassium.

20. Essential Fatty Acids.
     Fatty acids, such as gamma linoleic acid and omega-3's, help decrease the inflammatory process (see Lipid Nutrition – Understanding fats and oils in health and disease). These are obtained from vegetables, some seeds, wild animal products and cold-water fish. Because of the difficulty in obtaining sufficient quantities of these fatty acids from modern food, supplementation is advisable (see Wysong Nutritious Oils monograph).

21. Enzymes.
     Foods in their raw state supply enzymes that assist in digestion. Additionally, supplemental food enzymes and pancreatic enzymes will help the body break down food components to increase their utilization and assist in repair of tissue. After years on heated, processed, enzyme-devoid foods, most humans and animals have greatly diminished digestive capacity (see Rationale for Enzymes).

22. Drugs.
     Painkillers and other drugs that are not absolutely necessary should be eliminated under the eye of a nutritionally oriented physician. The objective is not to mask symptoms, but rather to focus on causes.

23. Oxidized Foods.
     Modern food processing and heat oxidizes many foods, particularly fats that are beneficial nutritionally. Powdered eggs, powdered milk, fried foods, stale fats and oils, hydrogenated oils and processed foods without appropriate antioxidants should be avoided because of their content of toxic oxidized chemicals (see Oxherphol™ for prevention of food oxidation).

24. Antioxidants.
     Fresh foods contain a variety of antioxidants, which will help reverse acidemia and block free radical damage. Nutrients necessary to help the body form its own internal antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, and DT-diaphorase need nutrients such as zinc, copper, manganese, magnesium, iron, selenium, methionine, cysteine, and vitamin B2. Preformed dietary antioxidants include vitamins E, A, the carotenoids, coenzyme Q10, vitamin C, polyphenols, mannitol, bioflavonoids, thiols and proteins. These nutrients can be obtained by converting the diet, as described above, and with appropriate supplementation (see Rationale for Antioxidant Supplements).

25. Negative-Ion Air.
     Natural, healthy air is rich in negative ions produced by lightening, cosmic rays, ultraviolet radiation, and the ocean surf. Negative air ionization has been shown to result in numerous health benefits including lowered instances of anxiety, migraines, depression and seasonal affective disorder (SAD), increased alertness, learning ability and vitality, elevated mood, reduced histamine levels that trigger allergies, faster healing, decreased pain, enhanced sexual inclination and enjoyment, and elevated overall vitality. Negatively charged air also significantly decreases the incidence of colds, cross-infections and flu, while promoting improved immunity."Alkaline" electron-rich air can be achieved by moving to non-urbanized areas. During periods of time when we are confined indoors, commercial negative ion generators should be used.

26. Water.
     Non-polluted rain, snow, and mountain lakes and streams are considered most natural and healthy. This Ionized, alkaline water is "smoother," "wetter" water that is much more easily absorbed, more efficiently penetrates tissue, is less likely to cause bloating and is a powerful antioxidant. Extra electrons in alkaline water, like other antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E, scavenge for free radicals, which are unstable electron-depleted (oxidized) molecules that cause cell damage. When consumed, electron-rich hydroxyl ions in the water readily donate extra electrons to help neutralize free radical molecules. In lieu of fresh mountain water, Wysong offers Copper Zinc Filters™, a Water Ionizer™, WellSpring™ and Alkinate™ to help provide fresh, clean water and maintain alkalinity.


Best of health to you and yours from all of us here at Wysong.