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Throughout
history, both modern medical practitioners and
traditional healers have used the acid-base balance
of foods in the treatment and prevention of various
adverse health conditions. At one time it was
common practice for doctors to recommend an acidic
diet for the prevention of bladder infections,
as the bacteria that often cause the infections
tend to thrive in an alkaline environment. This
practice of urine pH manipulation through dietary
intervention fell out of favor with the advent
of modern day antibiotics. This advice may once
again become popular as concerns regarding the
overuse of antibiotics continues to rise, and
as holistic, nondrug solutions to common health
problems continue to gain in popularity.
In
Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine, an excess
of acid in the body related to having certain
body type known as a "pitta dosha".
Even though they didn't have terms for things
like pH and hydrogen ions, evidently Ayurvedic
healers did seem to have an understanding of the
basic underlying principles of acidity and alkalinity.
The Ayurvedic cures for an acid stomach included
increasing consumption of raw fruits and vegetables,
which we know today to be alkaline forming foods.
Low
acid or low alkaline diets may also be recommended
in the prevention and treatment of certain types
of kidney stones. Some types of stones are more
easily formed in an acidic environment and some
in an alkaline environment. Calcium phosphate,
calcium carbonate, and magnesium phosphate stones
develop in alkaline urine. For these types of
stone a more acid forming
diet is generally recommended. Uric acid and
cystine stones are more likely to form in acidic
urine. For people with these types of stones,
doctors are likely to prescribe a more alkaline
diet.
In
animals, an alkaline
diet has been successfully used to prevent bone
deterioration and stress fractures.
A
very interesting and well referenced paper called
"Origins
and evolution of the Western diet: health implications
for the 21st century" , from the
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
noted that the benefits of a net base (alkaline
producing diet) included preventing and treating
osteoporosis, age-related muscle wasting, calcium
kidney stones, hypertension, and exercise-induced
asthma and slow the progression of age- and disease-related
chronic renal insufficiency. The authors felt
that relatively modern foods such as cereals grains,
refined sugar and other energy-dense, nutrient-poor
foods contributed to a low grade metabolic acidosis
among the population that is a major factor in
many modern diseases.
Holistic
doctors often recommend diet changes to prevent
or treat acidosis or alkalosis, however mainstream
medical practitioners often prefer to use drugs
instead of nutritional therapy to treat these
conditions.
Links:
Acid
and Alkaline Diet Tips
Sources
1.
Haas, Elson, Staying Healthy with Nutrition,
Celestial Arts, Berkeley, California, 1992.
2.
Balch, James F. and Phyllis A., Prescription
for Nutritional Healing, Third Edition, Avery,
New York. 2000
3.
Riond JL., "Animal nutrition and acid-base
balance", European Journal of Nutrition,
2001 Oct;40(5):245-54.
4.
Cordain, L. et al. "Origins and evolution
of the Western diet: health implications for the
21st century", American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, Vol. 81, No. 2, 341-354, February
2005
Copyright
2005 - 2006
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