I have often written in the past about the negative effects of an over acidic body. When we are born our bodies are in an alkaline state however as we age our body is more likely to become more acidic. Unfortunately, also after the overindulgences of food and drink over the holiday season, our body may be even more acidic. There are many ailments which can be exacerbated when the body is over acidic, in particular, arthritis and gout. Yes, who would have thought, that sore joint you are now suffering from may be because of your holiday overindulgences.

When there is a build up of acid in our body we are at a higher risk of Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Fibromyalgia. Once we suffer from these diseases, a highly acidic body is more likely to increase inflammation, soft tissue degeneration and bone loss.

These diseases are autoimmune diseases and are the result of an over-regulated or under-regulated immune system which attacks the body's healthy cells. When acid waste accumulates in the body, the immune system is compromised.  In an arthritic body the white blood cells attack the healthy cells and because the white blood cells are concentrated near the joints, they do significant damage to the bone and soft tissue. As well, the acid poisons the damaged white cells, causing them to attack additional healthy cells.

An over acidic body also affects the nervous system, which can be detrimental to sufferers of Fibromyalgia. This damage to the nervous system can cause pain impulses throughout the body characterised by inflammation of the soft tissue.

The good news is, a significant reduction in our body's acid level can regenerate healthy cells and tissue thus reversing the damage caused by acidity and arthritis. Arthritis is a common problem - in fact I would say it is one of the major health complaints we deal with in our store every day. Often a customer will obtain relief by taking glucosamine or curcumin or as I wrote about last week, cherry juice, however when we also look address the acid/alkaline balance in their body the results are even more noticeable.

The obvious way to alkalise our body is to address our diet and lifestyle by avoiding eating high acid foods and drinks and ensuring we include lots of alkaline rich foods in your diet. Because foods are either alkaline or acid forming, this balance is mainly determined by the foods we eat. The body can regain the correct acid/alkaline balance by consuming high alkaline foods. For instance, eating green leafy vegetables, pulses, fresh fruit, adding a tablespoon of barley grass powder to your fresh juice each day as well as drinking alkalising water will assist this.

We also know a build up of uric acid in our body can be a major cause of gout. Changing our diet to a more alkaline diet can also be helpful in preventing and treating gout.

Last week I wrote about the benefits of sour cherry juice for arthritis and gout. Combining sour cherry juice and barley grass powder has often been found to be helpful in treating both these conditions.

A FREE ACID/ALKALINE TEST KIT is available from our store which enables customers to test their acid/alkaline levels. There is also available a comprehensive food chart listing alkaline and acid forming foods.  

For further information on this topic or any other health topic call in to see Bev and the team at Go Vita, Your Health Shop at 5 North St, Batemans Bay or phone on 44729737. Don’t forget to tune into Bev on Go Get Healthy at 12.30pm on 2EC.