Natural Home Cures Pure Alkaline Water Drops - pH Testing: Are You Too Acidic?
There are two simple ways to monitor your body’s pH level (1*) testing your urine or your saliva. You’ll need special test strips of pH reactive paper. This paper changes color according to the degree of acidity/alkalinity of the substance that it touches.
pH Strips
Strips used to test body pH are usually made of plastic and have 2 to 4 small reactive areas placed far enough apart to ensure an easier pH comparison.
Testing Urine
Testing Urine: What is a healthy range for your body’s pH? (2*)
A reading of less than 6.5 indicates a body that is too acidic. A reading between 6.5 and 7.5 indicates a healthy individual. A reading above 7.5 means the body is too alkaline.
To get a proper idea of the state of your body you need to take several tests throughout the day. After meals, it may be especially acidic depending upon the food and drink you consumed.
The first urination of the day will be very acidic as a result of accumulated acids filtered through the body overnight. Therefore, a second urine test will be more accurate. (You should, however, check the first urination of the day once in awhile because if it tests neutral, it may signal that too much acid is staying in the kidneys.)
If your urine pH readings are very low—in the 4.25 to 5.7 range—it is an excellent sign that your body is highly acidic and that you should immediately take steps towards alkalization.
If your pH is 7.5 or higher, it suggests that your body is highly alkaline. Ask yourself if you’re taking too many alkalinizing supplements. Some people have more naturally alkaline bodies than others, and it is possible to overdo it on ‘health foods.' Vegetarians who eat little grains are at particularly high risk of over alkalization.
An over-alkaline reading is a glandular problem such as adrenal fatigue. It is unlikely that a person suffering from this type of illness won’t already know there is something ‘off’ with their body. A consistent pH test result of 7.5 or higher may be considered a good warning to see a doctor and run some more extensive tests.
Another explanation is that the body is having trouble metabolizing acids. The kidneys may be producing ammonia to filter out the excess acids, and the body may be relying on a ‘leeching’ mechanism whereby it extracts too many alkaline substances from tissues to neutralize the acidic environment. Since this material must be eliminated, the urine is highly alkaline though the body itself is still in an acidic state. In this scenario, even though the urine is alkaline the body pH is quite out of balance.
To get an accurate measurement of the pH of your body, tests need to be performed around four times a day. If urine is not consistent throughout the day, it is an indication that the internal environment of the body is out of balance and needs to be corrected.
Testing Saliva
Testing Saliva - Another method of testing body pH is to use saliva. The proper range for saliva pH is 7.0 to 7.50.(3*) A reading lower than this indicates that your body is low in alkaline minerals or they are being used up to fight an acidic internal environment.
Testing saliva is a little easier than testing urine: simply hold the pH strip to the side of your cheek, making sure it is saturated with saliva, and then wait for the active portion of the strip to change color so you can check the reading.
As with urine, testing saliva first thing in the morning is not representative of the pH in your body. The reason for this is because first thing in the morning your mouth is full of acidic bacteria that will throw the reading off.
For an accurate first saliva pH of the day, the measurement should be taken at least half an hour after brushing your teeth. Subsequent measurements should be taken before lunch and then again before dinner.
It bears repeating that no single pH test result is indicative of the state of your body. For both urine and saliva testing, you need to test consistently for 4 or 5 days. The trend of the data will be what you look at to decide if your body is acidic, alkaline or balanced.
Source References
(1) Test Body PH Levels - LiveStrong(2) The Role of pH and Healthy Living - Chemcraft
(3) Saliva PH Test - Alkalize For Heath