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Most people who suffer from unbalanced pH are acidic. This condition forces the body to borrow minerals -- including calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium -- from vital organs and bones to buffer (neutralize) the acid and safely remove it from the body. Because of this strain, the body can suffer severe and prolonged damage due to high acidity -- a condition that may go undetected for years.

A recent study conducted at the University of California-San Francisco on 9,704 postmenopausal women showed that those who have higher acidity levels (also called chronic acidosis) from a diet rich in animal foods are at greater risk for lower bone density levels than those who have "normal" pH levels. The researchers who carried out this study hypothesized that many of the hip fractures prevalent among older women correlated to higher acidity from a diet rich in animal foods and low in vegetables. The body apparently borrows calcium from the bones in order to balance pH, and this calcium borrowing may result in a decrease in bone density.

Urinary pH levels can indicate how well your body is assimilating minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. These are called the "acid buffers" because they are used by the body to control acid levels. When acid levels begin to increase, the body becomes less capable of excreting acid. It must either store the acid in body tissues, or buffer it-that is, borrow minerals from organs, bones, etc., in order to neutralize the increase in acidity. Urinary pH should fluctuate between 6.0-6.4 in the morning and 6.4-7.0 in the evening.

You will also want to test the pH of your saliva. The results of saliva testing can indicate the activity of digestive enzymes in your body, especially the activity of the liver and the stomach.

This reveals the flow of enzymes running through your body and shows their effect on all the body systems and your tissues. Some people will have acidic pH readings from both urine and saliva-this is referred to as "double acid." Salivary pH should stay between 6.4 and 6.8.