Over the years I have thought about writing about how the acid and alkaline balance or pH balance in your system may impact your fertility but there haven't been actual studies on this topic so I was always a bit apprehensive.
But after seeing some of my patients adopt these principles over the years and subsequently become pregnant I thought, "why not?" The worst thing that can happen is you become healthier and the best thing of course is you become pregnant!
I have to admit there is some logical basis to the concept of regulating your pH balance to support your fertility. The body does naturally change the cervical mucous pH through the cycle to become more sperm friendly leading up to and at ovulation.
ph Balance is important for overall health. Keeping the body more alkaline than acidic has been purported to improve health. One strong finding in a petri dish that hasn't been formally tested yet in humans and published is that cancer cells tended to grow in a more acidic than alkaline environment.
Our Westernised diets of meats, white flour products, sugar, sweeteners, dairy, multiple coffees and black teas (often times with sugar and dairy), pastas, trans fats, and food additives found in most convenience foods contribute to making our body much more acidic than it should be. Overgrowths of bacteria, yeast, fungus and all sorts of little organisms that can be quite annoying to us (think itchy or tinea, thrush, etc) can thrive in an acidic environment.
Symptoms of excess acidity levels can be
heartburn (this can be low acid in the stomach as well as high acid)
reactions to jewelry, dark marks on the skin when wearing jewelry
chronic muscle pain and/or joint pain
mouth ulcers or other ulcers
skin redness or rashes
strong smelling urine (discuss with health care professional as this can be related to many things)
if a man's semen is too acidic the female may experience a burning or stinging after ejaculation
How to know if you are too acidic. You can test your urine or saliva's pH balance using ph Balance strips similar to ones you might find at the pool shop. Or your health food shop may carry a ph Balance
testing kit.
In the morning we are naturally more acidic with our urine measuring approximately 6.8 and by mid afternoon a more alkaline reading of 7.2 can be desireable.
How to decrease your acidity if its too high (the more acidic a substance is the lower the pH)
-decrease red meat to only occasionally but some may need to remove all together. If you have red meat make sure its grass fed to increase the % of good fats that you are exposed to in the meats.
-lots of water: Attempt to have atleast 2 litres of filtered water per day. And check your tap water
as a few of my patients after having the council check their water found that it was more acidic than what it was supposed to be.
- start your morning with a glass of water with lemon or a table spoon of vinegar before brky. Both are acidic foods but actually help the body become more alkaline. Vinegar can assist in optimising blood sugar levels.
-Remove all sodas, soft drinks and energy drinks
- Eliminate coffee if very acidic or limit to only one cup of black coffee per day. Black tea (even with milk its more acidic) can be acidic so should be limited to no more than 2 cups a day. Green tea
2-3 cups a day and lots of herbals teas
- Veggies and Salads have a great alkalising effect on the system
- Get your Greens. I love two products for this 1) Barley Life (superior to other barley products as it grown organically and it removes the undigestied cellulose which is the grainy texture that most
other barley products leave in and therefore you get less Barley and more undigestable material.
2) Leaf Greens which is a beautiful product containing spinach, barley, peas, and beans.
If you are interested you can order these for the WHOLESALE price in either powder or capsules and save $$ Email me at info@sharkeyshealingcentre.com if you are interested in either of those.
Hope that helps!!
Stacey the babymaker Roberts
www.sharkeyshealingcentre.com
www.naturalfertility.com
fb baby maker
