NATURES' FIRST PATH: HOlISTIC MEDICINE.

Almost every path of healing has it’s Arch Nemesis. For exercise it would be the lack of movement; for mindfulness it would be the lack of being able to live in the present moment also known as unconsciousness. And like these two disciplines, Nutrition also has it’s arch nemesis as well otherwise known as: ‘Acidosis’. The discipline of Holistic Nutrition even takes it a step further by saying that not only is Acidosis a problem but worst yet: ‘Low Grade Chronic Acidosis’; also known as the ‘Kiss of Death’ is what is currently responsible for the opening of almost every degenerative disease that we presently know about; to come into existence.

In this discipline it is said that Low Grade Chronic Acidosis is not something you just catch: it is a subtle life destroying process that we unfortunately do to ourselves over many years of consistently eating only acid forming foods in which not enough alkaline forming foods are able to balance out the PH system in your body.  More and more affirmative testing scientific research is being done on this, leaving many to conclude that Acidosis in any form is what causes degenerative diseases like: high blood pressure, cancer, strokes, nutrient deficiencies, kidney stones, accelerated aging, digestive problems, joint damage and the list goes on and on. For many, this may be a new way of looking at how diseases are formed, because unless your Physical Care Providers are open to Holistic Treatments, many of them won’t tell you: “It’s the food that is making you sick.”  But when we take a step back and deduce the ultimate root causes of the illnesses that we have these days, we find that most of it traced back to the overall imbalance of the bodily system; and it is what we eat that either builds or takes away from the health of that system. If we are wondering about genetics and heredity, it has been said that less than 5% of what we know as chronic diseases belong to this group. So if this is the case and we know that Acidosis is the enemy, and that ultimately it’s the food that is packing us out, then who is the Hero and what is the Anti-thesis to this sad state of affairs that we have found ourselves in?: the answer lies in Alkalinity and keeping the internal balance (preferably on the alkaline side).

There is hope. All foods that have a PH more than -0 on the  PRAL scale is considered acid forming, so naturally in order to counter the ill effects of being acidic, we want to try and eat foods that have a PH lower than -0 on the PRAL scale in order to bring about balance, good mental and physical health as well as ward off disease. But before we get into which foods are highest on the alkaline scale, we really have to understand why Low Grade Chronic Acidosis is so harmful and is actually considered the Kiss of Death in Holistic Nutrition. The reason why it is considered so harmful is because when a person is suffering from this the person isn’t necessarily ill enough to be bed ridden or placed in a hospital, but at the same time they are not well or healthy enough to enjoy everyday life, to be in the present moment and to go through one day without discomfort in one form or another: the person is literally trapped in this state thinking that to feel ill,  to get more than 4 colds a year is normal and worse yet, to think that only medicine can make them feel better.  It is in this state of Low Grade Chronic Acidosis that our immune system becomes compromised and it is ultimately what opens us up to the maladies mentioned above: This is why it has been called the Kiss of Death.

There are ways to turn this around in a heart-beat: strive to keep your daily meals 80% alkaline-forming and 20% acid forming. If this percentage is too great and too much than work on at least going for a 50/50 % split in the beginning if you can.

Some of the most alkaline forming foods that you can start adding to your diet today to ward off chronic acidosis are:

Asparagus, lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, cabbage, apples, apricots, cherries, carrots, eggplant, onions, peppers, zucchini, celery, mushrooms, avocados, radishes, spinach, chicory, bananas, onions, grape juice, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, kiwi, oranges, watermelon, raisins, walnuts, pears, lemons, peaches, pineapple, cucumbers, leeks, potatoes, etc and the like.

If you can get them in their rawest form, that would be ideal, because it is there in that they have the most potent vital life force, or what we may like to call ‘micro-nutrient’ density.  Excessive grains, dairy products and meats are the most acid forming foods known thus far; so if you do eat any categories of these, balance them out with alkaline foods at all cost to keep the internal balance, fight off disease and keep your pH intact. The ideas related to food nutrition are starting to slowly get the respect that it deserves when it comes to how it is viewed in relation to disease. As we flow into the new days, always keep in mind that the healing for your present or offset ailment may be as close as the foods in your house; it just takes a change in perspective and an open mind. All the best and long healthy life to all.

 

-Dr. Daud Scott N.D.; CHNP.

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