Saliva pH is an indication of the levels of cellular inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. Low saliva pH values (acidic) does not mean a patient has a disease state, but it does indicate that they are not as "well" as they could be. Their future state of wellness and health status can be determined by the levels of inflammation and oxidative stress as shown below.

The higher the levels of inflammation and oxidative stress, the more likely the future development of chronic disease will be accelerated. Research clearly indicates that inflammatory cytokine status progressively increases as saliva pH becomes more acidic.

The Biological Terrain Battle in Our Body

Make no mistake about it, there is a biological terrain battle going on in the blood and tissues of our bodies twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. If we take a realistic look at a typical patient lifestyle, we'll see that everything in their world is perpetrating an acid environment. The battle between wellness and sickness is between acid and alkaline pH. The supposedly complicated battle for health and wellness is as simple as that. People consume too much acid foods, acid beverages, acid pharmaceuticals, eat foods laced with acid pesticides, acid herbicides, acid fungicides, throw in some acid recreational drugs, clean their homes with acid industrial products, breathe acid exhaust fumes from cars and planes, and come into contact with acid petroleum toxins and acid petroleum-based chemicals every day.

Dietary Methods to Improve Alkalinity & Balance Saliva pH Values

There are no drugs that can alkalize the body and balance the saliva pH value. This is because low-grade acidosis and an acidic saliva pH are a consequence of poor lifestyle habits and diet. One method of alkalizing the body and raising the saliva pH value is by increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables. One study posted at the National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine that was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School, concluded that five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day can reduce the markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in adolescents. The difficulty is eating five or more servings each and every day. That's why an effective way to ensure your patients get an adequate supply of the anti-oxidant benefits of fruits and vegetables is to use a powder supplement that will increase blood antioxidant levels. One scoop of a high quality fruit and vegetable powder can provide the alkaline minerals and the anti-oxidant protection of 15 plus servings of fruits and vegetables.

Are Fruit and Vegetable Powders As Effective As Real Produce?

The British Journal of Nutrition conducted research that concluded fruit and vegetable powders can significantly increase blood concentrations of measured antioxidant nutrients the same as real produce provided the product is processed correctly. You must make sure the product you recommend is not processed in high heat and that its spray dried.

Alkaline Lifestyle Program

The best long-term method to reduce cellular inflammation and oxidative stress and to balance saliva pH is to have your patients follow an anti-inflammatory diet that promotes eating less animal products and encourages eating more fruits and vegetables. As long as there are sufficient amounts of alkaline minerals in the body, poisonous acids are neutralized. There is a family of minerals that are especially suited to neutralizing or detoxifying strong acids: sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. They exist as salts in our tissues and are highly alkaline. A healthy body maintains alkaline reserves by recruiting elsewhere if insufficient minerals are not available from the diet, such as muscle (magnesium) and bone (calcium). So if we eat 7 to 9 servings a day of highly alkaline, organic fruits and vegetables that are grown in rich top soil, by farmers who rotate their crops and don't use acidic pesticides and herbicides, then we should be able to alkalize the blood, keep our pH balanced and keep our alkaline reserves high. Good clean air, alkaline foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, alkaline beverages like fresh pure water; herbal teas, fresh-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, daily exercise, being outdoors in the sun and organic non-toxic cleaning products will help the body maintain a proper pH balance in which sickness and poor health cannot exist. And since the research published in the British Journal of Nutrition indicates that consuming a fruit and vegetable powder can be as beneficial as eating produce, it may serve many patients with a history of chronic inflammation and poor lifestyle eating habits to do both; try and improve their diet and take a fruit and vegetable powder supplement daily. In addition, offering patients a "take-home" saliva pH test kit that they can use to test their 10 day average, could provide both them and you a way to monitor their ongoing state of wellness.

Dr. Donald L. Hayes, DC is a clinician, educator and author of several books, including Lifestyle Wellness and, along with Michael E. Gerber, The E-Myth Nutritionist: Why Most Healthcare Practices Don't Work and What to Do About It. He is founder and president of the Greens First line of nutritional products and the Lifestyle Wellness Total Health Improvement Program. He can be reached at 866-410-1818 or through www.greensfirst.com.