Hello All,
I had a fairly good day yesterday as long
as I did not get up. Once up on my feet, I got dizzy and weak. Otherwise, I
stayed busy with writing, editing, analysis of survey data and research. I also
took some time to make a grocery list in case I was well enough today to go
shopping with Calvin.
Since I am feeling fairly well this
morning, I think I will try to venture out with Calvin. We will go to our
organic market to purchase our vegetables and other unprocessed foods for our
pH balanced diet.
I have chosen, today, to write about the reason I follow a pH balanced diet;
the issue with metabolic acidosis.
Periodic Paralysis and Metabolic
Acidosis
(http://medipptx.blogspot.com/2010/09/metabolic-acidosis_1754.html)
Periodic Paralysis is a 4th class mineral metabolic disorder. People
with mineral metabolic disorders tend to have chronic metabolic acidosis.
Metabolic acidosis is an excess of acidity in the fluids of the body. In
chronic metabolic acidosis, osteoporosis and kidney stones may develop.
Metabolic acidosis is a pH imbalance (the
balance between the acid and alkaline), in which the body accumulates an excess
of acid in the body fluids and does not have enough bicarbonate to neutralize
the effects of the acid effectively. An individual can develop metabolic
acidosis, if the carbon dioxide levels are allowed to rise and remain in the
body.
We know that metabolic acidosis affects
the heart and breathing. It results in potassium shifting out of the cells and
into the bloodstream creating hyperkalemia, too much potassium. The combination
of metabolic acidosis and hyperkalemia is a serious condition and can be life
threatening leading to shock and death. Metabolic acidosis may also occur in
low potassium levels.
Some of the more common symptoms of
metabolic acidosis are muscle weakness, bone and muscle pain, headache, chest
pain, tachycardia, heart palpitations, abdominal pain, rapid breathing,
shortness of breath, confusion, drowsiness, a lack of energy and paralysis for
persons with Periodic Paralysis. If metabolic acidosis becomes severe it can
lead to shock (a lack of an appropriate flow of blood in the body) or death.
However, the symptoms of metabolic acidosis are sometimes not very obvious or
specific, depending on the cause. It should be noted that in some individual’s
metabolic acidosis could be mild and ongoing (chronic).
In chronic metabolic acidosis an individual’s bones
and kidneys are affected. When potassium shifts in the body, calcium carbonate
from the bone is released. This causes a loss of the bone crystals leading to
osteoporosis. When the kidneys are affected, this can be seen by the
formation of kidney stones.
Normally our pH level should be 70% alkaline and 30%
acidic. If we do not eat a balanced diet and eat more acidic foods, we are too
acidic and we can develop metabolic acidosis a serious condition. Through
research we found that those of us with PP may have chronic levels of metabolic
acidosis. So a balanced pH diet is a very good plan for some of us.
The normal diet in the U.S. is very acidic with
meat, fats, dairy, sugar, white flour, and with all the processed foods we eat.
This makes many normal people acidic and they become ill with any number of
symptoms and illnesses. So imagine what it does to us with Periodic
Paralysis? We develop, metabolic
acidosis, which we are already prone to developing.
One of the
major drugs used for treating Periodic Paralysis is acetazolamide also sold
under the name of diamox and keveyis. It is a carbonic
anhydrase inhibitor, which is a diuretic. It removes water through the kidneys.
Interestingly, it is used to treat mild metabolic acidosis, however, it
actually leads to more metabolic acidosis by speeding up the process. Many
individuals taking this drug to treat their symptoms of Periodic Paralysis are
unknowingly making themselves worse and causing more damage to their bodies. It
also lowers potassium. Many people are also unaware
that it is a sulpha-based drug and should not be taken if an allergy exists to sulfa drugs.
If one already has Periodic Paralysis and has
chronic metabolic acidosis he or she can develop kidney stones and osteoporosis
over time. If one already has Periodic Paralysis and has chronic metabolic acidosis and takes diamox, he or she
can become more acidic and can acquire full-blown metabolic acidosis which
causes more damage and kidney stones and accelerates osteoporosis, more
illness, more paralysis from the stress on the body and lowering of potassium
and may even cause death. (Please research this well as you make your choices about the drugs you are using. Many, many of us choose not to use them, they cause us serious side effects in the short and long term.)
So it is especially important for individuals with
Periodic Paralysis to maintain that 70/30 balance and it can be done with a pH
diet. We may eat some of the foods, which are more acidic, just remember to
keep the 70/30 balance to avoid or lower metabolic acidosis.
Until
later…
