Image credit: Orest Lyzhechka via Shutterstock

By Kim Ross, DCN

Reviewed by Deanna Minich, PhD

March 4, 2024

Alkalizing (or pH balance) refers to creating an acid-alkaline balance in the body, tipped in favor of alkaline (greater than a pH of 7). The foods we eat are either acid-producing or alkaline-producing. Alcohol, coffee, meats, polyunsaturated vegetable oils, cheeses, grains, breads, and processed foods are known to be acid-producing, while good quality water, fruits, vegetables, algae, and grasses are alkaline-producing. The body is designed to have a perfect balance of acidifying and alkalizing foods for optimal health.

Green foods and products are particularly known for alkalizing the system. They are often used from a health perspective to combat an already acidic system or to balance out a deficient day-to-day acidic diet high in coffee, alcohol, meats, breads, and the like.

However, in addition to alkalizing the system, particular green foods have other health benefits that are also important to our day-to-day health. For example, many green foods contain ingredients that reduce our body’s absorption of toxins and heavy metals such as chlorophyll. While others contain antioxidants that “cleanse” cells and remove free radicals (the ultimate “anti-aging”), and then other greens contain certain amino acids, macro, and micronutrients that support different aspects of the body’s detoxification process from the bloodstream to the liver and kidneys.  

For that reason, green products are often formulated to either

♢ alkaline the system

♢ reduce the uptake of toxins and heavy metals

♢ support the body’s detoxification process, or

♢ combined to try and do all of them.

It is essential to point out that detoxification is a very complex process that includes

the bloodstream, cells, gut, bowel, liver, and kidneys.

While greens can generally maintain the status quo, as well as improve a person’s toxicity status to a degree, more serious cases will need additional support. This could include adequate water intake, juicing, liver and gut-supporting foods, herbs such as milk thistle, probiotics, fiber, exercise to support the lymphatic system, sauna therapy, and in serious cases, dialysis and even transplants. It is important to use clinical discretion when determining appropriate detoxification support.

However, the environment grows increasingly toxic from the thousands of chemicals in our food, cosmetics, cleaning products, plastics, and pesticides to the smoke or smog we breathe to the electromagnetic radiation from computers, cell phones, microwaves, airline security, and even flying itself. We inundate our bodies with toxins. Thus, we need to avoid as many of these as possible and support our body’s natural detoxification processes every day to maintain health and the body’s optimal function.

What are some of the conditions impacted by an alkaline-acidic

imbalance and malfunctioning detoxification system?

Osteoporosis: The standard Western diet has the richest dietary consumption of calcium, yet also provides a high prevalence of osteoporosis, with over 10 million Americans over the age of 50 being diagnosed and another 34 million who are at risk (1). This occurs partly because diets rich in acidifying foods, without the alkalizing counterbalance, make the body excrete calcium and other minerals at a high rate. By reversing this balance, we are able to see significant changes in the absorption of key minerals. In addition, heavy metals from the environment have also been linked to increased bone density loss (2).

GERD: The stomach needs to maintain a more acidic environment for proper digestion. However, when the stomach is too acidic (pH<4.0), an increase in GERD symptoms can present and mucosal damage can occur (3,4).

Gout: Gout is a reversible condition through diet (5). Acid-loading foods that trigger gout, such as alcohol, meats, cheeses, and processed foods, should be avoided. While alkalizing foods should be increased. In addition, supporting the detoxification and breakdown of uric acid is critical.

High blood pressure: There are many causes of high blood pressure, but one is magnesium deficiency. An acid-load diet causes excess excretion of magnesium. Magnesium is known to act as a natural calcium channel blocker for which there are medicines such as amlodipine. Both oral administration of magnesium and shifting to an alkalizing diet can support those with certain types of high blood pressure. In addition, an acidic system can increase inflammation in the body (6).

Kidney stones: Excess acid load, which stimulates the excretion of minerals in combination with poor hydration, may result in kidney stones (7).

Asthma: Like high blood pressure, asthma has multiple contributors. However, the fundamentals are bronchoconstriction (or decreased airway size) and inflammation. Magnesium deficiency significantly contributes to bronchoconstriction (8) and is depleted in an acid-load diet.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): An acid-load diet contributes to alternating bouts of diarrhea and constipation as well as abdominal pain (9).

Poor energy status: Low nutrient status and poor absorption of nutrients can contribute to mental and physical fatigue.

Trouble sleeping: While some people have trouble getting to sleep, a more common problem is waking in the middle of the night. Chinese Medicine practitioners believe this is due to liver activity, and now functional medicine practitioners and some nutritionists suggest it may be an acid-alkaline imbalance.

Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) are examples of conditions that are often associated with an impaired detoxification system. These toxins may be due to exposure or chemicals that our body has made on its own and cannot get rid of due to poor function of the liver, kidneys, bowel, or combinations from any of the three.

Conditions that have been associated with chronic heavy metal exposure include allergies, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high blood pressure, Parkinson’s disease, and many others (10).

Improving acid-alkaline balance with pH QuintessencePRO

pH QuintessencePRO is a 40:1 concentrated organic alfalfa (Medicago sativa) preparation, the ultimate green superfood, rich in vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, fatty acids, antioxidants, carotenoids, and chlorophyll. This nutrient-dense plant is known as the “father of all foods,” and its roots reach deeper than most other plants, so they are able to take up more minerals from the soil (11).

When Symphony Natural Health looked at developing a greens product, the Director of Research & Development, Dr. Henry Meissner, explored different types of greens, including, but not limited to, spirulina, chlorella, wheat grass, and blue-green algae. The list was long and comprehensive. Through his research, Dr. Meissner found that a specific variety of alfalfa has one of the most complete analytical profiles of any green explored. The challenge was that the levels of many of the active ingredients in standard alfalfa were too low to have the benefits that Dr. Meissner believed were best for the human body.

As a result, Dr. Meissner developed a proprietary manufacturing process that we control from seed to shelf to realize the benefits of the active ingredients. First, the process includes consideration of where the product is grown. Then it is harvested in an optimized manner, and finally, it is manufactured within hours of harvest, without drying, enabling the nutrients to be entirely preserved. This sequence of steps results in a product that

✓ Is a highly concentrated 40:1 extract of a specific variety of alfalfa

✓ Comes from organically certified and non-GMO fields in France

✓ Has maximized bioavailability and efficacy

✓ Removes the allergens and phytoestrogens

✓ Is powerful yet gentle enough for sensitive individuals

✓ Is free of chemicals, fillers, or excipients (such as magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide)

✓ Is packed in vegan capsules and oxygen barrier blister packs

✓ Has been tested for L-canavanine

Clinical Pearls on How to Use pH QuintessencePRO

Over the years, our Medical Team has talked with thousands of practitioners and even customers to learn more about the diverse uses of our products. While perhaps not based on scientific studies, these are clinical uses of pH QuintessencePRO that may have served one or more people based on experience. Try them according to your own discretion with your patients*.

1. Better gut motility and elimination: Some practitioners and product users have shared that taking three capsules of pH QuintessencePRO at bedtime helps with more substantial bowel movements in the morning. In fact, we have heard this so many times we have incorporated it into our dosing recommendations.

2. Enhanced detoxification of hormones: Taking pH QuintessencePRO together with any of our FemmenessencePRO products can be an excellent duo due to the influence of pH QuintessencePRO on metabolic detoxification, an essential process in hormone metabolism, aligning well with the use of FemmenessencePRO to nourish hormone synthesis.

3. Better skin health: Coupling pH QuintessencePRO with FemmenessencePRO products may help minimize excess androgens and, as a result, help with skin health.

4. Improved circulation and hydration: Bringing in both pH QuintessencePRO and Sole is an effective way to detoxify with adequate fluids and subsequent removal of toxins with greens.

5. Binding of toxins with a meal: Taking pH QuintessencePRO with a meal can provide chlorophyll to bind unwanted toxins.

6. Better urogenital health: Our Medical Team member, Dr. Mona Fahoum, has mentioned that she gets great success using it in women with chronic UTIs and vaginitis (especially bacterial vaginosis).

7. Reducing acid reflux: Taking one capsule after every meal may help reduce acid reflux in those susceptible to this symptom.

8. A way to get more greens! It is especially beneficial for those patients who have difficulty meeting their daily phytonutrients.

Click on the images below to read more about pH QuintessencePRO:

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

References

1. Clynes MA, Harvey NC, Curtis EM, Fuggle NR, Dennison EM, Cooper C. The epidemiology of osteoporosis. Vol. 133, British Medical Bulletin. 2020.

2. Pizzorno J, Pizzorno L. Environmental Toxins Are a Major Cause of Bone Loss. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2021 Feb;20(1):10–7.

3. Hunt RH. Importance of pH control in the management of GERD. Vol. 159, Archives of Internal Medicine. 1999.

4. Koufman JA, Johnston N. Potential benefits of pH 8.8 alkaline drinking water as an adjunct in the treatment of reflux disease. Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. 2012;121(7).

5. Bernal JA, Quilis N, Andrés M, Sivera F, Pascual E. Gout: optimizing treatment to achieve a disease cure. Vol. 7, Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease. 2016.

6. Casimir GJ, Lefèvre N, Corazza F, Duchateau J, Chamekh M. The acid-base balance and gender in inflammation: A mini-review. Vol. 9, Frontiers in Immunology. 2018.

7. Haghighatdoost F, Sadeghian R, Clark CCT, Abbasi B. Higher Dietary Acid Load Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Calcium Oxalate Kidney Stones. Journal of Renal Nutrition. 2021;31(5).

8. Kilic H, Kanbay A, Karalezli A, Babaoglu E, Hasanoglu HC, Erel O, et al. The Relationship between Hypomagnesemia and Pulmonary Function Tests in Patients with Chronic Asthma. Medical Principles and Practice. 2018;27(2).

9. Mobasheri F, Shidfar F, Aminianfar A, Keshteli AH, Esmaillzadeh A, Adibi P. The association between dietary acid load and odds and severity of irritable bowel syndrome in adults. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1).

10. Haidar Z, Fatema K, Shoily SS, Sajib AA. Disease-associated metabolic pathways affected by heavy metals and metalloid. Vol. 10, Toxicology Reports. 2023.

11. Does Alfalfa Stand Up for the Claim “The Father of All Foods”? Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2018;1(1).