Measuring pH

The easiest way to measure pH levels in the body is by using a pH test strip. All that is necessary is to dip a strip into some of your urine or your saliva and compare the reading to a pH chart. The resulting measurement is a fairly reliable estimation of the pH level of your body’s fluids, cells, and tissues.

Why is it important to measure the body’s pH level? Well to function properly, the body needs balance. To be in balance, the body needs an equal amount of acid and alkalinity. Unfortunately, the pH level for most individuals is not in balance. Most people have too high of an acid level, and that usually is a result of the foods they eat. Returning a body to a proper pH balance is a slow process, but it is possible to achieve once a change in diet is made. Oftentimes, taking supplements is also necessary to achieve this balance.

What do the range of numbers on the pH scale mean? The scale begins at 0 and ends at 14. Since the number 7 is the midpoint of this scale, a pH reading of 7 means a substance has a neutral reading. It has equal amounts of acid and alkalinity. The substance is in balance.

What separates acid from alkaline is a substance’s ability to release hydrogen ions when that substance interacts with water. Therefore, the letter "p" in a pH reading represents the "potential" to release hydrogen ions. Sometimes it’s also referred to as "power." The letter "H" refers to the letter that represents Hydrogen on the Periodic Table. To simplify, pH then is defined as, the "Potential of Hydrogen."

A pH value on the low end of the scale means that a substance has a greater potential for releasing Hydrogen ions. Unfortunately, the pH scale is a bit more complicated. That’s because it is a logarithmic scale, meaning there is not an equal value in between the numbers. Instead, the values in between each number increase proportionally the further away from the midway point the actual reading is.

This is where the pH scale gets complicated. A substance such as urine that has a pH level of 6 is 10 times more acidic than urine with a pH reading of 7. However, a pH reading of 5 is actually 100 times more acidic than a substance with a reading of 7, even though the number 5 is right below the number 6. But because it is 2 numbers away from 7, the midpoint on the pH scale, the value increases considerably.

That is the primary reason why correcting an imbalance becomes more difficult the farther away a pH reading is from the scale’s neutral point of 7.

Rebalancing the Body's pH Levels